December 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge : Christmas Stollen

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

 

Stollen is similar to fruitcake, but it is more a sweet bread than cake.  It has a combination of candied citron, cherries, and raisins along with slivered almonds. I wasn't sure if I would like it (I generally do not eat raisins due to a traumatizing childhood experience) but I found this both delightful and addicting.  It is pleasantly sweet (I find some sweet breads are a tease) and the spices and fruits add a complexity of flavors.    

Stollen Wreath

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm water (110º F / 43º C)
• 2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) (22 ml) (14 grams) (1/2 oz) active dry yeast
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk
• 10 tablespoons (150 ml) (140 grams) unsalted butter (can use salted butter)
• 5½ cups (1320 ml) (27 ozs) (770 grams) all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)
• ½ cup (120 ml) (115 gms) sugar
• ¾ teaspoon (3 ¾ ml) (4 ½ grams) salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 grams) cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (very good) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract or orange extract
• ¾ cup (180 ml) (4 ¾ ozs) (135 grams) mixed peel (link below to make your own)
• 1 cup (240 ml) (6 ozs) (170 gms) firmly packed raisins
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) rum
• 12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
• 1 cup (240 ml) (3 ½ ozs) (100 grams) flaked almonds
• Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
• Confectioners’ (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreath

Directions:

Soak the raisins: in a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside. 

To make the dough
Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (4 liters) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red!

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.

Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.

Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.  Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.  Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.  The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.

Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents! 

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

Sorry I haven't kept up on posting; I've baked myself into exhaustion.  Also, I suspect I am getting sick again (as I simply cannot stop sneezing).  

OHGOODNEWS! Hubby got me the food processor of my dreams for Christmas!!

December 2010 Daring Cooks Challenge: Poach (eggs) to Perfection!

Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

As a kid, I always thought soft-boiled eggs in the little cups were poached eggs; I didn't learn any better until hubby made me poached eggs not so long ago.  The challenge was to poach an egg; a few different recipes were provided.  I debated for a while, then decided to try my hand at Eggs Benedict.  I've been flirting with the idea of having a brunch get-together so it seemed sensible to add such a classic breakfast/brunch item to my repertoire. 

Hubby and I both fell madly in love with Eggs Benedict last night.  He had had  it once before at a restaurant and was unimpressed; it was my first time.  The salty butteriness of the sauce with an ever so slight kick of cayenne against the sweetness of the canadian bacon really bring this dish together.  

Eggs Benedict

(the Hollandaise sauce is courtesy of Alton Brown)

• 4 eggs (size is your choice)
• 2 English muffins*
• 4 slices of Canadian bacon/back bacon (or plain bacon if you prefer)
• Chives, for garnish
• Splash of vinegar (for poaching)

For the hollandaise (makes 1.5 cups):

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) water
• ¼ tsp. (1 ¼ ml/1½ g) sugar
• 12 Tbl. (170 g/6 oz.) unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces º
• ½ tsp. (2 ½ ml/3 g) kosher salt
• 2 tsp. (10 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

* for gluten free, use gluten free English muffins or bread of your choice
º for dairy free, use a dairy free margarine

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a simmer.

2. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and set aside.

3. Whisk egg yolks and 1 tsp. (5 ml) water in a mixing bowl large enough to sit on the saucepan without touching the water (or in top portion of a double boiler). Whisk for 1–2 minutes, until egg yolks lighten. Add the sugar and whisk 30 seconds more.

4. Place bowl on saucepan over simmering water and whisk steadily 3–5 minutes (it only took about 3 for me) until the yolks thicken to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat (but let the water continue to simmer) and whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Move the bowl to the pan again as needed to melt the butter, making sure to whisk constantly.

6. Once all the butter is incorporated, remove from heat and whisk in the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper (if using).

7. Keep the hollandaise warm while you poach your eggs in a thermos, carafe, or bowl that you’ve preheated with warm water.

8. If the water simmering in your pan has gotten too low, add enough so that you have 2–3 inches of water and bring back to a simmer.

9. Add salt and a splash of vinegar (any kind will do). I added about a tablespoon of vinegar to my small saucepan (about 3 cups of water/720 ml of water), but you may need more if you’re using a larger pan with more water.

10. Crack eggs directly into the very gently simmering water (or crack first into a bowl and gently drop into the water), making sure they’re separated. Cook for 3 minutes for a viscous but still runny yolk.

11. While waiting for the eggs, quickly fry the Canadian/back bacon and toast your English muffin.

12. Top each half of English muffin with a piece of bacon. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, draining well, and place on top of the bacon. Top with hollandaise and chopped chives, and enjoy!

Mince Pies

Who isn't intrigued by mincemeat?  Anyone?  Everyone has heard of it, and just about everyone has thought "ew gross" as they envisioned meat and raisins in a pie.  And while long ago in lands far away mincemeat did indeed contain beef, venison, or lamb, it has evolved from a savory meal to a mostly meat-free, delicious dessert.  I say mostly because there are some who still put meat in their mincemeat and others who use  beef suet (fat from around the kidneys ::shudder::).  In the past few years as I've really gotten into starting my own yuletide traditions, I always decide it's the year I'll try making mincemeat.  Yet I never did.  But this year, I had the foresight to plan my December weekends and thus I dedicated myself to making mincemeat. 

In looking through my cookbooks for a recipe, I not surprisingly found one in Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess.  Furthermore, she had multiple recipes for mince pies with various crusts and/or toppings.  I opted for a basic mince pie, just pastry and mincemeat.  

I am thrilled with the results.  It is definitely sweet, but the tartness of the granny smith apples really keep the sweet in balance.  The spices are subtle, which I find refreshing as many holiday dishes are heavy-handed with the clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These little pies are really quite addictive and I find myself returning to the kitchen time and time again to pick up another little delight.  That is what is so dangerous about doing bite-size desserts; you really just can't stop!

Hettie Potter's Suet-Free Mincemeat

(from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess, pg 264)

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar 
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp medium-dry hard cider
• 2 1/4 pounds peeled, halved, and quartered tart cooking apples
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice (I used 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp allspice)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp currants (I used dried cranberries as currants are scarce in Louisiana)
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp raisins
• 1/3 cup natural-colored glace cherries, roughly chopped (I used maraschino cherries as I could not find glace)*
• 1/3 cup blanched almonds, fairly finely chopped
• ring and juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 6 tbsp brandy or rum
• 4 1-pint or 2 1-quart canning jars**

In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the cider over a gentle heat.  Roughly chop the apples and add them to the saucepan.  Then add all the other ingredients except the brandy or rum, and summer for 30 minutes or until everything looks pulpy.  Take off the heat and when it has cooled a little, stir in the brandy or rum.  Spoon into sterilized jars.**

This should make around 4 pounds. 

* Glace cherries are candied cherries and are the type used in fruitcakes.  Usually, they are in all grocery stores around this time of year, packaged in little clear tubs, but for some reason, I couldn't find them.

** I halved the recipe because 1) I wasn't sure I would even like mincemeat, and 2) I didn't want to deal with canning anything.  So halving the recipe, I had enough for my pies and then about 1/2 to 1 cup left over, which I plan to put on top of vanilla ice cream or some other delicious thing. Like pancakes.  Definitely pancakes.   

Star-Topped Mince Pies

(from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess, pg 260)

• 1 2/3 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced small
• juice of 1 orange
• pinch of salt
• approximately 3/4 cup + plus 2 tbsp mincemeat
• 1 large egg, mixed with a tbsp water to glaze (optional)
• confectioners' sugar for dusting
• a tray of miniature tart pans, each indent about 2 inches in diameter*
• 2 1/2 inch fluted round biscuit cutter**
• 1 1/2 inch star cutter ***

Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish, and, using a teaspoon, dollop in little mounds of shortening.  Add the butter, combine with your hands, and put in the freezer for 20 minutes.  Mix the orange juice and the salt in a small pitcher (I used a measuring cup) and put this in the refrigerator.  

Empty out the flour and fat into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until you've got a pale pile of oatmeal-like crumbs.  Add the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing til it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left).  If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some ice water.  Turn out of the processor and, in your hands, combine to a dough. **** Then form into three discs.  Wrap each in plastic wrap  and put in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 425F. 

Roll out the discs one at time as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry shell, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat.  Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the trays.  Press these circles gently into the molds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat.  then cut out your stars - re-rolling the pastry as necessary - and place them lightly on top of the mincemeat.  

If you want to glaze the  mince pies, then brush the stars with a pastry brush dipped into the egg and water mix.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't: the difference really is one of appearance and only you can decide whether you want them pale and matte or gold and shiny.  (Mama Sarah:  I didn't glaze mine.  Next time I might).  

Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes; keep an eye on them, they really don't take long.  Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies right away and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch.  Carry on until they're all down.  Dust over some confectioners' sugar by sifting it through a tea strainer before serving them.

makes 36.

*  I do not have a tray of miniature tart pans, but I DO have a mini muffin tray.

** I found a glass that was a bit larger than the muffin cups.

*** I did not have a star cutter, so I printed out a star that would fit within the muffin tray (because I cannot draw) and used it as a stencil, cutting out the stars with a sharp knife.

 **** I have a small 2-cup food processor which does not have a funnel, so things didn't go quite according to plan.  After a few attempts to combine the OJ with the flour, I pulled it all out of the food processor into a bowl and mixed it together with my hands. 

Because I used a mini muffin pan and am not the most efficient roller, I just made 24 pies and one small tart.  

Probably the ONLY thing I would do differently next time is chop my apples smaller.  They did not break down as much as I expected so there are fairly big apple chunks in my mincemeat.  Okay, I'd also either grind the almonds or omit them completely; they were a bit too hard when everything else was so soft.  

Other than that, these are divine  and you should make them so we can educate the world about the awesomeness of mincemeat!  

Vanilla Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

I am sometimes an impulsive shopper, but I can usually resist buying the recipe magazines.  But not too long ago, I couldn't resist the cheesecake gracing the cover of Mixingbowl.com which seems to be a magazine published by Better Homes and Gardens.  It was their Baking issue and featured a Vanilla-Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache.  Now, I'm a sugar for vanilla, especially actual vanilla bean.  (So much so that I've asked for vanilla beans for Christmas).  I wanted to bake it, but more importantly, I wanted to eat it.  The weekend after Thanksgiving finally gave me the opportunity to splurge and bake this cheesecake as we had Thanksgiving dinner with hubby's paternal family.  I always bring dessert and they love me for it. 

The flavors of this cheesecake were great!  But sadly, I have one major issue with the recipe.  The ganache was too firm or the cheesecake was too soft, but it was impossible to slice without it flattening and getting messy.  Thus, no nice slice photo.  Next time, I might add more cream cheese or less sour cream to attempt to fix this issue.  Or perhaps I'll just do a thinner layer of ganache.  I guess I'll just have to make a few more :)

Vanilla Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

(Mixingbowl.com, Fall/Winter 2010, page 13)

• 2 cups finely crushhed chocolate graham crackers (about 28 squares)
• 1 tbsp finely shredded orange peel (omitted because hubby would hate it)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2  8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condences milk
• 2 pints fresh raspberries (purchased but forgotten)
• orange peel strips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.  Place an 8 inch springform pan on a large sheet of foil.  Wrap foil around bottom and sides of pan to enclose; set aside.  

For the crust, in a medium bowl combine rushed graham crackers and orange peel.  Stir in melted butter.  Press the crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of the prepared pan.  Chill while preparing filling.

For filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition.  Gradually add sugar, beating until filling is creamy.  Beat in sour cream and vanilla bean seeds.  Scrape sides of bowl throughout mixing to prevent any lumps, but do not overbeat.

Pour filling into chilled crust; use a spatula to smooth the top.  Place in a large roasting pan.  Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to reach one-fourth of the way up the sides of the springform pan.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn off oven; leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour or until cheesecake jiggles slightly.  Remove cheesecake from roasting pan to wire rack.  Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from pan sides.  Cool for 30 minutes.  Chill, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours.

For ganache, in a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.  Cook and stir over low heat until smooth.  Spread evenly over cheesecake.  Chill until set.   Just before serving, top with raspberries and, if desired, orange peel strips.  

Thanksgiving, Part III: Squash Casserole

Okay, I'll be honest: I didn't make the squash casserole for Thanksgiving this year. My sister did.  She did last year too. But, I have made it before and all of us in my family (mom, dad, sister, me) make it the same. So I'm not really cheating by posting this.

(please forgive the horrible photo: it was Thanksgiving and people were hungry)

Squash casserole

(Don't know where Mom got the recipe, and this isalmost exactly as she gave it to my sister and me)

• 2 c. yellow squash
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¾ c. mayonnaise (I use a little less, about ½ cup)
• 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 10 green onions (I usually use regular onion)
• ½ stick butter or margarine
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• ½ c. cracker crumbs (don’t fight over who gets to crush them)*

In a large pot, with a little water, cook the squash until it  is tender.  Drain. 

Saute onions in butter until tender.   Combine all ingredients except cracker crumbs and put in a buttered casserole dish.  Top with cracker crumbs and bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes.

* My mom put this note because my sister and I literally fought over who got to make the cracker crumbs.  My mom had this cool device (probably a nut chopper of sorts) that was a glass jar with a plastic funnel that screwed on top.  at the bottom of the funnel were some awesome teeth and there was a handle you would  turn to crunch up the crackers.  My sister and I would each get to crush half a pack of Ritz crackers.  Were someone to crush more than her share, chaos would ensue. 

November 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge: Crostata

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Guys, this might be my favorite challenge thus  far.  A crostata is sweet short crust pastry (reminiscent of a sugar cookie) that can be filled with fruit preserves, pastry cream, or other marvelous things.  I decided to go with a simple pastry cream/custardy filling.  Since hubby told me I could only make one pie for Thanksgiving (he's so mean!) I thwarted him by preparing this for Thanksgiving dessert as well.  I did not have regular size tart pan (8 or 9 inches) but I did have a bunch of smaller ones, so I decided to make mini crostatas with end up being the perfect dessert size, in my opinion.

The reason I loved this challenge so much is because this crostata is nearly identical to my absolute favorite pastry at Croissant du Jour in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (where hubby and I lived while I was in college).  The only thing missing was a handful of raspberries baked into the cream.  

Crostata Con la Crema
Pastry

• 1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1) or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar 1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour a pinch of salt
• 1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• grated0 zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Crema

• 500 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tsp hazelnut extract (optional)
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.

Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).

Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.

Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertip. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.
 
For the Crema :

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and extracts, but keep well below boiling.

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until pale yellow and frothy.  Temper the yolks by whisking in 1/4 cup of the heated milk.  Whisk in another 1/4 cup, then pour it all back into the saucepan.

Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring  constantly.  Cook until mixture has thickened considerably, and can coat the back of the spoon.

Fill the sink with a couple inches of cold/ice water.  Place the saucepan in the water and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. 

Assembling and baking the crostata con la crema:

Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.

To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.

Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.

If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.

Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.

Cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream.

Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)

Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.

Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

After 35 minutes, check the tart, and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue.

When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

(I felt this tart was MUCH better after it had been refrigerated overnight)

Thanksgiving, Part II: Homemade Cranberry Sauce

As a kid, I never really liked cranberry sauce.  This was most likely due to the gelatinous nature, but also partly due to the fact that my mom hated it and my dad loved it.  As a kid, I aligned with my mom's food preferences and readily abhorred my dad's (vienna sausages, need I say more?)

I can't exactly remember why I decided to make cranberry sauce from scratch a few years back, but it was most likely because I'm a food snob and like to make it all from scratch.  Also, the gelatinous stuff in the can just really gives me the heebie-geebies.  Anyhoo, it is ridiculously easy to make and MUCH better homemade (I find the canned stuff granular).  And most people seem impressed when they find out your cranberry sauce is homemade, though some will roll their eyes.  I just prefer the texture and hint of citrus.

Cranberry Sauce

• 1 - 12 oz package fresh cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice (I prefer pulp free)
• 1 cup white granulated sugar

In a medium sized  saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Add cranberries. (I usually go through the package of cranberries and pull out any that are not firm or are discolored.)  Reduce heat and let the cranberries boil gently for approximately 10 minutes.  The cranberries will begin to pop and the mixture will thicken considerably.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve OR, if you do not want the remnants of the berry skin, you can pour the sauce through a mesh sieve, pushing firmly against the mesh to extract the most sauce and then refrigerate.

Thanksgiving, Part I: Tender Honey Rolls

As I was preparing for Thanksgiving, I got on my blog to print out some recipes I used in previous years (I'm horribly unorganized and don't have all of my recipes saved on my computer! Shameful!!)  To my horror, I realized I have twice posted photographs of a Thanksgiving meal with a promise to quickly update recipes, but never did. SHAME ON ME! Well, I'm going to remedy this situation, though it will take a few posts over a few different days.  For Thanksgiving we had:

Apple Scented Roast Turkey
Tender Honey Rolls
Rice Dressing (no cornbread mush in my house!)
Squash Casserole (traditional family recipe prepared by my sister)
Candied Sweet Potato Casserole (traditional family recipe prepared by my dad)
Green Bean Casserole (oy, so many casseroles! this one prepared by hubby's mother)
Macaroni and Cheese (at hubby's insistence) 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Honey Pumpkin Crumble Pie
And this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge which I will reveal tomorrow

The turkey recipe is all ajumble and will take some time to mesh out into a real, directional recipe, so I'm starting with the easy stuff already typed up on my computer.  And hey, who's going to be roasting a turkey any time soon?

Tender Honey Rolls

(recipe found here)

• 4 cups bread flour (Start with 3 if you are hand kneading)
• 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 package dry yeast (1/4-ounce)
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp hone

Hand kneading instructions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the honey, egg and oil. Add roughly 3 cups of the flour and the salt until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Bread Machine Instructions:

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for placing first 7 ingredients into bread pan; select dough cycle, and start bread machine. Remove dough from machine (do not bake).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 30 seconds. Cover dough, and let rest 10 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 12-18 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until browned. Remove rolls from pans, and serve warm or at room temperature.

About 5 minutes into baking , top rolls with 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp honey to give it that golden brown shiny coat.

(This year, I used a bit too much flour so they weren't as light as soft as the year before, but regardless, these rolls are a HUGE hit. )

Alligator

Living in south-central Louisiana presents some quite interesting food opportunities.  Of course, there's crawfish.   Less common is alligator.  While it shows up on some restaurant menus (mainly fried as an appetizer), I have never known anyone who ate it home.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when I learned that one of hubby's friend's dad is a bona fide alligator hunter/fisherman.  Cool beans, right?  Well, she went home this weekend and offered to bring us back some goodies, and boy did she deliver!  Not only did she bring us multiple pieces alligator tail, she also got us some soft shell crabs, frog legs, and ground deer meat (chili anyone?).  As I was attempting (and mostly succeeded) to clean/organize our garage, I figured gator would be easiest to do.  

Hubby's friend told us to handle the gator like pork, so I decided to sear it in a cast iron skillet, then let it cook, covered, over low heat for about an hour.  I threw in a couple onions and garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and about a cup of water. 

After an hour, hubby and I were a bit confused as there were still some quite soft pieces, like uncooked fish.  It turns out that alligator tail can be quite fatty, especially at the base, as that is where an alligator stores all of its extra fat.  So the lesson learned is that next time, we will need to trim the meat prior to cooking.. (Now, I realize some of you might be thinking "how could they mistake fat for meat?" but when you're cooking with a new ingredient, it is often difficult to tell or be sure of yourself.  Also, alligator fat is a veeery weird texture.  And once we found the meat proper, we immediately knew our error.  Have no fear, we did not consume copious amounts of fat first! One tiny nibble and we were done!)

Egg Drop Soup

Sorry I missed a couple of posts; hubby and I were both sick, so we pretty much didn't cook for a week and a half.  For most of my  life, I never understood why soup was considered the perfect food for sick people; I certainly never craved it when I was ill.  But something has changed.  While I was lying miserably on the couch, watching movie after endless movie, all I wanted to eat was gumbo.  While sick, hubby wanted egg drop soup (though he never got it).  After we mended, I was talking to my mom and she asked if I knew how to make egg drop soup.  It seemed like fate.  It was even more fated because the next day was chilly and wet and perfect for soup.  

 Now, I've always wanted to like egg drop soup, but every time I try it, I feel like I'm just drinking an egg yolk.  Ick! So I knew off the bat that I wanted our soup to be less thick than you get at a restaurant, but I had to balance that with the fact that hubby likes the thickness.  So, we worked together to find a consistency that worked for us.  That's what is so great about making such dishes for yourself!

I did a quick google search for recipes and chose this one because it was simple.  I then did a bit more searching on technique and found this site quite helpful! The egg drops turned out perfectly, both silky and wispy.  If possible, two people do this quite nicely. 

Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups chicken broth/stock
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• salt to taste
• optional : a few drops of sesame oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/ cup water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1-2 green onions, minced (omitted because I had none)

In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups chicken broth to a boil.  Add white pepper and salt, plus sesame oil, if you're using it.  Cook for another minute.  If you'd like to thicken the soup, dissolve the cornstarch into the water.  Slowly pour it into the broth, stirring as you go, until you reach your desired consistency.  I probably used 2/3 of the mixture for ours.  Right before you add the egg, turn off the heat.  

This is where having a second person comes in handy.   One person holds a fork about 8 inches from the broth.   Slowly pour the egg through the fork tines.  While this is going on, the second person stirs the broth at a leisurely pace (hubby says "definitely not fast.... definitely not slow).  After a moment (it really takes no time at all), the egg drops are ready and the soup is finished.   (If you don't have a second set of hands handy, the author at the site I visited balanced the fork on a box of crackers and poured the eggs with one hand and stirred with the other.  Talent!)

Of course, you can garnish it with those minced green onions if you're fancy enough to have them.  =)

November 2010 Daring Cooks Challenge: Souffle

Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.

Wow,  souffle! When I think of souffles, I think of super-difficult, hush the house, no-one-better-dare-sneeze-while-this-is-baking! difficulty.  It is one of those dishes that that, if you can make a souffle, you are a successful, talented cook in my book.  Before tonight, I'd never had souffle, which only elevated its status in my mind.  I can't even say I've been wanting to try making a souffle just because it seems that daunting.  Yet, I was excited when I read the challenge.  I finally had to attempt souffle, and you know what? It really isn't that bad.  Yet another mythic dish slayed. Allriiiight.  (I am SUPER thrilled with myself right now, guys. I made souffle! Two kinds!!)

Generally, I like to stick with savory dishes for my Daring Cooks challenges and leave the sweets for the Daring Bakers challenge. BUT, this one time, I decided to do one of each.  Since I have no souffle repertoire, I used two of the recipes so generously provided.  For dinner, we had a crab and artichoke souffle (delicious!) and for dessert, chocolate souffle (scrumptious!).

Crab and Artichoke Souffle

(A Monkeyshines in the Kitchen recipe)

• 1 cup crab meat, flaked and lightly-packed
• ½ cup finely chopped cooked artichoke hearts (frozen, fresh or from a jar is OK, but please don’t use the marinated-in-oil style)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 large egg whites
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp dried chives or tarragon
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Additional butter and bread crumbs for preparing the dishes

1. Preheat oven to moderate 375 ˚F/190 ˚C/gas mark 5.

2. Prepare dishes – you can use one 2-quart (US)/1.9 litre or six 1-cup/240 ml soufflé dishes – by buttering the dish, then coating with bread crumbs. (You may have some left over soufflé mixture if you go with the smaller soufflé dishes.)

3. Chop the artichoke hearts into ¼”/0.5cm dice. If you use frozen or from a jar, then there’s no need to cook them. If you are using fresh, then steam gently until just softened, about 5 minutes or sauté over low heat until just ever so lightly browned.

4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour to make a roux. – you just want to get the flour evenly blended to a paste, not cook the roux for any length of time. Gradually stir in the milk, mixing all the time. Add herbs, then the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and you have a thick sauce. Remove from heat.

5. Beat the egg yolks well and gently warm them by whisking them in a bowl over simmering water for six minutes.  Gradually stir the egg yolks into the cheese sauce until well blended.

6. Add the artichoke and flaked crab meat to the cheese sauce.

7. Beat the egg whites until at the stiff peak stage.

8. Fold the whites in thirds into the sauce.

9. Spoon the mixture into your baking dish and level the tops using a spatula. Be sure to wipe up any spills and make sure the edge is clean.

10. Bake for 40 min if you’re using a large soufflé dish or 25 min if using smaller dishes – the soufflé should be richly browned.

Gordon Ramsay's Chocolate Souffle

(Adapted From BBC Good Food Recipe by Gordon Ramsay)

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing
  Cocoa powder or finely grated chocolate
• 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar (regular sugar is OK)
• ½ tsp corn starch
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 1 medium whole egg
• 4 Tbsp milk
• 5 Tbsp heavy cream 
• 3 oz good-quality dark chocolate preferably 70+% cocoa solids, broken in pieces
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• Optional: 2 tsp orange zest or 2 tsp minced chipotle chile en adobo or 1 tsp chipotle chile powder.
• Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
• 6 medium egg whites
• 6½ Tbsp superfine/caster sugar (if you don’t have it, regular sugar is OK)

1. Heat oven to moderate 375 ˚F/190 ˚C/gas mark 5. 2. Take four 1 cup/~240ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Tip a little cocoa powder or grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round.

3. For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and corn starch into a small bowl. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a medium sized bowl, beat lightly, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and cocoa powder and mix well.

4. To make the ganache, pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps.

5. Gradually stir hot chocolate ganache into the paste from step 3, and add the orange zest or chile if using. This is your crème patisserie.

6. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés.

7. Stir about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the beaten egg whites into the crème patisserie. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume), then fold in the rest.

8. Spoon the mixture into the dishes. Run a spoon across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking.

9. Bake the soufflés for 15-17 minutes.

10. The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top.

Roasted Okra

Okay, I know it sounds weird. Roasted. Okra.  If you like okra, you'll like this.  If you don't like okra, well then, come back Sunday.   

So, roasted okra.  In trying to eat healthy, I've had to rethink how I eat most of my vegetables.  Some vegetables can easily be delicious and healthy.  Others have to be worked with.  The deal with okra is that I know so few uses for it: fried (favorite.food.ever), smothered (butter), and in gumbo (not quite a side dish).  I recently made the dry okra, which was tasty, but I was trying to avoid using so much oil.   Then I thought of sticking it in the oven, a la blasted broccoli, and figured "what the hell".  If it was horrible, we just wouldn't eat it.  Lucky for us, it was quite tasty.  Very okra-y, but that's okay with me. 

Roasted Okra

• 1 lb okra, chopped (again, I used the precut frozen variety)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

If there is a lot of excess moisture on your okra (say it recently thawed...), cover a plate with paper towels and then lay the okra down in a single layer to draw out some moisture.  Place okra in a medium sized bowl.  Pour olive oil over the okra, the stir gently to coat.  

 Pour the okra onto the baking sheet, making sure it is spread in a single layer.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the okra is dry (i.e., no longer slimy), turning the okra and moving it around occasionally.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Happy Halloween!!

Well, it's late and I'm super tired and want to go to bed at 10:00, which is 3 minutes from now.  But, I also want to post.  In honor of Halloween, I made popcorn balls and roasted pumpkin seeds.  Neither were exceptional.  BUT, the pumpkin seeds did convince me that the first pumpkin seeds I ever had were probably bad (I had to spit it out it was so gross).   I'm not going to post either recipe since neither rocked my boat.  

 
Happy Halloween!  

October 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Donuts!

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

(mmmm donuty deliciousness)

 Wow, donuts!! I've been excited about this challenge, because, honestly, who hasn't wanted to make their own donuts? It was both easier and way more complicated than I expected.  I thought I'd wake up Sunday morning and spend maybe an hour making us donuts for breakfast, but both of the recipes I was interested in took multiple hours.  So, that's where it was more complicated.  Frying the delicious things was much easier than I expected.  (I'm always so intimidated by frying.)  I planned to make both pumpkin donuts and traditional yeast donuts, but after getting the first recipe ready, I decided I'd take it easy and just make the one.  I can always try the second one another weekend.  

(best part of donuts: donut holes)

Hubby, of course, gave  me that "ugh she's going to make me eat the 'creative' ones instead of the good, normal ones!" grimace when I told him I'd be making pumpkin donuts, but he LOVED them.  The ladies at work also enjoyed them.  Me, I love anything pumpkin!

Pumpkin Donuts

(original recipe here)

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8  tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup white granulated sugar 
• 3 tbsp butter, unsalted
  1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
  1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk 
• 1 cup pumpkin  (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
• Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 4 tbsp whipping cream  

Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

For the glaze:

Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.

Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.

Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze. (I just drizzled it).

Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Smothered Rabbit

One of the great things about living in southern Louisiana is the meat, more specifically, the little Cajun meat shops everywhere.  Everyone has their favorite go-to place for boudin or stuffed pork chops (I'm a Heleaux's girl myself), but sometimes, you try something from someone else's little shop and you stray.  My sister goes to Don's, and ever since she shared their chicken burgers with hubby and me, I've been wanting to go there.  FINALLY a weekend or two ago, we were running around town with my sister and she decided she'd bring us over to Don's (since it's totally in her side of town where I don't know my way around).  Long story short (well, shorter than it could be), while there hubby and I got a well-seasoned rabbit.  Remember when I made that rabbit stew and we were thoroughly unimpressed?  That's because I didn't trust my (adopted) roots and smother the heck out of it Cajun style.  So tonight, I did it the right way. 

 Now, I knew the meat needed to cook for a good long time over low heat, but I didn't want to start the whole process after getting home at 5:20. So I cheated a bit and pulled out the crock pot.  In the end, I dirtied more dishes than I could have, but I think this method actually worked really well. 

Smothered Rabbit 

• 1 rabbit, quartered and well-seasoned to your liking (ours was heavily seasoned with the typical Cajun spices)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 14 oz water
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1-2 tbsp water

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the rabbit pieces to the pan and sear each side.  Place the rabbit in the crock pot, then pour in broth and water.  Cover and cook on low for at least 5 hours. 

You will know the rabbit is ready when the meat falls off the bone at the merest provocation. Remove the meat from the crock pot and let cool for a few minutes.  Pull the meat off the bone, but be VERY CAREFUL of the gajillion tiny bones and bits of cartilage.  

Place the meat in a large skillet and ladle a few cups of the broth  mixture into it.  Bring to a simmer.  

In a small cup or bowl, combine the corn starch and water; make sure it's smooth.  


In the skillet, push the meat to one side of the pan and let the juices collect at the other side.   Slowly pour 2/3 of the cornstarch water mixture into the juices, stirring constantly.  This will thicken up your sauce.   Stir the meat back into the sauce and let simmer for a few moments.

Serve over rice!