Chubb

DB: Gingerbread House

2009-12-27T23:34:00.004-05:00

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

This month's DB challenge was to make a Gingerbread house from scratch. I have to say, I gave up! The fourth wall fell to the floor and crashed, the roof didn't fit quite well, and I had TONS of extra accessories. I wasn't following directions exactly (first mistake), I didn't check to make sure they were all going to fit together when they were warm (second mistake) and I didn't guard my pieces. I did use a template (although unsuccessfully) and used all the recipes as written. The recipe was delicious, however, and I happily munched on my leftover cookies while I waited for Diana of Thyme To Lime to finish hers. She came over so we could decorate together... Christmas is the time for friends and togetherness. Check out her site to see what she cooked up, and be sure to check out all the Daring Bakers at The Daring Kitchen.

Merry Christmas!!

2 1/2 cups (500g) packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (360mL) heavy cream or whipping cream
1 1/4 cups (425g) molasses
9 1/2 cups (1663g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) baking soda
1 tablespoon(s) ground ginger

Directions

1. In very large bowl, with wire whisk (or with an electric mixer), beat brown sugar, cream, and molasses until sugar lumps dissolve and mixture is smooth. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and ginger. With spoon, stir flour mixture into cream mixture in 3 additions until dough is too stiff to stir, then knead with hands until flour is incorporated and dough is smooth.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal portions; flatten each into a disk to speed chilling. Wrap each disk well with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

3. Grease and flour large cookie sheets (17-inch by 14-inch/43x36cm)

4. Roll out dough, 1 disk at a time on each cookie sheet to about 3/16-inch thickness. (Placing 3/16-inch dowels or rulers on either side of dough to use as a guide will help roll dough to uniform thickness.)

5. Trim excess dough from cookie sheet; wrap and reserve in refrigerator. Chill rolled dough on cookie sheet in refrigerator or freezer at least 10 minutes or until firm enough to cut easily.

6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (149C)

7. Use chilled rolled dough, floured poster board patterns, and sharp paring knife to cut all house pieces on cookie sheet, making sure to leave at least 1 1/4 inches between pieces because dough will expand slightly during baking. Wrap and reserve trimmings in refrigerator. Combine and use trimmings as necessary to complete house and other decorative pieces. Cut and bake large pieces and small pieces separately.

8. Chill for 10 minutes before baking if the dough seems really soft after you cut it. This will discourage too much spreading/warping of the shapes you cut.

9. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until pieces are firm to the touch. Do not overbake; pieces will be too crisp to trim to proper size.

10. Remove cookie sheet from oven. While house pieces are still warm, place poster-board patterns on top and use them as guides to trim shapes to match if necessary. Cool pieces completely before attempting to assemble the house.

Royal Icing:

1 large egg white
3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T16:14:00.005-05:00

Our Christmas tradition includes everyone squishing into one bed with the dogs, reading Christmas advent, The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado, and of course, Twas the Night before Christmas. We all wear footie pajamas. This may not seem odd for those of you with small children but our stats are me- 26 yrs, 6 ft, my brother 24 years 6'5'', and my other brother 6'3'' and 16 years. Not the usual suspects to be running around the house in one piece footie pajamas! In the morning, the first one up runs around to the other two waking them up, and we all wait at the top of the stairs, chomping at the bit to run down while my parents get the video camera. After a few minutes of boxing out and shoving around, my parents say GO and we run down the stairs trying not to knock each other out completely. Then we all sit around the tree with the pups and open gifts.

After gifts we make a fabulous breakfast, this time waffles with homemade blackberry jam, scrambled eggs and potato hash with ham and bacon. Delicious. I promply napped for a few hours after that, and now we are getting ready for Christmas dinner. We have Indian food from our favorite restaurant, as well as holiday favorites like corn pudding, pineapple souffle, chiltlins, beef roast, cabbage and asparagus. Quite the mix, but we're kinda crazy like that. Who needs a theme, just eat what tastes good! I need to get back to cooking, I have sweet potato creme brulees in the oven. I can't wait to use my new kitchen torch that Santa brought! Woohoo!!

Wishing everyone a very merry christmas, and happy holidays!

Lindsay with her prize winning gingerbread stadium. She did an AMAZING job!

**If youre in the mood for gingerbread, Nigella's gingerbread is the most fabulous, tasty moist gingerbread out there. My dad had two bites of it and insisted I get to work on a second batch immediately!!

DC: Salmon en Croute

2009-12-18T14:47:00.004-05:00

The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

This month's Daring Cook's challenge was to make the gourmet creation "Salmon en Croute" which loosely translates to fish wrapped in a dough package. I'll keep this short and sweet- this recipe was amazing! I cheated and used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (in a long skinny red box in the biscuit section) and it was a 3 step meal! You can jazz it up to look fancy for a dinner party, or just treat yourself to a fabulous meal any day of the week!

As a side note: my apologies for the late post, I actually made this recipe before the deadline, then had a bunch of drama and got very distracted. Luckily, drama's over, and I'm liberated.

Salmon en Croute:

Preparation time: Total prep time incl. cooking for the Salmon is 50 minutes

Total prep time for the Beef Wellington is 3 hours

Shortcrust pastry : 50 minutes (optional)

Equipment required:

For the Salmon en croute

oven

foodprocessor

rolling pin

For the Beef Wellington

Blender or food processor

Frying pan

15 cm crepe pan or small frying pan or griddle

cling film

oven

Salmon en croute:

Ingredients

Mascarpone or creamcheese 5.2 ounces/150 gr

Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach - 0.6 cup/4.2 ounces/120 gr

Shortcrust pastry - 17.6 ounces, 500 gr. Use a butterversion such as Jus-rol which is frozen or dorset pastry. or... make your own!

Salmon fillet (skinless)- 17.6 ounce/500 gr

egg - 1 medium sized

Directions:

1.Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.

2. Roll the pastry out so you can wrap the salmon in it completely (approx. 2-3 mm thick) and lay it on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon. Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test wether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.

Garden cake

2009-12-06T03:11:00.000-05:00

My friend Aisha's dad's birthday was coming up and she decided to help throw him a birthday party! I'm all about celebrations and celebrating people's birthdays in a special way, so I offered to make a cake. She one-upped me and wanted to help me make it. We were thinking of different designs for the cake and decided that he loved gardening so we picked the garden cupcakes from the "Hello Cupcake" book and adapted it to a 9x11 sheet cake. Everything on the cake is edible: Signs are graham crackers coated with white chocolate and icing for writing, the lettuce is green icing covered corn flakes, radishes and carrots are laffy taffy and starbursts, and peas are m &ms with laffy taffy. Of course there's chocolate graham cracker dirt!

I didn't quite have enough time to make really pretty pictures, we were making this thing up to the last minute! It took a long time to make each individual candy, and for that reason I'm not excited to make it again, but boy was it a showstopper!

The cake turned out wonderfully, oh yeah, its just a basic chocolate cake (my favorite is on the back of the hershey's cocoa, substituting butter for oil) and the chocolate frosting (also on the can).

Happy Birthday Aisha's Dad!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T11:35:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have SO MUCH to be thankful for! I am so blessed in so many ways, it would take hours to name them all. Enjoy the feast!

MSC Sweet Potato Cupcakes

2009-11-25T13:03:00.006-05:00

First off, let me say that sweet potatoes are my favorite vegetable. I could eat sweet potato any way they are cooked; tempura in sushi, in fabulous creme brulee at Acacia, baked on the hot bar at the UVA cafeteria, or mashed with marshmallows in our family's holiday casserole. I L O V E sweet potato. Just thinking about it makes me salivate, so when I saw that this month's MS Cupcakes Club Challenge was her Sweet Potato Cupcakes. Let me cut to the chase, these cupcakes were fabulous!! My dad and brother both made it a point to independently tell me that these were the "BEST CUPCAKES I'VE EVER EATEN! IN MY LIFE!!" My dad emphatically told me how good they are and ate 4 on the spot. My dad has been subject to many successful and unsuccessful cupcake attempts over the years, and for him to say these are his favorite EVER is really making a statement. Even the BF had nothing but praise for these little babies and he doesn't even like CAKE!

Unfortunately the recipe is not on the Martha Stewart website so I can't post a link, but I feel like if you google it someone will have posted this fabulous recipe. My only altera

tion was not bothering to make the candied pecans and using one large marshmallow as topping instead of mounding mini marshmallows. PLEASE try these cupcakes! They are delicious, perfect for a holiday party, and so easy to make!!

Are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-Can't?

2009-11-24T17:10:00.002-05:00

I just got back from Mexico a few days ago, and I just can't get over how awesome it was! We went to an all inclusive resort, the NH Riviera Cancun, located in Puerto Morales, about 20 min South of Cancun Airport. The food was overall very good, but by no means a culinary masterpiece! My favorite meal was lunch. It was a fillet of white fish (tilapia?) fried on the grill served with rice and steamed veggies. I took it up a notch by smothering the whole thing in guacamole and pico de gallo. YUM! It was absolutely divine, and I'd like to believe it was healthy since it was fish with veggie salsa and avocados. You can't beat guacamole from Mexico, for whatever reason its always better than when I make it. Oh well.... I'll keep trying until I go back!

Crab and Corn Bisque

2009-11-23T19:59:00.004-05:00

I went to Mexico for 6 days, it was AWESOME, and definitely contributed to my delinquency with this poor blog. I left sunny 85 degree weather and came back to the remnants of Ida, one nice day, and rain falling with the night. The cool rainy weather really makes me want to snuggle up with a soft velour blanket, some hot cocoa, my puppies, a good book and a bowl of hot soup. I guess being by the ocean made me crave some serious seafood, and I was reminiscing on some delicious she-crab soup so I decided on crab soup. I looked up she-crab soup on the internet, although I couldn't find a specific recipe for that, but this Corn and Crab Bisque from Emeril recipe came pretty close. I doubled the crab in it, my main gripe with restaurant soups is that you have to hunt for the crab! I thought I had milk at home but I didn't, so for half the milk volume I used cream, and the other half I used seafood stock. Otherwise I followed the recipe as is. Not sure my blond roux came out, but I cooked the death out of some flour and butter, and it thickened, so I guess it worked out fine... I'll have to work on this again for the next time, and there definitely will be a next time!!! This soup was absolutely delicious!! The BF said it was "the best soup I've ever had." Brother was also a huge fan. Almost the whole bath was devoured the same day. Tomorrow I'll be posting my better late than never MSC recipe of the month: Sweet Potato Cupcakes. Yum!!

DC: SUSHI!

2009-11-14T16:08:00.005-05:00

I was SO excited to see SUSHI as this month's Daring Cook's Challenge! I made sushi often, so it wasn't too far outside of my comfort zone, so I tried to mix up the fillings a bit, and to make some really pretty looking rolls. The top roll there is a gorgeous and oh so easy to create salmon sushi roll.I also made some salmon and tuna nigiri sushi...

And my personal favorite, a steak and avocado topped spicy tuna with cucumber roll! Call is the Chubby roll. So delicious!

I seared some steak and put it on top of a basic inside out roll with spicy tuna and cucumber strips inside. I love sushi!! The whole family came over, and we had a good old fashioned sushi throwdown! Yum!!!

Tips for sushi:

For cucumbers, peel them, cut in half lengthwise, and then scoop out seeds with a spoon and cut the remaining flesh lengthwise into rectangles.

Vegetables are best cut into long skinny rectangles, it works best to fill with.

Spicy Tuna recipe: sashimi grade tuna, diced mixed with Real Mayo- Hot and Spicy variety, green onions diced finely, and tobiko or some other type of fish roe.

When rolling, roll and pull the sushi roll toward you at the same time as to decrease the extra space and make the roll as tight as possible. If it is not tight it will fall apart when you try to cut it!

ALWAYS use SASHIMI GRADE fish! If not you could get seriously ill. That's no fun for anyone!!

The recipe for the gorgeous sushi rolls was found here.

DB: Macarons- Parlez vous francais?

2009-10-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

I was really excited to see macarons as the challenge for this month's Daring Baker's Challenge! When I first discovered the food blog world I saw the abundance of macarons out there in cyberspace, all colors and flavors, and I even tried to make them a couple times. I was expecting this a long time ago, and after a few months of being in Daring Baker's with no macarons I was beginning to think the challenge was never going to happen! Alas, finally, the macaron challenge!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

For those who are not familiar: "In the United States, the term “macaroon” generally refers to a cookie made primarily of coconut. But European macaroons are based on either ground almonds or almond paste, combined with sugar and egg whites. The texture can run from chewy, crunchy or a combination of the two. Frequently, two macaroons are sandwiched together with ganache, buttercream or jam, which can cause the cookies to become more chewy. The flavor possibilities and combinations are nigh endless, allowing infinitely customizable permutations." Take a look and see- explore other Daring Bakers to see what they came up with!

So below is a picture of the macarons I made following the Gramercy Tavern Recipe. Strawberry and Chocolate, with a salted caramel filling or a chocolate ganache. Clearly these macarons were unsuccessful. No feet, didn't rise much, but boy did they look pretty! Many people in the forums commented on the ratio of nuts to whites to sugar, and apparently this recipe does not have the optimal foolproof ratio. To make them flavored I added dried strawberries to the food processor to make strawberry powder, and for the chocolate ones I substituted 2 tbsp cocoa powder for powdered sugar. I recommend using Tartelette's recipe or Veronica has the Macaron Chronicles detailing how to make macarons and the many steps. For the ganache I just used about equal parts heavy cream and chocolate chips and a touch of oil for shine.

After that try I gave up on that recipe and went back to Tartelette's recipe that I've made successfully before, but I only had maybe 1/4 amount almonds, so I used that little bit of almonds and supplemented the remainder with hazelnuts. Tartelette recommends using at least half almonds, but mine worked perfectly even with far more hazelnut than almond. I used Veronica's Caramel Fleur de Sel Recipe (except just with Kosher salt!-aka salted caramel). It is good enough to eat with a spoon. It is sweet and salty and not too rich. It is the perfect combo of flavors, and the consistency is smooth and thick. Delicious. It tasted great with the macarons. My only complaint is that they are so sweet! I measure everything out by weight, so I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing or if they're just super sweet by nature, but it's borderline too much! I think I'd enjoy them more with a bit more nut flavor and less sweetness. I want to try more flavors, because I liked the taste of the strawberry and chocolate ones, even though they did not work out well. For a beginner baker they may be intimidating, there are a lot of steps that require a certain amount of precision. I believe weighing the ingredients makes it more accurate and turns out a better recipe. Also good ideas are baking them in low humidity, because higher humidity increases failure rates according to what I've seen. As for the aged egg white question: I used both aged and microwaved in my attempts. I didn't see a lot of difference, but I would recommend one or the other instead of using fresh whites. If pressed for time, just pop them in the microwave for 5 seconds, twice.

Great Challenge Ami!

Basic Macaron Recipe:

Preparation time: Not taking into account the amount of time it takes for you to bring your egg whites to room temperature, the whole baking process, including making the batter, piping and baking will probably take you about an hour to an hour and a half. How long it takes to make your filling is dependent on what you choose to make.

Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200°F to 375°F.

Equipment required:

• Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment

• Rubber spatula

• Baking sheets

• Parchment paper or nonstick liners

• Pastry bag (can be disposable)

• Plain half-inch pastry bag tip

• Sifter or sieve

• If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off

• Oven

• Cooling rack

• Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets

• Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nuts (ouch!)

Ingredients

Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)

Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)

Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)

Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: 10 dozen. Ami's note: My yield was much smaller than this. I produced about two dozen filled macaroons.

Additional Information:

David Lebovitz breaks it down:http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/09/making_french_macarons.htm...

More macaroon 411: http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/10/introduction-to-french-macarons.html

Get inspired by our own Tartlette!: http://www.mytartelette.com/search/label/macarons

Go behind the scenes of Paulette: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXIvX0-CEu0

Watch a pro pipe macaroons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_RfiFoWZKQ&feature=related

Beating egg whites: http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/egg-series-no-1-how-to-b...

MSC- Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

2009-10-21T23:25:00.005-04:00

This month's MS Cupcakes Club recipe featured the Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes, in perfect time for Halloween. In the cookbook they have a super cute marzipan cupcake on each cake. Unfortunately I just spent 4 hours working on a garden themed cake with vegetables made of starbursts and laffy taffies and I was just not in the mood to take the time to make a bunch of tiny pumpkins.

Overall, this recipe is a grand slam! The cupcakes are not too overpoweringly pumpkin, they are very light and just the right moistness level. They are not dense and thick like pumpkin bread, and lighter and a bit sweeter than a muffin, they truly live up to a cake consistency. The flavor is amazing. My family doesn't usually like pumpkin flavored things, we're more sweet potato people, but these cupcakes definitely make me rethink that. They're delicious!

We started eating them without frosting because I made them late night, and the universal feeling was that they don't really need frosting at all because they are so delicious naked.

These cupcakes are a perfect way to welcome in fall and pumpkin season, and a cinch to make! I had all the ingredients already at home except for the canned pumpkin. I halved the recipe and still got 18+ cupcakes! For whatever reason Martha's recipes always turn out way more than the predicted amount. Overall this recipe was fantastic, and I will definitely be making it again!

Broken Computer

2009-10-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

So guys, my computer screen has been out of commission, and after an hour long stay at the apple store, they took it in to get it fixed. Interestingly, the screen started to work as I was trying to back up my time machine in the store! AH! Now I'm waiting to pick it up. It's 9:52 and they dont open until 10:00 so I figured Id just give you the heads up that new posts are coming! The first one will be Martha Stewart's pumpkin patch cupcakes! Theyre the latest recipe for the MS Cupcake Club. I have been cooking in the meantime, just unable to post online! Worst part is, all of that, and they can't find anything wrong with it. Just my luck. I guess its better than needing to keep it for weeks to fix it!

DC: Pho:n Food!

2009-10-13T22:40:00.007-04:00

I love Pho (pronounced fuh), especially on a cold winter day, or when I think I might be coming down with something. The savory hot broth and added extra spice clears sinuses and satiates an empty stomach. This is why I was really excited to see that Jaden (food blog celebrity of Steamy Kitchen) was hosting Daring Cooks and chose Pho for our challenge. We are using her shorthand version, but an extended version can be found on her site here, and in her new Cookbook, due out this month!

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

If you're not familiar with Pho, here's what wikipedia has to say:"

Phở (Vietnamese pronunciation: [fə̃ː] ( listen); in English, written pho and typically pronounced /ˈfʌ/^[1]) is a Vietnamesebeef and noodle soup from North Vietnam.^[2] The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil,lime, bean sprouts and peppers that are added to the soup by the customer."

In other words- Pho is basically a jazzed up noodle soup with a delicious spiced broth and other mix ins that make it customizable to each diner's individual taste.

My experience making the Pho was overall a good one. My main problem came when adding the broth. Somewhere in my freezer is a block of homemade chicken stock. I pulled out what I thought was that stock, went along with the recipe, but was shocked to see shrimp when I began to strain the broth before serving. The block I used was not the chicken broth, but a Thai soup I had made and frozen. Perfect Pho broth tainted with thai soup filled with shrimp, lemongrass, coconut milk, garlic and lime zest. Oh well. Luckily it was probably equal parts thai soup and chicken stock, so it was diluted a bit. I could taste that the broth did not have the clear and pure flavors, but it did not taste bad. The main thing I noticed was that the soup made the broth cloudy and not crystal clear like a good pho is. Overall it is delicious, but not as delicious as my local Pho joint, so I think for now I'll continue to hit up there for my Pho cravings!

On to the goods: the recipe!

Pho Ga

Equipment:

• Frying pan

• Large stockpot

• Tongs

• Strainer, sieve or colander

• Bowls for serving

Preparation Time: 45 cooking time + 15 minutes to cook noodles based on package directions

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:

2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock

1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)

½ onion

1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife

1 to 2 tbsps. sugar

1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

The Spices:

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off

Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)

½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions

½ lime, cut into 4 wedges

Sriracha chili sauce

Hoisin sauce

Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Extended Pho Ga recipe: http://steamykitchen.com/139-vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup-pho-ga.html

DB: Vols Au Vent

2009-09-29T17:58:00.004-04:00

Every month I find myself saying how the challenge leaves me excited and slightly intimidated...it's actually a nice feeling! The recipe included a lot of French words that I can't even begin to translate (although I do know a wee bit of French from high school).

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Yep, vols-au-vent made with pate feuillette. For all you non-French speakers- loosely translated as buttery bread bowls made with homemade puff pastry. This challenge was really great! I totally feel like a real pastry chef! I made my own Puff Pastry!! I didn't even know you could make your own! I just thought it was one of those things you buy premade from the grocery store. Needless to say, I'll definitely be making my own puff pastry again!

The recipe's a bit long to post, but I will post this video that I found really informative and has a recipe in it. Julia Child Video: http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry. After we made the puff pastry we cut rings and stacked them together to make the vols au vent. Then I made a pastry cream from the "Mastering French Cooking" cookbook by Julia Child. Delicious. Addictively, ridiculously delicious and easy to make. For some I filled with strawberry, others I topped with figs, and others I put homemade pear jam or apple sauce on. Yum. The dough was delicious, light and fluffy and buttery. Definitely best the day of baking, leftovers were not very good I thought later. The dough tasted great with the cream and fruit. I do think the dough alone was a little bit bland. I don't know if adding sugar would mess up the integrity of the recipe, but I wish there was a hint of sweetness to the cough.

And, the newest member of my family, Mr. Norman Tumnis. We were just going to call him Mr. Tumnis (or just Tummy), but we like the idea of him having a first name. So cute! He's a Muggin! (Min Pin Pug mix)

DC: Vegan Indian Dosas

2009-09-17T17:03:00.005-04:00

When I first read our challenge for September I was a little bit shocked and confused. Indian dosas sounded delicious, but then I read the part where it all had to be Vegan. I am a 100% omnivore. Vegan food for me is a side item to a nice hunk of MEAT! Most vegan food to me is bland, not filling, and boring, but I have to say... this Vegan food is AMAZING!! Its delicious and filling, and definitely something I could eat alone, not as a side item. I made an Indian spiced yogurt chicken to go with it, but I don't even need to eat it. The dosa alone is enough. Needless to say, this recipe is great. It does take a bit of time and prep, but overall it is well worth it. Much thanks to Debyi for choosing this delicious adventure! I can't wait to eat more of this tomorrow for lunch during my 30 hr shift.

I did make a few changes:

*I used whole wheat flour instead of spelt flour (I honestly didn't want to buy something I would likely only use once and then leave to clutter my pantry). The whole wheat flour required a bunch more liquid to reach the appropriate consistency for the pancakes.

*I added spicy garlic chile sauce (I buy from Asian store) to bean filling and sauce. I like my food spicy. I also added a bit more of all of the spices. I like my food to be spicy and strong.

*I only used one can coconut milk in the sauce, it seemed adequately coconutty with just the one.

*I added some tomato paste to the sauce as well, and less whole tomato. Tomato makes my brother vomit on contact with his mouth... (He once ate a piece of sushi at the restaurant at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va thinking it was tuna, but really it was a slice of tomato, and gagged and wretched at the table and didn't eat anything for like 48 hours from the trauma.)

Indian Dosas

 This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).

Serves 4

Equipment needed: large bowl,  whisk , griddle or skillet,  ladle (or large spoon),  spatula , vegetable peeler &/or knife,  large saucepan,  food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes:

 1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)

 ½ tsp (2½ gm) salt 

½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder

 ½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder 

½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.) 

¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water 

cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling:  1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings:  1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated 

¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut , ¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes

 1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth. 

2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed. 

3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling 

This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic 

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced 

1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too) 

2 medium hot banana chilies, minced

 2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground

 1 TBSP (8gm) oregano

 1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)

 1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric 

4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)

 ½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally. 

2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce 

This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped 

2 cloves garlic 

½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground 

¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)

 3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder 

3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour) 

3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth 

2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk 

3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft. 2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute. 3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally. 4.Let it simmer for half an hour. Happy eating!

MSC-Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

2009-09-14T23:34:00.007-04:00

I joined Martha's Cupcake Club this week, where we make a Martha Stewart Cupcake cookbook recipe every month. This month was Zucchini Spice Cupcakes. These cupcakes are essentially like carrot cupcakes, except with zucchini instead. I can't really taste the Zucchini too much, but they are delicious nonetheless.

I also made the cream cheese frosting suggested with the cakes in the book. The frosting is really good, very cream cheesy. I did think it was a bit too sweet to eat a lot of it with the cakes. Next time I'll only add a portion of the sugar. I added a little lemon zest, I love it in just about everything, it makes it a bit more fresh and lively.

Can you see the little green specks in the cake from the zucchini? I can't, and the pictures a little blurry. I took some new pictures, but unfortunately they're not so great either. I don't have an external flash and it was a bit overcast, and I didn't have a good specimen to photograph, since all the good ones were scarfed up by hungry residents.
My team at the hospital will love digging into these tomorrow morning! Yum!!

***So I updated the post a bit. These cupcakes were AWESOME! I'd like to believe that they're "healthy" since they're made with zucchini right?? Not to mention the whole cream cheese and butter frosting part! *wink*wink* I'd like to eat a whole batch by myself, but I'm trying to quit ;)

Limequat, the alien fruit!

2009-09-04T11:27:00.007-04:00

My dear friend and chef blogger extraordinare Diana mentioned to me the appearance of Limequats at the grocery store and I was immediately enthrallled. A limequat? Kumquat is my favorite flavor of Bubble Tea, and I think the little fruits are quite tasty, so I figured limequat could bring a similar appeal. Limequats, according to Wikipedia, are "a citrus tree and the result of a cross between the lime and the kumquat. It is a member of citrofortunella." They are cute little baby lime looking things, only slightly bigger than my thumb. Further online research showed that they are used many times in the same contexts as kumquats, eaten raw, in jams or marmelades, and for a citrusy kick in sauces. So, naively I popped a whole limequat in my mouth. The explosion of citrus was overwhelming. Trying to play it cool in front of my brother I said "mmm, good," meanwhile my puckered face told the true story. A few more unsuccessful chomps and I spit it out into the trashcan. Very citrusy, sour, tasty, but so much bitter pith! I couldn't handle it. So I tried to figure out what I could do with it. I tried to make a sorbet of it in my post "Adventures in Simple Syrup", but unfortunately I put the whole fruit in the processor, and yes, the pith was overwhelming. I guess I should have guessed that, but oh well.

I was certainly intrigued with this petite burst of flavor, and I wanted to try some other way to highlight it in a recipe. Unfortunately, this all happened a couple weeks ago when it was hot outside and I'm just a delinquent blogger. It was so hot that the idea of a cool treat was appealing, so I tried again with the sorbet and made a kiwi limequat sorbet, using just the juice of the limequats. It's wonderfully sweet and sour, cool and refreshing. It's amazingly delicious. Best of all, its so easy, and doesn't require many dishes! If you want a cool treat, you should definitely try this one. It was all i could do not to eat the whole batch right then and there, but I ended up hoarding it for a couple weeks because I didn't want to eat it too fast. Although I don't love them as much as kumquats, I have to say, limequats are all right with me!

Aren't they cute?

Kiwi-Limequat Sorbet

Adapted from this recipe.

Put 9x11 inch glass pan into freezer. Make a simple sugar with 1 c sugar and 1 c water, let cool.

Peel and puree 6 kiwis in food processor. Stir puree and juice of 10 limequats into simple syrup. Take frozen dish out of freezer and pour mixture in. Put in freezer. Check on it every 45 min- 1 hr, stirring frozen edges back toward middle, to get it al frozen equally. After about 3 hours, it should be frozen to a scoopable consistency. Serve and enjoy!

And some more pictures of the limequats...I took SO many, I thought they were sooo cute!

DB: Dobos Torta

2009-08-27T23:08:00.006-04:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

I have to confess: Time caught up with me again. This time I have a really good reason though: My mom's surprise birthday party is Saturday. I'm making 3 cakes for it, as my dad invited like 40+ people to a restaurant to celebrate. So I made a little baby cake out of the cuttings of the big cakes to photograph, but the real shots will come Saturday when I put it all together for the party. Until then you have to consider the little haystacks for what they are: scraps put together to mimic the ultimate concept, although not nearly as cute as it will be. I would put it together tomorrow to photograph and get it ready ahead of time, but alas, I'm overnight in the ICU, attempting to save lives. Hopefully my night is quiet and I get some sleep, but you never know.

UPDATE: So I finished the cake just in the nick of time for my mom's party! I actually did have a nice night in the ICU! Got some sleep, planned my day of baking, and got a little bit more sleep. Virtually unheard of in the world of ICUs! Anyways, turns out I didn't plan my day well, my brother ate all the eggs, so it threw me for a loop, and I ended up super pressed for time! I was literally finishing these cakes at 7:05, and I had to still get ready and drive to the restaurant, but I definitely made it by like 7:20! Well before my parents came at 7:40! I made three cakes for the party, heads up for another future post. These cakes are the best ones I have made in a while. The cake was fabulous, each had a different type of buttercream that was to die for, and they were all pretty easy to make and put together. Awesomeness. Anyways, check back soon, hopefully I'll have that info up Tues or Wed, as I'm overnight in the hospital again tomorrow, and gmail is blocked so I can't log in!! Eek! For now enjoy this sneak peek...

As for the making of the cake. I was a bit intimidated at first. Folding in egg whites, making a stencil on parchment, 5 minute baking times, double boiler action, etc. Lots of techniques that I usually shy away from because there are lots of opportunities for them to go wrong. Amazingly though, this cake was super easy to put together. The cakes were easy to make and easy to spread. The only trouble for me was doling out the batter. I actually measured the first 3 with a measuring cup to 3/4 c. The last three ended up being much thicker though because there was so much leftover batter.

As for the chocolate buttercream: WOW! Oh my goodness! New favorite icing! I added a bit of cinnamon to the recipe to make it a little different from the base recipe. I love the sweet hint of burn it provides. It was amazing in a way I don't think I can describe adequately. The texture light and silky, the flavor deep and chocolatey. It seems so light you forget that it's got 2+ sticks of butter in it. I could eat it with a spoon... mmmmmmmmm.....

I ate my little haystack, and it was delicious! The cake is light and airy, the chocolate deep and rich. I put a little caramel from the caramel cake for mom's birthday on top, and dusted it with hazelnuts. The hazelnuts added a crunch and nutty flavor, the cakes light, spongy and a vanilla element, and that buttercream, smooth and rich. All in all, I can't WAIT to put it all together for the party on Saturday... its going to be a show stopper!!

Check back Sunday for the REAL results, and not my little haystack version!! Also, check my friend and Daring Domesticated Goddess Diana, of Thyme to Lyme, to see what she came up with!

UPDATE: So clearly I finished up the cake, it was delicious. I would definitely make this again, with more flavors of buttercream. I think the hazelnuts definitely made the cake! Yum!! Hooray for another fantastic Daring bakers challenge!!

Dobos Torte

Equipment

2 baking sheets

9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates

mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)

a sieve

a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly

over the top of the pan)

a small saucepan

a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or

stand mixer will make life much easier)

metal offset spatula

sharp knife

a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.

piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times

Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.

Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10

minutes after this to beat and divide.

Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.

Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided

1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g

cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)

pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (200g) caster sugar

4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

1 cup (200g) caster sugar

12 tablespoons (180 ml) water

8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice

1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

a 7” cardboard round

12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted

½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and

well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1. Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).

2. Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9"

(23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of

the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that

the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)

3. Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a

medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and

forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3

minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4. In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the

whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten

whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of

white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in;

repeat with the remaining flour.

5. Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula,

spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one

baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when

pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes,

repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the

first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat

surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let

stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it

before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter

to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan

bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated

knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1. Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a

boil.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five

minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

3. Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and

lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for

2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped

chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

4. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room

temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

5. When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a

time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in

with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety

chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room

temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a

very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to

beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is

hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1. Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel

topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the

reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil

a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

2. Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a

medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth

syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the

handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan

with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

3. The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you

have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't

just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake

layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread

it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some

leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice

toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread

the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set,

about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a

pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the

caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge

of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice

movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee

strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before

covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I

highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that

the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1. Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

2. Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round

and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing.

Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the

cake.

3. Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

4. Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the

wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover

buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the

centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set,

about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavor.

Storage

I (Angela) am quite happy to store this cake at room temperature under a glass dome, but

your mileage may vary. If you do decide to chill it, then I would advise also using a glass dome

if you have done. I should also note that the cake will cut more cleanly when chilled.

Variations

Shape: The traditional shape of a Dobos Torta is a circular cake, but you can vary the shape

and size if you want. Sherry Yard in Desserts By The Yard makes a skyscraper Dobos by cutting

a full-size cake into four wedges and stacking them to create a tall, sail-shaped cake. Mini

Dobos would be very cute, and you could perch a little disc of caramel on top.

Flavor: While we both love the dark chocolate buttercream and this is traditional, we think it

would be fun to see what fun buttercreams you all come up with! So, go wild! Or, you could

brush each layer with a flavored syrup if you just want a hint of a second flavor. Cointreau

syrup would be divine!

Nuts: These are optional for decoration, so no worries if you're allergic to them. If you don't

like hazelnuts, then substitute for another variety that you like.

Egg concerns

The cooking process for the buttercream will produce lightly cooked eggs. If you fall into a

vulnerable health group then you may wish to use an egg-less buttercream.

Adventures in Simple Syrup

2009-08-22T15:48:00.012-04:00

I recently stopped my subscription to Cooking Light Magazine, and found myself perusing the latest issue while at work during some down time on Night shift. Of course this issue is amazing, and I realized almost immediately that I wanted to buy it. There were articles on sweet tea and low salt cooking, which I have started paying attention to since my brother became hypertensive at the age of 23. It's ridiculous, he's in tip top shape, but for whatever reason his blood pressure is high- so since he lives with me we have been trying to cut the salt. Anyways, that's beside the point. Important factor here: Sweet Tea. I am a born and bred Virginia girl, sweet tea runs in my veins. I crave sweet tea more than any other beverage. This article on tea was great though, because it has recipes for varieties on sweet tea, like peach tea, mint lime sweet tea, lavender and cucumber-ginger simple syrups. Yum! My mom made the peach tea, and I decided to make mango sweet tea.

Online recently I'd been seeing a lot of recipes for sorbet on Tastespotting. I figured since I was going to be making simple syrup I may as well try out that as well. Another contributing factor is the fact that I picked up a bunch of limequats from the store, and wanted to use them in something. More on the limequats to come in future posts. I won't even go into detail about the limequat sorbet because it was G-ROSS, and tragically I know exactly why. The reason for the grossness is detailed in this awesomely fantabulous picture:

Clearly by awesomely fantabulous I mean highly mediocre, but oh well. According to my random online limequat sources you can eat them whole like kumquats. Thus, I put the whole fruit in the processor, and blitzed them all to smithereens. I put this in with the equal parts sugar and water simple syrup, steeped it, and froze it. A few hours later I tasted it, and it was so bitter it was completely inedible! If I made it again I would definitely just use the juice from the limequats, although that would take forever to squeeze all those little teeny fruits! Alas, at least the tea turned out well.

Mango Sweet Tea (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 mangos, chopped and mashed

Simple Syrup (1/4 C water and 3/4 C sugar brought to boil until sugar dissolves)

Add hot syrup to mango, cover, let stand 30 min. Strain through a sieve, discard solids. Add to brewed tea.

The beautiful brown of tea

Steep on, steep on.

Mango Syrup

Finished Product. Delicious mango tea. Perfect summery treat, so refreshing! The tea is sweet, and FULL of mango flavor! My mom made a batch of the peach tea- also to DIE for!! I could drink Sweet Tea by the gallon, and these flavored teas take my cravings up a notch!! DELICIOUS! I could drink the whole batch in one sitting. The mango especially is a truly refreshing and satisfying beverage, with food, or alone for a treat!
Check back soon for my adventures with limequat- the alien citrus!

Brain Confusion: Meatless Hamburger Cupcakes

2009-08-17T23:24:00.005-04:00

Brain Confusion: Hamburger Cupcakes and Sugar Cookie Fries

My friend Lindsay and I decided to make cake for our Vegetarian friend's birthdays. We thought about making a fondant cake that looks like Cheese because one of them LOVES cheese, but instead settled on making Fast Food Dessert made famous by Bakerella and her Fast Food Fun post. Please refer to her post for recipe and complete instructions. These slider-cakes were awesomely easy and provided a real wow factor for all involved. We were really happy with the way they turned out, and our vegetarian friends were stunned with the finished product. I mean really, look at this, how conflicted is your brain? Looks like a super cute burger oozing with condiments, but realistically its a thousand grams of sugar waiting to send you into stark hyperactivity followed by a deep dark sugar coma.

These cupcakes were insanely easy to make, and lots of fun!! It's all prepared ingredients, so it only takes a little more time than it ordinarily would to make a box of cupcakes and a box of brownies. Decorating them uses food coloring, a can of icing and ziploc baggies, so its easy and cheap to decorate. No fancy equipment here.

One of the most labor intensive parts was actually putting the burgers and fries in the containers. We got containers from a local bagel shop. Lindsay bought them for $2. We made the fry holder using a print out from Bakerella's site. We also bought some of the little ketchup holders at Party City (for $1) and Lindsay made a "ketchup" out of strawberry jam.

Ready for the onslaught of burger-hungry vegetarians!

So cute!!

Here's how we did the icing... we used green coconut for lettuce on most, but made a couple with just green icing as lettuce for the few people that don't like coconut. We used sugar cookies like Bakerella for the french fries.

Yumm!! I think they turned out really well overall. Eating them is well...diabetes inducing. Total sugarfest. They are a bit sweet, but I LOVE sweets, so they were ok with me. Still though, I'd serve them with a nice cold glass of milk to cut the super sweetness of basically a cupcake brownie sandwich with extra frosting. Just looking at these pictures makes me crave hamburgers and cupcakes at the same time... confusing for my brain, but makes my belly happy.
yum......salty or sweet? you won't know till you bite it!

DC: Rice with Cod, Artichoke and Mushroom

2009-08-13T19:29:00.004-04:00

This month's challenge was Rice with Cuttlefish, Artichoke and Mushroom from Olga of Las Cosas de Olga and Olga's Recipes. The recipe is a Spanish dish by Jose Andres. Olga's version of the recipe looked smiply fabulous, but I feel like mine definitely did not add up!! I tried, but oh well. I was a little rushed, and honestly not really into it, but I had to make it then or else I wouldn't get around to it in time!! I didn't feel like looking for cuttlefish or cooking squid, so I went with Cod. Nice firm fleshy fish. I used canned artichokes, sushi rice, and a mixture of white button and shiitake mushrooms. I also bought some steak on impulse at the grocery store b/c it was like half off or something, but that means I had to cook it that day for fear of spoilage. Yumm. Cod and Rice and Artichokes and STEAK!

Overall it was really good. I think if I'd spent more time on it, put a little more love in it, it would have tasted better. It didn't taste bad, for sure. Don't get me wrong. I liked it, the BF loved it, but I thought it could have been better. I would definitely consider trying it again, and I would definitely recommend it to a friend!! Don't forget to check out the other Daring Cooks' creations, as well as my kitchen cohort Diana of Thyme to Lime.

Rice with Cod, Artichoke and Mushroom

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Equipment:

1 Chopping Board
1 knife
1 medium saucepan
1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size)
1 Saucepan

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or freezed if fresh are not available)
12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)
1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)
1 glass of white wine
2 Cuttlefish (you can use freezed cuttlefish or squid if you don’t find it fresh)
“Sofregit” (see recipe below)
300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – about 75 gr per person ( ½ cup per person) Please read this for more info on suitable rices.
Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)
Allioli (olive oil and garlic sauce, similar to mayonnaise sauce) - optional
Directions:
1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.
4. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.
5. Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.
6. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8. Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.
9. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.
Sofregeit
Cooking time: aprox. 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
- 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt
- Touch of ground cumin
- Touch of dried oregano
Directions:
1. Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2. Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

DB: Mallows

2009-08-01T12:32:00.008-04:00

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I was really late starting this challenge, so here are some prelim results. So far, the cookies are yummy and easy to make. I do have a small qualm with the recipe.It takes longer than the recipe says. Five min for prep, ten for active time and ten for baking?? Not here. I gues if you have all the ingredients out and measured you can bang it out like that, but theoretically that should be part of the prep time. Dunking the cookies in chocolate alone takes more than 10 minutes! Also I had tons of cookie bottoms, not enough marshmallow and not enough chocolate to cover them. Sigh. Running out of chocolate is a real downer! Overall though, they are delicious, and fun to make! I love piping the marshmallow. I made my marshmallow blue... just for fun! no real reason. More pictures to come!! be sure to check out my partner in kitchen crime Diana at pashfunfroot

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies
• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows
1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.
Homemade marshmallows:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil
1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

Whole Fish = Whole lotta good food!

2009-06-28T23:05:00.005-04:00

For Father's day dinner I wanted to do something extra special. Since I just got back from Greece I had the Greek food I ate on the brain, including Greek salads and these really fresh grilled fish we had. I was so inspired that I ventured over to Tan-A for some shopping. They have some of the freshest fish I've seen. The tilapia is literally swimming in the tank. I wasn't sure the exact procedure to be had, but I saw the Red Snapper they had and knew that was the fish for me. I love snapper! If you've never been to an Asian grocery, you should find one and go, just for the experience. They have all kinds of meat cuts, short ribs, duck legs, and even more chicken feet than I've ever seen in one place at once. Stumped on the fish ordering protocol, I picked a couple out, and put them in the provided bag. Do I take them to the front as is? Do I need some sort of sticker and bar code? I don't know!! I was dismayed because they had the scales on and the last thing I wanted to be doing was scaling fish in my backyard. Scaling is hard work, and you get really gross in the process. Scales fly everywhere, you stink of fish and you get covered in slime. It's pretty gross. Anyways, eventually the minimally English speaking men behind the counter got to me, and I handed them my bag. They took it, weighed it, printed a label and asked me if I wanted it scaled. With elation I said yes, and he went to work de-scaling my fish for me. Success!!

Once at home, I took notes from the Leftover Foodie on how to prepare raw fish. I followed his lead and made two diagonal slits on each fish side, stuffed them and the cavity with garlic cloves, salt, cilantro and lime, and drizzled each one with olive oil and some more salt on the skin. Here are the stuffed fishes, ready for cooking! They're on my big jelly roll pan... those fish are HUGE!

Popped those babies on the grill for 8 minutes or so per side and VOILA! Unbelievable restaurant quality dinner, nice enough to make whoever is eating it feel super special. I served the fish with Greek salad (tomato, red onion, green pepper, olives, lettuce, feta, olive oil and vinegar), Corn (cut fresh off the cob, sauteed with butter, sugar, salt and pepper), roasted fresh garden veggies, a pumpkin and flax bread and a lemon caper chicken that my brothers love.

Overall, it was really good, and really special. A perfect tribute to the greatest dad on the planet, mine.

Pops, little bro and me, circa 1990

DB: Bakewell Tarts

2009-06-27T20:36:00.005-04:00

Ahh, the Bakewell Tart. A delicious combo of shortbread crust, sweet filling, and a light almondy cake (frangipane) on top. The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England. If you're not sure what a Bakewell Tart is, check it out on Wikipedia, the all knowing resource.

The recipe is pretty simple- a shortbread crust, jam, and frangipane. I made mine with kumquat jam I made, strawberry jam, blackberry jam and a couple of both kumquat and strawberry mixed for fillings. I also made tartlets in a muffin pan. They turned out pretty well. I have to say I don't love to eat them, but it was alright. As you can see from my pictures I overbaked the frangipane a bit, but the flavor was still good. Either way, the kumquat jam is amazing, so I'll give my rough estimation of the recipe. It was really a delicious experiment. If you haven't had kumquats you should try them. You can eat them whole, each one is little, the size of the end of my thumb about. They are bursting with citrusy goodness. The flavor is like combining lemon and orange together, but sweeter and more sour. Its hard to explain, but its amazing. Buy a container from the store sometime, you'll be happy you did!

Overall, a decent dessert, but I'm not itching to try it again. After reading Diana's reviews then maybe my problem was in the overbaking of the frangipane and I should try it again, but if mine came out how it was supposed to taste then I probably won't make it again. She's singing its praises majorly, so I may have to give it another go.

Check out all my fellow Daring Bakers here, and see their interpretation! Special shout out to my partner in kitchen crime, Diana of Thyme to Lime, and her Bakewell Tart interpretation!

Kumquat Jam

**all measurements are approximations, use your best judgement!

2 containers kumquats, sliced or roughly chopped

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Put sugar, kumquats and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool, put in airtight jar, let cool. Enjoy!

So sad: Michael Jackson, hopefully he is finally at peace.

DC: Oh how I love thee, sticky pot stickers

2009-06-14T00:31:00.008-04:00

I was SUPER psyched to see Dumplings as this months challenge for Daring Cooks. I love to order these morsels as appetizers at Asian restaurants. Thin dough wrappers filled with countless combinations of sweet and savory, spicy and crunchy. I was in foodie bliss. I got started on this challenge early, because right now I am actually sitting in the airport on my way to Greece for ten days with a friend!! YAY! Talk about last minute posting. Anyways, back to the goods. These potstickers are SOO good its ridiculous. I could eat an entire batch. I literally had to restrain myself. I stuck with the original recipe provided, except I changed the pork to ground chicken, and made ground chicken ones and shrimp ones. The ground chicken ones were really good. The combination of spices was perfect, and I added a little bit of chili-garlic sauce to spice it up a bit. The shrimp ones were really phenomenal, little chunks of shrimp, crunchy morsels of water chestnut and some heat from that chili-garlic sauce. Delicious! They were SO good!!

The only thing is that stinks is the amount of time you have to put into the dough and actually making the dumplings! They're kinda time consuming, but worth the effort in this case. I would plan to make the dumpilings an entire afternoon so you're not rushed, especially if you're a one person team.

Here's the filling for the chicken ones... yumm

Pleated buns pre cooking

post pan fry
shrimp one in half. yum
Pretty!!

Here's the recipe. I love these, and I will take the time to make them again!

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

shrimp filling:
1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb (225g) ground pork
3 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced
1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced
1 tsp (5g) salt
3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce

1 tsbp chili garlic sauce

1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

[EDIT: 5/26/09] There have been two complaints posted about a dry dough and I realize that this rests in the problem of measuring flour which has a different density and hence weight for 2 cups depending on how you scoop it. That is why I also list the weight: 250g. Flour tends to settle over time, so when I scoop it out, I shake several cups' worth back into the container before taking a final scoop of soft, fluffy, flour and I get 250g for 2 cups. When you knead the dough, if it feels hard and dry, then you can add more water. [Warning: it will NOT be a soft bread dough, so don't expect it to be, but it shouldn't be a brick either.] It is perfectly fine to use more than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe as everyone's climate and flours vary. Use your judgment - this is what being a Daring Cook is about. We are trying to cultivate a sense of intuition so that recipes are general guidelines from which you can expand your own style.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

DBL: Strawberry-Kumquat Strudel

2009-05-27T14:23:00.005-04:00

Strudel. Sounds exotic, and sweet, and like something I want to eat. Sounds good, but I don't know if I've ever actually had it and was not sure what all the hype was about. I have to confess, it is grossly overrated in my opinion, or maybe that's just because of my poor interpretation. I'm not sure. Sadly, I won't be making this again. Maybe I'll try it from a real bakery. Granted, as you can see in the picture, my dough looks a little thick, definitely not paper thin. It tasted like chalk. The only yummy part was the filling, which should have had twice the amount of sugar to offset that crust. We were allowed a little bit of creative freedom in the filling, so I decided to do a Strawberry-Kumquat filling. Strawberries are in season here in Va, and I keep seeing kumquats in Kroger, so I thought they would be a good match. Kumquats by the way are delicious!! So sour and sweet, just the right balance... kind of like a lemon and an orange together, but more tart, and more sweet all at the same time. It's a crazy intense burst of flavor. Kumquat and strawberry- match made in heaven.

Here were my issues with the recipe:

1. The dough was too wet. Mine was too wet to work with easily, I had to add quite a bit more flour to get it to form a ball and be dry enough to handle.

2. The rolling out process. Whoa. I'm definitely over rolling things out to paper thin. When you have to use other things like tablecloths etc my work/benefit ratio goes askew and I ask myself is this really work all the effort??

3. The dough just dosent taste good to me. Maybe I'm a sweet dough kinda girl, but it was pretty gross. The dough is half the strudel! If the dough's gross the strudel will be too.

Oh well. I gave it a good try, but like I said, definitely not on my list of "things to make again." sigh.

Without further adieu, the recipe. Good Luck!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Strawberry-Kumquat strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 pint strawberries chopped

5 kumquats, chopped

5 tbsp sugar

1. Put strawberries, kumquats and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 8-10 min or until strawberries have released juices and started to macerate.

2. Let cool, drain liquid off (save and serve as a syrup for pancakes yum!)

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the strawbery mixture along one end of dough.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Graduation and Botched Daring Cooks

2009-05-21T01:13:00.006-04:00

Our first Daring Cooks challenge: Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi. Tragically, mine were far from stellar. Everything started well, but when it came time to cook them I had to add flour to get them to a workable consistency. Then I did a tester to make sure it was right, and when I tasted it, I was a little grossed out. Not sure why. I was late on time at that point for the rest of my dinner, so I scrapped the whole thing and vowed to try later. Then when later came around I had graduation from Medical School so I completely ran out of time. Medical school graduation festivities versus gnocchi...hmm...which will I choose? I can't believe I'm a doctor now! All the years of hard work and studying have paid off. I achieved my goal! Now I have a few weeks off to cook and bake up a storm until the real work begins: internship! I just wish I had pictures of all the great food at the party! Here are two sheet cakes my dad made and freehand drew the cadeuceus on in my favorite color (PINK!):

As for the gnocchi, I have a second batch of ricotta chillin in my fridge as we speak. I plan on making the recipe, but I just haven't had the opportunity yet. Better luck next time I guess. Here's the recipe

anyways:

For the gnocchi:

1 pound fresh ricotta (2 cups)

2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)

½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)

about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)

all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons butter, sliced

2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.
Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.
To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.
Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.
Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.
Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.
Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.
Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).
Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.
In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.
With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.
Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.
At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.
Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.
If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.
Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.
Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.
You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.
Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.
Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.
In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.
Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.
Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).
When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.
Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.
With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.
Variations: For the gnocchi, you can flavour them however you wish. If you want to experiment by adding something to your gnocchi (i.e., caramelized onion, sundried tomato), feel free to do so. However, be forewarned, ricotta gnocchi are delicate and may not take well to elaborate additions. For the sauce, this is your chance to go nuts. Enjoy yourselves. Surprise us!!!
Freezing the gnocchi: If you don’t want to cook your gnocchi right away or if you don’t want to cook all of them, you can make them and freeze them. Once they are formed and resting on the flour-dusted, lined tray, place them uncovered in the freezer. Leave them for several hours to freeze. Once frozen, place them in a plastic bag. Remove the air and seal the bag. Return to the freezer. To cook frozen gnocchi, remove them from the bag and place individually on a plate or on a tray. Place in the refrigerator to thaw completely. Cook as directed for fresh gnocchi.

The Invention of the Light Box

2009-05-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

Tastespotting as I call it, is food porn, and I have photo envy. They are the most beautiful pictures of food I have ever seen. These shots rival those in cookbooks, and they are taken by home chefs. Even things I have never really liked, or don't want to eat like pate or mountain oysters make my mouth water with desire. Those who can compose these gorgeous pictures make me jealous. I read and read trying to figure out how to improve my shots. I've got a point and shoot digital camera, no external flash, no tripod, no fancy schmancy equipment. I kept reading about a wondrous invention called a Light Box. I read instructions for creating such an invention on Strobist. I still don't have any other photography equipment. I'm not exactly sure what to set the food on in the box. I don't want my posterboard to get all stained up and such.

As you can see, my light box is a hearty improvement to my "photo studio" in the top picture. My previous studio was that leather Ikea bar stool in front of the window, Period. That was it. The sweet black background I've gotten on cupcake shots is really just the brown leather Ikea stool. What you can't see is my random assortment of gardening supplies underneath- the mini greenhouse thing, some seeds, bulbs and a watering can. My space is truly a catch-all.

So here's my first photo box photo, sans white posterboard. I just wanted to try out the lighting effect to see how it would work out. Nothing amazing. What is amazing is that I bought that Julia Child cookbook at my little brothers school fair for $1. What a steal.

Then the strawberry, my first REAL light box photo with natural light and white posterboard. I like the effect. I think its pretty. It's almost too nice, you can see all the blemishes on my poor strawberry model.

In conclusion, I encourage all to make a light box. Once I figure out exactly how to use it I think it will be a pretty neat way to filter the light better. Previously I had underexposed or overexposed pictures from the bright sunlight. Now I can get a nice glow without bleaching out the shot! I'm definitely on my way to food porn worth photos.

Strawberry Lemon Tart

2009-05-10T20:39:00.005-04:00

Strawberries. They're so red and pretty. I love when they are in season, namely because of my dad's Strawberry Shortcake, which I will save for another post. Other things strawberry are great too, milkshakes, jam, cake, the list goes on. My breakfast all week was blackberries and strawberries with cottage cheese and flax seeds. Anyways, I had my pseudo-grandparents over the other night for a nice dinner and decided to stick with a strawberry-ish theme. Most of the dishes are somewhat scatterbrained, but they all are so delicious I just couldn't resist. I made Chicken Marsala, Sauteed Asparagus, Strawberry Pecan Avocado Salad and Miso-glazed Salmon. For dessert I decided to try my hand at a Strawberry Tart with Lemon Curd. I went to the grocery store and then two and a half hours later I was finishing up the meal and my guests were at the table. It was chaos.

After my usual Tastespotting perusal I found Half Baked's recipe that seemed to be everything I was looking for. Sweet tart crust, tart lemon cream, and of course STRAWBERRIES!

Strawberry Lemon Curd Tart

9 inch tart pan

The Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk lightly beaten

Procedure

1. Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. Add yolk a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

2. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don't be too heavy-handed – press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but don't press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn't have a lot of flavor. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature.

The Lemon Curd
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon
1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temp cut into 8 pieces

Choose a saucepan that will hold the bowl from your mixer (or a heat proof mixing bowl) in a double-boiler arrangement. Fill the pan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a simmer.
Put the eggs and sugar in the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip at high speed until very light and fluffy. Still whisking, add the lemon juice and zest. Set the bowl in the saucepan, making sure the the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly by hand until smooth, thick , and custardlike. Be patient; this can take a while. Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk in butter piece by piece. Cover the curd with plastic wrap pressed to the top, and refrigerate until chilled and set, or pour directly into cooled crust and top with sliced strawberries.

Perfection in a Bar: Samoa Bars

2009-04-27T13:42:00.005-04:00

So Girlscout season came and went, and all I was left with was one box of Samoas, my all time favorite girl scout cookies. Sure, tag-a-longs are good, and thin mints are a close runners-up, but be serious. Samoas are the best. Coconut, caramel and chocolate is possibly the most awesome flavor combination there is. While perusing Tastespotting, as I do almost daily these days, I kept noticing gorgeous pictures of homemade samoas, and then samoa bars. Samoa bars...yum. All the flavors of samoas without having to use two completely different sized cookie cutters and rolling pins and other kitchen equipment I was simply not inspired to use at the time. Sometimes I love a good complex recipe that allows me to show off my creative genius. Other times I just want something quick, relatively easy, and oh so fulfilling. This recipe definitely fits into the latter. I used a homemade Samoa cookie recipe by Baking Bites.

While these bar cookies aren't that hard to make, I will definitely offer some suggestions on issues I ran into while making and eating these cookies.

Keep the dough as thin as possible while maintaining some structural integrity. I know this is a tough line to navigate, but I did feel like the shortbread was a bit thick on my cookies. Also, I may use the shortbread recipe on the actual Samoa Bar recipe Baking Bites has, and not the recipe for the cookies. The shortbread recipes are a little bit different, and I think using the bar version will lead to a shortbread that sticks together better when cut and dipped, as mine had a tendency to fall apart, especially when dipped in the chocolate. (Still tasted great though, once you chew it a couple times it all gets to the same state of destruction.) The dough will puff slightly as it cooks, so I would even recommend erring on the thinner side than the thicker one.
Pour the coconut mixture on while the shortbread is still rather hot, and while the caramels are still hot and melted. Mine started to cool just a bit too much and it made it difficult to spread evenly. I ended up with a thick part in the center. Reheat the caramel/coconut mixture if necessary to ensure easy spreadability. The thicker this layer, the harder to cut- leading to fragmented shortbread, and the harder to chew, leading to sore jaws.
Keep the chocolate as hot as possible. I'm not sure if there's a way to thin out chocolate, but if you know the secret, please, let me know and use it to dip the cookies in. The chocolate was so heavy (for lack of a better word) that the cookie would stick to the chocolate and fall apart instead of sticking to the coconut.
Be careful. Once you eat one, you'll want to eat the whole batch. They're THAT good.

Homemade Samoas Bars

Cookie Base:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.

When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

DB: Cheesecake! Delish...

2009-04-27T09:52:00.009-04:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I was excited to see Cheesecake as this month's Daring Baker's challenge! As usual every month I get a little apprehensive with the challenges. Always something just a bit out of my comfort zone. Things I like to eat, but not necessarily make. Close to something I know or have tried, but always just out of the reach of familiarity. I've made little cheesecakelets, but never made a whole cake at once, never made the crust, and never dealt with a water bath or a springform pan. The concept of something needing a water bath scares me away from pursuing that recipe. I didn't even have a springform pan until I stole one of my mom's a few months ago because she had two. The pan is a square one, nontraditional, but its what my mom had in her closet. The square pan was problematic when it came to the water bath.

This cheesecake was easy to assemble and bake. Much less complicated than I expected. There was not much clean up and very few steps involved. There were many different variations on the original cheesecake. Part of the challenge was to take a basic Cheeecake recipe and make it our own. We were supposed to put a personal spin on the recipe, so if you read other Daring Bakers you'll see thousands of cheesecake ideas, from vegan to double decker, there's something different for every one! I decided on the Key Lime Cheesecake with a chocolate graham crust. Refreshing and citrusy, perfect for all the hot weather we've been having! Today is supposed to get up to 94 degrees! I made a chocolate graham crust, that ended up being chocolate Teddy Grahams, Graham Crackers and Vanilla Wafers ground. I was short on the Teddy Grahams, and then only had a few graham crackers, and just enough vanilla wafers to make the needed 2 cups. Here's the cake in the pan. You can see a couple spots where the Saran Wrap touched the top and pulled out a divot, and a nibble mark on the side where my mom and I tasted it while it was still cooling. We couldn't wait hours and hours for it to cool down, we needed to know how it was Right THEN!

The side view, you can see the chocolate graham crust. It's a teensy bit soggy, I don't think my springform pan is 100% waterproof.

Yum! the cake is sooo good! When I pulled out the first piece I took a fork and went to town on the cake in the pan. It was delicious! Light, refreshing, creamy summery treat. The lime taste comes through strong but not overpowering.

I will definitely make this Cheesecake again, probably with a different variation, caramel apple sounds good right? MmmMmmm. As always, check out all the Daring Baker's creations, they are truly amazing!

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs (Or combo chocolate Teddy Grahams, graham crackers, and vanilla wafers)
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
3 tbsp. Lime juice

Zest of 1 lime

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Easter Bunny Butts!

2009-04-20T22:20:00.006-04:00

We had a few people down to the Farm for Easter this year, and my dad recommended cupcakes. Chocolate and the Brown Sugar Martha Poundcakes. The poundcakes were hard to jazz up, but it didn't matter because they went FAST. The chocolate ones though, I though how can I make these cute! I immediately got out my new Hello Cupcake! book and began flipping through. I love this book! It tells you how to create these ornate cupcakes using ordinary candy. It's a good primer for cupcake decoration. It helps stimulate creativity, and gives good ideas how to use candy to create new designs. In the end it was a toss up between the Easter Eggs and the Bunny Butts. I'm not sure what they call the Bunny Butts in the book, I don't have it with me right now, but some of the cupcakes are made to look like grass and the others like holes with bunnies jumping into them.

Now that's a happy face! YUMMM!
...and a bluebird nest inside the grill at the Farm. What pretty eggs!

Delinquent Me

2009-04-20T17:53:00.002-04:00

I apologize to those who have been to this blog, expecting to see some new food. Things have been a bit crazy for me. I was admitted to the hospital for Pulmonary Emboli (blood clots in my lungs) so that shut down things for a week or two while I laid around the house and tried to stop by chest from having stabbing pain every time I inhaled. Then Easter hit, and I'm just now getting everything back to normal. Thankfully I'm doing fine now, no more pain, no more symptoms, just drugs for a few months. I can handle once a day meds as long as I'm better. Anyhoo, the point of this post is to say that I admit to my delinquency and will be resuming order here at Chubb momentarily.

What Lies Beneath that Foil Wrapper and Wholesome Looking White Frosting?

2009-04-06T17:27:00.000-04:00

It looks just like a mild mannered cupcake. White frosting, rainbow sprinkles. Nothing too crazy. Boy does it have you fooled! This is the Clark Kent of cupcakes! When you take off that wrapper- BAM! Psychedelic colorful swirls!

How fun is that?? For my friend Peter's birthday I decided to make some awesomely colorful tie-dyed cupcakes using an inspiration I saw on Tastespotting. I figured I'd also kill two birds with one stone and make another of Martha's Cupcakes. I went with basic yellow. Who can go wrong with yellow cake, especially when you're gonna color it all up! Here's the cake recipe:

Tie Dyed Psychadelic Yellow Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Sprinkles, for decorating

FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake tin. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a liquid-measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add half of dry ingredients, followed by milk-vanilla mixture, then remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

Separate batter into smaller bowls, one for each color you have. Add food coloring to each bowl.

Spoon about a tablespoon or so of each color into each liner so that each color is represented and cups are about 3/4 full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes in tin, then remove and cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Prepare frosting: in a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat unsalted butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Mix in up to 1/2 cup more sugar or a few more teaspoons of milk as necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency. Makes enough for 12 cupcakes.

Aren't they great! I love how this one has a wave like pattern. See that one little crater in the middle? It happened in every cupcake! Isn't that weird? Anyways...Here's Peter enjoying a cupcake!

Yum! These cupcakes turned out great! A bit dense, probably the mixing in of the colors and stuff deflated the air bubbles a bit, but definitely tasty. The colors were amazing. I'd make them again just for the colors! I can't wait to experiment with different flavors in the different colors. Lemon for yellow, lime for green, strawberry for red. Could be a fruit salad in a cupcake!

DB: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

2009-03-28T22:13:00.009-04:00

When I saw this month's Daring Bakers Challenge was going to be homemade lasagne I was genuinely disappointed. Oh how I love things sweet. But as always, I was up for the challenge. The March 2009 Challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbou

rne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splended Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

The making of the noodles started out pretty good. My mountain of flour with the well of spinach and egg started out just fine.The spinach and eggs mixed together well, and the addition of the flour went well. I twas when it came time to make it the correct consistency that I was confused. I ended up add

ing 4 (or 5?) large eggs instead of the 2 jumbo it called for in order to have the d

ough be wet enough to absorb all the called for flour.

The kneading was hard. Not like kneading the other soft breads and other doughs I've kneaded. It was firm dough, didn't want to give a bit.

I tried my best to knead that s

tuff, but I was struggling. I even put it in my stand mixer, but the mixer made a weird noise and didn't seem to tolerate it well, so I took it out and tried to hand knead it as best I could. Here's my dough ball while it was resting.While the dough rested I got on with the ragu. It went pretty well I guess. I only used ground beef and turkey for the meats instead of all the variety of meats the recipe calls to put in a food processor.

I'm not sure about the ragu....I guess it turned out right? It didn't look how I expected it to. It was dry, not very much water, the milk didn't seem to make it creamy, and the texture was lumpy dumpy. Not a fan, probably won't make again.

Back to the pasta. It was more work to roll it out. I tried following the directions on how to stretch and roll, but it just wasn't happening. I did my best, but they were definitely not transparent (one of the "key" steps) sigh. Here are the sheets, rolled and dried, ready for boiling.

I didn't photograph the bechamel. It was just a cream colored blob. It tasted heavenly though. I had a heavy hand with the nutmeg, and I thought it was simply delicious. The bechamel was easy and tasty. Definitely something I'll make again in a different recipe.

Assembly wasn't too bad. I felt like I should have doubled the bechamel to have enough for all the layers. My lasagne turned out a bit dry. As I stated, I wasn't a huge fan of the ragu and it covered up that delicious bechamel. I probably should have cooked my thick noodles a bit longer, because they weren't as tender as I would have liked in the finished product.

Overall it was a good recipe. The fam enjoyed it, but we still have leftovers in the fridge from last weekend... Not a great sign. Usually the good experiments are gobbled up until there is not a crumb remaining. With a few adjustments and some store bought pasta, I would make it again. The pasta was too much effort for the outcome, and I probably won't be making it again. Good dinner overall though!

One of my best performances...

2009-03-18T22:33:00.004-04:00

Two words: Oh WOW! When the BF won a bet and I was obligated to make him a meal of his choice of protein, he requested steak. I was a little nervous, my previous steak encounters have been alright, but not fantastic. I surprised myself with this one. The BF even called it exquisite, heavenly, tender and more! I read about steak and protein cooking in my Cookwise book (awesome book, I can't stop reading it!), and armed with knowledge, I went to my average, local, grocery store. I contemplated a cheaper cut of meat, but decided to go with the King of Steaks, the Filet. Expensive, yes, but juicy, tender and full of flavor. After this meal, I'm ready to go back to the store RIGHT NOW and buy more.

Using my Cookwise smarts and after reading a few bloggers experiences I went for it. I decided to marinate the room temp steak for 30 min. Then I wrapped the steaks in center cut bacon, and seared. There was some smoke, and a lot of noise, but it created a nice crust. After searing on all sides I transferred the whole skillet to the oven which had been set at 275 for the Mini Cheesecakes, and let them finish off for a few minutes in there while I got on with the sauce. I sauteed mushrooms coated in flour and bacon with some olive oil, added wine, fish sauce, soy sauce, sour cream, pepper, water and let it reduce a bit.

For the potatoes, I started them in the oven, but they had a failure to progress, so I nuked those suckers until they were soft. Then I mashed them with whipping cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg and white pepper until they were silky smooth.

All the BF could say was, "whoa, this is really good....really really good." For the next hour after he keep talking about how good the steak was, how it was better than a restaurant. He gushed praise for it. My brother got a small piece of steak as a leftover, and he loved it. He also said it was better than a restaurant. My recipe is definitely different and interesting, but it works! Who needs to spend $100 bucks at an expensive steakhouse when you can beat the flavor at home!? Jess 1, Steakhouse 0.

Seared Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon

2 8 oz filets

approx 4 tbsp: soy sauce, fish sauce, red wine

4 strips center cut bacon

3 tbsp oil

Marinate steaks in liquid mixture in a zipper bag and leave to come to room temp for 30 min or more. Remove steaks from bag, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Wrap each with bacon, and secure with toothpicks or wooden skewers.

Heat heavy non coated ovenproof pan over med-high heat until hot, add oil. Turn on fan. It will begin to smoke almost immediately, so work fast and put steaks in immediately. Let cook a few minutes on each side....maybe 3-4 min each side, so bacon gets crispy and steaks have a nice crust. Move entire pan to hot oven preheated to 275. Turn off oven, and let finish cooking to desired doneness, about 8 min or so.

Mushroom Wine Sauce

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp flour

2 strips center cut bacon, sliced into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup red wine

3 Tbsp fish sauce

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sour cream

Water

Heat med skillet on medium heat, add olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until crisp. Toss mushrooms with flour to coat lightly. Drain extra flour off with sieve (or your hand), add mushrooms to pan, sautee about 5 min until starting to become tender. Add red wine, fish sauce, soy sauce and sour cream. Let reduce 10 minutes on low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3 med sweet potatoes

nutmeg

1/4 c brown sugar

4 tbsp whipping cream

3 tbsp butter

Cook potatoes thoroughly. I punched holes with a fork in the skins and microwaved for about 10 min on high heat or until soft throughout. peel skins and put flesh into bowl. Add butter, brown sugar and whipping cream and whip with a fork or potato masher until homogeneous. Add 2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, or to taste. Serve!

Go Green...like a Leprachaun!

2009-03-17T18:36:00.009-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! To celebrate the luck o' the Irish I made Irish soda bread and cupcake number 6 of my Martha's cupcake countdown, Cheesecake! Who doesn't love cheesecake? I put green food coloring in it to make it more festive. They were super easy to make, especially when you substitute a single vanilla wafer in the bottom of each muffin liner instead of the given crust! It's a simple switch, and it cuts down on like 20 min of the recipe. You can find the recipe here. I also made a blackberry sauce to go on top instead of the apricot jam topping. YUMMM!!

Mini Cheesecakes

Makes 18.

18 vanilla wafers

1 pound cream cheese, softened (2 blocks)

1/2 teaspoon pure vani

lla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

Green Food Coloring (if desired)

Pinch of salt

Berries, and sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line 18 cupcake tins with

liner and place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until light and smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then vanilla. With mixer running, add eggs slowly, scraping down side of bowl. Add sour cream and salt. Add food coloring if desired. Fill almost to top.

Bake until sides are set but centers are wobbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Wrap tins tightly with plastic, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Macerate berries and sugar, let sit 30 min, to let the berries soften and juices release. Top with berries and serve! Enjoy!

I also made an Irish Soda Bread! MKMW this month chose Ireland as the destination, how fitting! I wanted to make corned beef, but was behind the eight ball in terms of brining the meat for 2 weeks as I saw suggested! It all turned out fine though, the bread was delicious, and not something I probably would have made by my own volition.

I was worried because I tasted one version at our local grocery store and I did not like it one bit! It was dry and salty and a little bitter from the soda. Not a fan. But I went ahead and made it anyways, and boy am I glad I did! It is cakelike, but with a thicker crust, and less sweet. I added cinnamon and golden raisins instead of caraway and raisins... I don't have caraway in the spice cabinet, and I prefer golden raisins. It is FANTASTIC served with butter toasted. Super good! I will definitely make it again and I'm contemplating trying to turn it into french toast... hmm.. we'll see!

Irish Soda Bread

2.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature

1 1/4 cups raisins

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used milk with vinegar, buttermilk had succumbed to spoilage)

3/4 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9 in cake pan. Whisk first 5 ingredients and cinnamon in large bowl to blend. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form. Stir in raisins. Whisk buttermilk and egg in measuring cup to blend. Add to dough; using silicone spatula, stir just until well incorporated (dough will be very sticky).

Transfer dough to prepared pan. Bake until bread is cooked through and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil; store at room temperature.) Serve toasted with a generous application of butter!

Lastly, I would like to shout out Bev's Ice Cream, here in Richmond, Va, for a Samoas ice cream that really made my rainy Saturday special!!! Bev's is a local ice cream shop that makes in store all sorts of delicious ice cream flavors and other yummy desserts. It's the perfect way to end a meal! They have a standard set of about 12 or so flavors, then featured flavors of ice cream, sorbet, sugar free, etc. It is a gem of a place, worth every penny! This Samoas ice cream was homemade chocolate ice cream, caramel, coconut and chunks of samoa cookies. DELICIOUS!