Scribbles From The Kitchen

The Daring Bakers Make Baklava

2011-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

I was super excited to read about this month's challenge. Granted, it wasn't much of challenge, as the recipe called for Rodgers' phyllo dough which I've made before (mmm, strudel!), and then turning it into baklava, which I make a few times a year, but it was fun nonetheless. Husband is a bit of a baklava snob... I mean, purist ;), so I didn't dare use the recipe the host provided. First, it includes honey which is yes, traditional, but husband vehemently dislikes. Second, it called for half the butter my recipe uses, so I was worried it might turn out a bit dry. Third, I didn't have all the nuts the recipe called for. Forth, I usually get not-quite-favorable critiques for steering away from my family recipe :P.

Just like last time the dough was a charm to work with. It stretched beautifully, and I found it easier to roll into 16 smaller sheets for the baklava than in one humongous sheet for the strudel for the May 2009 challenge.

The dough:

Sheets all rolled out. Unlike many of the other DBs I didn't have issues with them sticking to each other... but then again, the San Francisco Bay Area is not famous for humidity, so maybe that helped.

Ready to go into the oven. I tucked the edges in rather than cutting them out for a more rustic look. (Ahem, not out of laziness or anything :):

And just out:

Freshly covered with syrup:

An inside view:

My only worry was whether the syrup from my recipe would soak into the home-made dough as well as it does into store-bought (it didn't!) but other than that minor glitch, the baklava turned out perfect. Weeell, near perfect. Husband's comment was "I like it, but I prefer it with phyllo dough." Bzuh? I guess he means store-bought :D

Blueberry Streusel Cake

2011-05-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful coffee cake that combines a soft base with juicy blueberries, and is topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel. Recipe courtesy of Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

For the streusel topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the cake:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

For the streusel topping:
Mix together the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Set aside while you make the cake batter.

For the cake:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter until smooth.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined.

Spread the batter onto the bottom of a baking dish smoothing the top with an offset spatula.
Evenly arrange the blueberries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

A Very Easy Cheesecake

2011-05-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

A favorite at home, adapted from here and here to fit our taste.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter

For the filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 lb heavy whipping cream
3/4 oz (3 envelopes) gelatine.
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Directions:

For the crust:
In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about up the sides of a springform pan.
Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling:
In a large bowl beat whipping cream with 1 cup sugar until it forms soft peaks.
In a separate bowl beat cream cheese with the other 1/2 cup sugar.
Pour gelatine in a small bowl. Add boiling water and stir 5 minutes or until gelatine is completely dissolved.

Gently fold the whipping cream mixture and gelatine mixture into cream cheese mixture.

For the decoration (optional):
Set 3 tablespoons of the mix aside, and pour the rest into the chilled crust.
Add the cocoa into the 3 tablespoons of mix.
Pour cocoa mix over the cheesecake in concentric circles and doodle on it with a wooden skewer.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Wafer Cake

2011-05-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have been eyeing wafer crusts in my local ethnic store for quite a while, but I just recently decided to buy a package and try to make something out of it. I have copied the recipe on my hard drive from somewhere on the net, but I have neglected to write the source. Sorry!

Ingredients:

5 wafer crusts
5 eggs
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a medium saucepan beat together the eggs, cocoa and sugar.
Simmer over low heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and add the butter and walnuts. Stir well.
Divide the cream in four and layer wafer-cream-wafer-cream, etc, ending with a wafer.
Cover with something heavy and refrigerate overnight.

"Clean the Fridge" Chocolate Cake

2011-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your fridge is almost empty, your dishwasher is full of dirty dishes and you need to make a cake? You bake this one, of course! Hardly any products (no eggs!, no milk!) and no mixing bowls required. Recipe Source.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
In an ungreased 8 inch square cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the melted butter, water, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well blended.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Zebra Cake

2011-04-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Adapted from alpineberry's blog.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.

Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is just incorporated.

Divide your batter into 2 equal portions. Add cocoa powder into one of them and mix well.

Scoop 3 tablespoons of plain batter into the middle of your prepared cake pan. Then scoop 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter and pour it in the center of the plain batter (yes, right on top of the plain batter). Continue to alternate between the plain and cocoa batter, always pouring it in the center right on top of the previous batter, until you use up the batters.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes in pan and then remove cake from pan to cool on a wire rack.

Coconut Bonbons

2011-04-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

An easy, yet decadent dessert. I haven't noted the source of the recipe, sorry!

Ingredients:

14 oz (400 ml, 1 can) sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

In a heavy-based pan combine coconut and condensed milk.
Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 4-5 minutes while stirring.
Remove from heat, let it cool and form small balls with your hands.
Chill in the fridge before serving.
Roll in yet more coconut flakes, if desired.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

2011-03-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Amazingly good! We tried it on chicken thigh meat. Recipe adapted from various sources on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Stir together the onion, thyme, allspice, ground black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Rub on meat.
And grill :P

The Daring Bakers Have a Creamy, Dreamy Month

2011-02-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

With Blueberry Panna Cotta (recipe).

And no, my kitchen is not insanely small and you most certainly cannot see my fridge magnets as a reflection on the parfait cups (which aren't really parfait cups either, but let's not get into details).

I can't say I was terribly inspired by this month's challenge - while panna cotta is an elegant dessert, there is only so much you can do with it. Right? WRONG! Check out the other Daring Bakers' Blogs if you don't believe me.

The fine print:
The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Home-Made Tortillas

2011-02-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Had I known it is so quick and easy to make tortillas at home, I would have stopped buying them a long time ago. Seriously, how awesome is it to have warm, fresh tortillas in a snap :). Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients (for 6):

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling hot water

Directions:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly (I used the dough hook of my food processor).
Add the hot water to the mixture, little by little until the dough just comes together.
If you have an hour, cover with a dish towel, and let it sit. If not, it's ready to roll.

Split the dough into 6 balls.
Roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
Place each tortilla on a medium hot skillet.
Cook for about 30 seconds on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.
Leave the done tortillas under a kitchen towel, so they soften up.

Aaaand, enjoy!

Four-Nut Maple Brownies

2011-02-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

Adapted from the March edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup cashews, walnuts, almonds and pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 13x9 baking pan.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.
In a separate bowl beat together egg, maple syrup, oil and milk.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
Stir in nuts.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.

Sourdough Rye Bread With Caraway

2011-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

Adapted from my breadmaker's manual.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup rye flour
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons caraway
4 tablespoons sourdough starter

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and knead just until the dough comes together.

Put dough in a loaf pan and leave in a warm place to rise for about 3 hours.

Put an ovenproof bowl filled with water in the oven.

Then put the loaf pan in and bake the bread at 375 F (190 C) for 45 minutes or until done.

This bread is going to Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen, who is hosting this month's bread baking day:

Chocolate Cake With Coconut Cream

2011-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

An indulgent dessert adapted from the January edition of Woman's Day Magazine.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Oil and flour two 8-inch round baking pans.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.
Beat together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
Add the boiling water and stir well to combine.
Split the batter between the two baking pans and bake 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Beat the cream, sugar and yogurt until stiff peaks form.

Place one of the layers on a serving platter and spread one cup of the frosting on it.
Cover with the other layer, and the remaining frosting.
Gently pat the coconut all over the cake.

This dessert is going to

Double Chocolate Muffins

2011-01-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

are very chocolatey :)

Ingredients (for 6):

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

150 g (5 oz) chocolate chips

Directions:

Beat together egg, milk and butter.

In a separate bowl whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and the baking soda.

Add the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the muffins inside for additional 10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Krempita, the Lazy Edition

2011-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

An even easier version of Krempita.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1/2 lb (200 g) phyllo dough

For the cream:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
Tear the unbaked phyllo dough in small-ish pieces:

Put the pieces in a baking dish, and bake them for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. You need them all to dry up and be a golden color.

Cool.

For the cream:

Lightly beat eggs with a fork, set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and milk.
Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly.
Reduce heat to medium, stir for 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat.
Gradually stir about one cup of the hot filling into the lightly beaten eggs.
Return egg mixture to saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.
Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla.

*Variations:

For coconut cream: prepare as above, except stir in 1 cup flaked coconut with butter and vanilla. For banana cream: fold in three sliced bananas after stirring in butter and vanilla.
For chocolate cream: mix 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate in with milk at beginning of recipe.

Assembly:

Pour the hot cream onto the baked phyllo dough pieces and gently toss them so that they are all covered in cream.

Not quite appetizing looking... yet!

Cool to room temperature, then transfer to fridge.
Let stand for 12 hours before cutting, so the cream can settle.

Much better looking:

Store covered in the fridge.

Kozunak for Christmas?

2010-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Why yes, that pretty much what we got with this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. Which in theory is not a bad thing, as we love kozunak at home... only it tasted very Easter-y, and not Christmassy. Ah well, good eats are good eats especially in the week before Christmas.

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

You can see the recipe here: http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/50_Stollen_-_DB_Dec__2010.pdf

OK, when I first read the recipe I thought "Pfft, I am using my breadmaker." But then, in a temporary lapse of judgement, I decided against it, and figured I'd use my kitchen processor which has a dough blade.

What is it I hear? Knead by hand? Moi? *falls off chair laughing*

Problem #1: Did you know that when manufacturers put a mark on the bowl and say "Do not fill past this point" they actually mean do not fill past this point? Who would have thought? Well, not me, certainly.

Problem #2: Did you know that the dough blade will tear the raisins and candied peel into very, very minute pieces? You did? Well, I didn't. My breadmaker certainly doesn't do that. Oh, wait! My breadmaker has a special program for dough with additions to counteract this exact problem. /sarcasm

Problem #3: Did you know that food processors overheat? The good part was that my kitchen started smelling of baking stollen when I had no stollen in the oven. The bad part was that it took good 24 hours for the processor to deign working again. Poor thing must have been sore.

Lesson learned: go with your gut and use the bread machine next time!

Anyway...

Dough, freshly out of the fridge:

Baked wreath:

Yes, I cheated and baked it in a bundt pan. After all the hoops I jumped through, I didn't want to risk it not holding its shape. Besides, bundt is a German word, and stollen is German, so there :P

Coated with butter and sugar:

And an inside view:

Notice how the cherries are the only fruit that survived the carnage. That is because I arranged them in the middle of the roll, and I only did that because the recipe warned us of a potentially red dough. Otherwise, I'd be looking at a very red stollen :D.

I can't believe all the people who said it tastes just like fruitcake. It so does not! It tastes divine! *sticks tongue at fruitcake lovers*

Merry Christmas everyone!

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

2010-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Moist and flavorful cookies, recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.

Mix in the dry ingredients.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough on a cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Cool on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

For the glaze:
Combine confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Chocolate Muffins

2010-12-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Recipe from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

In another bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.

With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined.
Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter (the muffin cups will be full), using two spoons or an ice cream scoop.
Place in the oven and bake at 375F (190 C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

If It Looks Like a Pumpkin Pie...

2010-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

and it smells like a pumpkin pie, then it must be... yam and ginger crostata! Or November's daring bakers challenge, take two. Take one is here.

Ingredients:

1 pasta frolla (from here)

1 1/2 lb yams
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Prepare the pasta frolla first.
Prebake the pasta frolla crust for 10 minutes at 350 F

For the filling:

Boil yams in their jackets for 45 minutes, or until easily pierce with a fork. Run cold water over them, and remove the skin.
Add butter, and mix well.
Stir in sugar, milk, eggs and spices. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth.
Pour filling into the prebaked crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
The pie will puff up like a souffle, but will sink down as it cools.

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

Chocolate Crostata For the Daring Bakers

2010-11-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

In the aftermath of Halloween and all things pumpkin flavored, I had decided to make a chocolate tart, the recipe of which I had jotted down from Tyler Florence Family Meal. In a flash of pure genius (if I do say so myself :P), I decided to wait for this month's daring bakers challenge and see if I can combine both. So, what was my surprise when this month's challenge was...drumroll... crostata! Talk about killing two birds with one stone :). Simona of briciole gave us the freedom to do whatever filling we wished, as long as we used her pasta frolla recipe. So I did the unimaginative thing and went with chocolate :). For original and amazing, and yes, yummy!, ideas do check the other Daring Bakers' Blogs.

Ingredients:

For the pasta frolla:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
the zest of half a lemon
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the chocolate ganache:
(from Tyler Florence Family Meal)

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
8 oz excellent quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
2 eggs at room temperature, beaten

Directions:

For the pasta frolla:

Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.
Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 F.
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour.
If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
Flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered.
Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
Line the shell with aluminum foil and add pie weights.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Take the tart out of the oven, remove the foil and lightly coat the shell with egg white.
Return to oven and bake an extra 8 minutes or until the shell is a light golden color.
Set aside to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 F.

For the filling:

Combine the cream and milk in a saucepan. Heat until the mixture simmers around the edges.
Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted.
Add sugar and salt and whisk to incorporate.
Let mix cool for 5 minutes, then add eggs and whisk until well incorporated.
Pour into the cooled shell and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is just set and the surface is glossy.
Cool on a wire rack.

Lamb Korma

2010-11-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

For those who have lived under a rock until now, lamb korma is a delicious mild lamb curry cooked with yogurt, coconut milk and almonds. Adapted to slow cooker by me, based on the recipe in Indian Food and Folklore.

The recipe in Bulgarian is here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb leg of lamb, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, infused in 2 tablespoons of boiling water for 10 min
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions:

In a heated pan quickly brown the lamb pieces.
Saute the onion.
Layer meat in crockpot, followed by the onion.
Stir all spices into yogurt, pour on top of the meat.
Add coconut milk and almonds.
Cook on low for 3 hours or until lamb is tender.

Serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

Mint Chicken Curry

2010-11-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

A nice and fresh curry that combines mint, yogurt and tomato flavors. It is not something I'd have every week, but it is definitely interesting. Adapted from my Indian recipe book.

The recipe in Bulgarian is here.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 oz (180 g) chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Place tomatoes, yogurt and all spices in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
In a saucepan heat some oil and quickly brown the chicken pieces.
Add sauce, toss to cover chicken.
Simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the cover and simmer for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve with steamed rice (or loads of bread :).

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Salmon

2010-11-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

Adapted from November's issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

The recipe in Bulgarian is here.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
2 4-oz salmon fillets

Directions:

Preheat broiler.
In a small saucepan combine maple syrup and whiskey.
Cook, uncovered over medium heat stirring occasionally.
Season salmon with salt and pepper.
Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
Remove 2 tablespoons of glaze and brush on all sides of salmon. Return salmon to oven and broil for 5 more minutes or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Heat glaze on high until it reaches the consistency of a syrup.
Pour on salmon before serving, and enjoy!

Apple Caramel Pita

2010-11-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy (and delicious!) fall dessert, recipe from my mom's notebook. The recipe in Bulgarian - here.

Ingredients:

3-4 gala apples (or another sort, but I like gala best)
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Peel, core and and slice the apples. Set aside.
Beat the eggs with 1/2 cup of the sugar, then stir in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
Put you baking dish on the stove and melt the butter.
Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and stir well until dissolved and starting to caramelize.
Remove from stove.
Arrange the apple slices on the caramel. Make them look pretty, because this is going to be the top of your cake :).
Pour the egg and flour mix on top.
Bake at 375F for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then flip on a serving plate.
If there is any caramel left stuck on the dish, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil to dissolve it, and pour the resulting caramel sauce on the cake.
Serve warm.

The Daring Bakers Go Nuts

2010-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

for donuts! For this month's edition of the Daring Bakers Lori of Butter Me Up challenged us to make delicious, deep-fried (yowza!), home-made donuts. Now, I am not a fan of donuts, or of any other type of fried dough desserts for that matter but participating in this month's challenge was on my "get pre-baby life back" agenda, so there!

Yeast Doughnuts:
Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1/6 cup shortening
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/6 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
a dash of salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
oil for frying, enough to fill in 3 inches of the frying dish

Directions:

I went the super-duper lazy way - I put the ingredients in my breadmaker and ran the pizza dough option (15 min knead, 15 min rise, 10 min knead, 10 min rise), and left it for an extra half hour in the machine to rise some more. I would blame my laziness on being a new mom strapped for time, but who am I kidding - I would have done the same thing pre-baby :).

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm) thick.
Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center hole.

Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Before:

After:

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing.

And voila!

And the holes. The holes are the best part of the donut methinks:

And I couldn't resist baking a batch of "donut buns":

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

Blueberry Pie

2010-10-12T12:42:00.001-07:00

While cleaning my freezer recently, I needed to use up a few cups of frozen berries, so I finally got a chance to make a berry pie. I know, I know, summer is over and I am just a tad late, but it was quite delicious :). The crust takes in from the filling and gets wonderfully juicy, but not soaked and it holds the filling beautifully. And the filling has this divine tartly sweet taste that cooked berries have. OK, enough with the self-promotion, on with the recipe :). Adapted from here and here.

Ingredients for one two-crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie:

For the crust:

14 tablespoons (200 g) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar

For the filling:

5 cups berries
2/3 cup (135 g) sugar
3 tablespoons (30 g) cornstarch
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon (14 g) cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

Directions:

For the crust:

Divide the 14 tablespoons of butter into 2 portions: 9 tablespoons and 5 tablespoons (130 g and 70 g).
Refrigerate the 9 tablespoon portion and freeze the 5 tablespoon portion for at least 30 minutes.
Place the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for a few seconds to combine.
Add the refrigerated butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the frozen butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and pulse until the frozen butter is the size of peas.
Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and the vinegar and pulse 6-7 times
Pinch a small amount of the mixture to see if it holds together.
If not, add another 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.
Try pinching again to see if it holds together.
If not, add the final 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.

At this point, my dough still looked like a mess of dry crumbs, but I am happy that I resisted my urge to add more water in it :).

Divide the dough in half. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Remove one disc of pie dough from the fridge.
If it's too hard to roll, let it sit out for about 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick and about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter.

I always have trouble rolling buttery doughs, as they tend to stick to the counter and tear. So I cover the counter with plastic wrap, cover the rolling pin with plastic wrap and roll it like that. Easy to clean up too!

Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan.
Trim the dough edge to about even with the edge of the pan.
Cover with plastic and let dough rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

For the filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest.
Whisk in the lemon juice to make a slurry.
Add the berries and gently toss them to coat with the slurry.
Mine were frozen and easy to handle, but if you are using fresh, be careful not to crush them.
Let sit for about 15 minutes.

Assembling the pie:

Toss the berries once more and then pour the mixture into the bottom crust.
Roll out the remaining disk of dough to about 12 inches in diameter.
Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and gently place the top crust over the berries.
Tuck any overhang under the bottom crust and press down to seal the two crusts.
With the tip of a knife, cut 3-5 slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.

Set your oven rack to the lowest position, so that the bottom crust bakes well.
Preheat oven to 425F (220 C).
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juice.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Check the pie after 20 minutes and protect the edges from over-browning (mine did!) with a ring of foil if necessary.
Allow pie to cool on a rack for at least 4 hours before serving. This is not only to protect you from burning your mouth :) but also to allow the filling to settle.

Homegrown Sourdough Starter

2010-08-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Step by step, with pictures. Because who doesn't love pictures of yeast :P

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup yogurt, at room temp (you may skip it, but it speeds up the process)

Directions:

In a deep, non-metallic dish, combine all ingredients.
Stir with a non-metallic utensil.
Cover with a clean teatowel and leave it at room temperature for two full days.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

On day 3, it should have started to form bubbles on the surface, and have a faint sour smell. At this point add 1/2 cup of rye flour and 1/4 cup of warm water. Cover with a teatowel again, and leave in a warm place.

On day 4, you can use it to make sourdough.

What you don't use store in the fridge. Theoretically, the sourdough starter can last forever if you feed it rye flour and water every time you make bread.

Egg Bread

2010-07-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is the one I make most often; the recipe is from my bread machine manual.

Ingredients for an M size bread which is, I think, 1 lb/450 g:

3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk with the egg*
1 teaspoon dry yeast

* Break the egg into the measuring cup and fill the rest with milk until it reaches the 1 1/4 cup mark.

Put in the bread machine in the order which your manual recommends and voila! If you feel like it, the dough is very easy to form into fun shapes.

Shredded Pork

2010-06-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

The slowcooker version.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork meat

1 cup barbeque sauce

Directions:

Put meat in slowcooker (don't brown it first, just put it in like it is).

Pour the barbeque sauce on top. Add water if necessary.

Cook on low for 7 hours or until easily shredded with a fork.

Turn slowcooker off, but leave the meat in for 30 more minutes to absorb some of the sauce.

Serve on tortillas.

The Daring Bakers Make Croquembouche

2010-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I was slightly puzzled when I read this month's challenge. With all due respect to the French, why would you want to stick cream puffs to each other in a cone? That just makes them messier to eat :/. The good part is, those cream puffs are much better than my normal recipe. Overall, me is happy! Thank you, Cat.

Anyway...

Ingredients:

For the pate a choux:
¾ cup (175 ml) water
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (125 g) flour
4 eggs

For the chocolate crème patissiere:
1 cup (225 ml) milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons (100 g) sugar
1 egg + 2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
1 tablespoons vanilla
3 oz (100 g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the chocolate glaze:
8 oz (200 g) finely chopped chocolate

Directions:

For the creme patissiere:

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk.
Bring another ¼ cup milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in the chocolate. Mix until smooth and set aside.
Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture.
Pour 1/3 of the boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Keep whisking until the cream thickens and comes to a boil.
Remove from heat and beat in the butter, vanilla and chocolate mixture.
Pour the cream into a stainless steel bowl. Chill until ready to use.

For the pate a choux:

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:
Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally.
At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.
It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip
Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets.
Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping.
You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.

Baking:
Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Filling:
When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

For the glaze:
Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Piece Montée:

You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet.
Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up.

The fine print:
The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Medovik

2010-05-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Medovik is a famous Russian torte, whose honey flavored platters are nicely counter-balanced by a sour cream filling. Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

For the torte:

150 g butter

4 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 cups flour

For the frosting:

1200 g sour cream

2 cups sugar

Directions:

For the torte:

In a saucepan melt together the butter, honey and baking soda. Let it cool.

Add the eggs, sugar and flour and knead well until you get a soft dough.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Split the dough into 8 balls.

Flatten each one into a 12-inch very thin disc and bake each disc at 350 F for 15 minutes or until golden.

Cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Stir together sour cream and sugar.

Decorate as desired.

Key Lime Pie

2010-04-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 1/4 cup (125 g) graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
2 eggs
14 oz (390 g/1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime zest

For the topping:
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar

Directions:

For the crust:
Mix together the crumbs and melted butter.
Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a well greased 9 inch (23 cm) pie or tart pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.

For the filling:
Beat the eggs until pale and fluffy.
Gradually add the condensed milk and beat until you have a light and fluffy mixture (4-5 minutes).
Beat in the lime juice and zest.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Once it has completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until serving time

For the topping:

In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Pipe or place mounds of whipping cream on top of the filling.

Brownies

2010-04-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

After husband declared that those are too light and not chocolatey enough for him, I decided to try making actual brownies. My favorite part of the recipe? One bowl and two utensils :). Adapted from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

5 oz (140 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons (15 g) cocoa powder
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup (95 g) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C).

Butter an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan.
In a water bath melt the chocolate and butter.

Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar.

Whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the flour and salt.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Moroccan Honey Lamb

2010-04-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

3 lb leg of lamb
100 g canned tomatoes
150 ml honey
the juice of 1 lemon or orange
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
dash of salt
ground pepper to taste

Directions:

In a frying pan over high heat quickly brown all sides of the leg of lamb. This will help kill any bacteria on the surface, and seal in the juices.
In a small bowl, stir together all spices.
Rub the spice mixture all over the meat.
Spread the honey on the meat
In a glass dish with a lid whisk together the lemon/orange juice and the tomatoes.

Place the leg of lamb in the dish.

Put it in a cold oven, with the lid slightly ajar, so steam can escape, and turn the oven to 200 F (95 C).
Bake for 2 hours, then raise the oven temperature to 250F (120C).

After an hour, check the meat every half hour and turn off when it is easily penetrated by the tines of a fork.

Let it cool in the sauce for half an hour before carving.

Serve over steamed rice.

Kozunak

2010-04-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

This year's edition. For the recipe, go here.

One traditional loaf with raisins:

And one with chocolate (idea from Annie's Artbook):

Happy Easter!

The Daring Bakers Make Orange Tian

2010-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of a tian? Me neither, that's why I wasn't sure what to expect from this month's challenge. Turns out, it was a wonderful blend of whipped cream with the twist of a citrus flavor.

Ingredients:

For the pate sablee:
2 egg yolks at room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ice cold and cubed
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the jam:

¼ cup + 3 tablespoons (100 ml) freshly pressed orange juice

1 large orange to make orange slices

cold water to cook the orange slices

5 g pectin

sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

For the orange segments:

8 oranges

For the caramel:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons (400 ml) orange juice

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons of hot water

1 teaspoon gelatine

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon orange jam (see recipe above)

Directions:

For the pate sablee:

Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale.
Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
Process until the dough just comes together.

Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.
Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the jam:

Finely slice the orange.
Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water.
Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.
Blanch the orange slices a total of 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.
Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.
Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).
Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar. (If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.)
In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the orange segments:

Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

For the caramel:

Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.
Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice.

As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.
Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert.

When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.

For the whipped cream:

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves.

Let the gelatine cool to room temperature.

In a chilled mixing bowl beat the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until it starts to thicken

Add the sugar.

Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue beating until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks.

Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.

Assembly:

Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.
Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.
Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.
Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.
Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter.

Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.
Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange jam on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in jam should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

The fine print: The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

The Daring Bakers Put Heaven on a Plate

2010-02-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's tiramisu time! Tiramisu has been on my baking list since forever but two things have stopped me: the fact that it has raw eggs and the price of mascarpone. I will admit that was somewhat bummed when I saw this month's challenge, as this pregnant lady shouldn't have raw eggs. And then... score! This recipe does not have raw eggs. To boot, it includes an awesome way for making one's own mascarpone. Me is very pleased :)

Ingredients:

For the lady fingers:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

For the lady fingers:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C), then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon.

Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed.

Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter.

Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten.

Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.

For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water.
Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard.
It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly.
After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble.
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric hand mixer until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:

Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold.
Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined.
Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Set this cream mixture aside.

Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy.
Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer.

Does not look very promising, does it :). I promise to refine my piping skills by the tenth challenge that requires it.

Luckily, it's nothing a little powdered cocoa can't fix:

Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

Cut into individual portions and serve.

The fine print: The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Home-made Mascarpone

2010-02-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Making tiramisu has been on my list for a while, but two things have stopped me. First, the price of mascarpone. Second, the fact that it has raw eggs. Well, at least one of them is alleviated now :). With my passion for making my own dairy products, I wonder why I didn't think to look up a mascarpone recipe for so long.
Source.

Ingredients (for 12 oz of mascarpone cheese):

500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream (fat content 25% to 36%), pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl over a water bath.

Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F or until bubbles start forming just beneath the surface.
Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles.

All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir.

Here it is: looks like anything but future mascarpone

Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl.

Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve.

(At least it didn't all leak into the bowl!)

Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time).

Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

And voila! I have to admit I didn't quite believe it when I saw it the next day

The Daring Bakers Go to Canada

2010-01-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

And make Nanaimo bars! Those are for serious sweeth tooths (sweet teeth?) only.

Ingredients:

For the bottom layer:
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) graham cracker crumbs*
1/2 cup (55 g) almonds, finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) coconut, shredded (sweetened or unsweetened)

*For the recipe for home made gluten free graham crackers, check out the host's blog.

For the middle layer:
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (40 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons vanilla pudding powder
2 cups (254 g) confectioners' sugar

For the top layer:
4 oz (115 g) semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

Directions:

For the bottom layer:

Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler.

Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat.

Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut.

Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

For the middle layer:

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together. Beat until light in colour.

Spread over bottom layer.

For the top layer:

Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat.

Cool.

Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

The fine print: The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and http://www.nanaimo.ca/.

Home-made Phyllo Dough

2009-12-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

Recipe from Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed (I had to add an additional tablespoon to get the necessary consistency)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Directions:

Whisk together the flour and the salt.
Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup.
Add the water/oil mixture to the flour.

*The recipe uses a mixer with dough attachments. I used the dough blade of my food processor, which didn't do a good job, so I ended up kneading it by hand.

Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.
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, and cover it ball tightly with plastic wrap.

Now's the time to prepare the filling, wash the dishes and finish any other pressing work (i.e. watch that movie :), as you need to allow the dough to stand for 30-90 minutes, and the longer, the better. I left it out for about 5 hours while I was running errands, and it was a charm to work with.

It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on, like a kitchen island or your dining table.
Cover your working area with a 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.

Or roll it around the rolling pin and letting it stretch under its own weight.
Using the back of your hands, gently stretch and pull the dough.
The dough will become too large to hold, so put it on your work surface.
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.

Look at that! - you can actually see the stains on my old tablecloth through it *blush*. It's quite amazing that the tiny ball of dough that could fit in my palm stretched that much.

Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. It is now ready to be filled.

Strudel made with the dough, from the May Daring Bakers' Challenge:

Home-made Puff Pastry

2009-11-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

On the Saturday that I spent on the September Daring Bakers' Challenge, covered in flour, rolling, turning, and chilling and having a good time altogether, I kept thinking that if it turns out OK, I am never buying puff pastry again. On the Sunday that I spent nursing all sorts of sore forearm muscles, most of which I didn't even know that I had, eh... I wasn't so sure any more.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour*
1 1/4 cups (142 g) cake flour
1 tablespoon salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) ice water
1 pound (454 g) very cold unsalted butter

* plus extra flour for dusting the work surface

Directions:

Mixing the Dough:

Put the flours and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix.
Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade.
The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers.
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern.
Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick.
Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour
With your rolling pin press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square.
Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently.
Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely.
You should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times.
There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square).
Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.)
With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now.
If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips.
It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six.
If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard.
However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

The Daring Bakers Make Macaroons

2009-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

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.

OK, I am ready to admit that I have been living in permafrost for the past few years, but I had never seen or tasted macaroons before. In fairness, I hadn't even *heard* of macaroons before they got mentioned on the daring bakers forum a few months ago. So, are they supposed to be thick or thin? Dry or chewey? Or both? To boot, I saw some up on the daring bakers forum that were allegedly a failure, and mine kind of look like them. I got that they have to have 'feet' - the little bubbly base at the bottom, but how big are the feet supposed to be? As a side note, cookies with feet - how cool is that!

So yeah, I am not sure if I got proper macaroons, but they tasted great. Chewey nutty goodness + mint chocolate ganache = pure awesomeness.

Ingredients:

For the macaroons:
2 1/4 cups (225 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 cups (190 g) almond flour*
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 egg whites (at room temperature)

For the mint chocolate ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mint extract

*Recipe suggested we may grind them ourselves, and that's exactly what I did. For anybody doing that, do put the confectioners' sugar along with the nuts when grinding, as that prevents the ground almonds to turn to the dark side (i.e. almond butter).

Directions:

For the macaroons:

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.

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.
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.
Spoon the mixture into a ziplock bag with a corner cut off.
Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C).
Once the oven is heated, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly colored.

*While waiting for the oven to heat up, I left my macaroons out a bit too long, I think, which caused them to defluff. So watch that part of the recipe.

Cool on a rack before filling.

For the ganache:

In a small saucepan over medium heat scald cream
Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl and whisk to melt chocolate
Add extract and blend well
Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools)

Apple Streusel Muffins

2009-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Dark overcast skies, cold wind and apples - that means one thing - fall is here. And a recipe to greet it, adapted from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

1 cup (240 ml) milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups (420 g) flour
1 cup (200 g) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 medium size apples, cubed (~ 2 cups)
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

For the muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
In a small measuring cup mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives (or your fingers!). The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
Remove 1 cup and set aside for the streusel topping.
Gently fold in the apples.
Add liquids and stir until just combined.
Fill each muffin cup almost full with the batter.

For the streusel topping:

Melt the 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 cup of streusel topping.
Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly and looks like coarse meal.
Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin.

Place in the oven and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

The Daring Bakers Take Out the Rolling Pins

2009-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

to make puff pastry. And sore forearm muscles :).

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.

On the Saturday that I spent covered in flour, rolling, turning, and chilling and having a good time altogether, I kept thinking that if it turns out OK, I am never buying puff pastry again. On the Sunday that I spent nursing all sorts of sore forearm muscles, most of which I didn't even know that I had, eh... I wasn't so sure any more.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour*
1 1/4 cups (142 g) cake flour
1 tablespoon salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) ice water
1 pound (454 g) very cold unsalted butter

* plus extra flour for dusting the work surface

Directions:

Mixing the Dough:

Put the flours and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix.
Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade.
The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers.
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern.
Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick.
Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour
With your rolling pin press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square.
Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently.
Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely.
You should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times.
There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square).
Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.)
With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now.
If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips.
It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six.
If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard.
However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces.
Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick.
Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough.
Half of the shapes will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides.
Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough.

Dock the solid bottoms with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash.
Place the rings directly on top and very lightly press them to adhere.
Brush the tops lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise).
If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly.
Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent.
If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down.
Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more.
Remove to a rack to cool.

Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.

Home-made Marshmallows

2009-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

From the July 2009 Daring Bakers' Challenge, based on the recipe from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar.
Bring to a boil and cook until the softball stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
Whip the whites until soft peaks form.
Pour the syrup into the whites, add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
Transfer to a pastry bag.
Pipe “kisses” of marshmallows onto a parchment paper (or, in my case, cookie base).

*Word to the wise: if this is your first time working with a pastry bag (it was mine!), practice with something less sticky and less tricky first.

Success! [Well, kind of...]

Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

The Daring Bakers Make Dobos

2009-08-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe if you've grown up in Western Europe, but when I was a kid in the 1980's the bakeries in the tiny Soviet satellite that was my home country would sell two varieties of the same cake. To an outside observer it would look like that was not true, but once you've tried them all, you would realize that all the different cakes and tortes on the menu were essentially the same thing. That thing was two rubbery, dry sponge cake layers with cream. The cream was normally of two varieties - chocolate and vanilla. You could only tell the flavors apart by the color, because they both tasted the same, of margarine mixed with waaaay too much sugar.

That is why in the evening before each birthday party my parents would go in the kitchen, and would cut circles out of parchment paper, and would open and close the oven, and would mix and beat and assemble and in the end would emerge with the decadence that is the Dobos torte. With real tasting cake and real chocolate buttercream! Needless to say, I was quite excited when this month's challenge was revealed.

The fine print:
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 DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

The only caveat is that the DB recipe featured caramel-glazed wedges - not only did I not remember those from my childhood, but I dislike anything caramel-flavored with a passion. Caramel on a chocolate cake - eugh! Anyway, the challenge is a challenge (not to mention that the original recipe does have caramel).

Despite the seemingly lengthy explanations, this was a fairly straightforward recipe. The most time-consuming part was waiting for the buttercream to cool - not an easy task in a 100F kitchen. Oh, and the caramel! My first trial ended up activating the smoke alarm, and turning a deep brown color, so I whipped up another cake layer, and did it again. I claim a special place in DB heaven for making something I vehemently hate, twice!

Ingredients:

For the 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*
a pinch of salt
* Or substitute with 95g plain flour + 17g cornstarch sifted together

For the chocolate buttercream:
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

For the 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)

Directions:

For the sponge layers:

*The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
Place the oven rack in the top third of the oven.

Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit a baking sheets.
Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform pan 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.)

Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's 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.

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 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.

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, or until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned (which, for my oven was 3:30 min).
Invert 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.

For the chocolate buttercream:
*This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

In a heatproof metal bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes.
Fit bowl over a saucepan with boiling water (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.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature.
When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons) at a time.
You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream.
Chill while you make the caramel topping.

For the caramel topping:

Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top.
Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.
Place the reserved cake layer on the paper.
Cut into 12 equal wedges.
Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

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.

The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready.
Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer.
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.

Assembly:

Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
Place one cake layer on a serving platter.
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.
Optional: press finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts) on top and the sides of the cake.

Propping a nut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern.
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.

The hosts of the challenge said it's ok to keep the cake under a dome at room temperature, but with my west-facing furnace of a kitchen, I decided to not risk it and keep it in the fridge.

Husband's slice (with the caramel) and mine (without!)

Panna Cotta Allo Yogurt

2009-08-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Or panna cotta with yogurt, but you knew that! An insanely easy but elegant summer dessert.

Ingredients (for three servings):

200 ml heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
1 sachet (7 g) gelatin + 4 tablespoons cold water for dissolving it.
150 g yogurt

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin in cold water.
In a saucepan on medium heat mix cream, vanilla and sugar, stirring continuously until sugar melts.
Add gelatin and stir until it dissolves.
In a separate bowl stir the yogurt to get rid of any lumps.
Slowly pour the hot cream mix into the yogurt, whisking constantly.
Pour mix into two glass bowls or ramekins or whatever suitable bowls you have.
Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm.

To serve:

Flip onto chilled plate, and garnish with warm fruit preserves.

Baklava

2009-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

They say a man's love goes through his stomach :). If that is true, the deal that sealed my marriage is baklava. My husband requests this insanely calorific dessert a few times per year.

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) phyllo dough
500 g (16 oz, 2 cups) butter, melted
250 g (9 oz, 2 cups) chopped walnuts (or pistachios) + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the syrup:
500 g (2 1/2 cups) sugar
350 ml (1 1/2 cup) water
3 teaspoons lemon juice or 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Directions:

Melt the butter and set one half aside.
Mix walnuts with cinnamon.
Brush the bottom of a 10" x 14" (25 cm x 35 cm) baking pan with butter.
Put in one sheet of phyllo dough. Brush it with butter.
Put another sheet on top. Brush with butter and sprinkle some walnuts.

Continue layering the baklava, putting butter on every phyllo dough sheet and walnuts on every other phyllo dough sheet.

It may look like the walnuts are too sparce but you end up with about 10 layers of walnuts on top of each other, so every piece gets decently walnutty.

* Walnuts on every other sheet is the way we like it layered in my family. Some people put all the walnuts on one layer in the middle of the baklava. Some put walnuts after every sheet. It's pretty much up to you.

End with a phyllo dough sheet on top.

Cut into diamond shapes:

Carefully pour the butter that was set aside on top of the baklava, making sure you get the edges, as that's where it is likely to remain dry.

Bake at 250F/120C for 20 min or until golden. There is nothing that needs to be cooked per se, you just need the phyllo dough to get crunchy.

Let the baklava cool before proceeding to the next step.

Mix the water and sugar for the syrup.
Bring to a gentle boil and let boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Do not under- or overboil. Less than 2 minutes will result in a runny syrup; more than 5 minutes will result in a thick syrup that will give you quite a sticky baklava.

Take syrup off the stove and stir in lemon juice or lemon extract.
You can omit the lemon juice/extract, but keep in mind that you can't really taste it anyway. Its purpose is to prevent the syrup from forming a sugary coat on the baklava.

Pour the *hot* syrup on the *cooled* baklava (or vice versa, but one needs to be hot, and the other one - cooled to room temp).

Let it stand at least 24 hours (ideally 48 hours) so it takes in all the syrup.

The Daring Bakers Tackle Milanos

2009-07-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

Aka the one where Ivayla goes overboard with the chocolate filling.

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. You can see the mallows here.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients*:

For the cookies:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4/5 cup (100 g) powdered sugar
2 egg whites
2/3 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 tablespoon lemon extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour

For the filling:
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
the zest of 1/2 orange

*This is what I did - those ingredients reflect 1/3 of the original cookie batter and 1/2 of the original cookie filling. [Went overboard with the chocolate? Me? Noooo...]. For the full recipe, please visit the host's blog.

Directions:

For the cookies:
Cream the butter and the sugar together.
Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts
Add the flour and mix until just well mixed
With a small (1/4 inch) plain tip, pipe 1 inch sections of batter onto a parchment or aluminum foil-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread*.

*So said the recipe. Following those instructions, I ended up with very narrow, paper thin cookies that would have been impossible to sandwich. So I ended up doing three pipings about 2 inches long.

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.
Let the little amoebas cool on the pan.

For the filling:
In a small saucepan over medium heat scald cream
Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl and whisk to melt chocolate
Add zest and blend well
Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools)

Assembly:
Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top
Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

The Daring Bakers Go Mallow...

2009-07-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'll call this DB challenge the one, where Ivayla uses a pastry bag for the first time and with very sticky results.

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.

Mallows [Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies]
Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand, from the Food Network website
Serves: about 5 dozen cookies*
*Recipe said 2 dozen, but I got a little over 5 dozen, and some Daring Bakers got as many as 100 cookies!

Ingredients:

For the cookie base:
3 cups (375g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (112.5g) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter
3 eggs, whisked together

For the home-made marshmallows:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate glaze*:
24 oz semisweet chocolate
4 oz cocoa butter or vegetable oil

*That is double the original amount, but it's what I ended up needing.

Directions:

For the cookie base:
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.

* I don't have a paddle attachment, so I whisked the dry ingredients, then rubbed the butter in with my fingers (very therapeutic if you have bad energy to get rid of!).

Form the dough into a disk, wrap with foil or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough
Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
Let cool to room temperature.

For the marshmallows:

In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar.
Bring to a boil and cook until the softball stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
Whip the whites until soft peaks form.
Pour the syrup into the whites, add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
Transfer to a pastry bag.
Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cooled cookie.

*Word to the wise: if this is your first time working with a pastry bag (it was mine!), practice with something less sticky and less tricky first.

Success! [Well, kind of...]

Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

For the chocolate glaze:

Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze
Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

And enjoy!

Pesto Sauce

2009-07-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

When, sometime in March, I came home from Home Depot with some planters, a bag of potting soil and herb seeds, husband just about died laughing. After all, the only thing that has survived my brown thumb is an aloe plant, and aloes are native to California anyway, so the plant takes care of itself. Then, I was warned by many people how difficult basil is to grow - how it will only grow in full sun, but not too much sun, and how it needs a lot of water, but not too much water, and not too little either. And it loves the heat, but not too much heat, or it will wilt.

To put it shortly, I am not sure how the little seeds of this precarious plant, put inside on a west-facing window, where there is no sun in the morning, and strong afternoon sun, in my apartment, which gets 90F in the summer, and with one forgetful carer turned into full fledged leafy garden.

Call it beginner's luck.

For a few weeks now I've faced a dilemma I never thought I'd face: what do I do with that much basil? Thus, the home made pesto. Recipe from somewhere on the internet, but I haven't written down the source.

Ingredients (for about 1 cup pesto):
~ 2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Separate basil leaves from stems.
Wash leaves in a collander under running cold water.
Put nuts, olive oil and garlic in food processor and chop them.
Add basil leaves, little by little and process them until you get a somewhat smooth paste.
Blend in the parmesan cheese.

You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks (oil acts as a conservant), but better make as little as you need for one use.

Onion Bread with Cumin

2009-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Great for sandwiches, and not so great for nice smelling breath :P. This was inspired by this month's Bread Baking Day, whose theme is sweet breads. While I haven't done a sweet bread fit for breakfast yet, it got me thinking what would do well for lunch sandwiches. And voila!

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 teaspoons cumin

Lemon Bars

2009-07-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Or, in my case, lemon wedges, as I don't have a square baking pan. Either way, these are good :). Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

For the filling:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
the juice and zest of two large lemons (~ 3/4 cup juice, ~ 2 tablespoons finely grated zest)

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
Cut butter in slices.
In a food processor, or with a mixer on low speed, mix together flour, butter and sugar until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
Pour mix in a 20 cm x 20 cm (8"x 8") baking pan and flatten with your palm.
Bake for 8-9 min or until lightly browned.
Take out of the oven and cool.

For the filling:
Beat all ingredients together.
Pour on the cooled crust.
Put everything back in the oven and bake on 350 F/180 C for 12-15 min or until the filling is set.
Check doneness as with cheesecake - when you gently shake the pan, the middle should still wobble a little bit*.
Cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, cut into bars, triangles or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

*If you take them out on time, the squares have a light, creamy texture. If you overcook them, they become less creamy and denser, but are still good.

The Daring Bakers Make a Tart... er... Pudding

2009-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

... And Ivayla makes a disaster...

This was supposed to be a fairly straightforward combination of shortcrust pastry, jam (ahem, Nutella!) and almond frangipane, all of which I've made before. Boy, was I wrong!

First, I put too much water in the shortcrust (rookie mistake!), then tried to rescue it with more flour and got a sticky mess. The frangipane caved in when I took them out of the oven. To boot, one tartalette with a mango chutney filling collapsed on its own (I think condensed liquid soaked the already weakened frangipane) into an awfully looking, sticky mess. In short, aaaaaaaargh! The ones that made it whole (incidentally, most of them with Nutella filling) were delicious!

PS: It's a shame raw frangipane has raw eggs, because it is delicious too!

Bakewell Tart... er... Pudding

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust pastry:
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
½ teaspoon salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon almond extract
15-30ml (1-2 tablespoons) cold water

For the frangipane:
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon almond extract
125g ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

1 cup jam or curd, warmed for spreadability.

Directions:

For the crust:

Sift together flour, sugar and salt.
Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater.
Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract and quickly mix into the flour mixture.
Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to rest the gluten.

For the frangipane:

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is white in colour and very fluffy.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again.
With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well.
The mixture will be soft, slightly curdled and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembly:

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface.
If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out.
Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll.
When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough.
Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits.
Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base.
Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart.
Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. (I did mini tartalettes and 20 minutes seemed to be just fine).
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking.
Remove from the oven and cool on the counter.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

The fine print: 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.

For an amazing array of successfull Bakewell tarts... er... puddings visit the other daring bakers' blogs.

Eggplant Fan

2009-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

For eggplant fans :). Because what is summer without squash and eggplants? Source.

Ingredients (for one serving):

1 small eggplant
1 tomato
~ 100 g feta cheese
50 g oil
50 g water
thyme to taste

Directions:

Cut eggplant in 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices but don't cut it all the way:

Soak in salty water for about an hour. Take out and rinse.
Cut tomato in slices. Cut cheese in slices.
Put a slice of tomato and a slice of feta cheese (and a clove of garlic if you wish) into each cut.
Sprinkle thyme on top.

Shake water and oil together and pour them over the eggplant(s).
Cover and bake at 200 C/400 F for about an hour.
When eggplant is done, sprinkle some grated yellow cheese on top and bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes.

Millet Pizza

2009-06-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't remember where I got the crust recipe from but it's good! The crust is thin but firm enough to hold the toppings, and the work put in is no more than 10 minutes, though you do have to wait for it to rise. The millet is my addition - I quite like it, because of its delicate flavor (and I have some left over from my boza experiments).

Ingredients for one large crust:

1 cup bread flour + 1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons oil
2/3 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the milk, beat the egg and mix it into the milk and yeast.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to form soft dough.
Cover with a towel and let dough rise in a warm spot for about 30 min.
*Or*
Use the pizza setting on your bread maker. Mine is 45 minutes long.

When dough is done, preheat oven to 500 F (250 C).
Put a dab of oil on your hands, form the dough ball into a flat disk, put it in onto a pizza pan and stretch it so it so it covers the whole pan.

Cover crust with your favorite pasta sauce (or spray it with oil), otherwise it gets too dry.

Layer your favorite ingredients - in my case pepperoni, ham and cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes.

And enjoy :)

Sending this to Zorra at 1x umrühren bitte who started the Bread Baking Day, and is hosting it this month.

And check out the other Pizza Party ideas.

Squash Salad

2009-06-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

I like squash. No, strike that. I love squash. Baked, fried, roasted, stuffed, with cheese, with rice - you name it, I like it. But when I first read the recipe, my stomach turned. I mean, raw squash? Really? But trust me, it's good! It's crunchy and refreshing and has nothing in common with the taste of plain raw squash (yes, out of curiosity I took a bite - it's not very appetizing).

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) summer squash, the small and green kind, like those

100 ml olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
dill weed, black pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash the squash, and really scrub it. Do not peel.
With the help of a vegetable peeler cut it into long thin strips.
Season with a bit of salt, and let it stand for 30 min.

In a separate bowl, mix oil, vinegar, honey, garlic and spices.

Drain the little water the squash has given off, and put the squash in the marinade.
Cover and leave in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Stir occasionally.

And enjoy!

Banoffee Pie

2009-06-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

This graham cracker crust covered with toffee, bananas and whipped cream is for serious sweet tooths only :). Adapted from The Food Network.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter

2 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk

3 medium bananas

1 lb whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Pour condensed milk in a glass baking dish. Cover with a lid (or with aluminum foil, but a glass lid lets you see when it's ready).

Bake in a water bath for about 2 hours, or until golden brown and thickened. Stir occasionally.

Cool.

Melt butter and mix it with the graham cracker crumbs.

Press mixture on the bottom of a springform pan.

Bake at 350 F for about 5 minutes, or until golden in color.

Cool.

Once both the crust and caramelized milk have cooled, spread the filling evenly inside crust.

Slice the bananas and layer on top of filling.

Whip the cream with the sugar and spread on top of toffee filling and bananas.

Refrigerate overnight.

Garnish with chocolate shavings

and enjoy!

Yogurt Rye Bread

2009-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

The closest I can get to sourdough, the lazy way (with yeast, no starter). I keep meaning to grow my own starter but...

Forgive the unimaginative shape - I needed it to slice evenly for sandwiches. To my surprise, it looks and tastes like an actual bread and not at all like a brick (which more often than not is what happens to my rye breads). It has a very distinctive sour and slightly tangy flavor. If you are not up to that, substitute 1/2 of the yogurt with water.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup rye flour
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

This is going to Rachel at Tangerine's Kitchen, who is hosting this month's bread baking day.

For 39 other multigrain breads, check out the awesome round up for this event.

The Daring Bakers Make Strudel

2009-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

The May Daring Bakers' challenge was to make strudel. Hosts Courtney of Coco Cooks and Linda of make life sweeter! gave us full reign on choice of shape and filling, as long as we stuck to the recipe for the dough. And yes, the strudel dough was to be made from scratch. I had mixed feelings about this one, as I have tried to make fillo dough from scratch twice before, and I failed both times. And I am usually good with dough! I was quite tempted to try the dough with my usual feta cheese and eggs filling but in the end I went with minor adjustments of the original recipe.

Ingredients:
*This is my rendition of the filling; for the original please visit the blogs of the hosts of this challenge.

For the dough:
1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed (I had to add an additional tablespoon to get the necessary consistency)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

For the filling:
3 tablespoons raisins
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 lb (900 g) apples, peeled, cored and shredded + sugar to taste

Directions:

For the dough:

Whisk together the flour and the salt.
Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup.
Add the water/oil mixture to the flour.

*The recipe uses a mixer with dough attachments. I used the dough blade of my food processor, which didn't do a good job, so I ended up kneading it by hand.

Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.
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, and cover it ball tightly with plastic wrap.

Now's the time to prepare the filling, wash the dishes and finish any other pressing work (i.e. watch that movie :), as you need to allow the dough to stand for 30-90 minutes, and the longer, the better. I left it out for about 5 hours while I was running errands, and it was a charm to work with.

It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on, like a kitchen island or your dining table.
Cover your working area with a 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.

Or roll it around the rolling pin and letting it stretch under its own weight.
Using the back of your hands, gently stretch and pull the dough.
The dough will become too large to hold, so put it on your work surface.
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.

Look at that! - you can actually see the stains on my old tablecloth through it *blush*. It's quite amazing that the tiny ball of dough that could fit in my palm stretched that much.

Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. It is now ready to be filled.

For the filling:

Grate the apples.
Add sugar to taste (recipe recommends 1/3 cup, but I used gala apples that were too sweet for that).
Add chopped walnuts and the raisins.

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper).
Dry roast the breadcrumbs in a skillet. Let them cool completely.
Spread about 3 tablespoons of the melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough).
Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs.

Spread the filling along it.

Fold the two short ends of the dough onto the filling.

Lift the tablecloth at the long end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself.

Check out that hole! With my luck, it ended up on the outside, so I had to coil the strudel - a feat of itself, given the major potential for disaster :)

Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it.

Brush the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
Bake 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.

I think I'll call victory on this one. The amazingly thin dough managed to hold the filling beautifully. And did I mention how great it tastes? Yum!

The fine print:
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.

Krempita

2009-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy dessert, if absolutely messy to eat.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 lb (450 g) puff pastry dough

For the cream:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the crust:
Roll out puff pastry.
Lightly roll it with a rolling pin.
Cut it into three equal parts.

I wanted to make it circular, but any shape will do.
Put each puff pastry piece into a baking dish and prick it with a fork:

Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes, or until it's golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.

For the cream:
Lightly beat eggs with a fork, set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and milk.
Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly.
Reduce heat to medium, stir 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat.
Gradually stir about one cup of the hot filling into the lightly beaten eggs.
Return egg mixture to saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.
Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla.

Assembly:
Put one of the puff pastry crusts on a plate. Layer 1/3 of the hot cream on top.
Cover with another crust, and 1/3 of the cream.
And repeat with the other crust and the rest of the cream.
Let the cream cool to room temperature, then transfer to fridge.
Let stand for 12 hours before cutting, so the cream can settle.
Store covered in the fridge.

Variations:
For coconut cream: prepare as above, except stir in 1 cup flaked coconut with butter and vanilla.
For banana cream: fold in three sliced bananas after stirring in butter and vanilla.
For chocolate cream: mix 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate in with milk at beginning of recipe.

Chocolate Lava Muffins

2009-05-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Those were a dessert on one Thanksgiving feast where husband and I were guests. Husband has been wanting them ever since, and it only took me 18ish months to get around to trying them. Source. We are talking about gooey chocolate leaking out of everywhere, so need I say they are scrumptuous?

Ingredients (for 2):

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 tablespoon flour
a pinch of salt
1 egg

Directions:

Melt chocolate and butter in a metal bowl over a water bath.
In a separate bowl sift together sugar, salt and flour.
Add to melted chocolate and beat well with a mixer.
Add egg.
Beat until egg is well incorporated and the batter lightnens in color (~3 minutes).
Chill batter.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Butter two individual custard dishes.

Dust with cocoa powder and shake the excess.

Bake for 10-11 minutes - outsides should be cake-like, centers should be wet.
Flip on a plate.

Serve warm, preferably with a scoop of ice cream.

Potato Acordeons

2009-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Adapted from povarenok.ru.

Ingredients (for two servings):
2 medium potatoes
~ 100 g bacon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
rosemary, parsley to taste
~ 50 g cheddar

Directions:
Wash the outsides of the potatoes with warm water and soap and scrub really well. Do not peel them.
Cut them lengthwise in 1 cm slices, but don't cut all the way.
Dunk them in a bowl of icy cold water for 10 minutes.
Cut the bacon.
Put a piece of bacon in each slit:

In a separate bowl mix oil, vinegar and spices.
Rub the oil mix on potatoes.
Wrap each one in aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until the potato is easily pierced with a fork.
Cut the cheddar into thin strips.
Unwrap potatoes, cover each with a few strips of cheese, and bake for additional 5 minutes.
Serve warm.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-05-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

Can you think of anything better than warm, chewey, home-made chocolate chip cookies? Yeah, me neither.

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft but not melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream shortening and butter together - preferably by hand with a fork. You shouldn't have a problem if the butter is soft enough.
Add brown sugar and white sugar and mix.
Add the egg, egg white and vanilla and mix.
Add flour, baking powder and salt [recipe says to sift flour, baking powder and salt together beforehand but half the time I omit that step].
Fold in chocolate chips.

* At this stage, you can make rolls of dough, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

Take spoonfuls of dough, or cut circles from the frozen dough, and place on aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Leave some space between them because they expand a little.
This, and most other recipes I've seen, says to bake at 375 F (190 C) for 12 minutes or until tops are lightly brown. For my oven, tops get brown for 8 minutes at 350 F (175 C), so be sure to watch them.

As with all cookies, rotate halfway through baking.
Cool on a wire rack.

The cookies remain soft on the outside for about a minute after you take them out of the oven, but do not get fooled into overcooking them!

I overbaked my first two batches and the cookies were crunchy throughout. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I like mine soft and chewy on the inside.

Kerala Shrimp Curry

2009-05-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips

3 tablespoons dried, sweetened coconut flakes

1/4 teaspoon red pepper (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 cup coconut milk

the juice of 1 lime

3/4 lb raw shrimp (bigger is better than the salad type variety)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan.

Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the coconut flakes, red pepper, cumin and turmeric and cook for further 2 minutes.

Add the tomato, coconut milk and simmer for 6-8 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Stir in the lime juice, then add the shrimp and cook until they are pink.

Transfer the curry to a warmed plate.

Serve over steamed rice.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Tart

2009-04-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

That recipe stroke my fancy a while ago, and I've been waiting for a chance to try it, especially since husband is a huge fan of both berries and cheesecake. It would have been prettier if I owned an actual fluted tart pan but hey! The red rasberries on white background look nice no matter what :D.

Adapted from Joy of Baking.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
a dash of salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:
16 oz (500 g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup (360 ml) half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
the zest of one lemon

1 1/2 cups (165 g) fresh raspberries

Directions:

For the crust:

Whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter until softened.

Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Do not overmix.

Add the flour all at once and mix just until it forms a ball.

Flatten the dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, and unroll onto a tart pan.

Don't pull pastry the or you will get shrinkage.

Intead, lighly press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Prick the bottom of dough with a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for ~30 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)

Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.

Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown.

Remove weights and cool crust before filling.

For the filling:

Beat cream cheese intil smooth.

Add sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined.

Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan.

Pour the filling into the pre-baked shell.

Arrange the raspberries evenly around the tart shell

Bake at 350F (175C) for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the filling is set.

Transfer tart to a wire rack and cool.

Store in fridge.

Kozunak

2009-04-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a warm, delicious, home-made kozunak for Easter. Well, there is - a warm, delicious, home-made kozunak made by grandma, but we'll settle for the second best option. Recipe by O'Hara, instructions by Tandoori, and a whole lotta tips from here (in Bulgarian).

Ingredients (for one large loaf):

500 g (~ 3 1/2 cups) flour

a pinch of salt

3 eggs, room temperature + 1 egg white for brushing

150 g sugar + some more for sprinkling on top

125 ml milk
63 g butter, melted + 63 ml oil*

2 teaspoons dry yeast

the zest of one lemon

~ 150 g raisins**

*Or 125 g butter, but you get better results with half hard fat, half liquid fat

** Or almonds, candied orange peel, jam, or a combination of those.

Directions:

Sift the flour in a bowl.
Melt the butter.
Warm the milk (it has to be warm but not hot!), add a teaspoon of sugar and the yeast and let it sit in a warm place until the yeast rises (~15 minutes). You know it's ready when there is kind of a foamy hat on the milk.
Beat the eggs with the sugar.
Add a pinch of salt.
Add the proofed yeast with the milk.
Add the zest of lemon.
Transfer to your bread machine*
* Or follow the same instructions for kneading by hand, and prepare for sore hands :)
Start the dough option...
And start adding the flour little by little.
Once the flour is all added, start adding the butter little by little.
Let the machine finish kneading, then restart the program and let it knead again.
When the second kneading is done, restart it again, and let it actually finish the program this time.

For my Panasonic SD-YD250 I do this:

Basic bake rapid for the first kneading (15ish minutes of kneading)
Basic bake rapid for the second kneading (15ish more minutes)
Basic dough program.

So it ends up like this:

30 minutes kneading
50 minutes rise (during the 'rest' portion of the basic dough program)
30 minutes kneading
1 hr 30 minutes rise

Once the basic dough program is done and the dough has been kneaded twice and has risen twice, split in three balls.
With your palms roll each one to form a cylinder.
Then put it on a greased surface and flatten it, so it forms a very narrow rectangle.
Sprinkle with sugar, cocoa and raisins (or jam, or walnuts, or candied orange peel or whatever else you feel like).
Roll into a cylinder again, so the filling is inside.
Repeat two more times.
Then take the three cylinders and braid them.
Put the braid into a tall greased baking dish.
It has to fill about 1/3 of the dish, so make sure the dish is high.
Leave in a warm place to double its size.
Once it's risen, brush with the egg white, sprinkle sugar and some more raisins on top.

Put it in a cold oven, and bake it at 350 F (180 C) for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Check on it after the first 20 minutes, and if the top is browned, cover it with aluminum foil.
When baked, take it out of the oven and cover with a towel.
Do not cut it until it's cooled down.

Happy Orthodox Easter!

Coconut Chicken

2009-04-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

Slightly spicy with thick creamy sauce, yum! And quite easy to make too. Recipe from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

14.5 oz (400 ml) coconut milk
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
~ 200 g mushrooms

1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces.

Add the mushrooms.

Add the coconut milk and all spices.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Civilization ends...

2009-04-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

where boza begins. Or so the saying goes. Either way, husband and I love the thick, sweet-and-tangy fermented drink that smells of our childhood and is oh-so-good. Recipe compiled from several internet sources, which I haven't noted.

Ingredients:

For the starter:

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon millet flour

1 tablespoon sugar

For the boza:

1 cup millet flour

1 cup sugar

2 liters water

Directions:

Starter:

Roast the tablespoon of millet flour into a pan, stirring constantly.

Stir it in warm water.

Add sugar.

Leave the mix in a warm place to ferment for 24ish hours.

It's ready when it fizzes like carbonated water.

*Or use a cup of boza from the previous batch and skip this step :)

Boza:

Roast the millet flour in a pan.

Stir constantly - you want it to turn golden, but not burn. Burned flour not only smells foul but also produces enough smoke to trigger any smoke detector.

Once roasted, add 2 liters (8 cups) of cold water, and the sugar.

Bring to a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and let it cool down.

Once lukewarm, stir the starter in it.

Transfer to a non-metallic dish (I use a plastic milk container), and leave it to ferment in a warm place for additional 12 hours.

Store in fridge.

Gris Halva

2009-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Or semolina halva. This is an amazingly delicious dessert, and husband-proof to boot :). Recipe from my mom's notebook.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1 cup semolina
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
raisins, nuts to taste

Directions:

Stir the sugar into cold water until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
In a saucepan heat oil.
Sautee the semolina in oil, stirring constantly. You want the semolina to turn golden, but not brown.
Start adding the sugar syrup little by little. Stir until incorporated.
Once the whole syrup has been incorporated, remove from heat.
Add walnuts, raisins, dried apricots or whatever else you feel like.
Stir well, then put warm mixture into a suitable dish (muffin cups, a baking pan, dessert glasses, etc).
Let it cool.
Then flip on a plate...
Cut in slices...
Sprinkle with cinnamon...
And enjoy :)

Chocolate Squares

2009-03-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is an event hosted by Poornima at Tasty Treats. It's about, yes!, chocolate. Obviously this chocoholic has to participate, and with none other but the first thing I ever learned how to bake.

Chocolate squares, mom's recipe :)

Ingredients:

For the squares:

1/2 cup (110 ml) oil
1 cup (200 g) sugar
500 g yogurt + 1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup (or cocoa powder)
2 cups (250 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

8 oz (220 g) sour cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (or according to taste)
3 tablespoons unsweetened* cocoa powder

* or use sweetened, but adjust the sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C.
Stir baking soda into yogurt.
Stir in baking powder.
Add the rest of the ingredients and beat with a mixer.
Pour batter into a 9"x13" baking pan.
Bake for 20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Stir all ingredients for frosting together. Frost generously :).

For other amazing chocolate creations, go to the event roundup, part 1, and part 2.

Spicy Mushrooms in Coconut Milk

2009-03-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

A nice side dish that is easy to make and is an alternative to potatoes and rice. From here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 lb (~200 g) mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (or more, to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat the oil and sautee onion and bell pepper.
Add mushrooms and sautee.
Add coconut milk and red pepper.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until coconut milk is reduced to half.
Take off heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Red Velvet Cake

2009-02-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

A strikingly looking cake with an unexpected hint of chocolate flavor. Its only caveat is that it uses a lot of dishes. It's all worth it, though :). Recipe from Joy of Baking, of course.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk**
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

* As a substitute use 2 tablespoons natural cocoa and throw in a pinch of baking soda.
** Or, to make your own, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes before using.

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream
16 oz (450 g) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and place rack in center of oven.
Butter two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and set them aside.
In a mixing bowl sift (this is one of those recipes where sifting *is* important!) together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat the butter until soft.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a separate cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the red buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda.
Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Speed is of the essence here, as your only rising agent is the vinegar-soda mix, and it dissipates quickly.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert them on a wire rack and cool completely. Once completely cooled, wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

For the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and process until smooth.

In a separate bowl (I told you there are too many bowls!) whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it.
Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages.

Recipe advises to place the frosting in the refrigerator for an hour if it is not thick enough to spread, but I've never had that problem.

To assemble:
With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half to get four layers.
Place one of the cake layers, top facing down, onto a plate.
Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.
Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers.
Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Garnish with coconut if desired.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2009-02-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

A very colorful and flavorful winter dish. Recipe from the Taste of Home website.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb (750 g) potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 lb (700 g) beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
14 1/2 oz (410 g) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a slow cooker.
Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag.
Add stew meat; seal and toss to coat evenly.
In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches.
Place over vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper and thyme.
Pour over beef.
Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
Reduce heat to low; cook 6 hours longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Sweet Salami

2009-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

A childhood favorite from socialist times. Recipe by my mom :).

Ingredients:

100 g butter, room temperature
250 g sugar
75 g powdered cocoa
200 g walnuts
250 g crackers
2 eggs

Directions:

Beat butter, sugar and cocoa together.
Dice walnuts and crackers, making sure there are a few larger pieces in there.
Add walnuts and crackers to butter mix.
Beat eggs and stir them in.
Put the sticky mess on a piece of wrapping foil and form it into a roll.
Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
Store in fridge.

Sparrow's Nest

2008-12-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

A meatlovers' special that is great for cleaning up the fridge.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

~ 300 g ground meat
100 g cheese
100 g tomato paste
mushrooms
pickles
olives
hard-boiled eggs
... or whatever else you have in the fridge

Directions:

Take a medium-sized bowl.
Tear a big enough piece of aluminum foil.
Line the bowl with the foil to fashion a bowl out of the foil.

Repeat to make as many aluminum foil bowls as you want servings.
Take about 150 g ground meat and smear it in a thin layer on the foil bowl.

Then, fill the meat bowl with whatever you like. We like mushrooms, canned peas, diced pickled and a diced hard-boiled egg or two.

Top with slices of cheese.

Finally, seal the whole thing with a healthy layer of tomato paste.

Put aluminum bowls on a cookie sheet (easier to clean and take out of the oven that way).
Bake at 400 F (205 C) for about 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Take out of foil.
And enjoy :)

Cream Cheese Roof

2008-12-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Quick and simple dessert. Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

300 g cream cheese
100 g butter at room temperature
100 g confectioners' sugar (or adjust to taste)
1-2 bananas
~ 30 crackers
milk fo dipping the crackers

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together.
Cut a big enough piece of aluminum foil.
Take 15 crackers.
Dip each cracker in milk and arrange them on the foil, forming a rectangle of 3 crackers by 5 crackers.
Spread about 1/3 of the cream on top.
Put another layer of crackers on the cream.
Spread the rest of the cream on top.
Put the banana(s) along the middle row of crackers.
With the help of the foil raise the side two rows of 5 crackers to form a triangle.
Wrap in foil and leave in fridge for 1-2 hours.
Decorate as wished (I used a leftover Nutella).

OK, maybe I didn't do a good job at explaining, but here is how the cross section should look like:

Stefanie Roll

2008-12-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

This is a Bulgarian meatloaf-type dish. I have no idea who Stefanie is and why the dish is called like that :).

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

1 lb (500 g) ground meat
2 eggs
1 dill pickle, quartered
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1/4 teaspoon of each: salt, black pepper, marjoram, cumin (or, season to taste)

Directions:

Hard boil one of the eggs (for how to, check here). Cut into quarters lengthwise.
Cut carrot lengthwise.
Steam carrot and celery sticks for 5 min. You can also boil them until they are tender, but steaming is faster and healthier.
Mix the other egg (raw!) with ground meat. Add spices.
Spread the ground meat mixture on aluminum foil forming a rectangle that is about an inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Arrange pickle, carrot, celery and egg along the long side of the meat rectangle.
With the help of the foil, form in a tight roll.
Tightly wrap into foil and roast at 500 F/260 C for 30 min. It's important for the roll to be tight so that it doesn't break later when cut.
Unwrap, lower oven temperature to 350 F/175 C and roast for about 10 minutes more.
Let it cool down for 10-15 min before cutting. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Raffaello Cake

2008-12-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Recipe by natalyna. This is a light sponge cake with a deliciously rich icing that makes a nice alternative to chocolate or whipping cream icings.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
6 eggs
7/8 cup (180 g) sugar
1 1/4 cup (160 g) all-purpose/plain flour

For the icing:
14 oz (400 g) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 oz, 250 g) butter, softened
1 1/2 cup (100 g) shredded/flaked coconut

Edited to add: there is no chemical leavener (baking soda or baking powder) in sponge cake. My book says that all the raising is done by the denaturation of egg protein (thus the huge amount of eggs required) and the expansion of the air trapped in during the mixing. That is why it's very important to follow the mixing and baking instructions exactly, including sifting of the flour.

It does rise, but don't expect it to double in size.

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
Separate egg whites from yolks.
In a small bowl beat egg whites until peaks form.
In a large bowl beat yolks with sugar until they form a pale yellow foam.

* From this point on, mix with a wooden spoon only.

Little by little incorporate beaten whites into egg yolk mixture.
Sift flour (do sift it!) and add it little by little to egg mixture.
Butter and flour a 9-inch pie form/24 cm pie dish.
Pour batter in pie dish.
Place pie dish at the lowest part of the oven that you can.
Bake at 325 F (165 C) for 30 to 40 min or until it's golden in color and springs back to touch.
Avoid opening the oven door for the first 20 minutes of baking.
Cool on a wire rack.
Cut cooled cake into three layers.
I used a 12-inch pie dish instead of a 9-inch one, and the cake was wider and shorter, so I only cut it into two layers.

For the icing:
Beat softened butter and condensed milk until smooth.
Add coconut flakes and stir. You may add a bit more coconut if you feel that the icing is too runny.
Leave in fridge for about an hour to stiffen.

I find that cake, and sponge cakes in general, a bit dry but husband likes it as is. If it's too dry for your taste, you can drizzle the layers with milk or juice before icing them.

Glue layers with icing, ice top and sides.

Spinach Salmon Roll

2008-12-05T19:59:00.001-08:00

The spinach, cream cheese and salmon flavors really complement each other. Recipe from here. Makes about 15 slices/7 servings.

Ingredients:

125 g spinach
4 eggs
50 g monterey jack, or other hard cheese, shredded
250 g smoked salmon (can also use chicken strips or ham)
150 g cream cheese + 50 g yogurt, stirred together
parmesan cheese, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the spinach if you are using fresh.
Beat together eggs, shredded cheese, chopped cooked spinach and seasonings.
Oil a large baking pan - the larger, the better as the eggy part of the roll gets thinner. I used a 10" x 14" (25 cm x 35 cm).
You might also want to line it with parchment or baking paper, as the egg mix tends to stick.
Carefully pour the egg mix in the baking pan, spreading it evenly.
Bake at 200C/400F for 10 minutes.
Let it cool.
Once cooled, flip egg and spinach mix on a piece of foil.
Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.
Put a layer of smoked salmon on top of the parmesan.
Stir cream cheese with yogurt (with a fork, not a mixer).
Finally, spread cream cheese mix on top of the salmon.
With the help of the foil and rolling along the longer side of the rectangle, form a tight roll.
Wrap with foil and leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours to tighten.

A slice (it looks huge because of the zoom, but is only about 2 inches/5 cm in diameter):

Chicken Curry

2008-12-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

Recipe from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Place yogurt, garlic and all spices in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and toss to cover with yogurt mixture.
Cover and leave to marinade for at least 4 hours.

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the onion and fry until golden.
Add the chicken and the marinade.
Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Carrot Cake

2008-12-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

The recipe is from here. The original recipe yields a two-layer cake, which would be too much for my two person household, one of whom is on a diet :), so my rendition is pretty much the original halved. It's still moist and flavorful and yummy!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
4 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) white sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (190 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

* Original recipe also uses 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, which I skipped because I didn't have the former and I dislike the latter.

For the cream cheese frosting (icing):
8 oz (220 g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (55 g) butter, softened
1 cup (130 g) confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine grated carrots and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F/175º C.
Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) cake pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and stir into the wet mixture until absorbed.
Lastly, stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.
When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

For the frosting:
Cream together the cream cheese and butter.
Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.
Frost cooled cake.

* I only had 4 oz of cream cheese, so, as you can see, I was a little short on frosting:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2008-12-05T19:54:00.001-08:00

The idea is the same as in sarmas, but those are much faster to make.

Ingredients (for 6 servings, so adjust accordingly):

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup rice
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 pound (500 g) ground (minced) meat
diced raisins, optional
diced mushrooms, optional
salt, pepper, thyme to taste
~ 6 large bell peppers or 12 small bell peppers

For the sauce:

1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg, beaten

You can skip the meat and make them vegetarian.

Directions:

In a skillet heat olive oil.
Saute onion, raisins and mushrooms.
Add ground meat and cook until it divides into crumbs and is no longer pink.
Add rice.
Cook for 5 more min until rice gets translucent.
Remove from heat, add spices.

Wash and deseed bell peppers.
Spoon rice/meat mix into each pepper. Do not fill them more than 3/4, as rice expands when it cooks.
Arrange stuffed peppers lying on one side in a baking dish.
Poke each pepper with a fork (so that any steam may escape).
Pour enough water to cover the bottom half of the peppers.
Bake on 350 F/175 C for 60 min or until rice is fully cooked.
To ensure even cooking, rotate peppers to expose a different side on top on the 15th, 30th and 45th minute.

For the sauce:

When peppers are done cooking, spoon the leftover water into a saucepan.
Put over medium heat.
Stir flour into yogurt and carefully pour into hot pepper broth.
*Slowly* pour beaten egg into mixture, stirring continuously.
Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring continously, for 2 more minutes or until the sauce reaches desired density.
Pour over peppers before serving.

* Or, skip the sauce and use plain yogurt :).

Slow Cooker Green Beans

2008-12-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

A quick and easy recipe for the summer nights.

Ingredients:

4 cups green beans
14.5 oz (410 g) canned diced tomatoes
1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder or another marbled cut, cut into cubes
2 bay leaves
a pinch (or more) of red pepper

Directions:

Wash beans and remove tops and tails. Cut in half, or leave them whole.
Put beans in slow cooker.
Layer meat cubes on top, and pour can of tomatoes over everything.
Add bay leaves and red pepper.
Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours / on low for about 7 hours, or until the beans are cooked.
Serve with french bread. Or beer. Or both :)

Quiche

2008-12-05T19:49:00.001-08:00

This is yet another dish I use for cleaning my fridge because there are very few things that can't be put into a quiche. If you want to stick to the authentic quiches, check the Wiki article for the ingredients that go into each type.

Ingredients for one 9-inch quiche (6 servings):

For the crust:
200 g flour
100 g soft (not melted) butter
3-4 tablespoons icy cold water
A pinch of salt

For the filling:
3 eggs
200 g sour cream
100 g grated hard yellow cheese like gruyere or emental
+ whatever else you feel like - more cheeses, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, tuna, chicken breast, etc. Even Roquefort and pears :).

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).

For the crust:
With a fork or in a food processor mix butter and flour until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
If mix is too dry, add water, tablespoon by tablespoon until it gets to the desired consistency.
Pour the mix into a 9-inch pie pan and press it to the bottom and sides with your palm.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.

For the filling:
Beat eggs, sour cream and grated cheese together.
Add whatever other fillings you are using (cook all meat beforehand).
Pour into baked crust and bake for another 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve hot or cold, but cold is better!

Beouf Bourguignon

2008-12-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

Or beef Burgundy style, my slow cooker version.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

3 lb (750 g) beef chuck, cut into large pieces

3.5 oz (100 g) bacon, cut into strips

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

9 oz (250 g) mushrooms

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon thyme

2 bay leaves

salt, pepper, parsley to taste

~ 700 ml (1 bottle) full-bodied red wine, or enough to cover the beef*

* Or substitute half of the wine with beef broth

Directions:

Slow-cooker version ('cuz that's the only way I cook beef):

In a saucepan brown the beef and the bacon.

Layer carrots in slow cooker.

Add onions on top.

Add meat.

Stir tomato paste, wine (broth), flour and seasonings together.

Pour over meat.

Drop garlic clove in liquid.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours/high for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Sautee mushrooms and add them to the beef just before serving.

Daal Curry

2008-12-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

This is, of course, vegetarian though my husband adds sausage on the side. Recipe from my favorite Indian recipe book.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings):

250 g (about 1 1/2 cups) red lentils
3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 chilli pepper
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon salt
25 g (~ 3 tablespoons) coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a saucepan heat ghee and sautee onion, garlic, chilli pepper, bay leaf, cumin, coriander for 30-40 seconds, stirring continuously.
Add lentils, rest of spices.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and cook until lentils are done (about 15-20 min).
Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and chilli pepper.
Stir in coconut milk (you can skip it, it makes the spices milder).
Before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Not that you haven't seen cooked lentils, but here's a pic:

Fake Sweet and Sour Pork

2008-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sounds positively disgusting, and it's absolutely messy to eat but it's surprisingly good, especially considering the effort that goes into making it. The coke helps create a caramelly glaze and the vinegar in ketchup serves as a tenderizer.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup coke

Directions:

Stir ketchup and coke together.
Poke steaks with a fork (or cut them into bitesize pieces), and cover with marinade.
Leave in fridge for about 2 hours.
Drain meat but reserve the marinade.
On high heat brown the meat for about 2 minutes per side.
Pour in the marinade, cover and simmer on low heat until meat is cooked through.
If you want more sauce, you can make more, just keep the ratio of coke to ketchup at 1:1.

Cabbage Kielbasa Dinner

2008-11-26T13:00:00.001-08:00

Cabbage (both fresh and sauerkraut) is big in Bulgaria and though it's allegedly easy to cook, I've never been able to replicate my mom's cabbage dishes. Then I found this recipe that I've adapted for my own use. The original recipe has potatoes, which we didn't like in combination with cabbage, so I've skipped them since.

Ingredients:
For a 3 quart crockpot

4 cups* (about 470 g) cut/shredded cabbage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons salt**
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 oz (150 ml) broth
1 pound (450 g) fully cooked sausage***, cut into serving size pieces

* Or enough to fill a 3 qt crockpot to the brim (cabbage cooks down).
** Cabbage takes in spices very well, and it's really easy to make it poisonously salty! So try it with this amount of salt first and then decide if you need more.
*** It seems that the sausage leaks some of its oil and spices onto the cabbage, so if you substitute tofu, it might be a bit bland.

Directions:

Cut cabbage. Chop onion.
Put cabbage and onion into crockpot.
Arrange pieces of sausage on top.
Stir spices into broth. Pour on top of the cabbage.
Cover and cook on low until cabbage is tender, about 6 hours.

Makes about 3 servings.

Meatballs in White Sauce

2008-11-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

My big problem is that husband likes fried meatballs, while I hate frying for both health and cleaning reasons, and I am not too crazy about meatballs either. This recipe is a decent compromise. Makes 5 servings of 2 meatballs each, and eats a lot of bread :).

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
1 lb (450 g) ground meat
1 egg
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon of each: salt and black pepper or other spices to taste

For the sauce:
1 egg
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 bay leaf
lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the products for the meatballs. Form into 10 balls.
Put the meatballs in a deep sauce pan and cover with water. Add bay leaf.
Bring water to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until meatballs are no longer pink inside.
Remove from heat.

Beat egg, mix with yogurt and flour.
*Gradually* spoon about 1 cup of the hot broth from the meatballs into yogurt mixture. Stir continuously.
When the yogurt mixture and the meatball broth are at pretty much the same temperature, pour yogurt mix into saucepan.
Cook over medium heat stirring continuously for 2 more minutes or until the sauce is at desired density.
Season with lemon juice.
Remove bay leaf before serving.

Home Made Pesto

2008-11-09T12:07:00.001-08:00

It's cheaper and more delicious than the store-bought stuff. East to make too :) Recipe from somewhere on the internet, but I haven't written down the source.

Ingredients (for about 1 cup pesto):
~ 2 cups fresh basil leaves (one bouquet of store-bought basil)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Separate basil leaves from stems.
Wash leaves in a collander under running cold water.
Put nuts, olive oil and garlic in food processor and chop them.
Add basil leaves, little by little and process them until you get a somewhat smooth paste.
Blend in the parmesan cheese.

You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks (oil acts as a conservant), but better make as little as you need for one use.

Plum Cake

2008-11-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

Very delicious, especially if you like tart fruit in cakes. Recipe from here.

Ingredients (for a 9-inch cake):

~ 1 lb plums (10 big ones or 20 small ones), we like it best with tarter varieties but any sort will do.
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
150 g (5 oz, 3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
Set aside 1/4 cup sugar and 50 g (1/4 cup) butter.
Beat rest of the sugar with rest of the butter, baking powder and vanilla.
Add the eggs, milk and flour and mix well.
Cut plums in half and discard pits.
Put your baking dish on the stove (yes, the stove), and melt the 50 g butter in it.
Stir the 1/4 cup sugar in to caramelize it: how to caramelize sugar.
Watch it carefully, as caramel burns fairly quickly. It also burns fingers badly, but I assume you know better than I do and won't try to touch it :).
Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, on the caramel.
Pour batter on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once baked, cover cake with a clean towel and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Flip on a serving plate (the plums should be on top) and let it cool completely before cutting.

Chicken Cacciatore

2008-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

This dish kept coming up on "Everybody Loves Raymond," so I finally looked it up. I can't vouch for its originality, but it's really good. I mean, chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms - what's not to like :). Recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

1/2 cup flour for coating
1 pound (450 g) chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3.5 oz (100 g) caned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup fresh mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper in a plastic bag.
Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated.
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Brown chicken pieces. Remove from skillet.
Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until the onion is slightly browned.
Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle with basil and serve over pasta or rice.

The Curly Cake

2008-11-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's big (you might want to halve the ingredients), easy and pretty much mistake-proof :). Source.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
400 g (a little less than 3 cups) sour cream or yogurt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the cream:
1 kg (7 cups) sour cream
1 cup sugar

For the icing:
100 g (7 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
Beat eggs, sugar, flour, sour cream and baking powder together.
Split in two, add cocoa powder to one half.
Pour each half into a separate baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

In a large bowl stir sour cream and sugar together.
Break cake layers into bitesize pieces.
Dip each piece into sour cream mix, and arrange them on a serving plate in the form of a cake.
*or*
Drop all of them into bowl and stir well.

And flip on a plate:

For the icing:

Melt butter on low heat.
Mix in milk, sugar and cocoa and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Cool and pour on cake.

Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Ham and Cheddar Soup

2008-11-09T11:58:00.001-08:00

Very delicious :). From here.

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas
3 cups water
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed ham
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put carrots, potatoes, peas and water in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes).
In a separate dish melt butter and whisk in the flour.
Stir in milk.
Bring to a boil, then simmer stirring continuously until the mix starts to thicken (about 2 minutes).
Add the grated cheese and stir until it melts.
Finally, add the ham and the vegetables with their water.
Bring to a boil again, then take off heat and enjoy.

Pumpkin Roll

2008-11-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Very flavorful and not too pumpkin-ey in texture. Source.

Ingredients:

For the roll:
3/4 cup (100 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves*
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (150 g) pumpkin puree

* Recipe has 1/4 teaspoon allspice, but I find clove and nutmeg more suitable for pumpkin.

For the filling:

8 oz (226 g) cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (powdered, icing) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven.
Oil a 15 inch x 10 inch (38 x 25 cm) baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and then butter and flour the parchment paper.
Sift (do sift!) flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
In a separate bowl beat eggs with sugar on high speed until thick, pale yellow, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.
*Gently* (by hand, no mixer!) fold in the sifted flour mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly with the help of an offset spatula.
Bake for about 10 - 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove from the oven and immediately flip onto a clean dish towel that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
Carefully peel away the parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar, and roll up with the towel while the cake is still hot and pliable.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

Once the roll has cooled, unroll it, spread the filling, and reroll.
Cover and chill in the fridge.
Recipe says, and my experience confirms that chilling it for a few hours sets the filling and makes the roll easier to slice (and eat!)

Ricotta Cheesecake

2008-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup (100 g) graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

2 1/2 cups (570 g) ricotta
16 oz (450 g) cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup berries
the zest of one lemon or orange

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and butter a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
Wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy aluminum foil (otherwise water leaks in and cheesecake leaks out). How to line a springform pan.

For the crust:

In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Press the mix evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan.
Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
Add the ricotta and sugar and beat until smooth.
Beat in the cornstarch.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 30 seconds after each addition.
Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Fold in the berries.
Take the crust out of the fridge and pour in the filling.
Place the spring form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of your spring form pan.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake has browned and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
Remove the pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Fruit Tart

2008-08-14T13:43:00.001-07:00

I love fruit tarts - they are fun to make, look pretty and have a perfect summery taste. This recipe is from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour + a pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 oz, 113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg

For the cream:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/8 cup (20 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch (or wheat-, potato-, whatever- starch)
Optional: 3/4 tablespoon (10 ml) liqueur

For the glaze: (optional, but recommended)
1 tablespoon apricot jam or preserves
1 teaspoon liqueur or water or a combination of the two

For the topping:
2 - 3 cups fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwi, bananas, plums, pineapple, melon, peaches, or whatever else you think belongs on a fruit tart.

You also need a tart pan or a springform pan, or another pan with detachable sides.

Directions:

For the crust:

Sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, beating just until incorporated.
Dunk flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball of dough. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.
Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

* So says the recipe. To avoid a floury mess, I like to cover both the rolling pin and the counter with plastic wrap, so the dough doesn't stick to either.

To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.
When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll.
Unroll onto top of tart pan.
Gently lay in pan and lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan.
Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes).
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
Line unbaked pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Fill pastry shell with rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.
Or, you know, use *proper* ceramic pie weights if you have them :).
Bake crust on the center rack for 20 to 25 minutes until it is dry and lightly golden brown.
Remove weights (or rice, beans, whatever) and cool crust on wire rack before filling.

For the cream:

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together
Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Place the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly.
When mixture boils, whisk it constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes very thick and hard to stir.
Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using).
Pour into a clean bowl and cool.

For the glaze:

Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.
If using, add the liqueur at this point.
Let glaze cool until it is only slightly warm.

Assembly:

Brush a thin layer of the glaze over the bottom and sides of the cooled pastry shell to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
Let the glaze dry 20 - 30 minutes.
Spoon the cream into the tart.

Wash and slice the fruit you are using.
Arrange fruit (in concentric circles or randomly) on top of the cream, making sure no cream is showing.
Rewarm glaze and lightly brush on fruit.
Chill and serve.

Store covered in the fridge.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2008-08-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese middle - what's not to love about them :D. Recipe from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients (for 12):

For the cream cheese filling:
8 oz (227 g) cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup (65 g) white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)

For the chocolate cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup (210 g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed, and definitely not one of those hot cocoa mixes!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/3 cup (80 ml) unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

For cream cheese filling:

Beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth.

Set aside.

For chocolate batter:

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth.

Divide the chocolate batter evenly among 12 oiled muffin cups.

Spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tatiana Cake

2008-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Light and fluffy and incredibly easy. And delicious :) . No, I don't know who Tatiana is and why the cake is so called :P.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:
1 lb (450 g) sour cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar (or according to taste)

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients for the cake together. Whisk *by hand*, no mixer!
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

* There is science that explains how the eggs, honey and the baking soda act together to create fluffiness, but I'll spare you that.

Pour 1/3 the batter in an oiled baking dish and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes.
Repeat to get 3 layers.

Stir sour cream and confectioners' sugar together.
Ice cooled cake layers with icing.
Decorate with chocolate shavings (or however else you wish :P)