Daring Bakers June Challenge

I know I’m a little late posting for the June challenge of the daring bakers, but better late than never…right?  I was very excited about this challenge because I’ve never made a tart before and I’ve been wanting to make one for the longest time.  Since the challenge was to make a tart it gave me the perfect opportunity to get my tart pan out and break it in.  Although I did try this challenge I didn’t complete it successfully.  I don’t know what went wrong but all the elements just didn’t go together for me.  I will try this again and hopefully I will succeed and be able to post pictures.  To see some completed challenges please visit the sites of the two hosts listed below. 

 

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.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
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 (start from the centre and roll away from you), 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. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

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. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

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

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It’s a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn’t have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

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 (if using) 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 cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose 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. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. 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, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you’re grinding your own almonds or if you’re mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

Daring Bakers

This month the daring bakers were challenged to take on cheesecake.  As much as I love trying the savory side of baking, I love attempting recipes on the sweet side.  I love sweets so anything that gives me a reason to make something sweet…I’m all for it. 

This was not my first time to attempt a cheesecake, I’ve actually made quite a few (pre-blogging days), but I was very excited to see a cheesecake recipe for this challenge.  I’m always looking for new recipes and pointers to make my attempts that much better.  I think this recipe and challenge helped me to improve some of my cheesecake baking skills.

In this challenge we were given the freedom come up with our own flavors for the cheesecake.  We were given a basic recipe and then it was up to us to come up with the rest.  They did give us some tips and ideas for different things that we could do with this recipe.  One of the ideas that they gave us really stuck out to me; it was a Mexican Turtle Cheesecake.  I knew I wanted to do something with chocolate and when I saw this spin on it I knew I had to attempt it.  I know I didn’t necassarily come up with my own flavor combination but I just couldn’t pass it up.  How could you not like chocolate, cheesecake and caramel???

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

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake:

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too – baker’s choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done – this can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

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

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

Some variations from the recipe creator (”Infamous” Abbey):

** Lavender-scented cheesecake w/ blueberries – heat the cup of heavy cream in the microwave or a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add 2 tbsp of lavender flowers and stir. Let lavender steep in the cream for about 10-15 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Add strained cream to cheesecake batter as normal. Top with fresh blueberries, or make a quick stovetop blueberry sauce (splash of orange juice, blueberries, a little bit of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon – cook until berries burst, then cool)

** Cafe au lait cheesecake with caramel – take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of cream and use as normal. Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (I usually find one on the food network website – just make sure it has heavy cream in it. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but the flavor is just not the same since its usually just sugar and corn syrup with no dairy).

** Tropical – add about a half cup of chopped macadamias to the crust, then top the cake with a mango-raspberry-mandarin orange puree.

** Mexican Turtle – add a bar of melted dark chocolate (between 3 and 5 oz., to taste) to the batter, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 tsp.). Top it with pecan halves and a homemade caramel sauce.

** Honey-cinnamon with port-pomegranate poached pears – replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey, add about a teaspoon or more (to taste) of cinnamon. Take 2 pears (any variety you like or whatever is in season), peeled and cored, and poach them in a boiling poaching liquid of port wine, pomegranate juice/seeds, a couple of “coins” of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. Poach them until tender, then let cool. Strain the poaching liquid and simmer until reduced to a syrupy-glaze consistency, then cool. Thinly slice the cooled pears and fan them out atop the cooled cheesecake. Pour the cooled poaching syrup over the pears, then sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Some variations from Jenny (from JennyBakes):

**Key lime – add zest from one lime to sugar before mixing with cream cheese. Substitute lemon juice, alcohol, and vanilla with key lime juice.

**Cheesecakelets – put in muffin tins, ramekins, or custard cups. Try baking 20-35 minutes, or until still a little jiggly, and cool as before.

Sausage and Pepper Quiche

Quiche is one of those meals that can be made for pretty much any meal, it’s not one of those that can only be a breakfast food.  I also love it because it’s so versatile and there are tons of flavors that can be combined in a quiche.  There are also many types of dishes it can accompany.

For supper I decided that I wanted to have a quiche.  I had made a pie for something and so I had some leftover crust that I needed to use before it went bad, I thought quiche was the perfect thing to use it up on.  I already had enough sweets around my house so I decided I didn’t need to make another pie at the time so quiche was the next thing that came to mind. 

Thise quiche was very hearty by itself and could be served alone.  I deicded I wanted to make something to accompany it so we would have more than one item for our meal.  Since we were having it for supper I decided to make some balsamic roasted asparagus to go with it; they went together wonderfully. 

I know there are tons of quiche recipes floating around but I got this one from “Big Taste of Little Rock”, it’s the Junior League of Little Rock’s newest cookbook.  Spencer got this for me for a Christmas present.  There are so many things I want to make out of here, but this was the first recipe I’ve made from it and it didn’t let me down. 

Sausage and Pepper Quiche

Ingredients:

1 pound hot sausage

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 unbaked (9-inch) pie shell

2 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the sausage with the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion in a skillet, stirring until the sausage is crumbly; drain.  Spoon into the pie shell.

Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, cheese, cornstarch and milk in a bowl and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over the sausage mixture in the pie shell. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Homemade Coleslaw

Coleslaw is one of those dishes that can accompany many dishes and compliment them well.  It goes well with burgers, chicken, brats, ribs and much more.  It’s also one of those dishes that can be flavored to fit any taste.

I love coleslaw and always have; there have only been a few recipes for coleslaw that I haven’t really cared for.  Spencer, on the other hand, has never really liked coleslaw.  One day, a while back, we went over to his brother and sister-in-law’s house to grill out and one of the sides my sister-in-law was making was coleslaw.  I saw the ingredients she had out to put in there and they weren’t the typical ingredients that I think of when I think of coleslaw.  This intrigued me and so I watched her make the recipe.  The end result looked very good but different than the coleslaws I’m accustomed to seeing.

I asked her where she got this recipe and she said that she had actually gotten it from one of her co-workers.  She said that her co-worker and her husband are very picky and that she found this recipe for coleslaw and it’s the only one that they will eat.  So my sis-in-law took the recipe and adapted it to her and her husband’s taste; and then I took it and adapted it to our tastes.  I’m not really sure of the original recipe source so if it’s something that you’ve heard of or seen in a recipe book please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

Homemade Coleslaw

Ingredients:

2/3 Package of coleslaw prepared cabbage

1/4-1/2 Cup mayo

2-3 Tablesppons yellow mustard

1/3 Cup onion, diced

3 Tablespoons sweet relish

3 Tablespoons dill relish

1/2 Tablespoon dill pickle juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

In a large bowl mix together cabbage, mayo and mustard.  Once ingredients are combined and to the desired consistency add the diced onion and both relishes and mix together well.  Add in dill pickle juice, salt and pepper and mix.  Once ingredients are combined and mixed well place in a serving bowl. 

 

Once it’s transferred to the serving dish top with the shredded cheddar cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peas and sauteed onions

Peas have always been one of my favorite veggies.  I think they are one of those foods that people either love or hate; there’s really no middle ground.    I think one of the things I love about them is that they have a natural sweetness all their own; I could honestly eat them as a meal by themselves.  There are quite a few things that can be done with peas, they are just one of those foods that are very versatile.  

When preparing peas, I usually don’t do much to them since I like the natural flavor.  I usually just put a little bit of butter or chicken stock in a pan and pour the drained peas into the pan; add a little salt and pepper and they’re good to go.

I kind of came up with this recipe by accident.  One night last week I was going to make some sauteed mushrooms and onions to go with our meal; I had already cut up the onions and gotten them sauteing before I opened up my package of mushrooms.  Once I opened them up and started looking at them and wiping them off I wasn’t too comfortable about using them.  There was just something funny about the texture of them and they weren’t as firm as they usually are.  After making the call to not use those mushrooms I had to figure out something to do with the sauteed onions.  I got a can of English peas and drained them well and then poured them in the pan with the onions and butter.  They turned out great; the sweetness of the sauteed onions went well with the natural sweetness of the peas…it was a great recipe that I came up with when I was in a bind.

Peas with sauteed onions

Ingredients:

1 Can English peas; well drained

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8-1/4 Onion, diced

1/2 Teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 Cup chicken stock-if needed

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt butter.  Once butter is melted add onions and garlic and sautee until onions are clear/translucent.

After onions and garlic are cooked, turn heat down to low and pour in the peas and stir to combine ingredients.  If more liquid is needed add the chicken stock, the entire 1/4 of a cup does not have to be  used if it’s not needed. 

Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine.  Place lid over pan and let cook until warm, about 5 minutes or so.  

    

Recipe by: Lynsey Lou

Daring Bakers take on Italian

I have been eager to make my own pasta for quite sometime now.  I was so excited when I found out that this months challenge was to make homemade lasagne of Emilia-Romagna.  This recipe consisted of homemade spinach pasta, bechamel sauce, country style ragu sauce, and of course cheese.  After each component of this recipe is made, everything is assembled just like a normal lasagna recipe.  This is like a recipe we would normally eat in our house so I was pretty excited about the challenge.

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Meldbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper  as the challenge.

I didn’t make it through very much of this challenge before I started having problems.  I didn’t have problems with the bechamel or ragu sauce but I did have problems with the pasta.  I don’t really know what happened but the dough for the pasta just wasn’t turning out.  The consistency wasn’t there and I couldn’t get it to where I could work with it.  The only think I can think of that didn’t work to my advantage was using frozen spinach rather than fresh; maybe there was just too much moisture in the mix.  Next time I’ll attempt this with fresh spinach.  So since I couldn’t get my pasta made, I really couldn’t go on with the rest of the recipe. 

I’m not intimidated by homemade pasta, even after this one little set back.  I’m definitely going to attempt homemade pasta and this recipe again.  I did have fun attempting this recipe and I learned a whole lot through the process. 

To see a completed recipe please visit one of the links above; they will take you to the site of the host of this challenge.

Here is the recipe:

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method
Working Ahead:
The ragu  and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:
Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta:
Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagne:
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagne:
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if  it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

#2 Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine
1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Working Ahead:
The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Muffins in the oven…

Like I have said in previous posts, muffins are one of my new favorite things to make for many reasons.  They are quick to throw together and there are many things that can be added to them to create many kinds of taste.  There are a multitude of types of muffins from the sweet to savory.  I personally am more a fan of the sweet and fruity muffins, more so than savory, so that’s what I stick to making.

I love cranberries and oranges alone but the combination together is incredible.  There are so many recipes out there that have this combination, from desserts to breakfast food, it’s everywhere!  I was looking through some recipes of a friend of mine when I came across a cranberry orange muffin recipe.  I asked her about it and she said it  was a recipe her mom used to make all the time’ she said her mom was the queen of muffins and that this recipe, like many of her mom’s recipes, was awesome.   After we talked about it for a while I knew I had to make these muffins.  

I’m so glad I decided to make these muffins.  They turned out absolutely incredible!  The combination of the flavor of cranberry and orange was awesome; they blended together and complimented each other perfectly.  There wasn’t too much of one flavor and neither of the flavors were overwhelming.  I enjoyed these muffins as well as everyone else who had one.  This recipe has been added to my recipe book and is one that I will make for years to come.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour

1 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

2 Teaspoon grated orange zest

1 1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ginger

1/2 Cup shortening

3/4 Cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 Cup cranberries

1-1 1/2 Cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender.  Stir in juice, vanilla, and eggs.  Fold in cranberries and walnuts. 

Spoon into a well greased muffin tin.

Bake for 25 minutes (or until golden brown) in a 350 degree oven.

 

Recipe from: Judy

Sour Cream Muffins

 

Muffins are one of my new favorite things to cook.  It’s amazing how many different recipes are avaiable.  There are muffins that are sweet, healthy and savory and hearty.  There is a muffin for pretty much any taste out there.  Another great thing about muffins is that they are something that can be made one night and then be breakfast all week long.

I don’t eat breakfast on a regular basis…I know that’s a no no…but when I decide that I do want breakfast muffins are one of the first things I turn to.  Muffins are one of those things that can be mixed and put in the oven in no time, and that’s one of my favorite things about them. 

I was on a breakfast kick, so I knew I would want something in the morning, so I decided to make a batch of muffins.  I have been trying to make a new flavor each time I bake a batch.  I came across a Sour Cream Muffin recipe on Cooking Light that sounded incredible.  I’ve never made anything that had a homemade streusel topping, so I was very eager to make these since they did have a streusel topping.  The only thing I omitted from the topping mixture were the poppy seeds.  The outcome was incredible and I will definitely be making these again.

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel

Ingredients:

Streusel:

3  tablespoons  sugar

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

1  tablespoon  butter, melted

1  teaspoon  poppy seeds (I omitted these)
Muffins:

2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

3/4  cup  sugar

2  teaspoons  baking powder

1  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  salt

3/4  cup  fat-free buttermilk

1/4  cup  butter, melted

1  tablespoon  grated orange rind

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

1  large egg, lightly beaten

1  (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream

Cooking spray

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare streusel, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare muffins, lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.

Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

 

 

Recipe from: Cooking Light

Daring Baker’s Chocolate Valentino

For the Daring Baker’s challenge this month we made Chocolate Valentinos.  This is the perfect thing to make for this month since it’s the month of Valentine’s, and we know that Valentine’s means chocolate.  This Valentino is the one of the ultimate chocolate desserts.  One of the best things about this dessert is that it can be adjusted to individual tastes by using different kinds of chocolate.  The taste of the chocolate used really shines through.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan

Ingredients:

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time:  20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Directions:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

This cake is usually served with fresh whipped cream as a topper.  In this challenge we were given the option to make homemade icecream to pair with it or we could use the whipped cream option if we preferred.  I chose to do the whipped cream to pair with this.  I haven’t broken my ice cream maker out yet and so I went with the safer option:).

It’s World Nutella Day!

 

That’s right, Nutella has it’s own special day and there’s a website just for the occasion just click here to visit it.  Sara of   Ms Adventures in Italyand Michelle from Bleeding Espressothought that Nutella was so incredible that it deserved it’s own special day.  Why not give Nutella it’s own day of honor; this creamy chocolate spread tastes so good and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways.

Anyone who wanted to  ”honor” Nutella on World Nutella Daywas encouraged to make something using Nutella.  It didn’t necessarily have to be a special or original recipe, it could be something as simple as spreading Nutella on a piece of bread and enjoying it.  It’s so easy to find something to pair with Nutella!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Nutella, here’s some background:

“Nutella®, in its original form, was first created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company. At the time, cocoa was in short supply because of rationing due to World War II, so chocolate was very limited.

So Mr. Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont
region of Italy (northwest), to extend the chocolate supply.  The original version of Nutella spread was called “pasta gianduja,” pasta which means paste, and “gianduja” which is the name of a carnival character famous to the region, a character that can be found in the first advertisements for the product.  This original form of Nutella was actually made in loaves and wrapped in tinfoil, so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children.  But many children, as you could imagine, would throw away the bread and only eat the pasta gianduja!  So Mr. ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar, so the paste could be spread on the bread.  This then became known as “supercreama gianduja,” because it was a spread-able version of the gianduja.  “Supercreama gianduja” was eventually renamed ”Nutella” in 1964, with the origin of the word being “nut” and the “ella” giving it a soft ending.  

The early version of Nutella spread was received very well once introduced, since it was a much more inexpensive way for people to enjoy something that tasted so good…a kilo of chocolate at the time was 6 times the cost of a kilo of pasta gianduja.  So Nutella was a product that everyone could, and did, enjoy.  The product became so popular that Italian food stores started a service called “The Smearing”.  Children could go to their local food store with a slice of bread for a “smear” of “supercrema gianduja.”

Nutella was first imported from Italy into the U.S. over 20 years ago, in 1983, mainly in the Northeastern part of the country.  The popularity of Nutella grew steadily over the next 10 years, and demand became so strong that the Ferrero company decided to build a plant in the U.S., in Somerset, NJ.”

This information was taken from:   Nutella USA

Since finding out about National Nutella Day I knew I wanted to make something.  I thought about different recipes and I looked at entries from previous years  just to get some ideas.  I thought about it for a while and then I thought that “Nutella Rolls” would be something new and interesting.  It’s basically a take of cinnamon rolls but instead of the cinnamon filling it would be a Nutella filling.  Sounds pretty awesome, right? 

The Nutella Rolls were pretty easy to make.  The only time consuming part of the whole process was waiting on the dough to rise.  Once the dough had finished it’s rising process I had them put together in no time.  These rolls would be a great for breakfast or dessert.  You must try them fresh out of the oven too; that’s pretty hard to beat.

Nutella Rolls

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 Package quick rising yeast

1/2 Cup warm water

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 Cup sugar

1 Egg, lightly beaten

3/4 Cup warm milk

1 1/2 Teaspoon salt

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 Tablespoon honey

For the filling:

1 Jar Nutella spread

2-3 Tablespoons instant coffee grounds

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the topping/glaze:

1 3/4 Cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2-3 Tablespoons milk (add 1 spoon at a time until mixture reaches desired consistency)

1/4-1/2 Cup mini milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Pour yeast packet in a small bowl and then add warm water.  Set aside to let dissovle.

In a mixing bowl add the melted butter, sugar and egg and mix well.  Once mixutre is combined add in salt, yeast mixutres and 1 cup of flour and mix.  After the flour is mixed add honey and 3/4 cup milk and incorporate completely.  Once the milk and honey is mixed in slowly add the remaining flour and knead util mixture pulls together and makes a ball…about 5-10 minutes.  (You can knead the dough by hand or with an electric mixer and dough hook) 

Place down in a bowl that has been sprayed with Pam and the bottom is lightly sprinkled with flour.  Spray top of dough ball with Pam/cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with flour.  Cover bowl with a dish towel and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.

 

Once the dough has doubled in sides, role out on a well floured surface.  Role the dough until it’s about a 9×15 rectangle.  Once the dough has been rolled pour the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over it and spread. 

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the melted butter. 

Spread entire jar of Nutella spread over  the dough, making sure all of the dough is covered. 

Sprinkle the Nutella with the instant coffee granules and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

 

Once the Nutella is spread and the sugar and coffee are sprinkled begin rolling up the dough.  Beginning at the 15 inch side, role the dough and press the edges to to seal.  Cut the dough into 12-15 slices, slices will vary depending on how big the dough is cut.  (I got 14 slices out of mine)

 

Place rolls on either a greased cookie sheet or in a round pan.  (If you don’t have a ran pan, just place in a circle on a cookie sheet.)  Let the rolls sit and rise another 45 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

After the rolls have set for 45 minutes sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Place in a preheated oven.  Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until rolls are a golden brown and cooked all the way through.  Remove rolls from oven to cool.

For the icing/glaze:

In a bowl mix together butter and powdered sugar.  When the mixture begins to thicken begin adding the milk and mix together until reaching a thicker consistency that can still be easily drizzled.

Once the glaze is complete drizzle or pour over the Nutella rolls and the sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips over the glazed rolls. 

Once the rolls have completely cooled transfer into a well sealed container.

Recipe by: Lynsey Lou