home gourmets

Daring Bakers - Brioche cake, savoury and sweet

2011-03-27T23:05:00.037+01:00

These days I try my best not to miss a Daring Bakers challenge. March has been full of so many emotions with Spring and the sunny weather making an appearance every now and then. Baking brioche is such a nice addition to a cup of tea in the afternoon. This recipe is wonderful. Thanks Jamie and Ria!

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

For the yeast coffee cake dough:
4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour
¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar
¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast
¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:
3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:
1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:
Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- This recipe is a keeper! I absolutely loved this and I'll be making it many times.
- I've done a sweet version with apple, raisins and cinnamon and a savoury version filled with mozzarella, prosciutto and herbs. The dough works great with both.
- The meringue is such a nice addition - it brings the brioche to a new high.
Thanks Jamie and Ria for a wonderful challenge!!

Daring Bakers - Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Jelly!

2011-02-27T23:07:00.034Z

It has been a while since I wrote here for the last time. Life has been hectic over the past months. I still find a little time to blog but I've done it in Portuguese. No time for the english corner, which I miss a lot. Better days will come, I'm sure. In the meanwhile, here is my Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Jelly, and just the smell of Florentine Cookies that didn't last enough to be caught on camera!

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.

Giada's Vanilla Panna Cotta

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).
Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.

Nestle Florentine Cookies
Recipe from the cookbook “Nestle Classic Recipes”, and their website.

2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm) (5.3 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups (480 ml) (160 gm) (5 2/3 oz) quick oats
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (95 gm) (3⅓ oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups (360 ml) (250 gm) (9 oz) dark or milk chocolate

Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F (190°C) (gas mark 5). Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat. To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets. While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl). Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean). Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.
This recipe will make about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies. You can also choose not to sandwich yours, in which case, drizzle the tops with chocolate (over your wax paper.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I've done 1/4 of the vanilla panna cotta recipe. It was enough for the 4 of us with rhubarb jelly. I did mess a little with the jelly layer as I didn't wait until the panna cotta was completely set. Not a major problem anyway.
- The florentines were pretty nice. I did make sandwiches - drizzled with a little chocolate was what all it was required. Unfortunately there's no photos of them.
- I absolutely love panna cotta so this was a lovely challenge. Thank you, Mallory!

Daring Bakers - Christmas Stollen

2010-12-27T23:07:00.040Z

Again I'm late with my season's greetings. Let me start wishing you all a delicious 2011! Now on to the cake. Stollen is a traditional Christmas cake made with mixed peel, fruit and citrus zest. It was on my to do list for a while, just waiting for the opportunity. This Christmas I finally baked Stollen, and we all enjoyed it very much.

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

Stollen Wreath
Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves.

Serves 10-12 people

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

In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside. See Note under raisins.

To make the dough

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

1.Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
2.Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3.Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
4.Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder. Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape. Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough. Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.
Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.
Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.
Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.
The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.
Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

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

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I really enjoyed this Stollen recipe. Thank you Penny!
- I've made 2 wreaths with crystalized pear, raisins and cherries and Kirsch instead of rum to soak the raisins.

Daring Bakers - Crostata!

2010-11-27T17:59:00.002Z

It's getting chilly in Lisbon. Autumn has been nice, sunny and warm but it's now behind us. Winter is making its way calling for a blanket. When the weather gets cold, I crave nice warm sweet consolation in fruity tarts and crumbles. A crostata di marmellata is the perfect treat with a nice cup of tea. Grazie, Simona!

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.

Pasta frolla

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

Making pasta frolla by hand:

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice. Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your 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.

If you choose to make a crostata with a jam filling, you will need:

1 and 3/4 cups [415ml, 600 gm, 21 oz] of jam or fruit preserves, whatever flavor you like (Note: I use my homemade fruit preserves, which have a low sugar content. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit.)

Assembling and baking the crostata di marmellata:

Heat the oven to 375ºF [190ºC/gas mark 5].
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.
To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer. Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places. Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Spread the jam or fruit preserves evenly over the bottom of the crostata. Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes.
Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.
Put the tart in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue.
When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I used version 1 of pasta frolla. Made it by hand, no troubles to report. Worked really well. By mistake I've used self rising flour and it got a little puffed but no problem really.
- My filling is homemade vanilla apple compote.

Daring Bakers - The best doughnuts

2010-10-27T19:36:00.001+01:00

Where did time go this Summer and Autumn? I'm not sure. I'll be back soon with the news on what I've been doing lately. But today is Daring Baker's day! 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. Thanks, Lori!

Yeast doughnuts
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
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 whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
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 (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I've made 1/4 the recipe, and it was good enough for 4 of us (2 large doughnuts each);
- I've made the recipe by hand with a wooden spoon and a little kneading. Worked like a charm!
_ I've said before deep-frying is not something I'd do every week or every month for that matter. In the end I was quite happy with the outcome: crispy yeast doughnuts coated with sugar and a dash of cinnamon. :)

Daring Bakers - Delicious petit fours

2010-08-27T13:11:00.001+01:00

August means holidays, seaside, picnics and being away from home. It also means very needed rest and time to do nothing except walk, read and sleep after such a stressing school year. This August wasn't very different with a getaway in between to check some exhibitions and see some dear friends. Petit fours make the perfect little treat for hot weather like we had this Summer, and I absolutely love brown butter pound cake! Thanks for choosing such a yummy theme, Elissa!

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

Brown Butter Pound Cake
Adapted from the October 2009 edition of Gourmet
19 tablespoons (9.5 oz) (275g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 (75g) cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze (For the Ice Cream Petit Fours)

9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

David Lebovitz's vanilla ice cream here

Assemble the Ice Cream Petit Fours

Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.

Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.

Make the chocolate glaze (see above.) While the glaze cools, trim ¾” (2cm) off each side of the ice cream cake to leave a perfectly square 7.5” (19cm) ice cream cake. Cut the cake into twenty five petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5” (4cmx4cm). Glaze the petit fours one at a time: place a petit four on a fork and spoon chocolate glaze over it. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer for one hour.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- My time this August was very limited. I went for the petit fours just because I could make them in small portions and use the rest of the cake to something else.
- The ice cream, chocolate sauce, and brown butter pound cake recipes were very straight forward.
- I've made David's vanilla ice cream before, so this time I added a raspberry swirl to have more colour and a different flavour.

Daring Bakers - Beautiful pavlova

2010-06-27T22:25:00.005+01:00

I wished days could be longer when June comes by... Every year, this month arrives with tons of things to be done at work, short nights and very long hours. If only there could be more time for the good things of life. In between I've watched a few Wimbledon matches, cheered for Portugal at the World Cup and shared a lovely chocolate pavlova with dear friends. All in all, not a bad month!

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard

Chocolate Pavlova

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):

3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.) Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. ake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool. Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):

1 recipe crème anglaise
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):

1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat. Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:
Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I've decided to go for a large dessert instead of individual pavlovas;
- my meringue didn't rise as much as I'd like to;
- half batch for the mascarpone chocolate mousse was more than in enough for the meringue (full recipe);
- Mascarpone Cream for drizzling was really good - I also made only half batch;
- I've added red fruits and I really think it made all the difference to balance the very rich pavlova.

Check all the wonderful pavlovas of fellow DB's here.

Daring Bakers - Ma [mini] pièce montée

2010-05-27T23:41:00.073+01:00

I have a thing for choux. I love everything made from choux pastry - savoury or sweet, filled or simply dusted with icing sugar, with a glaze or on its own. I've made choux before but never dared to think of a pièce montée... Unfortunately we didn't have any celebration this month, and a croquembouche is a bit too much for the two of us. So I made a mini pièce montée with a passionfruit vanilla filling + a chocolate glaze.

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.

Patê a Choux

makes about 28

¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 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 (I piped directly from the bag opening without a 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. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

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. Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

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.

Passionfruit Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)

1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 passionfruit

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of 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.Continue whisking until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla. Add passionfruit pulp and gently fold. Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Chocolate Glaze

8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced) Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. 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. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze, 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. When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers, etc. to decorate.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I made half a batch for the choux.
- My glaze is bittersweet chocolate as I adore it.
- The passionfruit cream was perfect. Although very subtle it added a nice tone to the combination.
- All in all a very satisfying challenge!

Check all the awesome versions at the Daring Kitchen.

Spring colours

2010-05-19T10:37:00.007+01:00

Winter was rigorous, Spring has been nonexistent around here. It's the middle of May and I'm yet to change my closet, moving winter coats and sweaters until the next cold season. Little dresses, light clothes or sandals are a far sight while temperatures refuse to go up and rain move to different latitudes. Today we have a glorious sun and the promise of a springy day... I'll let you know if my lighter clothes had the chance to see daylight or if I've been mislead by the beautiful sunshine outside. One perfect way to celebrate a sunny day is a colourful dessert. There's nothing easier to make than a panna cotta. C'mon Spring!

Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis
Adapted slightly from Laura Zavan, Dolce, Marabout.

serves 4

200ml double cream
250ml whole milk
3 gelatine leaves
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
40g granulated sugar

Soak the gelatine leaves in a little cold water until soft. Heat the double cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan. Add vanilla pod and seeds and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves, then add to the pan. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Remove the bean (clean, dry and use into sugar for flavour and aroma).

Lightly oil the cups with a neutral-tasting oil. Pour the milk mixture and leave to cool. Place into the fridge for 2 hours, until set.

for the coulis:

200g strawberries, hulled and halved (reserve 2 or 3 smaller, prettier ones to serve)
25g caster sugar (or more, if your strawberries are on the tart side)
1 tbsp sweet white wine
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Bring the wine and sugar to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the strawberries and lemon zest (if using) and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and discard (eat!) the fruit pulp.

Run a sharp knife around the edge of each panna cotta and unmold onto a serving plate. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with the reserved strawberries and extra blueberries (optional).

On broad beans and coriander flowers

2010-05-10T11:02:00.003+01:00

It's that time of the year: broad beans are everywhere with their vibrant colour, soft texture and perfect flavour. If you're crazy about broad beans like I am, you sure understand all the fuss about them. The season is short! Of course if you dislike broad beans (like my mom) you won't really see all the joy that comes with a large bag and the promise of long hours shelling and peeling beans. No matter how unexciting the process is, I seem to never have enough -- creamy soups, crunchy salads or comfy stews, vegetarian or with a little bacon but always paired with the most perfect bouquet of aromatic herbs: garlic leaves, leek tops, mint and coriander flowers. Oh the joy!

Get a bowl and a spoon, I'm serving soup.

Creamy Broad Bean Soup with a Poached Egg

Serves 4-6

1,2Kg fresh broad beans (in the pod)
1 medium leek (or 2 small)
1 medium onion
2 tbsp olive oil
950ml vegetable stock
small bunch coriander (flowered, if you can get them)
few mint sprigs (optional)

4 fresh large eggs, organic
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Shell broad beans and remove the skin (yes, it's time consuming but necessary to get the velvety texture and bright green colour). Reserve. Make a bouquet with the leek top, coriander and mint. Tie the bunch together with kitchen twine. Coarsely chop the onion and leek's white part. Put olive oil in a large pot, add onion and leek and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add prepared broad beans and the bouquet. Pour the stock and cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes. Remove the herb bouquet. Using a hand blender, blend until creamy. Check seasoning. Add a little salt if necessary.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil. When the water boils, add the vinegar. Lower the water to a slow simmer. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Carefully pour the egg into the boiling water. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove with a a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Toast 4 slices of bread. Pour the soup into 4 large bowls. Put one poached egg and a toast in each one. Ground some black pepper on the egg. Add a dash of olive oil and serve.

Daring Bakers - Age of steam!

2010-04-27T09:14:00.001+01:00

In my opinion British Cuisine is sometimes underrated. I love the simple approach to food, both savoury and sweet. Perhaps because I tend to think of some British traditional puddings when I'm craving something sweet as comfort food: a warm crumble, a splash of custard or a spoonful of sponge pudding. And Britons know their way around puddings, that's for sure! The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet. I've decided for a butter based version of steamed pudding with a fruit base.

Apple Cinnamon Steamed Pudding
Adapted from BBC Good Food

350g apples, sliced
200g caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
125g unsalted butter
few drops natural vanilla extract
2 medium eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour

Cook the sliced apples with 75g of the sugar and the spices over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes until just starting to soften. Remove from heat.
Grease a 900ml pudding basin. Put butter and remaining sugar in a bowl and cream together. Stir in vanilla extract, then beat in eggs, a little at a time. Sift in flour and carefully fold into the mixture.
Spoon fruit into the bottom of the basin, then spoon the sponge mixture on top and level off surface.
Butter a piece of greaseproof paper slightly bigger than the top of the pudding basin. Make a pleat in the centre and secure over the top of basin. Repeat with a piece of foil, then secure the whole thing with string. Place in a pan half filled with simmering water. Cover and cook for 1½ hrs, checking regularly that the pan does not boil dry. Remove cover, invert the pudding onto a plate, then carefully lift off the pudding basin. Serve with crème fraîche or single cream.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- Suet is not my thing so I've decided to go with butter instead;
- This recipe is a charm to make, and very versatile if you use a different fruit/spice combination like I did;
- The cooking technique is quite easy if you follow instructions. Also called Bain Marie, it requires only a pot of simmering water and a bit of attention;
- I've served mine with plain greek yoghurt.

Have a look at all the wonderful puddings at Daring Kitchen!

Food for uncertain weather

2010-04-12T20:18:00.001+01:00

Spring is not the best of seasons.
Cold and flu are two good reasons;
wind and rain and other sorrow,
warm today and cold tomorrow.

Its author unknown, its style almost puerile - these verses are anything but an ode to Spring! I love shinny bright springy days and green and white trees with the promises of summer fruit as much as I love the beautiful white-ish flowers of my thyme. But that doesn't stop me from being unsure with the weather and crave comforting oven dishes: food for uncertain weather! I also pack a sweater and an umbrella every time I leave the house, just in case... Nothing like enjoy the moment and be ready for whatever the weather brings!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

serves 2

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
salt, ground cumin, paprika, ground ginger, to taste (about 1/3 tsp each)
1 tbsp olive oil
fleur de sel to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. Toss until potatoes are evenly coated. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in an ovenproof shallow dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve immediately.

City of your dreams?

2010-04-05T17:59:00.001+01:00

To some it must have palm trees and open waters reaching for the infinite, to other it's just memories sedimented, coming and going like the sea. The city of your dreams is where you want it to be, at your doorstep or on the other side of the world - the exact spot where your brain becomes your heart, and as they say keeps passions forever.

[Pictured above is the work of John Baldessari in the exhibition Pure Beauty presented by MACBA - Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona. All Barcelona photos by Mr. Taster, aka the husband.]

It was in another century that Mr. Taster and I fell in love with Barcelona. Still living fame and fortune of having held the Olympics a couple of years before, the city was full of interest and life. We were twenty years old and an entire life to be back. In our bag we packed Frank Gehry's fish, the narrow streets of Gothic Quarter, the atrium at the Textile Museum and the sea view from the Olympic Port [all above]. We also took the hot chocolate aroma and some spoonfuls of crema catalana with the promise to taste it again and again. Fifteen years went by whilst we (re)arranged memories to make them perfect. Last week we arrived to a very different Barcelona - one we didn't quite remember. Strange, long lost memory. No city survives the expectations built over a decade and a half of wait. Our only hope was for the passion to happen once more...

And it did one morning when visiting the German National Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. Considered an example of Modern architecture, it was designed by Mies van der Rohe and reconstructed on its original site on Montjuïc in the 80's. It started here the story of an unknown city that won our heart. For the second time.

Wild, wild... rice!

2010-03-18T18:28:00.000Z

Wild rice is not really rice. There you go. My favourite way to bring bad news is always to just say what I have to say, and then try my best to prove it's not actually that bad... Wild rice is in fact the seed of a plant, usually sold and cooked with (normal) rice. It's also my top ingredient of the moment - I *just* love it! Today's recipe is a salad. Easy to make, good with fish or meat as a side dish or on itself, eaten on the kitchen bench, with the music on and your mind elsewhere.

Wild rice Salad with Cashews
Adapted from Patricia Cornwell and Marlene Brown, Food to Die For - Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen

Serves 4, as a side dish

½ cup wild rice (about 80g)
500 ml (2 cups) chicken or veggie broth
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 large green pepper, chopped
½ cup cashews, coarsely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped

for the dressing:
1½ tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
½ garlic clove, very finely minced
salt and black pepper

lettuce leaves to serve

Wash and drain the wild rice. Heat broth in a medium pot. Cook rice until soft (follow the instructions on the packet for cooking times). In a large saucepan. heat olive oil. Add pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped cashews and green onion. Mix until cashews become golden. Remove from the heat. Add cooked wild rice and fold gently, just to mix everything.

To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a jar with a lid. Put the lid on and shake vigorously until blended. Pour over the salad. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Daring Bakers - Pick me up, please!

2010-02-27T23:41:00.095Z

My grandma (who was an excellent cook and a brilliant baker) didn't care much for what she'd call "fancy spoon desserts". Grandma would bake a pudding or a tart or even a layered cake but would pay no attention to such thing as a charlotte. When I was 15 years old I've lived for a few months in England without my family - it opened my mind in many different ways (some of which I'm not about to disclose, fear not!!). The first time I set eyes on a Tiramisu it looked pretty much like a trifle to me... A trifle without fruit! Tasting it made me think again how trifle-ish it was but the beautiful addition of cheese and coffee made it into something completely different. To this day I still have trouble adding fruit to a tiramisu, although nutty flavours make a perfect pairing to mascarpone. Back home, I've decided to make a Tiramisu for a family lunch. Not taking my eyes off grandma, I've seen her having a second helping without a blink! It became a family favourite and my very own "speciality". My recipe is very different from this month challenge, it uses raw egg and no cream, so trying a new approach at an old favourite made it quite exciting.

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.

TIRAMISU
Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

Serves 6

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ 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 vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this 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. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

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

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

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. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

MASCARPONE CHEESE
Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Makes 12oz/340g of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. 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. 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. 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.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home
Makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, 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. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
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.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- Every recipe was quite easy to make. This is a somewhat laborious dessert but by no means difficult.
- The ladyfingers were super nice. I'll definitely keep this recipe instead of the one I've used for several years.
- I've used Amaretto instead of Marsala, just because it was what I had on hand. It worked fine!
- As I said before, my recipe uses raw egg (yolks and whites) and no cream. I find the texture better this way, and assuming you have a trustable supplier of fresh eggs it really isn't a problem (at least not for me).

A Moroccan Supper

2010-01-28T19:23:00.002Z

It has been cold in Lisbon for the last month or so. I get cranky when skies are gray and temperatures get to one digit, and student papers seem to grow from my desk! Although I like wintertime, I'm not happy with rain every other day, cold feet and a running nose. There's just one way to get my mood right when that happens: hot spicy soup! For the record, I'm yet to make it to Morocco. No idea why I haven't really since it's just around the corner... The smells and flavours of ras-el-hanout couldn't be more perfect to cheer me up!

Moroccan Chickpea Soup
Adapted from Rachel's Food for Friends

Serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (125g), chopped
2 stalks celery (100g) chopped
salt and pepper
2 ½ tsp freshly ground cumin
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
a pinch of sugar (for the tomatoes)
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
600ml vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp coriander leaves and stalks, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and celery, and season. Cook with the lid on until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the ground cumin and stir. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the pinch of sugar, the chickpeas and vegetable stock. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before adding the lemon juice and chopped fresh coriander. Season to taste.

Vegetarian brick crispy bags

4 small potatoes, cubed
200g frozen peas
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic glove, finely chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil + 2, to brush
1 tbsp ras-el-hanout
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
8 sheets pastry brick
lemon pieces, to serve
salt

Boil peas and the potatoes in separate pots in salted water. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add spices and stir. Drain peas and potatoes. Add to the saucepan. Season to taste and set aside.

To make triangular pastry pockets, fold like this. Add a spoonful of the veggie mixture. Brush with olive oil, both sides. Preheat a heavy bottomed saucepan. Place the little bags on the hot saucepan, 2 minutes each side. Serve hot with the soup and a piece of lemon.

Daring Bakers - Welcome to Canada!

2010-01-27T17:01:00.002Z

I have a thing for cookbooks. You too? Good. I hate to be alone with my addictions. In my kitchen there are dozens of cookbooks with thousands of recipes (mainly in Portuguese, English and French) that I'm yet to read, not to mention try. Sometimes I grab one and pass my hand on the cover as if I could feel all the vibes... The shelves on top of my sink hold my Marabout collection of small books like this Trish Deseine ode to chocolate. The book features Nanaimo Bars on the cover. I couldn't tell how many times I've grabbed it, and felt compelled to look at those bars. Thanks Lauren for the challenge!

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 www.nanaimo.ca.

Gluten-Free Graham Wafers

1 cup (138 g) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder
2 cups (254 g) Icing Sugar

Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) Unsalted Butter

For 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 Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

My thoughts on the challenge:

- I've halved the recipes (Graham Wafers and Nanaimo layers) and didn't have any problem with that, except maybe a little for the middle layer, as it's not so easy to cream small quantities of butter.
- I was thrilled to try Gluten Free baking! Sorghum Flour was a pain to get. I used soya flour and it worked just fine. Will definitely try Gluten Free more often!
- The Graham Wafers on their own are too sweet for me. I'll reduce the sugar a bit next time I make them.
- My bars are hazelnut flavoured. Instead of almonds I've used hazelnut meal - actually the only change I did to the original recipe.

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-08T20:47:00.000Z

That I love French Cuisine is no secret... Is there a better way to start the new year than to cook Coq au vin for the first meal of 2010? I thought so! We had a family meeting to celebrate and welcome a brand new year, and share our best wishes and resolutions. It was a slightly french meal -- the perfect theme to use the new Le Creuset pan I got for Christmas. For dessert, there was Pumpkin Pudding with Almonds... moist, sweet, and nutty. What else could I have asked for? Happy 2010!

Coq au vin

Serves 4

1,2 Kg free-range chicken, cut into large pieces (or 8 thighs + legs)
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, separated
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, chopped
150 ml dry white wine*
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried thyme
200 gr wild mushrooms
parsley, to serve

Wash each piece and dry with paper towels. Place flour in a plate and rub the chicken, until covered. In a heavy pan, heat 1 tbsp butter. Working in batches, sauté the chicken for 3-4 minutes, each side. Set aside. Pour a little chicken stock (or water) into the pan, and remove any brown pieces from the pan walls and bottom. Add onion and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the browned chicken to the pan. Season with salt and ground black pepper and dried thyme. Add half the wine, let it steam and mix. Add the remaining wine, and cook, covered for 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally. If it's dry, add some chicken stock or water.

Whilst the chicken cooks, prepare the mushrooms. Preheat a large saucepan. Add 1 tbsp butter, the garlic and half the mushrooms, sliced. Be careful the saucepan is not too crowded. Season with salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Set aside in a heated plate, and repeat.

To serve, add the mushrooms to the pan, garnish with parsley and serve with boiled potatoes and a green salad (optional).

* Coq au vin is traditionally made with red wine, mas there are all kind of versions with different wines. My choice for this recipe is a dry white wine.

Pumpkin Pudding with Almonds

250 gr baked pumpkin, smashed with a fork
100 gr dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
150 ml cream
1 tsp quatre-épices*
2 tbsp raisins
caramel for the mould
2 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted

Mix pumpkin, eggs, spices and sugar. Beat until combined. Add cream and raisins. Mix well. Cover a ring mould with caramel. Pour the batter and cover with a lid. Place the mould into an ovenproof dish and fill with hot water to cover half the wall of the mould. Cook in a preheated oven 180ºC, for 30 minutes. Remove to a serving plate when completely cooled. Garnish with toasted almonds.

*quatre-épices is a spice mix. You may use half cinnamon and equal parts of ground ginger, ground gloves and ground nutmeg.

Daring Bakers - Building up!

2009-12-27T22:59:00.000Z

House building has been on my plans since I was a little kid -- I wanted to be an architect whilst growing up! It didn't turn out that way, and although I made the arts my professional area, I've never went into the building business. Until this Christmas, that is! Thank you, Anna and Y!

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

Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)
from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. [I rolled out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and rerolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing

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

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

My thoughts on the challenge:

- Because I didn't want to make a huge house, I've decided to build two tiny ones to giveaway to my friends children. The rest of the dough I used in regular gingerbread cookies, and they were very yummy.
- I've halved the recipe (icing included) and didn't have any problem with that. Everything worked like a charm!
- I used this free pattern, but reduced it to 50%.

Pretty in Pink

2009-12-17T11:15:00.004Z

♬pretty in pink isn't she
pretty in pink
isn't she♬♬

It took me a quarter of century to finally get all the fuss about pink... Both my childhood and teenage years went by without fluffy pink dresses or girly bedrooms, to my mom's disappointment! Perhaps because red was my favourite colour, I always felt that any attempt to match the palette left a sense of betrayal. No pink. No news if I tell you this song by Psychedelic Furs "Pretty in Pink", that I've been singing since I baked these cookies, couldn't really change my mind and the movie, that one, completely missed me. Pretty in pink isn't she / pretty in pink / isn't she

Cranberry Orange Cookies
Lightly adapted from "Australian Women's Weekly" Cookies & Biscuits

Makes 30-45

2 cups (300 grs) plain (all-purpose) flour
200 gr unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (165 grs) golden caster sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup (80 gr) dried cranberries, chopped

Cream butter, egg and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Mix in orange zest, sifted flour and chopped dried cranberries, in two batches. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Halve dough, and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between sheets of baking paper until 5 mm thick.

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350°F). Line oven trays with baking paper (or use a silicone sheet). Cut cookies with different cutters (I used a flower shaped cookie cutter). Place apart from each others on trays. Bake cookies about 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Cookies are good on their own, sprinkled with fine sanding sugar or with fondant icing. For the fondant lightly beat 1 egg white, add 240 gr (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar, 2 tsp plain flour (sifted) and 2 tsp orange juice (or water) in two times. Add 2 drops red food colouring, and mix. Using a metal spatula, spread the icing quickly over cookies. Place half a cranberry on each flower. Set at room temperature.

These Cranberry Orange Cookies are my entry for season 3 of Eat Christmas Cookies, organized for the third consecutive year by Susan of Food Blogga. You can check all the cookies entered here, and find the perfect christmas cookie recipe.

Comfort Food

2009-12-10T15:23:00.001Z

What makes something 'comfort food'? Perhaps finding comfort in food is not the same to everyone and may be achieved differently -- it can come from memories of foods of our childhood or our most loved flavours, the ones that warm both heart and soul. Me, I love persimmons. For nowadays, a ripe persimmon with a dash of cinnamon, eaten by the spoon, is what I call comfort food! Many of you will probably disagree, as many people seem to *really* dislike persimmons... For those, I'm sharing my Chestnut Risotto with Red Beans. Now don't say chestnuts aren't your thing... ;)

Chestnut Risotto with Red Beans

(serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
100 gr smoked bacon, chopped
1 tbsp thyme (leaves only) + extra to serve
200 gr chestnuts (shelled and peeled), chopped coarsely*
100 gr risotto rice
750 ml vegetable stock, warm
400 gr red beans, cooked
2 tbsp single cream + 50 ml whole milk
Parmesan (1/4 cup), freshly grated, to serve

*Bake chestnuts for 15 minutes at 200ºC with salt. Don't forget to make a shallow cut before baking. Peel whilst still warm. Freeze in ziploc bags.

In a heavy based pan heat the olive oil. Add bacon and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Add chestnuts and rice and keep stirring until the rice looks slightly translucent. Add a ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt, if necessary. Keep stirring. It should take around 15 minutes until you run out of stock and the rice is cooked. Add red beans, cream and milk. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan and thyme leaves.

Daring Bakers - Go Italian!

2009-11-27T13:53:00.001Z

I'm probably not the only one singing Alabama 3 today. I'm a lousy singer. For once I'm happy there's no way you can listen to me singing I woke up this morning / Got myself a gun, Mama always said I'd be / The Chosen One. Over and over. It's The Sopranos theme song, of course. My favourite version is actually sang by Leonard Cohen. The perfect soundtrack for this month DB challenge!

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 cannoli

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/8.82 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners’ sugar

Note – If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note – If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Pasta Machine method:
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through

2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.

3, Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

For stacked cannoli:
1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 – 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve, fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- My cannoli are actually stacked cannoli (aka Cannolipoleons) because I couldn't find the forms and didn't manage an alternative.
- Deep frying is definitely not my thing, so I've halved the recipe. Again! No problems to report here.
- I went for chocolate cannoli which was the probable cause of having to add a little extra liquid (white wine + 1 tsp walnut oil). I was very pleased with the result. Thanks for the challenge Lisa Michelle!

Beautiful cannoli can be found all over The Daring Kitchen!

Mini quiches for a friend's blogiversary

2009-11-12T18:35:00.002Z

In their typical way of getting to the subject, Danish say the road to a friend's house is never long. Specially when the invitation to cook comes in such a nice way and the occasion calls for celebration. I don't fancy flowers or candies when I'm invited to a friend's place but today is an exception and I bring flowers to Moira. They're edible and I couldn't stop myself: in the way here I've had a couple... Luckily my home is just around the corner or there would be no flowers left for the party. Happy blogiversary to Tertúlia de Sabores!

Mini Crab-Lime quiches
Lightly adapted from O livro essencial dos aperitivos, KÖNEMANN.

12 mini quiches (or a large one)

2 small eggs (or a large one)
150 ml coconut milk
1 tsp lime jiuce
casca de 1 lima, finamente ralada (pode usar-se limão)
120 grs canned crabmeat, drained
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
12 square sheets shortcrust pastry*
a dash of colorau or sweet paprika (optional), to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter muffin pan and line with the pastry squares. Beat eggs lightly. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix. Season with salt and pepper freshly ground. Fill each shell with the batter to 2/3 of its capacity. Sprinkle with colorau. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm.

* Shortcrust pastry is a breeze to make with a food processor. Combine 150 grs plain flour, 75 grs chopped cold butter, 1 tsp sugar, a dash of salt in the food processor bowl and pulse to mix all ingredients. Add 30 ml chilled water and pulse whilst doing that until a ball forms. Remove the pastry from the food processor bowl to a floured surface. Knead lightly to form a circle. Cover with film and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out and cut circles (about 8 cm wide each). Wrapped in cling film, uncooked shortcrust pastry dough will keep for up to two days in the refrigerator or can be freezed uncooked.

A cake for a special occasion

2009-11-05T11:58:00.001Z

I'm not good with special days like birthdays or any sort of anniversaries. They make me want to raise my arm and ask silly questions like 'why today' and not tomorrow or why not yesterday. I used to do the same when I was a kid going to schools with a strong religious inspiration, and asking the most profane questions. Lucky for me, my teachers were always kind with a 7 year old with a sharp tongue. I haven't changed over the years. I forget my friends' birthdays or I'm simply late, I mix up the days or the months... So why celebrate today and not tomorrow? It's not everyday you realize you've been blogging for 2 years. I don't quite remember the first year passing by, I admit. It was that good. I'm grateful for the wonderful people I met, I'm grateful for all that I've learnt and all the great experiences and happy days I had because of food blogging. So grab your fork, the cake is served! ;)

Cotton Cake
Adapted from Tachos de Ensaio

250 grs plain flour
200 grs caster sugar
70 grs vanilla sugar
150 grs unsalted butter, room temperature
400 ml milk
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
5 egg whites (about 150 grs)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. You'll need one large and two medium bowls. In a medium, sift flour and baking powder. Set aside. Using a second medium bowl beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add one third of the dries. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dries, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dries. Beat just until the batter is smooth. Gently fold the meringue without beating. Pour the batter into a greased, lined with parchment paper cake tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before halving it.

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
250 ml water
¼ cup cherry liqueur (I used ginjinha)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add cherry liqueur. Cool completely before using.

Filling:
200 ml single cream
200 ml milk
150 grs sugar
2 yolks
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped

Combine milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, yolks and sugar until fluffy. Remove the bean from the milk mixture and fold in the egg mixture. Cook until thickened, stirring with a whisk. Sieve if needed before using.

Berry compote:
1 cup mixture of berries such as blackberries, raspberries, red currants fresh (or frozen)
2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Reserve until completely cool.

Assemble the cake:
Half the cake with a sharp knife. Pour the syrup over the bottom part. Spread the filling with a spatula, allowing about 1 cm all around. Place the compote on top (do not use any utensil to do it, just pour as evenly as possible). Cover with the other half. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with fresh red currants.

This cake is better eaten the day or the day after it's done. Keep in the fridge.

Daring Bakers - All french kisses!

2009-10-27T10:59:00.009Z

Lately I've been craving Paris. The symptoms are the usual: I miss walking the Seine and Boulevard Saint Michel, entering the bookshops and buying cookbooks eventually. I badly miss my favourite bistrots and the street vendors. I even miss the parisians! I daydream of crispy croissants, pain au raisins et café au lait, hot chocolate and... macarons. The perfect way to get me to Paris without leaving home is to bring Paris to me, all packed and arranged in a colourful and full flavoured macaron!

Macarons were on my list for quite a while. For some reason, I felt a bit scared every time I'd come across Helen's recipes - bookmarked since always from Tartelette - so I never got to try them. 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. What a wonderful choice! Because I feared disaster (and after reading other fellow Daring Bakers experiences), I've decided to go with Helen's recipe with a few adjustments of my own as I wanted to use hazelnuts and toffee filling.

Hazelnut Macaron with Toffee filling

Lightly adapted from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern and Helen's Pecan Pie Macarons

180 grs confectioners’ (icing) sugar
60 grs almond flour
55 grs hazelnut flour
35 grs granulated sugar
3 egg whites (about 90 grs), at room temperature

It's important to use aged egg whites. The day before making the macarons, separate the eggs. Leave the whites on the counter (if planning to use only in 48h or longer, keep in the fridge).

Combine the confectioners’ sugar, hazelnut and almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are reduced to fine powder. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Add a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. Mix in the remaining almond flour. Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients. [Helen's advice: Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down.The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.]
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip or use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Pipe small rounds of batter (2.5 cm) onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Let the piped shells rest half an hour to an hour before baking. Bake the macaroon for 15-20 minutes (depending on size). Remove the pan from the oven and let cool slightly before gently remove the shelld. Cool completely on a rack before filling.

For the filling:

50g salted butter
125 grs light brown sugar
125 grs golden syrup
125 ml double cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, mix all the ingredients. Boil until thickened (5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Let cool before filling the macarons.

Notes: I aged my egg whites for 3 days in the fridge. I should have sifted my hazelnut and almond flour. Unfortunately I haven't and that made the batter look a bit uneven but it didn't really matter in the final result. I let the piped shells rest half an hour to an hour before baking. I think that made all the difference as the second (and final) batch worked even better than the first. I used both a silicon mat and lined baking sheet with parchment paper with good results - nothing to report, the shells lifted easily with the aid of a spatula.

Visit the Daring Bakers blogroll to see all the macarons we baked!

When all else fails...

2009-10-16T09:34:00.010+01:00

When all else fails, I cook.

Some people go out after a god-awful day and slam a tennis ball around or jog their joints to pieces on a fitness course. I had a friend in Coral Gables who would escape to the beach with her folding chair and burn off her stress with sun and a slightly pornographic romance she wouldn't have been caught dead reading in her professional world—she was a district court judge. Many of the cops I know wash away their miseries with beer at the FOP lounge.

I've never been particularly athletic, and there wasn't a decent beach within reasonable driving distance. Getting drunk never solved anything. Cooking was an indulgence I didn't have time for most days, and though Italian cuisine isn't my only love, it has always been what I do best.

Even if I identify completely with the idea, these aren't my words. In fact they belong to a literature character, not a real person - although I suspect Patricia Cornwell lends a bit of her soul when she gives voice to Dr. Kay Scarpetta in her first novel, Postmortem. Scarpetta is a Chief Medical Examiner with a great love for food. And believe me, the lady can cook! I became hooked on Scarpetta's series not long ago because of these 6 words - When all else fails, I cook. Rephrasing slightly and it couldn't describe my feelings better - When everything fails, I bake some bread.

Hearty Seven-Grain Bread
Lightly adapted from Patricia Cornwell and Marlene Brown, Food to Die For - Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen

Makes 2 loafs

1/2 cup (50 grams) rye flour
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (40 grams) quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (15 grams) toasted wheat germ
3 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) bread flour, extra to dust
1 1/2 cup (180 grams) whole wheat flour
2 tsp dry yeast
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
1/4 cup (50 grams) salted butter
2 tsp salt

for the crust:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp water
Sesame seeds and/or sunflower seeds for sprinkling

In a small bowl, mix together the rye flour, walnuts, oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and sesame seeds. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat milk, butter, and honey until slightly melted and combined. Remove from heat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the bread flour and the whole wheat flour with the yeast. Make a hole in the middle. Add the milk mixture mixing with a fork (if using a stand mixer, pour the milk slowly and steadily while mixing, with the hook attachment). Add the rye flour mixture. Work the dough for 10 minutes or until it's elastic and smooth. Add extra warm milk or water if the dough is too dry (1 tablespoon at a time). Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, dry place for 1 hour or until not quite doubled in size. Turn the dough onto a lightly dusted surface, and punch it. Set aside for a couple of minutes to rest. Work the dough for another 5 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into 2 rounded loafs. Place each ball on a greased baking sheet or a silicone mat. In a small bowl, beat lightly the egg with the water. Brush the loafs, and sprinkle with the seeds. Cover, and let rise again for 35-45 minutes, until not quite doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180ºC (375ºF). Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve the bread warm or at room temperature with butter or olive oil.

Today is the World Bread Day, a fantastic initiative to celebrate the best food in the entire world - bread! This is my contribute to this lovely day. The World Bread Day 2009 is brilliantly organized by Zorra.

Stay tuned for the roundup, I'll post the link here.

Going Portuguese

2009-10-09T17:25:00.001+01:00

The sea. Always the sea. If you look at Portugal's history it's always about the beauty of our surrounding coasts, and all the dreams of faraway lands that come with it. The exhibition “Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries” is about that too. Or as Holland Cotter put it in the NY Times: A version of the Internet was invented in Portugal 500 years ago by a bunch of sailors with names like Pedro, Vasco and Bartolomeu. The technology was crude. Links were unstable. Response time was glacial. (A message sent on their network might take a year to land.) <= It's kinda of faster today.

Portuguese people have historically been influenced by so many cultures that is not surprising our food shows a large variety of flavours, with exotic spices from India or Brazil playing their role, and of course fish being a staple. Although bacalhau (cod fish) and sardines are the most popular choices from the sea, stuffed squid accompanied by boiled potatoes are a very traditional dish in the Portuguese cuisine, both in Lisbon and the Algarve.

Stuffed Squid Lisbon-style
Lulas recheadas com Chouriço à Lisbonense

Serves 4

12 large squid (about 600 grs), whole but skin removed and eyes discarded
10-12 slices (about 100 grs) chouriço, finely chopped
1 Tbps olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes (I used yellow tomatoes)
1 small red chili, seeds removed and chopped
2 small carrots
2 Tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
1 Tbps parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper

for the sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbps olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 glass (100 ml) white wine (dry is best)
salt and black pepper

500 grs new potatoes, boiled in salted water
1 Tbps parsley, chopped

Prepare the squid. Reserve the tubes and chop the tentacles. In a small saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sautee onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the tentacles, carrots, chili and chouriço and stir. Mix in the chopped yellow tomatoes and cook with a lid on for 3 minutes. Add olives and chopped parley. Season with salt and pepper. Cool almost completely. With a coffee spoon, stuff the squid, filling the tubes about 2/3 full. Close with a toothpick.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve.

For the sauce, place onion, garlic and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook with a lid on for 5 minutes. Put the stuffed squid in the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to boil. Refresh with white wine. Remove the lid and cook until reduced and squid are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the potatoes.

Notes: Larger squid are best for stuffing, as it's not so difficult to fill them.

Freud, America & a green salad

2009-10-05T05:06:00.000+01:00

Perhaps it was my recent trip to New York that made me grab Jed Rubenfeld's book The interpretation of murder again. The story is based on real facts and takes place across Manhattan in the beginning of the 20th century during Sigmund Freud’s only visit to America with his protégé Carl Yung. The famous analyst is asked to help with a patient to solve a mysterious crime. The Interpretation of Murder leads readers through New York high society, as well a few dark places and some homey ones. At some point, Rose - Brill's wife (Freud's translator in America) - serves an Waldorf salad to her guests without great success...

This salad first appearance was at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1893 and became an american classic, with more versions than chefs. According to some, this apple celery salad with grapes and nuts was created by the well-known French chef Auguste Escoffier as a gift to Oscar Tschirky, the hotel's chef and his good friend.

Waldorf Salad
Lightly adapted from Jamie's America

Serves 2

75 grams (about 4 cups) mixture green salad - watercress, frisée, rocket
1 cup green grapes, deseeded and halved
2 celery sticks, peeled and chopped diagonally
1 red apple, sliced
75 grams soft goats cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, aquecidas na frigideira e grosseiramente partidas

for the dressing:
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
olive oil (about 3 Tbsp)
1/2 - 1 Tbsp yogurt
parsley, finely chopped
'flor de sal' and black pepper

In large bowl, place watercress, frisée, rocket or any greens you're using. Add the grapes and the celery. Use a glass jar with a lid to make the dressing. Place all the ingredients and shake vigorously. Pour over the salad. Add the apple and the cheese and garnish with the nuts. Serve with a drizzle of extra olive oil if desired.

Daring Bakers - Gone with the wind!

2009-09-27T23:12:00.005+01:00

Vol au Vent means literally 'windblown'. These little treats are so light and crisp you could almost make them fly with a whisper. And if you're using homemade puff pastry you're sure to have whispered a lot whilst making it, not to mention a little cursing! At least I did. September has been HOT in Lisbon. I'm not complaining about this - well, I actually am... It's not the weather itself but the weather when dealing with a block of butter that's suppose to be soft enough to flow freely and cold enough to layer properly. Meaning I had like 2 minutes to work my way with the turns. In the end, although my kitchen was a bit of a mess, the pastry was nice and the all process went smoother than expected.

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.

Vols au Vent

You will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice

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. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

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.

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds 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 of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings 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). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

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. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

Fill and serve.

*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.

*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.

*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, 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. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

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 (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), 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. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) 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.

For extra tips check Steph's post.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- Puff pastry is never easy and can be a bit daunting before you start. I'm glad things went almost according with the plan. I did have some issues with the butter but I blame the weather - very hot September.
- I've halved the recipe. My food processor's capacity wouldn't do with the original quantities! No problems to report. I still have some pastry for later, as I plan to use it to bake some Pastéis de nata (aka portuguese custard tarts).
- My vol au vents went savoury: red onion and rhubarb compote with soft goat's cheese. I was very pleased with the result. Thanks Steph, it was great fun and yummy!

Wonderful Vols au Vent can be found in The Daring Kitchen!

Lunchtime in New York City

2009-09-22T11:24:00.006+01:00

One of the reasons why photography is so compelling is the human need to capture the moment. To lock and keep in order to call it "ours" hoping for the days and years to come not to take away the colours and the brightness. But photos won't keep smells, tastes or sounds - those we have to save in a special part of the memory, like some sort of essential reserve. Simone De Beauvoir used to say there's something in New York's air that makes sleep useless. It's, nevertheless, not the buzz or the lights of the city that never sleeps that I'll keep in the special airtight room of the memory but my last lunch in NY. Sitting outside on the terrace facing the Time Warner building with wonderful tree shades, just next to Central Park and Columbus Circle. Most memorable. Can't wait to come again.

We left early in the morning. The day was sunny and the luggage was waiting for us at the hotel to be back home - it was our last day in NY. A visit to Cooper-Hewitt and a quick look at Guggenheim and there goes the morning. Nothing is ever quite in New York. Not even the mornings! So we ran through Central Park not knowing what was reserved for us at the table. Following a little bird's advice, we had lunch at Nougatine owned by Chef Jean-Georges (Obrigada, Constance!). The restaurant shares the same kitchen with Jean-Georges's formal dining room at Trump Plaza hotel. The fix price lunch (25$) was excellent and the service attentive without being pretentious or intrusive. I had a honeydew melon salad with clumps of goat cheese, bits of lardons, endive, and a drizzle of passion fruit dressing that was perfect, whilst Mr. Taster had a tasty artichoke with lemon mustard mayonnaise. We ordered fish: for me a red snapper with tomato confit and the husband, pink codfish with peas and carrot vinaigrette - both very good in terms of taste, quality, and presentation. For dessert, I picked the vanilla cake with strawberries and meringue (it was nice) and Mr.Taster decided for Jean-Georges' signature cake - warm chocolate and vanilla ice cream - that lead him to heaven. If there's a best chocolate cake in the whole world, this is it. Taster's word.

Nougatine at Jean Georges
1 Central Park West,
New York, NY 10023

[Sometimes] Your wish is my command.

2009-09-14T11:21:00.012+01:00

Lately, I’ve been up to my elbows in tomatoes. I received a big bunch of tomatoes when my parents visited and have been enjoying them everyday. But that's not what brings me here today (I'll tell what I've done with tomatoes later this week). Bananas. Many. Too many. Turning black and with freckles. Smelling of summer. What to do with a couple of very ripe bananas? Oh, you could bake some muffins, couldn't you? - the husband said. Your wish is my command! And so I did.

Spicy Banana Muffins

Makes 12

1 cup (150 grs) plain flour, sifted
⅓ cup muscovado sugar, packed
⅓ cup golden caster sugar
Dash of salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
⅓ cup (80 ml) walnut oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Dried banana chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350ºF). In a medium bowl, beat the mashed bananas with eggs, vanilla extract and walnut oil. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and all spices into a second bowl. Add the sugars and mix. Combine both mixtures (liquid with dry ingredients). Beat just until combined. Pour the batter into silicone muffin pans (if using regular pans, line them first). Add some banana chips to each muffin. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan and cool on a wired rack.

10 food related things to love in NY

2009-09-08T15:25:00.000+01:00

What can I write about New York that hasn't been written yet... Nothing, really. New York is huge and frenetic -- bigger and faster than any other place I've been before. Without precious advice from adorable dear friends, I would have been lost but thanks to them manage to get a little taste of the city. Many thanks guys, you saved our... stomachs!! ;-) 'Cause I really wouldn't want to bother you with the same old about NY, I've decided to enumerate 10 food related things to love about Madame Vertigo. I'm fully aware the sky is not eatable, at least not literally. New York skies just seemed the perfect way to start, and in between chewing the sky was the 11th thing on the list.

So here we go! 10 photos, 10 things, no special order.

Bread - Whole Wheat, Sourdough, French bread. Organic. Just ask.

Tap water - Yes, no mistake. New York's tap water is something to cheer and love. Actually, it's something to drink to! Super.

Bakeries - I could live from bread alone. If a latte, a macchiato or a cappuccino can be added then I'm in heaven. And, of course, I won't say no to something on the sweet side. New York bakeries are awesome, and mind me I know a little about bakeries.

Muffins - I'm not the cupcake kind of girl, I'm more a muffin chick. Not that I can have a NY full-sized one by myself -- that's what makes Mr. Taster (aka The Husband) so handy, besides other things!! This is a Zucchini, Carrot, Walnut muffin. Perfect.

Pancakes - Any pancake dish that comes with fruit is a winner. How to be in New York City, and not have a stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes? No way.

French Toast - With blueberries. And maple syrup. I had mine with a Beet and Apple fresh juice I won't forget soon. Or the Illy espresso that came after. Yum.

Burgers - OK, I didn't have this burger but Mr. Taster says it was pretty good. It's a burger with ratatouille and gruyere -- he actually recommends that if you're at L'École for brunch, you should try this.

Iced Tea - Not the sugary packed thing we have across Europe. Real tea 'on the rocks'. Very good.

Pizza - NY pizza. With fresh mushrooms and kalamata olives. Not disappointed.

Brunch - Breakfast was my favourite meal of the day. WAS. I'm about to change that to brunch.

Mr. Taster and I had a couple of wonderful meals, plus a gorgeous birthday lunch that I'll share later. Stay tuned.

DB#32 or Cookies!

2009-07-27T23:59:00.006+01:00

This is a post that almost didn't make it. Also, don't have the posting date fooling you. I'm terribly late for this month Daring Bakers' challenge... Even considered it to give it a ago because time really has been an issue lately, with days finishing too quickly for my taste (or needs!). BUT today's Wednesday, and I don't like to give up things on Wednesdays. Or any other day of the week, for that matter. Enough ramblings! I made Milan cookies. Or sort of. And I really want to share those with you.

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.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. 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.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- It's too hot for melted chocolate around here at the moment. I served my cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream, the perfect vanilla ice cream recipe by David Lebovitz.
- Half recipe made about 20 large cookies. It worked fine.
- I haven't piped the batter, and used a spatula to spread the cookies. That's perhaps why mine got really thin and crisp.

DB#32 or Bakewell Tart... errr Pudding!

2009-06-27T16:37:00.000+01:00

It's Saturday, and I haven't been home for a while, so today I'll keep it sweet and short: sweet because that's what a Bakewell Pudding is, and short because you don't need a large slice to feel that you've reached heaven. Yes, it's that good!

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 with Vanilla Plum Jam
Inspirations and References: Allan Davidson, Tamasin Day Lewis, Anton Edelmann, Jane Grigson, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver

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.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My vanilla plum jam
(Eat immediately / keep in the fridge)

750g red plums, cut into large chunks, peel on but stoned
125g granulated sugar
half a vanilla bean, seeds scraped + bean

Put the fruit and the sugar with the vanilla seeds and bean in a pan. Place the pan over a low to medium heat. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes, until syrupy. Remove from the heat, allow to slightly cool. (Wash and dry the bean to further use)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 200ºC/400ºF.

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.

My thoughts on the challenge:
~ I've kept my eye on this Bakewell tart for a while, and I'm really glad Jasmine and Annemarie chose this for June's challenge.
~ My idea for the jam had to do with the fruit I had and the reddish layer I had in mind to cheer up the crust and the frangipane. The recipe for the jam is my usual one with little sugar but it won't keep for a long time.
~ As usual, I've used half the crust and 2/3 of the frangipane - yes, I'm that complicated!
~ No problem with any of the components - all done without any mess.
~ I'll definitely be doing this again with other fruit jams.

French inspiration

2009-06-15T11:15:00.000+01:00

Sorry for my absence. I still have a post about Slovenia to write, and a few recipes to share, plus a few complains about the weather and my usual nonsense. But once again it won't be today. It's time for another short trip to Paris - I'll be joining a conference this week but didn't want to leave you all without a little something to evoke la cuisine française. My (british) friend N. always says that "if you want a perfect queue ask a briton, if you're craving for an awesome crumble trust a frenchie!" And from my experience N. is absolutely right! This Crumble à la Ratatouille is a nice version of a French classic dish in a traditional British fashion. All I can say is that everybody loved it, and I'll be making this again. À bientôt

Crumble à la ratatouille
Adapted from Trish Deseine, recipe here

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 aubergine, cubed
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
3 courgettes, peeled if you like and cut into chunks
1 kg tomatoes, skinned and deseeded
Fresh thyme and rosemary

For the Crumble Topping
100g very cold salted butter,
finely diced
150g plain flour
80g parmesan cheese, grated
50g pine nuts, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic and add the aubergine and the red and green peppers. When they have softened, add the courgettes, tomatoes and herbs, some salt and pepper, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked. While the vegetables are cooking, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF and prepare the crumble. In a food-processor, or with your fingers, rub the butter into the flour and parmesan. When you have a mixture resembling breadcrumbs, mix in the toasted pine nuts and some pepper. When the ratatouille is soft and cooked, put the vegetables into a gratin dish, cover them with the crumble mixture and cook in the oven for about thirty minutes or until the top is golden and crispy. Serve hot or warm, with a crisp salad.

DB#31 or An Apple Strudel a day...

2009-05-27T18:45:00.001+01:00

An Apple Strudel would certainly put a smile on my face any day of the week! Apple Strudel is not exactly the kind of dessert I grew up with, and I don't have many memories of this sweet but I've been baking strudels for a while now. This lovely theme for this month challenge with the Daring Bakers got me thinking of many possibilities, and how I'd try different fillings and approaches to a new favourite. Except I forgot my trip to a place not so far from the Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague where Apple Strudel is baked everyday... Because of that I ended up going for the old traditional Apple Strudel, with further experiences postponed to another opportunity. Anyway, it's a wonderful recipe. Thank you Linda and Courtney!

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.

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

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My thoughts on the challenge:
- Both the filling and the dough recipe worked well.
- My strudel wasn't very pretty, and there was no time to 'make-up'! As said before I used the basic recipe without any different ingredients. In the end I was really happy with the overall taste.

Go and and I taste, I mean, a look at all Daring Bakers Strudels! ;)

On chasing dragons & waterfalls

2009-05-16T10:51:00.012+01:00

For those you know me, I'm on the rational side kind of person. I like to be in control of the situation, I love to plan, and I adore when everything comes together the way I've meant it to be. But reason will take you only until a certain point. After that is all about feeling... Emotion, reason and belief play a very important and meaningful role in our lives. Fear not, I will leave it at that! It's funny how we choose things, and how sometimes things seem to choose you. My personal bond with Slovenia was totally unplanned, and yet so special. One of the few souvenirs I've brought from Ljubljana was a cookbook (surprising, I know!) with slovenian recipes. I bought the book mainly because I wanted to bake a cake called Gibanica (aka 'moving cake'). Although Gibanica is a traditional dessert in the Balkan region - many different variations can be found in Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria -,Prekmurje gibanica is the slovenian national dessert.

We're off to Slovenia again - can't wait to chase Ljubljana dragon and waterfalls like this! In the meanwhile, grab a cup of your favourite coffee. I leave you with a slice of Gibanica. :)

Gibanica

Adapted from Heike Milhench's Flavors of Slovenia

8-10 sheets phyllo dough
3/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup (250 ml) milk
2-3 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water or rum, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped)
1 tsp cinnamon
Juice and zest of 1 small lemon (unwaxed, preferably organic)
680 grs ricotta or cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
1 cup walnuts, chopped
4 Tbsp butter, melted
Icing (confectioner's sugar) for sprinkling

Boil the poppy seeds in the milk until softened, about 20-25 minutes. Remove, drain, and set aside.

For the first filling, combine apples, raisins, sugar, vanilla (seeds or extract), cinnamon, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl. Prepare the second filling separately mixing the cheese with the eggs and the cream, until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Grease a rectangular baking pan. Place a phyllo sheet in the bottom, and brush with melted butter. Make sure the rest of the phyllo sheets are covered to prevent them to dry out. Spread a layer of cheese mixture over the dough. Cover with another sheet of phyllo, brush with butter, and spread a layer of raisin and apple mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts and poppy seeds. Repeat until you run out of fillings. Be sure to cover everything with 2 phyllo sheets. Brush the top with butter. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

DC#1 - Do I Dare to Cook?

2009-05-14T18:09:00.006+01:00

The Daring Bakers are a well known group of people who dare to... bake! The million dollar question is: do daring bakers dare to cook? This one does! I didn't have too much time to give this challenge a thought, so I just gathered what there was available in the fridge and (dared!) to cook us dinner. And it tasted nice. Almost forgot to say that the very first Daring Cooks' challenge is ... Ricotta Gnocchi! Major thanks to Lisa and Ivonne for everything they've done. Thank you Ladies!

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi
The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Serves 4-6

For the gnocchi:
1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:
8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.
If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.
To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.
Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- The recipe worked fine for me but I thought these were a pain to make... Bare with me, I've been working too much lately. ;)
- I've used half recipe, and it was more than enough for the two of us.
- Peas and broad beans (and a tiny little bit of chili) were all I added to the sauce, as well as a few finely chopped mint leaves.
- I thought the recipe was nice but not amazingly good.

Spicing up the day

2009-05-05T18:39:00.001+01:00

I'm not much into spicy dishes. Anything hot is usually too hot for me but I'm learning to adjust my taste to "new" flavours, and my cooking experiences (for instance with chilies) to my (mild) tastes... I guess the spice girl in me is not overly spicy or (anywhere) hot!! Which brings us to a soup. What were you thinking?? ;) But this is no ordinary soup. This is one of the best soups I had in a while. Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries is not just an adorable voyage in his daily kitchen but a very good recipe book. This is the soup Nigel made in New Year's, and it's not just a good start for a book. It's a darn good suggestion for a hearty soup.

Dal and Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen

Makes 4 good-size bowls

1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
A walnut-sized knob of ginger
225 grams split red lentils
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground chili
250 grams pumpkin
small bunch coriander, roughly chopped

For the onion topping:
2 medium onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small hot chillies (or chili flakes, if fresh chilies aren't available)
2 cloves garlic

Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Peel and crush the garlic and put it with the onion into a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Peel the ginger, cut it into thin shreds and stir that in too. Add the lentils and pour in 1 1/2 litres (6 cups) of water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to an enthusiastic simmer. Stir in the ground turmeric and chili, season and leave to simmer, covered, for twenty minutes.

While the soup is cooking, bring a medium-size pan of water to the boil. Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibre, then cut the flesh into fat chunks. Boil the pumpkin pieces for ten minutes, until they are tender enough to take a skewer without much pressure. Drain them and set aside.

To make the onion topping, peel the onions and cut them into thin rings. Cook them in the oil in a shallow pan until they start to colour. Cut the chilies in half, scrape out the seeds and slice the flesh finely. Peel and finely slice the garlic and add it with the chilies to the onions. Continue cooking until the onions are a deep golden brown. Set aside.

Remove the lid from the lentils and turn up the heat, boiling hard for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the drained pumpkin. Blend the soup through until smooth, then pour it into a bowl. Stir in the roughly chopped coriander and check the seasoning. Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of the spiced onions on top.

DB#30 or Cheesy (cake) time!

2009-04-27T14:51:00.001+01:00

I love cheese. Any cheese, all types of cheese, anytime! Cooked, simple, baked, in savoury or sweet recipes. I LOVE cheese.
What are my feelings about cheesecake? It's gooooood! Knowing that April's challenge would make the Daring Bakers to get into cheese land left me with a smile on my face when I first read the recipe Jenny had chosen. Thanks Jenny, it was a wonderful one!

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

Café au lait cheesecake with caramel sauce

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 120 grams butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, (710 grams total) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 250 ml heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional (I used whisky)

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. 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 creaml. 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.

Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce.

Ina Garten's Caramel sauce here.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

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!

My thoughts on the challenge:
- The recipe worked fine for me. I've used half recipe (2 small eggs) to bake 6 individual ramekins - it took about 25 minutes.
- Café au lait cheesecake with caramel sauce was a perfect match of flavours. I've added half a tablespoon of whisky which gave it a Bailey's Liquor taste that worked really nice with the remaining ingredients!
- Half recipe is enough for the sauce if not using full cheesecake recipe.
- I'll definitely be making the cheesecake again perhaps in a chocolate or fruity version.

Check all the amazing variations fellow Daring Bakers came up with here!

Spring where are you?

2009-04-17T12:52:00.002+01:00

It's officially Springtime. Or so says my calendar. A quick look outside the window, and I feel like rephrasing it: it's Springtime, right? So why does it keep on raining? Why do I keep wearing extra layers of clothes? And we're a little itchy today, aren't we?! Don't know about you but I could use a little sunshine. Sigh. Like the 'philosopher' Jagger once stated "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you just might find you get what you need". Bright guy. ;)

I need colourful food with a hint of sunshine. Something slightly mediterranean... Bell peppers and Feta cheese! Aren't they springy? Stuffed peppers are great as a side dish to any meat or as a starter. For me is good enough for a light meal with a bowl of green salad. Where's Spring, anyone knows?

Stuffed Red Peppers with Wild Rice, Broccoli and Feta

Serves 2

2 sweet red (bell) peppers
1 cup cooked wild rice
2 cups small broccoli florets, steamed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dry basil

Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF).

Cut peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. Sprinkle the interior with salt. Place the halves in ovenproof dishes. Saute the onion until almost soft. Add the broccoli florets and the minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cooked wild rice. Season to taste.

Fill peppers with the rice mixture. Top with the crumbled feta. Sprinkle dry basil. Loosely cover with foil. Bake covered 25 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until peppers are tender.

The best cookies in the whole world

2009-04-07T10:45:00.002+01:00

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" - Mark Twain once said after hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal. I feel the same way when I name these the best cookies in the whole world... It's at least questionable since no one has been able to actually taste ALL the cookies in the world. But my other half says these are the best, and the man isn't called Mr. Taster for nothing! Plus, they're a charm to make, and look really nice.

Oat Raisin Almond Cookies

Lightly adapted from Cordon Bleu.

Makes 40

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (110 grs) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grs) fine caster sugar
1/2 cup (120 grs) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (100 grs) raisins
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (100 grs) rolled oats
1/2 cup (50 grs) slivered almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease oven trays, and line with baking paper. (Or use silicone sheets)

Cream both sugars with the butter. Add the egg, vanilla extract and the milk, and beat until smooth. Sift the flour, the salt and the bicarbonate of soda into another mixing bowl. Add to egg mixture until just combined. Mix in oats, almonds and raisins, and mix until dough forms. (The mixture should be on the soft side.)

With an ice cream spoon, place each portion onto the baking sheet, allowing enough space between each other (5 cm) for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a metal rack to cool.

My cat approves as well! ;)

UPDATE: These cookies got a mention from Dan Lepard at the Guardian!! I feel honoured specially because his Exceptional baking books have been part of my favourites for a while... Thanks!

4 for 6 - an ode to the potato

2009-04-04T15:13:00.007+01:00

It's been a while since I shared a recipe and some thoughts with you. I have no idea about where March went to... I've been doing so many things, dreaming of so many more that time just wasn't enough to pass by and say hello. But I'm back to tell you all about a great project I've been working together with a bunch of talented Portuguese bloggers! When my friend Mariana asked me to take part on 4 por 6 working balanced meals for 4 persons with a budget of 6€, I was really happy with the idea of helping people plan their food with little money. Although this is obviously focused on Portugal's present scene, I thought I could share the recipes with you anyway.

So today we're doing potato an ode, and will be having the first strawberries of the season!

Potato, Onion, Zucchini and Bacon Tian
Tian aux pommes de terre, oignons, courgettes et pancetta
Adapted slightly from French Magazine Saveurs, n.162 July/August 2008

Serves 4

4 small-medium potatoes (500 grs)
2 medium onions (I used red onions but white are fine too)
4 small zucchini (400 grs)
12 bacon strips (about 175 grs)
1 Tbps fresh thyme (just the leaves)
3 Tbps (50 ml) olive oil
3 Tbps (50 ml) single cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF). Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Put aside in a bowl covered with water. Slice (unpeeled) zucchinis and peeled onions about the same size of the potatoes. Discard the water from the potatoes, add half the olive and season with salt and fresly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. In a covered ovenproof dish (or individual ones), place the potato, zucchini, and onion slices with the bacon strips (halved) to create alternate "layers". Sprinkle the thyme leaves on top. Add the remaining olive oil and single cream (if using any). Finish with about 3 Tbps (50 ml) of water, and cover. Bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the lid, slightly increase the oven temperature, and leave for an extra 5-10 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with watercress salad.

And for dessert: soup!

Strawberry and Basil Soup
Adapted (slightly) from Elle à la table, n.63 March/April 2009

Serves 4

500 grs strawberries
6 basil leaves (or ment or lime-thyme)
35 grs sugar
1 Tbps balsamic vinegar
dash of white pepper

Wash the strawberries, remove leaves, and half each one. Put 1/4 of the strawberries in a saucepan with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of water, sugar, white pepper, 2 basil leaves and boil for 5 minutos. Add balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil once again. Place the remaining strawberries into serving bowls and pour the cooled syrup (you may or may not sieve it before). Finish with a basil leaf on top.

I've actually manage to buy the ingredients for the main dish and the dessert with only a total of 4.95€ ... More suggestions 4 por 6 (in Portuguese) at my partners in this project: Mariana, Pipoka, Laranjinha, Elvira and Marizé. We'll be running 4 for 6 every two weeks. Stay tuned for many more cheap meals!!

Pasta or rice?

2009-03-16T09:44:00.001Z

Daily decisions aren't always a piece of cake... Sometimes it's all about grains. Pasta or rice? How about pasta that looks like rice? Risoni is a rice shaped pasta (sometimes called orzo) that shouldn't just be reserved for soups – risoni is quite versatile, and makes a nice change to 'regular' pasta or risotto. Chard is not so usual around here. I've been lucky with a new organic supermarket in my neighborhood that had beautiful purple chard.

Chard Risoni with Quark

Serves 2

1 cup (220grs) risoni
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vegetable stock
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup (100grs) Quark
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
a bunch of Chard (from 2 small beet-roots), steamed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup bacon, chopped (optional)
grated Parmesan, to serve
rocket, to serve

Heat vegetable stock in a deep pan. Add the risoni and cook for 8-10 minutes (or according to packet directions), stirring occasionally. Sauté bacon in a large saucepan with olive oil and garlic, until crisp (2-3 minutes). Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add steamed Chard to the remaining juices in the saucepan and cook for a couple of minutes. Once risoni is cooked, stir in the butter, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

To serve, place the risoni in a large deep plate (or a bowl), sprinkle with bacon, add a couple of tablespoons of Quark and half the Chard. Top with grated Parmesan and rocket. Serve immediately.

DB#28 or Two hearts as one!

2009-02-28T09:47:00.002Z

We didn't have this cake for valentine's. In fact, we're not good at celebrating this date, which means that having been in Paris for St. Valentine's day in the last couple of years has been pure coincidence. But let me tell you that Paris has to be the most perfect place on Earth to be with your half! I've completed the Daring Bakers February's challenge last week, baking 8 beautiful heart-shaped cakes that were served with vanilla flavoured Quark and red-currants. Perfect combination indeed!

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.

Chocolate Valentino
Adapted from Chef Wan

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

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.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- I've halved the recipe, and it worked just fine!
- Not having a mould to bake a heart-shaped cake, I've baked it in my silicone moulds - got 8 individual cakes.
- It's not warm in Lisbon. Not just yet. I really wanted to give it a try at a vanilla ice cream but in the end I couldn't find the time to make it or how to fit the bowl in my freezer. I've served the cakes together with Quark (added a little vanilla sugar) and red currants. Just thought some red was due!!
- My overall opinion about this recipe is really positive: the cake is easy to make and everybody liked it. It's not a cake to bake often but for a special occasion (if chocoholics are involved), I think it can be a nice option.

Thanks Wendy & Dharm for such a LOVEly recipe! ;-) Do check all the Daring Bakers creations: head over to the blogroll!

French mood

2009-02-25T11:55:00.000Z

Sometimes an accident is a good thing, even when it means a burning dish. Anyone who cooks regularly knows how things can get out of control in the kitchen, and how sometimes you have to find a way to still manage something for dinner despite overcooked / burned pots. When sisters Tatin came up with their signature dish, an upside-down tart was rather unusual. Originally made of caramelized apples, Tarte Tatin became a classic with many versions, some of them savoury. To keep me into French mood, I made a shallot tart tatin. Voilá!

French Shallot Tart Tatin
Adapted from Delicious Magazine, February 2009

Serves 6

For the pastry:
125 grs plain flour
60 grs unsalted butter, chopped and cold
3 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 large egg yolk

For the "topping":
750 grs small medium shallots (about 12-16), unpeeled
125 grs plain flour
50 grs unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

The pastry can be done by hand or using a food processor. (I've done mine by hand, and it was easy) Sift the flour with a good pinch of salt, and mix in the mustard with a fork. Rub the chopped butter with your fingertips, until combined and resembling coarse breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre. Use a knife to mix in the egg yolk until it comes together. Add 2 or 3 Tbsp ice water if it seems too dry. Without kneading, use your hands to press the dough together into a round disc. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for half an hour.

Boil the shallots in salted water for 5 minutes, to make them easier to peel. Drain and cool, then peel the shallots (leave the root ends). Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 15 minutes or until starting to soft. Mix in the sugar, vinegar and 3 Tbps of water, and stir. Cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced and has become syrupy (about 15 minutes), turning the shallots occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease a shallow tin (about 20 cm round) with butter. Place the shallots and any remaining liquid in the tin. Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a circle slightly larger than the tin. Top with the pastry round, tucking edges into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden.

Remove from the oven. Keep in the tin for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully invert onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Serve while warm.

Paris, encore une fois.

2009-02-20T12:48:00.009Z

Every time I look down on this timeless town,
Whether blue or gray be her skies,
Whether loud be her cheers, or whether soft be her tears,
More and more do I realize that...

I love Paris in the spring time
I love Paris in the fall
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles

I love Paris every moment
Every moment of the year
I love Paris, why oh why do I love Paris?
Because my love is here

It's the Doris Day's version, the one Cole Porter preferred (or so it has been said) that is playing in my head over and over whilst I type. I've been to Paris in February, June and September, which pretty much covers every season. Like Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra or Patti LuPone and many others non-musicians before me, I love Paris. Even when it drizzles. And trust me, it did.

There's some sort of magic to walk the boulevards in the cold, buy some books and find a warm place to have café au lait et pain aux raisins... Or to cross the Jardin des Tuileries to visit some exhibitions at Jeu de Paume et à l'Hôtel de Sully with a shy sun trying to make it through.

Or just to return to your all favourite bistrot, only to find out that it remains the same. Taking the risk to sound like a broken old record, I love Paris. Specially if my love is there.

February, Paris & Madeleines

2009-02-08T19:45:00.003Z

It's February, and we're on our way to a few days in freezing Paris, like we did last year. You've probably got it already from last post. Yes, we're heading for Paris again. And again. Casablanca is responsible for the famous "we'll always have Paris" to which I'd only had that we'll always be going back to Paris. Even when it's February, and no one in his/her perfect mind would choose any Central Europe destination. Oh well. The weather forecasts are quite bad - not at all like the sunniest of days we got there last June (photo above) but it's Paris, so we'll find many things to do, eat and see.

In between dreams of macaroons and crème brûlée, I've made madeleines. But not just any madeleines. This is Christian Constant's recipe (and you know how much a like him, don't you?). I've made madeleines for the first time last year when we got back from Paris. Chocolate Madeleines. The recipe is quite easy to follow, I just made 2/3 to fit my pans.

Madeleines
Adapted from Christian Constant, Ma Cuisine au Quotidien

Makes 20-25

2 large eggs
3/4 cup (90 grs) powdered sugar
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp (20 grs) honey
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (135 grs) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp (135 grs) unsalted butter

Cream eggs, sugar, honey, vanilla extract and milk until combined. Sift flour and baking powder, and mix in.

You need "noisette butter" or beurre noisette (literally, "hazelnut butter") for this recipe. It's basically clarified butter with a fragrant nutty flavour. In a saucepan over medium to high heat, brown the butter until golden. Sieve, and set aside to cool. Carefully fold the cooled butter, using a spatula, without whisking. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease a mold for madeleines, and sprinkle with flour (use a sieve for better and faster results).

Fill each mold with spoonfuls of batter until 3/4 full. Bake for 4 minutes. Reduce oven to 180ºC (350ºF), and bake another 4 minutes.

DB#27 or a French thing called Tuile!

2009-01-29T16:09:00.005Z

Trapped by a thing called... tuile! It's funny how you see meaning in stuff that obviously has none. I've been craving for French food and dreaming of Parisian places for a few weeks now, so when I read the Daring Bakers challenge for January, it put a smile on my face. Tuiles! Buttery almond crisp cookies that melt in your mouth and make the perfect edible containers for ice cream, mousse ou whipped cream. Or savoury cornets with seeds and creamy fillings. Or chocolate.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I've meant to give it a try at all the recipes, specially the savoury one that looked really great to me, but life got in the way. This has been a crazy month with the usual fuss an end of a term always brings. I blame it on my bad schedule - just didn't manage to make the ice cream I have planned and the cute little flowers to serve it. I hope I can still complete the project some day... So no free day for baking, and shaping my tuiles. I was reading through the recipes, thinking if one of them could fit in one of my breaks when I stopped... 15 minutes recipe for chocolate tuiles? Read no more!

Chocolate Tuiles
Adapted from Michel Roux’s Finest Desserts

Makes 30

9 oz/250 grams best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I like lindt)
2/3 cup/75 gr slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

Temper the chocolate, and stir in the toasted almonds. Place the template on a sheet of rodoïde (or use a clean sheet of sturdy plastic such as a folder) and fill with about 1 tbs of the mixture. Repeat the process a little distance away from the first one. As soon as you have 5 tuiles fit, slide them onto a mold or rolling pin (side of a glass) to curve. Let cool completely, lift tuiles off the plastic only after the chocolate has set and just before serving, so that they keep their shine.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- The recipe says 15 minutes but it takes a bit longer. I've halved the recipe, and it worked just fine.
- Bittersweet chocolate worked alright with toasted almonds but I'm guessing other possibilities will work fine as well, like milk chocolate and hazelnuts.
- Tempering chocolate is a tricky thing for me. David Lebovitz's post on the subject is pretty useful.
- I didn't use a template, simply made round shaped ones with the back of the spoon.
- We had our tuiles with coffee and a dollop of mascarpone... Oh heaven!

2 in 1

2009-01-28T11:23:00.001Z

A girl gotta do what a girl gotta do. At the moment, this girl has to deal with (way too) many papers and exams growing on my desk. Sometimes you just have to keep going, and think that better days will come, eventually. I'm a bit tired but I don't have time to think about it. The only thing that makes me move forward is that by the end of next week I'll be through, and packing my bag... But that's another story. ;)

It's 2 recipes in 1 post today! Because Hay Hay it's Donna Hay had a couple of brilliant winners in its last edition, we're having a couple of themes for this one: Sugar-grilled Fruit, hosted by Tartasacher from Mil Postres, and Chicken Satay Skewers, hosted by Meeta from What's for Lunch, Honey?. I've used Donna's recipe for sugar-grilled fruit (provided by our hostess) with little twists to make a round of waffles.

Sugar-grilled Date Mango with Maple Ricotta and Vanilla Waffles

Serves 4

2 ripe but firm medium mangoes, cut into slices
8 dates, stoned and chopped
1/3 cup (60g) brown sugar

Maple Ricotta

1/2 cup (125ml) ricotta
1/4 cup (60ml) single cream (or whole milk)
1½ Tbps maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp maple flakes (optional), to sprinkle

Press the cut sides of the sliced fruit into the brown sugar. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the mangoes a few pieces at a time for one minute each side or until golden. Wipe pan clean and continue with remaining mango slices. Add chopped dates, and cook for another minute. To make the maple ricotta, place cheese, cream, and maple syrup into a bowl and mix to combine.

Vanilla Waffles
Adapted from Jacqueline Malouf's Breakfasts, p. 48.

Serves 4

2 large free-range eggs, separated
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/4 cup (60 grs) butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tbsp (180 grs) all-purpose flour
pinch fine sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Whisk egg yolks with milk, butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Combine liquid and dry mixtures, until the batter is thick and smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into the batter.

Preheat a waffle maker. Place some of the batter in the waffle maker, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Remove the cooked waffle. Cover with a tea cloth to keep waffles warm while you prepare the rest.

To serve, pile the fruits onto the waffles, and top with the maple ricotta. Scrap any caramel left in the pan. Sprinkle with maple flakes to serve.

Turkey Mushroom Satay Skewers
Lightly adapted from Kate Belcher's recipe.

Serves 4

Satay Sauce

200g peanuts
1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 can (200ml) coconut milk

Put the peanuts, sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk in a food processor. Process, until combined (add a dash of cold water if too thick). Season with black pepper. I’ve served it with skewered turkey breast strips, and mushroom skewers.

Turkey Skewers

Soak 8 wooden skewers in hot water. Mix in turkey strips (about 2-3 strips per skewer) with ½ the sauce in a bowl and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Preheat the grill. Line a baking tray with foil. Lay the finished skewers on the tray. Grill for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through (turn halfway).

Mushroom Skewers

Place mushrooms onto soaked (and drained) skewers - I've made 4. Sprinkle with sea salt, and grill together with the turkey skewers, until golden.

Serve turkey and mushroom skewers with the remaining satay sauce and lime wedges.

Back to kitchen...

2009-01-15T09:42:00.001Z

Or sort of. With the end of this term, exams and papers seem to grow up on my desk faster than I can get hold of them. Plus, Mr. Winter seems to have decided to spend some time in Portugal, making me look like an onion with (at least) 3 layers of clothing, and to move a lot slower because I'm always cold. It also leaves me craving for weird things like bread pudding with custard or champ... And hot chocolate. No, not exactly all the 3 together at the same time! It's that time of the year when my days are just too short for everything that calls for attention: work, family, friends, food, and traveling (will tell you more about it later). I've cooked some soup, baked bread, and made the occasional cake. Nothing new, or brilliant - except perhaps for an almond apple tart that flew too fast to be photographed, meaning I'll have to bake one again soon.

But today what I really wanted was to blog about this chowder that I made a few weeks ago.

Sweet Corn Crab Chowder
Lightly adapted from Delicious, August 2008.

Serves 4

1-2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
1 cup diced bacon
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 Tbsp plain flour
150 ml dry white wine
200ml single cream
200ml milk
200ml fish or vegetable stock
200g white crab meat
400g can sweetcorn, drained
Fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
lemon quarters, to serve

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat. Add the chopped onion, celery, leek, and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the potatoes and toss with the vegetables.

Stir in the flour, and cook for a minute. Pour over the wine, milk, cream, and top up with the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Mix in the sweetcorn kernels, and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir the crab meat into the soup, and remove from the heat.

Garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with crusty bread. Squeeze the lemon quarter over the soup just before eating.

Queen Time!

2009-01-06T09:07:00.003Z

And there it is: a brand new year. A time full of open possibilities where every wish can be made or renewed. Happy 2009 everyone!

Traditions are what we make of them. As a child, I don't remember a Christmas, New Year Eve or a Dia de Reis (Three Kings day, also known as The Epiphany) without Bolo-Rei, and like many children I didn't quite enjoy it, mainly because of all that candied fruits. It takes a bit of an adult taste to fully enjoy the richness of the cake. But even grown ups can be picky with candied fig and pumpkin, so many bakeries started a fancy cake made only with whole nuts and no candied fruits AT ALL. It's even richer, more expensive, and prettier than our traditional Bolo-Rei. Today, I offer you a different version from last year's King Cake (Bolo-Rei), a version made only with nuts: whole almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts. It's called Queen Cake!

Queen Cake (Bolo-Raínha)
Lightly adapted from Eric Treuille e Ursula Ferrigno, Bread

2 small or 1 large cake

100 grs walnuts
50 grs whole almonds
50 grs whole hazelnuts
600 grs (4 cups) all-purpose flour
125 ml (about 1/2 cup) whole milk
2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
165 grs (3/4 cup) golden caster sugar
100 grs butter (3/4 cup), softened
3 large eggs

Topping
24 walnut halves
bunch of almonds or/and hazelnuts
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp water
milk to glaze
icing sugar for decoration

Dissolve the yeast in 125ml of tepid milk and leave for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour with salt - make a well in center of flour and pour in dissolved yeast. Gently fold some of surrounding flour into pool of yeast to form a soft paste in center of well. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar with vanilla extract. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Incorporate butter mixture into flour mixture and continue bringing in sides to form a soft dough. Knead the dough well, it should be smooth and elastic. Add nuts and knead to distribute evenly. Smother the dough in a little flour and cover with a clean cloth. Place bowl in a warm draft free area, and let rise until doubled in size, for about 1 hour.

Once dough has doubled, punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. If you're making 2 small cakes (like me), divide into 2 equal parts. Using your fingers, open a hole in the centre of each ball. (You can insert a floured glass to prevent sticking - that will keep the hole open) Cover with a towel, let rise again for another hour, until doubled in size. (Remove the glass, if using one) Glaze the dough with milk and arrange the nuts on top of the ring (push nuts a bit, so they won't fall as the dough rises whilst baking). Bake at 180ºC for 45-50 minutes or until golden.

Place water and sugar in a small saucepan, mix over stove until incorporated and a bit liquid, so it is easy to brush on finished cakes. After removing the cake from the oven, gently brush top and sides with this mixture. Sprinkle with (lots of) icing sugar.

Here it is my cake to celebrate Three Kings Day! Check all traditions like Galette des rois, Roscón de Reyes, Bolo Rei, King Cake, Dreikönigskuchen at Zorra's website.

DB#26 or Have a Christmas with lots of Chocolate!

2008-12-28T18:29:00.004Z

In December, you expect the Daring Bakers to go wild on Yule Logs. I've never made one myself, so I - like many others - kinda of expected the challenge to be a Yule Log... and we were not deceived! A French Yule Log it was! 6 different components, 12 pages for the recipe, 24 bowls, pans, saucepans, you-name-it to wash up... This was probably the most challenging of all the recipes I've made with the Daring Bakers. My Yule Log had two almond dacquoise layers (bottom and top), aniseed creme brulée, almond caramel praliné, dark chocolate mousse, dark chocolate ganache and dark chocolate icing. I served it for dessert on Christmas Lunch. It was a hit!

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand. For the recipe, check Hilda's Saffron and Blueberry, and (as always!) for a few thousand versions visit the Daring Bakers blogroll.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- This was time consuming but not that difficult. Each component was fairly easy to make, and the recipes were very nice on their own, except perhaps for the mousse. It was pretty hard to make a pâté à bombe with such small quantities.
- I topped my Bûche de Noël with dacquoise, as well as using it for the bottom.
- I made 1 + a half recipe of the dark icing to prevent icing 'accidents' (I'm very prone to this kind of troubles!!).
- The most challenging of all was the insane number of dishes this took - it made me use dozens of bowls, saucepans, pans, spoons, spatulas, you name it! Huge thanks to my hubby who did most of the washing up, as I absolutely hate it.
- My overall thought is that it didn't feel very Christmas-ish to me (perhaps because it was a frozen dessert and I tend to think of those as summer desserts) but it was really delicious. And I'm not a chocoholic!

I don't think the photos do any justice to how nice it was and how yummy it tasted. I just didn't have time to photograph it properly with everybody around... Anyway, you can get an idea of how it looked with the chocolate decorations on top.

Happy Days!

2008-12-24T15:35:00.000Z

Cookies are packed, turkey is stuffed and ready to go to the oven, Christmas Yule and Bolo Rei are finished too.

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Chocolate & Ginger...

2008-12-20T11:21:00.005Z

Cookies. What else? Those were my second batch of cookies from last weekend. My friend Pipoka gave me this "Australian Women's Weekly" Cookies & Biscuits issue a while ago. I meant to try a couple of recipes for ages but it didn't happen. Until now. And I'm so happy I finally made it! These Chocolate & Ginger Cookies (originally called chocolate ginger Easter Eggs, but that wouldn't work for Christmas, would it?) are just spicy enough, and the dough works like a breeze.

Chocolate & Ginger Cookies
Adapted from "Australian Women's Weekly" Cookies & Biscuits

Makes about 50

1 1/2 cups (225 grs) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (35 grs) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (25 grs) unsweetened (Dutch-process) cocoa powder
1/2 cup (125 grs) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (165 grs) firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp peeled grated fresh ginger
coloured sugar pearls, to decorate

Sift together both flours and cocoa powder in a bowl. Cream butter, egg and brown sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Mix in grated ginger, then flour and cocoa, in two batches. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Halve dough, and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between sheets of baking paper until 5 mm thick.

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350°F). Line oven trays with baking paper (or use a silicone sheet). Cut cookies with different cutters. Place apart from each others on trays. Bake cookies about 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Cookies are good on their own, sprinkled with fine sanding sugar. You can also make a chocolate fondant icing. Stir chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth. To cover all the cookies you'll need about 100 grs of dark chocolate. Use a metal spatula, dipped in hot water to spread the icing quickly over cookies. Set at room temperature.

These Chocolate & Ginger Cookies are my second entry for season 2 of Eat Christmas Cookies, managed by Susan of Food Blogga. You can check all the brilliant cookies entered here.

Christmas cookies at last!

2008-12-18T10:56:00.006Z

It has been difficult for me to get into Christmas spirit this year. I still did all my shopping before December's madness settled in but it was pretty much that. I usually start baking the cookies 3 weeks before Christmas to get everything ready for friends and family as they pop up during December. Well, not this year. My sister in law - who lives away from me - promptly gave me a reminder whilst kissing me goodbye the last time we were together about a month ago. Don't you forget about the Christmas cookies! Last weekend, I've finally managed to get the cookies going. The first batch is right out of the oven!

White Chocolate and Dried Cranberry Cookies
Adapted from Rachel Allen, Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends, p. 158

Rachel's original recipe here. She calls for 50g soft brown sugar AND 50g caster sugar OR 100g demerara sugar. I'm pretty sure I read that as my intention was to use both sugars. Except I mixed in the soft brown sugar, and completely forgot to add the caster sugar until all cookies were shaped. At this point I've decided to coat the cookies with demerara sugar. Just yummy!

Makes 30-35

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
50 grs soft brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 grs) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup (50 grs) mixed dried cranberries and dried cherries
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup (50 grs) old-fashioned porridge oats
1/2 cup (50 grs) ground almonds (a.k.a. almond meal)
100 grs white chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp demerara sugar, to coat

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Sift the flour and the bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, ground almonds, dried fruits, and white chocolate, and mix to combine. Stir in melted butter, and the egg yolks into the dry ingredients until dough forms. (The mixture should be on the soft side.)

Make walnut-sized dough portions, using your hands. Roll each cookie with the demerara sugar to coat. Place them onto a lined baking sheet, and gently push with the palm of your hand to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a metal rack to cool.

I'm sending these White Chocolate and Dried Cranberry Cookies over to lovely Susan of the always inspirational Food Blogga for season 2 of Eat Christmas Cookies - a very nice and yummy event Susan organizes for the second consecutive year! You can check all the baking here.

HHDD#23 - It's Pesto!

2008-12-12T20:44:00.001Z

I'm very fond of Hay Hay it's Donna Hay, and usually try not to miss any round. It's a food event I keep close to the heart. When Joey from the ever wonderful 80 Breakfasts chose Pesto, I was delighted with the theme: easy, and with so many open possibilities! Coincidentally, one year ago from this day I was making Minted Walnut Pesto after having tried a Cilantro Almond Pesto. So what now? Rocket! Although rocket is not very usual, it has to be my favourite green for pesto.

I've used Donna's recipe Joey has provided, replacing the basil with the rocket, and omitting the lemon zest. Because it's cold in Lisbon, and comfort foods are in season, I've served my rocket pesto as a topping to a bowl of White Bean Soup, recipe courtesy of - the one and only, the lady herself - Donna Hay! ;)

Rough Chop Rocket Pesto*
Slightly adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, issue 35, p. 104

1 cup roughly chopped rocket
2 Tbsp roughly chopped toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil (I like virgin extra with mild flavours for this recipe)

Place the basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and oil in a bowl and stir to combine. Makes one cup.

White Bean Soup
Adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, issue 33, p. 104

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450 grs cannellini beans, re-hydrated
4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Dried cannellini beans must be soaked in water for at least 4 hours (best overnight). You'll need about 175 grs of dried beans.

Heat a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic and celery, and stir about 2-3 minutes or until they are translucent. Add the beans and stock, and bring to a boil, stirring to ensure the beans don’t stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat, cover and let cook for about 1 hour, or until the beans are very soft. Stir the soup occasionally during this time.

Blend the soup. If you have one, use a hand blender. Otherwise, a food processor or standing blender will work too. Puree the soup until it is smooth. Season to taste. Continue to cook, uncovered, until thick. Serves 4.

Serve soup topped with a tsp or two of rocket pesto.

* Original recipe is topped with chorizo.

Hay Hay Its Donna Day is a food event created by Barbara from WinosandFoodies and now taken under the wing of Bron Marshall.

Farófias & Hugs

2008-12-05T14:18:00.003Z

We're not very good with hugs in Portugal. We kiss. We easily turn our cheek to be kissed as a compliment to someone (even a person we may not know very well) but we seldom hug anyone. For me, hugs are the vital energy that feeds happiness. Someone once said that you can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug. I blame Donna Hay for having met Barbara. From the many things I have Donna to thank for, one of the most important is to have crossed paths with such an adorable person. Barbara's fight against cancer has started half a planet away from her home, and just a "block" away from mine when she was finishing her holidays in Portugal. Geography's not important. Love is. Today, I want to wrap Barbara in a tight hug, with beautiful pink flowers, soft poached meringues, and positive thoughts!

When Bron and Ilva kindly invited me to join the super hug to Barbara, I wondered what to make... Farófias. I'll make farófias. French call it ile flotante. The Portuguese call it farófias, a “cloud” of fluffy light airy, fresh meringue combined with lemon custard and a pinch of cinnamon. So together with a huge hug, and a bunch of smiles, that's for you, Barbara!

Farófias
(Poached Meringues in Lemon Custard with Cinnamon)
Slightly adapted from Maria de Lourdes Modesto, Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa

Serves 4-6

4 large eggs, separated
4 Tbsp caster sugar
3 cups + 3 Tbsp whole milk
Zest of 1 lemon, cut in long strips
1/2 cup golden caster sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted

In a deep skillet set over moderately low heat, bring 3 cups of the milk and the lemon zest to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Strain the milk and return to the skillet. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then add 4 Tbsp caster sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, and beat until stiff glossy peaks form.

Return the milk to low heat and when steam rises from the surface, drop meringue in by rounded tablespoons. (To keep meringue from sticking, dip the spoon often in hot water). Poach the meringues about 2 minutes in the milk, turn and poach the other side 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer them to a large plate and reserve.

As soon as all meringues are poached, strain the milk into a medium-size heavy saucepan and mix in the golden caster sugar. Check if any milk can be poured from the plate where the meringues are. Combine the extra 3 Tbsp of milk with the cornstarch, in a small bowl. Whisk a little of the hot milk into this mixture, then blend into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately low heat 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Beat the egg yolks lightly, whisk in a little of the hot sauce, stir back into pan and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2-3 minutes (do not boil or the mixture may curdle).

Place the meringues into a large shallow heatproof bowl or 4-6 individual plates. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then pour on top of the meringues. Serve warm or well chilled, dusting the meringues with cinnamon at the last minute. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

DB#25 or a Caramel Dream!

2008-11-29T00:10:00.003Z

When I was a kid my drawings were always full of colour but I've never managed to keep them clean and tidy. It could be a stain, a colorful fingerprint or just everything a bit uneven on the page. Every time I'd complain, my mum would say my drawings were beautiful and perfect the way they were. I would roll my eyes, and start over (stubborn, me?). One day, after she gave me the same answer, I've explained her that I wanted my drawings to be "perfect BUT perfect in a perfect way". I was 4 years old. The "perfect in a perfect way" became a family mockery that has survived all these years. Even today, when I say something is perfect, there will certainly be a member of my lovely family to quickly ask "but is it perfect in a perfect way or just perfect?". And we all laugh.

As much as I wanted my cakes to be "perfect in a perfect way", I've learned to like their rustic appearance. They have a thing of their own, some sort of perfect imperfection... and I like that! Of course, I still dream of caramel buttercream spread across without a single flaw, and luscious decorations running the sides and top of a tall, even cake. A girl can dream, right? ;-)

Let me welcome you to a Caramel Dream, pardon, to a caramel cake with Shuna Fish Lydon mark. I came across Shuna's blog, and work, through my friend Fer a while ago. It made me really happy to know an enormous bunch of talented people would bake her signature caramel cake... So let me welcome you to the Daring Bakers November challenge! This month we have a lovely hostess: Dolores of Chronicles of Culinary Curiosity, co-hosted by Alex of Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo, Jenny of Foray into Food, and Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go. Check all the other Daring Bakers Caramel dreams!

Shuna Fish Lydon caramel cake's recipe can be found here, and some tips from Shuna over at Eggbeater.

My thoughts on the challenge:

- The cake is moist, and has a great texture.
- My idea for the cake was to keep it caramel only. My only concession was a handful of tiny little bits of dulce de leche on top of the cakes.
- As many people said it was extra sweet, I've reduced the sugar in the cake to a little less than 1 cup.
- I thought it was very important to cream the butter for the cake for a long 7-8 minutes. The 'dry, wet, dry, wet, dry' method was also very simple but important for the outcome. My batter was soft and light, with a beautiful golden colour.
- Instead of a large cake, I've made a medium one, and 6 individual cakes.
- I've halved the buttercream recipe, and again cut dramatically the amount of sugar (1/2 cup) but used the higher amount of syrup stated (plus a little more!). It worked fine, despite of all.
- The medium cake was a major success with my dad-in-law, covered with the buttercream on top, and some caramel syrup running.
- The day after, I served the individual cakes halved, with buttercream between the layers, dulce de leche crumbled on top, and paired with mulled pears. It was surprisingly good!
- Unfortunately, I didn't find the time to make Alice Medrich's Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels.

Mulled Pears

4 large, ripe pears (I used the portuguese variety Rocha), whole, peeled
4 Tbsp light muscovado sugar
400 ml red wine
1 cinnamon stick
1 star aniseed

Put the sugar, wine, cinnamon, and star aniseed in a large saucepan. Heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears to the simmering syrup. Poach for 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool completely. Keep the pears in the syrup overnight. Serve with the cake.

Streets & Pies

2008-11-26T19:52:00.011Z

Walk the streets. If I had to point out a favourite thing when I'm abroad, it had to be lurk around. To have a sneak peek at non-touristic places, and somehow blend with the locals. Quite easy, if you're in a big city like London, and know your way around the language. Not so cool, when you're in Paris with my lousy French. But a closed mouth with an enigmatic smile, nice clothes and an extra colourful scarf will put you trough. Now try to blend in Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds or make an attempt to pronounce 'Kenneth' like a local... I've mentioned my flash trip to the UK last summer to meet my friend. N. lives in the Suffolk. Although I know the south of England fairly well, I had never made it to the center north of the country before. My day spent in Cambridge was lovely, and my visit to The Theatre Royal in Bury most memorable. As a good British girl, N. served me a pie for dinner. A few days ago I made a fish pie for dinner (hence the awful photos), and just couldn't stop all the memories that popped up.

Fish Pie
Slightly inspired from Jamie's Ministry of Food, original recipe here

Serves 4

4-5 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, peeled, and grated
150g Mascarpone cheese
Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
400g white fish fillets, cut into large chunks
8-12 king prawns, raw, peeled
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the potatoes. Cook for 12 minutes or until soft. Grate the carrot into an oven dish. Place the fish an the prawns on top of the carrot, and sprinkle with chili flakes. Add the lemon zest and juice. Drizzle with the olive oil. Mix everything together.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pan. Mash until smooth, then mix in the Mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the top of the fish and grated veg. Place in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes, or until cooked through, crispy and golden on top. Serve with steamed vegetables or a green salad. I served mine with caramelized butternut squash.

Chocolate & Cardamom

2008-11-24T19:04:00.005Z

Bakery's open on weekends here at home. I often ask my husband (aka Mr. Taster) what kind of cake he wants for the week. He always comes up with a couple of suggestions, depending on if we have extra fruits or any new recipe bookmarked. Last week I didn't even have to ask. Do you know you have 5... FIVE! different brands of chocolate bars in the pantry, plus 2 halved?? The remark was meant to express how he hates my (very) untidy pantry, and my messy shopping habits. Oh do I? I had no idea. (I can play the angel role with a fairly convincing voice when I want...) What do you think of a chocolate cake? I asked. Sure! All's well when it ends well. Except I wasn't in the mood to bake a layered, decadent, creamy chocolate cake. My gut feeling kept pushing me to the spice stand... Spices love chocolate. Cardamom loves dark bittersweet chocolate! I remembered Sue Lawrence's On Baking had a recipe featuring cardamom and chocolate. I did a few changes to suit our taste. This is a very fragrant cake. Decrease the cardamom amount if you dislike strong flavoured cakes.

Cardamom Chocolate Cake
Slightly inspired from Sue Lawrence's On Baking

1 Loaf (or 12 tea cakes)

125 grs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, beaten
100 grs dark chocolate (I like Lindt 70% cocoa), cut into large chunks
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
2 Tbsp milk
3-4 large green cardamom pods (or more, to taste)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360ºF). Sift the flour into a bowl. Tip the the cardamom pods into a pestle and mortar and crush. Use a sieve to mix only the ground cardamom into the flour. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, until light. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the flour and milk, and beat well. Add the chocolate chunks to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Spoon into a buttered loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can dust the cake with powdered sugar and good quality cocoa or leave it plain. Serve with whipped cream or lemon curd.

I'm sending this over to Lorraine at Not Quite Nigella for The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge! Not sure this is my Best Ever Chocolate Cake but it was a success for tea.

5 Books + 10 Images

2008-11-17T10:17:00.006Z

Books are living souls here at home. The space is filled as if real beings shared their life with us. They spread across the walls, remain on the floor, get forgotten on the tables. My piles of books are messy, unsteady, and always about to crash while Mr. Taster's piles are tidy, always stable and sometimes thematic... We offer each other books and tell our (hi)story from them. We deliberately forget some and refuse to hide others. We celebrate (with) books, and can't live without them.

The Portuguese speaking foodblog world is hot with a challenge to choose 3 of your favourite books. I've been tagged by Marcel Gussoni of Sabor Sonoro and Dani Oliveira of Cozinha Travessa. As my head is like my book piles, messy and about to crash, I got the idea that we were to choose 5 books... Oh well. These are my 3 possible book choices of yesterday, posted today and surely different from tomorrow's.

My last crush is called David Tanis. I have this silly way to fall in love with men I don't know... And it's not sick because therapy is quite easy, with me cooking their recipes, and moving forward. This A Platter of Figs & Other Recipes is a beautiful book. Stunning simplicity. I warmly recommend it.

My favourite Jamie Oliver's book has to be Jamie's Italy. In my recent trip to London, I've got his new Jamie's Ministry of Food. I'm quite impressed with the concept, and the idea of sharing recipes, and put people to cook. Cooking is/should be a pleasure. A society that doesn't cook, and worst than that forgot how to, is intrinsically wrong.

And last but not least, Nigel Slater's little book Real Fast Food, a book I always grab to look for ingredient combination, and that reads (it has no photos) like fiction.

Because I'm really curious to know what books they'd choose, I'm tagging:
Louise of Gato Azul,
my buddy Rita, aka Clumbsy Cookie,
Joey of 80breakfasts,
Dee of Choos & Chews,
and Andrea of Cooking Books.

Can't resist to show you, "out of competition", Tessa Kiros' delicious book about Portugal. Piripiri starfish is a book that makes you dream. When I become a food writer, I want to be like her!

A long, long time ago Sylvia of La vida en Buenos Aires y afines challenged me to share 10 favourite images from this blog. With a lot of delay, and choices of another time, here they are.

Delicious Autumn

2008-11-10T14:48:00.005Z

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. George Eliot's idea sounds really appealing to me. Autumn is my favourite season of the year. I, too, could travel along the world seeking for the beginning of another Autumn, especially to those places where leaves go from yellow to reddish, and all tones of orange... Where apples, mushrooms, pears, and pumpkin are getting in season. A place where celery, clementines, and butternut squash come to hand easily. With Autumn comes a light blanket, and a cup of tea with a Pumpkin Poppy Seed Muffin.

Pumpkin Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 12

1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash, pureed*
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp (about 150ml) cream
1 large egg
1 1/3 cup (about 175g) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2/3 cup (about 150g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
powdered sugar, to dust (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360ºF). Mix in the pumpkin purée with the cream, and the egg in a medium bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, spices, and nutmeg into another bowl. Add the poppy seeds. Combine both mixtures. Add the butter, beating just until combined. Spoon the mix into a silicone muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until well risen and golden. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

The purée gives a wonderfully moist texture to these spicy muffins. They don't keep well for long, and are best eaten within 2-3 days.

* Pumpkin or butternut squash can be boiled, steamed or roasted. I've used the latter, scooping the pulp after roasting half a pumpkin covered with aluminum foil for 45-55 minutes or until soft.

"Muffin Monday" is the name of a French muffin-oriented event, organized by Dominique of Cuisine Plurielle. Its #11 edition is dedicated to Autumn. These Pumpkin Poppy Seed Muffins are my entry to this adorable event.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head... in London

2008-11-08T18:58:00.005Z

Last Saturday, lovely British weather was at its best: rainy, windy, and cold. Just perfect. We had plans to go to Portobello Market, have a walk around Notting Hill, and meet some good friends. And so we did, checking British antiquities, all sort of posh 'junk', stylish clothes, and rain. Lots of rain. Cursing under my breath, I've bought some spices at the Spice Shop, and decided Books for Cooks was a nice place to reheat, drooling over beautiful cookbooks whilst waiting for my friends. What a joy to meet them all!

Now a group of 7, we left to walk around a bit more. We made it to Le Maroc, for tahini and pomegranate molasses, and finally gave up to freezing weather. A large wooden table in the next deli right after the Moroccan market offered the perfect spot for our meal. The cold, grey day was very much changed by Valentina's laugh, our endless chitchat, and comfort food: celery and carrot soup, marguerita toasts, lots of tea, and memories to keep.

Leaving the deli, we walked back to Notting Hill Gate, passing by Ottolenghi's beautiful stand. I kept thinking of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", the old movie. One of the romantic and heart-warming scenes in the film is when "Butch" (Paul 'gorgeous' Newman) takes "Etta" (Katherine Ross) on a bicycle ride under a blue sky, with no hint of rain. The music seems both unfitting and absolutely right, at the same time. Raindrops keep fallin' on my head playing in my mind with real drops on my face but what a day - happiness, joy, and friendship. Who cares about the rain?

Can you read my mind?

2008-11-06T11:33:00.009Z

Can you read my mind?
Can you read my mind?

The teenage queen, the loaded gun
The drop dead dream, the Chosen One
A southern drawl, a world unseen
A city wall and a trampoline

I know London all too well to be easy to write about how mixed my feelings are every time I go back. There's this song by The Killers, Can you read my mind? (Check the cover by Portuguese musician David Fonseca - scroll down to the end of this post) that sums it up for me. London can always read my mind. I'm fifteen again when I walk by Trafalgar Square, and remember the first time I've seen punks and a Velásquez live - both on the same day, just a few meters away from each other. The big city's vertigo - the ultimate melting pot. Everyone fits. Even me, with my stubborn look wearing a flowered jacket, pink skirt and ballerinas... climbing the steps of The National Gallery. I'm back in Trafalgar Square, just a few years ago when London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games - shortly before the terrorist attacks that spread terror across the city. No, no, no, not again! My mind slides to my first crumble, a bread pudding or baked beans, and moves to the large bookstores where every book on Earth can be found.

But not everything about London is dreamy. Visiting is always great, living there is quite a different matter. What feels organized when you visit becomes narrow minded after a while, the competitive struggle for little things is exhausting, the misty weather gets to your bones, and to your brain. Still. London is the city I'd want to live in if I was to leave my country. 'Cause nothing compares to this ability to find something new whilst walking the streets that lead to Convent Garden or Notting Hill. Wherever you go, there's a corner, a shop or a place steeped in the vibes of its area that grabs your soul. Unbelievable, this. It is exciting, shocking - even scary - to be in a city that reads your mind...

Oh well I don't mind, you don't mind
Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Before you go
Tell me what you find when you read my mind

Cream Tea for Two

2008-10-30T10:09:00.005Z

London. Home away from home. Perhaps because I've been there more times than I remember or because it was my first trip on my own when I was 15 or because I've lived there for an extended period, London does feel like home to me. My first time was a wonderful adventure (tell you all about it someday!) half a life ago, my last just 4 months back when I flew to London by myself for the Wimbledon semifinals to meet my friend N. - my all-time partner for the tennis - and stay with her and her adorable family for a couple of days.

N. and I became friends years ago. We've been to Wimbledon together a zillion times. Ages ago, I had my first Cream Tea at the Pergola Cafe when pouring rain suspended play (which is something that happens at Wimbledon like... all the time!), and since then when I think of Wimbly, it's not strawberries & cream or Pimm's that come to mind but - you've guessed it - Cream Tea. The Pergola was moved last year to a different location because of works. Both me and N. hated the cold metal chairs and the open-spaced lounge, the tea served in paper-cups and the soulless place. This year, the Pergola was back to its original being, I had my cream tea in the outside wooden chairs in a proper china cup. Even the rain stopped, and the sun made its appearance. Oh perfection!

Mr. Taster and I are leaving for an extended weekend in London. Umbrellas, Rothko's tickets, and a rainy forecast. We're set to go.

Scones
Adapted from Bill Granger, Bill's Food

Makes 8

1 Tbsp icing (confectioners') sugar
310 grams (2 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
250 ml (1 cup) milk
30 grams (1 oz) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas7. Sift the icing sugar, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the milk and butter, and stir to combine. Knead quickly and lightly until smooth, and then press out onto a floured surface.

Use a glass to cut out rounds roughly 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter and 3 cm (1,25inches) deep and place them on a greased baking tray. Gather the scraps together, lightly knead again, then cut out more rounds. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Cream Tea is originally served with clotted cream, which we don't have in Portugal. I served mine with Duchy's Blood Orange Marmalade (that N. sneaked into my bag in the airport), and butter. Duchy Originals is a great brand, and an old favourite of mine.

DB#24 or Bring it on!

2008-10-29T19:04:00.003Z

Pizza! Let me rephrase it: THE pizza. I'm pretty sure there's some Italian blood in my veins. Not that I have any proofs of this, but I love all Italian food, from pasta to desserts - not to mention pizza. When Rosa, our host for the month, chose pizza, I was thrilled about it. Rosa also asked for a photo of each of us tossing the dough. Unfortunately, I could find anyone to make the photo but I can tell you tossing was probably the best part!!

Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Pizza

I used some roasted garlic - mashed and spread on the crust - and slow roasted tomatoes, combined with red and green bell peppers. Added some mozzarella, oregano, and fresh basil.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

Adapted from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 4-6 pizza crusts

For the dough:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) olive oil or vegetable oil
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) ice cold water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE
Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl or stand mixer. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (spoon or paddle attachment) to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If it is too wet, add a little flour and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.
If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.
Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper. Cut the dough into 4-6 equal pieces. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.
Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.
NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO
On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.
At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.
Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Take 1 piece and lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.
Make only one pizza at a time. During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin.
When the dough has the shape you want, place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- This recipe is definitely a keeper.
- The dough was a breeze to make. Mine worked great using the mixer.
- Tossing the dough was great fun, and frankly not that difficult. I'll never roll out another pizza crust.
- As I still have some frozen dough for another 4 pizza crusts, I'll try a sweet version... Thinking of chocolate and banana!

Check out all the other Daring Bakers Pizza creations at the blogroll.

HHDD#23 - It's (flavoured) yoghurt!

2008-10-24T13:04:00.009+01:00

Why do I make the choices I do about my cooking and baking? Research, thinking, personal taste - 90% work, 10% inspiration. Of course, each recipe has a story behind. And I don't always work it that much! It's just my designer's mind, and method, taking over. If we're talking about ice cream flavours, you're allowed to choose 'vanilla' just because. But if you're discussing a project with me that just won't do! I'd love to have years to live as I've repeated these couple of sentences to my students. Because that would mean a very long life for me! Training young people to become designers is not always an easy task but can be quite rewarding.

All this talk? Bordeaux chose a challenging theme to the 23rd edition of Hay hay it's Donna Day: Yoghurt. My first compulsion was to make stracciatella yoghurt. Then I thought, why stracciatella? Er... just because. And it didn't feel right! The choice you make about something can be just a gut feeling. But you have to know why you choose what you choose. Enough cheap talking! Bear with me, I had a tough week at work. ;-)

Pomegranate Yoghurt with Toasted Pistachios
Slightly adapted from Donna's recipe, via Marita Says

Serves 4

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup sugar (or a little less depending on how sweet the pomegranate is)
1 cup chilled plain yogurt
1 cup chilled cream

Prepare a syrup by placing the juice, and sugar in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer for another 4 minutes and then let it stand for another 5. When the syrup has cooled, add it together with the other ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy.

Serve with pomegranate seeds and toasted pistachios (about 2 Tbps of each per person or to taste).

Notes

Use an old apron to work with pomegranates. If possible work outdoors. (You'll want to remember this. Pomegranate stains are FOREVER!)

Check how to peel and seed a pomegranate here.

For the juice, I used a very large pomegranate. Scoop out the pomegranate seeds with a spoon. Place them in a cloth bag and squeeze out the juice. Strain the juice through a second cloth bag. If you don't have enough juice for the recipe, add a bit of water to the leftover pulp, and adjust the sugar.

To toast the pistachios, place in a dry skillet large enough so they are in one layer, over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan often, until nuts start to darken, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly before using. Chop.

This is my entry for this round of Hay Hay it’s Donna Day, an event originally created by Barbara of Winos and Foodies and now taken under the wings of Bron Marshall.

My favourite beer

2008-10-23T10:29:00.006+01:00

I'm not much into beer. To be completely honest, I totally fail to understand how some people love beer. If not for the occasional Guinness Stout, I'd live happily without such thing... But I've recently found out that I LOVE barley. Since I tried it for the first time in Slovenia, and after my minestrone, I became quite fond of this grain. This salad is a breeze to make if you already cooked the barley - which can be done in larger amounts, and kept in the fridge - and roasted the pumpkin (with a drizzle of olive oil, and a bay leaf) - again very convenient to bake large quantities.

Spinach Barley Salad with Feta

Serves 2

1 cup barley, cooked
1 cup roasted pumpkin, cut into wedges
2 cups fresh spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 hard boiled egg, quartered

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach. Sautée for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the freshly ground nutmeg. Season with a pinch of salt.

Dressing

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
ground black pepper, to taste
3 tps extra-virgin olive oil

In a large serving bowl, whisk the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, beating until smooth. Add the barley and the remaining salad ingredients (except the egg), and toss to coat with the dressing. Add the egg, and extra pepper if necessary. Serve.

Bread, of course!

2008-10-16T15:29:00.007+01:00

Although I bake bread almost every week, it has been a while since I've blogged about bread. The last one was a somewhat tropical bread with cocoa and cinnamon, that I often bake around here. As I mentioned in other posts, bread is a family thing. Both my grandmothers were talented bakers, either by choice, by chance or simple need. Bread flour bags, large terracotta bowls, immaculate white sheets and wooden trays are part of my childhood memories, when my grandma use to bake a weekly bread batch in a wooden oven she had at the end of the backyard. I vividly remember those days as being truly emotive and messy. Saturday was the day we'd make small cakes using the dough leftovers, roast vegetables and bake sardines in olive oil "to take advantage of the oven", and beautiful breads to feed us throughout the week.

Every time I bake some bread I re-live those Saturdays with grandma - it works both as therapy and meditation whilst kneading, punching and shaping the dough. Me with myself, and the dough. It's the same ritual every Sunday, and, boy, do I love it. There's nothing better than bread!

Whole Wheat Milk Bread with Raisins

Makes 2 loafs

3 1/4 cups (500 grs) whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup (250 grs) bread flour, extra to dust
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (100 grs) salted butter, extra to brush
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (75 grs) raisins, or more to taste

In a saucepan, heat milk, butter, and sugar until melted and combined. Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Mix in the beaten eggs. Add the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours with the yeast. Make a hole in the middle. Add the milk mixture mixing with a fork (if using a stand mixer, pour the milk slowly and steadily while mixing, with the hook attachment). Work the dough for 10 minutes or until it's elastic and doesn't stick too much to your fingers (or to the bowl of the stand mixer). Add extra bread flour if the dough is too wet and sticky. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, dry place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Turn the dough onto a lightly dusted surface, and punch it. Set aside for a couple of minutes to rest. Work the dough for another 5 minutes, slowly incorporating the raisins whilst you knead. Prepare 2 loaf pans, buttered and dusted. Divide the dough in 2, and each half in 4 round shaped parts. Place 4 dough balls into each loaf pan. With scissors or a sharp knife, slice the top of each ball lengthwise. Cover, and let rise again for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Use a pizza stone or some bricks in the oven. To create some steam, carefully pour some boiling water over ice cubes in a large heatproof plate. Place it in the bottom of your oven. Brush the bread generously with melted butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a rack.

Today is World Bread Day'08, a fantastic initiative to celebrate - what I personally think is - the best food in the entire world: bread, of course!. This is my contribute to this lovely day, the 3rd World Bread Day is brilliantly organized by Zorra.

From Provence with love

2008-10-16T10:26:00.006+01:00

Our holidays at the seaside are, we may say, 'peculiar' thanks to one of us (moi) who clearly has a bad relationship with the sun. Because of that, we end up making up programs away from the beach for the hot summer afternoons. Whilst other mortal beings improve their tan (and the risk for skin cancer...), this 'solar weirdo' visits exhibitions dragging her poor (and pale) husband.

It was an August afternoon when we sailed to the city to a World Press Foto exhibition in the middle of Algarve. It was destiny that at the marina, not far from the exhibition area, a book sale was taking place... Oh no! Books are a shared addiction/passion. We made it there, naturally. Mr. Taster soon found a couple of fiction books he was looking for. I opened and closed a cookbook in blue covered with lemons. Buy it. My shelves are packed. I have half a dozen french cuisine cookbooks. Take the book. It's heavy... I've put the book back. Only to reach for it, and to place it back again. And once more. Again and again. I've been put out of my misery when my partner of many fights and little sunshine, grabbed the book on his way to checkout, and gently pushed me to the way out. My laugh is still echoing in the tent! The book? It found a place on the top shelf pushing a stack of Saveurs magazines to the living room...

Tian* de Pommes
Adapted from Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine, Sabores da Provença, Editora Civilização.

Serves 4-6

6 (small) red apples, unpeeled and cored
75 grs unsalted butter, extra to butter the ramekins
100 ml whole milk, cold
200 ml pouring or single cream
100 grs almond meal
1 Tbsp cornmeal
4 (medium) eggs
3 Tbsp caster sugar, , extra to dust the ramekins
powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven 200ºC. Halve the cored apples, and slice thinly.

Melt the butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced apples. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring carefully not to break the slices. Remove from heat. Seat aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, cream, almond and cornmeal. Mix in the eggs and the sugar. Beat just until combined. Add the apples.

Butter a large ovenproof dish (or 6-8 individual ramekins) and dust with sugar. Pour the batter evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes if using individual ramekins or 45 minutes if using a large dish.

Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

* Tian is a terracotta dish that can have many shapes: oval, rectangular or round; gratins made this way can be sweet or savoury, and are called tians.

Slow Mood

2008-10-06T21:52:00.003+01:00

What do you do when tons of tomatoes hit your doorstep? Well, first of all, say 'Thank You' - that part is important because it's what you should do when you get a present. The vision of melt-in-the-mouth sweet juicy delicious tomatoes, plus a zillion vibrant red possibilities, got to me. I smiled, grabbed the baskets, and entered my kitchen with a mind full of ideas. I totally forgot about thanking. Fortunately, I realized soon enough to call back and apologize. It's all right, your happy face said it all!! I'm an open book when it comes to food!

Slow roasted tomatoes are good on their on, in a salad, a tart or pasta, to make a sauce or soup. I specially love them in a tomato sauce, blend with a couple of fresh basil leaves. YAM!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

12-14 medium/large tomatoes, cored and quartered
6-8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
dash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
pinch dry basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Place the tomatoes and the garlic cloves in a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sugar and dry basil. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until dried-up. Peel the garlic cloves, and mash. Use it together with the tomatoes.

Store in the fridge in a jar with extra olive oil, if necessary. Use within a week.

DB#23 or How late is late?

2008-09-28T13:14:00.004+01:00

If I have a kitchen motto is 'no regrets' about anything. No regrets if it went wrong. No regrets if it's not perfect. No regrets if I have to try it again. But specially, and most of all, no regrets for not having tried at all. I was going to go gluten-free the very first time the Daring Bakers go vegan (hooray!). I was going to make this awesome grilled peach dip. I was going to make all this, except life got in the way. I baked my Lavash yesterday (technically still before the deadline) using whatever there was in my pantry. No gluten-free crackers and no fantastic dip. What better excuse to open a pot of an Apple Tomato Chutney I've made weeks ago? Consider it open! I'm late, but hopefully not too late! ;)

Thank you so much Natalie and Shelly for such a nice recipe - I'll make it again for sure! Have a look at all the other Daring Bakers challenges for multiple options for dips and toppings.

Apple Tomato Chutney
Adapted from Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, Compotas e Conservas

Makes about 1 Kg

700 grs ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
300 grs small onions, finely chopped
500 grs apples, granny smith, peeled, cored and diced
250 ml white wine vinegar, good quality
175 grs light brown sugar
90 grs raisins
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground gloves
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

Place all the ingredients (except the spices) in a large saucepan. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40-45 minutes or until fruit and vegetables are soft. Mix in spices. The chutney is ready when thick or when running the back of a wooden spoon across, no liquid runs. Immediately pour into sterilized jars, cover, and turn sealed jar upside down until cool. Keep in the fridge. Open after 2 months (or when you want!).

For the Lavash recipe visit Shellyfish. Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen has also made an Apple Tomato Chutney. ;)

A Yellow & Red Affair

2008-09-25T10:20:00.009+01:00

What's cute, colourful, sugary and truly American? The cupcake, of course! When those sweet threats crossed the Atlantic and set foot on Europe, a 'fairy cake' had arrived. I'm not very fond of artificial colorants, and that's my only issue with cupcakes. My take on this American classic features a subtle red touch on shining yellow peaks. It's all almond, pear, saffron and lemon in plain white - wished I had reddish! - patty cases.

Saffron and Pear Cupcakes with Lemon Curd

Makes 16 mini (or 8 regular) cupcakes

1 small ripe but firm pear
100grs salted butter
100grs superfine caster sugar
2 medium eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
100 grs ground almonds (or almond meal)
40 grs all-purpose flour, sifted
½ tsp saffron threads (or more, to taste)
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF). Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs gradually. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest. Fold in ground almonds and flour, mixing just to combine (do not over mix). Line 16 tins with paper patty cases. Spoon in the mixture. Peal the pear and cut into wedges. Place 2 or 3 pieces in every cupcake. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven.

Lemon Curd
Adapted from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

½ cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Beat all the ingredients until just combined, except the juice, zest and butter. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, and add the butter.

Cook the mixture in a small nonreactive heavy pan, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. (Do not boil or the eggs will curdle.) When thick, pour into a bowl or glass jars to cool. Cover and refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.

Assemble the cupcakes: spoon a little lemon curd on top of each one, and sprinkle with some extra saffron threads.

I'm sending these Saffron and Pear Cupcakes with Lemon Curd to Fanny over at lovely Foodbeam, to join this round of Sugar High Friday. SHF is a food event created by Jennifer, aka the Domestic Goddess. Can't wait to see all the entries!

Hay, hay, it's Bordeaux again!

2008-09-24T18:43:00.004+01:00

We have a winner for this round of Hay, hay it's Donna Day. [insert drums here] Please have a look at Marita Says and drool over the awesome nutella panCAKE that took most of the votes. Congratulations Bordeaux for a deserved second win!

Thank you to everyone who submitted delicious pancakes to an amazing roundup. Once again you made me a very proud host! Obrigada!

Muffins & Presents

2008-09-19T11:13:00.006+01:00

Today it's not so much about the chocolate muffins (which, not-so-coincidentally, is a Donna Hay's recipe!) but about how Hay, hay it's Donna Hay gave the opportunity to show my love for Donna. I could tell you how I love the books and specially the magazine, or how both make my cooking and baking much better... I could also tell you that winning HHDD twice made me jump and laugh, and that I had great fun going through the magazines to choose a theme and a recipe. But the most important thing is it gave me the chance to "meet" awesome people (you know who you are!), so thanks to everyone who made it so special for me. :) I've been spoiled by talented Bron Marshall with yummy and beautiful goodies for my 1st HHDD win. Thank you, Bron! And the colourful (and very useful!) spoons & cups were a sweet gift from Alexandra from the always inspirational Addicted Sweet Tooth, along with delicious Canadian Maple Flakes! Thanks a million, Alexandra!

Chocolate Muffins
Adapted from Donna Hay, New Food Fast, p.78*

Makes 9 (or 15 mini muffins)

150grs (unsalted) butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar (I used light brown sugar)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 (large) eggs
1 cup cake flour

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF). In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar, until smooth. Add, one at a time, whisking between additions. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Fold in the egg mixture. With a spoon fill the (silicone) muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake for 12 minutes, or until baked but still wet in the inside.

*I own the Portuguese version of this book. Apologies if the recipe may be slightly different from the original, as it's my translation.

Minestrone

2008-09-18T09:47:00.002+01:00

Perhaps you remember me drooling over a minestrone back when I visited Slovenia in June. One of the most memorable meals I had in a long time! I've been daydreaming of this minestrone made of barley, black eyed peas and dry peas, according with the recipe the lady provided me with when I asked. My minestrone doesn't taste exactly like the one we had there, maybe because we miss the mountains to go with or just because I probably heard bay leaf, and she meant something else... Either way, whilst Autumn settles in this part of the globe, me and Mr. Taster had a couple of bowls and felt comforted with this hearty soup!

Minestrone

Serves 6-8

2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small courgette, diced
1 small turnip, grated
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
6 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock, warm
1 cup black eyed peas, soaked and cooked previously
1/2 cup dry peas, soaked and cooked previously
1-2 cups barley, soaked and cooked previously
Salt and black pepper
Grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Slice carrots and dice turnip and courgette. Chop onion coarsely. In a large stockpot, sautée onion with olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the bay leaf, sliced and diced vegetables, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock. Cook for 5 minutes. Mix in barley, peas and black eyed peas, and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, and allow to settle for a while with the lid on. Serve with grated Parmesan.

HHDD#22 - the Roundup!

2008-09-15T15:55:00.034+01:00

Ready for the pancakes? Get some tea, coffee or juice and join me for the fun. We have a awesome bunch of lovely recipes that, I'm sure, will provide the perfect pancake or crepe for everyone! Thank you all for submitting your entries to this event.

THE Pancake EDITION!

Once again, I'd like to start this roundup with the creator of Hay Hay it's Donna Day, Barbara of WinosandFoodies made some good looking, and for sure delicious, pancakes. Have a look at Donna's Pancakes with Blueberries and Raspberry Sauce, and tell me if that's not a beautiful way to have pancakes.

From southern France, Dhanggit of Dhanggit's Kitchen made a great stack of Rhum Raisin Almond Pancakes. I've never had alcohol for breakfast before but I'm now willing to add some Rum to my pancakes!!

From Utah, USA, Holly of Phe/MOM/enon made spectacular sweet crepes, two ways: filled with a spread of chocolately Nutella and folded then drizzled with some warm Burnt Caramel Hazelnut Praline Sauce. No further comments!

From my neighbor Spain, Tartasacher of Mil Postres made simple, but surely delicious, American Pancakes with Dark Chocolate Sauce... Mmmm, dark chocolate. Can I please (pretty please) have a couple of those with my coffee?

My good friend Rita from Clumbsy Cookie joined with truly adorable, tiny pancakes which are vegan too. Plus, they're low in sugar and low in fat, but most of all they're delicious and with a nice texture. Not a simple reason not to try those cuties.

Lisa of Spicy Ice Cream from Sydney, Australia joined with a delightful plate of Cinnamon Pancakes for a yummy morning ritual.

From beautiful Asia, Bordeaux of Marita Says came up with a Nutella PanCAKE... Should I or shouldn't I accept this variation on the theme? or is that really a question? Bring on that decadent, extremely rich and heart-attack inducing entry! ;) (And feel free to borrow my kitchen for the next HHDD events)

Chichajo of lovely 80 Breakfasts joins from Manila, Philippines for a round of Chocolate Filled Crepes with Cinnamon Crust. As joey herself says The combination of the dark chocolate and the subtle cinnamon flavour was perfect! Of course it was!!

Kazari of I think I have a recipe for that... from Canberra, Australia made yummy wholemeal Apple Pancakes, perfect to go with a cup of whatever-you're-having-for-breakfast!

SilverMoon Dragon from Dragon Musings in Australia, made Triple Choc Pancakes for her first Hay Hay it's Donna Day. What's better than double chocolate? Triple Chocolate, of course!!

Andrea of Cooking Books from Manhattan entered not one but to great recipes! First, have a taste at Ataïf with Eishta (Arab Pancakes with Middle Eastern Clotted Cream) for an exquisite version of delicious sweet pancakes.

Andrea also entered an intriguing savoury recipe for Squash Blossoms on Summer Squash Pancakes. This one got me really curious! Not to mention the pretty presentation. I'll have to try it!

Dee from choos and chews, cooking and posting from Malaysia, made some early morning Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes with Pear and Cardamom Compote. Did you just say cardamom and pear in the same sentence? Sounds like an awesome combination of flavours! Plus, instant pancakes are a great finding to save you time in the morning.

From New York, Alexandra of Addicted Sweet Tooth had some Honey Walnut Pancakes with Marinated Citrus Fruits my way. (Alexandra also sent a lovely gift to celebrate my Tiramisu winning entry. Thank you!)

Based in Chicago, IL, Jude from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté made a pile of Old-Fashioned Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes to show how whole grains are beneficial to one’s health particularly during breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is THE meal for me!

And that's all folks! Thank you all for sharing and taking part. I hope you enjoyed it. Me? I had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time once more!

Voting begins today, September 15th, and runs until midnight (GMT) next Monday September 22rd. Email your choice to me at gourmetsamadores [at] gmail [dot] com before the deadline. Participants only. The winner will be announced shortly after.

Far... and away

2008-09-11T15:25:00.005+01:00

Once in a while, my hubby grabs a cookbook from the shelves (or the floor...) and picks up a recipe. You could make this, he says. It's always something I probably wouldn't choose by myself or simply a meat dish that somehow never makes the top of my list. This time, the Official Taster has put his finger on a Far aux pêches et à la menthe from one of my many French Marabout books. Often referred as Far Breton, a far is a fruity pudding cake, between a flan and a clafoutis, great served for breakfast or as a light dessert. With a kitchen full of stone fruits, the choice was spot on! Nectarines, peppermint (a gift from my lovely friend Marizé) and some slivered almonds... Mesdames et messieurs, voilá!

Nectarine Far with Almonds
Slightly adapted from Isabel Brancq-Lepage, Flans, fars et clafoutis, Marabout.

Serves 6-8

2 cups (500ml) milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup (100grs) all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup (125grs) superfine caster sugar + 2 Tbsp extra to dust
4 ripe (but firm) nectarines
4 peppermint leaves
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF). Butter an ovenproof deep dish (or 6 to 8 individual ramekins) and dust with sugar.

Peel the nectarines, remove stone, and slice into thin pieces. Arrange into the prepared dishes, with the mint leaves randomly disposed.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Sift flour and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Slowly, whisk in the milk and eggs, beating until batter is smooth. Pour batter over the fruit. Arrange slivered almonds on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and crusty around the edges. (Do not over bake. The interior should be moist, with a flan-like texture) Sprinkle with sugar. Serve warm, from the dish.