DB Challenge February: I "heart" Panna Cotta

Even though I am posting today I actually managed to finish this challenge early. Like super early. I am pre-writing this post because I am out of town at the moment. Today is actually Feb. 5th, 2011.

I was pretty excited when I saw this month's challenge.

1. because I have been wanting to get over my fear of this dessert and..

2. because I had extra gelatin left over from last month's challenge.

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.

This challenge was nice because it offered a lot of freedom of expression.

I decided to go full tilt this month. I made 2 flavours of panna cotta.

The first:

Vanilla Bean & Wildflower Honey

The second:

Mexican Chocolate ( nice hints of chili and cinnamon)

The only thing I was pretty disappointed in was the florentine recipe. They looked good but really didn't strike me as the typical sugary, lacy, crispy texture I was used to. So I did go to a different recipe for the cookies.

The fillings were 2 kinds as well.

With the vanilla panna cotta I just did a Nutella filling.

For the chocolate panna cotta I did a caramel filling.

Vanilla Panna Cotta (Giada de Laurentis Recipe):

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon (one packet) unflavored powdered gelatin

3 cups whipping cream (30+% butterfat)

1/3 cup honey

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise an beans removed

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk wait. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

2. 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).

3. Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, vanilla beans and pod 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.

4. Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Take out vanilla pod, discard.Then pour into the glass or ramekin.

5. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Add garnishes and serve.

Mexican Chocolate Panna Cotta:

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin

2 cups whipping cream (30+% butterfat)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp chili powder

1⁄2 cup sugar

3⁄4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside for 2-5 minutes.

2. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, cinnamon, chili, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a low boil.

3. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.

4. Transfer to ramekins, or nice glasses for serving.

5. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight

Superbowl Eats

Any given Sunday you will find millions of people dressed in the NFL Sunday best tailgating outside the stadiums or pulling off spreads of finger foods in the comfort of their own homes.

This particular Sunday however is the stuff of legends. This Sunday, today is the be all and end all of football for the year. People plan their lived around this Sunday.

No you can't go to your best friend's, ex- husband's, mother-in-law's funeral. Today is SUPERBOWL SUNDAY.

I play on an indoor recreational soccer team here in the city for the wintertime and even today our team has forfeited our game in place of another.

What? you say, oh yes.

There is no greater day, maybe Christmas, then Superbowl Sunday where you get to make tons of little finger foods to sit with all your friends and hash it out about the underdog vs. the favourite, about whether or not it was a touchdown or whether the ref should have his eyes checked.

I "heart" Superbowl Sunday.

So today I will be posting a few things I have made in honour of this glorious occasion.

1. Pulled Chicken

2. Chocolate Pecan Tarts

3. Peel & Eat Shrimp

DB January Challenge: Entremet

This month's dessert was a challenge in the truest sense. It was well thought out, multistep and original.

Right now the only pictures I have are of my jaconde because I am trying to stretch the challenge out to Saturday to serve this dessert for Chinese New Year. Hopefully my family will enjoy it.

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

Equipment required:

 Silpat

 1⁄2 baking sheets or a 13” x 18” jelly roll sheet (rimmed baking sheet)

 Mixer (optional)

 Bowls

 Knives

 Offset spatula

 Regular spatula

 Pastry comb (optional)

 Rulers

 Spring form pan

 Biscuit cutter (or ring mold, or cut PVC pipe, or whatever else you can think of to mold individual desserts)

 Torte/ Entremets mold/ Springform pan/ Trifle dish (for larger desserts)

 Cling wrap

 Parchment paper

 Gel, paste or liquid food coloring (optional)

Joconde Sponge

YIELD: Two 1⁄2 size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients:

- 3⁄4 cup/ 180 ml/ 3oz/ 85g almond flour/meal - *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter

- 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 150 ml/ 22⁄3 oz/ 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar

- 1⁄4 cup/ 60 ml/ 1 oz/ 25g cake flour

- 3 large eggs - about 51⁄3 oz/ 150g

- 3 large egg whites - about 3 oz/ 90g

- 21⁄2 teaspoons/ 121⁄2 ml/ 1⁄3 oz/ 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar 2 tablespoons/ 30 ml/ 1oz / 30g unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.

2. Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)

3. On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )

4. Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in

remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.

5. Fold in melted butter.

6. Reserve batter to be used later.

Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste

YIELD: Two 1⁄2 size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients

- 14 tablespoons/ 210ml/ 7oz/ 200g unsalted butter, softened

- 11⁄2 cups plus11⁄2 tablespoons/ 385ml/ 7oz/ 200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar

- 7 large egg whites - about 7 oz / 200g

- 13⁄4 cup/ 420ml/ 73⁄4 oz/ 220g cake flour

Food coloring gel, paste or liquid

COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz / 170g. Add 2 oz/ 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture.

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)

2. Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.

3. Fold in sifted flour.

4. Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.

Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:

1. Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.

2. Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.

3. Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.

4. Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.

5. Bake at 475oF /250oC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 10 minutes. You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully.

6. Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.

7. Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and

pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)

Preparing the MOLD for entremets

1. Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by 1⁄2 inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.

2. A biscuit cutter/ cookie cutter- using cling wrap pulled tightly as the base and the cling covering the outside of the mold, placed on a parchment lined very flat baking sheet. Line the inside with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping.

3. Cut PVC pipe from your local hardware store. Very cheap! These can be cut into any height you wish to make a mold. 2 to 3 inches is good. My store will cut them for me, ask an employee at your store. You can get several for matching individual desserts. Cling wrap and parchment line, as outlined above.

Preparing the Jaconde for Molding:

1. Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.

2. Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is 1⁄2 the height of your mold.

This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full

height.

3. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a

very sharp paring knife and ruler.)

4. Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough.

5. The mold is done, and ready to fill.

*Note: If not ready to use. Lay cake kept whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze.

CROSTATA: DB November Challenge

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.


I decided to make a caramel apple crostata and a PH inspired banana and chocolate crostata.

Ok here is the deal with the bottom recipe. The PH inspired caramel, banana and chocolate tart. I don't have a recipe for anything I put in it. The caramel sauce is homemade, so just pick your fav recipe and add a little less cream to make a stiffer sauce. The chocolate truffle is ganache. Just use your favourite recipe here as well. The banana's you can brulee or not, whatever you fancy. This tart had a lot of wow factor, and it was delicious.

Version 1 of pasta frolla

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar or a scant 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• grated zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option)
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Making pasta frolla by hand:

1. Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
2. 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.
3. Make a well in the centre 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).
4. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
5. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
6. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
7. 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.

Making pasta frolla with a food processor:

1. Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistenc y of coarse meal.
3. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
4. See step 3 above and continue as explained in the following steps (minus the lemon zest, which you have already added).

Jam or cooked fruit filled crust:

1. Heat the oven to 375ºF [190ºC/gas mark 5].
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
10. 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.
11. Spread the jam or fruit preserves evenly over the bottom of the crostata.
12. Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)
13. 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.
14. Put the tart in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
15. After 25 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. (Note: Every oven is different. In my oven it took 34 minutes to bake the tart until golden.)
16. 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.

    

Apple filling:
- 5 apples assorted kinds, peeled and diced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg or freshly grate to your heart's desire
- 1/4 c. water

Place everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook unitl apples are nice and tender. Some will be applesaucy (?) and others knife tender.
Cool for 15 - 20 mins and place in pie shell following instructions listed above.

Blind Baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
2. Roll out a batch of the pasta frolla and cover the base of the tart pan. (You can use Version 1 or 2: if you use Version 1, you will have more leftover pasta frolla to turn into cookies.)
3. Cut a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil large enough to cover the bottom of the crust and extend out a bit over the edges of the pan.
4. You can use pie weights or dry beans to blind bake. Place whatever weight you’re using directly on the parchment paper or aluminum foil in an even layer.
5. Place the crostata shell in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the weights and parchment paper and continue baking the crostata shell until the border is light golden, about 5 minutes (watch carefully to avoid over-baking, which results in a hard shell). In the absence of weight, the crust may rise in th e middle: if that occurs, gently push it back down with the back of a spoon.
7. Remove from the oven and let the crostata shell cool completely before proceeding.
8. If you use a tart pan with removable bottom, release the base from the fluted tart ring, then slide the cooled crostata shell on a serving plate for filling. (Note: If you’ve used a cake pan or pie plate, use a bit of care in taking the shell out of the baking vessel.)
9. Spread the prepared pastry cream over the cooled shell.
10. Decorate the surface with fresh fruit. The crostata mus t be cool, but not cold, so if you refrigerate it, take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving. This crostata is best eaten the same day it is prepared.

Caramel, Bruleed Banana and Chocolate truffle crostata:

Assembly:

Pour caramel onto bottom of the crust enough to coat the bottom about an 1/8 - 1/4 in.
Place bananas in a single layer across the bottom

Pour ganache on top to come up to the top of the tart shell. Place in fridge for about 1.5 hours till slightly firm, or freezer for about 30 -45 minutes.
Slice with warm knife and serve.

Short and Sweet: DB Challenge October

This post will have no words of wisdom or funny stories. I am simply late, late, late on this post. However it was my birthday this past week and I can do as I want to... or so the song goes. I used this recipe from Food and Wine.
Mmmmmmm it was amazing and instead of jam I used Nutella

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.

Sugar, Sugar Cookies: September DB Challenge

This challenge could not have come at a better time for me this month. I was really excited to make these, since this challenge was so open for interpretation. The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

September for me is the beginning and the end of seasons. It's the end of soccer season for my son but the beginning of school season for him as well. With school, comes fundraising and with that comes money! This month I did 2 themed cookies 1 - was soccer jerseys for the boys on my son's team for an awesome playing season. 2 - is for a Breast Cancer fundraiser.

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies

200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions
• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.

• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during baking, losing their shape.

• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid flour flying everywhere.

• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.

• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)

• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.

• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.

• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.

• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.

• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done.
• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.

• Leave to cool on cooling racks.

• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated cookies can last up to a month.

Royal Icing:

315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions

• Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and grease free.

• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.

• Beat on low until combined and smooth.

• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

The Truth about Scones

There are certain foods in life that are synonymous with breakfast or brunch. Scones are close to the top of that list for me. So when I realized that I was stuck with a plethora of blueberries and I had a Sunday brunch planned you would have to say there was really no choice but to venture down the path of no return.

I had never made a scone, ever, and again it is one of those things that seems daunting to me. Don't knead to much, ice cold butter, careful you don't touch it to often. When there are rules like that, a lump automatically starts to form in my throat.

So it was off to foodgawker, I went to find the perfect blueberry scone recipe in hopes that I could find a recipe that was amazing but not finicky.
As per usual for that website I have succeeded in finding my now base recipe for scones.


The recipe can be founds here. The only addition I have made was the white chocolate chips.

Enjoy these.
Trust me, you want to.