What with the weather being dull and cloudy, the lovely smells and colors of summer had been replaced with musty and dusky. So I had to bring home summer in another way, that opportunity was provided graciously by the Daring Bakers.

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.

The structure of a Bakewell Tart..er..Pudding is a pie crust, a layer of jam/curd and a topping of Frangipane. I used lemon curd with a recipe provided by the diva of food bloggers Amy at http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/. The link to the recipe is here - http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/a-love-letter-to-lemon-curd/

The recipe for the tart …er…pudding is -

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

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

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

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

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

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

Sweet shortcrust pastry

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

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

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

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

Frangipane

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

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

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

On reading the recipe, I was afraid I would not be able to create a light and delicate dessert, which explains why I made it on the last day of the challenge! But it is a surprisingly sturdy piece of work and you don’t need a light hand to turn this one into a masterpiece.

Here are more pictures that reflect how this one brought the taste of sunshine to my palate.

Try this one and enjoy!

While all desserts should be made and enjoyed, some ought to, in my opinion, just be enjoyed. That is what I thought of strudel all along. I couldn’t fathom how those bakers in eastern European or Jewish bakeries, layered fine dough and crumbs to conjure logs of delight. I also mistakenly believed that the dough was fillo, which to me is simply petrifying, what with the ‘keep covered’ and ‘butter each sheet’ and ‘cut each sheet in 8.3′ by 7.14′ rectangles’. I knew this dessert was never going to be in my repertoire. 

So when it came up as a challenge, I shied away from making it for a while, till I read the recipe well. I found the dough to be very similar to the Indian phulka, which I make regulary….so not much of a challenge there and the filling was as easy as apple pie! In fact, that is just what it was, except for the brandy (which I replaced with Grand Marnier). So my family and friends enjoyed some fresh, warm and spice-up-your-kitchen aromatic apple strudel courtesy, Linda of Make life sweeter and Courtney from Coco Cooks.

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

 

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

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

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

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 large bowl. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour. Knead for 3 minutes till you get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.

2. 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. The dimensions of my sheet of dough were more like 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/4 feet. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Strudel Filling

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum (I substituted 2 T of Grand Marnier)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used a teaspoon full)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar (I used 1/3 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided (I used 3/4 of a stick or 6 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts (I used 1/2 cup pecans)
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

Since I seem to have strayed from the recipe of the filling quite a bit, I will put it down once more - 

My Strudel Filling

2 tablesppons Grand Marnier

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinammon

1/3 cup brown sugar

6T butter

11/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Method

1. Mix the Grand Marnier and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and brown 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 1 1/2 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 pecans 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 Grand Marnier), and the cinnamon brown sugar mixture. Spread the mixture over the pecans.

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.

Eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, just as a snack… or dessert.

I call this a conversion cheesecake because I was converted from one who did not like cheesecake to one who loves them (provided I bake them! Should probably name it conceit cheesecake;).

With a recipe so simple and time to spare one night, making a cheesecake is easy. The experience has left me feeling that I can cook anything…quite like i felt after watching Chef Gustav in Pixar’s Ratatouille.

Here are pictures and the recipe -

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

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake:

Crust:
1.5 cups Gingerbread Cookie Crumbs
1  cup crushed walnuts
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

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

For Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

1 cup Strawberry chunks, (I used organic strawberries from Trader Joe’s)

3.5 oz. White Chocolate, melted

For Dark Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

5 oz. Dark Chocolate, melted

Zest of 1 lemon

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

2. Process all ingredients for the crust in a food processor 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. (I prepared two crusts)

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice,  and blend until smooth and creamy. (At this point, I divided the batter into two and incorporated the chocolate and strawberry into one half and the dark chocolate and lemon zest into the other. )

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

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

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

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!

Be prepared for many a smile once you have served this one.

To me this was the ‘Scare- ing Bakers Challenge’. Whoever makes their own lasagna….and once its’ made, who buys store bought lasagna. That is the scary part, now I will have constant demands to make the lasagna at home. 

Having said that there were many challenges, I decided to half the lasagna recipe. And that was the first. I think I got it right but only after wrestling with the dough a bit. Rolling out the dough to make transparent sheets of pasta was wonderful.

 

 The next was the drying of the dough which for me resulted in curled pieces of pasta. I was at a total loss to figure out how I would straigthen these out. And there was another lesson in waiting, read the recipe before you begin. I realized the problem would be solved by boiling the pasta to cook it al=dente. Ah! Genius!

Once I boiled the pasta, I set it out to dry on paper napkins.  You can see what happened here:

:Paper towels on noodles

Lesson 2: Learn from my mistakes. Get the noodles off as soon as you have drained them. 

Once the paper was carefully removed (talk about labor of love), I assembled the lasagna and into the oven it went. 

My recent cross over into vegetarianism, made me look for a vegetarian Ragu recipe. My search led me here - http://pickycook.com/pasta/roastedvegetableragu.aspx. The Ragu was what it promised to be rich, healthy and hearty. 

The end result was scrumptious. 

 

 

Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

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

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

Working by Hand:

Equipment

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

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

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

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

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#2 Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

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

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

Roasted Vegetarian Ragu

http://pickycook.com/pasta/roastedvegetableragu.aspx

Pictures coming soon!

When baking and chocolate are both favorites, there isn’t much more you can ask for then a rich, decadant flourless chocolate cake. 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.

The cake was rich, moist and everything that a chocolate lover would want….Alas! there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, the cake was hard to eat all by itself. Thank goodness, Wendy and Dharm thought of the custardy, vanilla ice cream to temper it!

 

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

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.

I have wanted to make a flourless cake before but was always daunted by prospect of folding the egg whites into the batter and flattening both. I find that is best done by hand! Just use you hand and dig in.

While there were two recipes for making Vanilla Ice cream, I used the one with the custard base. Again, because I have always thought that I would burn the custard. But a little bit of concentration and a lot of observation can go a long way!
Dharm’s Ice Cream Recipe
Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Recipe comes from the Ice Cream Book by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis (tested modifications and notes in parentheses by Dharm)

Ingredients
1 Vanilla Pod (or substitute with vanilla extract)
300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Semi Skimmed Milk – in the U.S. this is 2% fat (or use fresh full fat milk that is pasteurised and homogenised {as opposed to canned or powdered}). Dharm used whole milk.
4 large egg yolks
75g / 3oz / 6 tbsp caster sugar {superfine sugar can be achieved in a food processor or use regular granulated sugar}
5ml / 1 tsp corn flour {cornstarch} 
300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Double Cream (48% butter fat) {in the U.S. heavy cream is 37% fat)
{you can easily increase your cream’s fat content by heating 1/4 cup of heavy cream with 3 Tbs of butter until melted - cool to room temperature and add to the heavy cream as soon as whisk marks appear in the cream, in a slow steady stream, with the mixer on low speed.  Raise speed and continue whipping the cream) or use heavy cream the difference will be in the creaminess of the ice cream.

1. Using a small knife slit the vanilla pod lengthways.  Pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan, add the vanilla pod and bring to the boil.  Remove from heat and leave for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse
Lift the vanilla pod up.  Holding it over the pan, scrape the black seeds out of the pod with a small knife so that they fall back into the milk. SET the vanilla pod aside and bring the milk back to the boil.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn-flour in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy.  3. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle hear, stirring all the time
4. When the custard thickens and is smooth, pour it back into the bowl.  Cool it then chill.
5. By Hand: Whip the cream until it has thickened but still falls from a spoon.  Fold it into the custard and pour into a plastic tub or similar freeze-proof container.  Freeze for 6 hours or until firm enough to scoop, beating it twice (during the freezing process – to get smoother ice cream or else the ice cream will be icy and coarse)
By Using and Ice Cream Maker: Stir the cream into the custard and churn the mixture until thick (follow instructions on your ice cream maker)

I used hte hand method, since I have no ice cream maker. The ice cream was still creamy and oh so delicious!

While I set out to make the Toll House chocolate chip cookies, certain ingredients in my pantry, seemingly rearranged themselves to be included in the recipe. The result was a less sweet, slightly salted, very crunchy….a little kooky (or maybe cook-y) cookie!

Chocolate Chip Crunchies

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups + 4 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/3 cup spelt bran

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 cups chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, bran, salt and baking soda using a wire whisk. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure that they are completely incorporated. Add the teaspoon of vanilla and beat well to incorporate.

Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For chunky cookies, drop on baking sheet using a tablespoon. You may have to shove the dough off with another spoon! For a smoother look, roll out small portions of dough in the palms of your hands and place them gently on the tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes on the tray and then for 10 minutes on a wire rack… if you can wait. No one in my family could. We got 36 cookies, you may have more depending on the size.

Tis the season to be green. In your annual time of giving, I am sure many of you are contemplating giving to your favorite green charities. Here is another green that you can give to loved ones. This one is especially good as favors or as treats to children celebrating the holidays at schools. I made a batch which took approximately 2 hours to make 65 wreaths. That, I is think, is real value for time!

Here’s a recipe for marshmallow cornflake wreaths, I found the original one in Rose Beranbaum’s book, Rose’s Christmas Cookies. I have made a few changes, mostly in the amount of vanilla and green colour, so the recipe is still hers. 

 

Ingredients.

4 cups cornflakes

7.5 oz. vanilla marshmallows (3 cups)

1/2 c (one stick) butter

1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon green liquid color

Red cookie icing.

 

The cooking process in the recipe is quick, so ensure that you have all your ingredients measured or weighed out before you start. Also, if you are like me, ensure that you know where you have kept each one of these!

Cover 4 large cookie sheets with wax paper or parchment paper and grease them lightly with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan till frothy. Add the marshmallows all at once. I used homemade tahitan vanilla marshmallows made by my dear friend Pia. These really elevate these treats to some kind of a special dessert. 

Stir the mixture on low heat, till the marshmallows have dissolved and the mixture is one bubbly glob. At this point add the vanilla and green liquid food coloring and mix well. Be cautious here because the marshmallow mixture will splatter with the addition of these liquid ingredients. 

At this point transfer the mixture to a hot water bath (see note). Drop a tablespoon full of the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet and shape into a wreath (a ring) using lightly greased fingers. These will probably be an inch and a half in diameter. Work fast as the marshmallow mixture begins to harden and becomes less pliable.  

Let the wreaths set in a cool, dry space overnight. Use red cookie icing to pipe dots all around once the wreaths have set. Admire the pretty greens and eat them as soon as you can!

The Red Cookie Icing can be made by mixing 3 drops of red liquid food coloring with 3/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar. You can add additional confectioner’s sugar, if required. You do want a thick icing, not one that simply coats the back of a spoon. 

The hot water bath is created by placing the bowl with the marshmallow mixture in a larger bowl with an inch of very hot tap water. I transfer the mixture to a glass bowl before immersing in a hot water bath because glass is a slow conductor and retains heat for longer periods of time.

The homemade marshmallows have real tahitian vanilla bean, so I have used 1/2 teaspoon vanilla less than recommended in Rose’s recipe. 

Happy Holidays! Enjoy!

The Christmas Fair at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs was a great success. Thank you to all who stopped by to purchase our offerings and encourage us! We hope you enjoyed the marshmallows, caramels, brownies, cookies and truffles you purchased. 

The winner of our Santa centerpiece cake raffle is TERRY McCARTHY. Cheers to you! Your cake will be available for pick up in time for your Christmas celebration. The cake is a peppermint flavored butter cake with white chocolate buttercream and an almond marzipan covering. 

We thank everyone who participated in the raffle for the valuable information that you left us with. From all the views that we have, we gather that cheesecake rules as a dessert. We will certainly bake you some, so watch out for updates on the website. If you would like to purchase any of our products for holiday gifting or simply to treat yourself and your loved ones, please do so on the website as well. You can also call or leave us a message on our blog page or at our e-mail id (cultureslice at gmail dot com). 

It was great being with all of you, our neighbours! We look forward to seeing you again, in church, at the grocery store, on our way to school or simply on the street! Until then, savor the flavor!

This weekend I set out to bake and ice a Santa cake. The cake was a rich, moist vanilla pound cake baked in a Vintage Santa mold from Nordicware. The frosting was the white chocolate italian meringue buttercream from Dede Wilson’s book. You could find it in any of her books.

As I found out, it was easier than dressing my 2 year old but not as quite easy as icing a round or square cake. The result is for you to see.

As next steps, the coat will be red. Also, he will probably get an additional coat (I know I would like one in this New York winter) of marzipan or molded chocolate or fondant. And there will be snow…..hurrah for confectioner’s sugar. 

At this point, we plan to give this away in a raffle at the fair at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. Please come visit.

We are soon to be at a new location - the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Christmas Fair in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. While we will continue to stock our super popular items - Vanilla Fleur-de-Sel Caramels, Vanilla and Chocolate Marshmallows and Dark Chocolate Fantasy Brownies; we are also experimenting with new seasonal favorites like petite fours, flavored butter cookies, new flavors for marshmallows, caramels and brownies. 

We would love to hear what other people think about seasonal flavors. Do people want to enjoy the flavors of pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, pomeogranate, cranberry while they are in season? Or would they rather be reminded of spring with a honey-lavender splash or a raspberry tingle? Or be taken even further into summer with the smells and tastes of mango, watermelon, passion fruit? Someone please speak up, even it is Father Christmas!

Another question for fair veterans or just any one who wants to share some insight into consumer behaviour - Would you, in the holiday season, rather buy a single helping of brownies or do you think you would prefer to have a brownie sampler to share with friends and family or better still, gift to your loved ones? 

Just some musings while cooking up a new set of treats. Watch this space to see what we will finally have on our platters. I can assure you though they will be the best you will try this season. Happy Holidays!