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Crostata with Pastry Cream and Homemade Apricot and Mango Jam for the Daring Bakers' November ...

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 05:53:12 +0100

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.

The first time I ate crostata was in Italy years ago and ever since then I have been on the lookout for either a good recipe or a pasticceria here that sells the same version I had there. The Italian crostata was memorable! The crust was buttery, fragrant, short and delicate while the jam fillings were tart and flavourful and completely complimentary to the crust without being too sweet. I just have never had better than that. I loved eating it so much that my then Italian boyfriend's mum bought me a huge slab of crostata (I will forever love her for that) about the size of 2 extra large family pizzas to sustain my energy during a long flight back to San Francisco. She meant well, and I, in return, with gratitude and greed, ate the whole damn thing in a space of a few hours because it dawned on me that customs was never really going to let me get away with a half metre of crostata tucked under my arm. It was an ordeal, a delicious one but I just couldn't bring myself to throw it in the food dumpsters on my way to customs.

How did this crostata fare, you may wonder? Well, my husband and I just polished off almost half of it despite the fact that we've just had lunch are about to go out to dinner. It was a complete, bloody success, so very delicious. We should have waited for the crostata to set but you can tell from the photos that we did not. The not-too-eggy-nor-heavy custard tames the intensity of the jam, or rather, enhances its intensity. I'm not sure which way to put it, you get the gist. The crust is lovely as well but I prefer it shorter. Next time I will try this crostata with my usual shortcrust pastry. Really, it was perfect as it was, I am being rather picky. This crostata was so good that my rather relaxed husband took it upon himself to wrap the remainder carefully and refrigerate it. It took him a roll a heavy duty packing tape and metres of plastic wrap. I am only slightly exaggerating ... he was that careful. By the way, he is the greenie in the family, so, yes, he really, really loved the crostata very much and wanted to protect it from frostbite. Please don't roll your eyes at me, I can see you.

Many thanks to Simona for organising these beautiful recipes, my husband and I love you very much!

Crostata with Pastry Cream and Homemade Apricot and Mango Jam or Crostata con Crema Pasticcera e Marmellata di Albicocca e Mango

I assume you don't really want to make apricot and mango jam from scratch, do you? You do? I'm so relieved! If only because you won't be able to find it anywhere, I dare you. I won't have the time to post the instructions today but let me tell you...it's exceptional. Write to me if you really must have the recipe now and I'll email it to you, otherwise, a very good quality homemade or store-bought jam will do rather nicely.

First, make the crust or la pasta frolla

Ingredients

Caster sugar 100 grams
Plain flour 235 grams
A pinch of salt
Cold butter, cut into small pieces: 115 grams
Zest of half a lemon, grated
One large egg and
One large egg yolk : beaten together in a small bowl

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.

Now you are ready to make the pastry cream

Ingredients

Extra-large eggs: 2
Sugar: 1/3 cup or 65 grams
Milk: 500 ml
Lemon peel about 8 cm long and 1 cm wide: 3 strips
Barely one drop of natural almond essence (my addition)
Cornflour: 12 grams (Simona's recipe asks for 25 grams of plain flour)

Pour the milk into a pan, add the lemon peel and warm up to to well below boiling point.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is bubbly.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture and beat briefly until it is incorporated.
Temper the egg mixture with a small quantity of milk, then slowly add the rest of the milk, mixing with a wooden spoon.
Pour the mixture into the pan and set it to very low heat, stirring at least every couple of minutes. When the froth on the surface disappears completely, the crema starts to feel slightly thicker. From then on stir almost continuously. When the crema reaches boiling temperature and thickens, cook briefly, about 30 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lemon peel, place the saucepan in a cold water bath, and stir the crema to bring down its temperature. While the crema cools down, stir it every now and then to prevent the formation of a film over it.

Assembling and baking the crostata with the pastry cream:

Heat the oven to 180º C.
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.
Roll the dough into a circle about 3 mm thick.
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.
Cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream, and then, top with jam.
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 30 minutes until crust is golden.
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.

Ginger Soufflé Cakes for the Daring Cooks' November Challenge

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:54:18 +0100

Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.

I've been hankering for a challenge like this one because I love this type of dessert. I love making it and eating it. Not all desserts can fool you into thinking there's nothing to them but this soufflé does...it's almost too easy to polish one off in under 15 seconds. Flat. That's the reason I've chosen a soufflé that offers a bit of substance as well as flavour. You will need time, more than 15 seconds in order to savour this one and to be able to appreciate its texture and spicy nature. The interesting thing is that I am not a big fan of spicy sweets. I love spices but just not in desserts, don't know why. I was, though, drawn into this 1998 recipe from the New York Times. The ingredient list sounded intriguing, intriguing enough for me to eradicate my fear of spicy sweets. The verdict? This is simply delicious. No overpowering tones, none of that here. Subtlety reigns supreme and this soufflé is a winner because of it. I liked the texture as well. You are supposed to let it cool before you eat it and it is what distinguishes it from others. I will turn this into a cake one day and see what happens...serve it with a caramel glaze, perhaps? We'll see.

Ginger Soufflé Cakes, adapted from Bill Lipscomb's recipe in the New York Times.

Time: 2 hours

Cake flour: 150 grams

Baking powder: 1 teaspoon

Ground ginger: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon

Ground nutmeg: 1/2 teaspoon

Ground allspice: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt: 1/4 teaspoon

Butter, softened: 226 grams

Dark brown sugar: 75 grams

Whole eggs: 2

Buttermilk: 1/2 cup

Molasses: 1/2 cup scant

Vanilla extract: 3 teaspoons

Eggs, separated: 3

Sugar: 1/3 cup

Milk: 1 1/2 cups

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a bowl until well blended. Set aside. Use some of the butter to grease six 150 ml soufflé dishes. Preheat oven to 160 C.

2. Beat remaining butter with brown sugar until well-blended. Beat in whole eggs, one at a time. Beating at low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in molasses and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until softly peaked. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue beating until the mixture holds peaks but is not stiff. Fold the egg white mixture into the batter. Pour the mixture into the souffle dishes. Place in the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until firm to the touch on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool almost to room temperature.

4. While the soufflés are baking, beat the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until thick and light. In a heavy saucepan, scald the milk and, whisking constantly, slowly pour about half into the egg yolk mixture. Then stir the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk remaining in the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard has thickened enough to coat the spoon and steam begins to rise from it. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, strain into a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

5. Unmould the soufflés by running a knife around the edges and inverting each onto a dessert plate. Spoon some of the custard around each portion and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Croissants are Good for You: Spelt Sourdough Croissants for World Bread Day 2010

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:01:48 +0100

I don't like saying this because as soon as I do I find I have to swallow my own words: these croissants are the best I've ever come across. Croissants, you can get them anywhere these days, you must be thinking. How about really good croissants? The ones that take eleven days to make and make you want to weep with joy with each gorgeous bite? Those are pretty hard to come by, me thinks. And they are the ones I think of when I'm in the mood for one. I live near a few good bakeries but none of them offer sourdough croissants. Really, I could go for a drive outside of my neighbourhood, or more likely, I could fly outside of Australia and look around for some but that just seems to be quite bothersome compared to the alternative ... I could make my own sourdough croissants! I have been making sourdough bread for a while and now I am quite familiar with the whole process but recently I found a great challenge in Gayle & Joe Ortiz's "The Village Baker's Wife" book. The recipe for their yeast croissant is special but their hybrid sourdough & yeast version elevates the concept of a croissant. These croissants turned out deeply aromatic, their texture was light, substantial, tender, elastic and moist all at the same time. Flavour wise, they had that light sourdough tang coupled with the delicate perfume of yeast mingled with the loveliness of oodles of butter and the earthiness of spelt. Enough talk, it's time for you to make these ones. You won't be able to find them easily unless you make them. They are so good, go make them ... because you are bloody worth it.

This is my first time participating in the World Bread Day event and I'm honoured to be able to do so. Thanks Zorra for organising this, you are a legend.

Croissants au Levain, adapted from Gayle & Joe Ortiz's "The Village Baker's Wife". Recipe makes about 40 croissants. Start this project on Thursday (provided you already have an active sourdough starter) and you will be able to enjoy these croissants on Sunday. Here's the timetable I used:

Thursday

10pm: make sponge

Friday

6am: make dough and let rise
7am: refrigerate dough
9pm to 11pm: perform 2 turns
11pm: refrigerate dough

Saturday

10pm: perform 3rd turn, roll out dough, shape croissants, proof

Sunday

8am to 9am: bake

Ingredients

Sponge

Liquid sourdough starter at full hydration: 1/2 cup
Filtered water: 1/4 cup
Whole-wheat flour rye flour: 1/2 cup

Dough

Active dry yeast: 1 packet (7 grams)
Warm water: 2 cups
Unsalted butter: 115 grams, softened and cut into small bits
Powdered milk, preferably organic: 1/2 cup
Spelt flour, unbleached (not whole-wheat): 1050 grams
Salt: 2 tablespoons, levelled

Cold unsalted butter: 566 grams

Egg glaze

Egg: 1
Cold milk: 2 tablespoons

Make the sponge in a large glass or plastic bowl. Dilute the starter with the water and add the rye flour mixing with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let rise until doubled or at least 5 to 6 hours.
Dilute the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 1/4 cup warm water, 115 grams of butter and the milk powder to the sponge and mix lightly with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Combine the spelt flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes while incorporating the dry spots. This dough will feel wet but don't be concerned.
Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rise inside a cool oven or in a draft-free spot for an hour.
Flatten the dough and shape into a 30 x 15 x 7 cm square.
Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 12 to 15 hours.
Slice the 556 grams of cold butter into thick pieces and sandwich in between plastic wrap forming a rough rectangle.
Pound the butter with a rolling pin until the rectangle of butter measures about 25 x 25 x 1 cm thick.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to a 60 x 30 cm rectangle.
Remove the plastic wrap from the pounded butter and place butter over one side of the dough leaving about a margin of 1 cm. Fold the other half of the dough over the butter and pinch edges together to form a flat pillow.
Cover the pillow with plastic and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
For the first turn, remove the dough from fridge and roll it out to a rectangle of about 76 x 38 cm.
Fold the dough in thirds, cover again with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the second turn, repeat steps 14 and 15 except you will refrigerate the dough overnight.
On the next day, perform the third turn (steps 14 and 15).
Cut the dough in half, cover the other half and refrigerate.
Roll the other half into a 40 x 62 cm x 3 mm thick.
Cut this rectangle into two 20 x 62 cm strips.
Cut each strip into 9 triangles with 12 cm bases.
Starting with the base, fold 0.5 cm of the dough over onto itself and begin rolling the triangle up to the point. Gently stretch the dough by pulling on the tip as you roll it. Leave the pointed ends straight, don't curl them into horns.
Repeat steps 19 to 22 with the other half of the dough or you can refrigerate this dough for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Place the croissants at least 5 cm apart on the baking sheets.
Whisk together egg and milk for the glaze.
Lightly brush each croissant with the glaze and let rise, uncovered, for 5 hours at room temperature. Mine took about 10 hours in the middle of winter in a cool kitchen. Croissants should be 3/4 risen before ready to go into oven.
Preheat oven to 200 C and brush the croissants with glaze again.
Bake the croissants in the oven's centre rack for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Dolmades: Stuffed Grape Leaves for October's Daring Cooks' Challenge

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:39:45 +0100

Never thought I would be able to say that I like dolmades. This is the sort of dish one wonders about when it isn't great. I am sure we've all had moments when we've wondered , sometimes aloud, on the motives behind people who persist on making food that is not particularly appealing. Why waste your life on a fruitless activity? Why waste precious resources? I firmly believe that life's too short for mediocre food.This is especially true whenever it's obvious that whoever prepared the dish went through a great deal of effort ... bless their sweet hands. Well, I've had many, many such moments. Curiously, though, culinary karma knocked on my door last year. Actually, I went knocking on my friend Kiri's door and both she and her mum warmly welcomed me with the most delectable, moreish dolmades ever. It dawned on me then that there wasn't such a thing as bad food or a bad dish, but rather, that we might have had bad versions of them, and, if we are fortunate, we will one day encounter the good versions. These wonderful women managed to change my mind on the subject of dolmades, what a feat! Once I tasted these great dolmades I went on quite a dolmades bend but the taste and texture were not to be replicated elsewhere. I will try and get the recipe for the best dolmades in Australia for you someday but for now we have Claudia Roden to thank for this very good recipe. These ones are slightly spicy, herby and very delicious. Tomatoes are required in this recipe but I substituted with a really lovely organic tomato paste as I couldn't procure great tasting fresh tomatoes today.

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas o Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.Thank you, Lori for organising this month's event.

Wara Einab or Dolmades/Cold Stuffed Grape Leaves
Adapted from Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, published by Alfred A. Knopf

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Preserved or fresh grape leaves: 24 – 30
Long grain rice:1¼ cups
Tomatoes, peeled and chopped: 1- 3 (I used a couple of heaped teaspoons of organic tomato paste instead)
Onion: 1 large, finely chopped
Flat leaf parsley: 2 tablespoons, finely chopped
Fresh mint: 4 tablespoons, finely chopped
Ground cinnamon: ¼ teaspoon
Ground allspice: ¼ teaspoon
Dill: 1 teaspoon
Salt and pepper

Extra grape leaves or 2 tomatoes, sliced
Garlic: 3 or 4 cloves
Extra-virgin olive oil: 2/3 cup
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste

Notes:

If using grape leaves preserved in brine, to remove salt put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Make sure that the water penetrates well between the layers, and leave them soaking for about twenty minutes, then change the water a time or two using fresh cold water.

If using fresh leaves, plunge a few at a time in boiling water for a few seconds only, until they become limp, and lift them out.

Directions:

1.Pour boiling water over the rice and stir well, then rinse with cold water and let drain.

2.Mix the rice with the chopped tomatoes, onion or scallion, parsley, mint, cinnamon, allspice, dill, salt and pepper to taste.

3.Place a grape leaf on a flat surface, vein side up.

4.Place about two teaspoons (10 ml) of the filling in the center of the leaf, near the stem edge.

5.Roll the leaf end to end, starting from the stem edge. As you roll, fold the sides of the leaf in toward the center. The leaf should resemble a small cigar, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches (50 mm to 65mm) long.

6.Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.

a.(You can freeze the stuffed grape leaves at this point. Just line a baking sheet with wax paper. When firmly frozen, transfer to an airtight plastic bag place back in the freezer.)

7.Pack the stuffed leaves tightly in a large pan lined with tomato slices or imperfect grape leaves Place a whole garlic clove in between them for extra flavor. The tightness will help prevent the rolls from unraveling.

8.Mix together olive oil, 2/3 cup (160 ml) water, sugar and lemon juice and pour over the stuffed leaves. Put a small heat proof plate on top of the leaves to prevent them from unwinding, cover the pan and simmer very gently for about 1 hour, until the rolls are thoroughly cooked, adding water occasionally, a cup at a time, as the liquid in the pan becomes absorbed. Cool in the pan before turning out. Serve cold.

Passionfruit Curd Baked Alaska for the Daring Bakers' August Challenge

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:37:17 +0100

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”.

I thought this one was going to be one of those confections that take forever to make in return for very little ... but this particular one is composed of a passionfruit curd sandwiched by two type of ice cream, a vanilla and sour cream ice cream and a dark chocolate gelato and all of this encased in a rich butter pound cake soaked in Bailey's and topped with Italian meringue. Yes, quite a bit of effort goes into this but it is spectacular. This cake is all about the drama of a great entrance and your guests will adore you for that. It is all rather embarrassing, but that's just me, it's up to you to decide whether your Herculean effort is worth the adoration.

Despite your quizzical looks I can assure you these flavours were complimentary, the pound cake's texture contrasted nicely with the airy ice creams, the Bailey's gave it an adult tone without being overwhelming and the passionfruit curd added a lovely, fragrant kick to the whole. This recipe will make a medium to large dome which will feed at least 15 people.You will, though, promise to take it easy or you might never finish it off. You can prepare each step separately and make the Italian meringue at the last minute. Take this advice from me, do not attempt to make this cake at the last minute ... I did that and almost gave up on this cake when I became sick, overwhelmed with homework and increasingly frustrated with the nature of this cake (it was still winter here and cold when I got news of this challenge). Take it slowly, don't attempt this under Mercury retrograde and/or the above-mentioned conditions and you and your favourite people will love the results of your effort.

Chocolate Gelato and Vanilla Sour Cream Baked Alaska with Passionfruit Curd and Bailey's

Bailey's, the homemade version

Irish whiskey: 1 3/4 cup
Condensed milk: 1 375 ml can
Cream: 1 cup, any type
Cocoa powder: 2 tablespoons
Instant coffee: 2 tablespoons
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Almond extract: 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar: to taste

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Burnt Butter Pound Cake, adapted from Saveur Magazine

Butter: 350 grams plus more for the pan (preferably Beurre Lescure), lightly browned and then cooled until solid
Flour: 2 tbsp. plus 3 cups
Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
Fine Salt: 1 tsp
Milk: 1 cup, at room temperature
Pure vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Sugar: 1 and 2/3 cups
Eggs: 6, large, at room temperature

Heat oven to 160° C or 325 F. Generously grease a light-colored 10" or 25 cm tube pan with butter. Add 2 tbsp. flour; turn the pan to coat it evenly with flour, tap out any excess, and set aside. (The inside of the pan should be smoothly and evenly coated with butter and flour, with no clumps or gaps.)
Using a sieve set over a bowl, sift together remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Repeat 2 more times. In a measuring vessel with a pourable spout, combine milk and the vanilla extract. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter at medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, 1⁄4 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat until satiny smooth, about 3 minutes.
Add 1 egg at a time to the butter mixture, beating for 15 seconds before adding another, and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk mixtures in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of the bowl; beat just until the batter is smooth and silky but no more.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and firmly tap on a counter to allow batter to settle evenly. Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out moist but clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; let cool completely before slicing.

Cipriani's Dark Chocolate Gelato adapted from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan

4 egg yolks
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 ounces high quality unsweetened cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Heat the milk until it just begins to boil.
Use an electric mixer to whip the egg yolks and 2/3 cup of the sugar until they form creamy pale yellow ribbons.
Add the hot milk slowly to the whipped eggs and sugar while mixing with the electric mixer.
Add the melted chocolate and mix it in well. Add the cocoa and mix again.
Put the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of water in a small pan over high heat.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a saucepan and place it over low heat and stir constantly with a whisk . When the sugar in the pan has turned to a dark caramel, add the caramel to the chocolate mixture and mix it in thoroughly with the whisk until it dissolves.
When the mixture has cooled completely, freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Vanilla and Sour Cream Ice Cream

Eggs: 2
Sugar: Raw, 2/3 cup
Sour cream: 400 ml, preferably organic
Milk: 1 cup, full fat
Vanilla extract or paste, best quality: 2 teaspoons

Throw all ingredients into a blender and mix for 10 seconds.
Cool in fridge overnight.
Transfer to an ice cream machine and make ice cream following your machine's instructions.

Passionfruit Curd, adapted from here

Eggs: 4
Egg yolks: 2
Caster sugar: 3/4 cup
Pulp from 6 to 8 passionfruit or 3/4 cup
Lemon juice: 1 or 2 tablespoons
Butter: 125g chilled, chopped

1. Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a 6-cup capacity heatproof, microwave-safe jug or bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk until well combined. Add passionfruit pulp, lemon juice and butter. Stir to combine.
2. Microwave passionfruit mixture, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50%) for 6 to 10 minutes, whisking every minute, or until thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour passionfruit curd into sterilised jars and seal. Refrigerate to cool.

Meringue

Egg whites: 5
Sugar: Equivalent to the egg whites' weight

Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Place egg white inside the bowl of a standing mixer and using the whisk balloon whip at low speed until frothy.
Increase speed to medium and add sugar slowly in a stream.
Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, that is, until meringue is shiny and firm.

Putting the darn thing together, best done the night before you plan to serve it:

Retrieve ice cream from freezer and stand for 10 minutes while you slice the pound cake into 1 cm thin slices.
Spray a medium to large bowl with cooking oil and then line it with plastic film. Ensure the edges are long enough so that you can cover the top of the cake.
Line the bowl with the sliced pound cake. One layer is enough.
Brush the pound cake with slices with Bailey's.
Spread the one of the ice creams into the bowl until it reaches near half way up the bowl.
Spread the curd on top of this layer of ice cream.
Spread the other ice cream carefully on top of this curd ensuring you don't touch the curd.
Cover this layer of ice cream with more sliced pound cake.
Brush cake with Bailey's.
Cover the surface with plastic film and freeze overnight.
When ready to serve, retrieve the ice cream and let it sit while you prepare the meringue.
Unmould the cake on a large platter and spread meringue all over. Should the cake be stubborn and not want to release from the bowl, place the bowl over some simmering water.
You can now use a torch to caramelise the meringue or leave it as is.

Alfajores: Peruvian Dulce de Leche Cookies

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:52:17 +0100

I've been meaning to post about these cookies or biscuits for a while now. In fact, it may be because of them that I started blogging. I wanted to start a conversation on little known foods outside of Latin America that are close to the heart to some of us living elsewhere around the world now. These cookies are dear to me not only because they are 'muy ricos' but because every bite reminds me of a childhood in Lima where I would get to roam around on a bicycle or a skateboard in order to help mum with her daily errands. Yes, offering to get the eggs or flour would mean I would get buy an alfajor and polish it off before I even made it home. Mum always knew I had "borrowed" her change to buy the alfajor, icing sugar around the mouth made it pretty obvious. She would just shake her head and sometimes even ask if I had bothered buying her one as well. It didn't really matter whether I did or not because they would all end up in my mouth somehow. I couldn't help it, I don't think I ever managed to bring one home intact. I am sure there is a Proustian element to their appeal, but I assure you, they are exquisite. They are simplicity itself and sometimes that is all you need. I hope you like them, let me know.

This recipe has evolved over the years and it has taking me a long time to come up with a version that does my memories justice. I am not claiming these to be the best in the whole wide world-universe-infinity-and-beyond type of alfajor. No, these are the best ones for me. No baking powder, here as I find its addition made them too airy, too dry ... and nothing artificial, just sweet goodness.

Alfajores: Peruvian Dulce de Leche Cookies

Recipe makes 14 cookies

For the dulce de leche:

Sugar: 250 grams
Pouring cream: 300 ml
Milk: 300 ml
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

Caramelise the sugar with a couple of tablespoons of water in a small saucepan in low heat. Shake the saucepan to ensure sugar is evenly coated with water.
Let this simmer gently until it becomes light golden.
Remove from heat immediately and very, very carefully and slowly, pour the milk and cream while stirring. Do this a drop at a time first, the sugar's fury will eventually calm down and you will then be able to pour the rest. I am sure I don't need to tell you the horrendous and painful consequences of sugar burn. Please be careful.
Place saucepan back on the stove and simmer in low heat. Stir, stir, stir and keep stirring. Don't let this work go to waste by neglecting to stir. Burnt milk doesn't taste good. It takes me about an hour to reduce this mixture to become dulce de leche. You'll know you are done when it becomes thick, fragrant and golden amber in appearance. Set aside to cool.

For the cookies:

Cake flour: 1 1/4 cups
Corn flour: 1 1/4 cup
Icing sugar: 50 grams
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon, levelled
Butter, unsalted, cubed and at room temperature: 250 grams
Egg yolk: 1

Preheat oven to 160 C.
In a medium bowl, sift the cake and corn flours, sugar and salt.
Add butter and squeeze between fingertips in order to incorporate until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
Add egg yolk and gently work it in. Don't be tempted to knead the dough, be as gentle as possible at this stage.
Sprinkle flour on a workbench and roll dough out until it's 0.5 cm thick all over.
Line a couple of cookie trays with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Using a 6.5 cm (or thereabouts) cookie cutter cut out rounds of dough and place to on lined trays.
You can re-use the scraps by forming them into a ball and gently rolling it out. You can then cut out a few more rounds.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until they become lightly golden. I mean this, lightly golden. They lose their delicate flavour when they bake for too long. You should start checking for doneness in 20 minutes as every oven is different.
Cool on racks before attempting to fill them. They are very crumbly and will self-destruct if you don't let them cool down first!
Once they are cool you sandwich the dulce de leche with the cookies.

Goat Cheese and Potato Pierogi with Butter and Hazelnut Sauce for the Daring Cooks' August Challenge

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:39:18 +0100

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

Timing is everything. As the deadline for this challenge loomed I was still undecided as to which type of pierogi to make. My experiences eating pierogi haven't been numerous but I still wanted to prepare something eminently edible if not entirely authentic. Finally, a chance conversation with my good friend Rebecca (a traveller and a really good eater of all things dumplings ... good reasons to love her) led me to come up with these pierogi. Rebecca's favourite pierogi were eaten in Slovakia and she described them to me as well as she could. This is my faithful rendition. I do not assume these are authentic in any way but girlfriend deemed them to be better than the Slovakian originals. Thank you, Rebecca and thank you Liz and Anula for organising this month's challenge!

Goat Cheese and Potato Pierogi with Butter and Hazelnut Sauce

This recipe yields more than enough for 4 hungry adults

For the dough:

Potatoes: 500 grams, preferably red-skinned
Flour: 120 grams
Egg: 1 medium size
Salt: 1 tablespoon, levelled

For the filling:

Fresh goat cheese (bûche blanc):150 grams, mashed with a fork
Sour cream: 100 grams
Nutmeg: Freshly grated, a pinch

For the sauce:

Salted butter: 100 grams
Hazelnuts: 100 grams, whole, slightly crushed with a mortar and pestle
Dry red pepper flakes: 1 teaspoon (optional)
Sour cream: 50 mls

Filling Preparation:

1)        Blend the filling ingredients in a bowl using a fork, adjust for flavour with salt and black pepper.

Dough Preparation:

1)        In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil and simmer potatoes until easily pierced, about 20 minutes

2)        Peel and mash potatoes using a potato ricer. Make sure there are no lumps if you are using a fork or a potato masher

3)        Mix in the flour, egg and the salt. Use your fingers to blend the flour thoroughly but gently into the potatoes, add more flour if mixture sticks to your fingers, but again, be gentle when mixing as you don't want to toughen up your dough. Stop adding flour once your dough becomes manageable. It will be still slightly sticky but this is fine.

4)        Lightly flour a work surface and roll out dough to a thickness of about 3 mm. Using a 2.5 inch or 6.5 cm (approximately) cookie cutter cut out rounds of dough and set aside. Cover with a cloth.

5)        Spoon a couple of teaspoonfuls of filling onto each round of dough and fold over to form half moons as in here. Should you feel like it, you could use a fork to make pretty little indentations on the edges. Set aside and keep covered with a cloth.

6)        Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pierogi until they float to the top. Cook a few at a time as overcrowding will lower the water's temperature too much. When done, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a lightly oiled bowl or platter. Keep this bowl in a warm place or inside your oven.

Sauce Preparation:

1)        Place butter in a medium size frying pan and add hazelnuts and pepper flakes to butter.

2)        Fry hazelnuts in the butter until they become golden and butter is lightly browned.

3)        Pour butter sauce on pierogi, spoon a bit of sour cream on top and serve immediately. Eat.

Butter Chicken with Cashew Nut Butter, July 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:25:15 +0100

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This is my first post after what seems to be a long while, for me anyway. Yes, I've been busy just like everyone else and have had a really difficult time making the challenges' deadlines although sometimes a recipe comes along that you know you will make regardless of your schedule and this butter chicken with cashew butter just begged to be made.

In fact, for a couple of years now I have been on a lookout for a really appealing butter chicken. The internet is full of them but wasn't keen on any particular one. When I realized this challenge provided a recipe along the lines of butter chicken I then decided it was time to roll-up my sleeves, use the provided recipe as a foundation and make the components up as I went. Anyhow, I knew what type of flavour as I trying to achieve but without a recipe I could only wing it .

The resulting dish was completely worth the effort and I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my partner, our friend Yurie and I did last night for it was a smashing success. Yurie, prior to dinner, had insinuated that she could probably skip the meal as she was still full from lunch (her lunch time meal was a rather huge bowl of a robust bean stew plus numerous slices of sourdough bread drizzled with olive oil prepared by yours truly). Well, lovely Yurie went for seconds ... happily and on her own accord! I think this recipe will become a keeper.

How does it taste? Well, it's obviously buttery but it's also tangy from the yoghurt and the tomato paste, deeply aromatic from the spices and beautiful to eat in winter. I must, though, apologise for the photo. It seems to me that lately I have been in a hurry to eat my concoctions before I get a chance to "artfully" arrange the dish and take photographs and this time it was no exception ... the photo was taken once it was served on our individual plates ready for consumption and I'm very sorry about that. I won't promise it won't happen again. Hunger trumps art.

By the way, this recipe makes a ton of sauce which I froze for my next batch of butter chicken. Next time around I'll marinate the chicken in the spices while omitting the yoghurt, fry it in butter and then add it to the simmering sauce ... I can't wait.

Thank you Margie and Natashya for organising this event.

Butter Chicken with Cashew Nut Butter
Yield: 4 servings for hungry people

You will need a coffee grinder to grind the spice mix to a powder.

Ingredients

Spice mix:

Cloves: 6 whole
Black Peppercorns: 10
Cinnamon: 1 stick about 3 cm long
Cardamom pods: 4, seeds only
Coriander seeds: 4 teaspoons
Cumin seeds: 3 teaspoons
Fenugreek: whole, 2 teaspoons
Chilli flakes: 1 teaspoon or more, to taste

Marinade mix:

Full-fat yoghurt: 1 cup
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 2 teaspoons
Smoked paprika: 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves: 3, fresh or dry
Salt to taste

The rest:

Chicken: 1 medium, cut to pieces (you can use thighs and drumsticks pieces, if you prefer)
Coconut oil: 3 tablespoons
Onions: 2, chopped finely
Garlic: 6 cloves, chopped finely
Ginger, freshly grated or microplaned: 1 knob about 4 x 2 cm long
Tomato paste: 4 tablespoons
Cashew butter: 1 cup (you can use smooth peanut butter, if you prefer). This challenge required me to make my own nut butter but my food processor wasn't up for it so I had to purchase it
Maldive chips: 3 teaspoons. You can substitute with good quality anchovies, about 2, chopped to a paste
Chicken stock: 1 cup
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Butter: 50 grams, cut into small cubes
Coriander: 1 bunch, leaves only, chopped roughly

Preparation

Roast all the ingredients from the spice mix in a fry pan at medium to low heat until it becomes aromatic, about 8 minutes. Allow this to cool and then grind to a powder in a coffee blender.

In a large, non-reactive bowl, coat the chicken pieces with the spice mix and the marinade mix and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours, covered.

In medium to high heat, heat the coconut oil in a large casserole pot, add the onions and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, cashew butter and maldive chips (or anchovies) and fry for another 5 minutes or until the ingredients release their aromas.

Add the chicken pieces, stir briefly, cover and lower heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes. Uncover, stir again, lower heat to a simmer.

Add the butter and let it melt while stirring carefully. Garnish with coriander leaves, stir again and serve with steamed rice.

Bloody Good Coq au Vin

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:37:47 +0100

I was half-way reading through Michael Bauer's "The Secrets of Success Cookbook" when it struck me that I wanted to cook almost every recipe in this book and this is a rare occurrence even when I deem a cookbook to be excellent. Bauer, a San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic, has compiled a number of original recipes which, in his opinion, represented the best San Francisco in the year 2000 had to offer. In case you wonder, I was reading a 10 year-old book on San Francisco's best restaurants not because I have run out of cookbooks to read at midnight but because I lived there for a while and have a soft spot for it.

The beauty of this book is that Bauer doesn't just refer to fine dining establishments but scours high and low for the best version of any dish he fancies. Some recipes come from chefs likeThomas Keller while others represent restaurants located in San Francisco Bay Area's suburban shopping malls. Michael Bauer won't discriminate where food is concerned. He knows not to judge an eating establishment by its looks or location. Good food is everywhere, you just have to give it a go or you might miss out on a gem, methinks.

Although this book isn't new, the recipes don't sound dated. Case in point, coq au vin. Coq au vin is one of those simple, irrefutably delicious dishes that is so easy to ruin with fancy adulterations and that is exactly why this recipe in Bauer's book caught my eye. Chef Philippe Jeanty uses cocoa powder to intensify the flavour in the coq au vin's reduced wine broth. Although I had a recipe for coq au vin that I really liked over all others I just knew I had to try this one. Mind you, this is my rendition of Jeanty's recipe but it has the same spirit. The flavours are intense and complex with a lot of umami and with not even a hint of cocoa flavour, wonderful.

I must apologise for the quality of the picture. We decided to let the chicken sit for 24 hours before eating it in order to let it rest and develop further flavour but I forgot to take a picture of it while it was freshly cooked. That's how the pot looked after the chicken had been sitting in there for a day and then messed about with servers and ladles. You are smart and you got the gist, right? The chicken is good, never mind the sorry picture.

Coq au Vin

Serves 6

Beaujolais: 4 cups
Free-range chicken: 2 kg, jointed
Heads of garlic: 2, halved lengthways
Medium sized onions: 4, quartered
Parsley stalks: 3
Fresh bay leaves: 2
Sprigs of thyme: 2
Salt: 3 teaspoons
Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
Butter: 120 grams, coarsely chopped, at room temperature
Flour: 3 tablespoons
Unsweetened cocoa powder: 2 tablespoons
Piece of pancetta: 200 grams, cut into 1 cm pieces
Small pickling onions: 12
Brandy: ½ cup
Chicken stock: 2 cups
Plain flour: 1 heaped tablespoon
Mixed small mushrooms such as pine, Swiss brown and button, trimmed and washed: 500 grams
Flat-leaf parsley: ¼ cup, coarsely chopped

Mashed potato:

Any red-skinned potatoes: 1 kilo, peeled, cut into quarters and boiled in salty water until easily pierced with a fork (about 15 minutes)
Butter: 50 grams, coarsely chopped
Pouring cream: 1/2 cup

1    In a non-metallic vessel marinate chicken in Beaujolais, garlic heads, chopped onions and herbs, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, preferably 48.

2    Dry chicken pieces, heat oil and 30 grams of the butter in a large casserole over medium-high heat, add chicken pieces and fry for about 10 minutes, turning until golden, then transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3    Pour over brandy into the casserole and ignite with a long match. When flames are extinguished add Beaujolais, marinated onions and garlic and stock to the casserole pan, bring to a boil then return chicken pieces to the casserole. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper though don't add too much salt at this point because you still have to reduce the sauce later. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4    Remove chicken pieces and transfer to a platter. Strain cooking liquid and discard solids through a sieve or colander. Mix cocoa powder with 1/2 cup of cooking liquid in a small bowl. Pour cooking liquid back into the casserole along with cocoa powder and liquid mix and reduce at medium-high heat until there are 3 cups of liquid left, this might take 20-30 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.

5    Combine flour and 20gm butter into a paste, whisk into sauce and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Transfer chicken back into the casserole.

6    In a large frying pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add pancetta and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, add mushrooms and pickling onions and cook until they are both golden and most of the excess moisture has been cooked off. Drain off excess fat, add pancetta, mushrooms and pickling onions to the casserole, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

7    For mashed potato, drain cooked potatoes and pass through a potato ricer into saucepan, add butter and cream, season to taste and stir to combine.

8    Serve chicken and sauce scattered with parsley, with mashed potato on the side.

Phở Bò Tái - Vietnamese Beef and Rice Noodle Soup

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:53:45 +0100

This is the noodle soup I crave at least weekly. I will go far to eat a good version of it but sometimes I make it at home. Yes, this fragrant, delicate but very delicious noodle soup can be made at home as long as you have the items necessary and give yourself a few hours. Despite the length of the list of ingredients it isn't a particularly difficult recipe to make and you will enjoy one of the best phở bò to be had anywhere. This recipe yields a pure tasting broth and is easily doubled if you'd like to freeze leftover stock for the next time a craving for a Vietnamese noodle soup comes around ... it is cold here and this soup was very welcome in our dining table last night.

Beef Pho and Rice Noodle Soup or Phở Bò Tái, adapted from a recipe by Andrea Nguyen

Makes 6 medium-large sized bowls

For the broth:

Yellow onion:1 medium size, unpeeled, slightly charred on a gas burner or in a bbq, cooled, washed and quartered
Ginger: one 5 cm piece
Beef marrow bones: 1.5 kilos, ask your butcher to cut them into 3 cm pieces
Pork hock: 1, ask your butcher to cut into 3 cm pieces
Star anise: 2
Cloves: 2
Cinnamon or cassia: 1/2 stick
Coriander roots: 3, thoroughly cleaned
Spring onion roots: 3, thoroughly cleaned
Beef brisket: 250 grams after trimming and cut into bite size pieces
Salt: to taste
Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
Yellow rock sugar: 2 cm chunk

For the bowls:

Dried or fresh banh pho noodles: 1 kilo, about 5 mm wide
Beef eye of round or sirlon: 150 grams, sliced about 2 mm thick across the grain (freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice)
Yellow onion: 1 small, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water
Spring onions: 2, cut into thin rings diagonally
Fresh coriander: 1/3 cup chopped
Ground black pepper to taste

Garnishes arranged on a plate and placed at the table:

Sprigs Vietnamese basil and/or spearmint
Fresh coriander leaves (ngo gai)
Bean sprouts: about 2 cups
Red hot chiles (such as Thai bird or dragon), thinly sliced
Lime wedges

Prepare the pho broth:

Place bones and hock in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Boil vigorously 2 to 3 minutes to allow impurities to be released. Dump bones, hock and water into sink and rinse bones with warm water. Quickly scrub stockpot to remove any residue. Return bones and hocki to pot.

Add 3 litres of water to pot, bring to boil over high heat, then lower flame to gently simmer. Use ladle to skim any scum that rises to surface. Add remaining broth ingredients and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. Brisket should be slightly chewy but not tough. When it is cooked to your liking, remove it and place in bowl of cold water for 10 minutes; this prevents the meat from drying up and turning dark as it cools. Drain the meat; cool, then refrigerate. Allow broth to continue cooking; in total, the broth should simmer 3 hours.

Strain the pho broth through fine strainer. If desired, remove any bits of gelatinous tendon from bones to add to your pho bowl. Store tendon with cooked brisket. Discard all other solids.

Use a ladle to skim as much fat from top of the pho broth as you like. (Cool it and refrigerate it overnight to make this task easier; reheat befofe continuing.) Taste and adjust flavor with additional salt, fish sauce and yellow rock sugar. The pho broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.) Makes about 2 litres.

Assemble pho bowls:

The key is to be organised and have everything ready to go. Thinly slice cooked meat. For best results, make sure it's cold.

Heat the pho broth and ready the noodles. To ensure good timing, reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water.

Fill 4 litre saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth.

If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate.

Add other ingredients. Place slices of cooked meat, raw meat and tendon (if using) atop noodles. (If your cooked meat is not at room temperature, blanch slices for few seconds in hot water from above.) Garnish with onion, spring onions and chopped coriander. Finish with black pepper.

Ladle in broth and serve. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve your pho with with the garnish plate.