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Daring Bakers

Daring Bakers February Challenge- Vanilla Panna Cotta

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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.
I was so excited when I saw this month’s challenge.  One reason being that I had just seen Giada making her florentine cookies; they looked absolutely delicious, so pretty and delicate and there wasn’t a lot to the process.  It is one of those simple cookies that can be enjoyed by itself or dressed up a little by making a sandwich cookie with a chocolate filling.  These were so good and a great alternative to the everyday, ordinary cookie; not that I don’t love a great tasting cookie! 

The panna cotta was equally delicious.  This is a great way to dress up your after dinner dessert and a lighter alternative to a cake or some other heavy dessert.  This was light, refreshing and cool.  I loved the fact that this can be served as plain vanilla panna cotta but it can also be spiced up by adding fresh fruit on top or layering a flavored gelee inbetween layers of panna cotta.   
Individually the cookies and panna cotta are wonderful, pair them together and you have an over the top, restaurant worthy dessert.  I had so much fun with this challenge, I can’t wait to make other variations of the panna cotta/gelee recipes.
Vanilla Panna Cotta
Ingredients:
1 Cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 Cups whipping cream
1/3 Cup honey
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.  Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (whisk it a few times at this stage).

Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve. 
 
Coffee Gelee
 
Ingredients:

2 Cups good quality brewed coffee
1/4 Cup hot water + 2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1½ Teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Place granulated sugar and 1/4 c. hot water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Sprinkle gelatin over 2 Tablespoons cold water and let it soften 2 minutes or so.  Stir the coffee, sugar, hot water, and vanilla into a small metal bowl, add gelatin mixture and stir well until gelatin has dissolved.

If pouring over Panna Cotta, be sure that this mixture is no longer hot, it will melt Panna Cotta if it is, let it come to room temperature.

Nestle Florentine Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup unsalted butter
2 Cups quick oats
1 Cup granulated sugar
2/3 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 Cup dark corn syrup
1/4 Cup whole milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1½ Cups dark or milk chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F.

Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.  To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.  Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl).  Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).  Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.

This recipe will make about 2 1/2 – 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies. You can also choose not to sandwich yours, in which case, drizzle the tops with chocolate (over your wax paper).

Recipe Source:
Vanilla Panna Cotta- Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network
Coffee Gelee- Gourmet Magazine
Nestle Florentine Cookies- “ Nestle Classic Cookbook”, and Very Best Baking.

Daring Bakers January Challenge-Joconde Sponge

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The daring bakers have outdone themselves again. 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.

Have you ever been into a nice restaurant and seen all these desserts that not only smell fabulous but look equally captivating and wonder “How do they get it to look like that?”  I know I have.  This month the daring bakers provided us with a challenge to show us one of the ways the restaurants achieve a finished product with such an exquisite look that resembles artwork.  With this method you are able to create any look that you desire. Place this edible and decrative border around any chilled dessert to match any theme or achieve any look that is desired. 

I had so much fun with this challenge; I learned new methods and techniques that I will be able to use when preparing desserts.  Now my desserts will not only taste wonderful but they will look as decadent as they taste. 

Joconde Sponge

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients:

¾ cupalmond flour/meal –
***You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ (icing) sugar
¼ cup cake flour
*See note below
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
2½ teaspoons white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
*Note: How to make cake flour: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

Directions:

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.

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

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. )

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.

Fold in melted butter.

Reserve batter to be used later.

 Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus 1½ tablespoons Confectioners’ (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites
1¾ cup cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid

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

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
Fold in sifted flour.
Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.

Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:

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.

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.

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

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

Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 15 minutes. You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully.

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

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

You can use any type of mold. I would suggest:

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 ½ inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.

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.

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.

Glass Trifle bowl. You will not have a free standing dessert, but you will have a nice pattern to see your joconde for this layered dessert.

Preparing the Jaconde for Molding:

Video: MUST WATCH THIS. This is a very good demo of the joconde and filling the entremets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Q

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

Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ 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.

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.)

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.

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.

Entremet- Filling Options:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e1DsyDtcd0&feature=related

It is nice to have a completed dessert so you can unmold and see the Joconde working. Fill with anything you desire. Layers of different flavors and textures! However, it needs to be something cold that will not fall apart when unmolded.

Suggestions:

Mousses, pastry creams, Bavarian creams, cheesecakes, puddings, curds, jams, cookie bases, more cake (bake off the remaining sponge and cut to layer inside), nuts, Dacquoise, fresh fruit, chocolates, gelee.

Additional Information:

http://lesotlylaisse.over-blog.com/article-realiser-un-biscuit-joconde-imprime-chocolat-en-images-39811263.html

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/recipe/joconde-cakes

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/recipe/pate-a-cigarette-batter-chocolate-piping-batter

http://ricettedafairyskull.myblog.it/archive/2010/05/29/biscuit-joconde-imprime-al-sapore-di-pistacchio.html

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/02/pierre_hermes_aztec_entremets.php

http://sum.ptuo.us/roller/ks/entry/entrement_project_at_nwcav

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e1DsyDtcd0&feature=related

Disclaimer:

*Note: The Daring Kitchen and its members in no way suggest we are medical professionals and therefore are NOT responsible for any error in reporting of gluten-free ingredients. If you have issues with digesting gluten, then it is YOUR responsibility to research the ingredient before using it. If you have allergies, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure any ingredient in a recipe will not adversely affect you. If you are lactose intolerant, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure any ingredient in a recipe will not adversely affect you. If you are vegetarian or vegan, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure any ingredient in a recipe will not adversely affect you. Please consult your physician with any questions before using a product you are not familiar with. Thank you! 🙂

Recipe Source: Our host received this recipe from Chef John O. while attending The International Culinary School in Atlanta, Georgia USA.

Daring Baker's October Challenge-Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts

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I don’t know anyone who has met a doughnut they didn’t like, sure everyone has their favorites but I’ve never had anyone turn one down because of where they are from.  I was so excited to find out this month’s daring baker’s challenge was homemade doughnuts.  This challenge came at the perfect time; Spencer and I had just been talking about homemade doughnuts, how good they were and the fact that we needed to make some!  I’ve made homemade doughnuts before but I’ve just made them using store bought biscuit dough, so I was so excited to see that this challenge was not only for homemade doughnuts but to also make them from scratch.

 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.

In this challenge Lori provided us with a few different recipes to choose from; although all of the options looked delicious (and I will be trying them all in the near future) I just had to make the old fashioned buttermilk cake doughnuts.  I absolutely LOVE cake doughnuts, I literally have to drag myself away from the bakery section when I see them.  I don’t know why I’ve never searched for a recipe and attempted to make my own before, but for some unknown reason I haven’t, so I jumped on the opportunity to try these doughnuts!  So thank you soooo much Lori for providing this recipe!

These turned out perfectly, I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better!  The outside was golden and crisp while the inside was soft and fluffy; it was pure perfection.  If you’re a cake doughnut lover, like me, you have to try these…you won’t be disappointed, I promise!

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts-

1/4 Cup sour cream

3 1/4 Cups all purpose flour

3/4 Cup sugar

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt, use only 1/2 teaspoon)

1/2 Teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/8 Teaspoons active dry yeast

3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons buttermilk

1 Large egg

2 Large egg yolks

1 Tablespoon pure, vanilla extract

For the glaze-

2 Cups powdered sugar

4 Tablespoons heavy cream (use more if needed to get desired consistency)

Directions:

For the doughnuts-

Fill a medium saucepan half way with water and place over high heat.  Bring the water to a boil and place a heat safe bowl over the top of the boiling water and add the sour cream, heat just until warm.

Heat the oil, in a large pot, to 375F/190C.

Over a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Make a well, hole, and pour the sour cream over the flour mixture.  Let set until softened, about 1 minute.

Pour the buttermilk, egg, egg yolks and vanilla into the well.  Using one hand, gradually draw in the dry ingredients.  Make sure the mixture is smooth before drawing in more of the flour mixture.  Mix until the flour and wet ingredients are completely incorporated, the dough will be sticky.

Prepare working surface with flour, be generous with flour to ensure the doughnuts don’t stick to the surface.  Dust hands with flour and then remove the dough from the bowl.  Sprinkle the dough with flour and gently pat the dough into a circle that is 1/2 inch in thickness.  Place cutter in the flour and begin cutting doughnuts, cut them as close as possible and remove cut doughnuts and holes to a floured surface.  Continue the process until all the dough is used.

Drop 3 to 4 doughnuts at a time in the hot oil.  Once they turn golden brown, turn them and cook the other side.  The cooking times may vary, but it typically takes 20-30 seconds per side.  Remove from oil to a papertowel lined baking sheet to let cool.

While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze.

For the glaze-

In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and whipping cream.  Whisk in additional cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a medium thick glaze.

Place doughnuts on a cooling rack that is set on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle the doughnuts with the glaze and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

***pictures to come

Recipe source:

For the cake doughnuts- Nancy Silverton, Serious Eats

For the glaze-Epicurious

Daring Bakers-Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

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 The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of  Sunita’s world- life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home .

I was so excited when I saw this month’s challenge.  I had actually seen one of these cakes in a bakery a few weeks ago and thought it looked so neat and I knew I would love to try to make a cake like that at some point in time.  Well, that time came sooner than later since Sunita decided to make that our challenge this month for the Daring Bakers.  When I saw the cake in the bakery I was curious as to what process they had used to accomplish the finished product, but I couldn’t really figure it out but this challenge took me through the step by step process.  I followed this recipe step by step because I wanted to make sure everything turned out properly and it did, but I want to make this again and try out some different ice cream flavors and some different fillings. 

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients-

6 Medium sized eggs
1 Cup plus extra for rolling
6 Tbsp All purpose flour + 5 tblsp Natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 Tbsp Boiling water
A little oil for brushing the pans

For the filling-

2Cups Whipping cream
1 Vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 Tbsp. Caster sugar

Directions:
Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans ( 11 inches by 9 inches ) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water
Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.
Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

The vanilla ice cream-

Ingredients:

2½ Cups Whipping cream

1 Vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp Vanilla extract

½ Cup Granulated sugar

Directions:

Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.

Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

The Hot fudge sauce

Ingredients:

1 Cup Caster sugar

3 Tbsp Natural unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp Cornflour/cornstarch

1½ Cup Water

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

  • In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
  • Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
  • Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool .

The chocolate ice cream

Ingredients:

2Cup Whipping cream

1 Cup caster sugar

3 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

  • Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor .
  • In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
  • Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
  • Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
  • Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly:

Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).

Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).

Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour)

Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm . ( at least an hour)

Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .

Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.

Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

 

Daring Bakers June Challenge-Chocolate Meringue

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

I was so excited when I saw what the challenge was for June for two reasons; it’s been a while since we’ve done anything with chocolate so I was happy and I’ve never made anything like this.  After reading about this recipe and looking at the pictures she posted, I couldn’t wait to attempt this challenge.  I always look forward to the challenges; some are variations of recipes I’ve tried before while others are things that either I hadn’t thought about/heard of or things I thought I just couldn’t even begin to attempt.  I always learn things from these challenges and they encourage me to step out of my comfort zone from time to time.  This challenge was no different; I made something that I would not have otherwise made and I learned some new recipes and techniques to incorporate into my cooking. 

This challenge had a few steps but the end result was incredible.  This would make for a wonderful and impressive dessert and with fruit added to it, it would serve as the perfect, light dessert for the hot summer time! 

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate pavlovas)

Ingredients:

3 Large egg whites

1/2 Cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 Cup confectioners sugar

1/3 Cup cocoa powder

Directions:

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 200.  Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and beat until soft white peaks form.  Increase the speed to high and gradually add in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.  (they should be firm but still moist)

Sift the confectioners sugar and cocoa over the whites, and gently fold ingredients together.

Fill a pastry bag with cream and pipe onto the line baking sheets in desired shape. 

Bake for 2-3 hours, until meringue becomes dry and crisp.  Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (  for the top of the pavlova base)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups heavy cream

Grated zest of lemon

9 Ounces chocolate, chopped

1 2/3 Cup mascarpone

pinch of nutmeg

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or orange juice

Directions:

Pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a saucepan and add the lemon zest, place over medium heat.  Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Remove from heat, and transfer mixture to another bowl and let cool until room temperature. 

Place the mascarpone, remaining cream, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and whip on low until the marscapone is loose.  Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form. (Do not over whip)

 Mix about 1/4 of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten.  Fold in the rest of the mascarpone mixture until well incorporated.  Fill a pastry bag with the mousse, and pipe on the palvova. 

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling)

Ingredients:

1 Recipe for creme anglaise – recipe below

1/2 Cup mascarpone

1 Tbsp sambucca (optional)

1/2 Cup heavy cream

Directions:

Prepare the creme anglaise and slowly whisk in the mascarpone and Sambucca and let the mixture cool.  Put cream in a bowl and beat until peaks begin to hold.  Fold in the mascarpone mixture. 

Creme Anglaise

Ingredients:

1 Cup whole milk

1 Cup heavy cream

1 Vanilla bean, split OR 1 tspn pure vanilla extract

6 Large egg yolks

6 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and and sugar until the mixture turns pale  yellow. 

Combine the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat once it reaches  a boil.

Pour about 1/2 a cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture (to temper the eggs), whisking constantly to ensure the eggs don’t scramble.  Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put back over the heat.  Stir constantly , with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken and can coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Do NOT overcook.

Remove the mixture from the heat and strain through a fine, mesh sieve into a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. 

For the assembly:

Pipe the mousse onto the palvovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream.  Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with fresh fruit (if desired).

Additional Information:

Wikipedia’s definition of Pavlova

The history of Pavlova

Videos:

Great video on Youtube – How to Make Pavlova

Another great video that uses whipped cream instead of the Mascarpone cream – Pavlova

One more from Epicurious – Australia Pavlova

Some great photos on Flickr:

La Tartine Gourmand – Red and Orange Pavlova
VROG in Bristol – Birthday Pavlova

Marco Veringa – Pavlova 6 (the fruit on this one is stunning)

Katiequinndavies – Double Chocolate & Raspberry Pavlova

My Food Obsession – Chocolate Banana Rolled Pavlova (something different!)

Daring Bakers April Challenge-Toffee Apple Pudding

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The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

I love being part of the Daring Bakers because I always learn something from the challenge and there are a lot of time it pushes me outside my comfort zone when it comes to cooking and trying new things in the kitchen.  This month was no exception, I was really excited when I read about this months challenge and what it entailed, not only were we challenged to work with an ingredient that is not common in the states but we were also challenged to make a dish that is not common here.  We were challenged to use suet to make a British pudding dish which could be either savory or sweet.  The options were endless as far as the combinations and varieties of puddings that could be made, and there were multiple ways this dish could be cooked.  I really enjoyed this challenge but I was kind of disappointed because I wasn’t able to find any suet so I used Crisco, which was one of the alternative ingredients that was suggested in case suet wasn’t available.  Not being able to find the suet was the only problem I ran into; everything else went well and I was really happy with the outcome.  I made a sweet pudding this time, but I’m still going to be on the look out for suet and once I come across some I want to make a savory pudding.  The toffee apple pudding I made this time was great; the apple filling was so delicious and the crust had a great flavor! 

Some of you reading this are probably wondering what suet is, so before I go any further I will share a brief description. 

Suet (/ˈsuː.ɪt/) is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys. 

The primary use of suet is to make tallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking, especially in traditional puddings, such as English Christmas Pudding. Suet is made into tallow in a process called rendering, which involves melting and extended simmering, followed by straining, cooling and usually a repetition of the entire process.

Unlike tallow, suet that is not pre-packed requires refrigeration in order to be stored for extended periods.

Suet is essential in traditional English steamed puddings, and in the pastry for steak and kidney pudding, in which a pudding bowl is lined with the suet crust pastry, the meat added and a lid of suet crust tightly seals the meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours before serving in the bowl on the table. Suet pastry is soft in contrast to the crispness of shortcrust pastry.

Suet is also an ingredient of traditional mincemeat (fruit mince).

Suet should not be confused with beef dripping, which is the collected fat and juices from the roasting pan when cooking roast beef and is not rendered.

Due to its high calorific content, suet is used by cold weather explorers to supplement the high daily energy requirement needed to travel in such climates. Typically the calorie requirement is in the region of 5,000-6,000 KCals per day for sledge hauling or dog-sled travelling. Suet is added to food rations to increase the fat content and help meet this high calorie requirement.

Information take from: Wikipedia

Now, on to the challenge!

Toffee Apple Pudding

Ingredients:

180 Grams self-rising flour
Pinch of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
90 Grams shredded suet (I used Crisco since I couldn’t find suet)
Cold Water to mix (I did half water, half milk for a richer crust)
4 Cooking apples; peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
120 Grams dermerara sugar
1 Tablespoon golden syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift the cinnamon, sugar and flour together and then mix in the suet.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a stiff dough forms.  

Grease a pie plate and line the plate with half of the mixture.  Add the chopped apples, lemon juice and half of the sugar.  Cover with the remaing dough, moisten and press the edges to seal.  

Bake for 20 minutes then spread the syrup over the top of the pie and sprinkle with remaining sugar and place back on the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and eat hot.

 

Recipe Source: Pudding Club

To see other variations of this dish visit this months host: The Lilac Kitchen 

February Daring Baker's Challenge

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The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

When I read that the The Daring Bakers’ February challenge was tiramisu I was so excited!  Tiramisu is one of my all time favorite desserts, anytime we eat at an Italian restaurant ordering this for dessert is a must.  I have always wanted to make this dessert but for some reason I just never got around to it; I’m not sure if I was intimidated by it or if I was just waiting for the perfect time (whenever that might be???).  It seems like the perfect time presented itself so I really had no other choice but to make this wonderful dessert.  This challenge called for us to make our own ladyfingers, marscapone cheese, and we were given the option to make our own pastry cream and zabaglione; although I probably would not have gone to this extent if I were making this for any other occassion I was excited about the challenge of making ingredients that I had never made before and probably would not have attempted otherwise.  It was a really fun challenge but very time consuming as well!

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

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

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

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

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

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

To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

MASCARPONE CHEESE

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz of mascarpone cheese

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

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

LINKS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Site Links:
Step by step pictures for Tiramisu including zabaglione & pastry cream –
Gluten Free Ladyfingers: 1000 gluten-free recipes by Carol Fenster (ladyfingers pg 436, Tiramisu pg 651)
Gluten free Ladyfingers and Tiramisu
Diary Free Tiramisu: Levana Cooks Diary-Free by Lévana Kirschenbaum, Menachem Adelman, Meir Pliskin (pg 86)

Video links for making tiramisu:
These are not for the recipe given for this challenge, but the procedure in the video would be a helpful guide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TEJXgjId8w
Gordon Ramsay – Video for dipping savioardi – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HlqQqP6Mcw

Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars

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The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca. 

I was pretty excited when I read this challenge for many reasons, but mainly because it called for a lot of products that I wasn’t familiar with.  It is always interesting to learn about how other areas of the world cook and what they use to cook, one of the many things I like about the daring bakers is that it has members from all over the world.  It’s easy to get in a routine cooking with ingredients that we’re accustom to using and never challenge ourselves with using or working with new ingredients.  I really liked this challenge because it challenged me to find the ingredients that weren’t a common staple in my kitchen and also because I had to make crackers, which I had never done before.  I really learned a lot in this challenge and really enjoyed working on the wafers and bars, it was fun but it was definitely a challenge!

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
Ingredients
1 cup Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup Sorghum Flour
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons Whole Milk
2 tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer
4 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Additional Information:

These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.

The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Mine lasted about that long.

If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.

For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the gluten-free graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs.

Daring Bakers November Challenge

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I know I’m a little late getting the November challenge posted, but there’s been a lot going on and I guess it’s better late than never.  For the month of November we were challenged to make canoli.  I was pretty excited about this challenge because I’ve never made canoli before but it’s always been one of those dishes that fascinated me.  There was a lot of flexibility with this challenge as we could fill it with the filling of our choice.  This challenge was quite interesting and definitley challenging for me, everything didn’t really work out.  I’m not really sure what went wrong with the process but the canoli shells didn’t turn out like the should have.  I really enjoyed attempting this challenge and I definitely want to try this again when I get the time.

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

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

RECIPE NOTE: THE EQUIVALENTS FROM THIS RECIPE WERE PREPARED USING THIS CONVERSION SITE: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/index.asp.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PUMPKIN FILLING
1/2 cup (123 grams/4.34 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1/2 cup (113 grams/4.04 ounces) mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup (122.5 grams/4.32 ounces) canned pumpkin, drained like ricotta
3/4 cup (75 grams/2.65 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 to 1 teaspoon (approx. 1.7 grams/approx. 0.06 ounces) pumpkin pie spice (taste)
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 2 grams/approx. 0.08 ounces) pure vanilla extract
6-8 cannoli shells

1. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta and mascarpone until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl, cover and chill until it firms up a bit. (The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

2. Fill the shells as directed above. I dipped the ends of the shells in caramelized sugar and rolled them in toasted, chopped pecans.

TIPS AND NOTES:
– Dough must be stiff and well kneaded

– Rolling the dough to paper thinness, using either a rolling pin or pasta machine, is very important. If the dough is not rolled thin enough, it will not blister, and good cannoli should have a blistered surface.

– Initially, this dough is VERY stubborn, but keep rolling, it eventually gives in. Before cutting the shapes, let the dough rest a bit, covered, as it tends to spring back into a smaller shapes once cut. Then again, you can also roll circles larger after they’re cut, and/or into ovals, which gives you more space for filling.

– Your basic set of round cutters usually doesn’t contain a 5-inch cutter. Try a plastic container top, bowl etc, or just roll each circle to 5 inches. There will always be something in your kitchen that’s round and 5-inches if you want large cannoli.

– Oil should be at least 3 inches deep and hot – 360°F-375°F, or you’ll end up with greasy shells. I prefer 350°F – 360°F because I felt the shells darkened too quickly at 375°F.

– If using the cannoli forms, when you drop the dough on the form into the oil, they tend to sink to the bottom, resulting in one side darkening more. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to gently lift and roll them while frying.

– DO NOT crowd the pan. Cannoli should be fried 2-4 at a time, depending on the width of your saucepan or deep fryer. Turn them once, and lift them out gently with a slotted spoon/wire skimmer and tongs. Just use a wire strainer or slotted spoon for flat cannoli shapes.

– When the cannoli turns light brown – uniform in color, watch it closely or remove it. If it’s already a deep brown when you remove it, you might end up with a really dark or slightly burnt shell.

– Depending on how much scrap you have left after cutting out all of your cannoli shapes, you can either fry them up and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar for a crispy treat, or let the scraps rest under plastic wrap and a towel, then re-roll and cut more cannoli shapes.

– Push forms out of cannoli very gently, being careful not to break the shells as they are very delicate. DO NOT let the cannoli cool on the form, or you may never get it off without it breaking. Try to take it off while still hot. Hold it with a cloth in the center, and push the form out with a butter knife or the back of a spoon.

– When adding the confectioner’s sugar to the filling..TASTE. You may like it sweeter than what the recipe calls for, or less sweet, so add in increments.

– Fill cannoli right before serving! If you fill them an hour or so prior, you’ll end up with soggy cannoli shells.

– If you want to prepare the shells ahead of time, store them in an airtight container, then re-crisp in a 350°F (176 °C) oven for a few minutes, before filling.

– Practice makes perfect. My first batch of shells came out less than spectacular, and that’s an understatement. As you go along, you’ll see what will make them more aesthetically pleasing, and adjust accordingly when rolling. My next several batches turned out great. Don’t give up!!

Links:

Alternative:
Gluten free cannoli recipe that looks great –
http://evilcakelady.blogspot.com/2009/02/annmaries-gf-birthday-cannoli.h…
Vegan cannoli –
http://www.godairyfree.org/Alisa-s-Blog/Alisa-s-Milk-Free-Blog/Vegan-Can…
http://community.livejournal.com/vegancooking/2307428.html#cutid1

Online resources:
http://www.pastrysampler.com/Questions_and_Answers/cannoli.htm
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2009/01/hey-jerzeeeeeee-i-want-to-make-c…

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cannoli&search_type=&aq=f – scroll through, loads of videos on the making of the shells. filling, etc. Mario Batali’s are particularly good.

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=cannoli&m=text – Loads of beautiful and unique cannoli photos along with the traditional. Great way to get some ideas for fillings and décor.

Online retailers for cannoli forms
http://www.fantes.com/cannoli.html#small
https://www.pastrychef.com/CANNOLI-TUBES_p_36-1202.html – If you want to buy a lot of them for one set price.
http://www.consiglios.ca/ProductCart/pc/viewCat_h.aspidCategory=408&gcli…
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=…

Daring Baker's Dobo's Torta

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DB
The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus:  Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

For the Daring Baker’s August challenge we made a Dobo’s Torta, which is an Hungarian specialty.  A Dobos Torta, or torte, is a multi-layer cake (most of the time 5 layers) that is filled with a rich, chocolate buttercream frosting then topped with thin layers of caramel.  The cake is named after a well-known Hungarian baker, Jozsef C. Dobos, who invented the cake.

Here is a history of the torta:

“Dobosh or Dobos Torte (type of cake) was first introduced at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885; Franz Joseph I and his Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste it. The cake soon became popular throughout Europe as it was different from all others. It was simple but elegant, as opposed to the multi-storey, flaming cakes of the age. Its other secret was its use of fine buttercream, which was very little known at the time; cake fillings and frostings were usually made with cooked pastry cream or whipped cream. The chocolate buttercream and the batter of the cake were both invented by Jozsef C. Dobos.

Dobos travelled around Europe and introduced the cake wherever he went. For a long time he kept the exact recipe confidential, until 1906 when he retired and gave the original recipe to the Budapest Confectioners’ and Gingerbread Makers’ Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

Dobos Torte is known everywhere in the world and there are more than one hundred recipe variations. It is a commonly made torte in the upscale hotels, restaurants and pastry shops of the world. Another famous Hungarian dessert created in the same era is Rigo Jancsi.”

Information source: Wikipedia

I always enjoy attempting to make things that are different and that I’ve never made before.  That’s one of the many things about the daring bakers I like, I am always able to attempt new recipes and new methods of cooking.  Since I have joined, my eyes have been opened to many new techniques and many new recipes.  This month was no exception. 

I have never made or attempted to make a sponge cake, so when I found out this challenge involved sponge cake I was pretty excited but I was also a little hesitant.  After I read the recipe for the cake, the process sounded a little similar to a recipe that I attemped a while back that I did not have success with.  So I wasn’t really sure if I was going to have success with this recipe or not. 

For this being my first attempt at making a sponge cake I was pretty happy with the outcome.  I’ve never worked with a cake batter that turned out to be the consistency of this batter.  It was definitely a different experience.  It was also neat being able to pour the batter and watch it stay in the same place your poured it, rather than it spreading all over the pan.  I did learn from my experience this time and I will do a few things different next time, but all in all it was a good experience. 

I did have a little problem with the caramel sauce, I couldn’t really get it to the consistency I wanted.  After working with it for quite some time, I finally settled with the consistency and poured it over a layer of sponge cake.  It set fairly quickly, and after comparing pictures from other posts I decided that mine looked very similar.  The only thing with the caramel is that it tasted a lot like lemons.  I used the right amount of lemon juice, so I’m not sure if the lemon taste was supposed to be that evident or of the juice was just extra strong.  I didn’t want to ruin the taste of the cake and icing so I just put a little accent piece of the caramel topping on the cake.

I’m so happy I was able to attempt this recipe.  I wouldn’t say it turned out perfect but I am happy at the results since it was my first time.  I will probably try a recipe like this again and make a few changes to get the results I want.  

Daring Bakers Dobo’s Torta
Dobo's Torta 
Sponge Cake:

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour

pinch of salt

Directions:

Place the racks in the top and centre of the oven and preheat oven to 400F.

Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Use the bottom of a 9″ springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn’t touch the cake batter.)

Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, and the vanilla in a bowl on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted.  Bean about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don’t have a mixer.)

In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the remaining 2/3 cup of confectioner’s sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned.

While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool.

Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8″ springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)
Sponge Cake Layer
Sponge Cake Layer
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar

4oz bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Directions:
Prepare a double-boiler: fill a large saucepan a quarter full with water and bring it to a boil.

In a separate bowl (heat safe), whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken. Whisk in the chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Caramel Topping

Ingredients:

1 cup caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar

Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top.

12 tablespoons water

8 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Directions:

 To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer.

***There will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Assembling the Dobos

Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a cake base and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.

Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.
Dobo's Torta
Variations:

Shape: The traditional shape of a Dobos Torta is a circular cake, but you can vary the shape and size if you want. Sherry Yard in Desserts By The Yard makes a skyscraper Dobos by cutting a full-size cake into four wedges and stacking them to create a tall, sail-shaped cake. Mini Dobos would be very cute, and you could perch a little disc of caramel on top.

Flavour: While we both love the dark chocolate buttercream and this is traditional, we think it would be fun to see what fun buttercreams you all come up with! So, go wild! Or, you could brush each layer with a flavoured syrup if you just want a hint of a second flavour. Cointreau syrup would be divine!

Nuts: These are optional for decoration, so no worries if you’re allergic to them. If you don’t like hazelnuts, then substitute for another variety that you like.

Egg concerns

The cooking process for the buttercream will produce lightly cooked eggs. If you fall into a vulnerable health group then you may wish to use an egg-less buttercream.

Resources
http://cafechocolada.blogspot.com/2008/04/dobos-torte.html
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4VHMjIfxfYcC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=%22dobos+torte%22&source=bl&ots=tcE2j8dTLl&sig=QoPANOL_MJnfi_vmHm5rW2ncC60&hl=en&ei=jidySrbpKeG2jAec58mODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7
http://paulaerbay2.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/dobos-torte-recipe/

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