Daring Bakers: Homemade Lasagna

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

I kinda broke the rules on this one. We were supposed to make handmade spinach lasagna noodles and pair it with a white (béchamel) sauce and optionally a ragu sauce. I've considered posting "dinner foods" on here before, but since I haven't yet, this wasn't going to be the first time. I did handmake my noodles, and I did use a white sauce. But they were chocolate noodles and the sauce was just mascarpone cheese. Unfortunately, the least tastey part of my lasagna was the pasta. It smelled and tasted chocolate-y right up until I boiled it, but once boiled it lost all flavor and just tasted like regular old pasta. I've had chocolate pasta before (from the Pike Place market, one of the best places on earth!), and it too only tasted like regular pasta after being boiled. So I wasn't really dissapointed, and I planned ahead knowing I'd need to compensate. Thus the feuillete layer (really just chocolate covered rice crispies, but why not use a French word!).
Well, at least I can cross "homemade pasta" off my list. Definately not doing it again, at least without a machine. All that rolling left my hands bruised and my arms sore!


Layers:

Chocolate Pasta (replace 1/4 c flour with 1/4 c cocoa powder, and 1 T cinnamon, use 2 more eggs, and oh, yeah, don't put in spinach!)
Feuillete (cover rice crispies in melted chocolate and press thin between two sheets parchment paper)
Sliced strawberries
Mascarpone cheese

ICE Challenge: Nuts and Seeds

It was almost spring for two days over the weekend. Now it's snowing. It's time for some serious sunshine. Here's my winter-needs-to-be-over-poem for you to enjoy (and mock, feel free)...

Skirts and grass, you know my love
Strong with courage
it's easier to dream in the sun.
Pink and brown lead to green
and green
With some rain, not cold
Eat better, sleep better, run better, run faster
Then pause, and live.
I smell your sweet lilac breath
Wishing for those library days of yesterday
Wishing for those stargazing evenings of tomorrow
Dreams are easier in the sun
Life is dreams in the sun.
Dreams are life in the sun.

I'm finally doing the Iron Cupcake Challenge again this month. This month is nuts and grains. I've always wanted to incorporate more healthy desserts into my menu, and while this isn't "healthy" by any stretch of the imagination, there are some healthy components, so it's not all guilt! The cake is a yellow cake with polenta and quinoa. I've mentioned polenta before, but chances are you haven't heard of quinoa. It's seems to be a a food that only vegetarians/vegans know about. It's a South American (pseudo)grain that is high in complete proteins. It's one of the best foods you can eat if you don't eat meat. Unfortunately, it's also gross. Not just bland, the flavor is really unappealing. BUT, put with other foods so the flavor is covered up it's really good. It has an unusual crunchy texture that I really enjoy given other flavors are involved. So I threw a handfull of quinoa in the batter, and suddenly you have a protein rich cake!
The mousse is only slightly nutmeg flavored, and the overall flavor of the cake is pretty gentle. A nice light dessert, you definitely won't feel overwhelmed (or incredibly guilty!) eating one.

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
2/3 cup whole milk, at room temp
6 T butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large roll pan and cover with parchment paper, spray again. Or prepare as for regular cupcakes.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugur until light and fluffy. Whisk in eggs, milk and vanilla. Add egg mixture to flour mixture all at once. Stir until just combined. Add the cooked quinoa.

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread out thin. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and the cake is browned. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Cut out circles the size of your finished cakes.

Nutmeg Mousse

160g heavy cream
160g whole milk
2 whole nutmegs
4 medium-sized egg yolks
80g granulated sugar
25g cornstarch, sifted
2 tsp powdered gelatin
240g whipping cream

Pour the milk and first part of the cream into a saucepan. Add the nutmegs. Heat to boiling, then turn the heat off, cover and let infuse for at least 30 minutes. Then remove the nutmegs. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until white, thick and fluffy. Add the cornstarch, beating carefully to ensure that there are no lumps. While whisking vigorously, pour some of the milk into the yolk mixture to temper it. Put infused milk back on the stove on medium heat. Pour yolk mixture back into the milk while whisking vigorously. Keep whisking vigorously until mixture thickens considerably. I've seen that you are supposed to cook it until it coats the back of a spoon, and if you run your finger through the layer on the spoon the line stays. If your cream curdles a bit, just whisk it and then strain. Add the gelatin and let it melt completely. Let cool. Beat the second part of the whipping cream and fold into the cooled egg yolk cream. Let set up a bit (~ 1 hour).

Assembly
(I used cupcake molds with removable bottoms.)

Cut out parchment paper to line the sides of the molds. Place one cut out piece of cake in the bottom. Spoon mousse on top. Place on more layer of cake, and then spoon one more layer of mousse. Let set up in the fridge at least 2 hours. Optional: roll the top edge of the mousse in finely chopped pecans, and decorate with a flower (I used primroses).

Our March ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• A Bunnycake Easter Plushie by DOGBONEART, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21636297.
• A whimsical piece by CAKEASAURUS, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5729584.
  
• as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
• a collection of all new printed cupcake liners, 200 in all from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com . And as a special thank you, we would like to once again thank DIANAEVANS - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5599270 for her participation in the February challenge. An incorrect link was posted and we want to be sure that she gets the recognition she deserves. Thanks again Diana!

Chocolate Chip Souffle

I tried really hard to think of a good anecdote to go with this post, but I got nothin' for ya. I'm really blocked right now. Feeling stifled, I guess. Nothing particularly inspiring has come my way recently. At least nothing I've noticed. That is, perhaps, the problem. I'm usually so anxious for spring I start anticipating it in January. But these last couple months I haven't been jonesing for gardening, or the farmer's market, or sandals, or grape hyacinths. So please, leave me inspiring comments - something to help me get my groove back :)

Chocolate Chip Souffle

45 g butter
55 g
200 g whole milk
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 t vanilla
1 T cornstarch
45 g sugar
1/4 c chopped good quality chocolate

extra butter and sugar for coating

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the bread flour and cook for about 2 minutes to make a roux. Add the hot milk and whisk It will thicken to a paste. Transfer this mixture to a clean bowl. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, continue mixing the roux base to cool it down slightly before we add the egg yolks. When steam stops coming off but it is still warm, add the egg yolks one a time and mix.

In the meantime, start whipping the egg whites. When they are medium peaks, start adding the sugar slowly. Whip to stiff peaks.

Add the vanilla and cornstarch to the roux and egg yolk base. Fold in a third of the meringue to the base and mix to lighten it. Add the chocolate and the rest of the meringue and fold gently.

Brush inside of ramekins with room temperature butter and coat the sides with sugar. Fill the ramekins with souffle base almost to the top.

Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes depending on the size of the ramekin.

Chocolate Tartlettes (and I'm giving in)

I give in, but I'm changing the rules...

The first however many people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It'll be done sometime this year.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be a joke book, autographed picture of myself, handmade bag, or a little invention of my own!I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? ***My rule change: Well, of course, you know it will be food. If you live not close to me, it'll be something that ships well. I also want you to give me an adjective or noun to describe what I'll make for you. An ingredient, a flavor, a feeling, a season, a shape. Be creative, be specific!***

I'm nixing this rule, but if you really want to re-post, go ahead. (The catch is that you must re post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play! )

*************
You can't tell, but the tartlettes also have a layer of caramel cream on the bottom. I gave the tartlettes to a friend, so I couldn't cut into them to show you, so you'll just have to trust me ;)

Chocolate Tartlettes

Crust
1/2 c crushed Oreos
2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c ice water

Cut the shortening into the oreos, flour and salt. Cut in the water. Knead briefly until the dough comes together (you may need extra flour). Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Roll out dough and pre-bake for 15 min at 350 F.

Caramel Layer
adapted from Eric Kayser’s Sweet and Savory Tarts
150 g sugar
125 g cream
pinch salt
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 T flour

Heat the cream and salt on the stove. Meanwhile, dry cook the sugar until it is caramelized. Pour the cream over the caramel, stir until combined. Let cool slightly. Whisk the egg, yolk, and flour together. Slowly pour the caramel into the egg mixture, stirring so it doesn't curdle. Pour into the cooked tart shells and cook for another 15 min at 350 F.

Chocolate Bavarian
found here

Pour the chocolate onto the cooled caramel filled tart shells.

Italian Meringue
150 g sugar
75 g water
110 g eggwhites

Melt the sugar and water on the stove until it reaches 245 F. Start beating the eggwhites when the sugar reaches 225 F. Beat to soft peaks. Add the sugar syrup and continue beating for another 10, until the meringue cools. Spoon on top of the chocolate layer. Brown with a kitchen torch.

Daring Bakers: Chocolate Valentino & Rose Gelato

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

I get it, most people I've tried to encourage rose flavor on have said, no thanks, it just tastes like soap. So Americans aren't into rose as a tongue experience. But, rose flavor to me means Paris. La Vie en Rose, and all that aside (though I do love that song), the first time I had rose as a flavor was in Paris. We had just toured Sacre Coeur, and at the bottom of Montmartre we stopped to get lunch. Something "traditional" I think, but I don't remember. And then, just down the way was a gelateria. I got rose flavored thinking, well it couldn't hurt to try. It was perfect. Yes, it tasted like perfume, but not in a bad way. It tastes like summer, and small winding streets, and natural elegance. It tastes like a fabulous daydream. It makes you want to never go back to your paper pushing desk job again, but give it all up to become a painter. Well, I guess there are a lot of things that make us want that last one, but rose in particular.


We were asked to pair the cake with a homemade icecream of some sort. What would go better with a decadent, rich, flourless chocolate cake than rose gelato? And it was divine. The cake is best made the day before. Day one it is "egg-y", but day two it sets up so thick and fabulous. As our hosts directed, we have to use a high quality chocolate, because that's really all you're going to taste in the end. I bought a new bag of Callebaut dark chocolate. Though the bag didn't say, I think it must have been their lowest % cocoa solid chocolate, the Otovalo. So smooth and heavenly. I kept sticking my finger in the melted chocolate while it was cooling - I couldn't help myself. And I can normally help myself with chocolate. I don't like M&Ms, Hershey bars, or generic chocolate chips (ie, American chocolate). But good quality chocolate like this is a whole new story.

PS, Picasa is my new favorite toy. So much fun with picture collages!


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

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


Rose Gelato
adapted from David Lebovitz


2 c whole milk
1/3 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 c Rose syrup

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio paste and just a few drops of citrus juice until smooth.

6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions

Red Velvet Starfruit Cupcakes and what the %#@!??

Ok, let's tackle this chocolate cake recipe thing again.
I went to the library and stocked up on cake books. I wanted to compare buttermilk chocolate cake recipes, see how everyone's are different. First off, they're all the same. Are your recipes really different when one calls for 8 oz chocolate and the other calls for 6 oz, but everything else is the same? Maybe, but seriously, I don't know how cook book writers don't deal with copy write problems more often.
In any case, this is the standard: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, buttermilk. Ingredients vary slightly, but not enough to notice. Baking is more about the right texture, than about exact amounts most of the time. One day you'll need more flour or less because of a variety of reasons. So the recipes are really all the same. Except one I came across that wanted me to separate my eggs, and fold in the beaten egg white at the end. I thought, cool!, I'll try that. WRONG!!! Massive FAILURE. Someone with more egg chem. knowledge than me will have to explain why the cupcakes rose on the sides, but not in the middle. (Like they fell, but they actually never rose to begin with.) Also, all the recipes call for baking soda, which I used, and immediately regretted. Can you taste the baking soda in recipes? Nobody else seems to get what I'm talking about. But when you bake something that has baking soda in it, I'm telling you, it tastes awful, really sour.
Right, well. Back to the standard recipe, no separated eggs and baking powder instead this time. Seems to be going all right, and then this happens:

What the #&@%!?!?!?! Looks like I stuck my fingers in them, doesn't it. I didn't though! These cupcakes are from the last batch, where half turned out fine, and the other half did this. :P I'm blaming the oven - I cannot think of any other reason. Fortunately, most of the cupcakes turned out all right (not very domed, though. Any takers on reasons for that problem?) And they tasted amazing, and the frosting would have made up for anything. These are for you, Britt! Happy Bday through the nets. :D

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

8 oz chocolate, melted and cooled
2 sticks butter, at room temp
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 c buttermilk
1 T red food coloring
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between. Add the vanilla. Add the melted, cooled chocolate and the food coloring, mix until combined. Combine the dry ingredients; add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in thirds to the batter.
Bake at 350 F for 20 min.

Starfruit Buttercream

1 starfruit, peeled and pureed
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c shortening
4 c confectioners sugar
4 oz cream cheese, softened

Beat the butter and shortening until very light (about 5 min). Add the sugar slowly. Add the starfruit and cream cheese, and continue beating until very whipped.

Les Chouquettes Canelle

Luigi Pirandello was an Italian playwright and author. At least that's what wikipedia's intro says about him. I think of him more as a philosopher, though. He believed that people are made up of layers upon layers with no solid core. We're made up of layers we give our selves, and layers others give us. It's a little too existential for me. I think we all have unique cores that tie us to God and to each other. But on top of that I think it is like Pirandello believed. We put on layers, personality traits, characteristics, habits, whatever you want to call them, that are labeled by ourselves and by others. I realized the other day that I've let go of one of my layers. I don't categorize myself as a scientist anymore, something that I've held onto for nearly a decade. It was particularly hard to let go of because it is a layer most everyone I know also puts on me. But when I think of my symbolic self, that word doesn't belong anymore. In my journey to define the self I'm happy to let go of this piece of fabric. Now, instead, I'm trying on a "baking layer" in a larger more influential way. Perhaps I'll discover at some point that baking should remain a smaller piece of fabric, but for now I'm enjoying knitting a bigger layer, which includes sharing it all with you on this blog.
Another thread to add to the square, chouquettes. Essentially cream-less cream puffs. Cream puffs are choux pastry, and if you've never thought to try the bread-y part of your cream puff without the cream, then you're not missing anything. Choux is rather bland, and I didn't really understand why there is a whole separate dessert dedicated just to the choux. But I added a bit of cinnamon (canelle) for flavor, and my opinion has completely changed. These little guys are ADDICTING! Everyone at work and home loved 'em. Definately a keeper.

Chouquettes

3/4 water
1/4 c cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 T sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup flour
1 T cinnamon
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Combine water, cream, salt, sugar and butter in a medium sauce pan and cook until the butter has all melted. Add the flour and cinnamon all at once and stir over medium heat for another minute until the batter comes together and doesn't stick to the sides of the pot.
Transfer the batter to a bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes until it no longer steams.
Add the eggs one at a time mixing well with a hand mixer each time.
Pipe or spoon a teaspoon of the choux (batter) onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle pearl sugar (or crushed up sugar cubes because you can't really get pearl sugar in the US) on them. Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes, or until dry.