Category: Baking

Baking

Torta Sbrisolona :Simplicity at Its Best

Flipping through Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook while, bored, itching to use my new Kitchen Aid( early B day present), and seeing what can I possibly make with the aforementioned device without going to the store…. I saw this lovely gem. I love almonds and any cookie made with them “Is a good thing”. Certain Someone now has been in Europe going on three weeks and I needed something warm and comforting along with the Kitchen Aid he purchased for me in case he misses out on the actual Bday.Aww work, but he must do it to be able to afford our toys. I digress. So I see this recipe that’s calls for just a few simple ingredients. Torta Sbrisolona originates from Mantua , Italy and essentially is a cake/cookie that hails from a time when few could afford the more costly ingredients of richer sweets. Not surprisingly its Christmas favorite. I love the simplicity of this with just a cup of hot tea. I can also see it served alongside some warm spiced apples and ice cream. Enjoy.

Torta Sbrisolona adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted Butter
1 3/4 cups all purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, finely ground
3/4 cup of sugar ( I used Turbinado Raw Sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ( In addition I added a touch of amaretto flavoring)
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 10 inch spring form pan: set aside. Whisk together all ingredients except the butter in a large bowl. Cut in the butter gradually and blend until mixture is completely incorporated. There should be no dry crumbs.
Gently press all except 1/4 of mixture into the spring form pan. Sprinkle the rest of the mixture( streusal /crumb like) on top of the pressed mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until golden.Reduce temp to 300 and bake for 10 more minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Removes sides to unmold. Cookie can be kept wrapped up to three days.

Bostini Creme Pie

This is my first Daring Bakers challenge. After a rather stress filled and hectic weekend, with all the ingredients in house, I said “if not now then never”. Certain Someone was gone for awhile, and I got to play.Reading other Daring Bakers posts on the forums I knew where I would encounter the difficulty. I’ve done custards before, so really wasn’t concerned about that aspect.The texture of this custard is not thick and is difficult to set, like a traditional custard. I love the specs of vanilla bean.However the chiffon I knew would be hit or miss. Rather than bake the chiffon in ramekins, I decided to cook it in a longer sheet style cake pan. I cooked it for precisely 25 minutes and it really looked fine. However when I put it on the rack to cool and flipped it out the pan , the center not being cooked thoroughly fell out through the rack. I could tell the main part of the cake was salvageable . Considering I was using cut out square sections, I cut away the good portion. Eggs are expensive in Chicago, and this recipe called for a lot! I had bulked up at Costco. I couldn’t bare the ‘waste’ and starting all over again. The good parts I salvaged, were what chiffon should be in texture.So I just needed to cook it longer to accommodate the cake pan. I will definitely use chiffon cake again in my recipes. Getting over my embarrassment, I reminded my self that blog communities like Daring Bakers are for learning, making mistakes, and successes. We all learn and feed of each other. I’m proud to be a Daring Baker. Check out the recipe and see the few modifications I was allowed to make. And if you have a moment check out the Daring Bakers Blog Roll to see how these other great members meet their challenge.

Surprisingly Certain Someone noticed the custards in the fridge. This type of dessert appeals to him with all the chocolate and custard. I told him Sunday dinner was almost like being home in Germany. His mother makes great puddings and such.He got so into to it he even staged this picture and took it for me as I desperately need help with this aspect of blogging.I promise my plating and photos will improve. Thank you honey. We ate our deserts prior to watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. I almost missed it because the rich cream custard had a sleepy effect on the both of us. Good to have on hand as night cap. We even revisited the leftover custard a few nights later with just the chocolate sauce and quickly went out like lamps soon after.

Daring Bakers October Challenge #12

Host : Mary Alpinberry http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/

Bostini Creme Pie (from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala’s Bistro)

Serving Size 8 generous Servings

Allowed modifications for Daring Bakers:
1. You can substitute with a flavor that you think complements the other components as long as you keep the chiffon cake “light colored”. So nothing “dark” like chocolate or coffee/espresso.
2. Since the serving size is quite large, please feel free to half the recipe.
3. The chocolate glaze recipe makes a lot so make as much or as little glaze as you would like. Scaling this is straightforward since it’s 1 part chocolate to 1 part butter.
4. You can play with the “size” of the dessert. You can make the custard and the cakes in smaller ramekins so that you’ll have a bunch of miniature desserts instead of 8 regular sized ones.
5. High altitude modifications are allowed as long as you stay “true” to the recipe. Conversion for certain dietary restrictions like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan etc. is allowed too.

Any modifications I made are highlighted in blue.

INGREDIENTS

Custard

3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten

3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 vanilla bean (EDITED: vanilla extract is okay)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

Chiffon Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil (I used vegetable)

1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)

3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest (I used orange icing fruit, a purred orange mix to add to icings and cake batters)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Chocolate Glaze

8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocalate Chips)
8 ounces unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS
To prepare the custard: Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.


To prepare the chiffon cakes: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups. Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not overbeat. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter. Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.
To prepare the glaze: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm. To assemble: Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.

In The Bag Event: Cooking The Month Of October

One of the main reasons I started this food blog was to participate in a lot of food blog events and challenges. The participation from people all over the world really inspires me. While checking out another blog this morning, I noticed a event hosted by Julia from A Slice Of Cherry Pie in the UK. In the Bag is a monthly event that calls for creative uses of specially selected ingredients. I happened to have all the components on hand. And just a day to go before the deadline!This months event challenged us to use Pumpkin, Mushrooms, and Leeks. I immediately thought of a few ideas. One was a pizza with feta, a chicken roll up stuffed with the ingredients perhaps in a stuffing mixture, or this on which I finally settled on. Based on the Tarte Poireux I used to eat in Paris as a student and Quiche Lorraine’s.
Courtney’s Oyster Mushroom,Pumpkin, Leek, and Feta Tarte.

Pate Brisee for your tart shell.
9 tbs unsalted butter at room temp
1 large egg
3 tbs water at room temp
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp of salt
butter to grease tart pan

Combine butter and egg in your processor. Add flour gradually to form dough. The mixture should resemble coarse balls.Gently form into a ball and wrap in plastic for 1 hour or overnight.

Butter spring form tart pan.

Roll out pastry dough between lightly floured sheets of wax paper to fit pan plus extra.Turn out, shape , and guide into the pan. Don’t worry if it breaks or needs to be patched. Lightly punch bottom with a fork. Chill pastry dough in pan covered with wax paper for 30 min. Blind bake crust with ceramic weights if you have them for 15 min. Be sure to wrap your tart shell in foil to prevent leaks and spills.
Filling:

1 cup fresh pureed or canned pumpkin. * I made fresh, drain any excess water through a sieve. Canned may add more color as its more concentrated.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

oyster mushrooms

1 leek

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp minced ginger

salt

pepper

butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup crumbled fresh feta( I used a water packed French feta)

sage leaves
Slice and thoroughly clean leeks, I soak them in water several times to drain the dirt and sand. shred the oyster mushrooms length wise with your fingers. Saute both with a little butter to wilt. You may add salt and pepper. Mix eggs , cream, salt,pepper,nutmeg, Parmesan,ginger, and pumpkin puree.

Take baked shell and line with leek and mushroom mixture. Add crumbled feta. Be sure your pan is tightly wrapped in foil and place in a cookie sheet to catch any spills. Pour pumpkin mixture to cover. You may have left over liquid depending on your size of shell, etc. Top with sage leaves. Bake for approx 30-40 min.

I would serve it in mini form as a appetizer, or as a main course with a seasonal salad with a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I can also see it with bacon or ham Incorporated, but I didn’t have any.

Wilton 2 Final Project

Tonight I finished my final cake for Wilton 2. I chose a peach icing for my basket weave rather than the traditional white butter cream. The cake is a chocolate /orange flavor.