Taking Time Off from Daring Bakers

Yup...I've finally decided that I HAVE to take some time off from the challenges. There's just too many things I have to do, and want to do, it's difficult to stick to my monthly commitment. However, I'll still be around and I'll also be stopping by other blogs whenever I can. Hopefully someday I'll be back to take on all the fun Daring Bakers Challenge! :)

Daring Bakers April Challenge ---- Traditional English Pudding

I didn't think I was able to complete this challenge. But here it is...2 days late. These are some of the things I have been doing for the past 2 weeks (besides the regular routine) --- getting the house ready for my best friend's visit (the last time we met up, Yesmin was only 2 months old...so that's almost 10 years ago!!!)...I had to get the crap room, a.k.a guest room cleared!!! I was also trying to prep some food that I wanted to make for her. Then the worst of all...a call from the school 3 days before my friend's arrival. I thought Yesmin was sick again...but this was worst. She fell on the school's play structure during recess and hurt herself. We end up spending 5 hours plus in the emergency room!!! Thankfully, she didn't break any bone, there was no internal injuries, no stitches. *phew*

Back to the challenge...

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.

If you haven't heard of suet.... suet is raw beef or mutton fat!!! Yikkeesss....oh, and by the way, the English pudding isn't the custard base pudding we have here in U.S. It has a totally whole different texture and taste. For more detail information, go to Daring Kitchen, Esther did a fantastic job in describing.

Then one day, this is what a friend posted on her Facebook page --- she found THIS in our local Safeway store!!!


We all had a good laugh (those of us with a "gutter brain") --- at the name, of course. Some suggested it'd be great stocking stuffer!!! :P Can you imagine when the cashier announcing "Price check on Spotted Dick on register 9, please!" I had to pick one up....especially since THIS IS what we're doing for the month's challenge!! :)

So, for this challenge, I didn't open up the can and call it done, of course! :) We had the choice of making it sweet or savory; with or without a suet crust. I chose to make the Spotted Dick. I added to the given recipe, raisins, cranberries, apricot and toasted pecans. I also soaked the dried fruits with Myers rum for 10 minutes. One thing I didn't have was a regular bread crumbs. I used my left over panko whole wheat breadcrumbs instead. And instead of suet, I used butter flavored Crisco that was in my pantry. This is what mine looks like.



Not bad looking. Since it is traditionally serve with a custard sauce, I made Francois Payard's creme anglaise.

My version of Spotted Dick

I took a scoop....it's ok...took another....ok, I think that's it....I'm NOT having anymore...I wonder if it's the after taste of the Crisco?? It just didn't work....doesn't taste good at all! Kinda disappointed. Maybe it'd taste better with the REAL SUET?! I'm sure there are other Daring Bakers out there who made a delicious steamed pudding. So, don't let mine stop you....check out the other blogs here and they might be able to convince you otherwise. HOWEVER....by all means, DON'T torture yourself trying the canned Spotty!! Look at THIS!!!



Just that, should already tell you something....but I HAD to try it... So...I dress it up with my custard sauce....

Heinz's canned Spotted Dick

....and I took a bite....I spit it out right away!!! YUK!!! :P After this, I really don't know if I have the guts to try Spotted Dick again. Nonetheless, it has been an interesting experience. Thank you Esther, for the experience. :)

Daring Bakers Challenge --- Orange Tian

I am late, I am late, I am so-so-so, very, very LATE!!! :( It's been a busy month with 2 cake orders --- oh ya, it's a BIG deal to me...we'll talk about that later. Also, March has always been the month where we take a turn on getting SICK in the family!! *sigh* Anyhow, I am so glad to have gotten this month's challenge down!!! :)

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

I've never had or heard of Orange Tian before this...but there's always the first time...and it was a GOOD one!!! I LOVE marmalade for one... if I can only have ONE jelly/jam for the rest of my life, it will be marmalade. So, it was exciting to know we HAVE to make homemade marmalade for the challenge...however, I'm not into canning(YET --- cos' I'm a sucker...easily persuaded)...otherwise I might just get hooked on!

In the recipe, it says to weigh the oranges of you have blanched, then weight the same amount of sugar to cook the marmalade. I cut the sugar in half...and it was already too sweet for me!! I'm glad I changed that part of the recipe.

1st time making homemade marmalade --- yum!

Lucas sniffing at it... trying hard to be patience before the whole dessert comes together! :P

We also had to make a pate sablee. I'm used to making pate sucree, and have never made a sablee...and apparently there's a difference. So, I tried the Pate Sablee recipe provided! LOVED IT!! :) Yesmin could just eat the baked sablees by itself!! I didn't want to go out and buy a dozen of medium size eggs...so I used the large egg yolks I had in hand.

Pate Sablee

Initially I had plan to make it family style --- in one big pan...then I decided to make them bite size...so I used some 2" muffin cups I bought back in Malaysia. I think it was just the right size. I serve mine with the caramel and a chocolate sauce/glaze I have from left over. It was DELICIOUS!!! :)

So, if you are interested in the recipe, just click here for details. And stop by our blogroll to check out what other DB-ers' version of Orange Tian.

THANKS JENNIFER FOR THE CHALLENGE!!! :)

Daring Bakers Challenge - Graham Crackers, Nanaimo Bars and Chocolate Scramble Eggs!!!

It's end of January, can you believe that?? And I'm a day late in posting my Daring Bakers challenge....so, nothing new here.

January has been especially challenging for me. It's the month after ALL the busy baking and celebrating (holidays AND birthdays in our family). Kinda feel BLAH - don't want to do anything, you know what I mean?! And having a untrustworthy oven doesn't help at all ( my oven problem still isn't fixed, if you're interested to know what's the problem, just click HERE). I was contemplating if I wanted to go on with this challenge for a longest time. I was interested to try a gluten free recipe, cos' it wasn't long ago that I have come to realized that there are many people who are allergic to wheat! Anyway, I obviously made my last minute decision.

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.

It wasn't a smooth sailing challenge for me this time around. Maybe it's the bad karma for being lazy! :P The graham cracker challenge was fine. I didn't have Sorghum Flour but was able to substitute it with rice flour. To my surprise, the gluten free graham cracker tasted really good...so much better than the store bought ones. They are a little too sweet though. I'd cut down the sugar in the future.


However, when it came to making the Nanaimo Bar, it was a nightmare! First, when I added the egg to the bottom layer mixture, the whole thing curdle up. I figured I must have done something wrong. Was it because I whisked it, instead of stirred it, as mentioned in the recipe? I dump the whole thing out, and start all over again. Second time around, I used a wooden spoon to stir it, still, it curdle, and worst of all, stirring wasn't enough to prevent the egg from cooking, so I end up having bits and pieces of CHOCOLATE SCRAMBLE EGGS! Yikkkeeesss!!! I didn't want to start over again, so, I did my best to scoop out whatever I can. Still the mixture didn't look right at all...there was a layer of oil (from the butter) that just would NOT bind...nothing like Lauren's. So, I dump the grind up graham crackers, finely chopped almonds and coconut flakes (I used fresh coconut cos' I have THIS cool gadget! ;) ). I pressed some into a ring mold, and the rest to a 8x8 pan. Again, there was oil sitting on top of the chocolate/graham cracker mixture. I had to use some paper towel to soak 'em up. The second layer IS indeed THICK. It was kinda difficult to spread, and tasted to me like eating a stick of butter.

So, instead of finishing the top layer, I made only a small amount of the chocolate ganache layer, just enough to cover the Nanaimo bar I had in the small ring. I knew it was something too rich...and I DO MEAN RICH! ...that we won't eat. I did take a small wedge to try. It was ok, better than I thought it would be, but NOT something I'd make again. I had my doubts about the coconut...it's really funny that I haven't been a fan of coconut in Western desserts...maybe because the ones I've tasted are all made with sweeten coconut flakes we get from the stores. There are a lot of coconut in Asian, especially Southeast Asian desserts, but we usually use freshly grated coconut. Anyway, if not for the greasy taste, I might just like it more.

Now, doesn't mean I didn't like it, it means we should toss this recipe out. I have to say that, many of the devoted DB members, have created stunning and interesting "modified"Nanaimo bars. The come up with all sorts of variations in flavors, I wished I could try theirs instead of mine! :P So, do stop by to check them out here.

Here's the recipe and some tips:

Notes for gluten-free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars:

• Glutinous rice flour does not contain any gluten, as it is made from a type of rice called glutinous (or sweet) rice.
• The graham wafer dough is very sticky. Make sure you are flouring (with sweet rice flour) well, or the dough will be difficult to remove from the surface you roll it out on. Also be sure to keep it cold. You do not want the butter to melt.
• I chose these flours because of their availability. Tapioca starch/flour and sweet rice flour can often be found in Asian grocery stores, or in the Asian section of you grocery store. Sorghum can be slightly more difficult to find, but it can be replaced with brown rice flour, millet flour or other alternatives.
• In the Nanaimo Bars, it is very important that the chocolate be cool but still a liquid, otherwise the custard layer will melt, and it will mix with the chocolate, being difficult to spread. Allow the chocolate mixture to come to room temperature but not solidify before spreading the top layer on.

Preparation time:

• Graham Wafers: 30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 ½ hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.
• Nanaimo Bars: 30 minutes.

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers

Ingredients

1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour (I substitute with rice flour)
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed (I'd cut down the sugar, though I'm not sure it'd alter the sturture)
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) 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.

My note: The dough IS very sticky, and the trick is to make sure the surface you roll out onto, your hands and the rolling pin is well floured.

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter (I'd cut down to maybe 1/3 C instead?)
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer (I'm not crazy over this layer, like I mentioned before, it tasted like licking a stick of butter. However, there are some DB members who made with a mascapone layer, marshmallow layer or adding/flavored with fruits..etc. which I think it's a great idea...having something light for this layer might balance out the richness of this dessert)

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer

4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) 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!



Nevertheless, a BIG thank you to Lauren for this challenge. I am glad to have completed this challenge!

UPDATE: Hubby and kiddos tried the bars today. I cut a small section of the one in the small ring mold for each of them. Hubby said it's the best challenge I've made by far - and ask if that was it. I told him I was gonna toss the one in the 8x8 pan out, and he says NNNNOOOO!! So, I've just finish up the last layer on the 8x8, so that he can have more and will bring some to his co-workers.

As for the kiddos, they too thought that there was just the little serving they were gonna get. Lucas told me to go "make MORE"!!! :)

Merry Belated Christmas & Daring Bakers Challenge - Gingerbread House

Merry Christmas from the family! :)

Monkey 1 and Monkey 2

It's been a crazy and hectic month! Time seems to fly at HIGH SPEED when it comes to year end, doesn't it? Well, I'm once again late for posting my Christmas wishes to all of you AND for my Daring Bakers challenge (don't think THIS is ever gonna change! :P) Anyhow, I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Holiday!! =)

This year, I didn't feel as excited as I usually did....I think mainly because Nd (Lee) had to travel to Taiwan for work for the first 2 weeks of December. However, I have also notice that usually by the time we get to Christmas, I am already so exhausted with the kids' and Nd's birthdays, Thanksgiving and all the school parties. However, I am glad that, at least this time I wasn't late in the holiday baking. I managed to deliver all the treats to friends and neighbors the weekend before Christmas! Woohooo!!

Before I forget...
The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

So, Gingerbread House made from scratch was the challenge, and boy, was THAT a TRUE challenge for me. We have only made gingerbread house ONCE, and from A KIT. At first, I was all excited, thinking of all the possibilities to decorate the gingerbread house, and that I would make a house for each of the kids, so they can decorate their own, and not mess with MINE! :P I started off by reserving gingerbread house books from the library. It was a little overwhelming ~ what design should I choose? Should I copy from one of the books, or should I make one of my own?? Then came the busy schedule that keeps building up, while I kept on pushing off the challenge. There was a week where we were forecast to have snow (we don't get a lot of snow fall in Portland, Oregon, some years, we don't even get ANY snow), and after last year's Arctic Blast, I was worried we were gonna get snowed-in and nothing to do. So I picked up all the candies --- but which candies to buy? How much do I need? I end up spending twenty something dollars JUST on candies itself, and we didn't even have ANY snow!!! Argghhh!

In short, I end up making the dough 3 days before Christmas ( I used Y's recipe)....thinking I could maybe have it done by Christmas. NOPE ~ THAT was just a thought! I only started rolling and cutting them out on Christmas night. I knew I was late, so I just picked a classic template from Gingerbread Houses: Baking & Building Memories by Nonnie Cargas.

I have read a lot of comments in the DB forum that the dough seems very dry. Mine seems ok, at least that's what I thought...until I started rolling them out. It cracks and tears like crazy! I added water, try to pinch them back together. Sometimes that help, but still it wasn't easy to work with.

Doesn't look too dry, right?

See how it cracks like crazy?

Anyway, I was ready to get it done...I cut out the template, planed on having one house for myself and one house for the 2 monkeys to share. As I was putting up the walls of my house, I realized I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE ROOF!!!! %$#*&#@!!!!! Talk about Challenge!! ~ No problem, no problem, I CAN be Bob Villa .I can fix THAT ~ the kids just have to sacrifice THEIR walls! ;P I trimmed the sides of my walls, and two of them cracked - no problem, just a little royal icing will fix it, and using the kiddos side walls, with 2 windows on each wall, WHICH could be the skylight for my gingerbread house! ;) Pretty proud of myself, I have to say.

See the two "holes" on the roof?? That's the skylight! ;)

However, there's still A problem. The walls weren't tall enough to fully cover the whole roof, so I had to patch the roofs with licorice. BUT before that, my other problem was...I had left the empty jar that I had used to support the walls while the royal icing dries, INSIDE the gingerbread house...and the roofs are already on!!! D-U-H!!!! So, I removed the roofs, take out the JAR, replace the roof, then patched the roof! Hmmm.... I wonder why I don't care about making gingerbread houses...especially from scratch??!!

See the jelly jar in there??? Bet you can tell which brand and what flavor huh?! :P

Anyway, that was really THE challenging parts of building a gingerbread house from scratch. The rest was the fun part, and was up to your imagination :)

Front view

Details on door

Side of house

Back of house

Top of house

Side of house

Despite all the interesting challenges I had, I was glad to have participated. Visit the Daring Kitchen for the recipes and other details in this challenge. And don't forget to stop by HERE to see how other Daring Bakers gingerbread turned out! You might get inspired and make one too! :)

Oh, by the way, there's always the question of to eat or not to eat the gingerbread house. And Nonnie Cargas has included in her book this poem for eating your gingerbread house, which I think is so funny and appropriate...

New Year's Poem for Eating Your Gingerbread House
by Nonnie Cargas

Eating this house so fair and sweet
Brings insight to the year you'll meet
For every bite has a tale to tell,
So eat for luck and wish you well.

If the front door is your choice to eat,
Far-flung visitors soon you'll greet.
But if on the pathway you choose to dine,
A trip afar will soon be thine.

Consume the roof if you want security,
For love and shelter will be a surety.
Tho' if it's adventure to which you aspire,
Devour the windows to achieve your desire.

From the warmth of the chimney true love will come;
A taste of it and a pair you'll become.
Or if, by chance, you're already a pair,
Eating the chimney will recharge the air.

Trees and buses bring money your way,
While lawn decorations bring laughter and play.
Fences bring projects at which you'll succeed,
And people bring kindness and help when there's need.

But indulge in some pieces that aren't mentioned here,
You'll have special surprises throughout the New Year!

Thanks Anna and Y for the challenge and thanks Nonnie Cargas for the great book and poem! :)

P/S Since I have LOTS of left over candies, I MIGHT, try another recipe and make up for the kids.

Daring Bakers Challenge --- Cannoli

This month's challenge is Cannoli...And I thought I was able to handle this in time...looks like it's even worst than other months.... I hope to have the post up by tomorrow, so please check back later. In the mean time, check out our hostess, Lisa Michele's blog for more yummy cannoli.

........

Ok, finally...I've made my Cannoli!!! It's bad enough that I've always been a procrastinator, this month I gotten even worst! I'm two days late!!! Gosh, I hope Santa's not gonna drop be a bag of coal instead! ;P Nonetheless, I did what I can, and I was glad it didn't require using an oven, cos' I have not gotten a new oven YET! --- Wonder how long THAT is gonna take??!! Lisa Michele from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and line Drives was our lovely November hostess. There was A LOT of leniency allowed this time! Thanks Lisa!

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.



Here's the recipe with my notes in RED

Lidisano’s Cannoli as noted by Lisa, the name Lidisano is a combination of Lidia, Lisa and Saprano!!! :)

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 (I opt out the cocoa powder and replaced it with all purpose)
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 ( I didn't have it, so I used e cider vinegar I had instead)
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)

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. (I tried letting the egg white seal dry a little, but found that my dough loves to shrink a lot. So while it was drying, the dough just kept pulling back that by the time I drop 'em in the oil, the dough aren't sticking together anymore. So instead, once I seal the dough up, I immediately drop them in the hot oil seam side down)

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.

Once again, I needed the help from the step stool. I'm just too short to roll our doughs on my counter!! In fact, I found out the other day when I was at my physician office that I am NOT 5' 2", I'm ONLY 5' 1.75" --- and that was with my sneakers on!!! SOOO SAD!

No deep fryer for me... just the typical wok and the handy extra long chop sticks!

Letting the sealed dough dry a little as suggested...

but it didn't work for me...the ones that got dried out most opened up immediately, as my dough was like an elastic band!! They would stretched when you roll it, but the moment you leave them alone....pop, they'd spring back!!!

These were the bits and pieces of dough. I fried them up, sprinkle with some powdered sugar and cinnamon ~ yummy! :)

I filled my cannoli with marscapone flavored with mango puree and chopped mango pieces.. tasted very refreshing...however, the "dessert king" in the house, a.k.a. Lucas --- DID NOT like it!!! :/ Wonder why? He took 2 bites and ran away from it??!!! Wonder if he was just too full from dinner?? Will try it on him again tomorrow and see if we get the same reaction! Cos' it's just NOT like him to not like a dessert! He DID like bits and pieces ones though. Other that HIM, all of us liked it! :)

For the full page on this challenge, just click HERE. Thanks again Lisa for this great challenge!! :)

DISASTER WITH THE FRENCH KISSES!!!

????

It's reveal day for the Daring Bakers. Our challenge for this month is the French Macarons...not the macarons that many of us in America come to know of -- clumps of coconut flakes... this is the ones that's kinda like the meringue kisses without the pointy tips and are usually sandwiched with a filling. And guess what?! I did not start my challenge till this morning. Ya, ya, I know...you're not surprised. In fact, for the next 2 months, I will, without a doubt, be the same! Besides being a procrastinator, the last 3 months of the year, is the craziest time. I'm not just talking about holiday seasons...that's just a little part of it. The biggest issue here is BIRTHDAYS! There are AT LEAST 10 birth dates I can remember off hand in October alone. Lucas' is one of them.

Anyhow, I should continue with THIS issue in my later post (if I will ever be able to get to it). I am here to talk about the DISASTER.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macaroon from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Macarons have been popping out everywhere lately. Probably another "trend" like the cupcakes?? Before this challenge, I have made it once - I did not like it. I probably didn't do it well too, that time. So, I was hoping that this time, with the guidance from the other Daring Bakers members, maybe I'll do better??? Nah...not me...not when I am making 'em on the day of posting! I logged on to check all the Q & A every now and then...but did not "complied" them, and make use of all the good advice you can't get in a book. However, I will link some of them for your sake :) ... Audax Artifex, Tartelette, David Lebovitz

Anyway, I manage to make two flavors ~ Greentea (macha) with chocolate ganache and pumpkin pie. Sounds good doesn't it? NOPE! My disaster started with my homemade almond flour. I toasted my almonds, let it cool, and grind them with powdered sugar. I don't think I put enough powdered sugar in it, so some of them clump together. Same goes with the toasted pecan I used for the pumpkin pie macarons. And you're supposed to sieve the almond/pecan flour...I was thinking --- how am I supposed to sieve them, if they aren't fine to begin with? So, being a stubborn person that I am, I DID NOT sieve the almond flour for the greentea macarons...guess what happens?? You get clumpy meringue like THIS --->

So, when I made my pumpkin pie macarons, I decided to behave...I sieve the almond/pecan flour...it wasn't easy like sieving the regular flours... I kinda have to "smashed" them through with the back of a spoon.

See the difference??!!! The nut flour is still coarse, but much better...at least, NOT clumpy :)

Next, I used fresh eggs, at room temperature, for the macha macarons. Many have advised to "aged" the egg whites - meaning separate the eggs, cover the egg whites with cling wrap, and place it in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. You want to have as little moisture as possible in the meringue. I did aged the other set of egg whites for just one day, and here, in the picture below, you can see how much moisture has accumulated on the cling wrap!


Another problem??? "Drying" time. Some recipes calls for drying the pipped macarons on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before baking. The recipe we used requires us to bake them in a low temperature for 5 minutes, remove, pump up the temperature, and bake for another 7-8 minutes....which wasn't quite enough for my case. I don't know if the rainy weather did not help...but 7-8 minutes later, mine was still moist and soft. So I kept them in for another 10 minutes, at a lower temperature. This drying time is supposed to ensure your macarons has the trade mark "feet" on the bottom... I like to call it the "tutu" like a ballerina's costume :) My macarons have no feet, nor hands, tutus, what so ever! Looks more like the surface of the moon, BUMPY, don't you agree??!! *sigh*

None the less...it was still a good challenge. I learn a lot taking part as a Daring Baker. I am not sure I'd wanna try making macarons again in the future...maybe I should taste some of the true French macarons before I'd put on a tutu and dance around with egg whites and almond flour. (hint, hint: any other Daring Bakers wanna ship some of your beautiful and delicious macarons?? Drop me a note, and I'll contact you with my address!!! hahhahaa.... :P) Thanks Ami for this challenge! :D

If you're interested to try making these macarons, click here for the recipe. And you can visit other Daring Bakers' version of the Macarons here.

Have fun! :)
xoxoxo

Macha (green tea powder) macaron with chocolate ganache

Spiced pecan macaron with pumpkin buttercream

Daring Bakers' September Challenge - Vols-au-Vent With Michel Richard's Puff Pastry Dough!!!

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

After being gone for 2 months, and another half a month to recover from jet lag and a horrible cough... I'm FINALLY back to participate in my Daring Bakers Challenge!!! And what do you know, when you have missed out so much, this is what you get - PUFF PASTRY DOUGH!!! (yikes)

This is NOT something I have on my "wish to try" list. There's always the convenience of going to the frozen isle in the grocery store and just pick it up. Plus, the fact that you have to wrap the whole chunk of butter in the dough, and making sure the butter doesn't get too soft or it'd oozed out, and folding the dough "this way and that way" for X amount of times --- ai-ya-ya...definitely not for the lazy person that I am, and not for someone who, without fail, get distracted by the kids every 5 minutes ONLY WHEN I'm cooking/baking, cos' by the end I'd really be Huffing and PUFFING on the dough! :P

However, I AM A DARING BAKER! :P (LOL) and a procrastinator, in case you forgot. So I didn't start until 2 days before the dateline. I didn't think much about what I was gonna fill them with. Instead I was worrying about how will the puff pastry turn out! :P

Anyhow, I started with whacking the sticks of butter down, before I prepare the dough, so that the butter can stay cool in the fridge while I prepare the dough. However, I have to warn you that, if you have your kids' pet fishes' bowl(s) sitting on your kitchen counter top, like ME...do give them a warning that you'll be smacking something on the counter top, so that they don't get a heart attack and die. Not to worry...no fish were harm in the process of making this puff pastry...just 3 fishes puffing and huffing out of fear of the crazy mom with a giant rolling pin whacking the hell out of the butter! I did thought about moving them away...but by the time I realized they (especially the 2 gold fish) were "scurrying" about in the bowl, I was almost done with the butter! I think the beta could careless!

The frighten fishes!

I have to say, I was surprise how easy the dough was to work with! It doesn't tear, it just stretches wherever you want it to go! :)

Now, if you're short like me and has a counter top for the average Americans, you'd need your kid's step stool to roll this dough!

The good old Ikea step stool!

I was really happy when none of the butter oozed out in between the turns. I was planning on having it for dinner, so time was sorta short. Occasionally, instead of placing the dough in the fridge in between turns, I've put it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes --- and the dough was still soft and really nice to work with. When it came to splitting the dough, I was so excited to see the layers actually forming... :)

According to the instruction, right before you place the cut out doughs into the preheated oven, you should place a silicon baking mat or parchment on top of the doughs to help even rising. That was what I did. However, mine was a mess! See how my dough was D-R-A-G-E-D along as I tried to lift up the top mat??!!! *sigh*


Thank goodness I still had left over dough in the fridge, and I still had time to go on the DB forum to ask for help. Steph was quick to come to the rescue --- my oven was probably not hot enough. Hmm....this is a wonderful excuse for me to get a oven thermometer! ;P I also managed to skim through some other members' Q&A. And I came across Audax's suggestion on preheating the oven 20 degrees hotter than what it calls for in the recipe, as the dough needed the hot temperature to create the steam to puff the layers.

I did managed to salvage one decent looking Vols-au-Vent shell for the photo taking purpose. I made scrambled eggs with chives and bacon for the filling, and serve with a side of salad. That was our dinner.

Then yesterday afternoon, I rolled out my left over dough. This time, I raised the oven temperature to 420F. I did leave the mat sitting on top of the dough longer than the 15 minutes as suggested in the recipe. I waited until the dough started to brown lightly, only then I carefully remove the mat. However, for some reason, I had forgotten to placed the cut rings on top of the base to create the well for the fillings!!!! What an idiot!!! *shaking my head*

Oh well, so this morning we had our Vols-au-Vent (without a well) with brie and seasoned lox, and the other also with brie, with marmalade (Yesmin and I gobbled it down before I could take a photo! :P).

The vols-au-vent without the well!! : |

They really filled us up, so, even though I made a dessert Vols-au-Vent with mascarpone and blackberries on a bed of raspberry sauce, we haven't actually tried it YET. None of us could put another bite in, and I didn't wanna keep it till dinner as the pastry might get soggy...so I tried calling my neighbor :) Glad she was home. We shall be trying ours tomorrow night.

Mascarpone with Blackberries and raspberry sauce... you can't really see the base of the vols-au-vent here, but there's the BIG ring that I had forgotten to place on top of the base before baking! :P

So, in case you are interested in giving a try on puff pastry, click HERE for the recipe. I would encourage you to give it a try, because, there's a BIG difference between the TASTE of the homemade puff pastry, and the store bought ones!!

Thanks Steph, for this challenge that I NEVER thought I could achieve.

Daring Bakers' Challenge - Apple Strudel

S'more with a sprinkle of Pistachio

It's the time of the month we all have been waiting for!! Ta-ta-da.... This month's challenge is APPLE STRUDEL --- no to be confuse by streusel (sounds kinda alike)

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

I have to say that because of what I was going through the day before the challenge was announced, I almost forgot about checking in! When I finally did remembered later in the day of the announcement, I was glad that I had something to distract me. I have never had a apple strudel so, I didnt' know what to expect. However, after reading the post in the private forum for the members of the Darling Bakers, I felt intimidated once again. This is definitely NOT something I would try on my own will!! I mean, are u kidding me? This is something where you have to STRETCH the dough out AS THIN AS YOU CAN, TO READ A LOVE LETTER (or newspaper or whatever you want to read) THROUGH IT??? I may look "petite", I may have small hands, but being "gentle" IS one of my weakness!!!! I was so sure I am gonna TEAR the damn dough, even though we've been advised by Linda and Courtney that "a few small holes in the dough is not a problem, as the dough will be rolled" HA-HA!!!

So, I put off thinking about the dough...I'll deal with it later. Let's think of the fillings!!! Hmmm....the possibilities you can have to stuff in to the strudel dough, will stuff you crazy. I was thinking about what I wanna stuff in it all day...while driving (not a very good idea...any distraction while driving isn't good, I admit, but don't worry, I didn't get myself into any trouble), while cooking, walking down the bus stop...I couldn't stop thinking even when I went to bed. Had a bad headache after that! :P So, you'd think that, since I KNOW what the challenge was for the month, that I would start my challenge EARLY. NOPE...I did not...well, I did have really good excuses. Although it was exciting to imagine all the possibilities, I wasn't quite in the mood to do anything...I needed time to grief....then I needed time for my other commitments...then so on and so forth! In conclusion, I did not do my challenge until 2 days ago!!! THAT'S so typical of ME!

The dough

The dough is R-E-S-T-I-N-G...do not disturb! ;) I wished I could do the same! :P

Anyway, enough said. So, two days ago, when I started with the dough, I was nervous! The recipe is simple, and really easy, no problem. But when it came to the stretching...that made my hands shake. I did my best, carefully, and slowly stretching the dough from a rather small ball of dough into this giant stretch of super thin dough, with only minimal holes!!! Yiipppeeee!!! =D The feel of the dough is really soft and stretchy. It was SO easy to stretch the dough, and I REALLY mean it, IT WAS EASY --- it just LOOKS difficult, that's all!! ;) On the other hand, maybe I SHOULD say "oh boy, it was SO difficult to stretch this dough" --- so that I can "impress" friends and family!! (ha-ha) ;)

Roll it, roll it, roll it...

Stretch it...

Stretch it...

Stretch it...

And stretch it... no love letter here, and no love notes...just my favorite pastry mat! ;)

So, for my 1st trial, I had a mascarpone cream cheese with cherries and a thin layer of almond paste and a sprinkle orange zest as filling. We were puting the monkeys in bed while it was baking in the oven. When I came down to peek into the oven....YIKKKEESS!!! The mascarpone had LEAKED out!!! *sigh* I don't know if mascarpone cheese was too soft for a sturdel or I didn't add enough egg and/or other stuff to thicken it, like in a cheesecake. I had used one pound of mascarpone and 1 large egg in the fillings. The leak of the mascarpone was good for my friend, Diana, as I have forgotten that she DOES NOT like cream cheese --- and I had made her come over to try it! ;P Anyhow, it still tasted YUMMY. ;)

The next strudel I made was inspired by a combination of a snack and a flat bread sold in street stalls back home in Malaysia --- roti tissue and Apam Balik (also known as Ban Jian Kuih). I figured that if this strudel can be stretched to THIS thin, it'd be like Roti tissue, and the fact that I LOVE Apam Balik, why not combine these two together?! I tried it over the stove instead of baking it. NOPE, it didn't turn out as well as I had imagine. I also did not put enough sugar in it. Thank God, I made only ONE piece to try out. BUT I do think that you can use the filling from Apam Balik, which is toasted chopped peanuts, sugar, a bit a salt, sweet creamy corn, and toasted coconut flakes (optional --- which I opt out), and roll it up. Maybe next time I'll try again ;)

Nd (Lee) suggested folding it like an envelope

The following strudel is also inspired by another snack sold in the street stalls back home --- Curry Puffs (I wonder what is the difference between a curry puff and a samosa besides their shape?! :P) I've been craving for curry puff for a while now, but the samosas that are sold in the stores here are expensive! So, why not wrap it up in the strudel dough?! ;) I used my mom's curry paste and cooked curry chicken for dinner. I made a lot more than I needed for the night and scooped out a big bowl with as little gravy as I could for this. We had it for breakfast this morning. I tell ya, when you miss home, and especially if you've been craving for your hometown food, you'd know how I feel when I took my first bite this morning! Ahhhhh.....




And last but not least, this morning, after dropping Lucas in school, I came home making another version of the strudel. This time, it's S'mores! Mmm...mmmm...do I need to say more??? The kids even got to make their own when they go back home from school! They had so much fun stretching the dough. When it comes to eating it, it was a MESS but it was really priceless seeing how happy they were...especially since they made them. =D

S'more-del (?!)

So, this is where you can get the full recipe. I will include below the recipe for the dough and the notes/tips from Linda and Courtney.

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

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.

Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the
mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.

Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;

- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyester;

- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;

- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;

- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney's notes
- She couldn't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;

- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable;

- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

Linda's notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a stand mixer so I don't know how it compares.

- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;

- I used bread flour;

- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further.

And these are my notes ---

• Don't be afraid to try making the strudel! It is easier than you think, or wanna believe. ;)
  
• If you have one of these Roul' Pat Pastry Mat, it works just as well --- actually worked better for me, because when I first used parchment as suggested by another member, it did not work for me. The parchment moved about, same as the cheese cloth, but I did not try it on a table cloth though. However, you'll have to be careful with the size of your dough, and which way to stretch it on the mat.
• If you don't have a wet filling, it is not necessary to sprinkle breadcrumb, instead, you can use sugar, nuts, seeds, whatever that you desire and goes with your filling.
• You can mix the dough, let it rest, then store it lightly oiled and tightly wrap with cling wrap, and store in the fridge to be used the next day. Just bring it to room temperature before stretching. I initially wanted to try freezing stretched dough, cut into pieces --- sort like the Phyllo dough you get from the freezer aisle, cos' I thought it'd take SO MUCH time to prepare, if I wanted to serve it on the same day. Obviously I was wrong...it's only the resting time that takes a while, which you can use to prepare the filling too.
  
• Any scrap dough cannot be RE-stretch.
• Uneaten strudel can be store in the fridge, wrapped up. I reheat mine in the toaster oven and it is still crispy. However, the bottom part of the mascarpone-cherry strudel was a bit soggy.
  
• Split the dough in half for easier handling. Plus that way you COULD use some metal spatula or cake/brownie serving knife on each end to transfer the baked strudel onto a cooling rack to help maintain the crispy bottom crust--- but of course, use your own judgment on how solid your strudel feels before transferring.
  

Thanks Linda and Courtney for the challenge!!! =)