It’s the beginning of another month and that means its Recipes To Rival time!! Our host this month is brought to you by Lauren of Fried Pickles & Ice Cream. http://friedpicklesandicecream.blogspot.com/

What was our challenge this month? A little summer taste of Italy! A delicious & simple antipasta (appetizer), Bruschetta & a digestivo (after-dinner drink), Limoncello.
   
Lauren tells us that “Bruschetta, having its origination in Italy, is served as an antipasta. It is one of the simplest & easiest things to make & will gratify your taste buds. It is greatly enjoyed when paired with red wine. In Italian, Bruschetta is pronounced ‘brusketta’, where ‘bruscare’ means ‘to roast over coals’. The trick is to roast or grill the bread… NOT bake it as we do in America. Once you have tried this recipe you will have a hard time ordering it at a restaurant!”

She also tells us that “Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur that originated in Southern Italy around the Bay of Naples. The liqueur derives its flavor from the peels, rather than the juice of the fruit, resulting in a pleasant, sweet, lemony taste. It is wonderful as a palate cleanser or as an after dinner drink. Keep your bottles of Limoncello in the freezer until ready to serve. The ingredients are simple & few, & making a batch doesn’t require much work, but you’ll need some time… don’t wait until the last minute to make it!!”

I love bruschetta! I also love limoncello! I was so excited to see this challenge. My first taste of limoncello was at Olive Garden, they have a frozen limoncello lemonade that is amazing!!! I have been looking for a bottle of limoncello ever since, but sadly, I have yet to find it. Now, I can make it at home. It is so simple to make. Bruschetta I have made before & always love it. If you have never tried it before, it is a must make. Thank you so much Lauren for the great challenge!

Here are the recipes:

Bruschetta (4 servings)
4 slices Rustic Bread
2 cups chopped Roma Tomatoes    I used grape and Roma tomatoes
1 clove Garlic
4 to 8 leaves Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil                     I omitted
Sea salt

-Heat grill or grill pan to medium high heat
-Slice THICK pieces of bread
-Place bread on grill until each side has a nice golden color
-Rub garlic on top side of each bread piece
-Pile tomatoes on
-sprinkle one big pinch of salt per piece on top of the tomatoes
-generously drizzle oilve oil on top of tomatoes (about 2 to 3 tablespoons per piece) omitted
-add basil to the top

Limoncello
1 liter grain alcohol
5 1/2 cups water
5 large lemons (or 10 small lemons)
2 1/2 cups sugar

-Gently wash lemons in cool water to remove any dirt
-Peel away zest from lemon leaving as little pith (the white stiff) as possible.
-Put peels in a large sealed jar or container (I reused the alcohol bottle)
-Pour alcohol over lemons and place container in a cool place.
-Leave the mixture for 7 days.
-Every day give the container a little swirl. You will see the alcohol become darker & darker every day.
-After 7 days, strain the alcohol by using a coffee filter.
-Prepare the simple syrup. Bring the water to a boil and add the sugar to dissolve.
-Mix the syrup with the alcohol. BE CAREFUL… DO NOT DO THIS NEAR A FLAME!!!
-Pour the limoncello into bottles or containers. Let cool completely. Store in the freezer until ready to serve!
*Date your limoncello. After a year it will no longer be delicious.

Verdict: Limoncello – a little too much alcohol and not enough lemon, but pretty darn good for my first try. I will definitely be making this again. It is totally worth the effort. I would also use vodka next time instead of the grain alcohol.

Bruschetta – always a winner! Hubby actually liked the Blue Cheese, Pear & Walnut Crostini that we did back in December better, he just isn’t a huge fan of basil. Very tasty, quick & easy to make. This makes a great appetizer for any party.

For the Double Daring Bakers Challenge this month I got to tackle a Lemon Meringue Pie!!!  It was actually, pretty easy!

Lemon Meringue Pie (from “Wanda’s Pie in the Sky” by Wanda Beaver)

Daring Bakers Challenge #15: January 2008 Host: Jen (Canadian Baker)

The pies had to be lemon, but other than that, we could play a bit. I made mine just like normal, except veganized it. I was really worried about how to make a vegan meringue, but I was able to find one online while looking for vegan marshmallow recipes. So, here is what I did:

Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust: I made an Oat Pie Crust

2 TBSP warm water

1 tsp ground flax seeds

½ cup old fashioned oats, ground

3 TBSP rice milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

For the Filling:

I used Colleen Patrick - Goudreau’s lemon filling recipe for Lemon Bars on page 126 of The Joy of Vegan Baking

For the Meringue: I used the Vegan Meringue recipe from Dave Soleil

To Make the Crust:

Whisk together the warm water & flax seeds, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9” tart pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the rice milk & vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk the ground oats, flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder & salt. Drizzle the flax mixture onto the dry ingredients & stir with a fork until crumbly. With the fork, stir in the milk mixture, one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface & knead 7 to 8 times. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out to an 11” circle, dusting with flour if necessary. Transfer to prepared pan, pressing to fit. Trim edges.

Line the tart shell with a piece of parchment paper & fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set. Remove weights & parchment paper & bake for 8 to 12 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. (The shell will keep, loosely covered with foil, for up to one day.)

To Make the Filling: See page 26 of The Joy of Vegan Baking

Before the Meringue:

To Make the Meringue: Check out his recipe

For the Crust:

Let’s see, I didn’t get to make this while alone in the kitchen, so my many mistakes are

1. Forgot the pie weights & parchment paper during the blind baking.

2. Baked it for 20 minutes before remembering it.

3. Didn’t refrigerate the pie crust before rolling out (hence, how think it was).

For the Filling:

Since I messed up on my crust baking times, I had to adjust my cooking method for the filling. So, I cooked it on the stove top while my crust was cooling. I cooked it for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly until it set. Oh, I also added 2/3 cup lemon juice instead of 1/3.

After Baking the Meringue:

Okay, so my oven cooks hotter in the back then the front:

Sliced:

Verdict: YUM! Everything came out great, well, except for the crust being too thick. I will definitely be making this again.

This months Fresh From The Oven challenge was hosted by Brooke of Ed and Brooke and she chose focaccia.

I was very excited when I saw this one. I love Focaccia! We also got to choose our own recipe. But, I have made Focaccia before. I actually made it as Christmas gifts one year. Well, instead of using that recipe, I decided to try a different one from the same cookbook. I made the Grilled Focaccia from The Bread Bible (page 216-219). I didn’t really make any changes, so I won’t post the recipe, you’ll just have to get the book, its a great one!

The recipe was pretty straight forward & easy to make. I didn’t have any problems until I realized it was a little too thin & a little small. I had planned on making pizza out of it, but it definitely wouldn’t feed the both of us without some sides. Well, I plunged on. I had it shaped & resting on a cookie sheet, then I remembered that I needed to move it to a grill pan. Well, I hadn’t greased the cookie sheet enough & I had spread it too thin, so it was a little hard to get off the pan. It did not fare too well, but still workable.

Well, I got it onto the grill pan, cooked the one side, flipped it over (pretty easily, actually) & then topped it. Now, it did not look pretty on its own, but it sure made a tasty pizza. Oh, I also over-kneaded it a little. I missed the part where it said to knead for about 20 seconds & I kneaded it for a minute. I am pretty sure that had something to do with my results.

Verdict: I will be trying this one again, it was very tasty, even if it didn’t look too pretty on its own.

Oh, the pizza toppings: faux saugsages, olives, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, tomatoes, & onions.

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I too am a big fan of Gale Gand, even though I don’t eat much of what she makes anymore. I am still able to take a lot of her recipes & veganize them though. I have actually never had a Milano Cookie before, I know, very sad. I also do not like marshmallows of any kind, I know, very strange. Although this months challenge got me interested. Even though I don’t like eating marshmallows, I really wanted to make some. Not sure why, but I couldn’t wait to get started! You can see the original recipes & everyone elses results here: http://www.thedaringkitchen.com

I started off with Isa’s version of Milanos, printed with my changes. I wanted to make them lower in fat & a little healthier.

Vegan Milanos
Makes 16 cookies

1/3 cup rice milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Scant ¼ tsp orange extract
2 cups flour
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a large mixing bowl, use a strong fork to mix together milk, sugar, applesauce, vanilla and orange extract.

Add half of the flour, along with the cornstarch, baking powder and salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour and mix until you have a soft dough.

Fill a pastry bag, or zip-top baggie with the dough & pipe onto your cookie sheets so that it is 1 ½” long. Wet your hands a bit with cold water, it will keep your hands from sticking to the dough. You will need to do this after every couple of cookies. Flatten with the palms of your hand to create an oval that is 2“ long and 1“ across, then straighten the edges out with your fingers. You are going for the milano cookie shape, don’t be too perfect with it though, let it have some character. Continue shaping the cookies until you have 16 cookies placed about 1“ apart (they don’t spread much.) per tray.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until tops are firm and edges are ever so slightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Use a thin, flexible spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, bake your next batch and melt your chocolate.

Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes, then take a cookie and dip the bottom into the chocolate. Then take another cookie and dip it, and place the dipped sides together to form a sandwich. Don’t press them hard or else the chocolate will smoosh out. Place them on a tray & put in the fridge to set for at least an hour. Continue with the remaining cookies until you have 16 sandwiches. Have a wet rag at the ready to wipe your fingers between putting the cookies together, to avoid chocolate fingerprints on the cookies. Bring to room temperature before serving.  I filled half with the melted chocolate & half with my leftover almond-ella.

We only had to make one of the cookies, but who can resist Milano type cookies & I really wanted to make some Marshmallows, so I made both.

For the Marshmallow recipe, I used David Soleil’s recipe that you can find here: http://veganmarshmallows.blogspot.com/2009/04/vegan-marshmallow-recipe.html I followed it exactly (except using Lyle’s Golden Syrup & Barley Malt Syrup in place of the corn syrup), so I won’t reprint it here.

I also used silicone molds to shape the marshmallows.

I made the regular vanilla flavored marshmallows for all. On some, I used chili powder to dust with & some I used cinnamon. On 2 of the big ones, I coated with coconut flakes & 2 of them I mixed in some peppermint, soy cream cheese frosting. The peppermint is yummy!

For the Mallows, I used leftover chocolate shortbread that I had made for pie & made a quick chocolate ganache to pour over the top, yum!

Verdict: Milanos – YUM! I did under cook them a bit, I should’ve left them in for another 2 minutes, but they were still really good, just a little chewy. I also made them too thick, which didn’t help with the chewiness. They sure tasted good though, & I will be making these again.

Mallows – YUM! I had so much fun making the marshmallows. The texture was a little different, but they tasted like marshmallows. This was good though, because the main thing I don’t like about marshmallows is their texture. Once you put them into a cookie & cover with chocolate, well, who could resist!

Our Host: Sketchy, from Sketchy’s Kitchen

The Challenge: Skate, traditional flavors powdered (slightly altered) This is a dish from Grant Achatz, found in the Alinea cookbook - page 230. Skates are part of the family of rays (think manta ray or sting ray). Our challenge this month was based on molecular cuisine.

You can find the original recipe here: http://thedaringkitchen.com/  as well as to see how everyone else did.  Below I have put my changes.

Skate, Traditional Flavors Powdered - with changes

In place of the skate, I made Tofu Fish Sticks from Vegan Lunchbox.

• *150 fresh green beans

• sea salt/kosher salt

• ¼ banana

• 75g cilantro

• 75g parsley

• 50g dried banana chips

• 150g better than milk powder

• 50g cup minced red onion

• 100g capers (brined, not oil)

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)

Powders - prepare ahead of time
caper / onion
garlic powder
cilantro/parsley powder
‘brown butter’ powder

Powders
once dried, all powders should be pulsed in a coffee grinder/spice mill/morter & pestle then passed through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

cilantro/parsley powder
75g cilantro
75g parsley

I actually found freeze dried cilantro & parsley, so I used that.

garlic powder (my addition)

75g freeze dried garlic

onion powder
50g cup minced red onions

again, used freeze dried
pulse in coffee grinder.

Caper powder
100g capers (get the ones packed in brine/vinegar)

run the capers under cold water for two minutes to remove some of the brine.
I microwaved the capers on a paper towel for 1 minute, then let it sit for a minute. I repeated heating them in the microwave for 30 seconds and resting for 1 minute until they were done. They were in the microwave for a total of 4 minutes.

Once dry, pulse and sift the powder. Mix it with the onion powder.

Brown Butter powder

50g Dried banana chips (unsweetened if possible - many are coated in honey - the freeze dried ones would be brilliant) – I could only find sweetened
150g spray dried cream powder

I did not toast the cream powder.

grind the banana chips in a coffee grinder and mix with the toasted cream powder. Pass this through a chinois and reserve.

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)

Plating
Take the tip of a small spoon and make a small mound of the citrus powder, the onion-caper powder, and the cilantro parsley-powder. Swirl these around in a hurricane type pattern. I found that it is easier, and you get finer lines if you lightly shake the plate to flatten out the mounds, then swirl the spoon through it to get the pattern. (I need to work on my swirl work, mine is pitiful) I served this with a side salad & boiled potatoes with garlic pepper.

peel the remaining banana into very think slices (3mm) fan three slices on the plate, place green beans on top and place skate wing portion on top. On the tall edge, sprinkle the brown butter powder.

Verdict: While this challenge was definitely a challenge & I learned a lot, I would not make it again. Hubby did give it a good try & liked the tofu fish sticks & the salad & potatoes that I served with it. He tried the sticks with each of the powders, as well as banana & green beans with each bite, he wasn’t sold on it. The bananas actually complement the raw green beans very well. The tofu fish sticks turned out really good. I would use more kelp granules next time though. Thank you so much Sketchy for this interesting challenge, it was something very new for me. It was nice to learn how to make the powders. This is an adventure, it is fun to try.

Just wondering how subbing potatoes would work with this?

Recipes 2 Rival – June 2006 Challenge

Our challenge this month is Beef Wellington! My first thought was, hmmm, not something I have ever wanted to eat. But isn’t that what these challenges are all about, making things you wouldn’t normally make, giving new things a try. So I read on.

According to wikipedia, Beef Wellington “is a preparation of beef tenderloin coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) & duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry & baked.”

Okay, my next hmmm was with the pate. I knew I could find vegan puff pastry (albeit with hfcs), I could even make it if I had the time (which I didn’t), but I wasn’t sure I wanted to try to find or make pate, which isn’t hard, its just a texture issue. Luckily, I kept reading & realized that it was optional.

This months host is Mz Kitchen of Madame Chow’s Kitchen. After doing quite a bit of research & experimentation, she put this recipe together. It’s based on the Ultimate Beef Wellington by Tyler Florence, but I added a couple things & eliminated a couple others.

We had to use the puff pastry, some type of protein & the duxelles. Seitan would work well, as would tempeh. Tofu was not recommend because of its high water content & moisture is the enemy here! I chose to go with tempeh because I like the flavor more & it has a very low moisture content. Here are some more tips from our host:

“Cook the duxelles on low heat so that you have a chance to evaporate the liquid, but so that you don’t burn the mushrooms & shallots. If you like your meat rare or medium rare, I suggest keeping the seared beef in the refrigerator until just before you put everything together - it took so long to brown my puff pastry, that the beef was well done. It was still moist, but using cold beef means that it will take longer to cook, giving your puff pastry the time to brown.”

On to the recipe, which I cut in half:
Beef Wellington
For the Duxelles:
3 pints (1 ½ pounds) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil used vegetable broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:
1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed used tempeh
Extra-virgin olive oil did not use
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only used dried
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen (follow directions on the package)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten didn’t use
8 ounces mousse pate, available in specialty cheese & appetizer cases of larger markets (optional) didn’t use pate

Directions
To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, & thyme to a food processor & pulse until finely chopped. Add butter & olive oil (veg broth) to a large saute pan & set over medium heat. Add the shallot & mushroom mixture & saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt & pepper & set aside to cool completely. This is really good, a great topping for burgers too!

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt & pepper & sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. I skipped this step, didn’t need to do it with the tempeh.

Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool completely.

From our host: “I made the duxelles and seared the tenderloin about 10 hours in advance, and refrigerated both of them. It is important that these items are cold because you will be working with puff pastry, and if they’re warm, they may cause the dough to melt before you get it in the oven.”

About an hour before you plan to serve the Beef Wellington, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a ¼” thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. I used just one piece per serving.

Spread the duxelles mixture down in a column down the middle of the rolled out puff pastry. Thinly slice the mousse and cover the duxelles with it - every square millimeter doesn’t have to be covered, but you’re trying to make sure that every serving gets beef, duxelle, and mousse.

Remove beef from refrigerator. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and brush all the edges of the pastry with egg wash. Fold the longer sides over the beef, and seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet. I didn’t use the egg wash.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F (rare) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into ¾” thick slices. I baked it for 20 to 25 minutes.

Verdict: We really enjoyed it. Hubby would’ve preferred tofu, he just likes the flavor better, tempeh is too strong for him. We both were glad I didn’t use the pate, it would’ve been too soft/mushy in texture. I served it with huge artichokes, which tasted great.  A nice salad & some green beans would’ve tasted amazing as well.  I have some puff pastry left, so I am going to try this again using seitan. It really doesn’t take that long to make, most of the time is inactive, so you can be doing something else as well (like making some Rustic Bread). Great challenge! Thank you Mz Kitchen of Madame Chow’s Kitchen.

This month’s challenge is hosted by Brianna from http://allyourbread.blogspot.com/ She has chosen a Rustic Bread from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes.

The recipe can be found here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/rusticbread

This is a basic introductory recipe with a preferment, & minimal ingredients. A great recipe for the first time bread baker as well as good practice for advanced bread bakers. Everyone needs a good artisan bread recipe & this is a great one for that. We were able to make adjustments to the recipe for allergies, etc. which is great, although I didn’t have to make a single adjustment to this one. So awesome!!! Oh, we were also required to have fun No problem with that! The hardest part of this recipe (besides the waiting) is the shaping, well, adding the preferment if you don’t have a stand mixer would be the hardest. The shaping really isn’t that hard, just make it whatever shape you like, you can even use a loaf pan if you need to.

Rustic Bread

Makes 2 large loaves

Preferment:
1 lb. bread flour (3 1/2 cups)
9.5 oz. water (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Final dough:
10 oz. bread flour (2 1/2 cups)
6 oz. whole wheat or rye flour or a mixture of them (around 1 1/2 cups)
12.5 oz. water (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
all of the preferment

Put the yeast in the water & stir. Mix the flour & salt together in a bowl & pour in the yeasted water. Mix until the flour is hydrated, adding more water if necessary. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & leave the pre-ferment out at room temperature overnight (up to 16 hours… if you need more time before baking put it in the refrigerator).

To make the final dough, combine all of the ingredients except the pre-ferment in a mixing bowl. Chop the pre-ferment up into small pieces & mix or knead it into the final dough until they are thoroughly combined. This is quite difficult to do by hand: Hamelman assumes the baker has a mixer & can mix it for 5 minutes by machine. I mix & knead my dough by hand for about 10 minutes. At the end of that time the new & old dough aren’t perfectly combined– you can still see a few streaks of the lighter colored pre-ferment in it– but they are sufficiently combined that loaves bake evenly. (The dough was quite sticky, but I avoided adding too much flour, its okay if it’s a little sticky)

Place the dough back in a greased bowl & ferment for 2 ½ hours, punching down or folding the dough twice during that time. (I used the folding method. I really wish I would’ve taken a picture of the dough as it was rising, it is such a joyous sight for those who love bread)

Folding the dough consists of taking the dough out of the bowl, spreading it out a little on a clean surface, folding it in thirds like a letter, rotating it 90 degrees & folding it up again, & then returning the dough to the bowl & covering it again. Like punching down, folding degases the dough some, but it also encourages gluten development.

At the end of the fermentation, divide the dough into 2 pieces & preshape each into a ball. Cover with a clean towel & let each rest for 5 to 10 minutes before shaping into the final shape. Once shaped, cover the loaves with a clean towel & set aside for a final rise, approximately 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours.

Halfway though the final rise, begin preheating the oven to 450 degrees. If you are using a baking stone, preheat it as well.

Right before placing it in the oven, score the loaves. Place them in the oven & use whatever technique you use to create stream in the oven (squirt bottle, skillet full of hot water, etc) to encourage proper crust development. (I used a skillet of water)

After 20 minutes of baking, rotate the loaves 180 degrees so that they’ll bake evenly. Bake until an instant read thermometer reads around 200 degrees, which took approximately 35 minutes for my batard (”football”) shaped loaves.

I really enjoyed this challenge. I had the kitchen to myself & the day off, so I “rolled up my sleeves” & dug right in. If you have never made bread from scratch before, it is such an amazing & relaxing experience. It does take time, most breads take at least 3 hours, if not all day to make. I did forget to read the directions & didn’t start the preferment until that morning, it really is best to start it the night before & give it a full 8 hours, if not longer to ferment. While the preferment was doing its thing, I baked my Bakewell Tarts…er…Pudding for the Daring Bakers. Eight hours later, it was on to making the bread. I used my Kitchen Aid to help out with the heavy kneading in of the preferment and while it was resting I made dinner, more resting, dessert, then the bread went into the oven. The smell of fresh baked bread is such an amazing thing, you never get tired of it. This is a great recipe to get your feet wet with a Rustic Bread. It tastes great too. I had some with homemade “almond-ella”, also with peanut butter & jelly, as well as with spaghetti. All were good.

The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict & Annemarie of Ambrosia & Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Recipe origins: Traditional (UK)
Inspirations & References: Allan Davidson, Tamasin Day Lewis, Anton Edelmann, Jane Grigson, Nigella Lawson & Jamie Oliver
Hostess: Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict
Co-hostess: Annemarie of Ambrosia & Nectar

From our hosts: “Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.

Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream & baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam & an almondy sponge cake-like filling.

The version we’re daring you to make is a combination of the 2: a sweet almond-flavoured shortcrust pastry, frangipane & jam. The term “Bakewell pudding” was first penned in 1826 by Meg Dods; 20 years later Eliza Acton published a recipe that featured a baked rich egg custard overtop 2cm of jam & noted,

‘This pudding is famous not only in Derbyshire, but in several of our northern counties where it is usually served on all holiday occasions.’ By the latter half of the 1800s, the egg custard evolved into a frangipane-like filling; since then the quantity of jam decreased while the almond filling increased. This tart, like many of the world’s great foods has its own mythic beginnings…or several mythic beginnings. Legend has it in 1820 (or was it in the 1860s?) Mrs. Greaves, landlady of The White Horse Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire (England), asked her cook to produce a pudding for her guests. Either her instructions could have been clearer or he should have paid better attention to what she said because what he made was not what she asked for. The cook spread the jam on top of the frangipane mixture rather than the other way around. Or maybe instead of a sweet rich shortcrust pastry case to hold the jam for a strawberry tart, he made a regular pastry & mixed the eggs & sugar separately & poured that over the jam—it depends upon which legend you follow. Regardless of what the venerable Mrs. Greaves’ cook did or didn’t do, lore has it that her guests loved it & an ensuing pastry-clad industry was born. The town of Bakewell has since played host to many a sweet tooth in hopes of tasting the tart in its natural setting. Bakewell tarts are a classic English dessert, abounding in supermarket baking sections & in ready-made, mass-produced forms, some sporting a thick sugary icing & glazed cherry on top for decorative effect. Enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee or just eat it sneaky slice by sneaky slice until, to your chagrin, you realise the whole tart has somehow disappeared despite you never having pulled out a plate, fork or napkin with which to eat it.”

I am very glad that I made mini tarts, otherwise I would’ve had the problem of the sneaky bite by sneaky bite & realizing that I had eaten the whole thing! These are mighty tasty. I am going to make this one again, but try to replace the Earth Balance with fruit puree to lighten the fat content a bit.

More from our hosts: “The etymology of pudding is a rather interesting & slightly convoluted one. The naming confusion may come from the British manner of referring to the dessert course as ‘pudding’ (as well as referring to fat babies by the same name, though we don’t think that is what was the inspiration in this case). & so any dessert is a pudding until another name comes along & adds clarity to what it really is.”

For the challenge, we had to make a Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, by hand, please. We also needed to make the Frangipane. We had the option of making a homemade jam or curd, which I sort of did. I used a homemade “almond-ella” which I had made for last months challenge, I also had 2 yummy jams in the fridge that I had bought, so I used those. This recipe comes together quickly & easily. I recommend making the shortbread crust first because it needs to rest in the fridge for a bit. While that is resting, you can make your own jam & the frangipane. You can go here: www.thedaringkitchen.com to see the original recipe. Below is my adaptations & changes:

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Yield: 12 mini tarts
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Flour for dusting
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, sliced almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it warm up for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin & roll the pastry to ¼” thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center & roll away from you), & turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size & thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in & trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. For mini tarts, cut out rounds that fit your muffin tin, or silicone mini tart pan.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam/almond-ella onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top & pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy & brownish. Remove from oven & strew flaked almonds on top & return to the heat for the last 5 minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust & the frangipane will be tanned, poofy & a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven & cool on the counter. Serve warm or room temperature. You may drizzle with a little more almond-ella, if desired. When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy & the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Notes from our hosts:

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It’s a pretty popular cake, so you shouldn’t have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes & linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (¼ cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” & strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference & spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out & cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling wrap

8oz whole wheat pastry flour
1oz sugar
½ tsp salt
4oz Earth Balance, frozen
¼ cup soy yogurt
½ tsp almond extract (optional)
1-2 TBSP cold water

1. Sift together flour, sugar & salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater (this really does work best). Using your finger tips only, & working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
2. Lightly beat the soy yogurt with the almond extract (if using) & quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive & slightly sticky dough. I had to use 3 TBSP of water since it was so dry here.
3. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt & vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, 1 tsp of vanilla paste or 1 tsp of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

4.5oz Earth Balance, softened (this is 1 stick and about 1 tsp)
4.5oz powdered sugar
1 ½ TBSP Ener-g Egg Replacer

1/3 cup warm water
½ tsp almond extract
4.5oz ground almonds
1oz whole wheat pastry flour

1. Cream butter & sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl.
2. Whisk together the egg replacer & warm water, add to the butter mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all of the egg replacer is in, pour in the almond extract & mix for about another 30 seconds & scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts & the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) & retain its pallid yellow colour.

For my toppings, I used some leftover hazelnut praline, pine nuts & slivered almonds. For my fillings, I used almond-ella, peach, mango, orange jam, and apricot jam. They were all yummy! Not sure which my fav is, I really liked them all. I think a little peanut butter mixed with the jam & topped with the frangipane would be good too, but I didn’t try it. Enjoy!

It’s the second installment of The Daring Cooks! Our host this month was Jen from use real butter, what recipe did she choose? Well, she thought it might be a good time for us to try our hand at something that looks daunting, but is actually pretty straightforward.

The Challenge: Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese)

Jen tells us, “It’s a basic concept: a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, & cooked. This delicious theme runs through many cultures & is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants - especially dim sum. The recipe I provide is based on my family recipe. There is a lot of wiggle room & I encourage you to explore. If you’ve made them before - great! Now try something different!” The process goes a little like this:1. Choose a filling 2. Choose a dough 3. Choose a cooking method (boil, steam, pan-fry)

We had to make our own wrappers, we were not allowed to use pre-made ones. Not too hard, just takes a little patience & practice. For the filling, she gave us a couple of choices, the most common being pork or shrimp. You can fill dumplings/potstickers with just about anything, even blueberries or alomondella. Jen also tells us, “You can make them with other ground meats (beef, chicken…) or vegetarian (tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, glass noodles, Chinese chives - oh yum!). The important thing to keep in mind is that the filling needs to “stick” to itself or else you will make your life incredibly miserable wrapping up filling that keeps falling apart. I think if I were to make vegetarian dumplings, I would sauté the cabbage & mash up the tofu for a better cohesiveness. It’s up to you how you want to fill your dumplings.”

Jen also tells us, “Time: Prep for the filling takes me 30 minutes - longer if peeling & de-veining shrimp. It will depend on your proficiency with a good sharp knife. Rolling & wrapping several dozen dumplings takes me 1 hour by myself. My parents can crank through it in 30 minutes when 1 person is rolling wrappers & the other is wrapping dumplings. Might be fun to get a second person to help! Cooking: I have to cook mine in batches. When steaming, I can cook a dozen at a time in about 10 minutes. Potstickers: 15 minutes per 2 dozen determined by the size of your pan. Boiling - 6 minutes per dozen or so depending on size of pot.”

You can find the original recipe here: http://thedaringkitchen.com/

Here is my changes:

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

vegetablefilling:
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced
½ cup bamboo shoots, minced
¼ cup ginger root, minced
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP corn starch

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl & mix thoroughly.
2. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or 2).

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup warm water
flour for work surface

1. In a large bowl mix flour with 1/3 cup of water & stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water 1 teaspoon at a time & mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.
2. Knead the dough about 20 strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes.
3. Take the dough & form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 2“ wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 1” pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16“. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper & fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side. I found it easier to pleat first, then fill. Keep all unused dough under damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out.

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part red wine vinegar
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)

dash mirin

1. Stir together to combine.

To pan ‘fry’ (potstickers): Place dumplings in a dry frying pan. Heat on medium-high & ‘fry’ for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add ½ cup water & cover. Cook until the water has boiled away & then uncover & reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat & serve.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil & add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag & freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve: Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with your choice of dipping sauce combinations.

I chose to pan ‘fry’ mine. I actually made a similar recipe last year for Recipes To Rival

& I boiled those. Personally, I like them better pan ‘fried’. I will make these again, I always love some potstickers.

For dipping, I made the suggested dipping sauce, straight hoisin and a mixture of chinese mustard & soy sauce. Hubby’s fav was the suggested dipping sauce. The hoisin was too sweet, but I really liked the mustard mix, nice & spicy.

These do take a good chunk of time, but the more often you make it, the quicker it gets.

This month the challenge was all about chickpeas. Our host this month was Lori from www.lipsmackinggoodness.blogspot.com. She chose Chickpea Fries and/or Falafel. She also reminds us that “beans have such benefits. They help reduce cholesterol, cost relatively little, offer more fiber in your diet & are environmentally friendly. By that I mean, people don’t realize that there is quite a cost in eating beef for instance. They are pretty heavy animals that have to be cargoed around to graze or be moved before & after slaughter. So for this reason it is quite expensive & detrimental to the environment.” She also challenged us to make pita bread to go along with our falafel, since I have made pita bread before, I decided not to do it, just to save time. If we made the fries, she wanted us to come up with a sauce to dip them in, which I forgot about & didn’t used a sauce at all. We also had the choice not to make the sauce or the pitas & make both the falafel & the chickpea fries, I went with that option. Don’t forget to check out everyone else’s wonderful creations: http://recipestorival.blogspot.com/

Here are the recipes:
CHICKPEA FRIES by Mark Bittman, How To Cook Everything; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
neutral oil, like grapeseed, corn, for greasing and frying
1 cup chickpea flour, sifted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 TBSP water with 1 tsp ground flax seeds
Finely grated Parmesan cheese for garnish nutritional yeast

1. Mash the garlic and salt together. Add the tahini, mixing well. The sauce will thicken. Gradually add the water, blending thoroughly. Then add the lemon juice. Blend well.

Note: This can be a thin or thick sauce, depending upon the use and preference. Simply adjust with lemon juice and water. This can be used with vegetables or in combination with other recipes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

TIPS from Lori: In regards to falafel, I have made it many times & it has always fallen apart on me. I usually end up putting an egg in it as a binder. This time I am not, come what may, because I know others have had success without egg. I will say if you do not want to go the deep fry route, you can place little mounds in a muffin tin & do it up in the oven at about 375F. But the oil really does something magical to them. Again, your choice. Don’t you just love all the choices this month?

You are not required to do Tahini Sauce, it is just a suggestion. Also the chickpea flour can be found at Indian Markets (called Besan there) & Italian Markets & Health Food Stores.

The fries were good & I usually love falafel, but this was not my favorite recipe. Hubby does not like falafel & this did not convert him. I actually liked the falafel better crumbled over a large salad. M-I-L really liked the fries!  I do love all things chickpeas & both of these were good, just not great.