Can you guess what the near and dear is?

Pierogies of Course!

I have been eating pierogies ever since I was little.  The dough dumplingness of them and then the mash potatoey filling….  They are still one of my favorite things! 

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

I decided to make a savory and sweet pierogi.  I used the same recipe for the dough which is listed below.

Dough:

Ingredients
½ cup - milk (I used milk)
½ cup - heavy whipping cream
3 large egg whites
1 tsp - salt
3 cups - all-purpose flour

1. Mix flour and salt, add other ingredients, and knead dough until you have a smooth dough.
2. On a floured surface roll out fairly thin, cut into 2” squares, and fill with 1 tsp of whichever filling you decide to make.

Potato and Cheese Filling

Ingredients
4 – 5 boiled red potatoes
4 tablespoons – olive oil
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon – milk
1 egg white (from medium egg)
½ cup – farmers’ cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix or mash these ingredients all together and place inside the dough mixture. 

2. Spoon about 1-2 tsp of filling into squares.  Fold dough over so edges line up and press them together to seal with a fork.

Sweet Potato, Apple, and Ricotta Cheese Filling

Inspired by:http://healthyisnormal.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/sweet-potato-pierogies/

Ingredients:

3 - large sweet potatoes

2 – large apples

3 tbsp - olive oil

2 tbsp – honey

1 tsp - salt

1/4 tsp – ground pepper

1/4 tsp – ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp – ground cinnamon

1/2 cup – ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Peel and cut yams and apples into cubes.  Toss with oil and roast at 400 for 40 minutes, until fork tender.  This may take longer than indicated so keep checking.

2. When potatoes and apples are finished, mix or mash them with honey, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ricotta cheese.  Place them into the dough mixture.

3. Spoon about 1-2 tsp of filling into squares.  Fold dough over so edges line up and press them together to seal with a fork.

Cooking of the Pierogies

Boiling

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. Drop in the pierogi, not too many, only single layer since they may stick together.  Return to the boil and reduce heat.

3. When the pierogies rise to the surface, continue to simmer a few minutes more ( usually about 5 minutes).

4. Remove one dumpling with a slotted spoon and taste if ready. When satisfied, remove remaining pierogies from the water.

5. Eat as soon as possible

Frying

1. Heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil or butter in a large skillet.

2. Place pierogies in the skillet and make sure not to overcrowd.  Heat on medium-high heat until the pierogies are browned on each side.

3. Eat as soon as possible and enjoy!

P.S. The best part about making these is that they also freeze very well once put together

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

For this Challenge there were 3 Components

1. Pate a choux (Puff Pastries)

2. Creme Patissiere (Cream Filling)

3. Glaze

To be honest I am not a huge fan of creme puffs.  The puff pastry just does not do anything for me.  I guess as the saying goes though…. it is what is on the inside that counts!  Although for this challenge the outside or puff pastry was the part that would be seen not the inside.  Luckily, the recipe that we had to use for the puff pastries seemed pretty easy and they turned out beautiful!  The hardest part for me was the stirring of the eggs into the batter because it seemed to take Fooooorever.  Well it did not really take forever but my arm definitely got a workout since I was feeling the burn   The consistency of the inside of the puff pastries required some tweeking.  The first attempt was too custardy for me.  The second attempt was a perfect balance!  Finally, was the assembly and decorating of the croquembouche.  I was a little nervous about how it would turn out but I was sooo thrilled with the results!  Would you like to see some

Croquembouche

You will need approximately 10 minutes to prepare the puff pastry, 10 minutes to pipe and about 30 minutes to bake each batch. The crème patissiere should take about 10 minutes to cook and then will need to be cooled for at least 6 hours or overnight. The glazes take about 10 minutes to prepare.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)

• ¾ cup - water
• 6 Tbsp. – unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp. – salt
• 1 Tbsp. - sugar
• 1 cup - all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

For Egg Wash:

• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 425◦F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:

2. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

3. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

4. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

5. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

6. Add 1 egg and stir. The batter will appear loose and shiny. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.  It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:

1. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high and about 1 inch wide.

2. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.

3. Brush tops with the egg wash.

Baking:

1. Bake the choux at 425◦F until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

2. Lower the temperature to 350◦F and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in an airtight box overnight.

Filling:

1. When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Almond Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)

• 1 cup - whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. – cornstarch
• 6 Tbsp. - granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. - unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. - almond extract

Directions

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.

2. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture.

3. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.

4. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.

5. *Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil.*

6. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and almond extract.

7. Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Additional Whipped Cream Filling to mix into the Almond Crème Patissiere

Whipped Cream Filling

• 3/4 cup – heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons – granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon – vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the above ingredients into a bowl and mix on high speed until soft peaks form.

2. Fold the whipped cream filling into the chilled Almond Crème Patissiere.

Filling:

1. When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Hard Caramel Glaze

• 1 cup - granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon – lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand.

2. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke.

3. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

4. If while assembling your piece montée or croquembouche the caramel becomes hard before you are done using it then you can slowly heat it back up again.  Start at a low temperature and work your way to medium heat to ensure that you do not burn the caramel.

Chocolate Glaze

(8 oz.) finely chopped chocolate (semi-sweet)

1. Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler.

2. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.

Assembly of the Piece Montée:

I decided to hold the Piece Montée together with the hard caramel glaze.  Then when I was done I used the extra caramel glaze as a decoration and added a chocolate glaze as well.   

Tips:

It is best to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. I made a sturdy foundation for the bottom of myPiece Montée.  Practice seeing which pieces fit together well.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the bottom of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up. Toothpicks may be needed.

When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze, chocolate, or anything creative to decorate. Enjoy!

Basically, the CSA produce program works by asking for a particular fee prior to the beginning of the 20 weeks.  That money goes towards investing in your food share for the summer.  Then each week you go and pick up a box of  “surprise” fresh produce from your particular location.  It seems as though individuals that live closer to the farm can pick which items they would to have for the week.  Since I am so far away from the farm that was not an option for me.  I do not mind since I like the ”surprise” and challenge of figuring out recipes to make with the items that were hand picked for me.  Each week we should receive about 6-7 vegetable and/or fruit items that would cost around $20.  Here is what I received for my first week!

Week 1

My first week of CSA produce included the following items.

Red leaf lettuce

Oregano

Spring Mix

Spring Onions (Green)

Strawberries

Rhubarb

Mushrooms

How I used all of my fresh produce!

1. Red leaf lettuce and spring mix were used for fresh salads.  I also added some of the mushrooms to the salads.  For the salads I added in cucumbers, tomatoes and if it was for lunch I used chicken as a protein.

2. I was able to use the Spring Onions (Green) when sauteing homemade perogies, in vegetable scrambled eggs, and roasted sesame oil and soy sauce vegetables. 

3. The Strawberries and Rhubarb were used to make a galette as seen in the recipe below.

4. The fresh oregano was a more challenging ingredient for me to use since I do not usually cook with it.  I ended up just adding into recipes that called for fresh herbs.

Here is the recipe for the Strawberry Rhubarb Galette that I would like to share with you.  Enjoy!

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

Adapted from Cooking with Amy

Makes 4 single servings

Ingredients:

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 1 1/2 cups - Rhubarb, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces

• 1/2 cup – Strawberries, sliced 

• 1/2 cup – White Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons – Cornstarch

Single Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 cups – All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon – Salt
• 1/3 cup – Shortening
• 4 to 5 tablespoons – Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon – Milk
• Raw or turbinado sugar for sprinkling on the crust

Directions

1. Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Let sit for 15 minutes, no longer.

3. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size.

4. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour and gently toss with a fork.  Push the moistened dough to the side and repeat moistening the flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time until all the flour mixture is moistened.  Then flour the dough into a ball.

5. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten the dough.  Divide the dough into four equal size parts and roll each dough from the center to edges into  a circle.

6. Place 1/2 cup filling into the center of the dough rounds and fold the edges over, pinching to seal, place galettes on a baking sheet.

7. Brush the crusts with milk using a pastry brush then sprinkle with raw sugar.

8. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve.

9. Enjoy by themselves, with whipped cream, or ice cream!

I was extremely excited when I saw this month’s Have the Cake Challenge!  So excited that it seems I have made the recipe three times with different variations!  I love strawberries and decided to change the recipe to strawberries and lime.  The first buttermilk cake I made was simple and delicious on its own.  The next two times I decided to dress it up some!  I thought that the recipe reminded me of a moist strawberry shortcake.  So when I made the cake as a birthday cake for someone at work I decided it needed some whipped cream with it!  Then the last take on the recipe was to make strawberry shortcupcakes   Both variations tasted amazing!  The best part is that the recipe is very easy to follow and you can make your own buttermilk!

An Amazing Buttermilk Cake Recipe

Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

The Amazing Strawberry Lime Buttermilk ShortCupcakes! 

Whipped Cream Cheese Icing with Cassis

Adapted from Allrecipes

Directions:

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and cassis liquor in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix on medium speed until smooth.

3. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

4. Use the whipped cream cheese to decorate or ice your cake or cupcakes.

5. Enjoy!

I was very excited this month when the new daring cook challenge was revealed and it was enchiladas!  Two things that would be new for me was making our green chile sauce from scratch and the option to make tortillas.  I ended up making a yummy tasting and suprising not spicy green chile sauce and the tortillas needed work.  Luckily, my parents decided to come into town and help with my challenge.  It seemed to have taken forever…perhaps because I had my heart set on making two sauces, a green chile and chocolate mole, as well as a mexican flan.  The chocolate mole sauce was too spicy for me but we used it as a dipping sauce.  I am not going to post the recipe but I linked it above.  Since the tortillas turned out okay I decided not to post that recipe either and will have to find a better recipe.  All in all it got done and the taste was worth all the hard work that went into it.   

 Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

 Ingredients:

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 

7-8 ounces Tomatillos (4-5 medium)
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces)

1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce (optional)
2 Boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons Olive oil and Vegetable Oil for roasting the chiles
Kosher salt and pepper
12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch) *Or make your own*
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack (Or any other cheddar or mexican cheese)
Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Resist the urge to rinse the chiles prior to roasting because this can reduce the flavor of the chiles!

2. Coat each of the chiles with a little vegetable oil.  Place the chiles either on the grill or in the oven on a tin foil lined baking sheet to broil. 

3. Place the chiles close to the heating element, rotating the chiles to ensure that they char evenly.  They are done when they appear black and blistered.  *Be careful not to burn the chiles since there will be less “meat” on them to use for the sauce.*

4. As the chiles are completely charred on all sides, remove them from the oven or grill.  Take each chile out when completed because they will not all be completed together.  Once removed from the heat place the chiles either in a bowl covered with plastic or in a brown paper bag.  Let them rest until they are cool. 

5. Once cool, pull on the stem and the seed core may pop out.  Open the chile and remove the seeds.  Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin.  Set aside until needed for the green chile sauce.

Green Chile Sauce

1. Remove the outer skin from the tomatillos.

2. Place a medium saucepan of water on to boil.  Once boiling place the tomatillos into the boiling water and boil until soft.  About 5 to 10 minutes. 

3. Drain the tomatillo water and puree the tomatillos in a blender or food processor.

4. Return the tomatillo puree to the saucepan and add the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. 

5. Bring the above mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups.  That should take about 10-15 minutes.

7. Feel free to adjust the seasonings and add hot sauce if needed.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.  Pre-heat the oven to 450F. 

2. The chicken can either be grilled or cooked in a pan on the stovetop.  We seared the chicken and then placed it in the oven until cooked through about 15-20 minutes. 

3. Let the chicken cool and then slice into thin strips or shred it.

4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot.  Dip the edge of the tortilla into the oil and if it sizzles then it is ready to use.

5. Using tongs, place a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side (about 15-20 seconds).

6. Drain the tortillas on a paper towel and continue with the rest of the tortillas (adding oil as needed).

7. In a large baking dish, that can hold four stacks of tortillas, place a thin layer of sauce into the bottom.

8. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another 1/2 cup of sauce over the tortillas.

9. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas and top with another 1/2 cup of sauce and 1/3 cup of grated cheese.

10. Stack another four tortillas and top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and cheese amounts as above.

11. Finish with the last tortillas and remaining sauce and cheese.

12. Place into the oven and bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes.  Then let rest for 5-10 minutes.

13. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate.  Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro.

14. Enjoy!

DC Food Bloggers Bake Sale Table

I cannot believe that I am finally getting around to posting these amazing recipes that I made for the DC Bloggers Bake Sale.  Yikes…I guess these other baking challenges have taken over my time and I am spending more time in the kitchen than in front of my computer!  Without wasting any more time I will get right to the recipes  

1st Recipe with Variations 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars 

Recipe from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook 

*Please see the other variations below that I have made following this basic recipe!* 

Ingredients: 

Crust 

• 1 1/2 Cups – graham cracker crumbs
• 5 Tbsp. – unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 Cup – miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Dough 

• 5 Tbsp. – unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 1/3 Cup - light brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tbsp. – granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. – salt
•  1 tsp. – vanilla extract
• 3/4 Cup – all-purpose flour
• 1 Cup – semisweet chocolate chips

Filling 

• 10 oz. – cream cheese, at room temp.
• 1/4 Cup – granulated sugar
• 1 Large – egg, at room temp.
• 1 tsp. – vanilla extract
• 1/3 Cup – semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

Crust 

1) Pre-heat oven to 325°F. 

2) Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.  Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper that extends over two opposite sides of the pan.  Then butter the paper. 

3) In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened.  Stir in the miniature chocolate chips. 

4) Press the crumb mixture evenly on the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared baking pan.  Bake the crust for 6 minutes as it lightly browns.  Take the crust out of the oven and set aside.  Keep the oven on. 

Dough 

5) In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smoothly blended. (About a minute). 

6) Slow down the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing to just blend it in.  Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside. 

Filling 

7) In a large bowl, with clean beaters, beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed just until smooth.  Mix in the egg and vanilla beating to just blend them in. 

8. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.  Then drop teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough over the top of the batter. 

9) Bake for 30 minutes or until the top feels dry and firm and seems set if given a gentle shake.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool down. 

10) Place 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips into a small heatproof bowl and microwave for 20 second intervals while stirring in between each.  Keep stirring and heating until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth.  

11) Place the melted chocolate into zip lock sandwich bag and cut off a small corner of the bag.  Then gently push the chocolate through the cut hole and drizzle over the cheesecake bars.  

12) Cool the bars completely in the pan, about an hour.  To ensure that the drizzled chocolate is set I place my bars in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  

13) Then loosen the sides of the bars from the unlined sides of the pan and lift out the bars with the parchment paper handles.  These bars can be cut with a large knife into 16 servings and either enjoyed at room temperature or cold. 

Enjoy!  

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars 

*Substituted semisweet chocolate chips in the dough and drizzled topping with peanut butter chips.  Also I used 8 oz of cream cheese in the filling and the other 2 oz. was of creamy peanut butter.* 

Oreo Cheesecake Bars 

*Substituted graham crackers in the crust for oreos, omitted the cookie dough topping and just replaced with whole oreos on top, and crunched up about 5 or 6 oreos and mixed into the cheesecake filling.* 

Both of these were just as delicious although I tend to favor the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars        I think that is because of the cookie dough….yummy! 

2nd Recipe 

*Sorry this is not the best picture!  But trust me it tastes wonderful!* 

My favorite banana bread recipe….hand over those brown overippened bananas and let me yummify them!  Or I guess you could yummify them yourself   

Coconut Banana Bread with a Lime Glaze 

Recipe from Cooking Light 

Ingredients: 

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 2  large eggs
• 1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/4  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
• 3  tablespoons  dark rum
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1/2  cup  flaked sweetened coconut
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/2  cup  powdered sugar
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lime or lemon juice

Directions: 

1) Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 

2) Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. 

3) In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. 

4) Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. 

5) Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. 

6) Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. 

7) Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. 

8. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack. 

 9) Enjoy!  I usually eat this either at room temperature or cold.  So yummy! 

3rd Recipe 

Looks good on the outside but....

It's what is on the inside that counts!

 

Triple Chocolate Cake Balls

The recipe for these was very easy but just time consuming.  Please trust me they are worth the work because they taste so delicious!  The recipe for making these can be seen in the Green Velvet Irish Cream Cake Balls post.  I used a box devils food cake mix and mixed in chocolate frosting (about  6 oz.).  Then I dipped them into melted chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate.

4th Recipe

 

Double Chocolate Energy Bars

Adapted from Passionate about Baking

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup - vegetable oil
1/2 cup - brown sugar
1/4 cup – granulated sugar
1 – egg
2 Tbsp. – skim milk
1 tbsp - vanilla extract
1/4 – teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups – old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup – buckwheat flour
1/3 - cup flour
1/2 tsp – baking soda
1/2 cup - semi-sweet chocolate chips
50gms dark chocolate, melted 

Directions: 

 
1) Pre-heat oven to 355°C . 

2)Line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease lightly. 

3) In a large bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, milk, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the sugars have dissolved. 

4) In a medium bowl, combine oats, all flours, baking soda and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Add to liquid mixture and mix well. 

5) Transfer to the prepared pan and spread uniformly.  Bake 15-20 minutes until golden. 

6) Remove from oven and spread the melted chocolate over it and allow to cool until firm.  Once cool, chill for about an hour for the chocolate to set. 

7) Cut into bars and store tightly covered.  Enjoy! 

 

When I recently web surfed into the http://www.havethecake.blogspot.com/ I became really excited!  I liked the idea of trying a new dessert recipe each month and having the freedom of deciding which variation to make.  Not to mention that I did not need to buy a book in order to be part of the baking group!

So rather than waiting less than a week to join the group.  I decided to jump right in and start baking for the April challenge.  This month’s host was Jen from pieces of me and she chose to do Flan.  I was familiar with flan because I remember my mom making Flan for us.  It was a great challenge because I definitely had wanted to try making it myself.  One of the hardest parts of making flan is the carmelizing of the sugar and making sure that you do not burn your sugar.  Additionally, you have to keep your fingers crossed until the flan is done baking and hope that when you turn it out onto a plate it comes out in one piece.  

My parents were coming into town and I decided to have a mexican themed dinner.  Therefore, I chose to make a Mexican Flan recipe AKA Best ever Flan: Flan al Tequila that I found here http://aromasysabores-heidileon.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-ever-flan-recipe-la-mejor-receta.html.   Luckily, since my mom was coming into town I asked her to bring her flan pan that she has used before and it worked out great.  It also helped that I just so happened to have tequila on hand!  Overall, this flan was easy to make and tasted good although I could not taste the tequila.  Surprisingly, my husband enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds and said it reminded him of waffles!  This is a pretty big deal because usually he does not like trying new foods.  Speaking for the rest of us I think we are holding out on this flan getting the Best Ever Flan title

Mexican Flan with Tequila

Ingredients

Flan Mixture

4 - Eggs

1 tsp – Vanilla Extract

1 – Can (14 oz.) Condensed Milk

1- Can (14oz.) Evaporated Milk

2-4 Big Dashes - Tequila

Carmelized Sugar Topping

1 Cup – Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup – Water

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350°C .

2) In a saucepan over medium high heat stir the water and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.  Let the sugar mixture heat and resist the urge to constantly stir it.  The color should turn from clear to light brown. Every now and then swirl the mixture so that the color is distributed evenly.

3) When the sugar has carmelized to a light brown color remove from heat and quickly pour into desired baking pan.  Rotate the pan in a circle to ensure that the carmelized sugar is evenly distributed throughout the pan.  Set aside to cool.

4) In a large bowl mix together the condensed and evaporated milks, vanilla extract, eggs, and big dashes of tequila.  Then pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan with the carmelized sugar.

           5) Next, place your baking pan that has the flan into a baking dish (I used a 9 X 13 pyrex dish) and make a water bath with hot water about 1-2 inches high.  Place baking dish with the flan into the preheated oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes.  Check the flan with a knife to see if it is finished.  When the knife comes out clean the flan is done.

6) Remove the flan from the oven and let cool.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

7) Invert the flan onto a plate and admire your baking!

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.  Additionally, Esther wanted us to make our puddings using the process of steaming.

Well to be honset this was not what I thought my first daring bakers challenge with the http://thedaringkitchen.com would be about.  Although it did not take me long to realize that this would indeed be quite a challenge for me.  Actually there were many challenges that I stumbled into along the way.  Overall, I am so glad that Esther chose this for my first Daring Baker Challenge because I probably would have never made a Traditional British Pudding on my own in addition to using suet for baking. 

1st challenge ( as many will surely agree)

What is suet and where can I buy it?

Definition of suet:  is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys (according to wikipedia)

Hmmm… okay so it is fat.

I learned that in the United States suet can be purchased at a butcher or a grocery store behind the meat counter.  The first time I purchased the suet I was quite relieved when they knew what I was talking about because I had no idea how I was going to try and explain it!  I had visited Whole Foods and it turns out that I was lucky they had it on hand and were able to give me some right then.  I learned by visiting two other times and aksing if they had any suet that it was something that I needed to call ahead about to make sure they put some aside.  Which definately made sense to me because who else would be wanting to buy suet….lesson learned.  The other place that I went to check for suet was our local Pennsylvania Dutch Market.  I went up to the butcher counter and asked if they had suet.  The lady said yes and when she asked how much I was so excited that I just said 3-5 lbs!  I know that it may sound like alot and when I was carrying my 5 lb bag of suet to the car it sure felt like alot.  You see the tricky thing about purchasing suet is that when you render it down to make tallow it does not yield the same amount you started with.   

2nd Challenge

How to render the suet and make tallow?

This is the part that I was really nervous about.  I think it had to do with the fact that I would be working with hot oil and could burn myself.  Although I was also unsure of what everything was supposed to look like during the process and how exactly the rendering was done.  Luckily, this link http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/04/how-to-cook-with-beef-tallow/ was posted in our Daring Bakers forum and boy was it a blessing!  I really liked that it had a step by step process with pictures showing how to render the suet into tallow.  After I had my suet and I also ended up purchasing a rice press, I was ready to begin rendering.

3rd Challenge 

 Oh I have made puddings before….but not this kind?! 

I have made two types of puddings in my life.  One being Jello pudding from the box mix.  The other is one of my favorites a chocolate malt pudding from scratch.  After both of those kinds are heated they get put into the refrigerator before you eat them.  So this type of Traditional British Pudding was a new thing to me altogether.  It did not require heating on the stove, never needed refrigeration, and depending on the kind you made was either like a sponge cake or had a crust with soup like contents inside.  Also, the pudding could either be sweet or savory.  I decided to lean towards the sweet side! 

4th Challenge

How should the pudding be covered and how long will it take?

I do own a steamer and I have bought the steamed vegetables in a microwaveable bag.  Love them!  Usually I steam vegetables with the steamer.  I had never used the steamer or the process of steaming to cook something that typically goes into the oven to get baked.   This pudding steaming process worried me quite a bit.  I read that if I did not have my pudding covered properly then water could get in and my pudding could be ruined!  I guess what I forgot to mention is that sometimes the steaming process can take up to 5 hours to cook.  Now maybe you understand my fear a little better……

  My two Traditional British Puddings that I made and the challenges I overcame when making them!

Round 1

Banana and Burnt Butter Pudding

Recipe Adapted from BBC Good Food

I chose this recipe first because I wanted to make sure that I had the steaming process figured out before I used a recipe with suet.  Unfortunately, I am realizing while I am typing this that I did not convert any of the grams on my recipe into cups or tablespoons.  I promise to update that later.

Ingredients

70 g – Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 Large – Bananas

3 Tbsp – golden syrup, plus more for pouring

( I instead used half light corn syrup and half honey) 

75 g – self-rising flour

1/2 tsp – baking powder

pinch of – salt

50 g – caster sugar (substituted granulated sugar)

1/2 lemon – zested

1 – egg

Serves 2-3 and is Ready in 1 hour and 15 minutes

1) Melt butter in a pan and keep heating until it browns.  As soon as it reaches a deep gold color remove the pan from the heat.  Then let the butter cool.

2) Slice 1 of the bananas and cut the other banana half into cubes.  Butter two small pyrex dishes or heat proof dishes with the browned butter.  Put 1 1/2 Tbsp. of golden syrup and 3 tsp. of browned butter into into each dish.  Place the banana slices in the bottom of each dish.

3) Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and the sugar.  Beat in the egg and lemon zest followed by the browned butter and cubed banana. 

4) Divide the mixture between the two dishes and cover each with a pleated piece of greased foil tied on very tightly with a string.

5) Steam for 45 minutes or until the pudding has risen and is firm to touch. 

*Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of how I set up my steaming process but I can try to explain it.  I had a very big pot that I placed my metal steamer into the bottom.  Then I placed my pudding dish onto the steamer and filled up the water to halfway on my pudding dish.  Then I placed the lid on the pot and placed the heat setting so that it was constantly heating and steaming.  Make sure to constantly watch the water level as it is steaming and keep the water level where it began.*

4) When the pudding is finished, place the dish upside down onto a plate and the pudding should come out.  Serve the pudding with a little more syrup.  Oh yummy!

 Round 2

Rendering of the Suet

1) Here is what suet looks like if purchased from the meat department.

2) Take your suet and chop into cube size pieces.  Then place into a deep pan and fill with water to just cover the suet.

3) Heat the suet and water to a boil.  Then turn the heat down to low until all the water has evaporated and all that is left is fat and suet pieces.  

4) While the suet is being rendered down set up the equipment to get the fat out of the suet pieces.  Line a colander with a few pieces of paper towels and place something under the colander to collect the rendered suet or tallow.  I purchased a rice press to squeeze out all the fat from the suet pieces as well. 

5) Once the rendered suet or tallow is collected, store it in the refrigerator to harden. 

6) Now you have suet to use for baking a steaming pudding!

Unfortunately, the 2 Steamed Puddings that I made with my homemade suet did not turn out probably because I tried to use a splenda sugar mixture instead of sugar so I will just give you a sneak peak and leave it at that!

Rasberry Orange Roly-Poly Wanna Be

Baked Fruity Atumn Pudding to Try Again…

Round 3

Baked Rhubarb and Plum Pudding

Recipe Adapted from BBC Good Food

*Thankfully, at this point my mom and her friend had found me a pudding steamer for $3 at TJMaxx*

Ingredients:

450g – Mixed Rhubarb and Plum

2 Tbsp – Butter

200g – Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. – Cinnamon

300 g – self-rising flour

140 g – lard

1 lemon – zest

Serves 4-6 and Total Time until Finishesd 2 1/2 hours

1) Grease the inside of a pudding steamer.  Cut 2 strips of parchment paper and lay them up the sides of the pudding steamer making a cross in the center.  Make sure that the strips allow some overhang to aid in pulling out the pudding when finished.  Greased the steamer again.    

2) To make the filling chop the rhubarb and plums into cube size pieces.  Add the butter, broken into bits, 125 g of the sugar and cinnamon.  Stir and put to the side.

*Make sure to not use the rhubarb leaves or roots since these are toxic if consumed!*

3) Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.  Mix in the lard and remaining sugar and lemon zest.  Add a few drops of water, working it through with a knife, and keep adding the water until you have a soft dough.

*Probably because of using the lard I had to add more flour and sugar to get the right consistentcy of dough.*

4) Using your hand form the dough into a smooth ball.  Place onto a lightly floured surface and separate the dough into a larger 3/4 portion part and a smaller 1/4 portion part.  Roll the larger portion into a circle and then place into the bottom of the pudding steamer.  Press the dough up the sides of the basin until their is a slight overhang of dough.  

5) Next, place the rhubarb and plum filling into the pudding steamer covered with the dough.

6) Roll out the other 1/4 of the dough to make a lid.  Place the lid on top and press the pastry edges together to firmly seal.  Tuck the protruding flaps of the parchment paper down onto the pastry.

7) Place greased parchment paper on top and fit the pudding steamer lid on tightly.  Place into a deep big pot with a towel underneath for the steaming process.  Pour water about 2/3 of the way up the pudding steamer.

8. Steam for about 2 hours and topped off with water if the water level seems to get low.

9) Remove the pudding steamer lid and release the edges of the pudding using the parchment paper tabs.  Invert the pudding onto a plate.

Enjoy your pudding!

Thank you once again to Esther of The Lilac Kitchen for such a challenging 1st Daring Baker Challenge!

The DC bake sale was held this Saturday, April 17, from 9am-12noon at DC’s Historic Eastern Market.

Some of the local bloggers that participated were:

• Organized by Colleen of FoodieTots (Thank you!)
• Martha of A Measured Memory
• Jenna of Modern Domestic
• Kenneth of Indoor Garden-er
• Marie-Noelle of Lunching in the DMV
• Cathy of Mrs. Wheelbarow
• Maiy of Beans Rice Life
• Sally of Come to the Table
• Amber of Live Love to Bake

I enjoyed meeting everyone and baking for a good cause. 

For the bake sale I made

• Triple Chocolate Cake Balls 
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
• My favorite Coconut Banana Bread with a Lime Glaze
• Double Chocolate Oat Energy Bars

I will post these recipes soon

Here I present to you my 1st Daring Cook Challenge: Brunswick Stew

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

I chose to make the shorter 2nd recipe for brunswick stew and instead halved the recipe for about 6 servings.

Recipe 2: The Shorter Version

Brunswick Stew recipe from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club, served yearly at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Va.

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

2-(32oz.) containers of chicken broth                                                                                                                                                                                                 1 1/4 lb TOTAL of chicken thighs, turkey leg, and ham
2-medium diced red potatoes
1-(14.5oz.) can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1-medium diced onion
1 1/2 cups  frozen corn
3/4 cup frozen lima beans
2-3 strips crumbled turkey bacon                                                                                                                                                                                                        2 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of Poultry Seasoning
Dash of red pepper
1-diced carrot
1-(11.5oz) can of Tomato juice

Recipe 2:

1) Placed the chicken broth, poultry seasoning, and a total of 1 1/2 lbs. of raw turkey leg, chicken thighs, and ham into a large stock pot or Dutch Oven (8-10 quart).

2)  Heat the stock and meats to boiling over medium-high heat and then turn down to simmer for about 1-2 hours or until the meat is cooked.

3) Meanwhile cook the turkey bacon until crisp either on the stovetop or microwave.

4) Once the meat is cooked take out of the stock and dice into small pieces and then place the meat back into the stock.

5) To the stock pot or dutch oven, add the rest of the ingredients and heat until bubbly and hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the stew until the vegetables are tender. 

6) Enjoy hot and goes great with a slice of cornbread!

The end result of the Brunswick stew was amazing and I would definately make it again! Thank you Wolf for a great first Daring Cook challenge!