Daring Baker's Steamed English Pudding

This month’s challenge was a traditional steamed English Pudding. I was a little skeptical, but decided to push through, particularly since I skipped last month.

The challenge was hosted by Ester of The Lilac Kitchen, and she has the full post of information on her blog. The post needed to use suet or a suet replacement. Suet is fat from a cow or sheep, fat that surrounds the kidneys. Blech. So I opted to use Crisco, which worked fine. Esther also gave the option to make a suet pudding crust, or a steamed suet sponge pudding. I chose the suet crust, with a savory filling.

I cut and sauteed leeks in a little oil, sprinkled flour on the leeks, added vegetable broth, which made it a little gooey, based on this recipe here.

I also cooked a little veggie sausage in a dish, and added the sausage to the leeks.

First, I mixed the flour with the crisco, then added about 3/4 cup water to make the dough slightly sticky. On a floured surface I rolled the dough out, taking about a third of the dough for the lid of the pudding. When rolled out, I pieced the dough into a greased 1.4 liter pyrex dish. The dough was tearing a little bit, so it was a little like putting a puzzle together.

Once the dough was fitted into the dish, I spooned the filling into the dish. Then I placed the dough lid on the dish, pinching it closed. There was a lot more dough than filling, so I cut off excess, pinched the dough closed again.

I fitted a large stock pot with a steamer basket, my jerryrigging of a steamer. With water on the bottom, I set the pyrex bowl on top of the steamer basket, and steamed the pudding for about 3 hours. Since I am a magnet for disasters in the kitchen, the water in the steamer actually boiled dry, oops!

So, I let the pudding sit for a couple minutes, turned it out on a plate, and voila, dinner!

Daring Baker’s Tiramisu

What an awesome challenge! I love tiramisu, the creamy paired with the soaked biscuits, yum!

I have never attempted to make tiramisu totally from scratch, but I really enjoyed it. The recipe wasn't hard, but had several components and required set-aside time and prior planning.

Recipe from Aparna at My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba at Passionate About Baking. See their blogs for full recipes. Too much retyping!

I just got back from an awesome wedding, so this is going to be a picture post, and a little late at that too!

The savoiardi biscuits, before baking.

Port used in the zabaglione. I hadn’t used port in baking before, neat opportunity to use a favorite spirit.

The Zabaglione folded with the mascarpone and pastry cream, before adding the whipped cream.

Putting the tiramisu together. I used a small dish, and placed plastic wrap in the dish before layering, because I wanted to de-mold the dessert.

The tiramisu didn’t de-mold the way I wanted it to, next time I will layer it in the dish I intend to serve it in.

Happy Baking!

Valentine’s Day Pesto Gnocchi

A week later and I hope your Valentine's Day was happy and full of love!

Valentine's Day isn't huge for hubby and I, but we acknowledge it nonetheless. Back when we just met, Valentine's Day was one of the first dates we went on. As a freshmen in college, Hubby invited me over to his apartment for a dinner he had prepared. It was super cute and thoughtful, and after we were married, I found out he had made the entire dinner ahead of time to make sure it would work out! What a sweet guy, at the time I had no idea what effort was put into the dinner.

Hubby has been cooking fantastic food for me since that first Valentine's Day Date. This year he deserved to be cooked for, and I knew just what to make. Hubby loves anything cheesy. And gnocchi.

So Gratineed Pesto Gnocchi fit the bill, with a side of Sautéed Broccoli.

To finish the meal, a Flourless Chocolate Torte from Let Them Eat Cake.

Potato Gnocchi Gratineed with Mozzarella and Pesto

from Cooks Illustrated

Potato Gnocchi

(Potato Ricer is needed for this recipe. I have never made gnocchi without the ricer, so I am unsure of an alternate to a potato ricer)

2 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Unbleached Flour, plus extra if needed
1 tsp table salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Pesto Sauce, recipe below
4 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

1. Pierce the potatoes with a fork several times on each side. Place potatoes on a microwaveable plate, and heat in microwave for 12 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 450F.

2. Place microwaved potatoes in oven straight onto oven rack, horizontal of the rack, so not to fall through if over baked ( I have had one potato fall apart and totally yucky up the oven, so since then, I place an empty baking sheet on the shelf underneath the potatoes, just in case. I haven't had a potato fall apart since, of course.).  Bake potatoes in oven for 20 minutes. (Make pesto sauce while potatoes are baking, using following recipe)

3. After potatoes have been taken out of the oven, use an oven mitt to hold potato in one hand, and peel potatoes with knife. Discard skin. With the potato ricer, rice potatoes into a large bowl. Let potatoes cool for about 15 minutes, until they are no longer hot. Don't turn the oven off, place it on broil to use later.

4. Sprinkle flour and salt over potato, and knead until the dough is soft and smooth. If sticky, add more flour, up to an additional 1 1/2 cups. Make sure the dough isn't sticky, or you will have to add more flour after you attempt to roll the dough into a rope, as I did.

5. Pinch off a quarter of the dough, and roll into a rope. If the rope falls apart, add more flour and start again. Cut the rope on a horizontal slant, 3/4 inch wide. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. Bring a salted pot of water to a soft boil. I cooked the gnocchi in two batches, as not to crowd the pot. The original recipe said it would take the gnocchi about 2 minutes to cook and float to the surface and be done. My gnocchi floated in that amount of time, but it was a total of about 5 minutes for the gnocchi not to be too starchy.  When the first batch is done, take the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon and place in drainer. Repeat cooking process with remaining gnocchi.

7. Transfer gnocchi into medium mixing bowl and toss with melted butter. Mix prepared pesto in with the gnocchi, starting with a small amount, and adding more until you are pleased with the ratio. I added about half of the prepared pesto, about 1/2 cup.

8. Transfer gnocchi into gratin dish. Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Place in oven and broil for 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Take dish out of oven and let cool for several minutes.

Pesto Sauce

8 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups fresh basil, stemmed and trimmed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (Original recipe said not to use substitute fat-free ricotta, but that was what was in the fridge. I added about 2 tbsp heavy cream to the ricotta)
2 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper

1. Toast garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, tossing garlic in the pan occasionally. Place garlic on a cutting board to cool. When cool, peel.

2. Place trimmed basil in a large ziploc bag, and use a heavy object to bruise the basil. Original recipe suggested using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. We don't eat meat and don't had a tenderizer, so I tried the rolling pin, which didn't work well. I then used a heavy lemon juicer, which worked wonderfully.

3. Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.  My final product with the pesto was a little chunkier than I would have liked, so  I mixed in some additional olive oil.

4. Place pesto aside until needed.

Canada! Nanaimo Bars!

Daring Baker's Nanaimo Bars - January Challenge

What a great way to celebrate Canada and the Olympics, with a Canada favorite, Nanaimo bars!

Living in Florida, I definitely have never had Nanaimo bars, and I first head of them from Cakespy and her wonderful finds.

The recipe for Nanaimo bars with gluten-free graham crackers can be found at Celiac Teen's blog. The recipe for all of the components are super long, and well, it gives you an excuse to check out Lauren's blog!

The challenge could be done gluten-free or with wheat flour for the graham crackers, and I chose to try gluten-free. It was neat to work with the new ingredients I haven't worked with before, like sorghum, tapioca and sweet rice flour. One thing I noticed right away was how fine the flours' consistency was compared to all-purpose flour. I loved the gluten-free graham crackers, and I would definitely try GF baked goods again.

Nanaimo bars have three distinct layers, which in my book makes it a fancy bar-cookie recipe. the bottom layer is an ultra-tasty combination of graham cracker crumbs, coconut and buttery goodness.

The middle layer is a custard filling, and mine ended up a little grainy and a little too sugary. (One thing that could have caused that - I used skim milk instead of whole milk - I know, I know, but I hate having milk around the house if it isn't going to be used, and unless I am baking with it, it just sits there! )

The nanaimo bars are topped off with a layer of chocolate.

Problems I ran into with the bars, other than the custard problem I admitted to, was that the bars were sure hard to cut and get out of the pan. The top chocolate layer cracked while cutting, and on most pieces separated from the custard. I let the whole pan sit out of the fridge for about an hour to see if that would help in cutting, and it did, but just barely.

I liked the dessert, it was very rich and a great novelty. Great challenge!

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies with a touch of cranberry pizazz!

I just got the Sur La Table Art & Soul of Baking cookbook, and I am enjoying it. It is nice and big, with great pictures and explanations on the variety of recipes. Last week I tried Rustic Olive and Rosemary bread, and this week I was looking for a sweeter treat.

The recipe indicated it made 50 cookies, which I didn't really want 50 cookies hanging around, so I cut the recipe in half, with some tweaks. I did have to use half an egg, but it works for me. The following is the half recipe I used, adapted from Sur La Table.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 12

1/2 stick butter, unsalted
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar, granulated
1 egg, lightly beaten and divided in half
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
pinch of baking soda
pinch of baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup rolled oats, old-fashioned
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat until smooth. Scrape down, then add vanilla and half of egg, blend until smooth.
3.In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Add to mixer, beat until combined.
4. Scrape bowl, then add oats and cranberries. Mix until combined.
5. With a small scoop, place scooped cooking dough on baking sheet. Bake cookies for 14 minutes, rotating from back-to-front and top-to-bottom halfway through cooking time.

These cookies were delightful, I felt it was a perfect balance of oatmeal-ness. Those who tried the cookies agree, I almost missed out in a final picture, they were going so fast!

Tiramisu Parfaits

Tiramisu is a favorite easy dessert of mine, but one downfall with the recipe I use is that it yields 12-15 large portions. The recipe also uses 24 oz marscapone cheese, which can get expensive.

Hubby and I invited a close couple over for a Christmas dinner party, and I found the perfect solution in individual Tiramisu Parfaits.

Tiramisu Parfaits, based very loosely on a CooksIllustrated.com recipe. Makes 4 wine glass sized parfaits.

3 oz dark Rum
1/2 cup strong coffee, room temperature
1 Tbsp Instant Espresso Powder
1 cup Heavy Cream
6 oz Marscapone Cheese
2 Tbsp granulated Sugar
12-15 Ladyfingers
Cocoa Powder
Chocolate shavings, optional

Mix rum, coffee and espresso powder together in shallow dish until espresso powder has dissolved. Set aside.

In standing mixer, whip cream into stiff peaks.

Place marscapone cheese in medium bowl. Add sugar and soften using a few strokes with a spatula. Mix in whipped cream, starting with a small amount and gradually adding the full amount.

When ready to assemble parfaits, break the ladyfingers into pieces that will fit well in your glass. I broke mine into 2 or 3 pieces. Working with about 3 pieces at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee/rum mixture. Roll the pieces, ensuring all is covered, but do not leave the ladyfingers in, or they will quickly become too soggy. Place the wet pieces on a separate plate and continue until all ladyfinger pieces have been dipped.

To assemble the parfaits, scoop a layer of marscapone mixture into the glass first. Sprinkle a light layer of cocoa powder on top of the marscapone. Place a layer of ladyfingers then repeat with an additional layer of each item. Finish the parfait with a top layer of marscapone, and garnish with chocolate shavings. Place in fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can really develop.

For my parfaits, I used 4 wine glasses and was able to layer each component twice, and then topped the dessert with a final layer of marscapone mixture. If you have taller glasses, you might want to adjust the layers or increase the recipe quantity.

Disaster Baking with Cannoli

Prior to my first Daring Baker's challenge, I didn't have a strong
opinion on cannoli. I would have to say that has changed in the last month.

Due to a crazy month, I put the challenge off until this past weekend. As the husband was off watching football at a friend's house, I prepped the dough, let it rest in the fridge, then rolled the dough out. Following the instructions and information posted by lisamichele, I rolled the dough to the thickness of 1/16th of an inch.

Using a 3 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter, I cut circles out of the dough. I used standard cannoli forms, 6 inches long, greased them with extra vegetable oil, and then rolled the dough around the forms. 

After cutting the dough out, I rolled the circles a little thinner, just slightly.

I used standard cannoli forms, 6 inches long, greased them with extra vegetable oil, and then rolled the dough around the forms. 

The directions said to pour enough oil in a sturdy pot to have oil 3
inches deep. What I later found out was from the hubby was that the large, heavy-bottomed soup pot was not the appropriate pot to fry cannoli. Maybe if I had used a more appropriate pot, my Saturday might have ended better.  So, with such a large pot, I used about 4 1/2 quarts of oil to get the 3 inches, instead of the suggested 2 quarts.

As I started to fry the cannoli, I quickly realized they were frying
super fast. So the first couple cannoli were more of a dark golden
than a nice light gold color. I was getting the hang of it, 7 done and
7 to go. Then my horrible clumsiness struck, a style of baking I call 'Disaster Baking'.  Cheap bamboo tongs aren't advised to pull hot, oily metal tubes out of a pot of extremely hot frying oil. I learned this the hard way, after decently burning myself on the wrist. Damn it hurt!

The fun burn took my focus away from the cannoli project, and brought it to how in retrospect, I should have gone about the project differently. Too late! But I still finished the challenge, making a basic ricotta filling. I was originally going to make a savory Mexican chickpea filling, topping it will cheddar cheese, but that was nixed.

I would have to say, I am currently underwhelmed by cannoli. For the effort, I don't think the are worth it. I think many other desserts are better, and easier to execute without such pain. I might try it again in the distant future, who knows.   And do you notice the different looking canola? It was neglected in the hot oil as I held my hand under cold water until hubby got home to fix the problem I had gotten myself into.