Daring Bakers: Tuiles

Its amazing how fast the month goes by. I thought I had plenty of time to get my Daring Bakers done. Of course, it was January 27th before I knew it and I had to get it done! I had to miss last month due to the holidays and didn't want to miss again. Thankfully, this month's selection of Tuiles wasn't too difficult so I was able to get in finished without too much rush. Plus, they seemed fairly light and light treats are what I'm looking for at the moment!

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I've never made tuiles before because they seem to delicate and something you find in a nice restaurant. The recipe I used (we were given a few options) appeared to be fairly easy and didn't make a huge amount of cookies. I still halved the recipe though...just in case I screwed it up!

We were supposed to shape the tuiles either by using a stencil pre baking or afterwards using our choice of item. I went with the post baking option because I don't have an off set spatula to spread the batter evenly. The batter pipped up nicely and spread in the oven to a round nice shape.

The problem I ran into with piping the tuiles was the thickness in which they came out after baking. While they spread to a nice shape, they were just a little to thick to shape into much without breaking. I was able to get the biggest one to hold a slight bowl shape though it cracked a tiny bit.

Along with the tuile, we were supposed to have something light. I am a strawberry lover so I filled my tuile 'bowl' with strawberries dusted simply with powdered sugar. Delicious! On their own, the tuiles came out quite spongy but with the fruit they were very tasty. They soaked up some of the strawberry juices and were very yum.

I'd love to try these again using a stencil or at least with the right kind of spatula! I'm sure they are even better when properly spread! For more tuiles (much prettier than mine!), check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

Thanks to our hosts, Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf for a nice challenge!

The following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not over mix.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Amano Chocolate

Photo courtesy of Amano Artisan Chocolate

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to win some more of Amano Artisan Chocolate courtesy of a giveaway on Blake Makes. This time we received some of their Jembrana chocolate. Jembrana is made from beans from the Southwestern Coast of Bali.

Normally I am not a dark chocolate lover but I was very impressed with this chocolate. It has an intense chocolate flavor to be sure but I didn't find it to be overwhelming like usually happens with dark chocolate. It wasn't bitter at all but very smooth and lush. Like the packaging suggests, it has a nuttiness to the flavor. That was my favorite part. I love nuts and chocolate so the flavor combo was perfect for me. It was also a little sweeter (not too much though) than other dark chocolate I have had. According to the website, it has notes of honey (naturally found in the bean) which is the likely cause of it tasting sweeter to me. I think this rich tasting chocolate would be lovely in baked goods, whether it was a cookie or a chocolate tart.

To find out more information on Amano Artisan Chocolate or the Jembrana bar, check out their website. Thanks for the yummy chocolate Blake and Amano!

No TWD this week!

I didn't get the Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread Cake done. I know, I know. I missed last week too (I got 2 in this month at least!!). But I'm just a little gingered out from the holidays and I'm also on a 'diet' to get rid of those extra pounds said ginger helped add. The cake will be on the list to make when I recover! I'll be back next week with the World Peace Cookies. I can pawn them off on co-workers better than cake!

Here's a little funny for you. Definitely my kind of resolution!


more animals

German Pancakes

I love pancakes. Plain, blueberry, banana, whole wheat. I like them all. Nice tall stacks dripping with maple syrup and butter. Nothing is better on a Sunday morning than a plate of them. But when you are single like me, whipping up a batch of pancakes for one isn't easy. Well, it is easy but you are usually left with way more than you need.

I stumbled upon a recipe for german pancakes at Smitten Kitchen that looked divine. They weren't what I would call a traditional pancake (at least traditional by what I'm used too) but the crispy, eggy cakes were just begging me to make one. So I did! The batter is a cinch to whip up. Literally! It is mixed up very quickly in the blender until light yellow in color.

This isn't a quick cooking pancake. It cooks in the oven instead of on top for about 20 minutes. Perfect for mornings when you have things to get done...like...laundry (for one person I always seem to have a bunch!). The pancake is thin and crispy with a very eggy taste but it wasn't overwhelming. I topped mine with some thawed frozen berries and maple syrup. They were very juicy and were delicious with the pancake. I made half of a recipe. You bake the pancakes in 9 inch cake pans so 1 is still plenty.

This is going on my make again breakfast list! Its not like the fluffy pancakes I grew up with but I love the taste and texture of it. Perfect for fruit or just a dusting of powdered sugar.

You can find the recipe here at Smitten Kitchen.

Full O'Beans Chili

Last week when I made the Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins, I also made a nice hearty chili to go along with them. Normally, I love a nice meaty Texas chili (ground meat not chunky) but this time I was in the mood for a veggie or bean chili. The only problem was I had no recipes for either.

After a bit of searching, I stumbled upon a four bean chili at Epicurious.com. Because it was a very chilly day, I didn't want to go out to the grocery store so I used the beans I had in my pantry. I probably would have substituted something else for the lima beans anyway. I like them but they seemed out of place with this chili. I also added a can of corn so it wasn't only beans.

This was a very tasty chili. The taste was very similar to a taco soup (which I love). I honestly didn't even miss the meat. The beans are very hearty and meaty themselves. It makes a big batch and freezes wonderfully. It says it serves six but I got six servings on half of it!

The recipe below has my changes. For the original recipe, see the link below.

Full O' Beans Chili

Yield: Serves 6 (or 12 if you're like me)

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, chopped (A lot of garlic but it's not overpowering)
2 14 1/2-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 15-ounce can chili beans, drained
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) red wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat then add garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add next 7 ingredients and bring to simmer. If your tomatoes are whole or large pieces, you may want to break them up if they are too big. I like them chunky but not too chunky. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors are blended and lima beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Add vinegar to taste.

Adapted From Full O'Beans Chili at Epicurious

No TWD but here's a little Charlie for you!

You can make your own Obamaicon.Me here!

TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

For this weeks edition of Tuesdays with Dorie we take a trip to the savory side of food. Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake chose Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins. After the sugar rush the past few weeks (and the realization I gained 10lbs since Thanksgiving, eek!), I was ready for something a little more savory and less sweet. Of course, the stick of butter in this really doesn't help either. Oh well...I can't win can I?

I read somewhere that southerners don't like their cornbread sweet. uhhh...what? I was a little confused because where I'm from in the south, sweet cornbread is all I have ever eaten. But I'll usually eat any type of cornbread so the sweetness or lack thereof wasn't an issue in this case. Or at least I thought so.

I was a little disappointed with these muffins. With the jalapeno and the chili powder, I was expecting something with a little bit of heat and flavor. I couldn't taste either of them. They tasted like run of the mill cornbread. Not bad but nothing special either. The only way I could tell there was chili powder in them was from the slightly darker color of the crumb. I ended up crumbling one of them up and mixing it with the 3 bean chili I made (recipe up soon). The texture of the muffins was nice and went well with my chili.

And did anyone else have trouble with these browning too quickly? 8 minutes in the wonky tops were starting to really brown. By the time the inside was done, the outside was... Crispy.

I'll definitely be sticking to my sweet cornbread. Unless of course I find a savory recipe that I just can't pass up trying. ;)

For this weeks recipe, you can check it out on Rebecca's blog, Ezra Pound Cake. To see more takes on the savory corn and pepper muffins, go to the TWD blogroll.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Goat Cheese

At the grocery the other day, I came across some very tasty looking brussels sprouts. Growing up my mom only fixed brussels sprouts occasionally, not very often because she is not a big fan of the tiny vegetable. My dad and I were on the other hand. We devoured every green, cheesy bite (my mom covered them in gooey cheese). Sometimes we would almost fight over the last ones.

With the batch that I picked up however, I wanted to do something a little more...gourmet. I found a few recipes online that I liked but I ended up just mixing a few of them up and adding a bit of this and that to come up with something that sounded quite tasty. And these were very tasty indeed. The goat cheese added a yummy tang that was delicious with the slightly bitter brussels sprouts. The pancetta added a nice meatiness that made it a great all in one meal. Combined with the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar, the whole dish was a winner. I ended just eating these babies for dinner. In fact...I almost ate the whole pan myself.

Definitely a make again recipe. Perhaps I can even get my mom to have a taste at some point. ;)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Goat Cheese

1 lb. brussels sprouts
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 oz pancetta cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
1 1/2 T Parmesan cheese
1-2 T crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. Trim brussels sprouts, remove any discolored leaves, and cut into half. Put sprouts in mixing bowl and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and pancetta.

Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray. Arrange sprouts in a single layer on roasting pan, and roast 25 minutes, turning occasionally, or until sprouts are slightly crisp and golden brown on the edges.

Toss with the parmesan cheese. Top brussels sprouts with goat cheese.

Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen and Giada De Laurentiis.

Recipes to Rival: Appetizers

Wow...this is so late. I had everything done and photographed way ahead of time. Of course, I didn't schedule post or remember to bring the cable to upload pictures from my camera.

Our hosts for December were Temperance of High on the Hog and Jen of Delightful Delicacies. We were given the option of 3 different appetizers to make. Of the 3, we had to do at least 2. Our choices were Gruyère Cheese Gougères, Galatoire’s Oysters en Brochette, and Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Crostini. I decided to go with the Gougères and the Crostini.

I made the crostini for dinner one night. I did make one change though. I used crumbled goat cheese because the blue I had was expired. At first I wasn't very sure of the goat cheese and pear combo but it turned out to be quite delicious. The tang of the cheese paired well with the tart pear. The walnut added a nice crunch. I ate them as dinner but they would be a great appetizer at a party.

The Gougères were made at my parents' house before Christmas. My youngest sister and I had fun making them.

I attempted to pipe them out neatly (which didn't work) and my sister just took a spoon and went at it.

Sometimes she's a smart one. ;) It took me twice as long to get all of mine done and 3 times the mess! Hers ended up being quite a lot bigger than mine naturally. We decided they tasted like cheez-its. I love cheez-its so they were a hit with me. Everyone else seemed to like them as well. Or at least they told me they did! Another great party appetizer! My dad was quite taken with the gruyere cheese. He kept trying to steal bites of it while we were mixing up the dough.

This was a nice challenge. Nothing was too hard but we got to try some new tasty, appetizers than I will definitely make again.

To get all three recipes, check out the blog post here. You can find more appetizers (posted on time no doubt!)by checking the R2R blogroll.

TWD: French Pear Tart

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie is a very special one for two reasons. First, it is the one year anniversary of the group! Second, Dorie herself, picked our recipe this week. She chose French Pear Tart. Because of this, I was especially excited to make the tart. Of course, I've also missed the last two TWD because of the holidays so I was really ready to get back into the swing of things!

While this wasn't a very difficult recipe, its not the best one to attempt Tuesday after work! There is chilling and cooling then baking and cooling again. It was almost 9 before it was cooled enough to slice and eat. For me, its a recipe better suited to a Sunday afternoon. But I was determined to get it done in time for posting today so I forged ahead!

The tart takes a little time but it is definitely worth it. The almond cream was ammmmmazingly delicious! I was worried that I had not ground the almonds finely enough but it didn't seem to matter. The cream baked up smooth and....well, creamy! The pears were a perfect match for the cream. The sweet tart crust was also great with the filling. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, which I was afraid it might be all together. I loved the nutty flavor the almonds gave to the tart. I would love to try this tart with another fruit. A nice tart apple would be a great combination with the cream and crust.

I'll definitely be making this one again! Thanks for the wonderful pick this week Dorie!! Phew...got it made and up before midnight! Sweet!

You can find the recipe on Dorie's blog. For more French Pear Tarts, check out the TWD Blogroll here.

Update

What happens when you go on vacation for two weeks and are away from home? Well for me...you forget to take your camera cord so you can upload pictures and then write up posts. I have a couple of posts that I'll be working on getting up in the next few days including one for Recipes to Rival and Craving Ellie in My Belly (that was due two weeks ago! argh!!). Right now I'm going to go open up and play with one of my Christmas presents now that I'm finally back home. A shiny new (black) KitchenAid Pro 450 Mixer!

Oh...and I now have working internet at home!!