Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart

Ok...this post was scheduled to go up at midnight last night...er...today. For some reason, blogger has decided not to cooperate. Sorry for the delay!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and 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.

Its a pudding...no wait...its a tart...um...well I guess it just depends on where you are in the world! When I was studying abroad in London (gah! 4 years ago!), I was already some what familiar with the idea of that they called dessert puddings but it was still a new experience. Pudding growing up to me was creamy and custardy not a cake or tart. But I like...no...love desserts of almost any kind so whether you called it a pudding or a tart, I was more than likely going to eat it. My favorite pudding while in London just happened to be spotted dick....a dessert which caused no small amount of giggles for my roommate and myself. I'm still on the look out for a good recipe for that by the way.

A long time ago, I read in some book where the main character's favorite pudding was a Bakewell Tart. I remember wondering what it was but it was before I really got into my baking phase so I promptly forgot about it. It was always in the back of my mind to check out though so I was very surprised and happy to have our DB for this month be the Bakewell Tart. Plus, it is a traditional British recipe so that was an even bigger point in its favor. I was also hoping for something not too difficult and this was a perfect recipe.

Of course, I couldn't just do the recipe early and have the post written up ahead of time. Where's the fun in that? No, I decided to wait until the Wednesday before posting day to make my tart. And naturally, the night before to actually type up the post. Thank goodness this was not a long drawn out recipe. I was able to make the crust, the frangipane, and assemble everything in one evening after work. The crust could also be made ahead of time to make things even easier. Oh...and grating butter in a pain in the rear. I think that took the longest of everything. So not fun.

This was quite the tasty tart. The strawberry freezer jam that I used was just the right amount of tart and sweet. I was glad that the rest of the tart was not overwhelmingly sweet because it would have been too much with the sweet jam. You might have to add more sugar to the rest is you were going with a less sweet jam. Or it could be just fine without the extra sugar. I think the really great thing about this tart is that flexibility with taste you would get with different jams. The strawberry was a great combination but I have a homemade caramel apple jam that would no doubt be scrumptious.

Mine baked for a lot longer than the recipe states. It didn't puff up as much as I expected and at the end of the set time, it was still going jiggly in the middle. I covered it with some foil to keep if from over browning and let it bake for a about 10 more minutes. It was still a tiny bit jiggly but I didn't want to let it over bake so I pulled it. It was so hard not to cut into it right away but I made myself in the hope that it would set up more while it cooled. For the most part it did thank goodness. I thought the tart was best after a rest in the fridge where it really firmed up for me. Slightly chilled the tart was fantastic.

Thanks to our hosts for a tantalizing tart! Check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll for more mouth-watering tarts!

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
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)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (I used a strawberry freezer jam)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds (I forgot all about these...oops!)

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular 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 and 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 (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and 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 and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.

Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and 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 film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks

2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional) (I used vanilla)

15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

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

Frangipane

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

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one 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 three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

TWD: Honey Apricot Ice Cream

I had every intention of making this with peaches as the recipe calls for. But apparently on the day I went shopping, the grocery store was determined to only have small, nasty, mushy peaches! yuck! So I reached for the nice, pretty, firm apricots right beside the peaches. Apricots sounded delicious in this ice cream and I was on a dried apricot kick at home (thanks Mom!) so I grabbed what I hoped was the right amount and went on my merry way.

Naturally when I got home and began the ice cream, I only had half the amount I needed. After a moment of panic, I re-read the directions (always a good idea) and saw that half the fruit was to be used for the custard and the rest chopped to be chunks. In a moment of inspiration, I used the fresh apricots for the custard and substituted the dried apricots for the rest of the fresh.

BEST IDEA EVER!!! I am quite proud of myself as you can tell. The tartness from the fresh apricots in the base and the slight chewiness of the dried apricots was an amazing combination. My favorite part had to be the dried apricot bits. The didn't get hard or icy like I feared they might. I didn't really notice the honey. Maybe it toned down the tartness of the apricots instead of being a pronounced flavor.

I will absolutely be making this again. I was quite sad when I ate the last of the batch the other night. If I didn't have other kitchen projects planned, I'd be making another batch right now!

Thanks to Tommi of Brown Interior for this amazing pick! It may be my new favorite! Check out the TWD Blogroll for more ice cream goodness!

Daring Cooks: Dumplings

For the second edition of the Daring Cooks, our host Jen of Use Real Butter, chose Chinese Dumplings. At first I was a little disappointed with the challenge as I had done it before in another group (my recipe pick at the time actually). But after I thought about it, I was eager to give the pleating another try as I failed miserably last time.

I stuck with the recipe as written even though we could be creative as we wanted with the fillings (I used the pork option). Taking into account my experience last time with the dumpling dough, I went small and only made enough for a small batch. I still couldn't get the dough rolled out to the proper thickness so my dumplings ended up being a little doughy after steaming. I did a little better (depends on your definition of better) with the pleating this time but nothing really to be proud of. They still look a bit of a mess!

I considered trying to bake the dumplings but went ahead with just steaming them (I love my bamboo steamer!). Next time I'll attempt baking to see how they fare. Pan fried dumplings are delicious but I thought it would be better to steam them so they would be sure to get cooked all the way through (the doughy-ness remember?). Plus I had this gorgeous head of cabbage that I picked up to line the steamer (unlike last time when the dumplings stuck!).

Sorry for the crapola presentation. I just could make myself try and pretty up something so blah looking. Obviously these aren't the better pleated ones. They still stunk.

Taste wise these were just fine (if you ignore the doughy bit). The filling was obviously the best part. I'll definitely keep it in mind when I make dumplings again.

Dumplings are definitely something I would like to make more often. They are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner when you make them from scratch and freeze them. The next time I do however, I will be buying the wrappers. Its just so much easier and they are the correct thickness. I don't think I could stand to eat another doughy dumpling! I know its all my fault for being a crappy wrapper maker. I'm sure in the hands of someone who won't mess it up, homemade wrappers would be perfect!

To see this June's recipe, head over to see Jen at Use Real Butter. You can also find it here at the Daring Kitchen. To see more variations on the potstickers/dumplings at the Daring Cooks Blogroll!

TWD: Parisian Apple Tartlet

I love watching puff pastry puff! Obviously this picture is post puff. ;)

I was very eager to get started on this weeks recipe. Not only did it look super easy but it sounded delicious. I also love puff pastry but don't get to work with it that often because it can be a little pricey and I.am.on.a.budget.

Like I said, this recipe is very quick and easy. You need 1/2 an apple, puff pastry, a little brown sugar, and some butter. That's it! And it comes to gather in a blink of an eye! These are the kinds of recipes that I love. Sweet and simple. Sure complicated desserts are nice but when you only need 4 items and a few minutes...that's my kind of recipe.

Not only is this tart fast and easy, its delicious too. The pastry is buttery, the apple crisp and tart, and it is just the right amount of sweetness (ok...I added a tiny bit after it came out of the oven...for pictures! yeah...that's right. For the pictures.). yum! As you can no doubt tell, I loved it. I'll be making this many times (especially since I have 1 1/2 sheets of puff pastry left). I'd love to try it with other fruit, like pears or maybe peaches. Now that would be tasty!

Its is a great dessert for a dinner party. In less than 15 minutes in the oven, you have a fancy looking, tasty dessert. You could also get away with making these mini size with a small round of pastry and a quarter of the apple. That would be great for a bigger crowd.

See that useless fork? You definitely don't need one for this!

I started out trying to eat this like a civilized young lady but after a few bites of cutting with a fork, I gave up and became a heathen. Its soooo much better when you use your fingers! Don't worry Mom...my hands were clean first!

Jessica of My Baking Heart chose the Parisian Tartlet for us this week! Check out her blog for the recipe or pick up a copy of Baking From My Home to Yours. To see more tartlets, check out the TWD Blogroll.

Check back next week for Honey Peach (Apricot for me) Ice Cream!

TWD: Cinnamon Squares

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaacccckkk! I know...you didn't even know I was gone right? Well, I was sort of gone, at least from Tuesdays with Dorie last month. Between packing, moving, and unpacking (among other things), the weekly group unfortunately fell by the wayside for a little while. But I'm settled in my new place (as settled as you can be for a short term stay) and loving my new kitchen. Plenty of counter space to bake!

The first recipe chosen for June, was the cinnamon squares. Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures was the first one up to pick this month. I love cinnamon and chocolate but have never had both together. It doesn't seem like a likely combination. Of course, I was more than happy to give the combo a try!

You can probably tell the cupcakes overflowed just tidge from the raggedy edge. Oh...and the frosting was too thick. Still tasty though!

This was definitely a quick cake to make. Even quicker since I halved the recipe and made cupcakes. It was ready to go in less than 10 minutes. Flavor wise, this was a great cake. I loved the cinnamon cake but wasn't a fan of the chocolate chips inside. I didn't get the chocolatey-cinnamon layer like you see in the book. Most of my chips sunk to the bottom of the of the cupcakes. The few that didn't had the mini chips like it called for but I still didn't have that even chocolate layer.

If I were to make this again, I would leave off the chocolate chips inside and just go with the chocolate frosting on top. I think the cake would also be tasty with a different frosting. Perhaps a vanilla or mild cream cheese would do.

To see more Cinnamon Squares, checkout the TWD Blogroll. You can see this weeks recipe at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and in Baking From My Home to Yours.

I have the next two recipes done so no misses for me for the next few weeks! `

Recipes to Rival: Chickpea Fries

Its obviously a Chickpea Month in my apartment. First, I had the chickpea salad and now chickpea fried for May's Recipes to Rival. What are chickpea fries? They remind me of polenta in looks before being either fried or baked.

We were given the option of doing the chickpea fries and/or falafel. I wanted to do both but didn't have enough time to get them both done. Falafel is on my list to make though. I've seen it on many food shows and have wanted to make it for a long time.

The chickpea fries were super simple. Just water, chickpea flour, and a touch of salt. Boil water, mix, spread, chill, slice, bake or fry. That's pretty much it. Super fast and easy.

We were also asked to make a dipping sauce to go with the fries. At first I had grand plans of making some tasty gourmet sauce but after searching and coming up short on something I liked, I kept seeing recipes for fry sauce. I had never heard of it before but it seems to be a big hit in Utah. Giving up on the gourmet sauce, I decided to go with something simple and easy. I did change it up a bit though. Along with the ketchup and mayo, I added a few drops of hot sauce and a dash of garlic powder for a kick. yum! I'll be using this combo for more fries in the future!

Trying to be healthy, I baked my fries instead of frying. They were very good baked but they were best when allowed to cool. Hot out of the oven you lost a big bit of the chickpea flavor. The next day I had some melted butter leftover from another recipe so I fried a few up that way. Oh wow. They were so good! Even hot out of the pan they were delicious. I know, I know. Butter makes everything better!

Dipped in the fry sauce, the fries were terrific. I could have eaten them with or without it though. I was popping these fries straight from the fridge.

Chickpea fries are a great alternative to traditional potato fries. And so much easier to make! I've got plenty of chickpea (or garbanzo bean as it is also called) flour left over so I'm sure I'll be making these again and again!

Check out the Recipes to Rival blogroll for more chickpea fries and falafel!

CHICKPEA FRIES
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
Finely grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Grease a baking sheet or pizza pan with a rim and set aside. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Gradually add the chickpea flour with a large pinch of salt and pepper, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce to a gentle bubble, stir int he olive oil and cook for just a minute.

2. Scoop the chickpea mixture onto the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Let cool for a few minutes and then cover loosely with parchment or plastic. Refrigerate until chilled through, about 30 minutes (but up to a day, covered tightly, after it's completely cool).

3. Put 1/8 to 1/4 inch oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, cut the chickpea flour mixture into 3 x 1/2- cutter). Gently put batches of the fries into the hot oil, rotating them gently for even cooking and browning on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Drain the fries on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt, lots of pepper and a good dusting of Parmesan if you like. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.