The Daring Bakers Challenge - Novemer 2010 - Crostata!!!

Wow! I can't believe its that time already - the November Daring Bakers challenge is here! I had such high hopes for this challenge - I intended to make three versions - two sweet and one savory. Unfortunately, time ran out before I got around to doing the third. So I have two sweet versions of the challenge to share with you today.

The 2010 November Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

As I mentioned above, I made two sweet versions of crostata. The first was a lemon blueberry mascarpone cream crostata. I chose to make minis of that version. Here is the pasta frolla recipe I used for the shell of the crostata:

Pasta Frolla

Ingredients:

• scant 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 stick or 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 large egg & 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Combine sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest in bowl of food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Empty bowl of food processor onto your work surface and make a well in the center.
3. Add eggs to the well in the center and use a fork to combine the mixture until it starts to come together.
4. Use your hands to combine the mixture until it forms a ball. Don't over mix here - it will be a little crumbly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.
5. Remove from fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface. Line tart pan with dough that has been rolled out. Line the dough with parchment paper and place pie weights, raw rice or beans in the center to help the crust hold its shape while you blind bake it.
6. Blind bake the shell in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and the pie weights and bake another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
   

Now that you've baked the shell, you can make the filling! For the blueberry crostata I followed a recipe from briciole's blog. I adapted the recipe to be a little bit more lemony to go with my lemon blueberry theme.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 250g mascarpone
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy whipped cream
• juice from 1/2 - 1 lemon

Method:

1. Combine blueberries & 2 tsp sugar in a small saucepan on the stove. Heat over medium heat until completely thawed and they have started juicing a bit. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Mix sugar, mascarpone, and lemon juice until smooth. Whip the cream and gently fold into the mixture. Spread 1/2 the cream mixture over the crust. Top with the blueberries and then top with the remaining cream mixture. Garnish with blueberries and a bit of lemon zest.

Next version was a toasted hazelnut cream crostata. It was amazing!! I followed the same recipe for pasta frolla as above, but substituted 1/2 cup ground toasted hazelnuts for 1/4 cup of the flour and omitted the lemon zest. The crust was slightly more difficult to work with when I added the nuts, but the taste was absolutely amazing!

For the filling, I used a recipe I found on the Food Network website. I omitted the chopped hazelnuts, storebought meringues and the raspberries. But other than that I followed the recipe! It was rich and decadent and so smooth tasting. I topped the crostata with little rounds made from the leftover pasta frolla that I baked in the oven, sweetened whipped cream and some more toasted hazelnuts. It turned out beautifully and tasted delicious.

Thank you Simona for such a wonderful challenge and for sharing with us the wonderfully versatile crostata! I had never heard of crostata, let alone attempted to make it prior to this recipe and I was very excited that this recipe gave me the opportunity to purchase a much needed tart pan!

Until next time, Happy Baking my Friends!

Weekend Wine!

Well, I finally have another wine to share with you! Its Friday and what better time to share a bottle of vino? I haven't shared a bottle of wine with you for quite some time and its not that I haven't been drinking wine, its just that I haven't been drinking wine that is really memorable enough to prompt me into a photo taking frenzy so that I have something to post on my blog! But this wine is definitely worth sharing - in fact I'm very excited to share it with you!


The 2009 Canoe Cove North Bluff Pink wine comes from a local Fraser Valley winery called Domaine de Chaberton. The vineyard's tasting notes are as follows:

"a 100% BC zinfandel wine with a very sophisticated twist. This beautiful
blush-coloured wine boasts subtle strawberry, raspberry and plum flavours that
tantalize the palate, making it a favorite for everyone on any occasion. A
light, crisp, refreshing wine with a pastel rose colour that reflects its
youthful innocence. Its delicate bouquet hints of light floral, spice and fruit
aromas. Light in body and medium dry, it has a well balanced, clean fruity
flavour. This exceptional new blend exhibits berry and citrus aromas with juicy
orange notes which make for a deliciously bright finish... Serve chilled on its
own or with many food choices."

If you're wondering what those many food choices are, you're in luck! The vineyard also posted some suggested food pairings for this wine:

• bouillabaisse
• roast turkey
• curried chicken salad
• warm grilled chicken salad with carmelized onions
• spiced seafood

To name a few...!! You can find this wine in quite a few liquor stores, but for a comprehensive listing, check out their webpage. If you can't find the wine near you, well you're still in luck! You can also order online here. And if you're interested in trying more vino from this winery, you definitely can't go wrong with their Baccus. It is amazing! Happy Friday my Friends!

Cheers!

Meal in a Muffin

Looking for a muffin that will actually fill you up? I was when I stumbled across this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks - The Girl Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich. This muffin is dense, heavy and packed full of energy and nutrients that will power you through all the way to lunch! They have great flavour and lots of texture. This muffin is low in fat, high in fiber and definitely stands up to being tossed in your bag when you're rushing out the door to work.

I know the photos don't look all that appealing, but do try this recipe - it is worth it. And my favorite part about this recipe is that it is low in sugar and instead of adding oil, you add fat free plain yogurt - a hit of calcium and no added fat! What more can you ask for? Other than a skinny latte to go with of course!

Meal in a Muffin

Recipe from The Girl Can't Cook - p.92

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped dates, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or slivered almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 2/3 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup grated apple

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, dates, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and pecans or almonds.
3. In another bowl, whis the eggs, egg white, yogurt and vanilla together until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just barely combines. Fold in grated carrots and apple.
4. Grease a muffin tin or line it with paper cups. Spoon batter into cups - they should be about 3/4 full. Bake 40-45 minutes, until tops are firm and skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Makes about 18 muffins.

One tip for you - if you buy whole dates, they can be difficult to chop - they're so sticky! Use your kitchen shears to chop them into manageable bits. :) This is such a great recipe to make on Sunday evening - the muffins will last you for breakfast all week if you keep them in the freezer. Just pop a couple out of the freezer into a baggie in the morning on your way out the door. By the time you're ready to eat your breakfast at the office, they'll be thawed out for you to enjoy.

Happy Baking my Friends!!

Rustic Roasted Garlic Bread

I'm really out of the loop in the blogging world sometimes... apparently there is a World Bread day - in October!! Next year I'm going to be on top of this. Any way, I was browsing some of the finished products of World Bread Day and found Deeba's post on her blog Passionate about Baking. It looked amazing - Rustic Roasted Garlic Bread! Of course I was all over that one - I set to making it all of 15 minutes after reading the recipe. I was definitely not disappointed and it was really easy to make.

If you tend to shy away from bread making, don't! Its not as hard as it looks or sounds. Just remember to allow adequate time for the bread to rise. :) This bread smelled amazing while it was cooking - honestly, it was difficult to wait for it to cook all the way through because it smelled so good we all just wanted to devour it - immediately. I may have even burned off some of my tastebuds because I didn't wait for it to cool enough before popping a piece in my mouth.

Rustic Roasted Garlic Bread

Recipe from Passionate About Baking

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour + more as needed
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp coarse salt + more for sprinkling
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 heads roasted garlic
• 4 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

Method:

1. Squeeze the roasted garlic out into a bowl and mash with a fork.
2. Combine the yeast, flour, roasted garlic and 2 tsp of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn on the mixer and add 1 cup of water and 4 tbsp olive oil. Add more water until the dough just comes together into a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.
3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly by hand for a few seconds until the dough forms a smooth, round ball. Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil and place the dough into the bowl, turning to coat all over with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
4. About an hour before you plan to bake the bread, take the dough out and divide it evenly into two pieces. Dust your workplace lightly with flour and shape the two pieces into loaves that will fit on your baking tray. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place loaves on baking sheet. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for about an hour.
5. Preheat your oven to about 375F. Just before popping into the oven, give the loaves about 4-5 slashes with a knife. Place baking sheet into the oven and place a small bowl of water in the bottom of the oven below the bread. Bake 35-40 minutes or until loaves are nice and brown , and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Enjoy this post and definitely check out Deeba's lovely blog Passionate about Baking. She makes the most beautiful desserts and if you've ever looking for food blogger activities, she is always posting about ways to get involved, so do check back regularly.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Baking my Friends!

Salad with Pears, Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

I made this salad for our Thanksgiving dinner and quite frankly hadn't thought of it much since then... until today that is. I have some cinnamon sugar pecans toasting in the oven and was reminded of the lovely candied pecans on this fantastic salad - definitely long overdue in posting this recipe.

The combination of the goat cheese, pears and pecans along with the delicious and easy vinaigrette and voila - you have this amazing and simple salad that is sure to please even the most discerning palate. Make it for your dinner party to please your guests or for a week night dinner - if you add some roasted chicken you've got yourself a meal. I found this recipe on fellow food-blogger's site - Food & Whine. Jen's blog is a great resource when you're looking for any kind of recipe - check it out when you have a minute!

Salad with Pears, Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

Recipe from Food & Whine

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pecans
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp liquid honey
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 8 cups baby spinach leaves or mixed greens
• 1 large ripe pear, thinly sliced or cut into matchsticks
• 2 oz goat cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Rinse pecans in cold water, drain but do not let them dry. Combine icing sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a small bowl. Toss pecans in the mixture and coat them well. Spread on the prepared baking tray.
3. Bake 8-15 minutes in center of the oven. Keep a close eye on them - they burn quickly. Remove and cool. Set aside.
4. Combine spinach, pear and goat cheese in a large bowl.
5. Whisk the juice concentrate, oil, vinegar, garlic, honey and mustard together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Garnish with the pecans.

**Note: candied pecans can be made up to two weeks in advance: make ahead and store in an airtight container.

This is a great salad - even people who don't usually like salad will like this one! The flavours are delicious and it is on the sweeter side. No scary vegetables in this salad - its all down-to-earth, easy-to-find ingredients. Hope you enjoy this one!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Vanilla Pots de Creme

I love any dessert with creme brulee or custard texture. Especially those desserts with the most decadent creamy vanilla flavour. So you can imagine my excitement for Tyler Florence's Vanilla Pots de Creme recipe in his awesome cookbook Tyler's Ultimate. I made the dessert in the afternoon since I planned to serve dinner to my parents that night who were visiting from out of town. You can imagine my disappointment though when I pulled them out of the fridge - having followed the instructions to the letter - and they were still not properly set. We ate them any way and the flavour was delicious, however the texture definitely left something to be desired.

Now you're thinking to yourself - ok if these turned out so badly, why are you even posting this recipe? There were leftovers and they sat in the fridge for a day or so before I got a craving for something sweet, so I thought I would give them another taste. Worst case scenario - I throw out the leftovers. Well, would you believe it? I pulled them out of the fridge and they were set perfectly with an absolutely amazing texture. So moral of the story - don't just chill them for the minimum time - chill them overnight for ideal texture. Seriously! Learn from my mistakes!

Vanilla Pots de Creme

Recipe from Tyler's Ultimate, pg 238

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• amaretti cookies, for serving

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325F and bring a saucepan of water to a boil for a water bath.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and place over medium low heat. Bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar starts to dissolve and the yolks turn light yellow, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in thehot cream mixture, a thin stream at first so as not to cook the yolks, and then more quickly. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Pour the custard mixture into six 8-oz ramekins or cappuccino cups and cover each with a square of foil to keep a crust from forming. Place ramekins in a large, shallow baking pan and set the pan on the oven rack. Pour 1/2 inch of boiling water into the baking pan for the water bath. Carefully slide the rack into place and bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the custard is set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove the pan from the oven and let ramekins cool in water for 10 minutes. Then pop them in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours (I recommend overnight as mentioned in my post above). Serve with cookies.

These are delicious and moderately easy to make. They are fun for a dinner party because they are preportioned into individual servings and are easy to dress up to serve to your guests. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Chocolate Scones

If you're anything like me, you probably often buy a good sized container of heavy cream for a recipe you're making - just in case you need a bit extra. Only to find that you don't need that bit extra and then you end up racking your brain trying to come up with a way to use it up before it goes sour. Well, this recipe can help you out - it calls for a cup and a quarter of heavy cream! No more tossing leftover heavy cream in the trash!


These biscuits are really rich - so don't make them too big or you won't be able to finish them. The recipe actually calls to use them to make chocolate strawberry shortcakes so feel free to give that a try! Simply delicious. Since they're so rich, you might not be able to eat a whole batch - don't despair - they freeze beautifully so feel free to make lots if you have lots of leftover heavy cream!




Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Fine Cooking - Chocolate 2010, p 82


Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 3 tbsp for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 9 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 1/2 ozs semi sweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus about 3 tbsp for brushing
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Line heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder an salt together in a large bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until largest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. Add grated chocolate and toss to combine. Combine cream and vanilla. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in cream mixture. Mix with a fork until dough is evenly moistened and just combined. Dough should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand 5 or 6 times to pick up any dry ingredients remaining in bottom of bowl and create a loose ball.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat into an 8" square about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer dough to prepared baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425F. Remove dough and trim about 1/4 inch from edges to create a neat, sharp edge. Cut dough into 12 squares and position them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a pastry brush, brush the biscuits with a thin layer of cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until the biscuits look a little dry and are mostly firm to the touch, about 18-20 minutes.

These biscuits are delicious tasting and a lovely treat! Make them on the weekend for a decadent breakfast - they go great with a nice strong cup of coffee. Or make them for chocolate strawberry shortcakes and impress your guests with a fun twist on the classic strawberry shortcake. I'm looking forward to Friday tomorrow! Should be the start of a fun-filled weekend!

Happy Baking my Friends!