An interesting challenge

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.

This was an interesting challenge, my first following a gluten-free diet. I had decided to give up the challenges for now, especially since I'm pretty much only baking SCD these days. However, I took a second look at this challenge and realized it might work since it was already an almond-y dessert.

I used an SCD pie crust recipe and changed a few things from the original recipe. The recipe I used is below. It was surprisingly tasty, although probably not something I'd make again.

SCD pie crust, had to be pressed into the pan

I used raspberry jelly, so the dessert wasn't 100% SCD friendly (sugar in the jelly).

The frangipane, pretty tasty

Ready to go in the oven

Done, remember that SCD recipes brown easily. It wasn't burnt at all.
There wasn't a hugely distinct difference in taste and texture between the crust and the frangipane because of my modifications, but it was still good. The jelly really made this dessert though.


SCD pie crust

1 cup almond flour
1 egg
1 cap Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
enough sugar substitute or honey to sweeten crust
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together until they form a ball. The ball should have a little moisture to it, but not liquid. You can taste it to make sure there is some sweetness and hint of cinnamon and butter.

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

Frangipane

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons almond flour

Cream butter and honey 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 vanilla extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the almond flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.


Assembling the tart
Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base (1/4 of a cup to 1 cup, depending on strength of flavor. I opted for an entire jar). 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.

I served with vanilla ice cream and berries

Strudel

Time for the next Daring Baker's Challenge!!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

We were instructed to use the strudel dough recipe listed. We could either use the suggested apple filling, or come up with a different filling- sweet or savory. I've been wanting to make an apple pastry for a while now, so I was excited to try the original apple walnut recipe provided to us.

That said, the hosts recommended that we make twice the amount of dough so that we could practice pulling and stretching the delicate dough once before making the good one. I thought that was a wise idea following my fondant disaster last month. I decided to try a chocolate strudel and set off with my friend Google to find a good recipe. The yummiest looking chocolate recipe I could find was on the godiva website. http://www.godiva.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?id=525.

If you take a look at the recipe, you can see they prepared the recipe in a different manner from my altered version (photos below, my recipe at the bottom). Can you guess at a glance how my alterations led to a slight strudel disaster? No? I'll see if you can figure it out along the way.

I made the chocolate version first, I knew there was a chance something could go wrong and I was more excited about the apple so I left that one for after I had some practice with the dough.

First, I made the dough- doubled the recipe. Nothing too exciting about that process. Some mixing in the kitchen aid, some kneading on the counter.


Then I split it into two mounds and let it sit for about 2 hours (covered in plastic). Meanwhile, I got started on the chocolate filling. First, melt the chocolate and butter.

Mix together the yolks and half of the sugar. Combine it with the chocolate. Add vanilla.
Clean out the kitchen aid bowl, and whip up the egg whites, other half of sugar, and salt until it reaches soft peaks.
Fold this into the chocolate.
This mixture is amazing. I had to call in some extra willpower to refrain from getting a spoon and going to town on this amazing chocolate yumminess. Refrigerate this for an hour. **Do you see the issue yet?
Okay, when the hour was coming to a close, I got to work on the strudel dough. I was nervous! I followed a tip to use a large cheesecloth instead of a tablecloth. This was good, but the gosh darn cheesecloth was so flimsy that it was moving around the entire time. I had to keep adjusting it. Here is my prepared workspace:
I rolled it out as best I could with a rolling pin
Then, about 30 minutes were spent sloooowly stretching and pulling this thing as thin as I could. This was not as hard as I thought it would be, just a little tedious.
Here it is stretched as far as I was willing to take it:Then I very lightly brushed melted butter all over the surface, and sprinkled the toasted hazelnuts all over. The hazelnuts will keep air pockets so the layers don't mush together when you roll it up.
Okay, time to spread on the chocolate! Now do you see the problem? Fluffy, souffle-like chocolate filling? Wrapped in thin as tissue pastry? Get it yet?? I didn't!!
Oblivious to the impending explosion, I had my handy hubby snap some photos as I rolled the "strudel" as instructed. It rolled very easily!


I put it on a baking dish, brushed with butter and sprinkled with more toasted ground hazlenuts. Into the oven it went, 400 for 30 minutes. Looks good here, huh? Don't worry, that won't last!
I peeked halfway through so I could turn the pan. And what did I see? My beautiful strudel dough splitting down the center due to a huge puff of chocolate exploding out of the top. DRAT!! I let it finish cooking anyway. The split turned into a gash... it was a huge puffy mess! By the time I got my camera, the chocolate had deflated, but the gash was still there.

If you re-read Godiva's recipe, towards the end it says "Bake strudels for 30 minutes or until tops puff up and are firm on top". Key word? PUFFs. They cooked theirs in cups. So that they had room to expand. Duh! Oh well, it cut easily and was actually very tasty. Very tasty indeed. A strong chocolate flavor, but still light and airy. Yummmm! Nice with the toasted hazelnuts. I might use the filling recipe for something else... a souffle, perhaps?
Okay, onto the apple! I already had the dough ready-to-go. I cut the apples up, tossed them in the cinnamon sugar, and let them sit while I prepared the dough. I also put the raisins in the rum and let them soak.


Time to pull the dough again. I worked much faster this time. I got it to pull further, although it ended up in more of a square shape than a rectangle. Again, I brushed melted butter all over the surface. This time, I sprinkled fresh, home-made breadcrumbs all over.

I put the walnuts in a 6-inch (ish) wide square by one of the ends.

I mixed the raisins and apples and poured them over the walnuts. My handy photo helper had moved onto his own activities for the day, and I only paused for one photo during this assembly.
And here is that one assembly photo
Moved onto a baking dish and brushed with butter
Into the oven it went, 400 for 30 minutes. Luckily, this one came out in tact! There was a little leaking, but I was happy with it!

Sliced up to enjoy!! Yummmm!I was thrilled with how flaky it turned out to be. Next time, I'll sprinkle some sugar on top too.
Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary (I had to add more water). Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better). I probably let it stand for 2 hours

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides. Cover your working area with table cloth (I used a big cheesecloth), dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons golden rum
3 tablespoons raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
Prepared Strudel dough
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.


Chocolate Explosion "Strudel"
Adapted from Goviva.com

6 ounces Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Ghirardelli baking chips)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
7 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus an extra pinch
1/2 cup coarsely ground toasted hazelnuts
Strudel dough, prepared

Make the filling:
Place chocolate and butter in heatproof bowl and place over simmering water. Stir gently until thoroughly melted and combined. Reserve.

Place yolks in bowl of electric mixer fitted with wire whisk attachment. Add half of sugar and beat on medium speed until yolks have lightened in color and hold a soft ribbon. Fold yolk mixture into melted chocolate until just combined. Add vanilla extract; reserve.

Place whites in clean bowl of electric mixer fitted with wire whisk attachment. Add salt and whip until foamy and opaque. While machine is running, add remaining sugar in slow stream. Turn speed up and whip whites until they hold soft peaks. Do not overbeat. Carefully fold whites into chocolate mixture. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described. Spread about 3 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough using your hands. Sprinkle the buttered dough with the toasted hazelnuts. Spoon the chocolate filling about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip.

Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with leftover toasted hazelnuts.

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature.

April Daring Baker's Challenge: Cheesecake

Yay! My first challenge!! Done! This was fun. The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. We were encouraged to add a little flair to the basic recipe. I chose to do a chocolate turtle variety. Chocolate cheesecake, covered with caramel and pecans. Yum!! My younger sister offered to host Easter dinner at her apartment this year, so I brought this for dessert. I ran into a few speed bumps along the way though, and the cake didn't look too pretty. But dang, it tasted really good. I cooked this the night before Easter at my in-laws house in New Hampshire. I blame the new cooking environment for my accidents ;)

I think the main problem was that I skipped the water bath when I was cooking the cake. I was not able to find an aluminum pan that seemed the right size, so I stuck with a springform pan. I was so afraid of getting a soggy crust that I just skipped the water bath. I would have braved it, but I didn't want to mess up Easter dinner with a soggy cheesecake! When I took the cheesecake out of the oven, it was puffy and VERY cracked. And, well- it just didn't look like cheesecake. However, once I poured the caramel sauce and pecans over the top you couldn't tell. And, the deep cracks actually allowed for the caramel to seep deep into the cake! YUM!!

I think one other problem, that perhaps led to the puffiness, was that I mis-read the instructions and added the heavy cream in with the cream cheese and sugar at the beginning, so it took a little too much beating. The batter seemed a little too fluffy to me.

I also ran into some issues with the caramel sauce. This was due to the fact that I didn't pay very good attention to the stove. Too many distractions:) I over-boiled the sugar/water combo the first time (burned the sugar), accidentally let the heavy cream boil over the once, and burned the cream another time. But, I finally pulled it together and the caramel came out quite well. Unfortunately Dan and I then had to run to 6 stores to find more heavy cream to replace the extra carton of my mother-in-laws that I had to use. That is not an easy task at 8:30pm when you are in the middle of nowhere, NH, and it is the night before a big holiday.

One more note... I think I would add more chocolate next time. I had two 4oz bars of bittersweet chocolate, but I burned one of them while melting it in the microwave. So I just used one, and the chocolate flavor was not very strong. But all in all, this was a delicious recipe! I would absolutely make it again.

Ingredients ready to go, can you tell it's not my usual kitchen?


YUM, graham cracker crust!! Did you know that they sell graham cracker crumbs at the supermarket? I was dreading having to use a food processor (they are SUCH a pain to clean), so I was psyched to see that I wouldn't have to!


Before adding the chocolate
Chocolate and cinnamon are added, mmmm tasty! Definitely looks too fluffy. I think cheesecake batter should be denser.

Note to self, scrape mixing bowl a few times next time.

That doesn't really look like cheesecake to me.

Caramel topping and nuts are added, at least they cover the cracks! This went in the fridge overnight.

Easter Sunday, ready to be cut!

Ok, it doesn't totally look like a cheesecake, but it was so, so, so tasty.

Caramel-y goodness :)
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes
Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp liqueur, optional (I didm't use any)
**For the chocolate turtle variety, I added 4oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and 1 tsp of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy. **This is when I added the melted chocolate and cinnamon.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Topping: Classic Caramel Sauce from Cooks Illustrated
2 cups of sugar
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
pinch of table salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Pour 1 cup water into 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; add sugar to center of pot to keep granules from adhering to sides of pot. Bring to boil over high heat, covered. Uncover pot, insert candy thermometer, and continue to boil until syrup is thick and straw-colored, registering 300 degrees on candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; continue to cook until sugar is deep amber, begins to smoke, and registers 350 degrees on candy thermometer, about 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, when temperature of syrup reaches 300 degrees, bring cream and salt to simmer in small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. (If cream reaches simmer before syrup reaches 350 degrees, remove cream from heat and set aside.)

2. Remove sugar syrup from heat. Pour about one quarter of hot cream into sugar syrup; let bubbling subside. Add remaining cream; let bubbling subside. Whisk gently until smooth; whisk in butter. Let cool until warm; serve. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 1 month; reheat in microwave or small saucepan over low heat.)

Pour caramel over cooled cheesecake (before you put it in the fridge for the night). Sprinkle top with chopped pecans.