Archive for the ‘desserts’ Category

Daring Bakers: Milano Cookies

Monday, July 27th, 2009

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

This was my first month with Daring Bakers and I was pretty excited about it. Nicole gave us the option to make one or both of the cookies. And I know it’s not very daring of me, but I decided to just make the milano cookies. You see, it’s been reaching temperatures of 105 degrees here lately and I had visions of being in a hot kitchen covered in marshmallow goo and freaking out over the ganache coating, which I knew would never set in this heat. Maybe I’ll try in December.

I would normally shy away from a cookie recipe that requires me to get out a pastry bag, but this one was surprisingly easy. The recipe worked perfectly, and I was able to store the cookies in the refrigerator, to make sure the ganache filling would solidify. And although mint milanos are my favorite, I was very pleased with the lemon and orange flavors in these cookies.

The key to being able to get the cookies off the pan is using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I also think I undercooked them a little. They should have been crispy and some of them were slightly chewy. Next time I will leave them in a minute or two longer. We served these for dessert at my dad’s 60th birthday dinner with some sweet cream ice cream from Amy’s and they were a hit. Shawn also took a few to share with a woman he works with because Milano cookies are her favorite. I’ve been informed that her husband tried them and liked them so much that he is planning try the recipe himself.

Milan Cookies
 Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar

7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons lemon extract

1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour

Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.

2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.

4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.

7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.

8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

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A Long-Overdue Visit

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

When one of my best friends from high school said she would be in town a few weeks ago, I was psyched. I hadn’t seen Kelly in five years. After high school our lives took different directions, which often happens when kids go off to college. And I guess I took for granted that she would always be nearby and maybe one day we would see each other. But then, about a year ago, much to my horror surprise, she got married and ran away to live in the Northwestern part of the country. When we recently re-connected, I wasn’t all that surprised to learn that in the time we had spent growing apart, we had actually been growing more alike. Kelly had become a fellow “foodie.”

So, we planned to do what “foodies” do best—cook and eat. But there was one complication: a few years ago, Kelly discovered she has a dairy allergy. Coming up with a dairy free meal was pretty simple, but dessert would be a little more challenging.

After stewing over the options for a few days, I became obsessed with the idea of taking a typically dairy dessert and making it diary free. And since we were having a Mexican-inspired meal, Tres Leches cake was an obvious choice. Tres Leches means “three milks.” It is essentially a sponge cake soaked in a blend of sweetened condensed milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream; it is often topped with fruit and whipped cream.

I wasn’t sure how to pull it off, so I consulted the Internet. A thorough search yielded few suggestions. I was going to have to wing it. The recipe for Pastel de Tres Leches from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art was a perfect starting point since the sponge cake doesn’t call for any dairy. For the milks I would use cream of coconut (a very sweet coconut product, often used for making piña coladas), coconut milk and almond milk. Then I got to thinking—since I had never tried this before, I was worried that the saturated fat in the coconut milk and cream of coconut would solidify in the refrigerator and my cake would have the texture of a sponge soaked in butter. (This is exactly why one should not try out new recipes one’s dinner guests, but I’ve always ignored that advice.) The solution was two parts almond milk to one part cream of coconut, which technically makes this a “Dos Leches” cake, but it tastes flipping outstanding so who really cares?

In case anyone is wondering, I also made a carrot and pineapple scallop ceviche and I tried to make tacos al pastor in the oven. I didn’t think either recipe came out that great, which is why we’re skipping dinner and going straight to dessert.

Dairy-Free Pastel de “Tres Leches” for Kelly
(with coconut and mango) 

I apologize to everyone who can’t eat dairy for including the whipped cream in the photo. I did not try to substitute with a non-dairy whipped topping (although you could if you want to) because I wanted to keep this as natural as possible. And since most of the people I was serving don’t have a problem with dairy, I made up a batch of whipped cream for those who wanted it. So if you don’t have a diary allergy, feel free to top this with a little sweetened whipped cream along with the mango puree. I have tried the cake with and without—it is delicious both ways.

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 teaspoons mexican vanilla extract

1 15-oz can cream of coconut (goes under the name Coco Lopez and may be found with the mixers in the beverage isle)

3 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk

2 ripe mangoes, diced (optional)

1. Oil a 9 x 3 springform pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Put the sugar and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture doubles in volume. Add the vanilla and the water and mix on medium speed to combine well.

4. Gently, so as not to deflate the eggs, fold in the flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or until firm. Remove from pan and cool completely.

5. In the meantime mix together the cream of coconut, almond milk and the remaining two teaspoons of vanilla.

6. When the cake is cool, cut off the top crust with a serrated knife. Place it in a deep dish and poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick. Using a ladle pour the “milk” mixture over the top of the cake a little at a time, allowing the liquid to soak in before adding more. Continue until all of the liquid is soaked in. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

7. Puree the ripe mangoes and taste. Add sugar if needed.

8. Serve each slice of cake topped with a spoonful of mango puree.

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Seeing Red Velvet

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Bobby Flay likes to say that chefs don’t know how to bake. This was my excuse to myself as I cursed my spatula trying to ice Shawn’s birthday cake. I had just knocked a chunk out of the top layer. The layers all came out a little too crispy around the edges, except for the middle one, which I baked in a silicone pan. It was consequently the only layer that stuck. The icing was warm enough to spread, but too warm to hold the layers firmly in place. As I trimmed the crispy edges off, the cake would begin to lean to one side. Then I would trim that side off and it would begin to lean to the other. If you have ever tried to ice a cake with layers, you know what I’m talking about.

And THEN, already in a state of extremely annoyed, I barely tapped the side of my thumb with my new, very sharp bread knife (free from Central Market with $50 purchase). The resulting nick was very small, but stung just enough to send me over the edge. I then declared,“this cake looks stupid. And it doesn’t even taste that good. And if the top layer slips off and falls on the floor, your birthday is over!” At that moment Shawn suggested that I put the cake in the freezer to stiffen up the icing and try again later. Of course I did and it worked like a charm. The cake came out of the freezer an hour later and I calmly spread another batch of icing over the ugly crumb layer. Then I proceeded to decorate the sides and the top without incident.

This is the normal stream of events that occur when I make a cake. Why do I allow the cycle to continue? For one, because people like cake. And for two, because I like cake. And this particular cake came out nearly perfect. It tasted good and it even looked pretty, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Red Velvet Cake

This is another baked delight adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from “The Confetti Cakes Cookbook” by Elisa Strauss via the New York Times. I’ve increased the amount of cocoa by 1/4 cup and decreased the amount of oil (the original called for two cups). It comes out with more chocolate flavor and is still very moist thanks to the buttermilk. NOTE: The baking time says 40 to 45 minutes. My cakes were crispy around the edges before this time was up, but unfortunately I did not pay attention to when I took them out of the oven. I would check the cakes at 30 minutes to see how things are progressing and to avoid over cooking.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups canola oil

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring or 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 6 tablespoons of water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 round 9-inch cake pans.

2. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

4. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds. (WHY? I have no idea. If you know, please leave a comment).

5. Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes (see note above about timing). Let cool completely in pans before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Deb’s recipe says that you may have to double the cream cheese frosting. I had to do this or else my cake would not have been covered. After coating between the layers, on the sides and on top and also piping some on top and around the base, I still had some icing left over. You can either eat it, give it to someone else to eat (my choice) or put in the freezer for another time. The room temperature thing is important unless you LIKE icing that looks like butter with cream cheese swirls.

Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for a few minutes on high speed to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for another minute to make sure it’s all mixed together. With the machine on low speed add the vanilla and add the sugar 1 cup at a time.

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When Life Throws You a Whole Crap Load of Lemons, Make Lemon Bars.

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Okay so “life” hasn’t necessarily been throwing lemons, but Greenling sure has been handing out a lot of them. I’ve been accumulating lemons every week now for about a month. As it turns out, I don’t use them nearly as fast as they come. And these aren’t just any lemons, they’re meyer lemons. Ever since they were little buds on the lemon tree they knew they would become something more than just lemonade.

I made lemon bars once, about four years ago. When they came out of the oven, much to my dismay, they had more or less become “one with the pan.” I couldn’t get them out. After about a half hour spent scraping and prying with every utensil imaginable (including some that are not normally found in a kitchen), I finally managed to extract a few for a taste test. What I then experienced was most unpleasant. The caustic, biting flavor of too much sour lemon was accompanied by a dose of saccharine sweetness I had not experienced since my days of hiding in the pantry munching on sugar cubes. These were not, in my opinion, the way a lemon bar should taste.

I was willing this year, at my mom’s request, to try again. And this is where Meyer lemons come in. Substituting them for the original in a lemon bar recipe results in a much more pleasing balance between sweet and sour. Try it. I think you’ll like it.

Meyer Lemon Bars

Even though this particular recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Ina Garten) calls for a whole cup of lemon juice, with the use of meyer lemons, the sour flavor is not overpowering. The shortbread layer also has less sugar, which puts the focus exactly where it should be—on the lemon curd. Also note that you can save yourself a lot of frustration by lining your baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper. If you don’t have any parchment paper, I hope you have a chisel instead.

Crust

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)

1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet or casserole dish. Line with parchment paper.

2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill (Note: I skipped this step with no ill effects).

2. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

3. For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

4. Cut into small squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar, just before serving.

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Shaker (Meyer) Lemon Tart

Friday, November 28th, 2008

So in my Greenling box I got three Meyer lemons. I had never cooked with Meyer lemons before, but I had heard that they have a milder flavor than regular lemons and a thinner, softer skin. So instead of just juicing the lemon, I decided I wanted to try to use the whole lemon. I found a recipe that does just that and it’s called Shaker Lemon Pie.

The story behind the Shaker Lemon Pie is that the Shakers, being a frugal bunch, didn’t want to waste the lemons by squeezing the juice and throwing away the fruit and skin. So they devised a simple lemon pie recipe that uses the whole fruit, thinly sliced and macerated in sugar. The resulting pie has a “grown up” lemon flavor that’s a bit like marmalade. It’s a little bitter from the lemon pith and if you think you might not like that flavor, you should probably skip this one.

I also want to mention that the original version of the pie, from Saveur magazine uses a top crust. I cannot in good faith make a pie that uses two plus sticks of butter in crust real estate alone, not today anyway, so I skipped the top crust and cooked it in a tart pan. So now we have Shaker Lemon Tart. Get it? Tart? Okay, on with the recipe.

Shaker Lemon Tart
Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Saveur Magazine.

Warning: Do not attempt to make this with regular lemons. You will be sorry. Also, if you don’t have a mandoline or similar device for making paper thin slices of lemon, you might also regret this one.

Makes one 10 inch tart.

2 large meyer lemons

2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 whole eggs and one separated egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Whipped cream (optional)

Dough for one single-crust pie (click here for the scoop on making the best crust ever)

1. Wash and dry lemons thoroughly and finely grate lemon zest into a medium bowl. Using a mandoline, slice lemons as thin as you possibly can and discard the seeds. Add slices to zest and stir in the sugar and salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Letting the lemons macerate for longer will allow the skins to break down giving the filling a more appealing texture

2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit it into a 10-inch tart pan and trim and crimp the edge.

3. Mix the lemon-sugar mixture three of the eggs and one egg yolk, reserving the egg white in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and flour and combine well. Pour in to prepared tart shell. At this point, if you’re neurotic, you can use the trimmings from the crust to make little decorative shapes to put on top. Or not.

4. Beat the reserved egg white until frothy and brush over exposed crust and decorative pieces if you made them. Sprinkle the pieces with sugar and bake separately at 350 until golden brown. Bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the tart filling is nicely browned and puffed. Place the decorative pieces on top of the tart if you made them. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream if desired.

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