My First Daring Baker's Challenge - Heaven on a Dessert Plate!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

RECIPE SOURCE:
Mascarpone Cheese – Vera’s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Savoiardi/ Ladyfinger Biscuits – Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home
Tiramisu – Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

My Substitutions:

• The zabaglione calls for Marsala wine but instead I used sweetened fresh orange juice instead with an extra teaspoon of vanilla.
• The original recipe calls for 2 cups of brewed espresso, but instead I simmered 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan until thickened and combined. I omitted the teaspoon of rum extract and instead added 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

If you never make this recipe you should at least make the mascarpone cheese. The tricky part is finding cream that is NOT ultrapasturized. I found such cream from a local dairy so it is possible. It is amazing, not difficult at all, and once you've made it for yourself you won't buy it from a store again.

When I made my goals for 2010 I decided it was time to become a Daring Baker. I eagerly waited for the recipe reveal date and couldn't believe that my first challenge consisted of making my own mascarpone cheese, lady fingers, and a dessert that contains ingredients that I don't use due to religious beliefs. So after making a few substitutions, and several days of preparation, I created this beautiful desert for our Valentine's celebration.

I decided to make the dessert in a serving for two, and wrapped it with a chocolate ribbon. I lined souffle dishes with plastic wrap and then assembled the tiramisu according to the directions in the recipe. After chilling overnight I was able to finish them off with a chocolate ribbon.

I should have tempered the chocolate to give it a sheen, but I was running short on time so I simply folded a piece of plastic wrap into thirds and with an offset spatula spread melted dark chocolate on the plastic wrap. I let it cool until it was firm enough to mold and molded it around a can covered in plastic wrap that was the same size as the tiramisu. After letting it set a few more moments I unmolded it from the can, peeled off the plastic wrap, and molded it around the tiramisu on the serving plate.

Don't these layers look divine?

The remains. I froze the remaining two, thinking it would provide me with a treat later on, but wouldn't you know it even tasted amazing frozen?

Dear Kathy,

I haven't forgotten. And now it has to be amazing because I promised it by the end of the year and that was almost two months ago. So if you have any requests, let me know. It will happen, eventually. Thanks for being patient.

Adrienne

An accounting.

So I still have 5 lbs to go, not bad considering there have been 2 full weeks of sickness, and therefore 2 full weeks without exercise, in my life since I first set my goal, as well as several occasions for which I had to make treats containing vast amounts of butter and sugar. I am getting closer to my goal and I am also only eating those things that I truly want (for the most part) which is a good thing. Since I have been sick I have craved homemade chocolate pudding, baked apples with maple cream cheese, and my mom's spaghetti. I have made the first two items, and they were divine, but not the last because no matter how hard I try I just can't get it to taste exactly like my mom's spaghetti. I have also realized that I don't want to make my own spaghetti when I am sick, I want someone else to make it for me. And that someone is in Salt Lake. Sick with pneumonia. Maybe someone should go make spaghetti for my mom instead.

Waffles

This is another recipe from Eating Well. They are delicious, and even better when served with leftover raspberry puree from the cupcakes (see previous post) and lemon or orange curd, which if you make the wedding cake cupcakes is the perfect answer to the question of what to do with all of the leftover egg yolks. Maple syrup, is of course, always perfectly lovely and even better with a touch of freshly whipped cream.

Waffles
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c rolled oats
2/3 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Cupcakes

I detest cooking for people who don't comment on the food. It doesn't even matter if they like it (although that is obviously preferable) I just want to know what they think. A simple 'it's good' or 'not my favorite' does not suffice. Why is it good? What are your favorite parts? Or why don't you like it? What would make it better? I expect a conversation about the food. It isn't even a matter or pride or vanity because most of what I cook is from a recipe, a recipe that someone else created and therefore they get all of the credit. That's why I want to talk about it. I finally discovered why this bothers me so much. Cooking is my creative outlet, my art form. Even when I am using another person's recipe I am practicing skills and learning ingredient combinations. When I cook for a person and they don't comment it is exactly the same as having an art show and watching people look at the art work, your art work that you've spent hours preparing, and never getting any feedback. This has been on my mind for two reason, the first being that we had the perfect food guests over for dinner about 2 weeks ago and they gave ample feedback about the food, which I appreciated. The second reason is because of a gentleman at Church last Sunday who tracked me down to tell me about a cupcake that I had made that his wife brought home for him. I love people who talk about food, because I love to talk about food. They will surely talk about food if you make any of these recipes.

My current favorite frosting recipe by Sarah Magid. I made a fantastic cake for Connor's first birthday but the frosting was a flop, and this recipe saved the day. I've made the vanilla, the chocolate variation, and I added my own brown sugar variation to go with the orange cupcakes. Use a handmixer! I don't know why, but it works much better than a standmixer for this recipe. Her cookbook is lovely and it is called Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets that Taste as Good as They Look.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream
2 sticks (1 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup sifted organic all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons organic vanilla extract

Cream the butter on medium speed, with a hand mixer until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the flour, and the vanilla extract, and whisk until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil. Then reduce the heat to low and keep whisking for a few more minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat, but keep stirring. (After you have removed the pan from the heat, the mixture will continue to cook for a minute or two on its own. If you overheat it and get small lumps, try to whisk vigorously to get them out, or pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.) If necessary, place the pan over a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and allow the mixture to cool. ***I always get small lumps and they always disappear by the end of the recipe.

Once the milk mixture has thickened, set it aside to cool to room temperature. You can stick it in the freezer to rush the cooling.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla to combine.

Brown Sugar Whipped Buttercream: simply replace the sugar with brown sugar.

Chocolate Whipped Buttercream: This light and fluffy chocolate frosting tastes like whipped cream with a hint of chocolate: While the milk mixture is cooling, melt 4 ounces unsweetened or dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in 30-second bursts in a microwave. Cool to room temperature. With the mixer on low speed, combine the chocolate with the butter-sugar mixture.

Orange Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c white sugar
3 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure orange extract (or use extra orange zest)
zest of 1 or 2 oranges
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c milk

Turbinado sugar for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.

Place sugar and zest in the bowl of mixer and blend with fingers until fragrant. Add butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Add extracts.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 3 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely on a cooling rack.

***I made these in a mini-cupcake pan and so I greased the pan and coated it with white sugar. They make the perfect bite of cake. Frost with brown sugar buttercream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

The other cupcakes I made were for a group of 60 people so I made my wedding cake recipe and the chocolate cake recipe I posted last year. I filled both kinds of cupcakes with this raspberry filling with the addition of a bit more lemon juice. I frosted both with the vanilla whipped buttercream. These are truly divine.

My Wedding Cake
(You may want to cut this recipe in half because the original makes enough for 2 8-inch round cakes and 2 10-inch round cakes which makes a ton of cupcakes.)
12 egg whites
3 1/3 c white sugar
6 1/4 c cake flour (you must use cake flour)
3 T baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 c cold water
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T lemon zest
1 T orange zest
1 T vanilla

If you make the entire recipe you will need a very very large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating and gradually add 1 1/3 c sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix remaining sugar (2 c), flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 3 cups of water and all remaining ingredients. When smooth gently fold in egg white mixture, 1/3 at a time. Make sure it is fully incorporated or your cupcakes will not work. Gradually stir in remaining 1 cup water. Spoon into cupcake pan lined with paper liners until it is 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 3 to 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

The chocolate cake recipe here. Only fill 2/3 of the way full and don't worry if it sinks because you are going to fill them with raspberry filling anyway and then top them with frosting so no one will ever know.

I like to use a pastry bag to pipe my frosting onto cupcakes, it looks much prettier. I'm not the world's greatest frosting spreader.

Main Dish Worthy Salads

I've learned an interesting lesson during these past weeks. There is no limit to the amount of salads Bryant will eat during a week, but there is a limit when it comes to soup. I'm not quite sure why, but it is a good thing to know. This first recipe I found on the Eating Well website which is a great resource for healthy and delicious recipes. I tweaked it a bit so here's my version:

Coconut-Lime Chicken & Snow Pea Salad
serves 2 as a main dish
1 c lite coconut milk
1/4 c lime juice
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz chicken, cooked or uncooked
4 c chopped salad greens of your choice
1 c chopped cabbage
1 c snow peas, trimmed
3 T minced fresh cilantro
2 T minced red onion

Dressing: Whisk coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, and salt together. If your chicken is already cooked, heat 1/2 c dressing in a saucepan with red onion, add chicken, and simmer until onion is tender. If your chicken is raw preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a 8x8-inch glass baking dish and cover with 3/4 c dressing and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Salad: Toss lettuce, cabbage, snow peas, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl with remaining dressing. Divide between two plates. Slice chicken and place on top of salads. Drizzle cooking liquid over each salad. THIS IS SO GOOD.

Fan's Christmas present is the gift that just keeps on giving. This recipe was originally to be served with rice, but I served it as a salad instead and it was very good.

Pork Medallions with Chili-Maple sauce
serves 4 as a main dish

16 oz pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 T canola oil
3/4 c chicken broth
3 T pure maple syrup
1 T chili-garlic paste (found in the Thai section at the supermarket)
1 green onion, chopped
4 c salad greens chopped

Cut tenderloin crosswise into 8 slices. Place between plastic wrap and bound to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet (or the bottom of a saucepan which is what I sued) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and five-spice powder.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Add next 3 ingredients to skillet and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Place salad greens on plates, top with pork, dress with sauce, and sprinkle with green onion. You just may want to lick the pan clean.