Crockpot Indian....Really!

When we went to London on our honeymoon (which I STILL need to post about...but first I have to finish the wedding!), one of my goals was to have different foods that usual.  Since London isn't especially known for food, that could be difficult except that they do have lots of ethnic foods available...and the Mexican isn't stellar which kept us from eating there.  :-)  The last night we had Indian.  We both REALLY enjoyed it.  Fast forward 6 months and I'm trying to find quick dishes for Tuesday nights when K has ballet until 630.  Score...crockpot Indian chicken!  I actually combined two recipes, sort of.  The night before, we had the yummy eggplant dish, which was very tomato-y; so, I didn't want to have another tomato dish the next night. So, I planned to combine recipes.  The first recipe was from here but it appears that domain name is no longer working...alas!  The other recipe I ended up not using at all...I forgot to add the spinach!  Again...alas!  In the end, the recipe ended up being good.  David enjoyed it and took leftovers one day.  My mom came in that weekend and had some for dinner and said it was perfect.  I'd make it again to shake things up in our routine for sure!

Crockpot Curry Chicken
1 pound ground chicken
1 can chickpeas
1/2-1 cup water
2 tsp curry
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
rice

Put all ingredients in slow cooker.  Set to low and cook for 8 hours.  Break up chicken.  Enjoy over cooked rice.

Tres Leches...but which ones?!

I changed divisions within the pediatric department in July.  It's not what I originally thought I'd be doing but it was definitely an opportunity given to be by God!  I have been working in the pediatric neurology clinic and the people I work with are great!  My division chair is so helpful and encouraging, always available to help me and so supportive of family.  One of the other physicians I had worked with in the past and so was excited to work with him again.  He is a great teach, hilarious, and helpful.  The whole department is like a family...see my crazy and fun co-workers?!

  So, when it was Brad's birthday, we all got together for lunch.  I decided that was the perfect time to make my Daring Baker challenge for the month...a Tres Leches cake!  Inma of la Galletika was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!

The cake was very easy to make and turned out great.  I used a springform pan rather than a regular cake pan.  I think this just makes it easier to remove and cut.  When I told everyone that I made a tres leches cake I was immediately asked what the three milks were.  Brad's guess:  goat, cow, and...well, something wrong!  The recipe calls for evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and milk (though I used almond milk).  Be careful, though, when you make the syrup....THIS is what happens if it overflows!

 I decided to use cinnamon to flavor the cake, but I was a little unsure about what to use for the filling.  All the examples I saw used fruit but I didn't know what people would want...and was using this for Brad's birthday cake.  So...I decided to make a nutella cream filling.  I just took a half cup of nutella and mixed it with some of the whipped cream I made for the outside.  I thought it turned out good. Of course, David's comment was that you couldn't taste the nutella.  Alas! 

Everyone at the office liked it.  The description was "like tiramisu without the coffee."  Brad even said that, after having five cakes that day, this cake was his favorite!  Thanks, Inma, for such a delicious challenge!

Classic Three Milks Cake:

Servings: 12
Ingredients for the vanilla sponge cake
5 large eggs (separated)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) (5 oz) (140gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (sifted)
For three milks syrup
1 can (14 oz) (400 gm) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) (340 gm) evaporated milk
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream (about 35% fat) or 1 cup of half & half or 1 cup milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rum (or other flavoring)
Topping and filling
2 cups (500 ml) of whipping cream (about 30% fat)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
Canned or fresh fruit (to fill and decorate the cake)
Directions For the Sponge Cake:

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Prepare a square 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
3. Beat the egg whites on medium speed, 3 - 5 minutes.
4. When soft peaks form slowly add the sugar in small batches.
5. Whip until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes. Set aside.  
6. In a medium bowl beat egg yolks at medium-high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the egg yolks become pale colored, creamy and puffy. (OR hand beat...yes sir I did!)Stir in vanilla.
   
7. Pour the egg yolks over the egg whites, gently fold until just combined trying not to lose any volume from the mixture.
8. Fold in the flour little by little in the form of rain. Mix until just combined (over-beating will result in a denser, flatter cake).
9. Pour the batter into the prepared 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) square cake pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan.
10. Bake in the preheated moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean
11. Let it cool.
    

Three milks syrup

1. In a saucepan add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and cinnamon stick, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove it and let it cool.
2. Once it is cool, add the rum or any other flavoring you are using
3. Gradually brush all the milk soaking liquid into all sides of the cake (including the cut surfaces) until all absorbed. Best to rest the cake in the fridge overnight to complete the soaking process. 

Topping

1. Whip the cream, when soft peaks form add the sugar little by little, continue whipping until stiff peaks form about 2 mins. 

Assembly:
Cut the cooled cake in half and place the bottom half on a cake plate.  Poke with a fork to allow the cake to absorb the milk syrup.  Spoon the syrup over the cake so that it is soaked!  Top the bottom layer with your desired filling.  Top with the second layer of cake.  Poke holes in that layer and spoon with syrup until soaked!  Cover with whipped cream topping.  Refrigerate for at least an hour...longer is better!  Enjoy!

Mawa and Bolinhas

David is not the most adventurous eater, so when I was able to get him to try Indian (and me...I had never had it!) in London while we were on our honeymoon I was excited!  I was even more thrilled when he said he liked it.  He then commented that I should bake something Indian since I like to bake.  However, there aren't really any "classic" Indian desserts that are common knowledge.  So, when the challenge this month for the Daring Bakers was to make two Indian desserts I was excited.  Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen was our August 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to make some amazing regional Indian desserts. The Mawa Cake, the Bolinhas de Coco cookies and the Masala cookies – beautifully spiced and delicious!



  

I decided to make the Mawa cake and Bolinhas de Coco cookies.  The cake was really good.  David liked it...without the decorative almonds!  I took it to work as well.  They enjoyed it a lot.  Someone even made the comment "you can really taste the milk."  I hadn't thought about it but you could.  It just tasted creamy! 

Making the mawa took a little longer than I thought but I may have had the temperature a little too low. 

I had a bit of trouble with the Bolinhas cookies as I couldn't find semonlina.  Semolina flour yes, semonlina...no.  So, I used grits. 

They are a bit too tough.  I guess I should have used cream of wheat (farina) or corn meal.  Anyway, the taste was really good but the texture is just crunchy.  Alas, fun concept.

All in all a fun and different challenge.  I had never heard of mawa cake but am so glad I got to try it!  Thanks, Aparna!

Mawa Cake
Ingredients
For the Mawa:
1 litre (4 cups) full fat milk
For the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (120 ml) (4 oz) (115 gm) unsalted Butter (soft at room temperature)
3/4 cup (180 ml) packed crumbled mawa
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) (10 oz) (280 gm) castor sugar
3 large eggs
5 to 6 cardamom pods, powdered, (about 1-1/2 tsp powdered cardamom)
2 cups (500ml) (9 oz) (260 gm) cake flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract (optional)
Cashewnuts (or blanched almonds) to decorate (about 18 to 20)

Directions:
1. First make the “Mawa”. Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan, preferably a non-stick one. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring it on and off, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Turn down the heat to medium and keep cooking the milk until reduces to about a quarter of its original volume. This should take about an hour to an hour and a half.
2. The important thing during this process is to watch the milk and stir it frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pan and get burnt. The danger of this happening increases as the milk reduces and gets thicker.
3. Once the milk it has reduced to about one fourth, 1/4 quantity, lower the heat to low and let cook for a little while longer. Keep stirring regularly, until the milk solids (mawa) take on a lumpy appearance. There should be no visible liquid left in the pan, but the mawa should be moist and not stick to the sides of the pan.
4. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the mawa to a bowl and let it cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate it for a day or two (not more) till you’re ready to make the cake. It will harden in the fridge so let it come to room temperature before using it.
You should get about 3/4 to 1 cup of mawa from 1 litre (4 cups) of full-fat milk.
5. Now start preparations for the cake by pre-heating your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Beat the butter, the crumbled mawa and the sugar in a largish bowl, using a hand held electric beater, on high speed until soft and fluffy. 
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed till well incorporated. Add the vanilla and milk and beat till mixed well.
7. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt onto the batter and beat at medium speed and well blended. If you cannot find cake flour, place 2 tablespoon of cornstarch in the bottom of your 1-cup measure and then fill it with all-purpose (plain) flour to make up to 1 cup.
8. Grease and line only the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan. Pour the batter into this and lightly smooth the top. Place the cashew nuts (or blanched almonds) on top of the batter randomly. Do not press the nuts down into the batter. A Mawa Cake always has a rustic finished look rather than a decorated look.
9. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour until the cake is a golden brown and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake or it will dry out. If the cake seems to be browning too quickly, cover it will aluminium foil hallway through the baking time.
10. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 min in the tin. Release the cake, peel off the parchment from the base and let it cool completely.

Bolinhas de Coco
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) (5-1/3 oz) (150 gm) fresh grated coconut, packed
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) (9 oz) (250 gm) semolina
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) (8-3/4 oz) (250 gm) granulated sugar
3/4 cup water (180ml) (6 oz) (175 gm) water
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz) (30 gm) ghee (clarified butter) or melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs
8 to 10 pods cardamom, powdered (about 1-1/2 teaspoon)

Directions:
1. Run the grated coconut in your processor or the small jar of your blender a couple of times so that the flakes are smaller and uniform in texture. Do not grind into a paste. Keep aside.
2. Put the semolina in a pan and toast/ roast it, over low to medium heat, until it starts giving off an aroma, and looks like it’s about to start changing colour. This should take a couple of minutes. Do not brown. Transfer the semolina into a bowl and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, pour the water and add the sugar to it. Place it on medium heat and keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Once the sugar has dissolved, keep stirring the solution and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. The sugar solution should just begin to start forming a syrup but is still watery. Do not cook until it forms a thick syrup.
4. Add the toasted/ roasted semolina and mix well. Then add the coconut, salt and ghee (or melted butter) and mix well. Put the pan back on the stove, and over medium heat stir the coconut mixture until it is really hot and easily forms a thick clump. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let the semolina coconut mixture cool to room temperature. Transfer this into a bowl or container, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight. For really fluffy biscuits/ cookies, the overnight rest is recommended.
6. The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Lightly beat the yolks with a fork to break them and add to the dough. Also add the powdered cardamom and mix well with a wooden spoon or fork.
7. Whisk the egg whites by hand until frothy and add to the dough. Mix well till incorporated.
8. You will now have a slightly moist and sticky dough. Refrigerate this dough for about half an hour so it firms up a bit.
9. Pre-heat your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line your baking trays with parchment or grease them well with some ghee or melted butter.
10. Take the dough out and pinch off walnut sized bits of dough. The dough should be firm enough to handle without difficulty. If the dough is sticking to your palms, lightly dust your palms with flour before shaping the dough. Roll the bits of dough into balls and then flatten them very slightly.
11. Decorate the top by marking criss-crosses (3 equidistant lines one way and another 3 crossing them at right angles), with a table knife. Press down a bit but not too deep or right through the biscuit/ cookie. Use up all the dough this way.
12. Place the shaped dough on the baking trays leaving a little space between them. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until they’re a golden brown and done. Let them cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.
13. Store the biscuits/ cookies in airtight containers. This recipe makes about 4 dozen Bolinhas de Coco.




 

Princess Cake for the ER

Korena of Korena in the Kitchen was our May Daring Bakers’ host and she delighted us with this beautiful Swedish Prinsesstårta! 

This was one of those challenges that I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time to make.  However, David was working in the ER the first weekend and I found out they were bringing food one night...so, I made this that weekend.  K helped with the cake and kept asking if she was going to eat "birthday cake."  don't you know...ALL cakes are birthday cakes!  :-) 

I decided to go simple and just make a quick fondant instead of marzipan (not a big fan anyway!).  K had to taste every color because obviously the different colors taste different.  I make the logo of our hospital for the decoration and it was a hit in the ER.  They ate half overnight and I took the other half to the lounge the next day.  It was gone by the time I went home.  I'd say people liked it!

Vanilla Custard

Ingredients
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, divided
4 egg yolks from large eggs
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) granulated white sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks. Gradually whisk in ½ cup (120 ml) of heavy cream until smooth. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just boiling. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the bowl with the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
2. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it becomes thick like pudding and just comes to a boil. The mixture must hit a boil for the cornstarch to properly thicken the custard, and also to cook out any starchy taste. If it starts to look curdled or lumpy, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth, then return to the heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. If using vanilla extract, add it now.
(If desired, pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve before continuing.)
3. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold. Can be prepared a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Sponge Cake

Ingredients
Fine dry breadcrumbs for the pan (such as crushed panko)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) granulated white sugar
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
½ cup (120 ml) (65 gm) (2¼ oz) potato starch (or cornstarch)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Thoroughly butter a 9” (23 cm) round springform pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, then butter the paper. Dust the buttered pan with enough breadcrumbs to coat the bottom and sides, just like flouring a cake pan. Set aside.
2. Place the eggs and granulated white sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment until the eggs are tripled in volume and very light coloured and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The mixture should fall from the beaters in thick ribbons. Don’t overbeat the eggs – once they form thick ribbons and stop growing in volume, stop beating.
3. Sift the all-purpose (plain) flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, then sift the flour mixture over the whipped eggs. With a balloon whisk, fold the flour into the eggs until blended, keeping as much air in the batter as possible. Use large, gentle yet confident strokes, bringing batter from the bottom of the bowl to the top. Once mixed, the batter should be quite thick and smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread it out evenly, and bake in the lower third of the preheated moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes then run a knife around the edge and remove the sides of the springform pan. Don’t worry if it sinks a bit in the middle. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. If the cake is lopsided, press gently to make it level, then allow it to cool completely before continuing. The cake can be made a day ahead and stored, well-wrapped in plastic, at a cool room temperature.

Prinsesstårta Assembly

Ingredients
2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, chilled
granulated white sugar, to taste (scant 1 tablespoon is plenty)
Sponge Cake, cooled
1/3 cup (80 ml) seedless raspberry jam (or regular jam pressed through a sieve to remove seeds)
Vanilla Custard, chilled
Marzipan Covering and Rose
Icing sugar, for rolling and dusting
Optional: melted chocolate, royal icing, or piping gel
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar to taste (keep in mind that the rest of the cake components are sweet, so the whipped cream should be very lightly sweetened at most) and continue whipping the cream until stiff. You want it to be sturdy enough to provide structure to the cake, but not over-whipped enough to make butter. Set the whipped cream aside.
2. With a long serrated knife, slice the sponge cake into three even layers. This cake is very delicate, so do this as carefully as possible. Use a gentle sawing motion to move the knife through the cake instead of trying to pull it through the cake. Use a spatula to help you lift off each layer after you cut it. Set aside the middle layer – this will become the top layer of the assembled cake as it is the most flexible and therefore easiest to bend into a dome over the whipped cream.
3. Place one of remaining layers on a cake board or serving platter and spread it evenly with the raspberry jam. Spread or pipe half the chilled custard over the jam in an even layer, leaving enough room around the edges so that it doesn’t spill over the sides of the cake.
4. Top the custard with another layer of cake. Spread or pipe the remaining custard evenly over it, again leaving some room around the edges.
5. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the stiffly whipped cream. Pile the rest into a mound on top of the custard. Spread it into a thick layer with a thin, flexible spatula or off-set spatula, then hold the spatula at an angle to shape the whipped cream into a dome, piling it up in the middle of the cake as much as possible. 
6. Place the final layer of sponge cake (the one cut from the middle of the cake) on top of the whipped cream. Do not press on the top of the cake – instead, gently tuck the edges of the cake layer into the whipped cream, so that they are flush with the cream. This will create a smooth, seamless dome on top of the cake.
7. Gently spread the reserved ½ cup (120 ml) of whipped cream over the entire cake to fill in any cracks and even out the surface. If necessary, refrigerate the cake to firm it up before continuing.
8. Use the rolling pin to drape the rolled-out marzipan or fondant sheet over the cake and smooth it around the cake gently with your hands. If it seems like it wants to fold or buckle around the cake, gently lift and stretch it away from the cake with one hand while smoothing it down with the other. 

Enjoy!

Return to the Daring

I skipped last month's Daring Baker's Challenge...there was just so much going on...and I have a lot going on this month, too!  Getting ready for our wedding on March 9, work, moving, etc.  But in the midst of keeping K while D was moonlighting, I was able to do this month's challenge.  Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!  I made this over several days.  The dough was actually easy to work with.  I had some trouble with the almond paste when I formed the bars...it stuck to the wrap when I tried to transfer it.  The flavor was good in the cake and my co-workers enjoyed them.

Recipe Speculaas Spices
Speculaas spices can be bought in a store. But it's more fun to make your own mixture, so that you can adjust the flavor. Here is a representative recipe from the extensive Dutch tradition.
Mandatory:
cinnamon 40 to 60 % of the total amount
ground cloves 1 or 2 parts
ginger ½ or 1 part
nutmeg 1 or 2 parts
A convenient way to mix the spices is as follows:
Take at least 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground cloves,  1 teaspoon of ginger. 1 or 2 teaspoons of nutmeg.
Measure or weigh the amount of spices you have now, and add an equal amount of cinnamon.

Recipe Almond Paste
As we are going to make stuffed speculaas, we will need almond paste. You can buy it in a store, but homemade almond paste tastes better.
Ingredients:
7/8 cup (210 ml)(125 gm)(4½ oz) raw almonds (or 1-1/3 cups (320 ml)(125 gm) (4½ oz) ground almonds)
5/8 cup (150 ml) (125 grams) (4½ oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) lemon zest
Directions:

Directions:
If the raw almonds still have their brown skins, remove them as follows. Bring water to a boil, add the almonds, cook them for one minute, drain immediately and let cool for a few minutes. Rub them between your fingers to remove the skins.
Grind the almonds for one or two minutes in a food processor, until you see nothing but very small pieces. (Or skip this step if you use ground almonds.)
Add the sugar, and grind for another one or two minutes. It must be very fine after this step.
Add the egg and let the food processor combine it - if it is powerful enough. Otherwise you will have to combine it with your fingers.
Store the almond paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Although the flavor gets better as days pass by, it is not wise to store the paste for too long, as it contains a raw egg. For the same reason you should not eat the paste unbaked.

Recipe Speculaas Dough
Ingredients:
1¾ cups (250 gm) (9 oz) all purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
¾ cup (150 grams) (5-1/3 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) speculaas spices
3/4 cup (1½ stick) (175 gm) (6 oz) unsalted butter
Directions:
Put flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.  Cut the butter in dices and add.  Knead until smooth. Feel free to add a little milk if the dough is too dry.  I used food processor.  Wrap in clingfoil and put in the refrigerator for two hours.  You can choose to make the dough a few days in advance, just like the almond paste, that will benefit the flavor. Freezing is no problem.

Assembling and baking the Gevulde Speculaas
Directions:
Grease the pan. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Divide the dough into two portions.
Roll out both portions on a lightly floured surface, until they are exactly as big as the baking pan.  Put one of the layers in the pan and press it lightly to fill the bottom. Roll out the almond paste between two sheets of clingfoil, until it is exactly as big as the pan, and put it on the dough in the pan. (If you chose to make the paste soft, you can smear the paste instead of rolling it.).  Press the paste lightly down to fit in the pan.  Now put the second layer of dough on top of the paste, press it lightly, and make as smooth as possible.  Decorate the pastry with the almonds.  Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.  Let cool completely in the pan, then cut it in portions as you like. 

Triumph Over Tragedy

I was pretty interested when I saw this month's Daring Baker's Challenge.  The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. Neither looked particularly difficult but definitely something that I never would have made without the push to try.

 I made the Nazook over Easter weekend.  Half I used the regular vanilla filling, which I enjoyed.  The other half I added some mini-chocolate chips because D really likes chocolate.  After sharing some in Sunday school, I divided the remaining Nazook between Daddy and D.  When my parents came back the next weekend for a funeral, Daddy said that he was REALLY sad when the "rolled things" were gone. 

The only delay in making these is having to rest the dough; however, I made the dough Saturday night and finished the next morning before church with very little extra time required.  I would definitely make this again and play around some with the filling. I decided to make the nutmeg cake for one of our (many) baby showers at work.  I got really excited because I thought I would be all cute and take my new cake plate to display it. 

Well, this is where tragedy come in play...I was walking up the stairs in the parking garage and caught my foot on the stair rise.  Down I go!  I hit my knee on the edge of the stair and dropped my carrier in order to catch myself...there went my pretty cake plate into pieces!  Thankfully, the cake was okay as it was in a separate container. 

At first I was so sad about my plate...then my knee started hurting and I had to limp the rest of the day....I am now the proud bearer of a purple, green bruise across my knee...two weeks later!  Oh, well...more importantly the cake was delicious!  The honoree at the shower loved it and it was super easy to make.  I used the food processor method.  I think I used a little less butter than called for and it was still good.  The crust, of course, was my favorite part!  Mmmmm!  Another one I'll make again.  Thanks for the great challenges!

Nazook
Dough
3 cups (720 ml) (420 gm/15 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour, sifted
2½ teaspoons (12½ ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) sour cream, I used low fat
1 cup (2 sticks) (240 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) softened butter (room temperature)

Filling
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) (210 gm) (7½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) (340 gm/12 oz) sugar
1/2 cup (1½ sticks) (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) softened butter (room temperature)
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

Wash
1-2 egg yolks (for the wash; alternatively, some yogurt, egg whites, or a whole egg)

  For the pastry dough, place the sifted flour into a large bowl and add the dry yeast, and mix it in.  Add the sour cream, and the softened butter.  Use your hands, or a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, to work it into a dough using a dough hook. Beat for several minutes or until dough doesn't stick to sides of bowl. Add a little flour if needed.  Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight if you like.

For the filling mix the flour, sugar, and the softened butter in a medium bowl.  Add the vanilla extract. Mix the filling until it looks like clumpy, damp sand. It should not take long. Set aside.

To make the nazook, preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4.Cut the refrigerated dough into quarters. Form one of the quarters into a ball. Dust your working surface with a little flour.Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or oval. The dough should be thin, but not transparent. Spread 1/4 of the filling mixture across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. Try to spread the filling as close as possible to the edges on the short sides, but keep some of pastry dough uncovered (1 inch/2.5 cm) along the long edges.
From one of the long sides, start slowly rolling the dough across. Be careful to make sure the filling stays evenly distributed. Roll all the way across until you have a long, thin loaf. 

Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit).  Apply your egg yolk wash with a pastry brush. Cut the loaf into 10 equally-sized pieces. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with other quarters of dough and filling.  Place in a preheated moderate oven for about 30 minutes, until the tops are a rich, golden brown.

 Armenian Nutmeg Cake
1 cup (240 ml) milk (I used almond)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking soda
2 cups (480 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) baking powder
2 cups (480 ml) (400 gm/14 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup (1½ sticks) (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) butter, preferably unsalted, cubed

1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons (5 to 7 ½ ml) (5 to 8 gm) ground nutmeg (try to grate it fresh yourself; the aroma is enchanting)
1 egg

An Even Easier Way...if you have a Food Processor
Preheat your oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4 .  Mix the baking soda (not baking powder) into the milk. Set aside.  Put the flour, baking powder, and the brown sugar into your food processor. Pulse until uniformly mixed.  Toss in the cubed butter. Pulse until uniformly mixed into tan-colored crumbs. Pour HALF of the crumbs into your springform (9”/23cm) pan. Press out a crust using your fingers and knuckles.

  Crack the egg into the food processor with the rest of the crumbs still in it. Grate 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Toss that into the food processor, too. Pulse until well-incorporated. Pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until a slightly lumpy tan batter is formed. Pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan.  Bake in a preheated moderate oven for 30-40 minutes. It's ready when the top is golden brown, and when it passes the toothpick test (comes out clean).  Cool the cake in the pan, and enjoy!

It's Greek to Me!

Ever since I have been a Daring Baker, I wanted to make baklava...never did I think that would mean making my own filo dough.  However, that was what we were called to do this month...and it was SO worth it!  Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge.

Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.  Rolling out the filo was quite the experience.  It was actually fairly easy...but very time consuming.  I used my regular rolling pin and lots of flour on top of my coffee table.  It took about an hour to roll out 20 sheets.  The next day, it only took me about 5 seconds to realize why my thumbs were sore and why I had bruises on my knees...rolling out the dough while kneeling on the floor!  HA! 

I decided to do a pretty traditional baklava and used almonds, pistachios, and walnuts for my filling.  The syrup was REALLY sweet, a bit too sweet for me.  However, all my co-workers thought it was just right...I still think I might decrease the sugar in the syrup next time.  Not quite all of it was absorbed, but it wasn't as drenched as I thought.  There was some sitting on top of the baklava, but when I pulled the pieces out, they were perfect and didn't have a lake of syrup sitting underneath.  I took the results to work the next day. 

One of my co-workers, whose mother also makes baklava, told me that it was very good and tasted authentic!  YES!!!  On the other hand, my program director...after getting frustrated with paperwork stuff was told to "just go get a piece of baklava."  His response when told that I brought it...."Hmmm, yeah, she looks Greek."  WHAT!?!??!  You never know the response you'll get from people!  In the end, it's all Greek to me.  Thanks to Erica for the AWESOME challenge!  I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (320 ml) (185 gm/6½ oz) unbleached all purpose (plain) flour
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 ml) (¾ gm) salt
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) rice vinegar

Directions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt and mix with paddle attachment.  Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.  Add to dry ingredients and mix on low speed until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water.  Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.

Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best ( I let mine rest 2 hours and it was perfect)

Rolling your Phyllo:  ** Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**
Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. Use your rolling pin or a wooden dowel. You may also use a pasta machine if you have one.  Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.  Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.  Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out. Roll quickly, rotating the dough as you go and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.

When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. I didn't do this, as my dough was pretty dry and would have broken.  Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine. Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.
Baklava Recipe: Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network
30 servings

Ingredients

For the syrup:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) honey
1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 (2-inch/50 mm) piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best) - I used orange extract

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved.   Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks. 

Ingredients for the Filling:

2 teaspoons (10 ml) (8 gm) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) almonds
3/4 cup (180 ml) (155 gm/5½ oz) walnuts
1 cup (180 ml) (140 gm/5 oz) raw or roasted pistachios
2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm/ 5 1/3 oz) sugar
phyllo dough (see recipe above)
1 cup (2 sticks) (240 ml) (225g/8 oz) melted butter (I used about 3/4 cup)

Directions:
Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. 

Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can.

Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet.  Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it's not needed).  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better. Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.

With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9x9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring.

It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup. Serve at room temperature.  Enjoy!

Taste the Rainbow

No, I'm not talking about skittles!  I'm talking about your vegetables...but it sounds so much more pleasant to eat a rainbow than "eat your veggies."  :-) 

This week in Eat. Live. Be. we are talking about how to get all of our vegetables in.  To me, one of the easiest ways is to make one of your meals a nice BIG salad.  You can easily get 2-3 servings of veggies and maybe even a fruit in depending on what you put on there.  Another simple way to eat more veggies is to decide to eat a meatless meal once or twice (or more) a week.  Yes, you can have good filling meals with no meat...in fact, sometimes it can be more filling because lots of vegetables have so much fiber that they fill you.  If all that is hard, a simple way is to think about what colors you have eaten!  If you really do "taste the rainbow" then you have gotten 5-6 different veggies in you and lots of different vitamins.  So, this week (or tomorrow!) try to "taste the rainbow." 

I did this recently in name a deed!  I had seen a recipe for Moo Shu Vegetables that I wanted to try.  The only problem was that I didn't want to use sprouts.  Well, I saw a recipe on a friend's (new) blog and they used bamboo shoots...aha, perfect!  So, I got a bag of rainbow! slaw, some bamboo shoots and added a few things of my own choosing and whipped up a batch of my own Moo Shu Vegetables.  Let me just say YUM!  If you like Chinese veggies...no, not sweet and sour, sorry!...you'll like this. 

1 bag (12oz) rainbow or broccoli slaw
1/2 bag mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
1 small can bamboo shoots (1.5 cups)
2-3 eggs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons (or a little more!) reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon Catalina dressing (this was my addition)
3 green onions, sliced

Heat up a large skillet.  Slightly beat eggs, then cook until just scrambled.  Remove from pan.  Place asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, and broccoli slaw in the pan.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add soy sauce and bamboo shoots and cover with a lid, cooking for 3 minutes at a time then stirring.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Return eggs to pan and add green onions.  Cook until eggs are warm again.  Add a tad more soy sauce (if desired) and stir in dressing.  Serve over rice, noodles, or salad.  Enjoy!

Sarah Caron - http://www.sarahscucinabella.com/
•Cate O’Malley - http://www.sweetnicks.com/
•Chris Arpante - http://www.melecotte.com/
•Patsy - http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/
Joanne - http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/
Tri-Fit Mom - http://trifitmom.blogspot.com/
•Allison - http://sweetflours.blogspot.com/
Jen - http://njepicurean.blogspot.com/
•Leslie - http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/
•Rivki Locker - http://www.healthyeatingforordinarypeople.com/
•Jennifer Schulz - http://lick-a-plate.blogspot.com/
•Sarah Rogers - http://sarahssweetcreations.blogspot.com/
Denise and Lenny - http://www.chezus.com/

International Day 3

And I let you hanging!!!  So sorry about that.  My month has been crazy with 3 calls down and no sleep on any of those calls.  But let's rejoin the program...when we last met, I had just made a wonderful tomatoe salad.  But what to go with the salad?  Pelmeni!  This is a little meat filled pasta.  You can serve simply with some parsley on top along with vinegar, sour cream, and salsa on the side.  When I first looked up this recipe I was shocked to see how simple the filling ingredients are.  There is just something unique and distinct about the flavor, yet it is just made from a mixture of beef and pork (or beef and lamb), onion, salt, and pepper. SO simple...yet so delicious! 

We used 1/2 pound of each and had enough for probably two batches of the pasta dough.  The dough was hard to work with, which led to, I think, using too much flour; we also had to roll it out several times, so that led to the dough toughening up.

 However, outside of a few touch doughy pieces, it was wonderful!  The filling was just right and the smitana (sour cream) and salsa added just enough extra.  So, if you want a taste of Russia...try out pelmeni!

Pelmeni
Dough:

2-3 c flour
1/2 cup warm boiled water
2 eggs
1 tsp salt (amount may vary to taste)

Put flour on counter or board and form a well in the center.  Mix together the water and eggs.  Slowly incorporate the liquid into the flour by mixing from inside out.  The dough will seem sticky, keep working with it.  Add a little flour if you need to.  Put in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes until ready to use.

Filling:
500 g beef
500 g pork/lamb
1 onion, finely minced
1 tsp salt
seasoning to taste

Mix together all ingredients.  Add a bit of liquid if needed.  When you are ready you can prepare the dough one of two ways.  Either roll out the dough very thinly and cut out small circles using the top of a glass. 
 

 The other option is to make the dough into a snake and cut off small portions to roll into individual circles. 
 

 When your dough is ready, scoop a small portion of meat (1/2-1teaspoon) and put it in the center of the dough. 
 

Fold the dough in half and seal the edges. 
 

Then, grab the corners of the dough and pull them together.
 

When all the pelmeni are made, boil a large pot of water and salt it.  Place the pelmeni in the water. 
 

When they float to the top, they are done! 
 

They really are...I tested one because I was scared it wasn't ready.  When they are all ready, top with parsley and enjoy!!!  Serve with vinegar, sour cream, and salsa.
 

If you have too many for one sitting, you can freeze them to cook later.
 

In Eat. Live. Be. news, today we are supposed to talk about what is different this time, helping us stick to our health goals.  Well, to be honest, the only thing that is keeping me honest to my goal of cooking twice a month IS Eat. Live. Be!  Otherwise, I probably wouldn't.  I don't even know if I'll be able to do it this month, it has been so crazy!  Hopefully, I will.  See how everyone else is doing:
 
Sarah Caron - http://www.sarahscucinabella.com/
•Cate O’Malley - http://www.sweetnicks.com/
•Maris Callahan - http://www.ingoodtasteblog.net/
•Chris Arpante - http://www.melecotte.com/
•Faith - www.clickblogappetit.com/
•Kristen - http://www.dineanddish.net/
•Emily - http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/
•Jenna - FireMom - http://stopdropandblog.com/
•Casey - http://www.thestarnesfam.com/
•Patsy - http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/
Tri-Fit Mom - http://trifitmom.blogspot.com/
•Allison - http://sweetflours.blogspot.com/
•Jen - http://njepicurean.blogspot.com/
•Leslie - http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/
•Rivki Locker - http://www.healthyeatingforordinarypeople.com/
•Claudia - Journey of an Italian Cook
•Jennifer Schulz - http://lick-a-plate.blogspot.com/
•Sarah Rogers - http://sarahssweetcreations.blogspot.com/
Denise and Lenny - http://www.chezus.com/