Macaroons--Daring Bakers Challenge October 2009

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

I think most people like cookies, right? But there is something a little more sophisticated about a macaroon, at least in my opinion. They seem to require a little more effort and sometimes a little more time. From my understanding, macaroons are supposed to be "flour-less" by nature, and so they are generally made with a nut meal or nut flour rather than wheat flour. Sometimes that involves grinding. (I have another macaroon recipe involving grinding the nuts that I will have to post sometime).

These macaroons have very few ingredients, but we were also required to make a filling. No complaints here. This was a great challenge that, though labor intensive, was not too time consuming or exhausting, nor did it leave my kitchen in shambles (actually, it was already in shambles to begin with, so the mess created didn't really detract from the one already existing).

Equipment required:
• Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• Rubber spatula
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or nonstick liners
• Pastry bag (can be disposable)
• Plain half-inch pastry bag tip
• Sifter or sieve
• If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off
• Oven
• Cooling rack
• Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets
• Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nuts (ouch!)

Ingredients
Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper). (Sare's note: if you allow the batter to dry on the sheets for about 30 minutes, it creates a "foot" at the base of the cookie....looks really pretty, and unfortunately, I forgot to do that).
6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.
7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: 10 dozen. Ami's note: My yield was much smaller than this. I produced about two dozen filled macaroons. Sare's note: I have absolutely no idea how many cookies this made because I kept eating them while waiting for the others that were baking.

Though they wouldn't win a beauty competition, I thought my cookies were pretty tasty

Sare's "Mocha-la-tella" Filling

I wanted to come up with a clever name. We don't drink coffee around here, and never have, but for some reason with this pregnancy I really enjoy that smell (even though non-pregnant Sare thinks it smells like dirt...maybe because the coffee grounds were put in the compost when I was growing up). So I found a "non-coffee" natural beverage that is similar, and very enjoyable when mixed with ovaltine and sugar, called Pero. I decided to use that as part of the filling. And Nutella...ahhhh nutella. I basically just used what I had.

3/4 Cup Nutella

2 TBSP Pero (or if you prefer, instant coffee granules)

4 TBSP milk

Mix until smooth. If slightly runny, allow to cool in the fridge. Spread a small amount in the middle a cookie within 1/2 cm of the edge, then sandwich with another cookie (the chocolate will go to the edge).

Sare's notes:

The original instructions to this challenge also mentioned avoiding too much food coloring if you choose to go that route. I didn't use any, but it said no more than 3 drops of color because it will add too much moisture.

I do not own a baking mat or cooling racks (ooooh nooooo!) but that did not seem to be my doom in that case. It all worked out, though I am sure it would have been that much better had I owned this equipment. The cookies were a little more challenging to remove from the baking sheets (even though I used non-stick spray, which may have been a no-no).

If you happen to turn off your oven on the final batch, and forget that there are cookies in there, for, oh, let's say about 20 minutes. Do not fear. Though they will be a slight bit on the crunchy side, they will still be tasty....so I hear.

Overall, I should probably try to do this again because my cookies came out flat, though still soft and enjoyable, and they didn't have "the foot" at the base of each one, like in the example. As mentioned above, I forgot to do the 30 minutes "drying time." So, I didn't dry my cookies, didn't have a silicone mat, or cooling racks. Someday...

Apple Strudel

Don't you just love that puddle of ice cream right there. My children were chasing me, and the last picture is always the best. (sometimes)

I will admit, I was a little apprehensive about this Daring Bakers Challenge. But then I remembered, it IS a challenge. I should be apprehensive, right. (I really think it is the sleep deprivation, and not being able to wear my contacts right now (I get kind of down when I have to wear my glasses).

Anyhow, my major concern was how these ladies were able to create such a ginormous sheet out of this little ball of dough (approximately the size of a softball). But I did it, and now I can say I am glad I did. This was fun to make. While I was stretching the dough, I just kept thinking it was bound to stop there, but it just kept going, without ripping! It only started ripping after I walked away from it for a minute and came back to stretch it some more. I got the most interesting look from my husband when he got home from work and saw the kitchen table. I can't quite describe it. He was utterly amazed. This is definitely something I would make again!



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.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

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

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) 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 below. 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.

I copied this idea from my friend Natalie, but the pic on the left is to show how much the ball of dough was able to stretch. AMAZING! (The ball is about the size of a softball).

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

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) 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.
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).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, 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.

Tips (from the recipe submitters)
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Sare's Modifications and Tips:
* I omitted the rum and raisin. Not a raisin fan, don't own rum (or rum extract...or any of the rum substitutes found here. Great resource, by the way, for alcohol substitutions.)

* I also, sort of, omitted the nuts (the walnuts at least). Instead of just breadcrumbs, I mixed equal parts fresh bread crumbs, super finely chopped pecans, and graham cracker crumbs to equal 1 1/2 Cups (and followed the recipe as stated).

* I used part white sugar, part brown when mixing with the cinnamon and the apples. Oh, and the dried cranberries (I added about 1/2 Cup of dried cranberries).

* I also doubled the dough recipe in case it didn't work well, but it did work! Now I have an extra ball of dough in the freezer. I think I will use it in a recipe that calls for phyllo dough (I have a really good one in mind...Phylloccine Ice Cream Sandwiches, from this wonderful book....mmmm)

Daring Bakers Challenge--Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

When I made these Sticky Buns last month, my friend Natalie convinced me that I should join The Daring Bakers (now The Daring Kitchen, and they will be doing Daring Cooks challenges next month too). So this is my first official challenge. I like challenges. This almost feels like getting an assignment from school or something, only WAY more fun.

For those of you who are wondering about The Daring Kitchen, please visit their website.


For my first challenge, Natalie and I decided to work together. I am really grateful that Natalie allowed me to use her expertise for this because (1) I don't own a kitchenaid mixer (anyone out there want to sponsor me, or put a good word in with Pioneer Woman? Anyone? Anyone...dang), and (2) I have never made homemade pasta before. I've made lasagna my Brazilian way, but never the noodles from scratch.

We, unfortunately didn't get any pictures of us working in the kitchen. (Natalie had her camera in the kitchen, and I even brought my camera with me, and we still forgot). But out lasagna was a masterpiece. Natalie made the dough for the noodles ahead of time, and I worked on the sauces, and we brought it all together.



(Gluten-Free) Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna
from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe gluten-free Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)
1 recipe Sarah's Ragu (recipe follows)
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method
Working Ahead:
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:
Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta: (This step is not necessary if you make gluten-free pasta)
Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Gluten-Free Lasagne:
The assembly is the same as the regular lasagne with the addition of water. Gluten free lasagne noodles need a little more moisture for the lasagne, so you will be adding a little bit of water to the lasagne.

Before assembly, pour plain water into the pan, enough to form a thin film of water over the bottom. A 9 x 13 inch or 25 x 33 cm pan required almost ½ cup (125 mL) of water. Once the lasagne is assembled, pour a tablespoon or 15 mL of water into each corner of the dish. Cover the lasagne tightly with aluminium foil. Be careful not to touch the top of the lasagne with the foil. Bake as directed.

Assembling the Lasagne:
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagne:
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Gluten-Free Spinach Egg Pasta
adapted from an anonymous commenter on Tomatilla!

1/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup fine cornflour
1 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
1 tsp salt
6 oz frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped
5 tbsp olive oil
6 eggs

Put all dry ingredients in a Kitchen Aid mixing bowl and sift several times to combine. Add the olive oil, eggs, basil and garlic and thoroughly knead with kneading attachment to make a stiff dough. Adjust flour if needed or add a little water. Once thoroughly combined, wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes to rest.

Break about 1/6th of the dough ball off, rewrap the rest to prevent it drying out. Either roll out thinly on the counter top by hand or use a pasta machine.

Sare's Notes:
1. The noodles wouldn't thin out, and we're guessing it is due to their gluten-free nature. The noodles were very hearty this way, and no one seemed to mind.
2. Being Gluten-free did not have any effect on the taste of the noodles, in my opinion.

Gluten Free Béchamel - White Sauce
(original challenge recipe)

2 & 2/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons corn starch (fine white and squeaky) – another starch can be substituted
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg

Mix the corn starch with ½ cup of cold milk. Heat the rest of the milk in a small sauce pan until steaming but do not boil. Add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the steaming milk. Stirring constantly, raise the heat and heat the mixture until thick. Once it is thick, remove it from the heat and add the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Have the béchamel warm or at room temperature ready to assemble the lasagne. Whisk the sauce occasionally if it becomes stiff or thick.

Country Style Ragu
adapted by Me from the original challenge recipe

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces/120g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery, minced
1 small carrot, minced
9 ounces chicken sausage (with mushroom and asiago)
1 &1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
3 cans stewed tomatoes, drained
1 tsp garlic, minced (or two garlic cloves, minced)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Remove chicken sausage from its casing and crumble into the mixture. Heat for another 10-15 minutes or until the meat is lightly browned. Add chicken stock and milk, bring to a slight boil, then reduce to simmer. Add tomatoes, garlic, and basil, and allow the tomatoes to crumble (maybe help them out with a spoon). Simmer for about 30-45 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Sare's Notes:
1. I really enjoyed making this sauce. It was very colorful.
2. I think I will use this recipe again for a soup (we actually all sampled the left over sauce, as a soup covered with cheese, while the lasagna cooked. Both of our families enjoyed it).

Overall response:
Everyone ate, and thoroughly enjoyed the lasagna. Our toddlers happily ate (must have been the cheese). I was pleasantly surprised that the lasagna wasn't soupy or mushy. It was perfect, and absorbed all of the juices from the soup.