Chahira's cuisine

December DB's Challenge 2010 !!

2010-12-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

Stollen is a bread-like fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually with zest added to the dough. Candied orange peel and candied citrus peel (Zitronat),^[1] raisins and almonds, and different spices such as cardamom and cinnamon are added. Other ingredients, such as milk, sugar, butter, salt, rum, eggs,^[2] vanilla,^[3] other dried fruits and nuts and marzipan may also be added to the Stollen dough. Except for the fruit added, the dough is quite low in sugar. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar.

I had extra dough after finishing a stollen shape..so i made a kugelhoph shape to celebrate with both.

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Preparation time:

The following times are approximate. I suggest you gather and scale/weigh/measure (mise en place) all your ingredients before you begin mixing.
• Approximately 1 hour first stage – then rest overnight or up to 3 days
• 2 hours to warm up after refrigeration
• 15 minutes shaping
• 2 hours proofing
• 30-45 minutes baking

Equipment required:

• Mixer with dough hook or strong arms and hands
• Mixing bowl
• Bowl to soak raisins
• Small saucepan
• Sheet of plastic or plastic wrap to cover when proofing
• Bench or pastry scraper (very handy for cutting dough and also cleaning work surface)
• Rolling pin
• Dough whisk can be handy but not necessary
• Pastry Brush
• A scale is really important to have when making bread so I strongly advise you to get one. You do not have to have one though. (would make a good Christmas gift!)
• Sheet Pan or round Pizza pan
• Parchment Paper

Stollen Wreath

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm water (110º F / 43º C)
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) (22 ml) (14 grams) (1/2 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) milk
10 tablespoons (150 ml) (140 grams) unsalted butter (can use salted butter)
5½ cups (1320 ml) (27 ozs) (770 grams) all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)
½ cup (120 ml) (115 gms) sugar
¾ teaspoon (3 ¾ ml) (4 ½ grams) salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 grams) cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (very good) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract or orange extract
¾ cup (180 ml) (4 ¾ ozs) (135 grams) mixed peel (link below to make your own)
1 cup (240 ml) (6 ozs) (170 gms) firmly packed raisins
3 tablespoons (45ml) rum
12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
1 cup (240 ml) (3 ½ ozs) (100 grams) flaked almonds
Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
Confectioners’ (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreath

Note: If you don’t want to use alcohol, double the lemon or orange extract or you could use the juice from the zested orange.

Directions:

Soak the raisins
In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside. See Note under raisins.

To make the dough

Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (4 liters) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red!

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

1. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
4. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.

Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.

This was before I pinched it together

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.
Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.
Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.
The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.
Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

I do like the Stollen except this citrus flavor in it..which I do no like in sweet breads..next time I'll do it without adding the zest to it.

Thanks Penny for the lovely challenge.

Chahira daoud

My latest cakes !!!

2010-12-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

Nov.2010 Daring bakers challenge !!

2010-11-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

Crostata del frutti di mare....lord forgive me if that google translation was wrong ;))

This month challenge was about crostata(tart). The base of a crostata is pasta frolla (or pastafrolla), sweet short crust pastry (or sweet tart dough) made of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Pasta frolla is versatile: it provides the base to make crostata with fruit preserves, pastry cream, fresh fruit, ricotta, and other ingredients, and, by itself, it makes very nice cookies too.

I decided this month to go with a savory crostata, i filled it with shrimp calamari and fish, finished it with a bechamel sauce using fresh cream as a base.

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well

Here you are the way we should make Crostata ;)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1) or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar
1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option, see Note 2)
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Note 1: Superfine sugar is often also referred to as ultrafine, baker’s sugar or caster sugar. It’s available in most supermarkets. If you cannot find “superfine” sugar, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.

Note 2: There are different ways of making vanilla sugar. I keep vanilla beans in a jar half-filled with sugar until I need to use them, for example, to make vanilla ice cream. After I remove the split bean from the custard that will go into the ice cream maker, I rinse it, dry it and put it back in the jar with sugar.

Making pasta frolla by hand:

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Making pasta frolla with a food processor:

Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
See step 3 above and continue as explained in the following steps (minus the lemon zest, which you have already added).

Variation for Version 1 of pasta frolla:

If you want, you can make the pasta frolla using a combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour.

If you choose to try this variation, use 1 cup [240 ml, 135 g, 4 3/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup [180 ml, 100 g, 3.5 oz.] whole-wheat pastry flour.

Version 2 of pasta frolla

In this version of pasta frolla, I have played with different kinds of flours, using almond, whole-grain barley and, most recently, coconut flour instead of some of the all-purpose flour. If you want to try a different version of pasta frolla that uses some flours that you wouldn’t normally use, this is a good recipe to try. All the flours listed below (whole-wheat pastry, almond flour, coconut flour and barley flour) are available at health food stores. You may even find them at well-stocked supermarkets.

The preparation for this version of pasta frolla is very similar to the preparation for Version 1.

Ingredients

1/3 cup [80 ml, 75 g, 2 2/3 oz.] superfine sugar or 1/2 cup [120ml, 60 g, 2 oz]powdered sugar (see Note 1.)
1/2 cup [120 ml, 65 g, 2 3/8 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup [120ml, 65 g. 2 1/4 oz.] whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup [60ml, 28 g, 1 oz] almond flour, or almond meal, or coconut flour
1/4 cup [60ml, 28 g, 1 oz.] whole-grain barley flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons[90ml, 85 g, 3 oz] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can also use vanilla sugar; see Note 2.)

Directions:

By hand:

Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl.
Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into mixture and then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

With a food processor:

Put sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
Add butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.
Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Ideas for Filling for Your Crostata

Whether you choose to make Version 1 or 2 of the pasta frolla, there are numerous fillings that you can choose from for your crostata. I am suggesting some filling for you here (and including assemblage and baking instructions). But be brave and creative and see what you can come up with!

Crostata di Marmellata (crostata with a jam filling using Version 1 pasta frolla)

If you choose to make a crostata with a jam filling, you will need:

1 and 3/4 cups [415ml, 600 gm, 21 oz] of jam or fruit preserves, whatever flavor you like (Note: I use my homemade fruit preserves, which have a low sugar content. I recommend you choose a good quality product, made with mostly fruit.)

Assembling and baking the crostata di marmellata:

Heat the oven to 375ºF [190ºC/gas mark 5].
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.
To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.
Spread the jam or fruit preserves evenly over the bottom of the crostata.
Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)
Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.
Put the tart in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. (Note: Every oven is different. In my oven it took 34 minutes to bake the tart until golden.)
When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Crostata con la Crema (crostata with pastry cream filling using Version 1 pasta frolla)

If you choose to make a crostata with pastry cream filling, you will need:

One batch of pastry cream (Note: For the recipe that I used, see #5 of the Additional Information section. Prepare the pastry cream in advance of assembling the crostata.

Assembling and baking the crostata con la crema:

Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.
To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.
Instead of jam or fruit preserves, cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream.
Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)
Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.
Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
After 35 minutes, check the tart, and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. (Note: Every oven is different. In my oven it took 45 minutes to bake the tart until golden.)
When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Crostata di Frutta Fresca (crostata with fresh fruit using Version 1 or 2 of pasta frolla)

Note: This filling variation involves a process called “blind-baking”. (If you’re not familiar with blind-baking, see #4 in the Additional Information section for an explanation and a video on blind-baking.)

In its simplest form, a crostata with fresh fruit has 3 components:

the pasta frolla base, blind-baked
a layer of pastry cream
a layer of fruit

For this recipe you will need:

a blind-baked shell made using pasta frolla
a batch of pastry cream, prepared in advance and cooled (Note: For the recipe that I used, see #5 of the Additional Information section. For this crostata I make half that recipe.)
enough fresh fruit to cover the top of your crostata (Note: You can choose anything you like, including berries, stone fruit, , kiwis, bananas, etc. See the Additional Information section for more information on using fresh fruit.)

Directions to assemble and bake a crostata di frutta fresca:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
Roll out a batch of the pasta frolla and cover the base of the tart pan. (You can use Version 1 or 2: if you use Version 1, you will have more leftover pasta frolla to turn into cookies.)
Cut a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil large enough to cover the bottom of the crust and extend out a bit over the edges of the pan.
You can use pie weights or dry beans to blind bake. Place whatever weight you’re using directly on the parchment paper or aluminum foil in an even layer.
Place the crostata shell in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the weights and parchment paper and continue baking the crostata shell until the border is light golden, about 5 minutes (watch carefully to avoid over-baking, which results in a hard shell). In the absence of weight, the crust may rise in the middle: if that occurs, gently push it back down with the back of a spoon.
Remove from the oven and let the crostata shell cool completely before proceeding.
If you use a tart pan with removable bottom, release the base from the fluted tart ring, then slide the cooled crostata shell on a serving plate for filling. (Note: If you’ve used a cake pan or pie plate, use a bit of care in taking the shell out of the baking vessel.)
Spread the prepared pastry cream over the cooled shell.

Decorate the surface with fresh fruit. The crostata must be cool, but not cold, so if you refrigerate it, take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving. This crostata is best eaten the same day it is prepared.

To make my sea food tart I omitted the sugar from the main recipe and baked it without filling then added my stir fried sea food and topped with bechamel sauce .

Thanks a lot Simona for the lovely challenge....can not wait for january challenge ;))

Chahira Daoud

October daring bakers challenge !!!

2010-11-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

I know it does not count but I should post my challenge simply because I did it at time but had problems to post it on my blog ;((

The october Challenge was about doughnuts...I love it really and enjoyed making it.
I made the doughnuts circles and used the balls too but filled it with nutella...it was extra yummy...I made braided doughnuts too..it was nice and new ;))

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.
And here you are the full recipe

Yeast Doughnuts:

Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes

Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size

Ingredients
Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Directions:

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).

Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired. And now with the PICS.

I just became a daring cook !!

2010-10-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Guys, I'll start from this month to post about daring cooks challenges...this month challenge is a real fun....wait for mine ;)))

XoXoXo

September DB's challenge....was blue !!!

2010-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

September DB's challenge was about Sugar cookies, I am not so good in that because i simply made those two or three times in the whole life......piping sugar paste "because i would never do the royal icing with raw eggs"was not easy for me...my hand usually shakes....I should admit that I am not good in that...anyway I decided at the last moment to make it although i have a lot of cookies remained from our feast.

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

It was our choice to choose the theme....I did.....it is about envy and the blue evil eye !!!

The evil eye is a look that is superstitiously believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The term also refers to the power attributed to certain persons of inflicting injury or bad luck by such an envious or ill-wishing look.

Egyptians do beleive in it...that influence their daily habits sometimes.

In Islam It is tradition among many Muslims, that if a compliment is to be made, you are always supposed to say "Masha'Allah" (ما شاء الله) to ward off the evil eye and also (لا قوة إلا بالله; it literally means "It is as God has willed." It is a testimony from someone that he/she believes that either good or bad will only happen if God wants it to.

In ancient Egypt The Eye of Horus – Horus was an ancient Egyptian sky god in the form of a falcon. The right eye represents a peregrine falcon's eye and the markings around it, that includes the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye. The right eye of Horus is said to ward off the evil eye in the ancient Egyptian culture. In modern Egypt, Islamic charms and amulets such as the hamsa are used.

What is "hamsa"??

The hamsa (Arabic: خمسة ‎, khamsa, lit. five, also romanized khamsa and chamsa) is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa.The hamsa is often incorporated in jewelry and wall hangings, as a defense against the evil eye,It is believed to originate in ancient practices associated with the Phoenicians of Carthage.

Should talk about the recipe now....I used the original recipe but I put less sugar...we consumed a lot of sugar during our feast and i gained of course more weight.

I did not make the royal icing as we do not eat raw eggs. So I went with the eggless icing.I used paste colors to tint my icing in BLUE ;))

Basic Sugar Cookies:

Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies
200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour

200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Directions

• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming creamy in texture.

• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread duringbaking, losing their shape.

• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.

• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoidflour flying everywhere.

• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.

• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)

• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.

• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for anhour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time andthen it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.

• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.

• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.

• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.

• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.

• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.

• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result insome cookies being baked before others are done.

• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.

• Leave to cool on cooling racks.

• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.

• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decoratedcookies can last up to a month.

Would like to know why i chose this theme ???

I was very ill and still feel a horrible pain in my head...I went to five doctors and no one of them knew the cause till now.....That makes a lot of people around me goes to the envy reason !!!

I do not think so...I think that stress can do more and more... should think seriously to change my whole life style.

Thanks Mandy for such a sweet challenge and sorry for being late....I will bake my october challenge this week..God willing.

Chahira Daoud

My latest cakes !!

2010-09-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

I still do not love Fondant but some people love to celebrate their parties with something different..I always confirm that my favorite cake is the one made with fresh cream and fresh fruits..and I know that fondant cakes are just a fashion and it will end soon....fondant is full of sugar and not a lot of people love it..also playing with food that much "shaping figurines or making flowers and shapes" makes me sometimes feeling bad..that some poor people can not even find food to eat so what about playing with it....Anyway I do make these cakes for those who ask for and i think that i will stop doing this one day...when?? do not know yet.

Making these cakes is time and effort consuming...and it is all for the joy of seeing a piece of art.

I'll share with you some of my latest cakes pics.

Chahira Daoud

A different way to serve sandwiches in parties !!

2010-09-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello
I just wanted to show you something that i started to make as a treat on parties buffets....It is a soft sandwich bread dough but i baked it in a big "ghee tin" then sliced it and cut each slice in four or even eight portions and started to fill it with whatever sandwich filling.

In the second pic I made two big loaves one is white and the other is brown i made a mix between white flour, whole meal and rye. Then sliced each one and create a new loaf one layer white bread with meat or chicken filling and the brown layer sandwiches filled with smoked salmon or tuna...It is a nice idea to present sandwiches...every one loved it really..here you are the pics

The first pic was for a loaf before slicing it and i decorate its top...and the second one for a ready one made from two loaves and ready to serve.
Chahira Daoud

Happy Eid !!

2010-09-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Happy eid to all my friends...This Eid or "feast" is Eid al fitr....

Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr‎), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "conclusion of the fast"; and so the holiday symbolizes the celebration of the conclusion of the month of fasting from dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadan (calendar month). The first day of Eid, therefore, is the first day of the month Shawwal that comes after Ramadan.
Eid-ul-Fitr Salat (Namaz in Urdu/Persian) is a Wajib (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable) - depending on which juristic opinion is followed - Islamic prayer consisting of two raka'ah (units)[1] which is generally offered in an open field or large hall called an Eed-gah. This salaat or prayer, should be performed with Jama’at (i.e., in congregation) with extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying Allahu Akbar (God is Great), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before ruku' in the second raka'ah.[2] Eid ul-Fitr is sometimes also known as the "Smaller Eid" (Arabic: العيد الصغير al-‘īdu ṣ-ṣaghīr‎) as compared to the Eid al-Adha, which lasts four days following the Hajj and is casually referred to as the "Greater Eid" (Arabic: العيد الكبير al-‘īdu l-kabīr‎).
Muslims are commanded by God in the Qur'an to complete their fast on the last day of Ramadan and then recite God's praises all throughout the period of Eid.[3]

We prepare to celebrate it each year by buying new clothes for the kids and of course baking several kinds of cookies or biscuits....we have a large varieties..most of it are very unique and original..I make the traditional collection every year and i add to it by making some chocolate chips cookies and some butter cookies or sablee..I'd like to share the pics of my Eid cookies with you.Kahk or Ka7k...the king of our Eid cookies.A yeasted biscuits dough filled with lokoms or turkish delights and walnuts and powdered with powder sugar. Amaaazing and very unique.....we just make these in Eid.

Ghorayeba......na3maaaa..."soft and nutty flavored"...made with just three ingredients....Guess what???

The process of sifting powder sugar over my kahk.

Chocolate chips cookies.

Sablee..I was quiet exhausted so I shaped it this time using spritz cookies gadget ;))

We use to fill it with lokoms or turkish delights and walnuts but when i came to Alexandria i found that they fill it with dates i just made some changes i add cardamom, cinamon and few drops of orange blossom water.

I've never heard about this kind of biscuits or ccookies anywhere except Egypt...."Nashader biscuits" I won't translate nashader in English...It is our little secret ;))

Ok I should tell you nashader means ammonium bicarbonate powder it changes to gas by heating during baking and it gives a special lovely flavor to this kind of biscuits.

My favorite in Eid....I do not feel like Eid without it. A yeasted dough called buns or "oras" a very special and unique buns.

Maamool .

Shakalama.."What a name"!! it has a little bit the similar taste of the bounty bar filling, but more delicious indeed.

We call it in egypt "petits fours" I know that is not the right name...but that was the name our ancestors were used to call it.

Biscuits aux sesames et la confiture de framboises

My favorite in Eid mornings with a good piece of damietta white cheese...can not wait ;))

Chahira Daoud

A new way to serve Katayef !!

2010-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

I did not post before about Katayef, but I think that there is a lot of people who know it and of course tasted it before....

Qatayef (قطايف) or as we call it here in Egypt "Atayef " is an Arab dessert commonly reserved for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, a sort of sweet crepe filled with cheese or nuts.

Qatayef is the general name of the dessert as a whole, but more specifically, the batter. The result of the batter being poured into a round hot plate appears similar to pancakes, except only one side is cooked, then folded. The pastry is filled with either unsalted cheese or a mixture of any of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, raisins, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. It is then deep-fried or, less commonly, baked and served with a hot sugar-water syrup or sometimes honey.

We always buy it ready and we stuffed and fried it at home....but making it at home is really excited because you will find that it is more tasty than the store bought one.

There is a nice recipe for making Atayef from scratch..it is really easy and simple.

Qatayef recipe

Ingredients
Dough:

1 Cup of flour

1 Cup of milk

1 tsp yeast

half tablespoon of sugar

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
Filling:

1 Cup of walnut

2 tbsp of granulated sugar

1 tbsp rose water

Syrup:

1 Cup of sugar

1 Cup of water

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of rose water
Method
Prepare the syrup first. Put all the ingredients in a small pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Put the pan on the hob at a high temperature and do not stir a lot.

What we need is a thick syrup not a runny syrup.

This will take around 10 minutes, leave aside to cool down.
Whisk the flour, milk and yeast together and leave aside for 2 hours.
When ready, use a big non-stick pan to cook the katayef.

Heat the pan first and then reduce temperature to minimum.
Sprinkle the bicarbonate soda to the runny dough and mix.
Take 2 big table spoons and pour in the pan in small circles to make a small size Katayef.

Fry the katayef on one side until golden, remove and leave to cool down.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling, put the walnuts in a blender, add sugar and rose water, blend until smooth.
Fill each katayef with one spoonful of walnuts and close the 2 sides together making a cone shape.
When ready to serve the katayef sprinkle one teaspoon of syrup, and some Orange blossoms and serve.
You can also deep fry the katayef if you wish and once out sprinkle with the syrup. But you should fold it and stick its sides very well because we do not want to lose our filling in the frying oil.

Here you are the pic for the traditional Katayef, and how it looks like the one we eat every day during Ramadan.

This month I served atayef a new way...I baked it and filled it with a cheese cake filling .

Here you are the recipe

10 Atayef units

Half cup of melted butter

1 and half cup of thick syrup

for the filling:-

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

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

I brushed the Atayef units and put each one in a cupcake pan.

I filled it with the cheese cake filling and baked it in a preheated oven 220C.

When the filling started to be light gold...I took the pan outside the oven and started to take out my baked qatayef. I let it for ten mn then soaked it in the thick syrup and let it cool completely I served it with whipped cream and fresh fruits....Serve it cold...it is much better....Enjoy !!

July DB's Challenge !!

2010-07-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

Yes It is summer, it is very hot here in Egypt, thinking about making ice cream is such a great idea, but just the idea of taking pics for it was fricking me.

The daring bakers challenge this month was about a lovely cake, an ice cream cake but has the shape of a bombe...It is a "Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake"...Let's give it a try.

I followed the recipe but I did just one flavor for the ice cream, i really preffered not to overload my cake with lot of flavors...I made a cream cheese rasberry ice cream, i made my swiss roll with a vanilla sponge cake and filled it with red berry home made jam.

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

Here you are the recipe with all its details

The Swiss rolls-
Preparation time- 10 minutes
Baking time- 10-12 minutes
Rolling and cooling time- at least 30 minutes
Filling-5-8 minutes
Filling and rolling- 5-10 minutes
Ingredients-
6 medium sized eggs
1 C / 225 gms caster sugar /8 oz+ extra for rolling
6 tblsp / 45gms/ a pinch over 1.5 oz of all purpose (plain) flour + 5 tblsp/40gm /a pinch under 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 tblsp /30ml / 1 fl oz of boiling water
a little oil for brushing the pans
For the filling-
2C / 500 mls/ 16 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 tblsp / 70gms/2.5oz of caster sugar
Method-
Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans ( 11 inches by 9 inches ) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.
Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.
The vanilla ice cream-
Preparation time-5 minutes+freezing
You can make the ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Ingredients-
2 and ½ C / 625 ml / 20 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp/ 5 ml/ .15 fl oz vanilla extract
½ C / 115gms/ 4 oz of granulated sugar
Method-
Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.
Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.
The Hot fudge sauce- I made this just after adding the layer of vanilla ice cream to the cake.
Preparation time-2 minutes
Cooking time-2 minutes
Ingredients-
1 C / 230gms/ 8 oz of caster sugar
3 tblsp / 24gms/1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tblsp /15gms/ 1 oz of cornflour/cornstarch
1 and ½ C /355ml /12 fl oz of water
1 tblsp /14gms/ 1 oz butter
1 tsp/5 ml / .15 fl oz vanilla extract
Method-
In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool .
The chocolate ice cream-
Preparation time- 5 minutes + freezing
Ingredients-
2C/ 500 ml whipping cream
1 C/230gms/8 oz caster sugar
3 tblsp/ 24 gms/1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
Method-
Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor .
In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.
Assembly-
1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour)
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm . ( at least an hour)
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

It was a very nice and lovely challenge for this month , thanks a lot Sunita !!

Waiting for next month challenge..I'll not wait a lot ..few hours and we'll check it on our dear website, can't wait though ;))

we simply do it with LOVE ;))

2010-07-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Croque en bouche.....aux fraises !!

2010-05-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

As usual, I am late but not too late, thanks god !!

This month challenge was " croque en bouche " or a "piece montee".

I made it several times before, and i was used to make it in different shapes, but this time is really different, I changed the flavor,the shape even I changed my original recipe for the "pate a choux" why not? it was the recipe for the daring bakers.

I made the "pate a choux" and gave it the pink color and the strawberry flavor, the cream patissiere was flavored too with a mild strawberry flavor, i topped the croque en bouche with a white chocolate ganache but tinted also with the red color ;))

would like to tell you more about this kind of very french dessert ;))

This month’s challenge recipe is for a Piece Montée, which means literally “mounted piece.” You may know this dessert by another name – Croquembouche (“crunch in the mouth”). the piece montée is the traditional wedding cake here in France. They are often served at baptisms and communions as well.

The classic piece montée is a high pyramid/cone made of profiteroles (cream-filled puff pastries) sometimes dipped in chocolate, bound with caramel, and usually decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons. Modern pastry chefs have taken to assembling this dessert in all manners of shapes and sizes.

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Ingredients:
For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk2 Tbsp. cornstarch6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar1 large egg2 large egg yolks2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter1 Tsp. Vanilla
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.
For Chocolate Pastry Cream (Half Batch Recipe):Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the butter and vanilla.
For Coffee Pastry Cream (Half Batch recipe)Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.

I used the same recipe for the creme patissiere but instead of vanila I added few drops of strwberry flavor.
Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)¾ cup (175 ml.) water6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter¼ Tsp. salt1 Tbsp. sugar1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour4 large eggs
For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt
Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preparing batter:Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.
It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.
Piping:Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).
Baking:Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.
Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.
Filling:When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.
Use one of these to top your choux and assemble your piece montée.
Chocolate Glaze:8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I recommend semi-sweet)
Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.

I used a white chocolate for the glaze and tinted it in red, it was really delicious !!
Hard Caramel Glaze:1 cup (225 g.) sugar½ teaspoon lemon juice
Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

I tinted the caramel in green as a change.
Assembly of your Piece Montée:You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.
Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up. (You may want to use toothpicks to hold them in place.

I made some strawberries candies using fondant paste, it was really fun doing it.

I really enjoyed this month challenge, thanks a lot Cat ;))

Ooooops forgot to put the pics :))

Wanted to share with you an old pic for one of the shapes I was used to make with croque en bouche.I should go now to check all the wonderful croque en bouche of the others daring bakers .

See you ;))

Chahira Daoud

La cuisine de Malika !!

2010-05-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Tous les enfants de mon age et meme les plus grands aiment manger chez " Mac donald" et moi aussi , mais je prefere le "big mac burger- maison"... vous allez savoir tout de suite la raison ;))
Ma mere et moi, nous avons l'habitude de preparer ces sandwiches a la maison des le debut . Ca necessite beacoup de la patience... venez avec moi et dans ma cuisine vous allez explorer avec moi comment peut on faire le pain et le "beef burger " a la maison !!!
D'abord on va commencer par le pain... voila la recette et les instructions !!
Les ingredients:-
- Une cuillere a soupe de levure en poudre.
- Une cuillere a cafe de sucre en poudre.
- 1/2 tasse de l'eau tiede.
- 4 tasses de farine.
- Une cuillere a cafe de sel.
- Deux cuilleres a soupe de lait en poudre.
- Une cuillere a soupe de sucre.
- 1/4 de tasse d'huile vegetale.
- Une tasse de l'eau tiede.
Melanger la levure et la demie tasse d'eau tiede dans un bol.
Ajouter une cuillere a cafe de sucre en poudre.
Couvrir avec une feuille de plastique.
Laisser reposer environ 5 minutes jusqu'a ce que des bulles apparaissent a la surface.
Tamiser les 4 tasses de farines, le sel, le sucre et le lait en poudre dans une grande terrine.
Creuser un puits au milieu, ajouter la levure et l'huile et la tasse de l'eau tiede.
Bien malaxer avec les mains ou une grande cuillere pour obtenir une pate douce, "moi je prefere ma main :))) "
Deposer sur une surface legerement fariner, petrir 10 minutes environ jusqu'à ce que la pate soit souple.
"Cette etape était tres amusante mais plutôt fatiguante "
Mettre la pate dans une grande terrine legerement graissee.
On doit maintenant attendre la pate 1 heure a couvert dans un endroit chaud.
Je vais dormir un peu, je suis tres fatiguee.
Ma mere m'a dit qu'on ne doit pas dormir, on a le "burger " a faire .
On a prepare le burger vous allez trouver la recette ci-dessous.
Apres une heure on a commence de former les petites boules de pain et les deposer sur une plaque de four bien graissee.
Laisser lever les boules de pate 45 minutes dans un endroit chaud.
Avant la cuisson on ne doit pas oublier de badigeonner notre pain avec un œuf legerement battu .
Saupoudrer les boules avec des graines de sesame.
Mettre la plaque au four chauffee a 210 degree et laisser cuire jusqu'à ce que les boules de pain soient dorees.

Le beef burger:-
500 g de bœuf hache
1 0ignon finement emince
1 cuillere a soupe de sauce worcestershire sauce.
2 cuilleres a soupe de sauce tomate.
1/2 tasse de chapelure.
1 œuf legerement battu.
Sel et poivre.
Dans une terrine, melanger la viande, l'oignon, la sauce worcestershire, la sauce tomate, la chapelure et l'œuf.
Saler et poivrer.
Bien melanger avec les mains ou a l'aide d'un robbot menagere.
Former des galettes, maman a chauffe de l'huile dans une poele pou cuire les galettes a feu moyen.
Les voila, mmmmmm, ca sent tres beau !!
Et voila les accessoires de notre "big mac burger"
Enfin voila mon sandwich .
Mmmmmmm, que c'est beau, ca merite vraiment la peine !!
Bon Appetit !!! Malika Mohamed
P.S:- j'ai eu des problemes avec les accents, mon ordinateur ne sait pas ecrire en francais ;)))

Toooooooooo LATE !!! For my Tiramissu ;))

2010-03-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

February daring bakers challenge is about "Tiramissu"....This kind of italian dessert that we all love it !!

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.

I really feel so sorry , this month was not easy at all ....a lot of things happenend, I could not find the time to make my challenge on time, but here I am trying to catch it at the last moment, hope that is not too late ;))

This month is all about coffee, at least for me simply because I do not "eat coffee"neither drink it but in tiramissu.
I made Savoiardi biscuits "I am used to make it from scratch" simply because the ready made one is not available ;)

Here you are the pic.

Also I am used to prepare "Mascarpone" for the same reason !!

Here you are the pic.

I served it with mountain honey and pistachio.

I was used to serve Tiramisu in circle shape or a heart shape surrounded with savoiardi biscuits but this time I tried something different, I made coffee cups from chocolate, I made three cups one in white chocolate, the other in black chocolate, the third in coloured chocolate, I gave it the moka color, I used transfer chocolate sheets to decorate it, Here you are some of the pics, I also served one tiramisu traditionally but I added a heart of grinded rose macaron, hope you like it all.

Here you are the recipes for all of these goodies ;)

TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:For the zabaglione:2 large egg yolks3 tablespoons sugar/50gms1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the vanilla pastry cream:1/4 cup/55gms sugar1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract1 large egg yolk3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)1/4 cup/55gms sugar1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)1/2 cup/110gms sugar1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder
Method:For the zabaglione: Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the pastry cream: Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu: Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.
MASCARPONE CHEESE
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Ingredients:474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Method:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.
LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:3 eggs, separated6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

I am going now to check March challenge....see you all :)))

Nah-nye-Moh, a new daring baker challenge !!

2010-01-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

This month , Canada is our subject, we are going to make Nanaimo ??? what?? who??

That is what"daring bakers" do ;)))

Every month we try something new and that is the most enjoyable part for me.

Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian dessert created in none other than Nanaimo, British Colombia. In case you were wondering, it’s pronounced Nah-nye-Moh. These bars have 3 layers: a base containing graham crackers, cocoa, coconut and nuts, a middle custard layer, and a topping of chocolate. They are extremely rich and available almost everywhere across the country.

Canada will host the 2010 Winter Olympics, it will be held in Vancouver .

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

For me as I am living in Egypt and really sorry to say that all the food products suitable for Celiac people are not available, so I knew from the first moment that I should go for the plain flour graham crackers, so I used the Graham crackers recipe in this lovely site

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000126.html

And I started to make the recipe, it was nice but a little bit heavy for us.

I noticed that a lot of american and canadian desserts are really heavy, a lot of butter and a lot of sugar, but we enjoyed it and we enjoyed Graham crackers a lot.

Here you are the recipe, the gluten free one :-

For Gluten-Free Graham WafersIngredients1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract
Directions:1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.
Nanaimo BarsIngredients:
For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa1 Large Egg, Beaten1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)
For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar
For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter
Directions:1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
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I really loved to change in the shape, and I added some strawberry puree and kimkawat jam between the custard layer and the bottom layer, I used some chocolate transfer tooAnd see what I also did???

I invited the three mascots of the vancouver winter olympics to share with us the sweet bars

Quatchi

Sumi

Miga

We really enjoyed our time together ;)))

Thanks dear Lauren for the wonderful challenge :))

Peter Reinhart's new book !!

2010-01-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

I've been honored to be one of the testers who worked with the great man Peter Reinhart, he was kind enough to write our names in his book, that really makes me so happy, and of course the book is really awesome, for those who did not buy it i really recommend it, it is a great book as great as his " bread baker apprentice". I made all the recipes and they really became my favorites.

Today I would like to show my latest bakes, it was a present to my old french teacher, she was and still the most wonderful teacher I ever met.

I made for her Brioche "the middle class one " from BBA and also cassatiello, I made also some cinnamon rolls but I used my own recipe, you'll find here on the blog.

Would like to share with you some of the pics ;))

My next post will be about our daring bakers' challenge, wait for me ;)))

I'll be back !!

2010-01-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'll be back !!
I really missed you all and missed my blog ;))
Back home, sweet home ;))
Chahira Daoud

Macarons !! For and from the first time ;)))

2009-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

It was my first time to try macaron and even taste it, after all the stories on DB site, I thought for a while that I'll not be able to do it, we do not have almond's powder in Egypt so I tried hardly to make some and I was very care not to turn it into almond paste, this batch was my fisrt one and between me and myself i said that if i couldn't make it at the first time I would not make it again simply becaue I had not enough time to age the egg white and to make some almond powder one more time.

Thanks God, it turned out good from the first try except some cracks in some macarons and that was because of my wild over heat gaz oven, anyway the result for me was satisfied, I got "feet" :)))))

I used mastic as a flavor I grinded it with the sugar, I filled my macrons with pistachio paste, I made it by mixing grinded pistachio plus a little bit of honey and I flavored it with orange blossom water.

We realy loved macrons and I am sure I'll make it a lot.

Here you are some of my macarons pics

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.

Preparation time: Not taking into account the amount of time it takes for you to bring your egg whites to room temperature, the whole baking process, including making the batter, piping and baking will probably take you about an hour to an hour and a half. How long it takes to make your filling is dependent on what you choose to make.
Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200°F to 375°F.
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!)
IngredientsConfectioners’ (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).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.

Thanks Ami for this lovely challenge !!

Special thanks to Audax and to Tartelette, their instructions were really so useful for all of us !!

And Waiting for November challenge ;))

Vol-au-vents, our daring bakers challenge for september !!

2009-09-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

I found that I'll be so busy this month so I decided to make the challenge earlier this month.I love puff pastry and all the laminated dough, so I really enjoyed this month challenge.Here you are some of the pics, I made a variety, savoury and sweet.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée) is something most of us usually buy at the grocery store, but in order to be really daring, we should make our own at least once in awhile, right? Kitchens should be getting cooler in the northern hemisphere, and are hopefully still cool-ish in the sourthern hempisphere, so I’m hoping you will all join me in making homemade puff pastry from Michel Richard’s recipe, as it appears in the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. With our homemade puff we’ll be forming vols-au-vent cases to fill with anything we chose.
Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough” family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. (In fact, if you participated in the Danish Braid challenge back in June 2008, then you already know the general procedure for working with laminated dough.) A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.
Once we have our puff pastry dough made and chilled, we are going to roll and form a portion of it into vols-au-vent, which are little puff pastry cases designed to hold a filling. I chose vols-au-vent specifically because I think they do a beautiful job of showing off the hundreds of flaky layers in the homemade puff. They can be made large enough for a full meal, or made small for little one-bite canapés, the choice is yours. Vols-au-vent are typically served hot and filled with a creamy savory filling (often poultry or seafood-based), but cold fillings, such as chicken or tuna salad, work, too. Whipped cream or pastry cream with fresh or stewed fruit often goes into sweet versions.Mandatory parts of the challenge: You must make Michel Richard’s recipe for puff pastry (as seen below), and form at least part of it into vols-au-vent (instructions below).
Optional parts of the challenge: You may make your vols-au-vent large or small, and may fill them with whatever you choose (savory or sweet).
Equipment:-food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well)-rolling pin-pastry brush-metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended)-plastic wrap-baking sheet-parchment paper-silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended)-set of round cutters (optional, but recommended)-sharp chef’s knife-fork-oven-cooling rack
Prep Times:-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete
Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent
In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)-your filling of choice
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.
(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)
Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)
Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.
*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.
*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.
*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).
Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie GreenspanYield: 2-1/2 pounds doughSteph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.
There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry
Ingredients:2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface
Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.
Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.
To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.
Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).
With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.
Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.
Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.
Steph’s extra tips:
-While this is not included in the original recipe we are using (and I did not do this in my own trials), many puff pastry recipes use a teaspoon or two of white vinegar or lemon juice, added to the ice water, in the détrempe dough. This adds acidity, which relaxes the gluten in the dough by breaking down the proteins, making rolling easier. You are welcome to try this if you wish.
-Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.
-Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill your paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, I advise letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don't want the hard butter to separate into chuncks or break through the dough...you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.
-Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don’t roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don't roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.
-Try to keep “neat” edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. Give the edges of the paton a scooch with your rolling pin or a bench scraper to keep straight edges and 90-degree corners.
-Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.
-Make clean cuts. Don’t drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.
-When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.
-Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It’s best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.
-You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.
-Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe “turn” and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vols-au-vent).

You can find lots more general tips for making puff pastry on-line, including here:http://www.baking911.com/pastry/puff.htm
I encourage everyone to watch the on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book:http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

This month "walima" challenge is about "IRAQ" !!

2009-09-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Iraqi cuisine or Mesopotamian cuisine is Iraq's traditional cuisine developed since antiquity in MeMesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria).

It is considered one of the oldest kitchens.

As Baghdad became the centre of the Abbasid Caliphate during the Islamic Golden Age, Muslims and other scholars from many parts of the world came to visit, live and study in Iraq, which gave the Iraqi cuisine new twists to its food.

This is most commonly seen in the greater use of spices (e.g. Saffron) used in the Iraqi cuisine in comparison to other Arab cuisines.

Iraqi cuisine has absorbed influences from all the neighboring countries and has much in common with Levantine, Persian, and Turkish cuisines.

With the Ottoman rule of Iraq, influences of Turkish cuisine also became incorporated into Iraqi recipes (and vice versa). Furthermore, as the rest of Iraqi history, the Iraqi cuisine has been deeply influenced by its fertile land between its two rivers Euphrates and Tigris.[1] This influence is seen in Iraq's national dishes.

the savoury dish is called Lissan Al Kadi - Eggplant wrapped Meat A literal translation: "Tongue of the Judge

"Makes about 20 pieces

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants ,

1/2 - 1 cup corn oil (if frying eggplant)

Stuffing: 2 lbs. Lean ground meat, 1 medium onion (1 cup) finely minced, 1 tsp salt,1/4 tsp black pepperSauce: 2 tbsp corn oil, 1 large onion diced, 1 large tomato sliced (optional), 1 large tomato peeled and chopped, 14 oz. tomato sauce, 1 cup beef or chicken stock, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 tsp salt,1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp turmeric.

Direction:Peel eggplant, trim off the top and bottom.

Stand eggplant up on cutting board and slice vertically, 1/8" thin. Sprinkle generously with salt, place in a strainer for about 1 hour.

Rinse off the salt and strain eggplant to dry.

Heat about 4 tbsp corn oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant slices in batches, turning once to brown both sides. Be careful not to burn.

Add more oil as needed.

Drain cooked eggplant slices on paper towels.

Low fat alternative: Place eggplant slices on baking sheets lined with foil and brushed with corn oil.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes until brown, turning the eggplant halfway.

Mix together the ground meat, onion, salt and pepper.

Divide the meat into sausage shaped portions 1" thick and 2" long.

Place a portion of the meat stuffing at one end of an eggplant slice and begin wrapping the eggplant around it. Place the rolls in a baking dish and layer the tomato slices on top (optional). In a saucepan heat 2 tbsp oil and saute the diced onions.

When soft add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and turmeric.

Add tomato sauce, beef or chicken stock and lemon juice to taste.

Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the rolls in the baking dish, cover with aluminum paper and bake for 1 hour (or until done) at 450 degrees.For dessert there was two options .

KURAT Al TAMIR - (Date Sesame Balls)

Ingredients:1 pound soft dates1 cup walnuts 1 cup toasted sesame seeds 2 tablespoons tahini ½ teaspoon cardamom/cinnamon or both

Preparation:Add dates, ½ cup sesame seeds, and tahini

in the food processor. Pulse and add the walnuts and spices; pulse again.

Take the mixture out and make small balls and roll them in toasted sesame or shredded coconuts.

Cardamom Cookies - Shakar Lama

Ingredients:

3 sticks butter 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg yolk (optional) 1 tsp. ground cardamom 1/2tsp salt 1/3 cup slivered almonds

Preparation:

beat the butter in a bowl for 3 minutes.

Add sugar and beat the mixture until becomes light in color.

Add flour, cardamom and salt gradually.

Use your hand to mix the cookie dough.

Take a small piece of dough the size of walnut. Shape the cookie and place and almond in the middle. Arrange on a tray with parchment paper or siltpad. Bake for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven, Makes around 2 dozens .

Hope you enjoy our walima challenge this month.

Dobos Torte for the first time !! August's DB' challenge !!

2009-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonfulof Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Actually I read about this kind of cake in one of my baking books, but I did not try it before and of course did not taste it before, so I said to myself why do not give it a try, it was not too dificult to make it, I just made 5 layers and I think it is enough because more cake layers means more butter cream layers, and in our home we do not like buttercream that much.

I made a dobos torte in the shape of heart, and the pic will show you how it turned out with me, I am too late this month but my camera felt down and I found myself " cameraless " for two weeks, you will not imagine how my life looks like without a camera, it ended by buying a new one, but I still have a lot of things to learn in this new one, may God help me, I hate Technology ;))

About the cake ???

I did not taste it yet :)))

I'll let you know about the taste ;))

For those who do not know about this torte

The Dobos Torta is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. (You may come across recipes which have anywhere between six and 12 layers of cake; there are numerous family variations!) It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

For the recipe :-

Equipment
2 baking sheets
9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
a sieve
a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
a small saucepan
a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
metal offset spatula
sharp knife
a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.
piping bag and tip, optional
Prep times
Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes
Sponge cake layers
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt
Chocolate Buttercream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Caramel topping
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)
Finishing touches
a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts
Directions for the sponge layers:
NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.
1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.
1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.
Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!
Directions for the caramel topping:
1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.
Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.
Assembling the Dobos
1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Waiting for september DB challenge !!

2009-08-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

OUT OF SERVICE
OUT OF SERVICE
OUT OF SERVICE

July "WALIMA" Challenge, Egyptian dish !! Koshary & Basbouuussa !! Enjoy !!

2009-07-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hellooooo, This month we are celebrating the egyptian cuisine, yes I am an Egyptian and I am hosting the event...;))
The egyptian cuisine is a very rich one, The variety of Egyptian recipes is endless. They go back a very long way. As a result of subsequent colonization, foreign influence is somewhat present, specially from the Turkish cuisine (it is understandable after more than 300 years of Turkish presence in Egypt).
Egyptian cuisine consists of the local culinary traditions of Egypt. Egyptian cuisine makes heavy use of legumes and vegetables, as Egypt's rich Nile Valley and Delta produce large quantities of high-quality crops.Egyptian cuisine is characterized by dishes such as Ful Medames, Kushari, rice-stuffed pigeon, Mulukhiyya with rabbit, and Feteer Meshaltet, while sharing similarities with food found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean like rice-stuffed vegetables or grape leaves, Shawerma, Kebab, Falafel, Baba Ghannoug, and Baqlawa.
Bread forms the backbone of Egyptian cuisine. Bread is consumed at almost all Egyptian meals; a working-class or rural Egyptian meal might consist of little more than bread and beans.

Some Egyptians consider Kushari, a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni, to be the national dish. Ful Medames (mashed fava beans) is also popular and is used in making Ta'meyya (also known as Falafel), which Egyptians consider to be superior to elsewhere in the Middle East where chickpeas is the major ingredient of this dish, although chickpeas have been grown by Egyptians for thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians are known to have used a lot of garlic and onion in their everyday dishes. Fresh mashed garlic with other herbs is used in spicy tomato salad and is also stuffed in boiled or baked aubergines (eggplant). Garlic fried with coriander is added to Mulukhiyya, a popular green soup made from finely chopped jute leaves, sometimes with chicken or (preferably) rabbit. Fried onions can be added to Kushari.
Other popular dishes include:
Kabab and Kofta, usually of lamb meat, chops and minced meat on skewers grilled on charcoal.
Shawerma (Arabic: شاورمة) is a popular sandwich of shredded beef, lamb or chicken meat, usually rolled in pita bread with Tahina sauce.
Hamaam Mahshi (Stuffed Pigeon) pigeon stuffed with rice or wheat and herbs, then roasted or grilled. A delicacy in Egypt!
Mahshi is a stuffing of rice, seasoned with herbs and spices, into vegetables like green peppers, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, or cabbage leaves. The stuffed vegetable is then placed in a pot and topped with two cans of tomato sauce and lemon or lime.
Mahshi Waraq 'Enab is grape leaves stuffed with a rice mixture that can be made with sauteed ground beef or vegetarian style. The rice is seasoned with crushed red tomatoes, onion, parsley, dill, salt, pepper and Egyptian spices (boharat). This mixture is then stuffed and rolled into an individual grape leaf and placed in a pot and topped with two cans of tomato sauce and lemon or lime.
Macaroni with béchamel[2] is a very famous pasta dish in Egypt. The béchamel sauce is the key ingredient in it. Typically, it consists of a mixture of penne macaroni and béchamel sauce, and usually one layer of cooked spiced meat with onions.
Moussaqa'a is sliced eggplants that are lightly grilled and placed in a flat pan with sliced onions, green peppers, and jalapenos. It is then covered with a red sauce made of tomato paste and Egyptian spices. This pan is cooked in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Kishk is made with milk or yogurt, and flour, sometimes seasoned with fried onions and chicken broth.
Mulukhiyah is prepared in various styles wherein the mallow leaves are very finely chopped, with ingredients such as garlic and coriander added to give it a characteristic aromatic taste.
Baba Ghannoug is a condiment made with eggplants, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and oil.
Tahina salad (sometimes also referred to as Hummus salad if chickpeas are added for texture) is a condiment made with sesame butter, chickpeas, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, cumin and olive oil.
Duqqah is a dry mixture of chopped nuts, seeds and Middle Eastern spices and flavors.

Desserts
Egyptian desserts are similar to other Eastern Mediterranean desserts.
Fatir are pancakes (filo dough) stuffed with everything from eggs to apricots or fruit of choice.
Feteer Meshaltet[3]
Eish al-Saraya[4]
Umm Ali is a national dish of Egypt. It is a raisin cake soaked in milk and served hot.
Basbousa or sometimes called Harissa (in Morrocco and Alexandria) is a sweet dish made from semolina and is soaked in a sugar syrup. It is usually topped with almonds and traditionally cut diagonally into pieces so that each piece resembles a diamond shape.
Qatayef is a dessert reserved for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, a sort of sweet crepe filled with cheese or nuts.
Kunāfah is a dish of batter "strings" fried on a hot grill and stuffed with nuts (usually pistachios), meats, heavy whipped cream or sweets.
Baqlawa is a sweet dish made from many layers of phyllo pastry, an assortment of nuts, and soaked in a sweet syrup.
Kahk is a traditional sweet dish served most commonly during Eid ul-Fitr in Egypt. It is a shortbread biscuit covered with icing sugar, which may be stuffed with dates, walnuts, agameya (like turkish-delight), or just served plain.
Ghurayyeba is a common dish in all of North Africa. It is a sweet dish similar to kahk but much thinner. It is like shortbread and is usually topped with roasted almonds.
Luqmat al-Qadi literally translates to "the bite of the judge". They are small, round donuts which are crunchy on the outside and soft and syrupy on the inside. They may be served with dusted cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Hmmmmm. THANKS TO WIKIPEDIA ;)))
So this month I brought to you kushary or koshary and as a dessert I brought to you Basbouussa recipe, let's go ........

Koshary

Koshary is not just one of the most delicious dishes in Egypt but it is also one of the cheapest meals in Egypt. housewives make it at home because it is cheap and it is much cleaner than the ordered koshary. Our challenge this time is about Egypt as all of you knows, so I wanted this time to present to you the main recipe for our Egyptian Koshary dish, please follow the recipe but I need from you different ideas in presenting this dish, it is up to your imagination, change in the presentation of the dish or add for it a side dish, it is you choice now !!
First, the ingredients:-

1 cup brown lentils
1 cup rice (Egyptian rice)
1/8 kg ditalini pasta
Salt

For the fried onions :
2 big onions and some oil for frying it.
About a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil.

For the salsa or tomatoes sauce:-

2 cups tomato juice.
1good onion chopped very finely.
3 garlic cloves, finely crushed.
1 TBS vinegar (white vinegar).
vegetable oil, salt, pepper, cumin, hot chili.

For Dakka:- a cumin, vinegar, garlic sauce

2 TBS cumin seeds crashed
Half a cup of vinegar
Half a cup of hot water
1tsp of hot chili- salt and pepper
4 garlic clovesHow to prepare it:-

Cook lentils in salted water until tender. Strain.
In a rice pan stir the washed rice in a tablespoon of vegetable oil then cover it with water put some salt and let it cooked till boiling then Cook it on a very low flame until tender.
Cook macaroni, strain, rinse, and strain again.
Place these three ingredients in a cooking pot.
Fry onions (in a separate pan) to a brown , then remove the onions onto absorbent paper and strain the oil into the lentil /rice/pasta mixture. Return the pot to the flame and cook for 7-10 minutes, keep the flame always low.

To prepare tomato sauce:-

Saute onions until soft, then add garlic and fry to a pale brown. Add tomato juice and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is cooked and becomes thick . Add vinegar and seasonings and cook 2-3 minutes longer.

To prepare Dakka:-

Take garlic cloves and hit them with the end of the knife, but don't break them up. Add into white vinegar and water mix. Add some cumin and coriander into the vinegar as well as salt and pepper and hot chili. Stir and let it aside.Serve the dish by topping each individual plate "rice/pasta/lentil" with tomato sauce and fried onions. Sprinkle it with some whole cooked chickpeas.
Serve it with a bowl full of Dakka so you can add from it the quantity you need in your plate.

Basbouussa:--

One of the most famous dessert dishes in Egypt, you can find it in other Arabic countries but with different tastes and different flavors as well as different names.
I am presenting to you this time the Egyptian basbouussa.

The ingredients:-

2 and half cups of fine Semolina flourA half cup of all purpose flour
1 and half TBLSof baking powder.
A half cup of coconut
A 3/4 cup of ghee " natural ghee" or you can use butter instead of it but you have to make it one full cup "softened at room temperature".
1tsp of vanilla.
One cup of yogurt.
Half cup of sugar.

For the syrup:-

2 and half cups of sugar
2 and half cups of water
1 tbls of lemon juice.
vanilla

Tahini and some butter to grease the baking tray.

How to prepare it:-

Mix the semolina- flour- baking powder- coconut- sugar- butter or ghee- yogurt- vanilla, mix it well with your hands, don't be afraid it will not bite you….LOL
Just to feel the batter and to enjoy it as I always do.
Grease very well your baking tray with a mix of butter and tahini, you can use just Tahini.
Pour your basbouusa dough and spread it using your hand to cover and fit your baking tray.
Garnish it with nuts and candied cherries, it is up to you, I love it with walnuts, hazelnuts and candied cherries. Take care and insert your nuts or fruits very well by pushing it down.
Keep your basbouusa tray for 6 or 7 hours before baking it.

To prepare the syrup:-

In a pan put the sugar with the water , on the stove stir it until the sugar crystals dissappear then let the spoon and add the lemon juice, let it boil till it reaches the thread point stage , add some vanilla . Keep it warm when pouring it over the basbouusa tray, it should be hot too.
Bake basboussa in a preheated oven on 230C or from middle to middle high temp.
Pour the warm or hot syrup over the hot basbouusa tray, and Enjoooooooooooy !!!
But you have to wait or you'll burn your tongue dear ;))))

Decorating and serving your dish is the subject of our challenge so please do your best to add to the dish some about you, the story you had while preparing the dish, and even if you did not like it, tell us or send it to me I would be soooo grateful.
Thanks fellows and hope you'll enjoy my egyptian dishes.

Finally !!! July Daring Bakers Challenge !!!

2009-07-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

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.

I do not really know what was the wrong this month, I was struggling to accomplish this month's challenge, I did the recipe first time, made the cookies, made marshmallows and piped on it the mallows kisses, put it on a chair, suddenly I felt tired and simply sat on the chair !!!

Horrible, is not it !!! and of course all the cookies and the mallows stick on my tee shirt !!

I really did not want to start over but I felt that I have to make it so I started but I really did not use the same cookies recipe, I made this time craquelin graham cookies and I made mallows without eggs, I posted my marshmallows recipe before.

I made also some other shapes from marshmallows, I'll let you with the pics, I really feel sooo tired.

We have now a looooot of marshmallows and we are not fans of it except my little daughter, so anybody loves it, simply let me know and I'll send him some ;))

I made 3 layers of cookies and mallows and topped it with a big mallow kiss then napped it with chocolate and covered it with almond flakes.

Thanks a lot to Nicole the host of july's challenge, waiting for august challenge, wish it to be "ICE CREAM" it is tooo hot here in Egypt !!

Thanks for reading my post ;))

Chahira Daoud

FUL & TAAMEYA " beans & Egyptian falafel" !!

2009-07-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am back but this time with no bread....

I am back with my ful & Taameya.I promised before that I'll share the recipes with you.

Sorry for being late but I had a lot of work to do.

First talking about Ful Medammes....

"Ful medammes also Foul Medammas (Arabic: فول مدمس fūl mudammas) is popular in Egypt , often eaten at breakfast. It consists of brown fava beans, partially or completely mashed, which are slow-cooked and served with olive oil, chopped parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon juice. Ful medames is typically eaten with Egyptian bread ('eish masri).'egyptian pocket bread or flat bread"Though originally a peasant food, ful medames has long been part of the daily Egyptian diet. Some have described it as being "like a stone in the stomach". This has led to it being consumed by many in the Middle East in the early morning meal to prepare for a day of fasting during Ramadan.
The dish's name derives from the Egyptian language: ful is the Egyptian word for fava beans, and medames is a Coptic word meaning "buried." The second word hints at the original cooking method, which involved burying a sealed pot of water and beans under hot coals."

Thanks to wikipedia ;)))

So today I am going to tell you how we cook ful from scratch.
Ingredients:-

200gr. Fava beans "the best quality has a lighter color"

50 gr. Of chickpeas "it is not in the original recipe but sometimes I add chickpeas for change, the original recipe contains just fava beans".

50 gr of yellow lentill

50 gr. of wheat seedsA half of small lemon.
First wash all these seeds very well then cover it with water for 2- 4 hours.

Rinse it again and put it in a pan we use a special pot, it is like a jar, we call it "damassah"The capacity of our pot is 3 litres.

Put the seeds and fill the pot with water till the top just leave 1 cm without water. Put it on the stove till boiling then tranfer it on a heater like this one, a lot of people use the stove by putting the ful pot on the smallest and weakest flame, but this heater gives wonderful results because we will leave ful for 7 or 8 hours on the this weak heat.

After this period take some with a spoon and test it , if it is done squeeze a half of lemon and pour your ful in a container so after being cooled you should put it in the refrigerator and it can be freezed very well too.

If you test it and you find that fava beans still firm and there is no enough liquid in your pot add water but it has to be very hot, just to keep the lovely light color of beans.and let it more time on the heater or on the stove.
Here you are the pics !!

It is time now to talk about falafel

In Egypt we call it taameya more than falafel it is a little bit different than the lebanese & the syrian one, we use more green herbs and we use just fava beans to make it.

For me I use to make it with fava beans but sometimes as a change I mix with my fava some chickpeas.

"Falafel is a fried ball or patty made from fava beans. Originally from Egypt,[1] falafel is a popular form of fast food in the Middle East, where it is also served as a mezze.Falafel is usually served in a pita-like bread, either inside the bread, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat bread. In many countries falafel is a popular street food or fast food. The falafel balls, whole or crushed, may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze. During Ramadan, they are sometimes eaten as part of an iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast after sunset."

O.k thanks again to wikipedia ;)))

The ingredients;

-250 gr.skinless and crushed fava beans. Sometimes I put 125 chickpeas and 125 fava beans, but the egyptian original one does not contain chichpeas at all.

1 big onion

2 garlic cloves

125 of green herbs " leeks ,parsley, coriander, and dill

Salt & pepper cumin and dried coriander, hot chili "optional".

Wash the beans and rinse it then cover it well with water for 6 hours, if you are using chickpeas you will leave it for 12 hours.Rinse it and strain it very well then add to it the onions and the garlic and the fresh herbs "washed and cut to be ready to go to the food processor" you will mix all and put it in the food processor , it will take from you some time to be a real paste.You can add to it the salt, pepper , cumin and dried coriander or you can wait till you will start to fry it, I usually freeze all the quantity after dividing it into portions.To fry it , we need 250 gr of falafel paste and 1 big egg beat the egg with a fork and gradually add you falafel paste , add 1 tsp of sodium bicarbonate and continue to beat it for 2 mn. Add your salt , pepper , cumin and dried coriander.Start to fry it, I made a videoooo, yes I did it for the first time in my life , my husband and me, were struggling two days to make it, but finally we did it , it is horrible but I hope that it really helps.Thanks to all of you, hope you enjoy my recipe.

P.S:-This month's WALIMA challenge will be about Egyptian cuisine, if you are interested stay tuned , the revealing date will be the end of this month, we have a savory and a sweet original egyptian dish !!!!

YES !! Finally I GOT it !!

2009-07-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

YES,,, I ordered BBA and got it, really happy, the book is really nice, And I think that the next book for Peter Reinhart will be a HIT !!

I did test the recipes and it is really full of new recipes and new techniques.

I am looking forward to get it too .

I started to bake some bread from the book's recipes, I did first two recipes, Anadama & Artos bread, it turned out very nice and delicious. But my freezer is full tank now and I still want to go through the next recipes, any suggestions??

Oh but this one is mine,, not in Peter's book ;))

That is our egyptian flat bread, it is our every day's bread !

My latest two cakes !!

2009-07-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

I would like to put these two cakes, I made it lately, I think that my work in cake decorating becomes more and more better but still have a long way to go.

Actually I prefer bread baking, everything simple and delicious with yeast, this magic ingredient.

But we do not have these cakes and you can hardly find a cake decorater who deals with fondant and gumpaste, anyway I am trying to read and work more on my skills.

But guys,,, I love BREAD, Iam missing my YEAST sooo much !!

Walima's june challenge !!

2009-07-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

This month challenge is about Bahrain, it is a small arabic country but a very beautifull one.

Talking about its kitchen, it is very influenced by the indian and persian kitchen, It has the food culture of the gulf region .

This month challenge , we had two choices, a savoury dish and a sweet one, from the recipe of the sweet one, it seemed to me that we will not love at home so I went through the savoury one, here you are the recipe, try it you will love it,specially if you are in love with the indian and persian cuisine, the same flavor !!

The ingredients:-

1 tsp of turmeric

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

1 kg of fish fillet cubed

2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed and finely chopped

1 tbsp of freshly chopped fresh ginger

4 cloves of garlic chopped

Some fresh ginger chopped

2 med size chopped onions

2 med chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp of mustard

2 ½ cups of water

2 cubes of chicken broth , unless you have homemade chicken stockReplace the water with stock2 tbsp of freshly chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Mix the turmeric with veggie oil, and marinate the fish in it for couple of minutes.Then lay the fish on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 18 minutes to turn golden brown.In a food processor, add the garlic, onion, jalapeno peppers tomatoes ginger and mustard, and whip until it turns to paste.

Heat a non stick pan and cook the paste on medium heat, without oil, till it start to turn golden,(takes around 5 min) add the water and dissolved chicken bouillon or the chicken stock, whatever you have on hand, and cook for 7-8 minutes more to become a thick sauce, pour over the fish in the oven and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.Serve over Basmati rice and sprinkle fresh cilantro on top.

Here you are my dish pics

I served it with basmati rice.

Hope you enjoy this month callenge.

And for next WALIMA challenge, it is my turn, Egyptian kitchen, Excited enough???

O.K come and join us, easy ;)))

Bakewell Tart, a pudding or a tart !! June DB's challenge !!

2009-06-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was a Bakewell tart,,, what ??? never heard about it before, why not... let's go on and try it... I'll gain the knowledge a a new dish !!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Before i forget, I have to put the recipe, so many people can enjoy it as much as I did !!

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding
Makes one 23cm (9” tart)Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)Resting time: 15 minutesBaking time: 30 minutesEquipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin
One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)Bench flour250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadabilityOne quantity frangipane (recipe follows)One handful blanched, flaked almonds
Assembling the tartPlace the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.
When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.
Jasmine’s notes:• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.Annemarie’s notes:• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).
Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutesResting time: 30 minutes (minimum)Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film
225g (8oz) all purpose flour30g (1oz) sugar2.5ml (½ tsp) salt110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)2 (2) egg yolks2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Jasmine’s notes:• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract
Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutesEquipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened125g (4.5oz) icing sugar3 (3) eggs2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract125g (4.5oz) ground almonds30g (1oz) all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
Annemarie’s notes:• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

Here you are mine

It turned out nice and easy.... very tasty, but I could not stop feeling guilty because of the amounts of butter in it, no problem once in a month not a big deal...;))))I made a white velvet cake with the egg whites I should not throw it anyway...I also had some of the dough's leftover so i made another tart . blueberry tart but did not taste it yet, I kept it in the freezer for another week !I did the same with the white velvet cake :)))

Talking about our star dish, the bakewell tart, I struggled to get skinless almonds, i did not find so I took off its skin and grinded it.

I used a home made apricot jam, I prepared it last week ,our markets are full of good apricots.

I mixed with it some apples to enrich my jam with pectin without using artificial products.

we really enjoyed this month's challenge.

Thanks Jasmine, thanks Annemarie !!

Looking for the next month's challenge too !!

Love from my heart to all my DB's fellows hearts !!

" Boules au chocolat" A la mode de chez nous !!

2009-06-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

Yassin & malika, my kids love to cook but I do not let them because I am usually busy , usually in rush.

This day, I had a cake which I had troubles with it, I had a problem with my oven, so I decided to turn it to a lovely sweet dish "les boules au chocolat"

My kids really like it, I let them doing it totally by themselves.

I had some ganache and the cake and we added some nuts too.

After they rolled it, I left it in the freezer for a while and dipped it into melted chocolate to coat it.

I'll let you with the kids, they will show you how we prepared it.

They are rolling it, but Yassin seems to be a little bit sleepy :))
They were really proud !

Our first challenge for WALIMA cooking club !!

2009-05-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today is our first challenge, WALIMA is a cooking club, for all the arabic food lovers .

We started by Algeria, this lovely country, the algerian kitchen is very rich, for me it was a good chance to try it, first time tasting, first time cooking .

Our First Challenge is brought to us by Khadidja from http://www.dessert-world.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Khadidja, your recipes were really a hit, all of us loved it.

Khadidja gave to us two options, one for a savory dish and one for a dessert, me I picked both, I should not miss this chance.

For the savory dish....it was chicken tajine with green olives.

Here you are the recipe....

This dish could be made with chicken or lamb or both. I personally mix the two meats in the same dishThis recipe has some added meat balls and this is optional. If not using both meats, keep the exact same recipe.Ingredients:1 whole chicken cut into pieces2 lbs of lamb1 large onion1 Tbsp butter or oil2 cups pitted green olives2 medium carrots, cut into circles1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp black pepper1 chicken cubewater & parsleyMeat balls (optional)1/2 lb ground beef1 small onion1 small egg1/4 cup bread crumbs1/4 cup chopped parsley1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp black pepper1/4 tsp cinnamonFlour to dredge the meat ballsTo thicken the sauce: 1 Tbsp soft butter + 2 tbsp flourDirection1) In a pot / pressure cooker put the butter /oil, chicken pieces, lamb pieces (if using), the onion, salt, pepper cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the onionsare translucent. Add the chicken cube and enough water to cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and cook until the meat is tender. If using both meats, half way through cooking, remove the chicken pieces and continue to cook until the lamb is tender.2) In a sauce pan, put the olives and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let the olives boil for 3 to 5 mn. Drain and repeat the same process 2 to 3 times until the olives are no longer bitter.They should not be too salty neither. Set the olives aside.3) Prepare the meat balls: mix all the ingredients and make balls. Put about 1/2 in of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Dredge each meat ball in flour and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.4) Once the meat pieces are cooked, add the olives, the sliced carrots and the meat balls. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover the pot and cook until the carrots and the olives are tender, and the meat balls are cooked through.5)To finish the dish, mix the butter and flour to form a smooth paste. Bring the sauce to a boil and gradually add the butter/ flour mixture, stirring continuously. Let the sauce boil for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thick. Add 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Serve the dish accompanied with lemon wedgesAlmond Surprises -

And my dish is ready !!!

The sweet dish was really a hit...... Here you are the recipe......

INGREDIENTS: This recipe will yield 40 cookies
For the filling:
1 can of almond paste or 300g of ground blanched almonds
180g of powdered sugar
1 large egg
Zest of a large lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the outer dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (in volume) or 2 oz of clarified butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) orange blossom water
For the decoration:
Lemon extract
Bottles of different colors of food coloring
non-toxic gold dust in a small capsule
For the syrup:
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 cups of water
2 Tablespoons orange blossom water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon rind from one large lemon
METHOD:
Mix the filling ingredients in a food processor until you obtain a cohesive dough. If it is still wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar.
Using a cookie dough scooper, form small balls of dough. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and let them rest in the fridge.
In the food processor, mix the flour, salt and clarified butter first. Then add the orange blossom water gradually through the feeding tube until the dough turns into one big lump, adding more flour, bit by bit, if it is still sticky and wet. From the dough into a ball and wrap it in wax paper and let it rest for one hour at room temperature. If you are going to color the dough, divide it into smaller balls and apply the food coloring, a few drops at a time, and knead the dough manually until the color gets uniform throughout. Let it rest in small plastic bags.
Make the syrup: mix the sugar, water, lemon rind in a saucepan on medium heat; let it simmer about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, then add the orange blossom water and the lemon juice. Cover the saucepan and let the syrup cool.
To form the cookies: The easiest way is to use a manual pasta machine. Cut the dough in small and manageable lupms and run them through the machine decreasing the opening to make the strips thinner and thinner. When satisfied, you can place the strips on a cold surface on which you have sprinkled a bit of cornstarch and use a rolling pin to finish the job and make the dough paper thin and translucent. Use a large cookie cutter (5 inch) or a glass and cut rounds in the dough. Enclose the ball of filling and twist the dough on top to seal it.
Let the formed cookies rest for one hour on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, without letting them brown.
Plunge the hot cookies in the syrup for a few seconds and remove them with a slotted spoon. Place on gold-rimmed paper liners if you wish (it helps to keep the surface of your platter free of syrup).
Present the cookies to the bride and groom and all the guests.

Et Voila mon plat.......but not as good as Khadidja dish!!

Try it , it is really yummy .

Hope you enjoyed our Algerian day ! I'll let you to hear this wonderful algerian song "ya rayah" or "Hey, traveller" !!

See you next month, and wait for our next arabic kitchen !!

Maasalamaaaah !! Bisous !!

Strudel.....First time in my 5th Daring bakers challenge !!!

2009-05-27T17:43:00.001-07:00

I read before about strudel, but never tried to make it... for me, nothing new or creative in it.. just fill some phylo dough.. that's all !

But now I admit , doing it from scratch is really "fun" !!

My hubby, my kids and me really enjoyed it.

In Egypt we have "fettir" it is something like pie, nobody can make it perfectly except some bakers who are really specialized in making it, just for making "fettir", it is like a pie and the original kind of it is plain and we use to eat it with honey, mollasses or a kind of cheese called "mesh",it is a kind of cheese prepared by marinating it for a long period .

But now we can find several kinds of fetir "savoury" and stuffed.

It is just like strudel in the preparing technique, but we use to make it round with a lot of layers.

There are shops that specialize in fettir only, Making fettir is an art, unfortunately fewer people everyday have the know-how of making fettir.

I felt that making strudel from scratch as a process will not be strange to me.

I let doing it for the last day because I was so busy.

But the results were amazing , and we really loved it !!

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.

Thanks Linda, thanks courtney ! The recipe was really awesome !

I made three kinds, the original one "apple strudel", but I used orange juice instead of rum.

I made another batch of dough and made a savoury strudel, I stuffed it with a very middle eastern dish wich is "Shawerma" and "middle eastern rice flavored with cardamom and cinnamon" .

I had some dough so, I filled it with rasberry puree, and it was nice too !!

Trying to make the dough more and more thinner was really exciting for all my family members and of course for me.

this is my photo when I was 3 years old ! I did not know at this time that I will be a daring baker :)))

And here you are the same picture after 32 years soo clear under the thin layer of my strudel dough !

My kids photo too was a part in this wonderful strudel's party..

The question now is that I have a lot of strudel now at home, we will not be able to finish it in one night, what can I do ??

It can be freezed well :)))

Can't wait to know what is the next challenge !!!!

Love from my heart to all of you, daring bakers are the best !!!!

Cheese cake Festival !! 4th DB challenge !!

2009-04-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Cheese cake??? Who does not love it ???

This month's challenge was "cheese cake", it let for us a wide space to create!!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I made three kinds of cheese cake , before talking about it, I would like to thank Jenny and her friend, the recipe is quite excellent.

My first cheese cake was two layers one flavored with lemon and the second was flavored with rose blossoms water, and topped with a mix of rose jam + hibiscus jam, it gave the cheese cake a new awesome flavor.

Forgot to tell you that I made Graham crackers at home, I really loved it !!

Here you are some of the first cheese cake pics.
Second kind was a cheesecake with threee layers, first a vanilla one, the second is dark chocolate and the third was a cafe au lait, I topped it with a caramel chocolate ganache and butter scotch sauce and Macadamia nuts praline. Here you are some of the pics, it was really yummy !!

Third one was a plain one flavored with vanilla & one TBS of lime juice, but I topped it with a coconut cream and fruits " loquat, nectarine, banana, strawberry" and I served it with a strawberry coulis and some shredded coconut.

It really was a hit and a dessert plate to die for !!

The recipe was excellent, here you are and sure it is now my favorite.
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.
And don't forget to check back throughout the month, in case the recipe has been modified. Happy baking!
Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:
crust:2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract
cheesecake:3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature1 cup / 210 g sugar3 large eggs1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream1 tbsp. lemon juice1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake
DIRECTIONS:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.
Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.
Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!
Some variations from the recipe creator:
** Lavender-scented cheesecake w/ blueberries - heat the cup of heavy cream in the microwave or a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add 2 tbsp of lavender flowers and stir. Let lavender steep in the cream for about 10-15 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Add strained cream to cheesecake batter as normal. Top with fresh blueberries, or make a quick stovetop blueberry sauce (splash of orange juice, blueberries, a little bit of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon - cook until berries burst, then cool)
** Cafe au lait cheesecake with caramel - take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of cream and use as normal. Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (I usually find one on the food network website - just make sure it has heavy cream in it. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but the flavor is just not the same since its usually just sugar and corn syrup with no dairy).
** Tropical – add about a half cup of chopped macadamias to the crust, then top the cake with a mango-raspberry-mandarin orange puree.
** Mexican Turtle - add a bar of melted dark chocolate (between 3 and 5 oz., to taste) to the batter, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 tsp.). Top it with pecan halves and a homemade caramel sauce.
** Honey-cinnamon with port-pomegranate poached pears – replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey, add about a teaspoon or more (to taste) of cinnamon. Take 2 pears (any variety you like or whatever is in season), peeled and cored, and poach them in a boiling poaching liquid of port wine, pomegranate juice/seeds, a couple of "coins" of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. Poach them until tender, then let cool. Strain the poaching liquid and simmer until reduced to a syrupy-glaze consistency, then cool. Thinly slice the cooled pears and fan them out atop the cooled cheesecake. Pour the cooled poaching syrup over the pears, then sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Some variations from Jenny (from JennyBakes):
**Key lime - add zest from one lime to sugar before mixing with cream cheese. Substitute lemon juice, alcohol, and vanilla with key lime juice.
**Cheesecakelets - put in muffin tins, ramekins, or custard cups. Try baking 20-35 minutes, or until still a little jiggly, and cool as before.

Thanks and wish you like my ckes, we really enjoyed it !!

Happy Sham el nessim !!

2009-04-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

More than a few Egyptian traditions today derive from very ancient times, including the holiday known as Sham el Nessim, which may have been celebrated as early as 4,500 years ago. For Egyptians, Sham el Nessim , literally meaning ‘sniffing the breeze’, marks the beginning of the spring. It falls immediately on the first Monday following the Coptic Easter and it was related to agriculture in ancient Egypt which contained fertility rites that were later attached to Christianity and the celebration of Easter. It is believed that the Egyptians were the first to celebrate this occasion.
Sham el Nessim seems to be a holiday as old as Egypt. The name of the holiday is actually derived from the ancient Egyptian harvest season that was called "Shamo".At this day , the early morning brings out millions of Egyptians on Sham el Nessim who crowd open green spaces even if that means ending up sitting on grassy patches next to roads, due to the scarcity of public parks and open areas in Cairo. Families start at dawn preparing their food, coloring their eggs with brightful colors, then take their blankets with them and enjoy the breeze of spring.

Sham el Nessim is also celebrated by eating traditional foods. It is associated with several types of food that are eaten together yet are much diversified. Fiseekh (Salted fish), boiled colored eggs, termis (lupin seeds), and green onions are some of the types of food eaten on this day, each backed by a different myth.
It was believed that offerings of fish were made to the ancient gods to ensure a good harvest. Salted fish symbolized to the ancient Egyptians fertility and welfare. Fish were abundant when the waters receded from the Nile flood, leaving them trapped in natural pools, and easily caught.
Today, the Egyptians celebrate Sham el Nessim by eating a variety of slated, smelly fish known as fiseekh (feseekh), which is prepared in a traditional process that is considered almost an art form. The process of preparing the fish is passed from one generation to another to insure its quality. The types of fish used are sardines mackerel and anchovies.

Many people believe it is not healthy to eat fiseekh and have removed it from the list of food or have replaced it by tuna from a can.

For me & my family we prefer salted sardines "that we have to salt it one week before".

And of course I bake my favorite kind of sweet bread, it looks like Challah or this kind of greek easter bread "braid shaped".

We ate the big braid at this day and the rest in the freeze and I gave my mother in law one braid !
And these were sold !!
bye bye dears !!

Happy sham elnessim for you all !

Happy easter for all my christian friends !

It is too easy to make marshmallow at home !!

2009-04-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the internet, it worked like magic !!

To make marshmallows at home, combine 3 tablespoons of gelatin (a professional-grade concentrated gelatin would be a good choice, but generally is available only to the food industry) with 1/2 cup of cold water and let it stand for an hour. In the meantime, heat 2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 cup of water, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil and cook until the firm-ball stage (244°F; 117°C). Remove from the heat and pour it slowly over the gelatin, beating it constantly in a stand mixer. Beat it for a good 15 minutes. When it’s thick but still warm, add 2 tablespoons of vanilla or other flavoring (mint, strawberry, orange, flower water, etc.), if desired. Spread the mixture in a pan that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch. Let it dry for 12 hours, then cut it into squares with scissors dusted with cornstarch, and store them in an airtight container.

First time I made it I added strawberry flavor and tried to get the food colors but I took the blue color instead of the red one , I wanted to color it in pink, but accidents happen , what can I do??

Anyway, it was so tasty , and my kids liked it very much.

Hope you enjoy it !!

Malika's birthday...A long day of hard work !!!

2009-04-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Malika's birthday was 31st of March, I was really ready to start making her cake before the date, but unfortunately and while I was preparing "Marshmallow"because I wanted to make marshmallow fondant and I wanted to prepare my home made version before starting, my finger was cut while I was trying to put my hand in the butter can, anyway I could not complete and my husband also has no idea about kitchen stuff, and my blood falled down in the mixer pot, and what a contrast of colors between the red"my blood" and the white "marshmallow paste", this really hurted me and I stopped for 4 days till I took my decision to restart.

I started first with the fondant and coloring it, after having a whole vision about the design's idea of the cake decoration. "Strawberry shortcake"or "Charlotte de fraises" this animated caracter really inspired me, my kids really like her specially Malika, I watched a cartoon song for "Charlotte" and began the work.

I made sponge chocolate cake, I filled it with "caramel ganache" and frosted the cakes with mousseline chocolate buttercream. I used also caramel and chocolate syrup for the cake.

And started the decoration steps which was really fun but it killed me because I started 3 o'clock and finished 12 o'clock. 9 hours!!! :)))

Yassin & Malika were having fun also.And I was not having any other option..:))))

I made these lovely strawberries using cookies cutters, I really loved it .

And the cake is ready !!!here you are some pics!!

Malika told me that she want to take the cake to the school !!

Simply because her classmates did the same, so i started to think that I have to make a savory dish too, and after thinking I took my decision.

I created this new idea "hedgehogs canapes", from 7 cups of flour, I baked 69 hedgehogs, and as soon as i baked it, there was an invasion in my kithen, they were every where!!!

There was a battle too !!!

But, during all this turmoil, a love story has just begun !!

What do you think he is telling her ????

But thanks God there was not any damages, and all the cute hedgehogs dressed very well to go to Malika's party .

And we did celebrate it at school .

And all the girls enjoyed the cake and the little hedgehog.

but I did not forget and I kept one slice for this pic.

A 3D strawberry, hihihihihih!!

I wish you enjoyed this story, but the saddest part was "my kitchen" I cleaned it 5 times and that was its last condition when I was packing the cake, I thanked him"the kitchen" and kissed it goodbye, does anyone has any suggestion???

Happy birthday Malouuuuuuka and special thanks to Charlotte or "strawberry short cake"!!

The blogger aid Book project !!

2009-03-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Food is our medium and taking a role in alleviating world famine is our mission. Our wish is that all of us try to share this excitement and help make a difference to our world by joining Bloggeraid members on this journey.

I really had the honor to participate in this such great project.

Bloggeraid announced this great project, They planned to publish a cookbook with the help of some food bloggers and 100% of the profit from the sales of the cookbook will be directed to School Meals, a program of The World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations frontline agency.

The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by November/December 2009.

I shared with one of my very egyptian original recipes.

I created this recipe , depending on my taste memory of what egyptian borek taste like when I was a little child , my old neighbor used to make it , it was so delicious.

My 4th challenge with Daring Bakers, LASAGNA !!

2009-03-28T15:22:00.001-07:00

This month challenge was a hit and I did not expect it at all.
Lasagna ??? who doesn't love lasagna ???

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.

I am used to make lasagna pasta at home but I did not try to make the pasta with spinach, Sometimes I add spinach in the filling but not in the pasta.
I also like to roll it using my rolling pin , I have the machine but I prefer to deal with the dough with my bare hands.

Here you are the pasta dough recipe,

1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.
2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more).
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry.
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred) .
Working by Hand:
Equipment
A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm).
Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.
A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.
Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.
A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.
Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.
Mixing the dough:Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.
Kneading:With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Stretching and Thinning:If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.
Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.
Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!
Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

I followed the recipe but I added one more egg .And I used this very egyptian traditional tool to chopp finely spinach, it worked very well.

Here you are some pics for it "I do not know its name in english" :))) , it name in arabic is "Makhrata".And here you are the final result, Hahahaha !!

And here you are the bechamel sauce recipe, I doubled it.

Bechamel:-

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milkSalt and freshly ground pepper to tasteFreshly grated nutmeg to taste
Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

But I did not follow at all the Ragu recipe, first because some of the ingredients are not available in my country, second because of the presence of wine in the recipe so I made my own,
Here you are,

I Heated the olive oil in skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat.
I Added 3 big onions , stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. I added a half kilo of grinded beef meat, . Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. It will begin to brown after a while . Cook 10 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown.
Reducing and Simmering: I Added some water and some milk to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir untill all has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add 4 grinded tomatoes . And Cooked it uncovered, for another 20 mn. , or until the sauce resembles thick, And I Seasoned it with salt and pepper and nutmeg .
I used when making lasagna layers some fried zucchini, it made it more tasty.

Actually, I made the pasta dough in one day, and bechamel sauce +ragu at the next day.
I had some left over from the lasagna dough, I used it, you know what I did with it????

Yes..... flat bread in my new invention "my home made flat bread's gadget"..The result was really nice, specially when I topped the loaf with some feta cheese.

do not judge from the appearence , It was tasty and the kids liked it.
I had also some leftover from spinach, so I made spinach fritata, on my way using zucchini, and it was sooo yummy, It was like a festival for spinach.
Thanks to all the Daring bakers team and special thanks to Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande.
We really enjoyed dinner today !!!
Love you all !!

Ah !! forgot to tell you that I topped my lasagna with some romi cheese.

P.S:- Serve two pieces because they will ask you for more !!

We can make Pastrami at HOME !! Let's see !!

2009-03-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

I love Pastrami.... All the egyptians do.. We always like it on breakfast as well as on dinner , we put it in pies on pizza and also in our omellette pan.

I use to prepare it at home , from scratch .

For now I will put just a pic and soon I will share the recipe.

I have to post my 4 th challenge with daring bakers.

I am too late as usual . See you !!

Pure Egyptian flat bread 100% wild yeast !!

2009-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody and missing you all !
Phyl Divine named me on his group on Facebook "artisan bread bakers".He named me "Pharaoh of flat Bread ".
I really was very happy but wondering all the time , why ?? May be phyl knows that Egyptians can not eat without the presence of the flat bread on their meals tables .
So I decided to present something about our daily bread in Egypt , may be to try to prove to myself that I really deserve this great title !!!!
O.k I bought this pan shown in the picture, it is better than my oven cause flat breads really need a very high temp. and it is usually baked in special ovens " with three flames".
The pictures will show you this incredible invention for flat breads , let's go ....
First the bread before being baked,,,ah forgot to tell you that I used 100% wild yeast.
Also about the dough , i made two doughs one contained 50% bread flour +50% whole wheat flour, and that is the traditional ingredients for our egyptian bread.
The other dough "which i invented" contained bread flour +whole wheat flour+grounded oats"i grinded it at home"+barley flour and of course wild yeast and tepid water .
let's go ....

"as seen on T.V" HAHAHAHA!

The harvest !! sandwiches for me and my husband, i filled it with pastrami and romi cheese. I wish i had at this time some of our wonderfull home made falafel or foul"beans".

Falafel , I am missing it!!
And here I am....Do I really deserve to be the "pharoah of flat bread"?????

Lokoms from my kitchen !!!!

2009-03-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Eating Lokoms in the occasion of our prophit Mohammad's birth day,, is a habit and a way to celebrate the day ,, every year we use to buy lokoms but this year, I decided to make it ,it turned out very delicious 100 times better than what we used to eat it...

This time I flavored it with orange and lemon but next time I will try the original taste the one with nuts and flavored with rose water.

Here you are my wonderful recipe

one lemon zest

one orange zest

1/4 cup orange juice

2TB lemon juice

3 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of water

2TB gelatin

2/3 cup of corn starch

3 or 4 of flavor or rose water

food color

1/2 of confectionary sugar for dusting

I put in a medium pan the sugar+water+zests+juice ,,all on a medium heat untill the sugar dissolved .

Leave it to boil for 5 mn untill it reaches the thread point "I used candies thermometer"and do not stir it at all..

Mix the gelatin in 1/2 cup of water and dissolve it on bainmarie, also dissolve the starch in another 1/2 cup of water,,, put both the gelatin and starch mix in the sugas syrup over a medium heat and stir it till it reaches the boiling point put you flavor and food color.

pour it in a mould 17 cm with high bords and covered with foil.

Put it in the fridge till next day , start cutting it after dusting your table with sugar.

Try it , I am sure you will like it!!!

3rd DB challenge of valentine's month !!!

2009-03-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

Finally, I finished my challenge ,,actually I made it early this month ...sorry, I mean february but this month was horrible to me !!!

So if my dish looks messy, simply because my mood was the same.

I was depressed, confused & dissapointed.

I am much better now, thanks God.

The chocolate cake was nice, i served it with Mango ice cream and strawberry/vanilla ice cream.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Here you are the chocolate cake recipe , it is a flourless one, I wish you really like it.

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C9.

Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

I wish you like my dish and pray for me,,this month will be better inshaallah.

A dragonfly on my plate!!! My 2nd daring baker challenge!!!

2009-01-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

January challenge was really sooo light... Tuiles ????? yes it was.

There was three given recipes , I chose the main one which it was the tuiles' one,,, The mission was :- use one of the batters given, - shape it either prior (using a stencil) or right after baking and- pair it with something light; fruit, sorbet, a mousse, or maybe even a fruit soup, think glazes or dips…..Bend it, shape it, anyway we want it!

I made a stencil at home , I bought a plastic sheets , printed a dragonfly pictures from one of the colouring pages sites, then cut it and make my stencil for this lovely insect.......

Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.Recipe:Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choiceButter/spray to grease baking sheetOven: 180C / 350FUsing a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, we might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.If we don’t want to do stencil shapes, we might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

This batch made a lot of goodies.

I made milk and rice pudding , I flavored it with cardamom, mistika and orange blossom water.

I topped it with different kinds of fruits " pineapple, kiwi, strawberries" and a ball of vanilla / strawberry ice cream and a simple drizzle of honey .

It was like a full option dessert treat .

And the dragonfly did not leave me to eat it in peace !!!!!

More Tuiles & more pics!!!!

2009-01-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

I really can not stop taking pictures , i wish I can play more & more with this wonderful recipe.

Daring Bakers are the best !!!!!!!!!

A big kiss to all of us !!!

To my only love!!!!

2009-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to you my dear love , my dear husband , thanks to you for all your support to me.

I love you !!!

Here you are your favorite dessert !

Your Tiramisu cake is ready, dear !

Some of my buns pics.

2009-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

LES TRUFFES DE CHEZ NOUS!!!

2009-01-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Please enjoy my hand made truffles , It was awesome , and did not stay two days at home!!!