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

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!!!!

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!!!!

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.

LES TRUFFES DE CHEZ NOUS!!!

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

My chiken pie !!

Would you like to have to get the recipe???

One of my fellows on TFL asked me to share the recipe, of course, I had no problem with that , these request from my friends make me happy , and i promised her to put the recipe next day!!

And I did not, bad bad bad girl!!!

Dear fellow here you are the recipe and pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase forgive me !!!

I am always tooooooo late.

first of all the ingredients:-first for the dough:

-3 cups all purpose flour.

-2 tbls sugar.

-5 tbls of powdered milk.

-1and half tspn of instant yeast.

-1/3 cup of oil.

-pinch of salt.

-cup and half of warm water.

make the dough and knead it well then leave it till double or triple in volume.at the meanwhile prepare the staffing...

The ingredients:-

-half a kilo of chiken fillet"breast meat".

-vegetables "onions, potatoes, carrots, green, yellow and red pepper.

-salt and pepper.

Ah I added to the dough, 2 tbls of dried origano.

for topping :-250 gr. of cream

- 4 tbls mayo.

-1 tspn of mustard.

-5 tbls of cream cheese.

I stir fried the chicken after cutting it into strips,in a pan over high heat with a tbls of butter and a little of olive oil.

I added gradually the vegetables in this order, carrots, potatoes, I forgot to tell you about green beans, then onions , and the pepper.

I adjusted the taste and after finishing I added a good amount of green parsley.

Let the staffing cool .

After the fermentation of the dough , start working.

I divided the dough to 1/3 and 2/3 the 2/3 for the ground of the pie , I used a tart mould with removable bottom, and then pour the staffing, then mixing the topping and spreading it over the staffing..I rolled the remaining dough and shaped it using a special roll and put it on the top of my pie , made an egg wash , let the pie for 20 minutes then baked it!!

I did it twice in one week,

first time:

Second time:-

Finally, I am asking you a favor!!!

Enjoy it BUT....do not laugh at me because of my ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!!

THANK you for not laughing at me.

OMG!!...MY FIRST "DARING BAKERS" CHALLENGE!!!!

Actually , This is my first challenge of"daring bakers".

IT was a great adventure, my luck was not so good, this recipe was six recipes in one !!

It was really a challenge for me , I took my decision and started the hard work!!

Three days of work in the kitchen with six sink full of dishes! Do you believe it?

I am a hard worker but this one was really hard.

But every thing was o.k and I did not face any problems.

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

And the Challenge this month was " A French Yule Log!!!
Talking about our challenge , I was really surprised of how much complex it is.
But I started , it is actually 6 amazing recipes in one but the french"gavottes" did not work good with me , so I did not try it again and I worked with the rice crispies, I also used a spring form mould heart shaped. The result was amazing , the taste was awsome, I decorated it with transfer chocolate sheets , I made some crafts with chocolate using battonets moulds and transfer sheets and some green leaves to make chocolate leaves, I used a yellow flower after coating it with egg white and dust it with "sucre glace".

Here you are my first french yule log.....

The recipe's document was 18 pages long, but the actual recipe is not 12 pages long, it’s more on the order of 3-4 pages once we choose our preferable flavors.

THE CHALLENGE RULE is that we MUST MAKE ALL 6 of these elements for the log:

1) Dacquoise Biscuit

2) Mousse

3) Ganache Insert

4) Praline (Crisp) Insert

5) Creme Brulee Insert

6) Icing

The assembly will essentially be a Dacquoise Biscuit at the bottom, and the inserts inter-layered with mousse, with an icing finish.

My taste choice was:-

1-Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake).

Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn for baking

Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper

Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit.

Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly.

Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal

1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar

2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour

3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites

1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner's sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).

2. Sift the flour into the mix.

3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.

4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.

5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.

6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).

7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden. 8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

Element #2 Dark Chocolate Mousse

Preparation time: 20mn

Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula

Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousse and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen, so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brulee insert.The Whipped Cream option contains no gelatin, so beware of how fast it may melt.Gelatin is the gelifying agent thisthe following recipe .

Ingredients:

2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1 + 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin

1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup

0.5 oz (15g) water

50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)

6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)

2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).

2a. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C).

If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.

2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.

2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should

become thick and foamy.

3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.

5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.

6. Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

Element #3 Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert

Preparation time: 10mn

Equipment: pan, whisk. If you have plunging mixer (a vertical hand mixer used to make soups and other liquids), it comes in handy.

Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly.

Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Ingredients:1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped

3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides.

Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt.

Never stir the mixture.

As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly.

Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).

2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.

3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.

4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it).

The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Element #4 Praline Feuillete (Crisp) InsertPreparation

time: 10 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)

Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).

Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin

Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them.

I used rice krispies after failure in gavottes, I did not want to retry it to save my time!!

Ingredients for the Praline Feuillete:

3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate

1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) butter

2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline2.

1oz (60g) lace crepes(gavottes) or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.

2. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.

3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h

bakingEquipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper

Note: The vanilla crème brulée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc..

Ingredients:1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

½ cup (115g) whole milk

4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks0.

75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.

2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).

3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.

4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper.

Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.

5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

Element #6 Dark Chocolate IcingPreparation

time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)

Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan

Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.

Ingredients:4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin

¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)

2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (50g) water

1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.

2. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.

3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.

4. Let cool while checking the texture regularly.

As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

Finally prepared , finally posted , I wish to you all a very happy holidays, And pleaaaase enjoy a slice of this catastrophic dessert as much as My hubby and I did.

Our dinner meals pics!!!

Every day, before having dinner , I insist to take photos for our dinner dishes, I do not know why??? If there is some body else who has the same habit please contact me we can discover together why we do so??

May be I want to record the effort I did in these dishes, may be , I am too proud of my cooking stuff, may be.. Anyway I will share with you some of our meals pics...