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Tuesday, 24 August 2010

A new way to serve Katayef !!

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 !!

Friday, 30 July 2010

July DB's Challenge !!

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 ;))

Friday, 28 May 2010

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

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

Thursday, 20 May 2010

La cuisine de Malika !!


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 ;)))

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

Toooooooooo LATE !!! For my Tiramissu ;))

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 :)))

Friday, 29 January 2010

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

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

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 :))

Monday, 25 January 2010

Peter Reinhart's new book !!

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 ;)))

Monday, 18 January 2010

I'll be back !!

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

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