Nov.2010 Daring bakers challenge !!

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:

1. Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
5. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
6. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
7. 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:

1. Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
3. Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
4. 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.)

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.

Directions:

By hand:

1. Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl.
2. 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.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it.
4. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into mixture and then use your fingertips.
5. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
6. 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:

1. Put sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
3. 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.

4. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients then use your fingertips.
5. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
6. 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:

1. Heat the oven to 375ºF [190ºC/gas mark 5].
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. 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.
11. Put the tart in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
12. 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.)
13. 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:

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
10. 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.
11. Instead of jam or fruit preserves, cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream.
12. 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)
13. 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.
14. Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
15. 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.)
16. 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:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
2. 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.)
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Place the crostata shell in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
6. 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.
7. Remove from the oven and let the crostata shell cool completely before proceeding.
8. 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.)
9. 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 !!!

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:

1. 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.)
2. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
6. 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.
7. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. 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).
9. 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.
10. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
11. 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 !!

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 !!!

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 !!

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 !!

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 !!

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 !!

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 !!

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 ;))