SWEET!!! <--- click
Eat, be and see. By teegee
I am just a happy Ohio girl right now! Though I have to say, I always get asked where I am from and people are surprised I am a native. “Unique” is a good word. Currently I just study A LOT and work an extremely unprofessional job (waitress). I am finishing my Masters in Biology with a Micro focus and hopefully going on to even MORE school soon. What I am excited for right now: berry picking season, my first CSA (!), summer festivals, attempting an heirloom garden, making rain barrels, trying to get into more school, applying to volunteer in South America soon and getting a REAL job. On that note if anyone has any contacts in the biology or health fields… hook a sister up!
How long have you been a Daring Baker/Daring Cook and what’s your favorite thing about being in the group(s) so far?
I have been in DB since May 2008. I originally joined because I am primarily a cook, not a baker. I needed someone or something to force me to bake! I do a mean cheesecake, crème brulee, panna cotta and cookies… but that was it. I know techniques and I am a wickedly fast learner so all I needed was the idea. I like that it inspires me to make things I would never have made before. I am not a big cake person, but when you get a cake challenge you can be so creative with it that by the time its done you love it. You want to protect it. You want to take it to the mall for a photo shoot and pass out wallets. Then you want to call all your friends, family, neighbors… and maybe the guy you see every time you go to the store… and celebrate its taste explosion/ blood sugar hike with all of them. For me: cake= blah, DB cake challenge + lots of thought = hey, I like THIS cake!
It make things exciting is what I am trying to say.
What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? How about your favorite kitchen appliance?
Am I allowed to say a fork? Because I love eating and a fork helps me a lot! Okay really though, my knife. I know I should say some chopper or slicer or mixer or something-that-braids-my-hair-whilst-simultaneously-making-sugar-flowers-so-my-hands-are-free-for-chopping… but I really love my knife. I use her a lot (she’s a girl). I am always chopping something, and I cook far more than I bake, so she sort of feels like a hand extension most of the time. Also, my wooden spoon! It cooks, it bakes, it flips, it stirs, it’s rustic and old and has a long handle. It’s wonderful.
Are you known for making a certain dish or dessert? If so, what is it?
Well, I am known for a lot of food! For savory foods I think the most well-practiced things I make are spaghetti sauce, roasts, enchiladas and curry. That sounds so homey, and I really don’t cook like that a lot but I do come back to those eventually. I usually am trying a new dish, like all the time! I make Thai, Mexican, Japanese and Indian food very often. I just see what’s on sale and but it at the store. I never use recipes (only to get ideas). Cooking isn’t math, its art. Once you get a feel for flavors and balance you will be able to make anything! That reminds me of Thanksgiving last year. I have made [the whole] Thanksgiving dinner for my family (10-12 people at dinner) since I was 21. My family once asked for a “menu” with ingredients listed so they will have reference points should they request a dish. I haven’t used a single recipe for Thanksgiving so they know if they want it again I need to remember how I made it! My dad says “Mmmm, this is good Tara… go write it down!” For my dinners at home, I usually just toss things together with a theme and then I have a yummy meal. As a result of the way I cook, things don’t get repeated too much. My roomie would say I make a mean grilled cheese sammie, because she can’t/ doesn’t like to cook and that all she ever wants!
For sweets I make the best cheesecake ever! I am not afraid to brag a little because I really think it’s the best! It is simple and delicious. There is no chocolate or caramel in it (those things aren’t bad, just stay away from my cheesecake) and the main flavor is vanilla, enhanced by good quality ingredients. I also make a great chocolate chip cookie (to the joy of the Bio department at school) and ice cream! I make popsicles and ice cream in the summer a lot. I also make everyone’s Bday cakes/ desserts. Oh yeah, I make a really good Italian Meringue Buttercream too.
Great, I’m going to go eat an IMBC-coated popsicle dipped in curry and coated in chimichurri. Thanks guys.
Is there any recipe and/or technique that we haven’t covered yet that you’d really like to make/learn?
I would like to see some traditional ethnic recipes for the Daring Cooks. I know that’s not easy because the DBers and DCers are from all over the world and may not have access to certain ingredients, but a girl can dream. Savories: Middle Eastern tagines, Jamaican Jerks, Japanese soups (w/ homemade dashi), Mexican Moles (make some tortillas anyone?), Spanish Paellas, etc. For sweets, since I haven’t baked a lot, I have a simpler list: real English steamed puddings, soufflé, 12 layer apple cake, pavlova, baklava, etc. The list is forever long, but those are a few examples of what I just thought about!
Do you have a favorite movie? Book? Genre of music?
Haha, so funny you ask! My favorite genre is sci-fi, maybe a girly movie/book in there sometimes. I LOVE reading. That’s probably my #2 hobby besides cooking.
Here are a few of my fave books: Harry Potter, Wheel of Time, Outlanders, LOTR, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Incarnations of Immortality, Sabriel, Brave New World, Enders Game and any cool micro book. Books I am looking forward to: Book 12 of Wheel of Time and Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint.
Movies: Love Actually, Harry Potter, Red Road, LOTRs, Star Wars, Reign Over Me, V for Vendetta, 300, Transformers, Event Horizon, Pan's Labyrinth, Death at a Funeral, Shaun of the Dead, Paris je'taime, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Wit, The Tao of Steve, Under the Tuscan Sun, The Pianist, Kill Bill, Vanilla Sky, The Fifth Element, Big Fish, Adaptation, Awakenings… probably forgetting some.
Music: Ill just give you my top five because I have a TON of music! Motion City Soundtrack, Tom Petty, Mika, Jewel, Wallflowers. Julia Nunes is great too. She works with a ukulele and its awesome, happy music.
You’ve just won $5000.00!!! But it comes with some stipulations… you can’t spend it on your kids or your significant other! This is all YOURS. What would you spend it on? (We’re also going to fantasize that you have no bills whatsoever! Woo!! Hehee)
Well, I don’t have a S.O. OR kiddos, so that’s a pretty easy question! The responsible side of me says to save it for my (never ending) schooling. But, if I could do one thing right now I think I would go back to Ecuador. I went to Tiputini Biodiversity Station in December 2008 and it was AMAZING. Its in the middle of the rainforest (2 boat rides and a bus ride away from cities) right on the Tiputini River in Yasuni National Park. I have been to Ireland, England, France, Italy and Mexico, but Ecuador has stolen my heart. People at the station put in a lot of effort to research and conserve the habitat, it is breathtaking. They are trying understand all the effects of oil drilling and learn as much as possible before its too late. It’s really an impossible job that’s requires a lot of dedication but the relentless nature of Rainforest destruction make it an important undertaking. Soooo, yeah… I would take that $5k and milk it for all its worth to stay as long as possible in the Rainforest and help out.
What is the ultimate comfort food to you?
Really, its simple. Anything I cook that is in season. I always want “summery” foods in the summer and “wintery” foods in winter, you know? Cooking itself is more comforting to me than eating. Its relaxing and just… zen.
Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite... why?
FALL! Followed closely by summer. Fall in the Midwest is beautiful, and that’s when all the festivals begin! Its cozy. Summer too… mostly because summer is very conducive to good food, due to amazing ingredients, and fun activities.
Other than cooking and/or baking... what hobbies do you enjoy?
Travel, science, reading, decorating with cheap stuff so it looks expensive, google-ing everything, hiking, road biking, kayaking, camping, absorbing all the little moments that make life grand and generally always working towards my goals.
You can visit Tara on her blog Eat, be and see. By teegee
Showing posts with label daring baker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daring baker. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
April Daring Bakers: Cheesecake.
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.
That was the obligatory blog checking line. Its how the Daring Bakers know we participate. We were allowed to make some changes to the flavors... and I went for it! The original is a simple cheesecake recipe. I usually make one similar to that because fussed up cheesecakes turn me off. No caramel or chocolate or oreos here. Those are all good, just not in my cheesecake! I wanted to dress it up a little so I decided to go with a Goat cheese, lavender and honey cheesecake. Mmmmm. It turned out wonderfully!
Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake (Original Recipe):
crust:
180 g graham cracker crumbs
4 oz butter, melted
24 g sugar
1 t vanilla extract
cheesecake:
24 oz room temp cream cheese
210 g sugar
3 large eggs
8 oz heavy cream
1 T lemon juice
Innards of 1 vanilla bean
My recipe:
crust:
30 squares graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
cheesecake:
1.5 blocks cream cheese, room temp
4 oz goat cheese, room temp
1 pint sour cream, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
2/3 c honey
2 t lemon juice
2 T dried lavender flowers, crushed to a fine powder (got mine at the health food store)
Innards of 1 vanilla bean
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.
3. Add cream cheese, goat cheese and sour cream into a bowl and whisk (or beat on low) together. 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 honey, vanilla bean scrapings and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. *** Important note: over beating makes cheesecake tough and grainy, kind of like scrambled eggs. You want to minimally mix the cheesecake, and always on low. This way you will get a ridiculously silky cheesecake. remove about 1/3 of the batter, this will be the lavender flavored bit. Add the lavender flowers and a bit of purple food color (optional).
4. Pour non lavender batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Drizzle in the lavender batter on to in a zigzag fashion. Tap again. Pull a toothpick though the top of the cheesecake so it looks streaky. I just did a huge swirly design. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cheesecake to jiggle in the center... like jello sort of. It wont look done to you, trust me. Pull cheesecake out and chill to room temp. Chill in fridge for 4 hours. Eat! It helps to slice it with a knife dipped in HOT water, so you get a nice looking slice.
The swirly lavendery cheesecake. 
YUM.
That was the obligatory blog checking line. Its how the Daring Bakers know we participate. We were allowed to make some changes to the flavors... and I went for it! The original is a simple cheesecake recipe. I usually make one similar to that because fussed up cheesecakes turn me off. No caramel or chocolate or oreos here. Those are all good, just not in my cheesecake! I wanted to dress it up a little so I decided to go with a Goat cheese, lavender and honey cheesecake. Mmmmm. It turned out wonderfully!
Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake (Original Recipe):
crust:
180 g graham cracker crumbs
4 oz butter, melted
24 g sugar
1 t vanilla extract
cheesecake:
24 oz room temp cream cheese
210 g sugar
3 large eggs
8 oz heavy cream
1 T lemon juice
Innards of 1 vanilla bean
My recipe:
crust:
30 squares graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
cheesecake:
1.5 blocks cream cheese, room temp
4 oz goat cheese, room temp
1 pint sour cream, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
2/3 c honey
2 t lemon juice
2 T dried lavender flowers, crushed to a fine powder (got mine at the health food store)
Innards of 1 vanilla bean
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.
3. Add cream cheese, goat cheese and sour cream into a bowl and whisk (or beat on low) together. 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 honey, vanilla bean scrapings and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. *** Important note: over beating makes cheesecake tough and grainy, kind of like scrambled eggs. You want to minimally mix the cheesecake, and always on low. This way you will get a ridiculously silky cheesecake. remove about 1/3 of the batter, this will be the lavender flavored bit. Add the lavender flowers and a bit of purple food color (optional).
4. Pour non lavender batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Drizzle in the lavender batter on to in a zigzag fashion. Tap again. Pull a toothpick though the top of the cheesecake so it looks streaky. I just did a huge swirly design. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cheesecake to jiggle in the center... like jello sort of. It wont look done to you, trust me. Pull cheesecake out and chill to room temp. Chill in fridge for 4 hours. Eat! It helps to slice it with a knife dipped in HOT water, so you get a nice looking slice.
Ingredients: Vanilla, goat cheese and lavender.
Close up.
More.
The swirly lavendery cheesecake. 
YUM.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Caramel Sauce: How to?
Caramel Sauce! For my February Daring Bakers Challenge I made a caramel sauce to go with the cake we made. I thought I would show how to make it.
Caramel Sauce
1.5 c sugar
2 T H2O
2 T butter
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1. Heat sugar and water in a pan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. DO NOT STIR: if you stir the sugar could re-crystallize and you will end up with something like this (Dave really is a great cook, but don't stir it. Don't.).
2. When the sugar melts it should be about the consistency of clear maple syrup. It will turn brown. This happens very fast, and it will burn if you aren't vigilant. Once you see a little teeny hint of brown do not leave it alone. Just gently swirl the pan. When its a dark amber color add the butter. Stir gently (okay, NOW you can stir). Remove from heat.
3. Add the heavy cream and stir. It will bubble a lot, so be careful.
4. Add vanilla and salt.
5. Done. Store in fridge and just microwave when you're ready for it to be warm and gooey. Its pretty simple but for a more detailed description go here.
Caramel Sauce
1.5 c sugar
2 T H2O
2 T butter
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1. Heat sugar and water in a pan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. DO NOT STIR: if you stir the sugar could re-crystallize and you will end up with something like this (Dave really is a great cook, but don't stir it. Don't.).
2. When the sugar melts it should be about the consistency of clear maple syrup. It will turn brown. This happens very fast, and it will burn if you aren't vigilant. Once you see a little teeny hint of brown do not leave it alone. Just gently swirl the pan. When its a dark amber color add the butter. Stir gently (okay, NOW you can stir). Remove from heat.
3. Add the heavy cream and stir. It will bubble a lot, so be careful.
4. Add vanilla and salt.
5. Done. Store in fridge and just microwave when you're ready for it to be warm and gooey. Its pretty simple but for a more detailed description go here.
Sugar melted and liquid. 
First hint of color. 
After about 30 seconds.
Another few seconds.
And another few seconds. 
After about 30 seconds.
Another few seconds.
And another few seconds. 
Add the butter, remove from heat, then add the cream.
Stirring it in.
Yummy nummy sauce. Add the vanilla and the salt. Done.
Closeup of finished sauce being drizzled.
Stirring it in.
Yummy nummy sauce. Add the vanilla and the salt. Done.
Closeup of finished sauce being drizzled.
Friday, February 27, 2009
February Daring Bakers... Chocolate Valentino!
Back for another Daring Bakers Challenge! This month we are doing a flourless chocolate cake aka chocolate valentino.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
What is in a flourless chocolate cake you ask? Well, there is chocolate... butter... and eggs. The end. That's it?! Yes, that's it. Really. Now I am not going to lie... I was totally prepared to HATE this cake. I really don't like chocolate and this is just too much. Buuut upon making the cake I decided it didn't totally suck. I decided I would make a caramel sauce because chocolate and caramel is a nice pairing, no? Then I got a little nuts. I made roasted banana ice cream, thinking caramel and banana= bananas foster= yum. So that's cool. Chocolate cake, roasted banana ice cream and caramel sauce. Simple and tasty. Then I decided I wanted in on this bacon-in-sweet-things action. I made bacon ice cream too. So chocolate cake, bacon ice cream and caramel sauce. well it sound like it should work right? Oh and did I mention I cant eat egg yolks? Read on...
Chocolate Valentino from DB
454 g (1lb) chocolate, roughly chopped
146 g of unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
1. Put chocolate and butter in a bowl. Nuke in microwave for 1 minute bursts until smooth and melty.
2. While your chocolate and butter mixture is cooling, butter you baking pan (I used 4 oz Apilco ramekins).
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put the whites into a large bowl and the yolks into a small bowl.
4. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. Stir the yolks with a fork until runny and lighter.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter (some white really is okay).
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F for 12 minutes (for the ramekins).
9. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then carve around edges with a SHARP knife and unmold.
Roasted Banana Ice Cream
3 bananas, cut into 1 in pieces
1/3 c brown sugar
2 c half and half
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
2 t lemon juice
1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Toss bananas and brown sugar together, then spread in a baking dish.
3. Roast for about 25 min, stirring halfway trough.
4. Scrape bananas and all the sugary, sticky goodness into blender. Blend.
5. Add half and half, vanilla seeds and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
6. Freeze according to your ice cream maker.
*If you don't have an ice cream maker you could add some brandy (2-4 Tablespoons-ish) to this and put in a shallow dish. Place the dish in your freezer and pull out every 30 min and beat with a handheld mixer. Tedious, but it works. The -OH keeps huge ice crystals from forming.
7. Put in freezer!
Bacon Brittle Ice cream
1/2 lb bacon (preferably thick cut), diced
2 T brown sugar
1 T butter
1/4 c maple syrup
2 c half and half
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
2 T brandy
1. Prepare bacon for its ice cream adventure. Fry up the diced bacon until crispy. Drain well. Set aside.
2. Heat brown sugar and butter in microwave (1 min bursts) until it makes a caramely like sauce. 3. Stir in about 2/3 of the bacon and pour mixture into a greased plate or cookie sheet. Let cool.
4. While bacon brittle is cooling, make your ice cream. Mix half and half, maple syrup, vanilla seeds and brandy in a bowl.
5. Freeze according to your ice cream maker.
6. While ice cream is freezing, chop up the cooled bacon brittle.
7. When Ice cream is nearly done freezing add bacon brittle and the 1/3 you saved before (that wasn't added to the brittle).
8. Chuck in freezer in a well-sealed container.
Caramel Sauce
1.5 c sugar
2 T H2O
2 T butter
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1. Heat sugar and water in a pan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. DO NOT STIR (will cause your sugar to eff up... just don't do it).
2. When the sugar melts and turns brown (happens really fast) add the butter and stir a little (okay, NOW you can stir). Remove from heat.
3. Add the heavy cream and stir. It will bubble a lot, so be careful.
4. Add vanilla and salt.
4. Done. Store in fridge and just microwave when youe ready for it to be warm and gooey. Its pretty simple but for a more detailed description go here.
Mmmmm caramel sauce...
I wanted to represent the ingredients. You all are lucky I didn't throw
a strip of bacon in the background for good measure!
Bacon Brittle Ice Cream
Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Inside of de cake.
CAKE- Now I would like to say that I did have a bite of the cake. I used dark chocolate (not super dark) and did not add any sugar, and surprisingly, I liked it! I still don't think I could eat even one whole little cake, its still A LOT of chocolate. More and more though, I think its the ridiculous amount if sugar in chocolate things that I don't like. I don't have big sweet tooth (salt tooth anyone?) so maybe that's it? Maybe my tastes are changing and I am just beginning to dig the stuff. Who knows? I would much prefer a fruity dessert to a chocolaty one still. Oh and did I mention that I will be making myself a yolk-free one soon? We'll have to see how that affects it. My body refuses to digest yolks, so I cant eat the cake. One little bite is okay though... ;) As far as chocolate desserts go, molten chocolate cakes win, but this wasnt bad... just too much for me. 
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
What is in a flourless chocolate cake you ask? Well, there is chocolate... butter... and eggs. The end. That's it?! Yes, that's it. Really. Now I am not going to lie... I was totally prepared to HATE this cake. I really don't like chocolate and this is just too much. Buuut upon making the cake I decided it didn't totally suck. I decided I would make a caramel sauce because chocolate and caramel is a nice pairing, no? Then I got a little nuts. I made roasted banana ice cream, thinking caramel and banana= bananas foster= yum. So that's cool. Chocolate cake, roasted banana ice cream and caramel sauce. Simple and tasty. Then I decided I wanted in on this bacon-in-sweet-things action. I made bacon ice cream too. So chocolate cake, bacon ice cream and caramel sauce. well it sound like it should work right? Oh and did I mention I cant eat egg yolks? Read on...
Chocolate Valentino from DB
454 g (1lb) chocolate, roughly chopped
146 g of unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
1. Put chocolate and butter in a bowl. Nuke in microwave for 1 minute bursts until smooth and melty.
2. While your chocolate and butter mixture is cooling, butter you baking pan (I used 4 oz Apilco ramekins).
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put the whites into a large bowl and the yolks into a small bowl.
4. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. Stir the yolks with a fork until runny and lighter.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter (some white really is okay).
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F for 12 minutes (for the ramekins).
9. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then carve around edges with a SHARP knife and unmold.
Roasted Banana Ice Cream
3 bananas, cut into 1 in pieces
1/3 c brown sugar
2 c half and half
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
2 t lemon juice
1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Toss bananas and brown sugar together, then spread in a baking dish.
3. Roast for about 25 min, stirring halfway trough.
4. Scrape bananas and all the sugary, sticky goodness into blender. Blend.
5. Add half and half, vanilla seeds and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
6. Freeze according to your ice cream maker.
*If you don't have an ice cream maker you could add some brandy (2-4 Tablespoons-ish) to this and put in a shallow dish. Place the dish in your freezer and pull out every 30 min and beat with a handheld mixer. Tedious, but it works. The -OH keeps huge ice crystals from forming.
7. Put in freezer!
Bacon Brittle Ice cream
1/2 lb bacon (preferably thick cut), diced
2 T brown sugar
1 T butter
1/4 c maple syrup
2 c half and half
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
2 T brandy
1. Prepare bacon for its ice cream adventure. Fry up the diced bacon until crispy. Drain well. Set aside.
2. Heat brown sugar and butter in microwave (1 min bursts) until it makes a caramely like sauce. 3. Stir in about 2/3 of the bacon and pour mixture into a greased plate or cookie sheet. Let cool.
4. While bacon brittle is cooling, make your ice cream. Mix half and half, maple syrup, vanilla seeds and brandy in a bowl.
5. Freeze according to your ice cream maker.
6. While ice cream is freezing, chop up the cooled bacon brittle.
7. When Ice cream is nearly done freezing add bacon brittle and the 1/3 you saved before (that wasn't added to the brittle).
8. Chuck in freezer in a well-sealed container.
Caramel Sauce
1.5 c sugar
2 T H2O
2 T butter
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1. Heat sugar and water in a pan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. DO NOT STIR (will cause your sugar to eff up... just don't do it).
2. When the sugar melts and turns brown (happens really fast) add the butter and stir a little (okay, NOW you can stir). Remove from heat.
3. Add the heavy cream and stir. It will bubble a lot, so be careful.
4. Add vanilla and salt.
4. Done. Store in fridge and just microwave when youe ready for it to be warm and gooey. Its pretty simple but for a more detailed description go here.
Banana ice cream in foreground, bacon in background.
Mmmmm caramel sauce... 
I wanted to represent the ingredients. You all are lucky I didn't throw a strip of bacon in the background for good measure!
Bacon Brittle Ice Cream
Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Inside of de cake.
CAKE- Now I would like to say that I did have a bite of the cake. I used dark chocolate (not super dark) and did not add any sugar, and surprisingly, I liked it! I still don't think I could eat even one whole little cake, its still A LOT of chocolate. More and more though, I think its the ridiculous amount if sugar in chocolate things that I don't like. I don't have big sweet tooth (salt tooth anyone?) so maybe that's it? Maybe my tastes are changing and I am just beginning to dig the stuff. Who knows? I would much prefer a fruity dessert to a chocolaty one still. Oh and did I mention that I will be making myself a yolk-free one soon? We'll have to see how that affects it. My body refuses to digest yolks, so I cant eat the cake. One little bite is okay though... ;) As far as chocolate desserts go, molten chocolate cakes win, but this wasnt bad... just too much for me. ICE CREAM- The roasted banana was awesome!!! If you like bananas foster it tastes like that... but ice cream! Seriously Im going to spoon some out of the freezer right now... lol. The bacon ice cream was good too, but it had that hint of salty/sweet and maple flavor as well. More complex than the banana for sure. I would maybe serve it with something less in-your-face like this cake is. Maybe with a simple apple pie it would work? The choc just competes too much with it, flavor wise. But still... its bacon. Bacon ice cream. Insta-love.
My cheap set up...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January Daring Bakers... Tuiles!
This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda 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.
Go to The Daring Bakers!
Okay so that was the obligatory blog-checking line, I hope? Well anyway we get to make tuiles! Ive been wanting to make these for a while now, but I had simply added then to the "later" category in the back of my head! Well... now! Ordinarily tuiles are quite simple, but I had to crazy it up! These kinds of challenges are my favorite kind, there is a lot of freedom and it does not involve chocolate! A baker not liking chocolate? I know, I know.
I really wanted to do something in season fruit-wise, so I chose blood oranges! I love me some blood oranges. The first time I ever had them I was in Sicily and ordered a glass of fresh blood orange juice. Yum. Well, hope you think these are creative! My additions are in red.
Sweet tuiles: Cardamom tuiles with coconut mousse and blood orange jellies.
Savory tuiles: Marmite tuiles with avocado mousse and flaked salmon.
Sweet Tuiles from “The Chocolate Book” by Angélique Schmeinck
65 g softened butter
60 g sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar dash vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 t cardamom powder
65 g sifted AP flour
Oven: 350F
Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirri
ng 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. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Bake in a preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still very warm, so place the baking sheet on a pulled out oven rack and shape while in front and slightly inside the oven.
Coconut Mousse by me
1/2 c heavy cream
1 T sugar
dash coconut extract
1.5 T unsweetened coconut flake
Whip cream, add sugar and extract then add coconut.
Blood Orange Jellies by me
1 c blood orange juice, strained of all pulp
1 T sugar
1 packet gelatin
Bloom gelatin on blood orange juice for 10 min. Microwave in 10 second bust and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, dissolve. Pour into am 8in round cake pan and plane in refrigerator overnight. Cut into 1/4 in cubes with a very sharp knife.
For the sweet ones I made a square stencil (from a cardboard milk carton) and when they were done baking I folded three corners in and left one flat. Pipe in coconut mousse and decorate with blood orange jellies. Garnish with blood orange segments and coconut. Pretty simple. These are wonderful little cookies and simple! The stenciling takes the most time but after you get the hang of it is no biggie.
Savory Tuiles from "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller
65 g AP flour
1 T plus 1 t sugar
1 t kosher salt 1 T marmite
114 g unsalted butter, softened
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Oven: 400F
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point. Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door (this will help keep the cornets warm as you roll them and prevent them from becoming too stiff to roll).
Avocado Mousse by me
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 mashed avocado
1 t lemon juice
Whip cream and add mashed avo and lemon juice. Add a dash of white pepper and salt to taste. Whip for 10 more seconds to combine.
For these I simply made a circle stencil and when they were cooked I put then into a mini-muffin tin to for nice ripples. I am GLAD I chose these to do round b/c they are finicky as hell! They will over cook so fast in the oven, I wasted a whole pan of then b/c they got too done. They are harder to shape if they are over done. I feel the amount of butter is excessive, so I added more flour and they were still oily when they were done. I know the butter:flour ratio is such maybe to offset the lack of sugar in the savory recipe, but man! Oh well it worked out well in the end. I just piped in the mousse and put a piece of salmon on top, garnished with smoked paprika.
See how thin they are?
Assembly of the sweet tuiles. Be careful! Yes, that is an ice cube tray! Lol.
Sweet tuiles done!
I had to showcase the insane amount of snow we got.
Close up. Yummm,
Savory tuiles.
Close up.
Go to The Daring Bakers!
Okay so that was the obligatory blog-checking line, I hope? Well anyway we get to make tuiles! Ive been wanting to make these for a while now, but I had simply added then to the "later" category in the back of my head! Well... now! Ordinarily tuiles are quite simple, but I had to crazy it up! These kinds of challenges are my favorite kind, there is a lot of freedom and it does not involve chocolate! A baker not liking chocolate? I know, I know.
I really wanted to do something in season fruit-wise, so I chose blood oranges! I love me some blood oranges. The first time I ever had them I was in Sicily and ordered a glass of fresh blood orange juice. Yum. Well, hope you think these are creative! My additions are in red.
Sweet tuiles: Cardamom tuiles with coconut mousse and blood orange jellies.
Savory tuiles: Marmite tuiles with avocado mousse and flaked salmon.
Sweet Tuiles from “The Chocolate Book” by Angélique Schmeinck
65 g softened butter
60 g sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 large egg whites
1 t cardamom powder
65 g sifted AP flour
Oven: 350F
Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirri
ng 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. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Bake in a preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still very warm, so place the baking sheet on a pulled out oven rack and shape while in front and slightly inside the oven. Coconut Mousse by me
1/2 c heavy cream
1 T sugar
dash coconut extract
1.5 T unsweetened coconut flake
Whip cream, add sugar and extract then add coconut.
Blood Orange Jellies by me
1 c blood orange juice, strained of all pulp
1 T sugar
1 packet gelatin
Bloom gelatin on blood orange juice for 10 min. Microwave in 10 second bust and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, dissolve. Pour into am 8in round cake pan and plane in refrigerator overnight. Cut into 1/4 in cubes with a very sharp knife.
For the sweet ones I made a square stencil (from a cardboard milk carton) and when they were done baking I folded three corners in and left one flat. Pipe in coconut mousse and decorate with blood orange jellies. Garnish with blood orange segments and coconut. Pretty simple. These are wonderful little cookies and simple! The stenciling takes the most time but after you get the hang of it is no biggie.
Savory Tuiles from "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller
65 g AP flour
1 T plus 1 t sugar
114 g unsalted butter, softened
2 large egg whites
Oven: 400F
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point. Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door (this will help keep the cornets warm as you roll them and prevent them from becoming too stiff to roll).
Avocado Mousse by me
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 mashed avocado
1 t lemon juice
Whip cream and add mashed avo and lemon juice. Add a dash of white pepper and salt to taste. Whip for 10 more seconds to combine.
For these I simply made a circle stencil and when they were cooked I put then into a mini-muffin tin to for nice ripples. I am GLAD I chose these to do round b/c they are finicky as hell! They will over cook so fast in the oven, I wasted a whole pan of then b/c they got too done. They are harder to shape if they are over done. I feel the amount of butter is excessive, so I added more flour and they were still oily when they were done. I know the butter:flour ratio is such maybe to offset the lack of sugar in the savory recipe, but man! Oh well it worked out well in the end. I just piped in the mousse and put a piece of salmon on top, garnished with smoked paprika.
Now for the pics!
Blood oranges.
Stenciling the sweet tuiles.
See how thin they are?
Assembly of the sweet tuiles. Be careful! Yes, that is an ice cube tray! Lol.
Sweet tuiles done!
I had to showcase the insane amount of snow we got.
Close up. Yummm,
Savory tuiles.
Close up.
<3
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Daring Bakers Challenge- October!
Okay, here is the daring bakers challenge for October... Pizza! I like pizza but only when its home made. I decided to make a shimp pizza and and ancovy pizza (b/c thats my FAVE topping!!!). The dough was good, but I had to add a lot of flour and then rosemary to make it the best dough ever! I even used a little of my new robust, spicy olive oil on the top of the pizzas.
I noted changes in red.
BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
Original recipe from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups Unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup Olive oil
1 3/4 Cups Water
1 Tb sugar
Cornmeal for dusting
Chopped rosemary
Day One
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).
2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.
3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.
4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).
5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.
6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.
7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days. I only rested it for a couple hours and room temp.
Day Two
8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.
9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).
10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.
11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.
12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.
14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.
The Pizza dough, with rosemary added.
Shrimp pizza.
Roasted garlic, Precooked shrimp marinated in spices, Mozzerella cheese
Anchovy and Basil Pizza.
Tomato sauce with roasted garlic, mozz and parm cheese, oregano, fresh basil, anchovy fillets (torn).
<3
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Second Daring Bakers Challenge... Fruit and Chocolate Danishes!
So this is my second daring bakers challenge, and I have to say... I liked it! I thought MAKING it was the OKAY part... but the eating was way better! This is a yeast danish dough, and having made it, I am pretty sure all the danishes I have had have been made with puff pastry! WTF? I thought the finished danish was a good, homey treat that may not have been entirely worth the trouble. I can think of about 1000 shortcuts and getting the same result. It was good to do though, I have never made a laminated dough before. The apricot one was my fave and I didn't even the chocolate one (yes, a baker with an aversion to chocolate). Whatev... I am in a little time crunch right now, so I cant type a a bunch of clever stuff... but here's my post! I may add more later...
Danish Recipe via Daring Bakers (with my changes made)
DETREMPE (dough)
-- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
-- 1/2 cup 1% milk
-- 1/3 cup sugar
-- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-- 2 large eggs, chilled
-- 1 teaspoon salt
-- 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-- Bloom yeast in milk. Slowly add sugar, vanilla extract, salt and eggs. Mix well. Add sifted flour in 1/2 cup at a time, until dough forms. Knead dough on floured surface for about 5 mins.
BEURRAGE (butter block)
-- 1/2 pound cold unsalted butter (organic)
-- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-- Combine butter and flour in a bowl and beat until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
ASSEMBLE DOUGH
--- After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
--- Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
--- Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used.
FILLINGS
Apricot filling: quarter fresh apricots and cook with a little sugar and water until soft and jam-like, cool then spread into braid.
Raspberry-cheese filling: add 2 T sugar to a block of cream cheese and combine. Spread raspberry jam onto braid, then dot with cream cheese mix.
Chocolate: make chocolate pastry cream, with extra sugar, and fill braid with that.
ASSEMBLE BRAID (2 braids)
-- 1 recipe Danish Dough
-- 2 cups filling
-- Egg wash: large egg, plus 1 yolk
--- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
--- Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
--- Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.
--- Proof for 90 mins at 90F. Brush on egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. I glazed it with a powdered suagr and milk glaze...
Here's the braid after it bakes. The apricot was my fave, hands down!
<3 Tara
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
First Daring Bakers Challenge... Pistachio and Rose Opera Cake!!!
Okay dear readers, this is my initial Daring Bakers challenge post. I have one thing to say: don't hold it against me that I have a crappy camera! My photos definitely don't look all artsy and such... maybe one day. Okay so the ladies at Daring Bakers accepted my application
and I got started! The traditional opera cake is made with chocolate and coffee flavors, but since its Spring and all we were challenged to do some Springy flavors. This works for me b/c I don't like chocolate (GASP!). I saw a loooooot of matcha ones... mmmm, no. I love Indian flavors so I decided that I would make a pistachio and rose opera cake! Totally based off two really popular Indian sweets ingredients. I would like to mention that I did have to make a few changes to the recipe, due to my egg yolk allergy. I also reduced the overall sugar of the recipe in each step, b/c I don't like things too sweet. Nothing toooo big though. Here are the changes I made:
Jaconde: Used mostly whites and a little butter for some fat that would be missing from the yolks. Also used pistachios instead of almonds. Reduced the sugar too.
Buttercream: Used my own tried and true Italian Meringue buttercream recipe I perfected last fall! I made a rose syrup with some petals and used rose as the flavor.
Mousse: I made a whipped mousse and didn't use any liquor.
Glaze: Made a rose glaze too.
Here's the recipe via Daring Bakers:
A Taste of Light: Opéra Cake
For the joconde
Ingredients:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.
2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).
3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.
5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.
6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).
7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.
8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.
9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.
10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
For the syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice
1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream
Ingredients:
1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)
1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.
2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.
3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.
4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!
5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).
6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.
7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.
8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.
9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).
For the white chocolate ganache/mousse
Ingredients:
7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)
1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
For the glaze
Ingredients:
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)
1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Assembling the Opéra Cake
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.
Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Here is my pic of the Jaconde in progress. Its a really pretty greeeeen from the pistachios, that's all really. Yum.
Here is my pic of the rose reduction I made. I went to the health food store and got some dried organic roses and then boiled them! I put the resulting "mush" in my french press and strained it that way. Then, back into the pot to really reduce and concentrate the flavor. I then used this liquid to make the sugar mix for my Italian buttercream.
The finished little cake. I assembled it all, the cut out rounds. I think my cutter may be on its last leg b/c it wasn't so good at a clean cut. This is why my PERFECT layers are all wonky... sad face. So it goes:
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--white chcolate mousse--
--rose syrup--
--rose garnish--
--Into Tara's mouth!--
Verdict:
Basically, imagine a sugary, diabetic heaven where your two favorite flavors converge and you get eternal ecstasy for being a good baker in your living years. Yeah... that's about it. VERY VERY tasty. It was a lot of effort, but I made this for my step mom for mothers day and she basically said it was the best cake ever! Yay! She said every holiday, bday or any occasion I am to bring this (or my cheesecake, which is pretty good too). I might streamline the process a bit down the road.
<3 Tara
and I got started! The traditional opera cake is made with chocolate and coffee flavors, but since its Spring and all we were challenged to do some Springy flavors. This works for me b/c I don't like chocolate (GASP!). I saw a loooooot of matcha ones... mmmm, no. I love Indian flavors so I decided that I would make a pistachio and rose opera cake! Totally based off two really popular Indian sweets ingredients. I would like to mention that I did have to make a few changes to the recipe, due to my egg yolk allergy. I also reduced the overall sugar of the recipe in each step, b/c I don't like things too sweet. Nothing toooo big though. Here are the changes I made:
Jaconde: Used mostly whites and a little butter for some fat that would be missing from the yolks. Also used pistachios instead of almonds. Reduced the sugar too.
Buttercream: Used my own tried and true Italian Meringue buttercream recipe I perfected last fall! I made a rose syrup with some petals and used rose as the flavor.
Mousse: I made a whipped mousse and didn't use any liquor.
Glaze: Made a rose glaze too.
Here's the recipe via Daring Bakers:
A Taste of Light: Opéra Cake
For the joconde
Ingredients:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.
2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).
3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.
5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.
6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).
7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.
8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.
9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.
10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
For the syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice
1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream
Ingredients:
1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)
1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.
2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.
3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.
4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!
5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).
6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.
7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.
8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.
9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).
For the white chocolate ganache/mousse
Ingredients:
7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)
1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
For the glaze
Ingredients:
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)
1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Assembling the Opéra Cake
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.
Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Here is my pic of the Jaconde in progress. Its a really pretty greeeeen from the pistachios, that's all really. Yum.
Here is my pic of the rose reduction I made. I went to the health food store and got some dried organic roses and then boiled them! I put the resulting "mush" in my french press and strained it that way. Then, back into the pot to really reduce and concentrate the flavor. I then used this liquid to make the sugar mix for my Italian buttercream.
The finished little cake. I assembled it all, the cut out rounds. I think my cutter may be on its last leg b/c it wasn't so good at a clean cut. This is why my PERFECT layers are all wonky... sad face. So it goes:
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--rose buttercream--
--pistachio jaconde with syrup--
--white chcolate mousse--
--rose syrup--
--rose garnish--
--Into Tara's mouth!--
Verdict:
Basically, imagine a sugary, diabetic heaven where your two favorite flavors converge and you get eternal ecstasy for being a good baker in your living years. Yeah... that's about it. VERY VERY tasty. It was a lot of effort, but I made this for my step mom for mothers day and she basically said it was the best cake ever! Yay! She said every holiday, bday or any occasion I am to bring this (or my cheesecake, which is pretty good too). I might streamline the process a bit down the road.
<3 Tara
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