LAVASH CRACKERS & TOPPINGS

The Daring Bakers challenge this month was to make Lavash Crackers and create a dip/spread/salsa/relish to accompany it. Our host was Natalie and co-host Shel. Please check out their websites as well as the other Daring Bakers Sites to find a variety of ideas. Part of the challenge was to make them gluten free if we chose to. Mine are not gluten free. Soon I will experiment with gluten free but for now I made them with flour as I needed a new item for a bread basket at work this season.

I made Black & White Sesame Seed Lavash with Chili Dip. I also sprinkled Fleur de Sel and Cayenne Pepper on my Lavash.

The recipe for the basic lavash was from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.

The recipe for the Chili Dip was from a friend of mine Phillis Carey. She is a cooking teacher extraordinarie!!

The key to a crisp lavash,...is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

1 1/2 Cups (6.75 oz) Unbleached Bread Flour

1/2 Teasppon (.13 oz) Salt

1/2 Teaspoon (.055 oz) Instant Yeast

1 Tablespoon (.75 oz) Sugar

1 Tablespoon (.5 oz) Vegetable Oil

3 to 4 Ounces Water (at room temperature)

White Sesame Seeds

Black Sesame Seeds

Fleur de Sel

Cayenne Pepper

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, sugar, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball.

2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 20 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bread-Dough-Has-Been-Mixed-Long-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. If you have a pasta machine take small pieces of the dough and pass it through the machine, starting at 1 and stopping at 6. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of both black and white sesame seeds, fleur de sel and cayenne. Be careful with the cayenne and fleur de sel - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut 1 1/4" wide strips in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

6. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

7. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

CHILI DIP

3/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Chili Paste with Garlic

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger

1 Tablespoon Sugar

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients, and whisk to blend well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crackers and/or vegetables.

RASPBERRY ROSE JAM

Another recipe I got from the World Pastry Forum is this one from John Kraus from the French Pastry School.

I used some beautiful in season raspberries and some rose water that was given to me by Nielsen-Massey.

I have served it on scones and as an additional flavor element to plated desserts. Here is the recipe:

RASPBERRY ROSE JAM

1100g Fresh Raspberries or IQF Raspberries

1000g Sugar

2g Sea Salt

20g Apple Pectin (Patisfrance)

1 Bourbon Vanilla Bean (seeds scraped out)

10g Rose Water

Combine raspberries, 900g sugar, sea salt and vanilla bean seeds and pod in a heavy duty saucepan and let set out covered over night.

The next day bring the mixture to a boil.

Mix 100g sugar and pectin together. Add to boiling mixture and stir to incorporate.

Add rose water and stir. Continue to boil for 3 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Put the cooled mixture in a storage container and keep it refrigerated.

Since it is not canned you should use it within a couple of weeks.

CHOCOLATE CINNAMON ROLLS

I just returned from the World Pastry Forum in Nashville, Tennessee. It was 5 days of classes and 2 days of the International Pastry Competition. USA won Gold, Japan won Silver, and Switzerland won Bronze.
My first class was taught by Ciril Hitz and the first item I chose to recreate at home was Chocolate Danish Dough. I made the cinnamon rolls out of this dough. It is a three day process to develop the dough and the flavor but well worth the effort. The finished product is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The chocolate is complimented by cardamom in the dough and cinnamon sugar in the middle and outside of the rolls.
Croissants can also be made out of this dough and of course danish pastry.
Here is the original recipe with the ingredients I used next to each item. I halved this recipe so that it would fit in a 6 quart mixer. One word of caution: watch your mixer carefully so it doesn't get too hot. This is a very stiff dough and I would suggest removing it from the mixer after the first slow clean up stage and finish kneading it by hand.* This recipe was originally designed to be mixed in a professional 20 quart mixer.

Chocolate Danish Dough
Bread Flour 1600g (3 lb. 8.43 oz.) I used Unbleached Bread Flour King Arthur
Cocoa Powder 100g (3.5 oz.) I used Valrhona
Milk, whole 850g (1 lb. 13.9 oz.)
Eggs, whole 200g (7 oz.)
Granulated Sugar 200g (7 oz.)
Salt 32g (1.12 oz) I used Kosher
Yeast, instant 20g (1.76 oz) I used active dry yeast
Cardamom, ground 1 to 2g (.03 oz)
Unsalted Butter, 83% butterfat 44g (1.55 oz.) I used Plugra

Day 1:
1. Place all of the above ingredients in a 20 quart bowl. Mix on first speed until clean up stage (when the sides of the mixing bowl are clean, about 4 minutes).
2. *Start mixing dough on speed 2 for additional 30 seconds.
3. Cover so no crust forms on the dough and allow 2 hours for fermentation at room temperature.
4. Place dough in a rectangular shape on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover in plastic, and place in refrigerator overnight.
5. Prepare butter block.

Butter Block
Unsalted Butter, 83% butterfat 770g (1 lb. 11.15 oz.) I used Plugra
Vanilla Bean 1 each

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
Using a paddle attachment, combine vanilla bean seeds and butter in a mixer.
Create a butter block for lamination using parchment paper packet and place in refrigerator overnight.

Day 2:
1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place dough in freezer for 30 minutes.
2. Remove butter block from refrigerator and, using a rolling pin, work the butter to a pliable, playdough-like consistency. The butter block and the dough need to be the same consistency.
3. Remove dough from the freezer and roll out to 1/4" thickness.
4. Roll in the butter block and give two tri-folds right away.
5. Cover and place dough into freezer to rest for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from freezer and give an additional tri-fold.
6. Cover and place dough in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
7. Remove dough from freezer and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Day 3:
1. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place into the freezer for 30 - 40 minutes.
2. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll out to 1/8".
3. Spray with a little water and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
4. Roll into a log and cut into desired size pieces and place into sprayed muffin tins.
5. Cover and let rise 2 1/2 hours.
6. Bake in a 350 - 360 degree F. convection oven for about 15 - 18 minutes.
7. Roll in cinnamon and sugar. Let cool and enjoy.

To reheat these rolls the next day just put them in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. They crisp up perfectly.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

The August Daring Baker's challenge was Chocolate Eclairs. It was hosted by MeetaK and Tony Tahhan and the recipe was taken from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme.

All we had to do was follow Pierre's recipe for Pate a Choux and use one chocolate element in or on the eclairs. The suggested filling was Pierre's Chocolate Pastry Cream and let me tell you it is delicious!!

Because I make Eclairs all the time for buffets, I wanted to make them for this challenge but I also wanted to challenge myself to come up with another "play on the traditional eclair". So I decided upon a "Deconstructed Eclair" and served it as a plated dessert.

Here is the procedure for making the Eclairs:

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

½ cup (125g) whole milk

½ cup (125g) water

1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

¼ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

5 large eggs, at room temperature

In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to.

You need to continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.

Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your

hand mixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be piped out onto a parchment lined sheet pan.

You can pipe any size eclairs but try to make them all uniform in size so they bake evenly. I like to make them about 3" - 4" in length and 3/4" - 1" in diameter.

To make the pate a choux grids for the plated dessert, draw the grid lines on a piece of parchment paper. Turn it over and place it on a sheet pan. With a small piping tip #3 or #4 pipe the choux paste onto the parchment following the lines into the size you want. For the circles, pipe the grid lines then pipe a circle of choux paste around the outside of them.

Notes:

1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and then freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

When ready to bake put them in a preheated 400 degree oven and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 and cook another 5 minutes or until they are nicely browned and puffed and almost hollow on the inside. Remove them from the oven and let them cool before filling.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

2 Cups Whole Milk

4 Large Egg Yolks

6 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch (sifted)

7 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (Melted) (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)

1¼ Ounces Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a bowl.

Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a small amount of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stopping) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat). Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments making sure to completely melt each addition. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

Notes:

1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

When ready to fill the eclairs, put the cream in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Make a hole in the side of the eclair and pipe in the cream. Refrigerate the eclairs before putting the ganache on the top.

Ganache Glaze

6 Ounces Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate (good quality)

6 Ounces Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put into a bowl. Bring to a boil the cream and corn syrup. Pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute then stir with a whisk to mix and melt all the chocolate. Stir gently so as not to create any air bubbles. Set aside to cool to 90 degrees F before dipping the tops of the eclairs in it.

Stripe the Eclairs with melted white chocolate.

If you make the deconstructed eclairs plate them by putting the first grid down on the plate. Pipe a nice size rosette of the pastry cream on top of it. Place another grid on the cream and pipe another rosette. Place another grid on that cream and pipe a small rosette on top of it. Put a mint leaf and decoration on top. Decorate the plate with thinned down chocolate ganache or chocolate sauce.

VANILLA BEAN CREME BRULE

I recently had a request from a friend to post my creme brule recipe. So here it is for you Linda and don't forget the water bath.

CREME BRULE
Makes 6 dishes of creme brule in 4 - 6 ounce ramekins

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/2 Small Vanilla Bean
4 Ounces Sugar
6 Egg Yolks
Pinch of Salt

Scrape the seeds from the Vanilla Bean.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of the sugar in the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Pour the cream on top of the sugar and add the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn off the heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. This will give off more vanilla flavor from the bean.

When the mixture is almost ready whisk together the yolks, remaining sugar, and salt. Bring the cream mixture back to the boil and temper it with the yolk mixture. Tempering means to slowly add the boiling mixture to the yolk mixture. If you do not do it slowly you can scramble your yolks. When all the cream mixture is mixed with the yolk mixture strain it into a bowl.
You can bake it now but I like to refrigerate it overnight to bring out even more vanilla flavor.

When you are ready to bake the creme brule preheat your oven to 325 degrees and pour the mixture into ramekins and set them on a half sheet pan. Put them into the preheated oven and pour hot water onto the sheet pan so that the water comes up to the middle of the ramekins. This is called a water bath and will allow your creme brule to bake slowly and avoid curdling. Bake them for about 30 - 40 minutes or until they are set. They should wiggle just a little in the middle. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, sprinkle granulated sugar directly on the custard and burn with a blow torch. Let it cool before serving.

I serve them with assorted cookies. You can also add 1/4 Cup of Liquor to the mix before you bake it. I like to use Baily's Irish Cream. YUM!

LEMON TEA CAKE

I got this basic recipe from Ina Garten. I made a few adjustments so it isn't her original recipe but I wanted to give her credit as I started with her recipe. If you want a very flavorful lemon tea cake this is it. I have a real weakness for lemon and this one satisfies all my cravings. In fact I am eating a piece of it right now and it is pure lemon heaven. OK, I licked my fingers, had a sip of coffee and now I am ready to share the recipe with you.

LEMON TEA CAKE

8 Ounces Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/3 Cup Lemon Zest (use a microplane for fine zest)

4 Large Eggs (room temperature)

3 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Four

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed and strained)

3/4 Cup Buttermilk (room temperature)

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Syrup

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed and strained)

For the Frosting

2 Cups Powdered Sugar (sifted)

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed and strained)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line with parchment paper two 8 1/2" X 4 1/2" loaf pans.

Put the 2 cups sugar and the lemon zest in a bowl and rub it between your fingers to release all the lemon oil into the sugar.

Cream the butter and the 2 cups lemon-sugar in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, scraping a couple of times. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to incorporate.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter between the pans. There was about 1 pound 9 ounces batter per pan.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when checking. Do not overbake.

While the tea cake is baking combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until the syrup thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.

When the tea cakes are done remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 15 minutes before inverting them. Poke holes in the bottom of the tea cakes with a thin skewer, then ladel the syrup over the holes to soak in a little. Turn the tea cakes over and ladel the remaining syrup over the tops of the tea cakes. Let cool completely before frosting them.

While the tea cakes are cooling make the frosting. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a smooth but slightly loose frosting. Pour over the cooled cakes and let sit at room temperature for the frosting to crust over.

These can be served right away or wrapped well and refrigerated. I like to eat the cake slightly chilled but it is also good at room temperature.

Great with coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon. My husband likes it with vanilla ice cream. YUM!!

OATMEAL COOKIES

OK, it is time for a super easy recipe. I made these yesterday
so I could put them in my husband's lunch. I had not made them in a long time and upon tasting one I was reminded of how good the old fashioned cookies are. I also have to admit, I like eating the dough before it is cooked. Come on, don't laugh, I bet you like cookie dough too!!

OATMEAL COOKIES (makes about 20 - 2 ounce cookies)

2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats (toasted)
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1/8 Tsp. Ground Cloves
3 Ounces Unsalted Butter (room temp)
3 Ounces Crisco
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Cup Raisins, or Chocolate Chips, or White Chocolate Chips, or Dried Cranberries, or Dried Apricots, etc. or a combination of two or three
1/2 Cup Walnuts (toasted and chopped)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the oats on a sheetpan and toast them, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter, crisco and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla, beating to combine.
Add dry ingredients and beat until just blended.
Add the cooled oats, nuts, and raisins. Mix to combine.

Chill the dough for about an hour or overnight.
Shape into 2 ounce balls and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes rotating once during baking.

FILBERT GATEAU WITH PRALINE BUTTERCREAM

July's Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Chris. The recipies came from Carole Walter's book Great Cakes. The cake was delicous, my husband devoured it!!










As a professional pastry chef I buy already skinned hazelnuts, hazelnut flour, and praline paste ready to use, but as a DARING BAKER I wanted to make this cake like everyone else "the hard way"!! So here is my procedure:









First of all a filbert is a hazelnut and you need to skin those babies!! This is not an easy task, it is time consuming, but someone has to do it to make this cake.

Take a pound of hazelnuts and roast them in the oven at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes. Take them out of the oven and put them in a clean towel. Roll them back and forth to rub as much of the skins off as you can. Mine did not come off well so I took 1 1/2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda and brought it to a boil. I threw the roasted hazelnuts into it and boiled them for one minute. Drain and rinse them, then back into the towel and rub rub rub until all the skins come off. Some of the skin will still have to be rubbed of by hand. Put them back into the oven at 275 degrees for another 10 minutes to dry out. Let them cool completely before using. WooHoo your ready to make your cake.

The bowl of hazelnuts on the left are the ones I rubbed the skins off of right out of the oven. Out of a pound of them that was my yield. The bowl on the right are the hazelnuts I boiled in the baking soda water and then roasted. This procedure was much faster and less time consuming.


For the Filbert Genoise
1 1/2 Cups Hazelnuts (toasted & skinned) (If using hazelnut flour you will need 2 1/3 Cups minus 1 Tablespoon of it)
2/3 Cup Cake Flour (unsifted)
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
7 Large Egg Yolks
1 Cup Sugar (divided 1/4 & 3/4 Cups
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest (grated)
5 Large Egg Whites
1/4 Cup Warm Clarified Butter (100-110 degrees)

Grease, flour and line with parchment paper a 9" round cake pan. Set aside.

In a food processor, process the nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch until you have a fine powder. Pass this mixture through a tripple mesh strainer and toss any large pieces of nuts. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer and using the whip attachment whip for 3 - 4 minutes. Rub the lemon zest into the 3/4 cup of sugar and slowly add this sugar, one tablespoon at a time, taking 3 minutes for this step. Add the vanilla and continue to whip until the mixture makes a ribbon.

Put the egg whites in another bowl and with the whisk attachment beat on medium speed to soft peaks. Increase to medium high and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar taking 15 - 20 seconds. Continue to beat for another 30 seconds. Add the yolk mixture and whisk for 1 minute.

Start folding by hand with a spatula the sifted nut mixture into the yolk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Be careful with your folding so as not to deflate the mixture. Once you have all the nut flour folded in take out 1/2 cup of it and mix it with the clarified butter. Fold the butter mixture into the batter and immediately turn it out in the prepared 9" cake pan.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan.

Let it cool for 5 minutes then invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

Sugar Syrup
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Chambord Liquor

In a small saucepan bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liquor. Let cool to room temperature before brushing onto the cake layers.

Praline Paste
1 Cup Hazelnuts (skinned and toasted)
2/3 Cup Sugar

Put the sugar in a heavy 10" skillet. Heat on low flame until the sugar melts and turns caramel in color. Do not stir the mixture. Wash down sugar crystals if they form. Swirl the pan to achieve even caramelization. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts. Return to the heat and stir until the mixture bubbles and the nuts are evenly coated with the caramel. Turn out onto a silpat or lightly greased parchment paper. Let the mixture cool completely then break up into pieces. Put the pieces in a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a paste. Store in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Swiss Buttercream
4 Large Egg Whites
3/4 Cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 Cups (12 Ounces) Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Place the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the 5 qt bowl of a stand mixer. Put the bowl over a bain marie and then heat the mixture to 141 degrees. Put the bowl on the mixer and with the whisk attachment beat it at high speed until it is thick and cool. It will look like whipped marshmallows.

Place the butter and vanilla in another bowl and with the paddle attachment cream the butter.

With the mixer on low speed slowly add the butter mixture to the egg white mixture. When all the butter has been incorporated turn the speed to high and beat for one minute.

Praline Buttercream
1 Recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 Cup Praline Paste

Blend 1/2 Cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on medium speed to combine.

Red Currant & Raspberry Jelly

Abour 4 Tablespoons
Or any other jam or jelly of your choice.

Ganache Glaze

6 Ounces Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate (good quality)
6 Ounces Heavy Cream
1 Tablespon Light Corn Syrup

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put into a bowl. Bring to a boil the cream and corn syrup. Pour over chocolate. Let sit for one minute then stir with a whisk to mix and melt all the chocolate. Stir gently so as not to create any air bubbles. Set aside to cool to 90 degrees F before glazing the cake.

Assembling the Cake
Divide the cake into 3 layers. Put the bottom layer on a cake circle and brush it with the Chambord Sugar Syrup. Spread on a thin layer of the red currant & raspberry jelly. Spread on a 3/8" thick layer of praline buttercream. Continue with the next layer in the same manner and the final layer of cake just brush with the syrup. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to harden the buttercream.

Take the cake out of the refrigerator and trim the sides of the cake to make the sides as straight as possible. Frost with a thin layer of praline buttercream. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill the cake at least 30 minutes.

Put the cake on a glazing rack and pour the 90 degree F ganache over it making sure the sides are completely covered. Let sit at room temperature for a couple of hours before decorating.




I decorated mine with a #104 rose tip.

IN MEMORY OF CHEF BOB NOTRE

This man has been my friend and mentor for 9 years. We worked together 12 hours a day 6 days a week and shared so much over this time. I was looking forward to working with him for the rest of my career. We talked many times about how we would be friends forever even after we retired. But he passed away yesterday and I am saddened from the bottom of my heart. He was a great executive chef and a very special man. My heart goes out to his wife, all of his brothers and the rest of their family. I will miss him so much. I love you Bob!!

LAS VEGAS & FRANCOIS PAYARD

No, I didn't get to meet Francois Payard but I did get to go to his new pastry shop at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

I bought some Red Currant & Raspberry Jelly and some Macarons and we ate breakfast at his restaurant which is next door to the pastry shop.

In the center of the dining room, which only has about 20 tables, is the cook above and his ovens and grill etc. where he makes your breakfast. Beautiful breads and pastries are displayed here as well as in the shop. Gellato too!!

MONKEY BREAD

My husband buys Cobblestones from Panera Bakery quite frequently. When he brings them home I tell him they are very similar to monkey bread. What is monkey bread he asks? So today I made it while he was at work.

This recipe is adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookbook.

FOR THE DOUGH

2 Large Eggs

Warm Water (to make 2 cups)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast

1/2 Cup Non-fat Dry Milk

2 Ounces Unsalted Butter (softened)

5 1/2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour (may need a little more depending on humidity)

1 Tablespoon Salt

FOR THE GLAZE

1 Cup Golden Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

4 Ounces Butter

1/2 Cup Raisins

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

To Make the Dough

Break the eggs into a two cup measure and add enough hot water to make two cups. Pour into the mixing bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer and whisk. Add 1 Tablespoon of the brown sugar and whisk to dissolve. Add the yeast and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the dry milk, the remaining brown sugar, and the butter.

Put the bowl onto the mixer and attach the paddle attachment. Add one cup of the flour and mix to combine. Add another cup of flour and the salt and mix to combine. Switch to the dough hook and continue adding flour 1 cup at a time until you have 5 cups added. Knead with the dough hook about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto the work counter and turn the dough out onto it. Knead by hand, only adding flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and silky. Put into a buttered bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Meanwhile, grease or spray a tube pan or bundt pan. Set aside.

To Make the Glaze

Put the Butter, Cinnamon, Salt, Raisins, Brown Sugar, and Maple Syrup into a saucepan. Over low heat cook and stir constantly to melt the butter and combine the ingredients. (You do not want to melt the sugar.) Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

When the dough has doubled punch it down. Cut off 1 inch pieces and roll into round balls. Dip into the glaze mixture and put into the prepared pan. If there is any leftover glaze pour it over the monkey bread. Cover the pan with plastic and let rise about an hour.

Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 15 minutes then turn down the heat to 325 and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn out onto a platter.

BANANA BREAD

I had some over ripe bananas that were smelling so sweet I decided to make banana bread. This is a staple at work as we always have extra ripe bananas on hand and to help with the food cost I make as many items as I can out of them. I am at home now for the summer so this banana bread is just for my husband and myself. Yum, I can't wait until it cools off.

4 ounces Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/4 Cups Mashed Ripe Bananas
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Walnuts
METHOD
Cream together sugar and butter in a 5 quart mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift all dry ingredients together. Mix buttermilk and banana together, add alternately with dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts.
Put into paper lined loaf pan and bake at 350 deg. About 1 hour.

DANISH BRAID & DANISH PASTRY

Our June Daring Bakers challenge is to make a Danish Braid and is hosted by Kelly and Ben. Danish is a laminated dough with the addition of yeast. We used the recipe from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. I decided to use peaches again (just can't resist them this time of year) and blackberries. I also spread a little confectioners cream on the danish before I put the peaches and blackberries in. I followed the instructions as they were written but as I was rolling out my dough I realized there was too much flour in this recipe and it was over worked as there was a lot of gluten development from the long kneading process which is not desirable in a danish. I proceded with the recipe and it turned out OK but was not as light and flakey as it should be. The peach and blackberry filling was amazing.


I decided to make it again using the same recipe but using less flour and just a short kneading time to smooth out the dough. I whisked by hand the milk, yeast, sugar, zest, cardamom, eggs, orange juice and vanilla's. I made a caramelized apple filling (recipe below) just to try another filling. The adjustments in the flour and mixing process made a huge difference and the danish was light and perfect.



Here is my recipe with the changes I made. You can read the original recipe on either of the hosts blog.



DANISH DOUGH
(Makes enough for 2 braids) (2 1/2 pounds of dough)

IngredientsFor the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (may need more flour if you are in a humid area)
1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a 5 quart mixer and whisk by hand to incorporate. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and whisk by hand to blend all the ingredients. Put on the dough hook and add 1 cup of the flour. Mix to incorporate all the flour, put another cup of flour and mix again. Add the salt and as much of the remaining flour to make a smooth dough but still slightly tacky. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes, or until smooth. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. 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.
3. 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 - 45 minutes.
4. 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. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

DANISH BRAID
Ingredients
1/2 recipe Danish Dough
2 cups Filling,
For the egg wash
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Spoon the fillings (see below) 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.

Egg Wash:
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.


Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (375 degrees for convection oven) Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake 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 (325 degrees for convection oven), and bake about 5-15 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

For the fillings:
Blackberries
3 pints of Fresh Blackberries
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Toss the blackberries and sugar together in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on full power in the microwave for 10 minutes, stir and cook 8 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, stir then set aside to cool and thicken. Refrigerate.

Peaches
4 Cups sliced Fresh Peaches
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Repeat the above procedure with the peaches.

Confectioners Cream
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Large Egg Yolk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

In a microwave safe bowl whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the cream while whisking to incorporate. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and cook for 2 minute more or until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla then temper with the cream mixture. Return to the microwave and cook for 30 seconds more. Whisk, then transfer to a storage container and put plastic directly on the surface of the cream.

Apple Filling


4 Granny Smith Apples
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Golden Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Juice of one small lemon (strained)
2 Ounces Butter

Peel, core and cut the apples in 1/4" slices. Mix the remaining ingredients, except the butter, and pour over the apples. Toss to evenly coat.

Put the butter in a saute pan and melt completely. Add the apple mixture and saute to caramelize the apples. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Use as a filling for the braid or as a filling for danish pastries.

Rasins or dried cranberries can also be added to this apple mixture after cooking.

BISCOTTI & A NEW ESPRESSO MACHINE

My Husband & I purchased an Espresso Machine for our kitchen and have been making iced cafe mocha's, iced soy latte's, & cappuccino's. I just had to make some biscotti to go with all this coffee. Here is my recipe and a few pictures:



Biscotti
1 1/4 Cups Whole Almonds (lightly toasted and roughly chopped)
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Pernod
1 1/2 Tablespoons Anise Seed
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Cornmeal




Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a 5 quart mixer with the paddle attachment, add eggs one at a time and mix to combine.
Add all of the remaining ingredients (including almonds) and mix to combine.
On a parchment lined sheetpan, shape into two logs about 14" long each. Refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.

Egg wash the tops of the logs.






Bake for 30 minutes in a 300 degree convection oven or 325 degree regular oven, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.





Slice into 1/2" slices and lay out on a sheetpan. Bake for another 10 minutes on each side.


Temper semi sweet chocolate and dip the ends into it.

BUTTERFLY WEDDING CAKE

OK, I have been busy this week making a wedding cake. The wedding was at the Country Club where I work so it was an easy set up. I do not like transporting wedding cakes, it is just too stressful!! The bride loves butterflies thus all the butterflies on the cake. I don't do many seperated cakes any more, most people want stacked ones so this was a little old fashioned but classy just the same. One unique feature of the wedding, everyone was given a little container holding a live butterfly and the guests released them after the ceremony. I also made 20 pounds of peanut brittle to set on the tables so it has been a busy 4 days.

Now that I am off work for the summer I can play in my own kitchen.

See you soon with more posts.

PEACH, ALMOND, & VANILLA OPERA CAKE

My first Daring Bakers challenge is complete. Our hosts Ivonne , Lis , Fran , Shea , chose the Opera Cake. Not the traditional Opera Cake with chocolate and coffee flavors. We were told to use any flavors other than the traditional and then go nuts. I chose peach, almond and vanilla. The almond flavor is in the cake, the vanilla is in the cake and buttercream and the peach is in the syrup and mousse. Then the silky white chocolate ganache on top. The aroma was intoxicating as I put the cake to my mouth and the taste was a blend of fruity, creamy, nutty perfection. After photographing my finished "Opera Cake" I served it for Mother’s Day.
I had so much fun checking to see what everyone else was doing for their flavors and presentations. Thank you to our hosts for this challenge. I have made traditional opera cakes but this was a whole new adventure, going out of the box and away from tradition.

Some of the recipes were adapted from Paris Sweets and Chocolate Passion.

CAKE
6 Large Egg Whites (room temperature)
2 Tablespoons (30 grams) Granulated Sugar
2 Cups (225 grams) Almond Meal
2 Cups (225 grams) Powdered Sugar
6 Large Eggs (room temperature)
½ cup (70grams) Unbleached All Purpose Flour
½ Tablespoon Vanilla
3 Tablespoons (45 grams) Unsalted Butter (melted & cooled)
Line two ½ sheetpans with parchment paper. Butter the paper.
Sift together the almond meal and powdered sugar, set aside.
In a bowl of a 5 quart mixer using the paddle attachment beat the eggs to break them up. Add the sifted almond meal and powdered sugar mixture as well as the vanilla. Beat for 3 minutes.
Add the flour and mix on low speed just to incorporate.
In a clean bowl of a 5 quart mixer using the whisk attachment beat the egg whites to soft peak and while still beating slowly add the granulated sugar. Continue to whisk at high speed until the mixture is at full peak and glossy but not dry.
Fold this mixture into the egg, almond meal & powdered sugar mixture.
Remove ¼ cup of the mixture and stir into the melted butter. This will allow the melted butter to completely mix into the larger mixture. Fold everything together.
Weigh the mixture. Mine weighed 2 pounds 4 ½ ounces. Spread 1 pound 2 ¼ ounces into each prepared ½ sheetpan and bake in a 400 degree convection oven (425 degrees standard oven) for 7 minutes or until light brown.
Invert onto a clean sheet of parchment paper and peel off the parchment from the cakes. Turn over and use the parchment to cover the cakes. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap to keep it air tight.

PEACH SYRUP
1 Cup Peach Juice (from IQF frozen peaches drained overnight)
2 Tablespoons Peach Schnapps
Sugar to taste if your peach juice is not sweet enough.
Bring the peach juice and sugar (if using) to a boil and reduce a little to a syrup consistency. Add the Peach Schnapps and refrigerate until ready to use.

PEACH BUTTERCREAM
2 Cups Sugar
½ Cup Water
2 Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Yolks
14 Ounces Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/3 Cup Peach Puree
In a 5 quart mixer beat the butter with a paddle attachment till light and free of lumps. Set aside.
Put the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl of a 5 quart mixer with the whisk attached. Whisk for a minute to break up the eggs.
Put the sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 255 degrees. (Once the mixture reaches 240, start whipping the eggs at high speed.)
Lower the speed to medium high and pour the sugar mixture slowly down the side of the bowl. When it is all incorporated bring the speed back up to high and beat until cool (about 5 minutes).
Add the butter a little at a time whisking at high speed.
Whisk in the Peach Puree.

PEACH MOUSSE
4 Ounces Peach Puree
1 Ounce Granulated Sugar
1 ½ Gelatin Sheets (bloomed)
6 Ounces Heavy Cream
Heat puree and sugar to about 86 degrees just to melt the sugar.
Add the gelatin and stir to dissolve.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature
Whip the cream and fold it into the puree mixture.

WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
14 Ounces White Chocolate (I used Callebaut)
½ Cup Heavy Cream (I used 40%)
In the microwave bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Use at 90 degrees.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Cut the cake so you have one piece 10" x 10" and one piece 10" x 5". Repeat with the other cake. You will have two 10" X 10" and two 10" x 5".
Put one of the 10" pieces on the parchment lined baking sheet. Moisten it with the peach syrup using a brush.
Spread a ¼" thick layer of peach buttercream over the cake. Put small diced pieces of fresh peach over the buttercream and push them down into the buttercream.
Put the two pieces of cake that measure 10" x 5" over this, fitting them together so you have a 10" x 10" square. Moisten with the peach syrup.
Put all of the peach mousse onto this cake layer and spread out evenly.
Put small diced pieces of fresh peach over the mousse and push them down into the mousse.
Put the last 10" square cake on top of the mousse layer. Moisten with the peach syrup.
Spread a ¼" thick layer of peach buttercream over the cake. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Spread the white chocolate glaze over the chilled cake and return to the refrigerator.
Chill until set. Serves 20 (approximately)

CHOCOLATE COVERED NOUGAT & PISTACHIO

I made this candy as part of my Memorial Day display. It was so delicious. When making it be sure to watch the sugar syrup close as it is reaching 330 degrees and swirl the pan to prevent uneven caramelizing. You don't want to burn it.

2 Cups Salted Pistachios (roughly chopped & toasted)
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
9 Tablespoons Water
1 3/4 Cups Honey
1/3 Cup Egg Whites

Toast the pistachios at 325 degrees. Keep warm.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan and cook to 265 degrees (continue cooking as the eventual temperature needs to be 330 degrees). Put the honey on the heat and bring to a low boil.

While the honey is coming to a low boil start beating the egg whites to stiff peaks in the bowl of a 5 quart mixer with the whisk attachment. Slowly pour the honey down the sides of the beating egg whites. Continue to beat while the sugar syrup is cooking to 330 degrees. When it reaches 330 degrees slowly pour the mixture down the sides of the beating egg white, honey mixture. Beat for five minutes at medium speed then switch to a paddle attachment and beat for another 5 minutes. Add the warm nuts.

With cooking spray, spray a parchment lined sheetpan. Pour the mixture onto it. Spray your hands with the cooking spray then pat the mixture to the desired thickness. Let cool and cover with plastic overnight. Cut into 1" X 1 1/4" pieces. Temper chocolate and dip the pistachio nougat pieces into it one at a time. Let set up and store at room temperature in a covered container.

MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT

This was my Mother's Day Hat Dessert. It is a banana and chocolate mousse with a creme brule center sitting on a shortbread cookie and decorated with buttercream.

SAMPLER TASTING PLATE

This is a plated dessert I did recently for a ladies golf event. It consists of a small Vacherin filled with Chantilly Creme & topped with a fresh blackberry, Lemon Pound Cake topped with Raspberry Sorbet, and one of Pierre Herme's Hazelnut Chocolate Sables setting on a rosette of chocolate ganache.

BETTY FORD'S 90th BIRTHDAY CAKE

Betty Ford had her 90th birthday celebration at the country club I
work at today and here is a picture of the cake I made for her.
It is Chocolate on the bottom layer, carrot in the middle and her
favorite white cake on the top.
When the cake was served I put 4 sparklers on the top and wheeled it
in to her surprise. She loved the cake and took home all the leftovers.