Daring Bakers May 2010: Coconut & Chocolate Piece Montée or Croquembouche

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

When I first saw this months challenge I was excited and a little daunted by the prospect of making a piece montée or croquembouche. A croquembouche is a tall tower of choux buns, stuck together with chocolate or caramel and often served at weddings or other elaborate occasions. In order to complete the challenge we had to make 3 required elements of the dish: the pate a choux, the crème patissiere, and the glaze used to mount/decorate it.

Even though we had to make the three required elements, how we presented the finished recipe was up to us. This made me much happier as it meant I could make smaller individual piece montée without having to create one huge desert. I adore pastry cream or crème patissiere, it’s so much nicer and more flavoursome than standard cream. For my crème patissiere I decided to replace the milk with coconut milk in order to add an extra flavour dimension to the dish. I also selected to make the chocolate glaze rather than the caramel to accompany the dessert as I thought the chocolate would complement the coconut better.

I have made choux buns many times before, but this recipe proved to be a winner. It produced perfectly shaped little hollow buns, that were nicely golden brown and just the right combination of crisp and softness. It’s going to be my ‘go-to’ choux pastry recipe from now on. All the buns turned out perfectly formed.

The coconut crème patissiere also worked well and was incredibly thick and creamy. The coconut flavour really shone through and made it seem even more indulgent. When paired with the dark bitter chocolate glaze it was just heavenly. I’m not usually a fan of profiteroles but the silky smooth coconut crème encased in the light, crisp choux and topped with the rich bitter glaze was a taste sensation. I think I’ve been converted!

I presented by dessert in individual cocktail glasses which made them elegant enough for a special family dinner party dessert. I urge you to try them, particularly with the coconut crème patissiere, they were out of this world. Thanks Cat for such a divine dessert challenge! Click to see my fellow Daring Bakers desserts.

Coconut & Chocolate Piece Montée Croquembouche

Coconut Crème Patissiere
225ml whole milk (I used coconut milk)
2 tbsp cornflour
50g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
30g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Dissolve the cornflour in 55ml of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil and then remove from heat.
Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornflour mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Return the remaining milk to the heat. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a gentle boil, about 3-4minutes. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
Pour the thickened cream into a small clean bowl. Press clingfilm firmly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool slightly before refrigerating until required.
Can be made the day before.

Pate a Choux

175 ml water
85g unsalted butter
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
120g plain flour
4 large eggs
For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Method
Pre-heat oven to 220C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon paper.
Combine the water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour in the flour. Immedietly beat vigeriously to encorporate the flour and prvent lumps from forming until it forms a thick dough.
Return the dough to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to cool slightly.
Add 1 egg and beat in well. The dough will break up into lumps and look shiny, but this is normal. Keep beating and it will come back together.
Then add in the next egg and repeat the process until you have incorporated all the eggs.
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe the choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Hold the bag in place and pipe out a small round blob. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).
Bake at 220C for 10 minutes, until well-puffed and turning lightly golden.
Lower the temperature to 180C and continue baking until browned and dry, about 15-20 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling wire to cool.
Store in a airtight box until required. Makes about 25-30 buns.

Filling the choux

When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain nozzel with the crème patissiere. Pierce the bottom of each choux with the tip of the nozzel and fill with the crème.
Have these all ready before you make the sauce/glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

200g dark chocolate, about 60% coco solids
150ml milk

Method
Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a small saucepan long with the milk. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted and combined with the milk. Keep heating until the sauce thickens into a thick glossy sauce. Remove from the heat and use immediately.

Assembly of the Piece Montée

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. You can make mini individual ones or one large one. If making a large one, then you want to form the buns into a circle no bigger than 8inch/20cm in diameter. Continue dipping and adding choux to build up a tower of buns, which gets smaller with each layer. Use the glaze to hold them together as you build up.
When you have finished the design of your piece montée, drizzle with remaining glaze over the top and add additional ribbons, sugar decorations, nuts of flowers as you wish to decorate.

Makes 1 large or 6 individual Piece Montee’s

Daring Bakers April 2010: Traditional Steamed Suet Pudding – Spotted Dick

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Suet puddings are typically British and for many years have been a highly popular feature on many a households and restaurants menu. Unfortunately they have become less popular in recent years, but they do seem to be starting to creep back onto menus as a revival of old British classic dishes are starting to become fashionable again. Suet puddings in the UK can be sweet or savory. Savory suet puddings often involve the suet being made into a type of pastry which is used to line a pudding basin before being filled with a meaty stew and steamed, for example, the very English Steak & Kidney Pudding. A sweet version can also be made in this way, such as a Sussex Pond Pudding, which involves a whole lemon being backed inside a suet crust. However, more commonly sweet suet puddings resemble steamed sponge puddings, where the suet replaces the butter in the recipe and the puddings are steamed in a pudding basin.

Suet comes in the form of little white pellets and is similar to lard – but for Vegetarians, such as myself, there is now a vegetable fat alternative, much more appealing, particularly in a sweet pudding. Suet melts at very low temperatures meaning it easily melts into the puddings resulting in a very moist textured sponge, even more so when the pudding is traditionally steamed rather than baked. They are naturally denser than a normal sponge pudding – but we Brits are rather fond of our stodgy puddings, particularly when topped off with lashings of custard!

You must remember that suet puddings have been around for over a hundred years and in times of no central heating people often relied on foods such as this to see them through cold hard winters. Suet is also a cheap ingredient and even the sweet puddings contain no butter, eggs and very little sugar meaning they made cheap meals on which to feed your family, so before you go turning your noses up, stop and think about their history!

For this months Daring Bakers challenge we were allowed to chose between sweet or savory suet puddings and also what type of suet pudding to make. I was delighted by this and unsurprisingly decided to go the sweet suet sponge route. I knew instantly what classic traditional British suet pudding I wanted to make – Spotted Dick!

Oy! You in the corner, stop sniggering! There is nothing to smirk over – Spotted Dick has been a great British classic pudding for well over a century! It’s been around long before any sexual connotations could be related to it – it was a purer and more innocent age. For anyone who doesn’t know, Spotted Dick is a steamed suet pudding containing currants and a little spice, served hot and always religiously accompanied by lashings of custard. ‘Spotted’ refers to the currants which are studded throughout the light coloured sponge and ‘Dick’ is through to be derived from the word for dough. The first documented recording of Spotted Dick appeared in the recipe book The Modern Housewife, dating back to 1850! So you see it really is part of our heritage and something your granny and generations before her have undoubtedly been tucking into.

In the last 10 years the name Spotted Dick has come under scrutiny due to childish and immature people finding its name highly embarrassing, childishly humorous or even “impure” due to the sexual connotations the modern word has linked to the word ‘Dick.’ Rather than smile and brush the silly remarks aside, some companies have felt the need to change the name of our great British pud. From 2001 – 2009 various groups including Gloucestershire NHS Trust, Flintshire County Council, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have renamed Spotted Dick as Spotted Richard (as Dick can be short for Richard when referring to a persons name) or even demoted it completely and labeled it simply Sultana Sponge, which personally I think it outrageous!!! This is wrong on so many levels, not only does it make us appear ashamed of our heritage and loose the puddings very identity, but to call it Sultana Sponge makes it sound very drab and ordinary – plus it should contain currants not sultanas! Thankfully thousands of other people agreed that this was political correctness gone made and most puddings have now been restored to their rightful titles. We should be proud and protective of our puddings and food heritage, not bow to the occasional immature remark. Ok, rant and history lesson over – onto the actual pudding!

The puddings were incredibly quick and easy to put together. All that’s required is a bowl and a wooden spoon and in a matter of minutes your puds are ready for the steamer. The recipe I used came from an old Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine and was one of the most authentic ones I could find – most of the modern recipes I found didn’t even use suet. This recipe has been updated slightly as it also includes a little diced Bramley apple – but as this is a very traditional English ingredient I was happy to use it. The thing I liked about the recipe was how it didn’t use any butter or eggs and very little sugar – these used to be very expensive ingredients and so were used sparingly. The pudding gets most of its sweetness from the currants and uses milk to mix the pudding together. A little lemon zest and mixed spice are added for flavour but it’s a remarkably simple pudding considering it tastes so good.

I decided to make my puddings in individual pudding moulds rather than a large basin for ease of serving. They puddings are placed into a shallow pan of simmering water and left to steam for 1½ - 2hours and then they are done. Simply turn them out, douse in liberal amounts of thick custard and enjoy a taste of English history. Very moist and tender, lightly sweet with little bursts of chewy fruitiness in every bite. They are quite dense and filling, but no more than bread pudding and they should be light enough not to feel like a brick in your stomach! Always enjoy piping hot with pools of creamy custard. Apologies if anyone thinks I have been getting overly passionate about a pudding, but I think it’s important not to forget our old fashioned puddings and cooking techniques. Long live Spotted Dick I say – a delicious slice of our traditional English heritage – a pud to be proud of.

P.S. Make it next time your grandmother comes for a visit – She’ll love it! Click to see how my fellow Daring Bakers dealt with their suet puddings.

Steamed Spotted Dick with Bramley Apple
(Recipe courtesy of Waitrose)

Ingredients
175g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp mixed spice
75g vegetable suet
50g light brown sugar
75g currants
1 small Bramley apple
½ lemon, zest only
150ml milk

To Serve
Lashing of custard

Method
Place a large pan filled with 1 inch of water on the hob and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl. Stir in the currants, suet and sugar. Peel, core and finely dice the Bramley apple. Add to the mix along with the grated zest of ½ lemon.
Pour over the milk and use a wooden spoon to mix it all into a thick lumpy batter.
Divide the mix between 6 individual pudding basins or 1 large 1.2litre basin.
Cover the top of each pudding with a layer of greaseproof paper and cover tightly with foil.
Place the puddings into the pan of simmering water, ensuring the water does not come more than half way up the sides of the basins. Cover with a lid and leave to gently simmer for 1½ hours for individual puddings, or 2½ hours for a large one.
Remove from the pan and peel off the foil and greaseproof paper (they will be moist and a little sticky to touch).
Run a knife around the edge of the puddings and invert out into a bowl.
Serve immediately with lashings of hot custard.
Makes 6 individual or 1 large Spotted Dick
Any leftover puddings can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave the following day.

Daring Bakers February 2010 Challenge: Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a much loved classic Italian dessert and one that now appears on restaurant menus worldwide. When done right it can be wonderful - layers of coffee soaked Savoiardi Biscuits, thick mascarpone, Marsala wine and a light dusting of cocoa. Unfortunately all too often restaurants and shops take shortcuts, using sponge in place of the traditional biscuits and whipped cream instead of the pricier mascarpone and with only a hint of coffee. These poor standards bear no resemblance to a traditional Tiramisu and so I was thrilled when this month’s challenge was announced.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

On reading the recipe I started to feel a little daunted about the challenge. The description and recipe filled 6 pages and consisted of not one, not two, not even three separate compulsory components – there were four! Each of which was its own challenge in itself. We had to make:
1) Our own Savoiardi biscuits – more commonly known as Ladyfingers
2) A Zabaglione flavoured with Marsala Wine – another Italian classic
3) Vanilla pastry cream
4) Even our own Mascarpone cheese!

Despite feeling daunted, I could also feel a leap of excitement building inside of me. Here was a proper test-your-skills get-the-adrenalin-going challenge. I could see this recipe meant business and I was eager to conquer it.

The hosts chose pastry chef Carminantonio Iannaccone’s recipe for Tiramisu which is a little different from some other Tiramisu recipes as it includes a zabaglione that is also lightly cooked. This was good as it meant there was no risk to any DB members from using raw eggs. The recipe also required us to make a vanilla pastry cream to combine with the zabaglione and mascarpone to form the cream for the layers, much more decadent, and Italian, than using plain whipped cream.

We were also strictly banned from using sponge for our soaking layer, and had to make the authentic Savoiardi biscuits. These turned out to be much simpler than I expected and the results were incredibly light and airy. Completely different to the brittle shop bought biscuits I must admit I have used in the past. They were studded with airy holes which soaked up the boozy rum spiked coffee liquid they are dunked in.

The longest part was making the mascarpone as this requires chilling overnight, but once this was done I got all the other components made, baked, assembled, chilled and eaten in one day and had a whale of a time in the process. It was so much fun seeing each individual component coming together and then assembling them into the finished dessert. Tiramisu is usually made in a large square dish which is then cut into portions to serve. However, on the day I decided to make the tiramisu we were having guests to dinner, so instead I though it would be nice to make and present them in individual glasses which I think makes them look far more elegant like for a dinner party and allows the various layers to be seen through the sides of the glass. Plus it allowed me to get arty with some strips of card and the cocoa powder for decoration, making each one unique.

While making the different components I was quite surprised to find that most of them included a little lemon zest. This seemed an odd thing to add to a coffee dessert, but I went with it and hoped for the best. When I tasted the finish dessert I was pleased to find that I couldn’t detect an obvious lemon flavour but there was a fresh, vibrant flavour to the dish that I’m sure was thanks to the lemon, like when you add a little salt to baked goods to enhance the flavour. The Tiramisu also includes quite a lot of booze – Marsala wine in the Zabaglione and Rum in the coffee soaking liquid. I thought these might be a bit overpowering or fight with each other and the coffee for prominence but I needn’t have worried.

Eating a spoonful of the tiramisu certainly resulted in a bitter coffee boozy taste, but no one flavour overpowered the others, they all seemed to meld together into one heady rounded grown up flavour, with the fresh creamy mascarpone layer swooping in to sooth your taste buds in readiness for the next bite.

After dinner I couldn’t wait to taste my first mouthful and see if all the effort had been worthwhile. Tiramisu translates as ‘Pick Me Up’ in Italian and I have to say this Tiramisu didn’t just pick me up, it had me and my guests letting out sighs of enjoyment and grinning at each other in delight. It’s sublime – the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted. I feel no shame is stating this – it’s the recipe and individually flavoured components that made it so fantastically wonderful, I just followed the instructions and put them together. It’s boozy with a strong coffee hit, the layers of Savoiardi biscuits adding just a little resistance and lightness against the thick creamy indulgent mascarpone/zabaglione/pastry cream layer all finished with a dusting of bitter cocoa powder.

Yes it involved some work, but the results are definitely worth it. Next time you have a few free hours and want to make a show stopping dessert – do give this recipe a go – it’s utterly divine!

Click to see my fellow Daring Bakers and their Tiramisu’s.

Ultimate Tiramisu
Mascarpone Cheese – needs making the day before
(Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
Ingredients
475ml pasteurized whipping cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method – Mascarpone Cheese
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the pan. Heat the cream, stirring often, until it reaches 90C. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating.
Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. The whipping cream will become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days. This recipe makes around 350g of mascarpone cheese.

Note: The first time you make mascarpone you may not believe it will be cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. However, have no fear, it firms up in the fridge yet remains lusciously creamy.

Ladyfingers/ Savoiardi Biscuits
(Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
75g caster sugar
85g plain flour
10g cornflour
50g icing sugar

Method
Preheat your oven to 175C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour and cornflour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and pipe the batter into 5inch/12cm long strips leaving about 1inch/3cm space in between each one.
Sprinkle half the icing sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container until required.
This recipe makes approximately 24 large or 45 small ladyfingers.

Tiramisu Components
(Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
Zabaglione
2 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
60ml Marsala wine
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest

Vanilla Pastry Cream
55g caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
175ml whole milk

Whipped Cream
235ml chilled double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

To Assemble the Tiramisu
(I thought only 1teaspoon of rum was a little stingy so I used 420ml coffee and 50ml rum)
470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 tsp rum
110g caster sugar
75g mascarpone cheese (recipe above – I used 125g)
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (recipe above)
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method - Zabaglione
Heat some water in a double boiler or place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large glass or metal mixing bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, Marsala, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard (mine took more like 12minutes).
Once thick, remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a small bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

Method - Pastry Cream
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the egg yolk and half the milk and whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble.
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

Method - Whipped Cream
Combine the cream and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until the mixture holds fairly stiff peaks. Set aside.

Method - To Assemble the Tiramisu
Mix together the warm espresso, rum and sugar in a shallow dish, set aside to cool slightly.
Once you have your marscapone, ladyfingers, pastry cream, zabaglione, whipped cream and coffee dipping liquid done you are ready to start assembling your tiramisu.
Have ready a rectangular serving dish about 8inches/20cm square ready to hand.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth and easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side, no longer or else they will start to disolve and break up. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered. Drizzle over a little extra of the coffee rum mix.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using around 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer, ending with a final layer of cream. Cover the dish carefully with clingfilm and refrigerate the tiramisu for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder dusted through a fine-mesh strainer. Cut into individual portions and serve.
Serves 6

Note: This recipe also works very well when divided between 6 individual serving glasses. Just layer them up as you would for a big one.

Daring Bakers December 09 Challenge: Gingerbread House

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

I was so excited by this challenge as for the last three years at Christmas I have been telling myself that I would make a gingerbread house and yet one never materialised. So when Decembers challenge was announced as a gingerbread house I knew this year would be THE year.

Rather than attempt a big gingerbread house I decided to halve the recipe and make a smaller version to adorn the top of my Christmas cake. We had the choice of two recipes but I went for Anna’s recipe choice from Good Housekeeping as I know and trust their recipes. The recipe can be found here.

The side walls for my gingerbread house I cut 8 x 8cm square and the front and back I cut 8 x 12 but then cut two diagonal middle points from the 8-12 cm height to create the middle points on which the roof would sit. The two roof pieces I cut 12 x 8 so that they would overhang the walls a little on each side rather than fit snugly on top. It sounds complicated but in practise it’s quite straightforward.

A few people on the forums were saying that the dough was rather dry and crumbly, and following other peoples advice I left my dough overnight in the fridge before using it and had no problems with it. I also cut out a little door from the scrapes to attach later in order to make it stand out more.

When you want to decorate the house you need to do it while all the pieces are still flat and separate. If you try and pipe icing onto an assembled house it will be very tricky and the icing will probably run where you don’t want it to. I piped on a few windows and attached the door and stuck on a wreath I had made out of fondant. I wanted the roof to look like it was tiled and I discovered that using large chocolate buttons was ideal as they were light enough not to add too much weight and blended in well with the rest of the house. I simply piped on lines of royal icing and then stuck the buttons on top, slightly overlapping them. I think it gives a good effect.

Assembling the walls and roof of the house was rather fiddly. I glued all the walls together first using royal icing and simply held them in place until the icing was dry enough to support itself. The roof was more tricky as it was set against the sloping sides and gravity naturally made it slide down. In the end I solved this problem by propping up the roof on either side with the weights from my weighing scales. I left it well alone for several hours until the icing glue had dried hard before nervously removing the weights…hurrah it worked! The roof felt quite sturdy and well attached. I had some mini snowflake sprinkles and decided to add these along the top edge of the roof to resemble crenulations which I think was a nice finishing touch.

After covering my Christmas cake in marzipan and fondant I simply placed the gingerbread house on top and decorated the surrounding cake with a few trees and an adorably cute snowman I made out of leftover fondant. I wanted the house to look like it belonged on in the scene, rather than just plonked randomly on top of the cake. I also added a little snowflake path and gave everything a light dusting with icing sugar. I love the look of it on the trees and rooftop, it makes it look as though there has been a light snowfall and very festive. I could almost imagine a little family sitting inside, enjoying Christmas day.

Thanks Anna and Y for choosing such a fun and festive challenge. Click to see a list of fellow Daring Bakers and their gingerbread houses.

For anyone who remembers me soaking the fruit and baking the Christmas cake a few weeks back, here is what it looks like after we cut into it on Christmas day. Packed full of sweet and moist fruits, some chewy, some soft or tangy and the occasional little crunch from the dried figs. The cake was light and nicely spiced with the odd nugget of an almond.

Daring Bakers November 09 Challenge: Chestnut Ricotta Filled Cannoli

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Cannoli are known as Italian-American pastries, although the origin of cannoli dates back to Sicily, specifically Palermo, where it was prepared during Carnevale season, and according to lore, as a symbol of fertility. The cannoli is a fried, tube-shaped pastry shell that is faintly flavoured with an interesting combination of cocoa powder, cinnamon and Marsala wine. Once fried they are filled with a creamy sweetened ricotta cheese and usually accompanied by chocolate, candied fruit and/or nuts. However, there is no reason why cannoli can’t also be filled with pastry creams, mousses, whipped cream, ice cream. Wine may sound an off ingredient to add to a dough but it is not only added for flavour, but also to relax the gluten in the dough which makes it easier to work with.

We were allowed to flavour our ricotta filling any way we wished and I decided to add chestnut puree to mine, as I love the flavour of chestnuts and they feel suitable festive for this time of year. The chestnut ricotta turned out very light and plesently creamy. It a very fresh young cheese meaning it wasn’t too rich which was ideal when paired with the fried dough. The chestnut flavour tasted wonderful against the faintly cinnamon cocoa flavoured dough and I also topped the cannoli with a few dark chocolate chips to finish.
Once the cannoli dough is made and rested it is rolled out until very thin before squares or circles are cut out and rolled around special cannoli moulds and then deep fried. I didn’t have any cannoli moulds, nor could I find any in the two kitchen shops I visited. I decided to try improvising my own by using the middle thick cardboard tube from the end of my clingfilm. It seemed the right sort of size and very study and I was able to get four good tubes from it. I felt quite pleased with my ingenuity and hoped it would work. I wrapped my dough around the tubes and dropped them into the hot oil. They dropped to the bottom of the pan then rose to the surface and started to sizzle – hurrah it worked – or so I thought. The dough stayed around the tubes for about 5 seconds before suddenly puffing up and springing free from the tubes into weirdly shaped blobs. Well darn. Strangely enough they also puffed up and became hollow, like very fragile fried profiterole shells. I’ve no idea why this happened but it did offer me a solution of how to fill my cannoli so it wasn’t a total loss.

I also fried the offcuts in little strips which I sandwiched together with more of the chestnut ricotta. These worked really well as they were easier to eat than my cannoli puffs. I enjoyed this challenge as I have never made…well attempted to make my own cannoli before. Both the cannoli shells and the chestnut ricotta filling were delicious. I’ll give it another go when I find some proper cannoli moulds. Thanks Lisa for choosing such a fun challenge. Click here to see Lisa’s perfect looking cannoli and for a list of other Daring Bakers.

Chestnut Ricotta Filled Cannoli
Cannoli Dough

250g plain flour

28g caster sugar

1 tsp cocoa powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

60ml sweet Marsala (or any white wine)

1 egg white

2 litres vegetable oil or any neutral oil for frying

Ricotta Filling

500g ricotta cheese, drained

50g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

110g chestnut puree

35g dark chocolate chips

Method – Cannoli

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until very thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (that will fit around your moulds). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.
Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them oiled). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 190C on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a cloth and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven glove or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

For the Ricotta Filling

Line a sieve with a cheesecloth or sheet of kitchen roll. Place the ricotta in the sieve, over a bowl, and cover with a saucer. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Once drained, beat the ricotta until smooth and creamy (mine didn’t go smooth, but it was creamy). Beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and chestnut puree and mix until smooth. Cover and chill until required.

To Assemble

Fill a pastry bag with the ricotta cream. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.
Press or dip the ends of the cannoli in the chocolate chips. Dust with a little extra icing sugar and serve straight away.
Leftover cannoli can be kept in an airtight container lined with kitchen roll. Do not fill the cannoli until required or else they will go soft.
Makes 22-24 cannoli
NOTE: The canolli shells can also be baked at 220C for 7-10 minutes until golden. However, they won’t be as nicely blistered compared to if they had been fried.

Daring Bakers October 09 Challenge: Macarons

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

There are two distinct types of macaroon/macaron. Usually the term “macaroon” refers to a chewy cookie made of coconut and egg white, often on a base of rice paper, but French “macarons” are either ground almonds or almond paste, combined with sugar and egg whites and are sandwiched together after baking. The filling usually consists of ganache, buttercream or jam. The flavour combinations are almost endless and for our challenge we were allowed to make them any flavour we wished.

Until this challenge I had never made macarons before. They had been on my ‘to bake’ list for many months but I had always put off doing them as I felt daunted by how elegeant and dainty they were and had heard they were difficult to make. So it was with nervous excitement that I set about this challenge.

Macaroon making is a little time consuming but not actually as difficult as you may think. Although, to achieved picture perfect macarons does require a lot of skill and mine could certainly be improved upon. One thing you must do is have your egg whites at room temperature. This ensures they beat up properly, as the meringue base texture is an integral component to macarons.

As this was my first time making macarons I decided to keep things fairly simple. I made the a basic vanilla macaron mixture which I then decorated and filled in two different ways to create two different flavours of macaron. I topped half the batch with some freeze dried raspberry pieces and filling them with raspberry jam and the other half I filled with chocolate ganache and topped with a dusting of cocoa powder. I’ll let you in on a secret – you can buy freeze dried raspberries but they are quite expensive, but they often come as part of a berry mix in some types of breakfast cereal – just fish them out and save yourself some pennies!

Everything was going well until I tried to remove the macarons from the paper. They had stuck fast and the thin sugar shells were so delicate that they shattered when I tried to ease them off. In a panic I sourced the internet for help and found some very helpful advice from Tartlette (who makes the most amazing looking macarons!). She suggested dampening the base of the paper in a little water, which would dissolve just enough of the sugar crystals to allow you to remove the macaron safety from the paper. This worked a treat and I’m so greatful to Tartlette for her advice. Just don’t leave them on the damp paper for longer than about 5 seconds or else the macarons will start to go soggy.

I was really quite proud of my little macarons. They look so dainty and elegant that I decided to host an afternoon tea party with my family and grandparents, complete with scones, finger sandwiches and a tier or miniature cakes, in order to show them off (recipes to follow). They had a thin delicate sugar shell with a moist, slightly chewy almond middle. I found the raspberry one a little sweet for my tastes, but I loved the chocolate one. The bitter dark chocolate was the perfect partner to the sweet crisp macaron.

Thanks Ami S for such an elegant challenge. Click to see other Daring Bakers macarons.

Macarons – vanilla & raspberry and chocolate & vanilla macaron varieties
(Recipe by Claudia Fleming from The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern)
Ingredients

225g icing sugar

190g ground almonds

25g granulated sugar

5 egg whites (must be at room temperature)
(I added 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Method
Preheat the oven to 93C. Combine the icing sugar and ground almonds in a medium bowl. (If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a half the icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery).Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.Sift a third of the almond mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond mix in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Pipe 1inch/2.5cm sized mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners or parchment paper.Bake the macaron for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 190C. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly coloured.Cool on a rack before carefully peeling off the paper and sandwiching together with your choice of filling. (If they appear stuck to the paper, don’t pull them. Cut around the macarons and brush the underside of the paper with a little water. Leave for 5 seconds for the paper to go damp before easily peeling off the paper. Don’t leave too long or your macarons will go soggy).
Makes 25-35 macarons depending on size.

I made all vanilla macaron shells but made two differently flavoured macarons from them. I topped half the batch with some freeze dried raspberry pieces and filling them with raspberry jam and the other half I filled with chocolate ganache and topped with a dusting of cocoa powder.