Baking Challenge - October '10

Last month I talked about how I was going to change up the "rules" on my baking challenge.

I decided that instead of making the last page article recipe of MSL every month, I was going to start making all the recipes I have been saving over the years.

The first recipe I chose was Tiramisu Cookies.  Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorite desserts and I've been hanging onto this recipe for over two years.

Start by beating 5 yolks with 1/2 cup sugar.

Then add 3 tbsp. instant espresso powder (i had to use instant coffee).

Then add 1/2 cup cake flour.

This batter is thick!!!

In another bowl, beat 5 egg whites with 1/4 tsp. salt.  I took a tip from Beth at Stories of A to Z and cleaned my bowl right before using it - I really think this helped!

Once it got foamy, I added 1/2 cup sugar.

Check out those peaks!!

Finish up the batter by folding the white mixture into the yolk mixture.

You are supposed to pipe the batter into 2x1 rectangles - I obviously need to work on my piping skills.

The cream was very simple - mascarpone, confectioner's sugar, amaretto and vanilla extract.

Spread the flat side of the cookies with melted chocolate and allow to harden.

Make a sandwich with two cookies and a dollop of cream.

The cookies definitely have the elements of tiramisu but they don't hold a candle to the real thing.

I really like simple cookie recipes - if a recipe is more involved it has to be worth it and these weren't.  I'd rather spend the time making a real Tiramisu.

Baking Challenge - September '10

Oh boy, this one was a disaster!

Blackberry Cloud-Cake with Pistachios - another overly ambitious, silly dessert from the Martha Stewart Kitchens.

Let me first point out two things:
1.  I always struggle with whipping egg whites into stiff peaks.
2.  I have yet to make a successful jelly roll.

I went all Pioneer Woman here and did a "Cast of Characters" shot.  I bought frozen berries because the fresh ones were very expensive.  I also skipped the pistachios for the same reason.  That container of egg whites equals 8 eggs, so that was a shell and yolk saver :)  And I used white wine instead of white wine vinegar.

I decided to skip preparing the berries for the garnish.


I whisked and whisked those eggs and could not get those stiff peaks, so I gave up and finished my batter anyway.  And poured it into the pan:

Wow, that filled up the pan completely!!

With six minutes left to bake, the cake looked like it was about to explode in my oven.

 

Exhibit A - you can see the cracks

Exhibit B - you can see the cake going over the edge.

After all this drama, I kept on going and made the mousse - uneventful.

Then I flipped out the cake.

a bit weird looking; sticky, too

I spooned on the mousse and rolled it up:

What a work of art!

And then had a slice

what is that strange gelatinous looking layer?

It didn't taste too great and it was so ugly - I just dumped it.  Disaster averted.


I started this challenge almost two years ago in order to try out new recipes, techniques and tools; and I've learned some things along the way.

• I really like making cookies, brownies and cupcakes.
• I don't like working with fruit.
• I don't like whipping egg whites.
• I don't like making "fancy" desserts.
• I made up this whole challenge and I can change the rules whenever I want!

So starting next month, I am going to do things a little different :)

 

Baking Challenge - August '10

Do you ever feel like making brownies just so you can eat the batter?  Then make these!!

The recipe that should have been my August challenge involved nectarines - get it here - but since I have not enjoyed my last few baking attempts with peaches I decided to choose another recipe from the issue.  No-Bake Fudge Brownies - here we go.

Always have to start by prepping your pan - this time line a square baking dish with plastic wrap.

Then start to melt your chocolate and evaporated milk together.

Once that is all melted and incorporated, add your vanilla and reserve 1/3 cup of the chocolate sauce.

Grind your cookies (the recipe calls for chocolate wafers, but it is much cheaper to use oreos)  then add sugar and salt.  I omitted the coconut and peanuts, but this is when you would add them.

Then add your chocolate sauce and stir to combine.

Pour your batter into the baking dish and then spread the reserved chocolate sauce on top.  I thought it was just going to blend all together but the sauce actually stayed on top as I spread it around.  Again, if you are using coconut and peanuts, you would sprinkle the rest on top now.

Pop it in the fridge for 2 hours and then slice.  Martha says to cut 24 brownies but I don't know how to get more than 16 out of a square pan.

These were really good.  Eat them cold from the fridge and it is much more like fudge.  Let them come to room temperature or microwave them and it is ooey, gooey goodness.  If only I had had vanilla ice cream, I think that would have been the perfect combo.

Baking Challenge - June '10

It's time again for another Martha Stewart baking challenge. This month we have the Stone-Fruit Trifle with Lemon Mousse.

According to Wikipedia:

A trifle is a dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or, more recently, gelatin, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top.

So we have three components to make for this dessert - the lemon mousse, the cooked peaches and the cake.

The lemon mousse was simple to whip up and definitely the most delicious part of the whole dessert.

Then the peaches - AAH!  Those suckers are so annoying the pit and slice.  After getting annoyed with them for this dessert and struggling with a peach dessert last summer, I am vowing to only use canned or frozen peaches from now on.  I know, I know, it's terrible - but so are those peaches!!!  Anyway, toss your peaches with a bit of sugar and roast them:

If you have leftover cake or scraps, those would be great.  You can also be really ambitious and bake a cake.  Or you can be like me and pick one up from the grocery store :)

Once you have all three elements, you just start layering! I don't have a pretty footed trifle dish, so I just used a glass bowl.

Mmm, mmm.  The lemon mousse was definitely the star.  This is such an amazing summer dessert - on it's own, with any kind of cake, with any fruit (i bet blueberries would be so good!).  If you don't want to make this exact dessert, make the mousse and serve/eat it however you desire.

Joyful Heart Muffins

Some nights I get quite a hankering for sweets. OK, who am I kidding? I have an over-active sweet tooth every night, it's only some nights that I get off the couch and bake something :)

One recent night I decided to try out a healthy recipe to ease some of the damage.  I chose the Joyful Heart Muffins from Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel  {Full Disclosure: I am a total freak over the entire Real Housewives franchise, I even blogged about my encounter with NeNe back in November.  And my copy of Naturally Thin is signed :)}

Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray - I used Pam for Baking
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract - I didn't have any, but I did have Disaronno
1 teaspoon canola oil - I only had olive oil
3/4 cup oat flour - I was in too much of a rush to grind oats so I just used bread flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips - vegan? uh, I just used nestle

In one bowl combine the wet ingredients plus the sugar and allow the sugar crystals to dissolve:

My version of almond extract:

In another bowl, sift together the rest of the ingredients {except the chips}:

Ok, so I whisked instead of sifting - I was in a rush to eat these suckers!!

Now combine the two bowls and the chips, too!

Get your oven to 375 degrees and grease your muffin tin.  The recipe is designed to make 8 normal size muffins, but I wanted minis.  I was given a tip years ago, that if you don't fill all the wells with batter you should fill the emptys with water to ensure even baking.

And here they are baked.  I couldn't take this picture fast enough so I could get those suckers in my mouth.

They do have a different taste since there is no white sugar, butter or eggs, but they are still great!  They are very dense and I thought they were more like a brownie than a muffin.  And my hubby - who is ridiculously picky - ate and liked them.

Baking Challenge - May '10

So May's dessert wasn't baked, it was an ice cream float. The recipe was for three different flavored syrups - blueberry, strawberry and mint. I chose to make the blue berry because it was the easiest :)

Start out by placing 9 oz. (2 containers) of blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar into a saucepan. That is all the ingredients!!

Cook them over medium for 10-12 minutes. Here they are halfway through...

And here they are done!

Pour the berries into a strainer, but don't push down on the berries! I gently moved them around to try to get most of the liquid to go through.

Discard the solids - there were a lot!

I don't like floats, so I had a sundae instead.  I used vanilla frozen yogurt.  The recipe said to let the syrup cool in the fridge, but I wanted it warm on my sundae.

Mmm, it was so good!!  I'm gonna have to try the other flavors too.  The next morning I used the leftover syrup in my yogurt and that was really good too!

Baking Challenge - April '10

It's time for another Martha Baking Challenge - Chess Tart (a.k.a pie).

What is a Chess Pie, you ask? Wikipedia says:

Chess pie is a particularly sugary dessert characteristic of Southern U.S. cuisine. According to James Beard's American Cookery (1972) chess pie was brought from England originally, and was found in New England as well as Virginia. Recipes vary, but are generally similar in that they call for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. What sets chess pie apart from many other custard pies is the addition of corn meal.

All I know is that when I saw the crust was made from Nilla Wafers, we had a winner. My husband loves these little cookies more than me anything.

To get started, you must grind your cookies. Then combine them with butter, sugar, and salt. The recipe said "mix" but since I already had the food processor out I let it do all the work.

I used a drinking glass to press in the crust into a tart pan with a removable bottom (side note: i was able to pop the pie out but the bottom stuck on good! I'd recommend lining it with parchment paper). Then gently press the crumbs up the side.

This gets baked a bit before the filling goes in.  The filling consists of sugar, brown sugar, cornmeal, salt, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Fill the crust and bake again. Then Chill.

I thought it was so cool that the filling forms a crust and stays all gooey inside. And it is so yummy!!

This was pretty easy to put together. Inexpensive and easily accessible ingredients. I did have to buy the pan, but I got it at Homegoods for $6. You should definitely give this one a try.  You could also toss in some choc chips or nuts, or make them mini.

I'm a bit disappointed with May's challenge - a spin on a brown cow. I love ice cream, but there is no baking involved. However, I will be making a flavored syrup from scratch.

Linking to: A Soft Place to Land DIY Day