Daring Bakers

Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars

By in Chocolate, Christmas, Daring Bakers, Sweets 37 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Capaccino Nanaimo Bars

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca

I really enjoyed this month’s challenge because I haven’t been able to find Graham Crackers here… yet. I won’t give up hope because, as my mother would say, I look like a boy. She didn’t mean in physical appearance (I hope) but rather that I’m horrific at finding anything. I can be staring at exactly what I need and not see it. I am a very unobservant person.

This fault of mine also makes me a terrific friend. If you have gained ten pounds or gotten a horrible haircut, I can guarantee you I won’t notice. Want to be my friend?

These Graham Crackers were a breeze to make. Unfortunately, I didn’t make them gluten free because I couldn’t find the proper flours. I also happened to burn my first batch to a crisp even though I baked them for the shortest amount of time. Despite all of that, once cooked properly, they taste like the real deal. My son and I have been thoroughly enjoying them as snacks. I’m looking forward to making these again and using the crumbs for cheesecake. Mmm. You can get the recipe I used here or the gluten free version here.

Nanaimo bars have long been a favorite of mine. Since I’ve had them numerous times I thought it was time for a change. It really takes no effort to whip up these bars. You don’t even have to bake them. You just mix and layer the ingredients, pop them in the fridge and your done. This Cappuccino version is to die for. The coffee flavour cuts into the sweetness and makes these much more of an adult-like dessert. One piece was more then enough for me but James and his sweet tooth could devour a couple in one sitting. This is such a simple and delicious treat. If you haven’t already, you should give them a try.

Thanks Lauren for hosting and for bringing me back “home” with these lovely bars of heavenly goodness.

Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars

Base
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
  • 1 cup coconut
  1. Melt butter, sugar and cocoa over a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over simmering water (making sure it does not come in contact with the water).
  2. Add the egg and stir to cook and thicken.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs, almonds and coconut.
  4. Press into an 8×8 pan lined with tinfoil (this is for easy removal and slicing but is not necessary).
Filling
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp. custard powder
  • 2 tsp. instant coffee powder
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  1. Beat all ingredients together until well combined and smooth.
  2. Spread over base.

 

Topping

  • 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  1. Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat. Allow to cool. Spread on top of filling.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min.
To serve

Simply remove the bars from the pan using the ends of the foil. Unmold the bars from the foil and slice.

Makes: 16 squares

* You need to allow it to set up in the fridge for at least 30 min. before slicing. But, I recommend you let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight. We had these after 30 min. and all I could taste was the icing sugar. But, the next day the complexity of the flavors really came out and there was no hint of that icing sugar taste left.

* You may substitute Vanilla Pudding Powder if Custard Powder is not available.

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Cannoli Christmas Trees

By in Christmas, Creamy, Daring Bakers, Pastries, Sweets 43 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Cannoli Christmas Trees

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.

If you know me well, then it is no secret that I am a bit of a Christmas fanatic.  I know it may seem strange for someone my age to get so excited about Christmas, but who can resist all those warm and fuzzy feelings that are invoked at Christmas time? I feel like a child again when the first snow falls,  reminding me of the love and warmth that  surrounds you when  you spend time with the ones you love.  It is irresistible to me and I can”t help but get excited. A holiday dedicated to peace, joy and love. What could be better?

This year I get to go home for Christmas. In fact, I am already here. I was not able to bring my camera equipment  with me so things are going to be looking a little different around here over the Christmas Holidays. But, not to worry, there will be lot”s of goodies to go around with the “Dear Mrs. Claus” post sshowing up on Mondays, featuring all of your wonderful Christmas recipes. (If you are interested in submitting your Christmas photos visit this post) And, I will be doing Christmas interviews with some of my favorite bloggers.  In the New Year I will be up and running again with my photos and recipes, but for now I thought it quite fitting to share the love and goodies from other bloggers. That”s what the season is all about right?

Being that I will not be able to post all the Christmas recipes that are spinning around in my head, I could not resist squeezing one in before I left for home and the Daring Bakers Challenge provided the perfect opportunity. Therefore, traditional Cannoli became Cannoli Christmas Trees. They are layered with raspberry, white chocolate and pistachio ricotta fillings and spruced up (ha) with icing sugar snow and pomegranate lights. I think they”re pretty cute. And, tasty too. :)

I made my own ricotta for this challenge and have linked to the recipe below. I use this recipe often as it is so simple to make and I find it cheaper and fresher then store bought. It is also helpful because you can make the amount needed so there is no waste.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Season and are able to sit back, relax, and enjoy time with ones you love.

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Cannoli Christmas Trees

  • cannoli stars (large and small)

  • raspberry ricotta filling

  • white chocolate ricotta filling

  • pistachio ricotta filling

  • pistachios, chopped

  • icing sugar

  • pomegranates

  1. Place one large cannoli star onto serving plate. Top with raspberry ricotta. Top with another large star and add a dollop of white chocolate ricotta. Top with one more large star and top that with  pistachio ricotta. Sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios and stick a small cannoli star into the ricotta point side down.

  2. Sprinkle with icing sugar and pomegranates if desired. Serve immediately.

Cannoli Stars

  • 2 cups flour

  • 2 Tbsp. sugar

  • 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp. salt

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 tsp. white wine vinegar*

  • 1/2 cup wine (Marsala is what is traditional used)*

  • Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying (2 inches deep)

  1. 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.

  2. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour work surface and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 4 inch star shapes as well as 2 inch star shapes. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for several minutes to help keep the dough from shrinking.

  3. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C), 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.

  4. Dock the cannoli with a fork, making sure to go all the way through. This is to avoid the cannoli from puffing up in the centre. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli stars into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry until lightly golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly. Remove to paper towel lined tray to cool.

* I substituted the wine with apple juice and upped the vinegar to 1 Tbsp to make up for the lost acidity.

Raspberry, White Chocolate & Pistachio Fillings

  • 1 cup dry ricotta (or half this recipe)

  • 2/3 cup icing sugar

  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

  • 1 tsp. lemon zest

  • 1 cup whipping cream

  • 2 Tbsp. each, chopped pistachios, chopped white chocolate, crushed raspberries

  1. Cream together ricotta, sugar, cinnamon and zest until smooth.

  2. Whip cream to soft peaks and fold into ricotta.

  3. Divide into 3 bowls. In one bowl fold in pistachios, in another fold in white chocolate, and in last fold in raspberries.

* If you want more vibrant colors feel free to add some food coloring.

* You can use fresh or frozen (and thawed) raspberries for this filling.

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Christmas Tree Cannolis 13 (1)

Vols au Vent – Daring Bakers

By in Creamy, Daring Bakers, Fruit, Pastries, Sweets, Thanksgiving 27 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Vols au Vent – Daring Bakers

The September 2009 Daring Bakers” challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

I must admit that I was petrified going into this challenge. My first year of marriage I tried to make croissants from scratch for my parents who were coming to visit. After hours and hours (probably more like days back then) of slaving away at it, they turned out to be hard, tooth breaking, croissant shaped, lumps. I was devastated. Since then I have found a new and easier croissant recipe that does not require all the rolling and folding, which made me quite happy, but now I had to face my fears straight on.

Although, I know that I have a lot more to improve on with my puff pastry making skills, I am proud to say that I have no broken teeth and that they were even a little flaky. Gasp! I will be posting the full story of all my trials and tribulations with the puff pastry recipe tomorrow. But, for now I am going to enjoy the rest of my weekend.

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I filled my Vols-au-Vent with Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce and Rum Pastry Cream. There were some major faults in the recipe I was making, which became quite apparent when my pastry cream turned out like scrambled eggs. I promptly whisked in an extra cup of milk which brought it back to the proper consistency. I also found the cranberries had a little too much rum for my liking, so I would cut it down by half.

This is a perfect dessert for my mother and all of those who prefer tart or bitter over sweet, because there is really nothing sweet about this dessert. Although, it still makes a wonderful ending to a warm meal.

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Vols-au-Vent with Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce and Rum Pastry Cream

  • 1 pckg. Puff Pastry (or 1/3 recipe puff pastry)

  • Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce

  • Rum Pastry Cream

  • Egg wash (1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water)

  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Transfer it to a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

  2. For smaller, hors d”oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter and for larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides.

  3. Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2 to 2.5 inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

  4. Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

  5. Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the parchment lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

  6. Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (without parchment) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

  7. Remove to a rack to cool.

  8. Put a small amount of Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce into the Vois-au-Vent and top with Rum Pastry Cream.

*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to “glue”). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.

*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.

*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).

Vanilla Bean Cranberry Sauce

adapted from Sugar

  • 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

  • 6 Tbsp. water

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. extract)

  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

  • 2 Tbsp. rum, optional (I would do 1 Tbsp)

  1. Place cranberries, water, sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape seeds into cranberries, add the scraped out vanilla pod. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally, until most of the  cranberries have burst (about 15-20 min.). Scrape into a clean bowl, removing vanilla bean, and stir in rum. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cranberries to prevent a film forming on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Rum Pastry Cream

adapted from Sugar

  • 2 cups milk (the original called for 1 cup)

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 2 Tbsp. sugar

  • 2.5 Tbsp. cornstarch

  • dash salt

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  • 1 Tbsp. rum, optional

  • 2 Tbsp. whipping cream

  1. Place milk and vanilla in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add milk to egg mixture, whisking constantly until all is incorporated. Pour mixture back into the pot and bring back up to a simmer, whisking constantly. Once thickened, remove from heat and whisk in butter and rum. Pour into a clean bowl and cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Chill completely. Whip cream to medium firm peaks and fold into pastry cream. Refrigerate until serving.

* I just whip the cream by hand. It is such a small amount it does not take long, as long as the whisk, bowl and whipping cream are all very cold.

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Vous-au-vents 34

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