Daring Cooks: Chocolate Souffle

Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.
  
I was so exited when I saw that Novembers challenge would be soufflés! I've always wanted to try making them, but just never got around to it. And I almost had to skip this month's challenge, but decided I would post late so I could take part. 
Making the soufflés was a lot easier then I expected it to be. They came together pretty quickly and there also wasn't as big as a mess as I thought there would be. Would I make them again? Yes, most definitely! I'd try a different kind though next time :)
I loved how light and fluffy they tasted. And the chocolate tasted so good (I used 86% Dark).
Sorry the pictures are terrible...I had to use my phone to take the pics as Martin has the camera as he is in China right now for work.

Chocolate Soufflé 
Serves 4

Ingredients

FOR THE DISHES

2 Tbsp (30 ml) 1 oz (30g) unsalted butter, for greasing
Cocoa powder or finely grated chocolate

FOR THE CREME PATISSERIE

2 tbsp (30 ml) (18 gm) (2/3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp (10 gm) (0.35 oz) caster (superfine) sugar (regular sugar is OK)
½ tsp (4½ gm) (0.15 oz) corn starch (aka cornflour)
1 medium egg yolk
1 medium whole egg
4 Tbsp (60 ml) milk
5 Tbsp (75 ml) heavy cream (or double cream)
3 oz (90gm) good-quality dark chocolate preferably 70+% cocoa solids, broken in pieces
2 Tbsp (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional: 2 tsp orange zest or 2 tsp minced chipotle chile en adobo or 1 tsp chipotle chile powder. (The chile version is a Monkeyshines favorite!) Optional: powdered sugar for dusting

FOR THE EGG WHITES

6 medium egg whites
6½ Tbsp (95 ml) 3 oz (90g) superfine/caster sugar (if you don’t have it, regular sugar is OK)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to moderate 375 ˚F/190 ˚C/gas mark 5.
2. Take four 1 cup/~240ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Tip a little cocoa powder or grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round.
3. For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and corn starch into a small bowl. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a medium sized bowl, beat lightly, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and cocoa powder and mix well.
4. To make the ganache, pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps.
5. Gradually stir hot chocolate ganache into the paste from step 3, and add the orange zest or chile if using. This is your crème patisserie.
6. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés.
7. Stir about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the beaten egg whites into the crème patisserie. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume), then fold in the rest.
8. Spoon the mixture into the dishes. Run a spoon across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking.
9. Bake the soufflés for 15-17 minutes.
10. The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top.

Daring Bakers: Doughnuts

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

When I found out the doughnuts was this months challenge I was quite happy! Doughnuts are a pretty common food in Canada, and right now because it's fall there are pumpkin doughnuts showing up in the coffee shops! I was really eager to try making some myself, and I'm happy to say they were a success! They were moist and actually tasted pumpkiny (which I've found a lot of versions do not). They were pretty easy to make, though I don't know if I'd make them again since it made so many doughnuts that it kind of ended up being wasteful (And I don't think making a handful of homemade donuts is really worth the hassle). Glad I've made them though (so now if I ever move to another country again I'll still be able to get my yummy doughnut fix!).

Pumpkin Doughnuts:
Yield: About 24 doughnuts & 24 doughnut holes
(I found that the recipe made less then that)
Recipe from: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour 3.5 cup / 840 ml / 490 gm / 17 ¼ oz
Baking Powder 4 teaspoon / 20 ml / 24 gm / .85 oz
Table Salt 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Cinnamon, ground 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Ginger, ground ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Nutmeg, ground ¼ teaspoon / 1.25 ml / 1.5 gm / .05 oz
Cloves, ground 1/8 teaspoon / .6 ml / ¾ gm / .025 oz
White Granulated Sugar 1 cup / 240 ml / 225 gm / 8 oz
Butter, Unsalted 3 Tablespoon / 45 ml / 42 gm / 1.5 oz
Egg, Large 1
Egg Yolk, Large 2
Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon / 5 ml
Buttermilk ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon / 135 ml /
Pumpkin 1 cup / 240 ml / 285 gm / 10 oz (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
Powdered (Icing) Sugar 2 cup / 480 ml / 250 gm / 9 oz
Whipping Cream (About 32% butter fat) 4 Tablespoon + more if needed / 60 ml

Directions:

1. Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.
2. Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.
3. Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

Glaze Directions:

1. Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.
2. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead.
3. Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.
4. Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze.
5. Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Presto Pasta Nights #184 Roundup

I have the great pleasure of hosting Presto Pasta Nights this week, and I am happy to say that there are a lot of great dishes that I want to try out myself! I was very honored when Ruth of Once Upon a Feast asked if I would like to host Presto Pasta Nights; and of course I had to say yes!
So please enjoy this weeks roundup!

First of this week is Limecake who cooked up some Fried Bee Hoon; a dish that is made with rice vermicelli and is very veratile like fried rice.

Amritha of AK's Vegetarian Recipe World made Mixed Vegetable Vermicelli, and says it is a very common Indian dish and can be cooked for breakfast or for dinner.

Rachel of The Crispy Cook brings us a gluten free dish; Korean Chapchae. She says that the noodles had a springy texture and that the dish was even better the next day because the noodles absorbed more of the sauce.

Anu of Truth Personified brings us a wonderful dish to celebrate the end of summer vegetables. Summer Veggie Tomato Basil Fettuccine is full of zucchini and yellow pattypan squash and is a great end to summer veggies.

Elizabeth of blog from OUR kitchen made a delicious looking Smoked Penne and Cheese dish. I don't know about you, but I LOVE anything that is smoked! I'll have to try this sometime!

Daphne of More Than Words brings us a fresh and spicy Spiced Thai Style Soba Noodle Soup. I just love the vibrant colours of the soup and just want to dig in to it!

Aparna of Apy cooking! tried out her first citrusy pasta dish with Lemony Linguine with Creamy Mascarpone. I love the name of this dish! And she has a great tip on how to cook your veggies while cooking your pasta!

Val of More Than Burnt Toast made a Comforting Macaroni and Cheese. I really could have used some of this dish this week since I've been a bit sick! I'll have to give this a try now that it is starting to get cooler here in Ontario, Canada :)

Joanne of Eats Well With Others brings us a mouth watering Mom's Lasagna. I've always loved lasagna and this one seems like it has a good mix of different ingredients.

Supriya of Queen of My Kitchen gives us a great way to get some extra veggies into our day with Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce. I know I need to add more veggies to my diet, so I'll be sure to try this out :)

Chaya of My Sweet and Savory brings us a quick to make Pesto Pasta with Feta. I just love how easy this is to make and with how few ingredients that are needed. A great weeknight meal!

Christine of Kits Chow is frying up some Yakiudon this week. I love how easy and adaptable this recipe is.

And last but not least is my submission! I made a quick and adaptable Pumkin Ravioli with Brown Butter.

Thank you so much for joining in for this weeks roundup! Next week's host will be Claudia of Honey From a Rock. Send your pasta dishes for next week to claudiariley (at) yahoo dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by October 14. The next roundup will be posted on October 15th.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter

I was looking for a way to use up some of my pumpkin puree and some leftover wonton wrappers and was lucky enough to find a recipe that could do just that. This was a simple and easy dish to make and is sure to impress if you make them for guests. I made this for myself as a quick lunch! So go ahead and try it! :)

I'm really excited to be hosting Presto Pasta Nights #184. I've only submitted a few dishes to PPN, but I love seeing all the dishes that other bloggers submit! Every week there is always a bunch of posts that make my mouth water and that I want to make myself! I Can't wait to see all your dishes! :)
This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights #184.

Pumpkin Ravioli
Serves 2, adapted from Cook this, not that.
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 can pumpkin puree (8oz)
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
24 wonton wrappers
1 egg white, beaten
2 tbsp butter
sage leaves (Optional)

Directions:
1. Mix pumpkin, vinegar, nutmeg, cheese and salt and pepper together in a bowl.
2. Lay down a wonton wrapper and spoon a small amount of filling onto the wrapper (don't over stuff). Paint the edge on the wonton wrapper with egg white and place another wonton wrapper on top and press the edges together.
3. Cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain.
4. Heat butter on medium heat and cook until turning brown (careful not to burn the butter).
5. Add ravioli to brown butter and coat well.
6. Garnish with Parmesan and sage (if using).

Hot and Sour Soup

I love Hot and Sour soup! Seriously! I can't get enough of it. I always order it when it's on the menu, and most of the time I'm hugely disappointed. Too vinegary, too spicy, too bland, too thick, too thin. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with restaurant Hot and Sour soup. That is why I am so happy I've found a recipe that works so well that I can just make it at home whenever I want it.
I've already made it twice in one week! The first time I followed Kevin's recipe from Closet Cooking to the 'T'. But I found it to be a bit too peppery and a bit to spicy for my liking; I like to taste the soup, not have my mouth burn off! So I adapted the recipe bit to make it more to our liking. And wow, what a difference! I can't believe how much of a difference there was between the two versions! Changing a few small things can make this soup taste very different (I added different mushrooms in the second attempt, and wow, it was awesome). And considering how much I love this soup, this is a good thing. So I can change the taste a little every time I make it! I can't really describe this soup in other way other then that I dream about eating this soup all day long. In fact, Martin is away for work in BC this week and I'm kind of happy that I can eat this soup all week long and not have to worry about him getting sick of it! Yes, I'm making it again! And again! :) Anyway, on to the soup!

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 4, Adapted from Closet Cooking
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup wood ear mushrooms, Sliced (I used a mix of Porchini, Chanterelle, Shiitake, Portabella and Oyster)
1/2 cup dried black mushrooms (Black Fungus), Sliced
8 dried lily buds/flowers, sliced
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (I used Mature Vinegar...not sure if it's the same)
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound soft tofu, cut into small pieces (half a small package is about right)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp white pepper, ground
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chili oil, to taste
1/2 tbsp chili sauce, to taste


Directions:
1. Soak the wood ear mushrooms, black mushrooms, and lilly buds/flowers in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes.
3. Cover the bamboo shoots in water, bring to a boil, drain and shred.
4. Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt and sugar in a bowl.
5. Mix the cornstarch into the water in a bowl.
6. Heat the oil in a large pot.
7. Add the wood ear and black mushrooms, lily buds/flowers and bamboo shoots and saute for a minute.
8. Add the broth and tofu and bring to a boil.
9. Add the vinegar mixture and the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
10. Pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream while stirring the soup.

11. Stir in the peppers, oils and chili sauce.

I'll be sharing this with Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen. I'm sure there will be lot's of yummy soups, salads, and sammies to see over there on Sunday :)

Daring Cooks: Apple Butter

"The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation."

I had tons of fun with this challenge. Not only was canning fun, but a bunch of our friends are also into canning right now so we made a bunch of stuff. First, Apple Butter, for the Daring Cook's Challenge. And then we made peach pepper jelly, spicy green beans, whole tomatoes and tomato sauce! And with apples coming into season soon I can see more canning in our future.

For the apple butter I used a recipe very similar recipe to the one that John of Eat4Fun suggested, with some minor changes. The apple butter turned out to be very spice tasting and very thick and spreadable. I loved the taste and it reminded me very much of Fall. We will definitely be using a lot of our apple butter this Fall and we are also hoping to cook some dinners using it as well.
I hope that some of you readers will also give canning a try (if you haven't already!) :)

Apple Butter
Makes 18 jars of various sizes
Found on RecipeTips.com

Ingredients:
4 pounds apples (Various kinds if possible)
2 cups sugar
1 cup apple cider
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 lemon, juice and zest

Directions:
1. Peel, core, and cut up the apples.
2. Combine apples with cider, sugar, salt, spices and lemon. Cook over low heat stirring frequently until the apples are soft and and the mixture becomes very thick. (Test by scooping up a heaping spoonful. The mixture should keep its rounded shape and not flatten out.)
4. Use a hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Canning the Apple Butter

1. Put jars and caps in the oven on a cookie sheet, open side up, at 200 degrees F until for at least 10 minutes (but longer is ok).
2. You need a pot that will let you add the jars with 1 inch or water above them (and a rack below to the jars are not on direct heat).
3. Take jars out of oven and fill with apple butter leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
4. Put the lids on a screw tight by hand (not too tighly as the air needs to escape in the water).
5. Add jars to pot of boling water. Bring the water back to the boil and time for 15 minutes.
6. Take jars out of water and let them cool down on a dish towel. If you hear the jars popping, that's good (they are sealing).
7. Check to see if all the lids have popped. If so you can now store your apple butter.
8. Make sure to check the lid before opening the apple butter. If it is bulging, or the apple butter has changed in colour, etc, then throw it out!

Penne Carbonara

We had no idea what to make for dinner last night. No idea at all. So Martin suggested that we make pasta. I agreed that that might be a good idea. It was really hot and humid outside last night so we were not going to be making any epic meals that night. Then Martin looked in the fridge and said: Carbonara? I said YES!!!
Now, if you know me you'll know why I said YES so quickly. The reason? BACON! I love bacon! :)

I also remembered that I haven't participated in Presto Pasta Nights in a while, so I thought this you be a great opportunity to submit a meal again. This weeks Presto Pasta Nights is being hosted by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast. Can't wait to see all the other submissions! There are always great recipes to be found :)

Penne Carbonara
Serves 2
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
6 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Sweat the onions, garlic and shallots over medium heat. Add bacon when the onion mixture is almost done.
2. Put a pot of salted water on the stove and boil (You want the pasta to cook while you finish the sauce).
3. Increase heat to medium-high to fry the mixture for about 1 minute, then lower heat so that the fat on the bacon will melt.
4. Increase back to medium high to fry again (By doing this everything will cook evenly and nothing should burn).
5. Deglaze pan with white wine to get all the yummy brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
6. Cook pasta in boiled water according to the packages instructions.
7. Add sour cream and stir well to combine.
8. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Grate in some Parmesan and mix well.
9. Drain pasta and add to the finished sauce. Toss to coat pasta.
10. Grate more Parmesan on top and add more pepper to garnish.

Mango Summer Rolls and Thai Green Curry

I really wasn't in the mood for cooking on the day I made these. Really, I wasn't. But then I flipped through a cookbook of mine and it was love a first sight. I had to make these. Luckily there really isn't much cooking involved (since when I made these it was still pretty hot and humid outside). Though there are a lot of other steps that don't involve cooking ;)

This dinner was pretty much like eating at a restaurant. We could have paid a bunch of $$$ for this. Yes, it was that good. And I had left overs the next day and they were just as good, if not better.

The Summer Rolls were perfect. Not too much vermicelli, a nice burst of cilantro, the sweetness of the mango and the crunch of the cucumbers and peanuts made for the perfect combination. And the dipping sauce was nice and tangy. Perfect for a summer's day.

And the Thai Green Curry was also fantastic. Very fresh tasting and lot's of sauce to soak the rice in! I also loved that the red peppers were still slightly crunchy (nothing is worse then soggy red peppers!). I made it with tofu this time, but next time I would try it with chicken. I think maybe letting the sauce soak into the tofu more would make the tofu taste a bit better. I'll have to keep experimenting with it.

                            

Mango Summer Rolls

Serves 4, Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 mango, peeled and sliced (like matchsticks)

1/2 cucumber, sliced (like matchsticks)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (Feel free to obmit if you don't like cilantro)

4 oz thin rice noodles (vermicelle)

1/4 roasted salted peanuts, chopped

1 package rice wrappers (You probably won't need all of them)

Directions:

1. Boil water in a pot and turn off heat once it comes to a boil. Add rice noodles and let them soak for 10 minutes stirring once in a while.

2. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water.

3. Fill a large pan with hot water and place rice wrapper 1 or 2 at a time until pliable (takes about 30 seconds).

4. Remove rice wrapper from water and pat dry with paper towel (they are less mushy and last longer in the fridge if you do this).

5. In the lower part of the wrapper place about 2 tbsp of the rice noodles, 1 tsp of peanuts, 5-6 slices of mango, 5-6 slices of cucumber and 3-4 cilantro leaves.

6. Fold the left and right sides of the wrapper over the filling and then roll the wrapper up.

7. Repeat until you run out of filling.

Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tsp Asian chili oil (Or peanut oil with red pepper flakes)

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped

3 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together and chill.

Green Thai Curry

Serves 4, Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For chili paste:

4 jalapanos, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 white peppercorns

1 tbsp lemon grass (fresh or from a tube if fresh is not available)

1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro

2 tsp lime zest

2 shallots, chopped

For the curry:

5 tbsp peanut oil

1 block of firm tofu, pressed and cut into triangles (or you can use chicken)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 can of coconut milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

juice of 1 lime

1/2 fresh basil (Thai basil if you can find it)

To make chili paste:

Directions:

1. Place the jalapanos in a bowl and cover with the boiling water and soak for 15 minutes.

2. Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

3. Use a food processor or mortar and pestle to grind the spices into a powder. 

4.Add the rest of the ingredients (including the water the jalapanos are soaking in) to the food processor or use a blender and grind into a paste.

To make the curry:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of peanut oil and cook the tofu over medium-high heat until golden on both sides. Put aside on a plate.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of peanut oil and saute the red pepper and onions until slightly tender. Set aside.

3. Preheat a sauce pan and cook chili paste for a few minutes while stirring. Add the coconut milk and heat up over low-medium heat while stirring.

4. Bring to a boil and add maple syrup.

5. Add tofu, red peppers and onions to the curry and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Add basil and let sit off of heat for about 5 minutes.

7. Serve with Jasmine rice.

Daring Bakers: Ice Cream Petit Fours

"The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”."

I was really excited to try making ice cream again, since my last attempt was a little bit of a failure. I was also really excited to try making pound cake, since I'd never made it before!
I'm happy to report that the ice cream was a huge success! It was super creamy and had a great vanilla flavour! And it stayed frozen like ice cream is supposed to! :)

Unfortunately the pound cake was a COMPLETE FAILURE! :( When I took it out of the oven and stuck a toothpick in it it seemed to be done (and I had left it in for the recommended amount of time). But as the cake cooled I quickly realized that the middle was still uncooked! I really didn't have the time to start from scratch again so I quickly put it back in the oven and hoped for the best. But of course the cake came out WAY TOO DRY! :( I was really disappointed. But I continued on like a trooper and finished the Petit Fours anyway!
I tried one of the finished Petit Fours and the cake was terrible! So I decided to salvage the ice cream and throw away the cake.

The cake looked very sad sitting there in an abandoned pile. But I have to admit...the little ice cream blocks are pretty darn cute! :) So it was all worth it in the end.

I tried the one that I cut open for the photo here and the cake was actually not bad! I guess some parts of the cake were not too dry...
My ice cream layer was thicker than it should have been, so it kind of bulged out of the sides and made the Petit Fours look like leaning towers...but it still tasted good! I loved the chocolate on the outside, though next time I would like the chocolate to be a little thinner.

Note:
The pound cake calls for cake flour. You can make 1 cup of cake flour by placing 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a 1 cup measure, and filling to the top with all purpose flour.

 Ice Cream Petit Fours:
(Printable Recipe)


Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (165g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (500ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour. (If you do not have a vanilla bean, simply heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams, then let cool to room temperature.)
2. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2 litre) bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream.
3. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour ¼ cup warmed milk into the yolks, constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.
4. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon [5ml] if you are using a vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons [15ml] if you are not using a vanilla bean) and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.
5. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze in an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can make it without a machine. See instructions from David Lebovitz: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

Brown Butter Pound Cake

Ingredients:
19 tablespoons (9.5 oz) (275g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 (75g) cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.
2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.
5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:
9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

Directions:  
Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

Assembly Instructions 

1. Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.
2. Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers.
3. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.
4. Make the chocolate glaze (see above.)
5. While the glaze cools, trim ¾” (2cm) off each side of the ice cream cake to leave a perfectly square 7.5” (19cm) ice cream cake. Cut the cake into twenty five petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5” (4cmx4cm).
6. Glaze the petit fours one at a time: place a petit four on a fork and spoon chocolate glaze over it.
7. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer for one hour.

Daring Cooks': Pierogies

"The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale."

This was my first daring cooks' challenge and it was a challenge I really enjoyed! I made two types of pierogies: potato and mushroom and potato with sauerkraut, bacon, and cheese.
Though it was a lot of work, I would definitely make pierogies again. Not only did we enjoy our pierogies on the night that we made them, but we also froze a bunch of extra ones and have been enjoying them for quick dinners as well.

Next time I would mix the potato mixture more to make it more to make it more smooth. And I would also season the mixture more.

Out of the two, I preferred the Potato, sauerkraut, bacon and cheese one the best. It just seemed to have more flavours and a better balance of flavours; salty, sour, and creamy.
I sauted the pierogies with onions and bacon and served the them with sour cream. Delish!

Here is the recipes I used:
 
Dough


Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 cups (300 to 375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
About 1 cup lukewarm water (I used about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Place 2 cups flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
2. Break the egg into it, add the salt and a little lukewarm at a time.
3. Mix the dough together, kneading well and adding more flour or water as necessary.
4. Cover the dough with a towel. Let it rest 20 minutes.

Here is what I used for the fillings:

Potato, sauerkraut, bacon and cheese

Ingredients: 

3 big potatoes, cooked & mashed  
1 cup  cottage cheese, drained    
1 onion, diced & sauteed in butter until clear
6 slices of streaky bacon, diced and fried till crispy
1/4 cup sauerkraut, rinsed
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 egg yolk (from medium egg)
1 tbsp butter, melted    
1/4  tsp salt    

Potato and Mushroom 

Ingredients:
3 big potatoes, cooked & mashed
1 package of crimini mushrooms (225g), chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 egg yolk (from medium egg)
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt



Directions:


1. Combine all the ingredients for the filling into a bowl and mix.
2. Cover and set aside in the fridge until you have to use it.

Assembly:

1. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out thinly and cut with a round or glass. (I used my pasta machine to get the dough super thin! And the rolling went much quicker with a pasta machine!)
2. Spoon a teaspoon of the filling into the middle of each circle.
3. Fold dough in half and pinch edges together and use a fork to crimp the edges.
4. Gather scraps, re-roll and fill. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cooking:
1. Cook the fresh or frozen pierogies by adding them to boiling salted water and waiting until until they float and cook them for 5 minutes more after they started floating.
2. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and fry them in butter, onions and bacon.


I froze the extra pierogies without boiling them. They are cooked the same way as the fresh pierogies :) I will definitely be making more pierogies in the future!

Urban Knitting/Yarn Bombing and Miso

I have just recently discovered a new type of graffiti in Waterloo: Urban Knitting or Yarn Bombing.
Here are some examples:

I actually saw the girl knitting the one in the last picture! We were coming home from Ethel's at 11pm and she was sitting there knitting it on! :) Wish I would have had my camera on me.
I'll keep my eye's peeled for new knitted stuff.

UPDATE!: Last night I found tons of new yarn bombs! I guess keeping an eye out for them really worked! I wrote this post yesterday and wanted to post it today so I went out this morning and took pictures of the new yarn bombs that I had not seen before.

The one on the tree had a tag on it that went to this site. Zilliah explains a bit about who she is and what yarn bombing is, and she has a cute blog.
I'll continue to keep my eyes open for more :)

Also, I just bought a tub of red miso and I was trying to think of ways I could use it up. Since I've been taking salads to work a lot recently I figured I should make some miso salad dressing.
This dressing is so amazingly tasty! It's spicy, sour and salty all at the same time! It really livens up salads and you could also use this as a dip for veggies! :)

Miso Salad Dressing
Serves 1


Ingredients:
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp mustard OR 1/2 tsp wasabi

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or tupperware and mix well unitl smooth.
2. Add dressing to salad (or keep in fridge until ready to use).