Culinary Alchemy

I Yam On a Roll - Sweet Potato Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:01:00 +0000

My family loves these rolls. Though they have been absent from the array of Thanksgiving fodder in recent years, making way for Sweet Potato Pie and my brother's Brandied Sweet Potato puree, baked in a hollowed out Orange, we all still love and adore these rolls. So much so, that my Nephew use to ask for them for his birthday, and would sit in a corner and eat the whole batch... LOL

Personally, I am pretty happy with the fact that they no longer accompany Thanksgiving dinner. These rolls are just too delicious to be regulated to ONLY special occasions. :) I am now able to enjoy them all year long without any guilt. I am sure this will make my Nephew pretty happy as well.

Mom always made them with the "dough" setting on her bread machine. I, however, do not own a bread machine and therefore must assemble them via Kitchen Aid dough hook, or completely by hand. Either way, it takes about he same amount of time (though the bread machine is a little more hands off) for the assembly of the dough is fairly quick and simple. Most of the time is taken up by raising.

In the bread machine's dough setting there are 2 raising cycles, while the dough hook/by hand version only requires 1 raise. This is because you always dump everything together in the bread machine, turn it on, let it run and there is no "proofing" of the yeast. It kind of gets shocked into functioning, so it takes a little longer for it to reach it's full potential. When making these by hand, you always proof the yeast while you assemble the rest of the ingredients... Thus the yeast is awake and ready to consume sugars as soon as you add it to the flour.

The Bread machine takes about 1 1/2 hours to make dough... When I make this recipe by hand, it's actually about 15 minutes faster than the machine. :) I guess it's true that machinery is not all it's cracked up to be, but it sure can be convenient when you have a million other things to do.

Sweet Potato (Yam) Rolls

To make Dough:
1/2 cup mashed Gold Sweet Potato (usually sold as "Yams")
1/2 cup Whole Milk
1 large Egg
2 cups Bread Flour
1 cup AP Flour
1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 TB Brown Sugar
2 TB Unsalted Butter
1 Pkg Rapid Rise Yeast

To make rolls:
Olive Oil
3 TB Melted Butter

Before we can do anything, you need some sweet potato/yam mash. So grab a Sweet Potato (The ones that are golden on the inside, not the white fleshed ones)

Poke the sweet potato all over with a fork. (Show no mercy!)

Toss it into a 375 F (190C) degree oven for about 25 minutes (I build a small pan out of foil to keep it from weeping all over my oven)

When the liquid from the sweet potato is beginning to "bead" around the holes, it's done. (It should be nice and soft)

Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then peel the sweet potato (the skin should almost fall off)

Mash liberally with a fork...

OK, now we have a sweet potato puree, so ON WITH THE ROLLS!

Bread Machine directions - I am using an Oster machine...
Use the "Dough" setting.....

Place Milk, Egg, and Sweet Potato puree into the machine.

Add Bread and AP Flour along with the Salt, Brown Sugar and Butter, then sprinkle the yeast over the top.

Push the Start button and wait until the machine is done (this machine takes 1 1/2 hours to make dough)

Now you are ready to make rolls.... (Skip the next part and move down to "Make Rolls" Section)

By Hand Directions: (or by Kitchen Aid with a dough hook)
Warm the Milk to about 100 F (38 C) degrees.

Sprinkle the Yeast over the Milk and allow it to proof.

When the bubbles form (in about 10 minutes) the yeast is ready.

While the yeast is "waking up", go ahead and whisk Bread Flour, AP Flour, Salt, and Sugar together in the bowl of your mixer.

Once the yeast is ready, add it to the Flour mixture and stir to combine.

Add the Sweet Potato puree and mix.

Beat the Egg slightly to break up the yolk and white, then add this to the forming dough.

Melt the Butter and pour that into the bowl as well.

Stir everything together well....
Then, you can either kneed the dough with your dough hook for 10 minutes.

Or knead it on the counter until it's smooth and elastic. (believe it or not, I prefer to knead it myself as it's a fairly soft dough)

Place in an oiled bowl.

Cover on the surface with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place, until doubled in size (about 1 hour)

Punch down the dough... Now you are ready to make rolls.

Make Rolls: (The rest of this will be the same, regardless of whether you use the bread machine or not)
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) Degrees
Grab a fairly large baking dish or pan (I am using my CorningWare French White Roaster which is 10x14, but a 13x9 will work as well)

Drizzle and rub the dish down with Olive oil.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces.

Flatten the pieces slightly then fold them over on themselves and pinch the bottom together where the edges meet.

You should have a smooth, round dough ball.

Place in the oiled pan.

Brush the rolls with more olive oil.

Cover with Aluminum foil and let raise for 1 hour.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush them with copious amounts of melted butter.

Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack or a basket.

Rip one open and slather with additional butter.

Consume with wild abandon.

Mangia!!
~~

"T"ea is for Truffle - Earl Grey Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:25:00 +0000

I promise this will be the last Truffle post for awhile. It always happens this way. I make 1 batch, and almost instantly, the theobromine induced madness begins. Before I awaken from cacao craziness, there are 3-6 different truffles in my refrigerator. They're kind of like Lay's Potato chips.... You can't eat just one. :)

I went deep into the insanity this time. Normally I don't work with Milk Chocolate when making truffles. I stick to 60-72 % bittersweet with a good "snap". Milk chocolate contains milk solids, and since you are adding additional Heavy Cream, it kind of throws off the ratios a bit. It's much softer to work with and the finished truffles usually have a slightly "chewy" quality to them which I do not particularly care for. (I assume it's from the increase in milk proteins)

That is, until there is Earl Grey tea steeped with the cream. Then I make allowances. :)

60-72% Bittersweet Chocolate is just too strong; the subtle flavor of the tea is completely lost. Thus, when I make Earl Grey Truffles, I must resign myself to working with Milk Chocolate. There are some things to keep in mind when working with milk chocolate in ganache. You see, when you work with "milk", the ratio of Chocolate to Cream needs to be altered slightly. As a general rule, you need 1 1/2 times the amount when working with Milk Chocolate.... If your working with White Chocolate, you need 2 times the amount. Thus, since I normally use 4 oz of Heavy Cream to 8 oz of Bittersweet Chocolate to make truffles, I need 12 oz of Milk Chocolate or 16 oz of White.

Recently I found a new organic Milk Chocolate that clocks in at 48% cacao solids which beats the Scharffenberger I usually use. (It's only 41% though to be honest, I think the Scharffenberger, though lower in cacao solids, is higher quality - But I had to try it at least once)

Earl Grey, in and of itself, is a perfect addition to truffles, since it contains oil of Bergamot Orange. Let's face it, Orange and Chocolate are a classic pairing. The Black tea is sort of an added bonus. Granted, Black Tea is not coffee, but it does a good job of "rounding" out the flavor, just the same.

Earl Grey Truffles

12 oz 41-48% Milk Chocolate, chopped
4 oz Heavy Cream
a pinch of Kosher Salt
2 tea bags of Earl Grey
(Notice that there is no Butter in this one, due to the milk solid content of the Milk Chocolate)
Preferably Confectioners' Sugar, but you can use Dutched Cocoa Powder as well

Begin heating the Heavy Cream and a pinch of Kosher Salt in a small saucepan set over medium heat.

When the cream begins to bubble, remove from the heat and add the tea bags.

Cover and Let steep for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the chocolate fairly finely and place it in a medium bowl.

When the Tea is done steeping, squeeze the bags to extract as much "Tea" flavor as possible (I know, your not suppose to squeeze tea bags, it's bad form, but you aren't going to drink this. So I think it's OK)
Your cream should be fairly beige looking at this point.

Reheat the cream again, just until the bubbles begin to appear around the edge.
Pour the hot cream over the Chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.

Begin stirring in the center, with a whisk, until the chocolate and cream form an emulsion.

Since there is more chocolate, it is possible that all the chocolate will not melt as smoothly. If this happens, pop the bowl in the microwave for about 20 seconds, that's all it takes....

Then it should smooth out nicely.

Cover with Plastic wrap on the surface and chill until set.

Scoop into small 2 tsp sized balls.

These really should be rolled in Confectioners' Sugar, instead of Dutched Cocoa powder, but I didn't have enough. (It was on my grocery list)

So I sprinkled them lightly with the little that I had, so they would look different from the Rum Truffles.

Mangia!!
~~

Succumb to the Rum - Liquor Laced Chocolate Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:59:00 +0000

I realized, a couple days ago, that I have not previously touched on truffles. Oh, I have touched on Ganache several times, but I stayed focused on poured and whipped ganache instead of traversing into the arena of the truffle. For that is all a truffle really is - a Ganache that has been chilled and rolled into some semblance of an orb. Then, when I do write a post regarding truffles, I bombard everyone with the somewhat questionable addition of glutamate laden cheese to the ganache.

SO, I have decided to post my basic no frills truffle recipe... (it makes about 20-24) It will hold up to 2 TB of liquor whether it's Chambord, Rum, Bourbon, Drambuie, Irish Whiskey, Creme de Cassis, Cointreau, Frangelico, Kahlua, Galliano, Benedictine, Pama, Campari, Bailey's, Tuaca, Limoncello, Malibu, or Gran Marnier. Wine is a slightly different story, as it contains a significant amount of water. I try to go for 1/4 cup, that has been simmered and reduced to about 2 TB before adding it to the cream. Extracts? Up to 1 1/2 tsp, depending... Almond is more potent than your standard Vanilla, so use your best judgement.

Which brings me to a very good point. I add any liquor, extract or wine (or espresso for that matter) to the actual cream right after it comes to temperature on the stove. Not only does it cool the cream slightly, to ensure it doesn't scorch the chocolate, it also evaporates a little of the alcohol from the hard liquors. It's also better to disperse any water in lower proof liqueurs or extracts within the cream before adding to the chocolate, since water has a tendency to cause a chocolate seizure. Not a happy place to be in.

I chose to inoculate my truffles with Rum this time, and simply roll them in Dutched Cocoa powder. Much more prosaic than my previous truffle foray, but still delicious.

Basic Liquor Laced Truffle

8 oz 60-65% Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 oz Heavy Cream
1 TB Unsalted Butter
a pinch of Kosher Salt
2 TB of your favorite Liquor, Liqueur or reduced Wine

Chop the chocolate fairly finely and place in a small glass bowl.

Place the Heavy Cream in a small saucepan along with the Butter and a pinch of salt and place over medium flame.

When the Butter has melted and the Heavy Cream is beginning to show bubbles around the edge of the pan it is ready.

Remove the cream from the heat and add your chosen flavoring (be it Liquor, Extract, Liqueur or Espresso).

Pour the Heavy Cream mixture over the chocolate and let it set for 2 minutes to soften.

Begin stirring in the center....

Slowly but surly the mixture will change, as more chocolate is pulled into an emulsion with the Heavy Cream.

Suddenly, everything will turn shiny and dark.
Cover with plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You know the drill, scoop small 2 - 3 tsp sized balls.

Roll in Dutched Cocoa Powder or Confectioners' Sugar or Natural Cocoa Powder. (you only need to chill them a second time if you are going to coat them in chocolate before rolling in Cocoa Powder)

I prefer Dutched Cocoa on Rum Truffles.

Mangia!!
~~

Meat and Potatoes - Pommes de Terre a la Boulangere

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Do you ever have the hankerin' for the delectably meaty flavored potatoes that usually accompany a Yankee Pot Roast? Yeah, I like 'em a lot. I don't always have 4 lbs of roast lying around though. Wait, I NEVER have a 4 lb roast lying around, because it would take me a 2 weeks to eat that much beef. But I really love the potatoes that have been cooked with the roasted meat juices. HEAVENLY!

Luckily, I have a solution... or rather, the French have a solution. (and no, they didn't steal the idea from the Italians either. At least, I don't think they did) ;)

Pommes de Terre a la Boulangere (bool-ahn-ZHAIR) or Potatoes from the Bakery

I like to think that it was inspired by the roast. You see, "back in the day" people didn't have an oven in their house. Even if you DID have an oven, something like a roast (cooked low and slow) simply used too much wood fuel to make at home. That is, unless your home doubled as the town sauna. So, the villagers turned to the town baker and his/her huge oven. All the women of the village would prep their roasts by laying them on beds of potatoes and onions. When the town baker was done baking his bread for the day, the roasts were placed in the large oven as it was cooling. While the roast was hangin' out and soaking up the lowering heat of the baker's oven, the potatoes were busy soaking up all the luscious beef drippings. Thus the basic concept of "Potatoes from the Bakery" was born.

So how do you make beefy roasty toasty potatoes without roasting a roast? All you really need is some beef stock, caramelized onions and an oven. I think it's pretty safe to say that we all have ovens in our homes and no one is going to have to make a trip to the local bakery. One other thing you are going to need is time. It takes time to caramelize onions and it takes time to bake potatoes this way... At least an hour, usually a little longer. But I think it's well worth the effort.

Pomme de Terre a la Boulangere

1 rasher (slice) of Bacon, julienne
2 TB Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, sliced thin (I prefer Sweet onions for this)
1 large Shallot, sliced
1 Star Anise
2 lbs White Potatoes, sliced thin (Cause the skins are tender and I prefer not to peel)
Thyme (or Herbs de Provence)
Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cups Beef Stock
2 TB Butter for dotting

Heat Olive oil in a saute pan over medium flame, then add the bacon and saute until the fat renders out and the bacon is crisp.

Move the now crispy bacon to a paper towel to drain.

Place the saute pan back on the flame and add the Onion and Shallots.

Saute until tender, then reduce the flame to low and add the Star anise. (it makes the onions more meaty tasting)

Continue cooking the onions down until they are deep brown in color and almost jammy looking.
(this tends to take at least 15-20 minutes, so go ahead and eat the bacon bits to keep up your strength)
Remove the pan from the heat and remove the Star Anise.

Add several branches worth of Thyme Leaves and allow the onions to cool slightly while you.....

Butter a baking dish, set it aside and begin preheating the oven to 350 F (175 C) Degrees.

Slice the potatoes (or use a mandolin).

Set aside some of the "prettiest" slices for the top layer (about 8 oz of them)

Place 1/2 of the remaining potatoes in the baking dish and level them out. (you don't have to do any fancy overlapping yet)

Spread 1/2 of the caramelized onion/shallot mixture over the top.

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

Scatter the other 1/2 of the potatoes over the top. (again, no fancy overlapping, yet)

Spread the potatoes with the remaining caramelized onions and more Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

NOW you get to do the fancy overlapping with the reserved potato slices.

Season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

Then, since I don't think there is any such thing as "too much thyme" when it comes to potatoes, add some more thyme leaves.

Carefully pour the Beef stock over the potatoes.

You see the stock peeking out from underneath the potatoes around the edges.

Dot with Butter. (I love "dotting" things with butter)

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes.

Until golden brown and delicious.

Crispy on top, soft and unctuous umami-ness underneath.

Mangia!!
~~

Sexy Symbiosis - Parmigiano-Reggiano Chocolate Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:30:00 +0000

Sometimes, regardless of how delicious something is, I really wonder if I should blog about it. I mean, just because *I* think it's "da bomb" doesn't mean everyone else isn't going to think I've gone completely mental. Then I remind myself that I have already posted about Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwiches. So I have probably already convinced everyone that I am a little off-centered. :)

There really is a madness to my method, though. You see, I was poking around on the net trying to ferret out some information on the chemical make-up of brewed coffee. (Yes, this is what I do for fun) When I found what I was looking for, I was gobsmacked by the fact that coffee contains some serious quantities of Glutamic acid. I knew it contained several amino acids such as Valine, Leucine, Lysine, Arganine, Glycine, Thyrosine and Proline, but the 47.4 mg of Glutamic Acid really surprised me. The next highest amino count was Leucine at a mere 11.7 mg and everything else was below 10mg.

This got me thinking about Glutamates. No, I am not talking about the synthetically made Monosodium Glutimate, which is actually a sodium salt of Glutamic acid. (meaning the amino acid has been bound to a sodium atom) MSG is very different from a free Glutamic acid molecule.

Which brings me to "What exactly is Glutamic acid?" Glutamic acid, is an amino acid. Amino Acids are the building blocks of Proteins and Lipo-Proteins. (which are what your cell membranes are constructed out of) Glutamic Acid (GA) has a second function though, it also triggers your taste buds with, what the Japanese refer to as, Umami, or the "savory" perception. I say perception, because it's not so much an actual flavor, like Salty, Sweet, Bitter or Sour; it's really more of a chemical trigger that makes you "think" you are eating meat. In essence triggering the, "HEY, this is protein, you should eat it!" response in your brain.

This is where MSG comes in. The sodium salt, that is MSG, activates your receptors and tricks your brain into thinking it's consuming meat. That is why it is added to so many nutrient devoid processed foods. It triggers the compulsion to eat more, since we are hardwired to crave protein just as strongly as we crave the sweetness of sugar. Alas, in the case of processed foods, it usually isn't protein you are eating, but some form of filler. There is another shoe that needs to be dropped as well, because our bodies process this salt form of GA completely differently from actual free GA, which can lead to what is commonly known as "Chinese Food Syndrome" or the massive headaches that accompany large doses of synthetically created glutamate.

Now there are foods that contain tried and true "free" Glutamic acids. The list of these is long, but the top contenders are, well, actual meats like steak or anchovies (anchovies are glutamic acid bombs, which is why you use only 1 or two in an entire recipe) There are also many non-meat items that contain significant amounts of free GA, such as fermented soy products like Tamari of Black bean paste, tomatoes (which is why tomato sauce and paste are so popular) Seaweed and Kelp like Nori or Kombu, and the sharper Cheese; of which Parmigiano-Reggiano is the undisputed king, I think. Even grains such as Barley and Oats contain significant amounts of free Glutamic acid. Now mind you, there is plenty of GA locked up in actual protein molecules of these foods, but it is only the "free" GA that triggers your umami perception.

OK, now that I have completely bored everyone with a science lesson on GA and umami I will get back to my original train of thought.

We never bat an eyelash at adding Coffee to Chocolate to "round" out and "deepen" the flavor. When I saw the amount of GA in coffee, it all started to make sense. Coffee acts as a "savory" backbone to chocolate. Well, if this is true, then there should be absolutely no problem adding something like tomato paste or Parmigiano-Reggiano to chocolate. Even *I* am not ready to jump into adding tomato paste to chocolate quite yet, so I decided on the Parmigiano-Reggiano this time. (But I'm toying with Lemon and Black Pepper for the near future) The flavor profile of the cheese has some added benefits as well. Parm is slightly nutty, which is good, but it also lends some significant saltiness... I love Chocolate with Sea Salt. So I came to the conclusion that this was a fairly logical, if somewhat shocking, pairing. Besides, I think the idea is kind of sexy in a way.

Look at it this way, Mole sauce, which is AWESOME on chicken, is a savory sauce that adds not only some heat, but significant umami-ness to said chicken... It contains Chocolate.

So, I have tried to explain how my thought process works, and how I came to this conclusion. I have no idea if it justifies this little experiment or not. You may still think that I have become totally unhinged. That's OK... I am eating Chocolate Truffles right now, and enjoying every sweet, salty and savory bite... :)

Parmigiano-Reggiano Chocolate Truffles

255g (9 oz) 60-65% Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
237ml (8 oz) (1 cup) Heavy Cream
1 TB Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded (cause it melts a little smoother)
1 TB Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (instead of shredded)
optional - 2 oz 60-65% Bittersweet Chocolate, melted (for rolling)

Truffles are nothing more than ganache that has been chilled and formed into balls to resemble the subterranean fungus they are named after. Which brings me to another thing I need to point out. When I first started making Chocolate Truffles back in like 2000, I was completely anal retentive about them being perfectly spheroid in shape. I eventually realized that this is kind of silly, since truffles (the fungus) are not round. Thus, I make mine a little more free form these days. If I had "dipped" these, I might have made more effort to make them round, as it makes dipping a much less frustrating experience.

Chop the chocolate fairly finely and place in a medium bowl.

Pour Heavy Cream into a sauce pan and place over medium flame, then add Parmigiano-Reggiano and Butter.

Stir occasionally so until the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the butter melt.
When small bubbles appear around the edge, the cream is ready.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.

Begin stirring, in the center.

Slowly, as you stir, the chocolate/cream mixture will begin to change....

Until it becomes uniformly dark and glossy.

Cover with plastic wrap on the surface, to prevent crusting, and chill in the refrigerator until set (2 hours or overnight)

Once the ganache has set, line a small baking sheet with waxed paper and grab a small scoop.

Scoop out 2 tsp sized balls of the ganache.

Press into a "spheroid" shape and set on the baking sheet and continue until all the Ganache has been used.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate again for another hour or two.

At this point, you have a 3 choices.

You can go to the trouble of dipping them, if you like, but I don't normally do that because I find the thick coating of chocolate to detract from the creamy smoothness of the Ganache within.
You can simply roll them, as is, in Cocoa powder, Confectioners' sugar or, in this case, Parmigiano-Reggiano (which I do fairly often... The Cocoa Powder or Confectioners' sugar, not the Parmigiano-Reggiano - This is a special case)
Finally, you can go ahead and melt some chocolate and "roll" them in your palm to place a VERY thin coating of chocolate on the outside, before rolling them in your final dry coating.

The last method is what I did with these, because it uses only about 2 oz of chocolate, as opposed to dipping which takes an additional 9 oz.
So, prepare your finely grates Parmigiano-Reggiano by placing it on a plate to foster easier "rolling".

Place 2 oz of chopped 60-65% Bittersweet Chocolate in a bowl and place it over simmering water...

Stirring until it is almost melted. (the residual heat will melt the remaining chocolate)

You want it fairly cool or it will melt the ganache while you are rolling.

Place a small dollop in the center of your palm.

Place a truffle in the center.

Roll your palms together to coat the truffle in a thin, even layer of Chocolate.

Move the truffle to the plate of Parmigiano-Reggiano and roll to coat.

Place it on a piece of waxed paper to set.

Once all the truffle have been rolled, move them back to the refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

And there you have it, Chocolate Truffles loaded with Umami and Salt.

Now you can present them to your guests...

Or place them in a box and give as a gift....

Or just eat them yourself.... :)

Mangia!!
~~

Torte Transgression - White Chocolate "Sacher Torte"

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Most people have heard about the infamous Sacher Torte of Vienna. It is, purportedly, the panacea of the pastries... The catholicon of cakes... The most tempting of torten.

Sadly, though many have heard of this Viennese apotheosis, most of us will never actually taste one. Oh, people claim that this or that is a Sacher Torte, and many people have a "recipe" that is suppose to be THE Sacher Torte, (even I developed a recipe) but technically they are fibbing... They may be Sacher-esque, or Sacher-like, and maybe even Sacher-ish, but it is unequivocally impossible for any of them to be real Sacher Torten.

The reason is simple. The recipe is, what amounts to, a state secret kept under lock and key in an underground vault that is guarded by dogs with bees in their mouths and when they bark they shoot bees at you... A-hem.. (I am "multitasking" by watching a Simpsons re-run as I type)

Anyway, there are 2 establishments that have laid claim to Franz Sacher's original recipe. After a 7 year court battle that finally ended in 1963, (the Viennese are VERY serious about their pastries) the Sacher Hotel was awarded the name "The Original Sacher Torte" and Demel had to call theirs the "Demel's Sacher Torte" These are the ONLY two places in the world that can make the "real" thing. And if you really want to try the real thing... The Sacher Hotel will ship it to your door. Click Here. As will Demel's... Click Here.

The point is that even if you make a chocolate torte, layer it with apricot preserves and pour chocolate glaze over the top, it is still not a Sacher Torte. That is, unless you are an accomplished cat burglar and can manage to smuggle the recipe out of Austria. (don't forget your beekeepers suit) I'm just sayin'

Being somewhat of an insurrectionist due to my propensity to rage against the corporate machine, I have decided that since I cannot technically make a Sacher Torte, I am going to fly in the face of over 175 years of Austrian tradition (the torte was "invented" in 1832) and completely twist the idea into an antithesis of the original. Sort of the Yin to the Yang of the original Sacher Torte. In geek speak, the anti-matter version.

Thus it is, with a rebel yell, that I offer up a somewhat sweeter version of the Viennese Classic...

White Sacher Torte

Torte:
142g (5 oz) (1 1/2 cups) Almond Flour
65g (2.25 oz) (1/2 cup) AP Flour
6 TB Unsalted Butter
170g (6 oz) White Chocolate, chopped
4 large Eggs, separated
100g (3.5 oz) (1/2 cup) Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Cream of Tarter (or 1 tsp Lemon Juice)
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Apricot Glaze:
283g (10 oz) (1 1/4 cups) Apricot preserves
1 1/2 TB Rum

White Chocolate Ganache
177ml (3/4 cup) Heavy Cream
340g (12 oz) White Chocolate, chopped

Grease 2 9-inch cake pans, line them with parchment, then grease and flour the parchment.

Place Almond Flour and AP Flour in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Lets take a moment to admire the White Chocolate.

Just look at all that vanilla caviar speckling the creamy whiteness of the chocolate... OK, enough of that.

Chop the white chocolate and place in a saucepan along with the Butter.

Set over low heat and stir until melted, then set aside.

Place Egg Yolks and Granulated Sugar in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Beat them together until they form a ribbon. (About 8 minutes)

Begin preheating the oven to 325 F degrees while the egg yolks are being beaten.
Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly pour in the slightly cooled White Chocolate/Butter mixture.

Beat the egg whites until foamy, then sprinkle with Cream of Tarter and Kosher Salt.....

Then continue beating until they reach stiff peaks.

Spoon about 1/3 of the white into the Yolk/White Chocolate mixture and stir it in to lighten it and foster easier folding.

Add the Yolk mixture to the remaining whites and fold until combined.

Fold in the Almond/Flour mixture in 2 additions.

Divide the batter between the 2 prepared pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Turn out onto a cooling rack and peel of the parchment.

While the cakes are cooling it's time to make the Apricot glaze.
Place Apricot Preserves and Rum in a small saucepan set over medium heat.

Simmer for about 5 minutes to remove a little of the water.
Run through a fine mesh strainer to remove and chunky apricot bits.

You should have about 3/4 cup when you are finished.

Place bottom layer of the torte on a cake board, securing it with a little of the preserves.

Spread 1/3 of the preserves over the bottom layer.

Position the second layer on top.

Pour the remaining preserves over the torte and spread over the top and down the sides to completely encase the cake in a nice smooth layer.

(this will keep it from drying out and allow the white chocolate ganache to flow better)

Allow the torte to sit for 1 hour to allow the preserves to dry out slightly.
Which gives you plenty of time to make the White Chocolate Ganache.
Chop the White Chocolate and place in a small bowl.
Heat the Heavy Cream in a small saucepan over medium flame, until small bubbles appear around the edge.

Pour the hot cream over the White Chocolate and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
Begin stirring, in the center, and slowly but surly....

The mixture will melt and become a homogeneous shiny creamy ivory color.

Cover the ganache with plastic set on the surface to prevent crusting, and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. (White chocolate Ganache is really finicky and significantly runnier than regular dark chocolate ganache even though the ratio of chocolate to cream is much higher, so you need it to partially set up before you pour it.)
Place the torte on a cooling rack set in a jelly roll pan that has been lined with waxed paper. (this will catch the dripping ganache, in case you need to do a second coat)

Pour the ganache slowly, starting around the outside edge, in concentric rings, moving towards the center.

Allow the Ganache to set for 30 minutes. (put the whole thing in the refrigerator for 15 minutes if you are in a hurry)

You may scrape up the left over ganache and beat it with a mixer to incorporate some air so you can pipe it and write "Sacher" across the top, in true Sacher fashion. (or Sacher-esque, or Anti-Sacher or any other variation there of)

Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to ensure that everything is well set.

Bring it back to room temperature before serving though and as is traditional, since Sacher Torte is fairly dry, serve with mounds of "Unsweetened" Whipped Cream

(Trust me, it's sweet enough, you don't want the whipped cream to be sweet too)

Isst!!
~~

Here Comes the Sun - Sunflower Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:31:00 +0000

Everyone is familiar with Peanut Butter cookies. Those sweet and salty biscuits with the clever hatch marks on the top. Did you know that other nut butters work just as well as Peanut butter? Yep, it's true. And since I know several people with peanut allergies, who are also allergic to tree nuts of all kinds, I have started turning to my favorite substitute on a regular basis. Sunflower Seed Butter.

True, they don't taste exactly like peanut butter cookies, but they are pretty close. In fact, I think sunflower seed butter tastes more like peanut butter than the almond butter does.

Sunflower Butter Cookies

1/2 cup (4 oz) (113g) Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup (4.5 oz) (130g) Sunflower Butter
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) (100g) Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup (3.6 oz) (102g) Dark Brown Sugar
1 large Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups (6.6 oz) (187g) AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

You know the drill...

Place Butter and Sunflower butter in the bowl of you mixer and beat until well combined.

Add the both the Sugars and cream them together.

Add the Egg and mix until emulsified, then add the Vanilla and mix a little longer.

In a small bowl, whisk Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt together.

Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat on low speed until well combined and a soft sticky dough forms.

Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees
Roll Walnut sized balls of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Using a fork, create hatch marks on the cookies, flattening them slightly.

(This is a requirement, don't ask me why, it's just tradition - though I have been told that if this is not done, it will cause a distortion in the space-time continuum) ;)

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Then grab a big glass of ice cold milk and enjoy.

Mangia!!
~~

Are Ya Achin', For Some Bacon? - Bacon Chowder

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:33:00 +0000

So you may be asking yourself, "Self, I wonder why Shane posted about baking a bunch of bacon?"

Well, lemme tell ya... It all started a little over a week ago when I went to visit my grandmother in hospital. (She has since been released and is doing well, in case you were wondering) So, when I am in The Dalles, it has become traditional to stop and grab a quick bit at this wonderful restaurant called the Wind Seeker for an appetizer of delicately breaded Razor Clams (which don't seem to appear on the online menu) and a salad. It doesn't sound like all that much food but trust me, it is. A Razor Clam is an unusually large clam, similar to an ROUS from The Princess Bride (Rodents of Unusual Size) though obviously not an actual rodent. I guess in this case they would be more like COUSes. hmmmm

Anyway, the point is, that you receive 2 Razor Clams as your appetizer which amounts to puh-lentee of clam for a rather small amount of clams. ;)

This time, however, I broke with tradition. Not only did I order my Razor Clam appetizer and a salad, but I opted for the soup of the day as well. It was rather frigid outside and I always crave soup when it's cold. But what really sealed the deal, was that the soup du jour was Bacon Chowder. I mean, how brilliant is that? That soup was pure unadulterated deliciousness to a degree I had not thought possible. Of course it could have had something to do with having my Clams on the side. In essence my meal was sort of like a deconstructed clam chowder. In any case, it was bliss in a bowl.

So, I decided to have a go at Bacon Chowder myself. Thus the need for 10 oz of Bacon baked in the oven and saving the golden elixir that is rendered Bacon fat. Awesome!

Bacon Chowder

10 oz streaky Bacon rashers
2-3 TB Bacon Fat
1 Leek, sliced
1 Shallot, minced
2 stalks Celery, diced
1/4 cup AP Flour
4 cups Chicken Stock
4 medium White Potatoes, cubed
1 sprig of Thyme
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 oz soft Goat Cheese such as Chevre (You could probably use Cream cheese instead)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Chives to Garnish

First you need to bake your Bacon on a cooling rack set in a Jelly Roll Pan.... 400 degrees for about 17-25 minutes (depending on your oven)
Pour off and reserve the golden fat and set the Bacon aside.

OK, slice Leeks, mince Shallot and dice Celery.

Place a large stock pot over medium flame and add the liquid gold that is Bacon Fat.

Once it's hot add the Celery, Shallot and Leek, sauteing until translucent and soft.

While that is happening, it's a good time to cube the potatoes (it gives them less time to turn brown)

Stir in the Flour and cook until it begins to smell nutty (about 3-4 minutes)

Add the Chicken Stock, stirring to ensure the flour doesn't get "clumpy".

Add the cubed Potatoes and a sprig of Thyme.

Bring the chowder to a boil.

Reduce the flame, partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the sprig of Thyme and stir in the Heavy Cream.

Then add the goat cheese and stir until it melts, then season with Salt and Pepper.

Chop the Bacon, but don't add it yet.

You will want to wait and stir in the Bacon right before serving....(you don't want the bacon to get soggy)

Ladle into a bowl and garnish with fresh Chives and more black pepper if desired

Mangia!!
~~

Taken with Bakin' Bacon

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:59:00 +0000

It's written that the gods of Olympus dined upon Ambrosia. Poppycock, I say. I am thoroughly convinced that the food of the gods was really bacon. After all, the Romans were eating a bacon-like porcine product way back when, though it was called "petaso".

The actual word "Bacon" is Teutonic in origin, being "Bakke", that literally means "Back" for that is where Bacon has been sourced, historically. As the Teutonics became a little more germanized the word changed to "Bacho" in Old High German. Then the Franks found out about it and started calling it "Bako". Eventually the French, seeing it's popularity, decided to get in on the bacon action as well. Thus, Bako became Bacon. Even though we have the modern word at this point, Bacon is not in it's final form, for through all this, Bacon still referred to any back or side of the porcine persuasion that had been cured.

The idea traveled across the channel to England where it was loved SO much that they started selectively breeding pigs, being the Yorkshire and the Tamsworth, to produce higher quality bacon. Oddly enough, the English added a "u" to the word, making it "Bacoun" which looks more French than the actual French word.

Speaking of the Brits... They are responsible, specifically John Harris, for the "Streaky" bacon that we are so familiar with here in America. This Bacon comes from the belly, instead of the back, just as Pancetta does. Unlike Pancetta though, streaky bacon tends to be smoked after the brine. Canadian and Irish bacon are made from the loin, which is significantly less fatty than the belly. Guanciale is a form of bacon made from the jowl. Bacon can also be made from the Shoulder or the Hocks.

So many forms of bacon, and yet so little time to enjoy them all.

This particular post is really about preparing streaky bacon rashers (a rasher is a slice of bacon). You see, I have always been a great proponent for the Farberware Open hearth Grill.

How can you go wrong grilling bacon? The fat drips off into a tray below, so you can filter it and save it for other preparations. (Like frying an egg) The bacon itself is healthier (OK, as healthy as any slice of fatty cured meat can possibly be) for not having been partially deep fried in it's own rendered fat (such as pan frying). I love my Grill, but it only holds 6 pieces of Bacon (about 5 oz). That is plenty of Bacon for breakfast or a sandwich, but every once in a while, I need to cook a little more than that. So when I have to do large amounts (like 8-12 oz) I opt for my second favorite way to cook bacon.

Baking......

Have you ever done it? Is everyone out there baking their bacon while I am busy grilling mine on the Open Hearth Grill? It's super simple, totally hands off, and leaves your stove top clear for other food prep. (Which is definitely a blessing around breakfast time) For me, the best part is that I don't have to bother turning the bacon half way through cooking.

So, here's all ya gotta do.

Preheat your oven to 400 F (205 C) degrees
Place a cooling rack in a jelly roll pan (you need a lip on the pan to catch the dripping fat) then place the Bacon rashers on the cooling rack.
Cover with a piece of Parchment paper (cause I don't want to have to clean the spattered fat out of the oven this afternoon)

Place in the oven for approximately 17-20 minutes (this will really depend on your oven)
Now remove the parchment paper and bake an additional 5 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your bacon- I hate limp bacon)

You can leave it on the rack to cool, or you can more the pieces to a paper towel to blot off some of the oil.
But your not done, for there is a present for you in the bottom of the pan.

The unctuous, golden nectar of deliciousness that is rendered bacon fat.

Oh Yeah baby! And do I have a plan for this...

Post Scriptum - As most of you are aware, Sodium Nitrite has been shown to cause cancer. Most cured meats use Sodium Nitrate whether it comes from the actual chemical or, as in the case of "Nitrate Free" products, they use celery juice. Which, incidentally, is positively dripping with with Sodium Nitrate. (but it's a natural juice, not a chemical, so they can lie and say "no added nitrates") The problem is not in the sodium nitrate itself, but rather in what your digestive system does to it. Your own body converts Nitrate into Nitrite... which is a carcinogen. This actually happens all the time with many foods that you consume, celery being on of them. There are also MANY fruits that contain high amounts of Nitrates as well. Strawberries are one of the highest, but raspberries and apples contain them as well. These tend to be Potassium Nitrate instead of Sodium Nitrate, but either way, your body converts them into a Nitrite.

The point is, that Bacon has gotten a bad rap. Not that I am condoning eating Bacon for Breakfast, Lunch AND Dinner, any more than I would suggest consuming strawberries 3 times a day every day for a month. Everything in moderation.

Mangia!!
~~

Moroccan Meringue - Pistachio & Orange Blossom Honey Macaron

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:45:00 +0000

There were several requests for the recipe to my last Wordless Wednesday post. So, even though I did not document the process step by step, like I did when I made the Maple Nut Macaron, I figured I should go ahead and share it with everyone.

It is basically the same as the Walnut Macaron. I simply substituted Pistachio "Flour" grated from some Dry Roasted Unsalted Pistachios that I found at Trader Joe's (I know... I do a lot of free advertizing for them. LOL) I am sure you noticed that they are not nearly as "green" as "professional" Pistachio flavored Macaron usually are. I have issues with synthetically dying my food, so I let the natural chartreuse-ness of the Pistachios speak for themselves.

The biggest difference for these was the Orange Blossom Honey Italian Butter-creme. Honey is pretty potent stuff, being almost twice as sweet as table sugar, so I had to make some adjustments in my sugar syrup content. Unlike the Maple Syrup, I could not just replace the sugar with honey. The flavor would be a little too intense. As a result, I had to combine the two, with a little Orange Blossom Water and some OJ.

So here goes......

Pistachio Macaron with Orange Blossom Honey Butter Creme

Pistachio Macaron

4.1 oz (115g) Pistachio Flour
8 oz (230g) Confectioners' Sugar
5 oz (144g) Egg Whites
2.5 oz (72g) Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 300° and have an 18” pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip ready.

Grab 2 half-sheet pans and lay down your template.

Lay down parchment sheets over the templates.

Pistachio Flour...

Place Pistachios into your Rotary Cheese Grater and apply some elbow grease, shaving them down into fairly fine "flour"

Combine this "flour" with the confectioners' sugar and pour the mixture into a sieve and sift it, reserving whatever bits don’t pass through.

If you still have left over chunky bits, measure it out. If it's less than 2 TB go ahead and just add it the the Sugar/Walnut mixture. If it's more than 2 TB, you need to grate a little more Pistachio flour and add it to the mix.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the Egg Whites, Caster Sugar and Kosher Salt.

Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and turn the mixer to medium (4 on a KA) and whip for 3 minutes (this gives you soft peaks)

Increase the speed to medium-high (7 on a KA) and whip another 3 minutes. (this gives you stiff peaks or bird beak or "bec d’oiseau" to use the French term)

Crank it up to high (8 on a KA) and whisk for another 3 minutes.
Stop your mixer and add any extracts, flavorings or colorings.

Whisk on high speed for an additional minute to ensure they are well incorporated - streaky coloring will make your shells crack. You should have a very stiff, dry meringue; when you remove the whisk attachment, there will be a big clump of meringue in the center.

(If the meringue is not clumping in the center of the whisk, and is still forming a "beak" at the end, continue beating for another minute, or until it does so).
Now add the Pistachio/Confectioners' all at once.

Fold them in with a rubber spatula. (you are going to have to kind of press as well to incorporate the dry ingredients)

The whole point is to "deflate" the Meringue it takes about 40-45 strokes. After 30 strokes, you need to start paying close attention... stroke by stroke. You are looking for a "Lava" consistency. To check for this, drop a mound of batter and count how long it takes to sink back into the mass.

It should take 20 seconds, no more and definitely no less, or you have over-folded the batter and when you go to pipe them out, your "Lava" will be more of a "Pyroclastic" flow; which is BAD.

Transfer about half the batter to a piping bag. (Don't over fill the bag, or it will rush out of the tip)
Pipe the batter onto the parchment, following the template underneath. Remember to stop just shy of the border, because the batter will spread a little, especially after the next step.

Grasp the sheet pan, and smack it hard against your counter. Rotate the pan ninety degrees and smack it on the counter another couple times.(This causes the air bubbles to rise to the surface, so they don't crack your macarons during baking)

One thing I still could not get past, was letting them set on the counter to form a "skin", but I only let them set for 15 minutes and then slipped the template out from underneath the parchment paper.
Bake for about 18 -23 minutes, or until you can peel the parchment paper away from a macaron. (if it splits just above the foot, it's not done)
If you are watching closely, at about the 8 minute mark, the macaron will begin standing up on their feet.
Remove them from the oven and allow to cool, completely, on the baking sheet.

Once they are completely cool, go ahead and peel them from the parchment. Use a metal spatula if necessary.

Maple Italian Meringue Butter-creme

1/4 cup Orange Blossom Honey
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 TB Orange Blossom Water
optional - 1 TB Orange Juice
60g (2 large) Egg Whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
a pinch of Kosher Salt
2 TB Caster Sugar
1 cup (8 oz) (226 g) unsalted Butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

Place Orange Blossom Honey, Sugar, Water and Orange Blossom Water (and OJ, if using) in a medium sauce pan and place over medium flame. (it foams up, so use a larger pan than you think you need)

When it begins to boil, insert your candy thermometer, and cook to 236-240 F degrees.

While the syrup is boiling, begin beating your Egg Whites with Kosher Salt in the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy.

Sprinkle in the Cream of Tarter and continue whipping until soft peaks form.
Sprinkle the Caster Sugar over the egg whites and continue whipping until stiff peaks form (Bird beaked).
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, and keep them moving until the syrup is done. When the syrup 236°F, remove the pan from the heat, remove the thermometer from the pan, and crank up to speed on the mixer.
Slowly pour the hot, foamy syrup in a slow stream down side of bowl into egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. (Be careful not to hit the whisk or you may have shards in your finished butter creme)

Continue beating the meringue, scraping down side of bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the bowl is cool to the touch, about 7 minutes. (and yes, if this all sounds familiar, you have just made Maple 7 Minute frosting)

Change out the whisk and replace it with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to medium speed and begin adding unsalted Butter, 1 TB at a time. (make sure it is incorporated before adding the next chunk)
Towards the end, it will look like the butter creme is breaking and becoming sloppy, just keep beating it and it will come together.
When the paddle begins making a "slapping" sound, that means your Butter-creme is done.
Spoon the butter-creme into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

Assembly:
Match your Macaron by size and shape, as there will be some variations, even with a template.
Pipe a quarter sized dollop of Maple Butter-Creme on one half.
Place it's matching Macaron half over the Butter-Creme and press gently.

Mangia!!
~~

Wordless Wednesday - Pistachio Macaron with Orange Blossom Honey ButterCreme

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:21:00 +0000

When it's Cloudy and "Grey" - Earl Grey Pots de Creme

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:07:00 +0000

There is something comforting, on a dreary day, about having a cup of Earl Grey with a spot of cream. The bergamot orange just seems to brighten the mood. But I have discovered something even better. It involves having cream with a little Earl Grey. :)

Technically, this works better if you have the actual "pots de creme" that are what give this custard dessert its name. They are kind of like a demitasse (espresso sized) cup with a lid. But in a pinch, you can use ramekins; which I have have done here, because I only have ONE of these little pots.

The only reason I have this one, is because I happened to see it on eBay, it's shaped like a thistle and I thought it would be a cool sugar bowl, which is exactly what I use it for.

Making the custard for pots de creme is just like making the custard for creme brulee. The only real difference is the lack of a crunchy melted sugar top and the fact that it is served in a deep dish rather than a shallow one. The plus side of pots de creme is that lack of a burnt sugar topping allows for more diverse flavorings. As much as I love burnt sugar, even I must admit that it doesn't necessarily go with everything under the sun. Hey, and without the sugar topping, pots de creme actually contains fewer calories than creme brulee. Yet it is still just as smooth, creamy and delicious. I call that a win win.

I already had my heart set on making this, since the weather was so drippy and cold, but I was out of loose leaf tea. Instead of running to the store, I tore open some Earl Grey tea bags that I had in the pantry... bad idea. Tea bags usually contain much finer leaves, so unless you have cheese cloth to filter the custard through (I was out of that as well) then I highly recommend using loose leaf tea.

So the next time the sky is cloudy and gray, add some sunshine to your day and chase those oppressive blues away with Pots de Creme infused with Earl Grey.

Earl Grey Pots de Creme

1 1/2 cups (355ml) (12 oz) Heavy Cream
1/2 cup (118ml) (4 oz) Half and Half
zest of 1 Cara Cara Orange or a Meyer Lemon
2 TB loose Earl Grey Tea leaves (not tea bags, the tea is too fine)
4 large Egg Yolks
1/2 cup (100g) (3.5 oz) Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Kosher Salt

Combine Heavy Cream, Half and Half, Orange Zest and Tea Leaves in a saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Remove from the flame, cover and allow the mixture to steep for 30 - 60 minutes.

Bring the mixture back to a simmer over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk Egg Yolks, Sugar and Salt until the yolks are pale.

Pour Earl Grey cream into the yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly.

Return the raw custard to the sauce pan.

Run the raw custard through the strainer to remove the Orange Zest, Tea leaves and any possible cooked egg bits. (If you used tea from a tea bag, you will need several layers of cheese cloth for straining the tiny bits)

Place ramekins, or actual pots de creme, in a roasting pan that has been lined with a towel.

Fill the ramekins/pots with the raw custard.

Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to bring the water level half way up the sides of the ramekins/pots.

If using pots, place the covers on them, if using ramekins, cover the whole pan with foil.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, the center should still be a little jiggly.

When custards are done, remove them from the hot water and place on a cooling rack.

Once the custards are at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (if you are using the pots, simply leave the covers on them and move to the refrigerator)

Serve chilled.

So smooth and rich, it puts American Pudding (usually made with cornstarch or gelatin) to shame. Hints of bright orange mellowed with the smooth flavor of "Tea with Creme". Decadent silken lusciousness! That's all I can say.

OK, I could say it was "wicked good" (cause it was) but I don't think that does as much justice to it. LOL

Mangia!!
~~

Flour Power - Grinding Almond Flour

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:27:00 +0000

Something has been tugging at my subconscious over the last week. I am sure the seed was planted when I made Maple-Nut Macaron and, having Maple Butter-Creme remaining, Dios Torta. Both of which contained Walnut "flour", though the Macaron could have just as easily utilized Almond Flour or Hazelnut Flour. Thus, I began contemplating Nut Flour.

True, you can grind nuts fairly finely in a food processor, if there is enough sugar to prevent "butter" from forming as the oils are released and the nuts heat up. The chopping of the blade and the swirling around the processor bowl causes a lot of friction which heats the nut's oils. But what if your recipe is devoid of confectioners' sugar? Well, there is the smashing method for the softer nuts, like Walnuts and Pecans, wherein you place nuts in a zipper bag and crush them, like cookie crumbs, with a rolling pin. This too causes some friction and actually squeezes the oil out of the nuts leading to a slightly "sticky" nut flour/meal.

And that is the underlying problem...

True nut flours are light and airy, just like wheat flour (thus the term "flour") and neither the crushing method nor the processor method make fine, fluffy "flour" out of nuts. They really produce more of a "meal". This is not really an issue for me, in most cases. I tend to use nut meal a lot as a coating instead of bread crumbs, but sometimes you NEED the flour. So how do you get it?

You can buy it, of course, if you can find it. There's nut "meal" a plenty on the market, but the finer ground flour can be troublesome to track down. It's available on the internet, but I get tired of having to "order" everything ALL the time simply because I cannot find a local distributor. I am one of those people who needs to see, smell and touch what it is I am purchasing when it comes to food. Nuts go stale fairly quickly after shelling & grinding, and I don't want to end up with a 15 lb bag of stale flour.

For the home cook who doesn't need 15 lbs of flour at a time, there are the nut graters... Not grinders, but graters. (available on Amazon) Composed of a fine grating cylinder ensconced in a plastic housing with a hand crank and a hopper for gravity feeding that can clamp to your counter. You feed the nuts into the top, crank the handle and fine nut flour drifts out the side and into your bowl. I decided that it was kind of a uni-tasker, as Alton puts it, so moved on to other pursuits.

Then, the other night, I awoke from a dream at 3:30 in the morning, completely gobsmacked by the implications of my subconscious nighttime revelation. I've noticed that I often experience food related epiphanies in the middle of the night. (yes, I do dream about food.... a lot... when I am not dreaming about computer geek stuff) The point is, that I woke with a single thought in my head.

"HEY, I have a rotary grater for Parmigiano-Reggiano!"

Satisfied, that I had solved one of the "great mysteries of the baking universe" and restored peace to the kitchens of the world, I returned to my slumber.

Thus it was, the next morning, armed with raw almonds, a cheese grater and a lot of elbow grease, I manufactured my own Almond Flour. (technically, I should have blanched them first, but Almonds don't have the extremely bitter skin that Hazelnuts have, so I didn't worry so much about it)

Almond Flour

What you need:
Almonds (or other nut of your choice)
Rotary Cheese Grater (with the fine cylinder attached)
Elbow Grease
Zipper Bag for storage

It helps if you know how much flour you are gong to need, by weight. Since the whole almonds would weigh the same amount. That is the nice part about weights in baking. If your recipe is based on volume measurements, like most American recipes, you are going to have to kind of guess a little. 1 cup of whole almonds will be almost 1 3/4 cups of almond flour due to the amount of "air" you are incorporating into the finished product. (I need 200 grams or 7oz of flour, so I grabbed 200 grams of whole almonds)

Cold, not frozen, nuts work best, as there will still be some heat produced by the spinning grater drum. (it's primarily a precaution)

So, simply fit the smallest grater blade into your rotary grater.

Add almonds.

Press down gently on the arm and turn the handle. (and turn and turn and turn and turn and turn and re-fill the hopper, and turn and turn and turn)

Yes, it's a little bit of work, but it only took about 10 minutes of grating to produce 7 oz (200g) of Fluffy, Light, Finely ground Almond Flour!

As opposed to the much coarser "meal" you often find in the grocery store... (even though it is often labeled as "flour")

Since the flour will begin to go rancid quickly after being so finely ground/grated, I suggest moving it to a zipper bag and storing in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. (even if it's only overnight, 'cause fresh is always best)

Now I'm ready for another Torte.

Mangia!!
~~

Hungry for Walnuts - Hungarian Walnut Torte

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:30:00 +0000

So what do ya do when you have left over Maple Butter-Creme? Well, since I really didn't want to make a second batch of Macaron, I decided that I would make one of my favorite cakes.

OK, technically it's not a cake, which is a good thing, cause I am really not all that into cake. It's actually a Torte; and like most tortes, it's made with nuts instead of flour. Which I guess is why I like them, cause I am kind of nuts myself. I think of cake primarily as a vehicle by which you get frosting into your mouth. This is not true of tortes. They are extremely flavorful and, if the nuts are ground properly and they are baked correctly, they are decadently moist and delicious in and of themselves with no assistance from any frosting. Thus, as you will see, my frosting layers on this torte are very very thin.

This particular torte manifestation is based on the Hungarian Walnut Torte or "Dios Torta" (Yes, it looks like Spanish instead of Hungarian, but the "s" is pronounced like "sh")

Normally, it would be covered in either Whipped Cream or Coffee flavored Whipped Cream, but as I said, I made just a little TOO much Maple Butter-Creme when I was filling the Macaron. My excuse? Well, it's really hard to make less than 2 egg whites worth of Italian Butter-creme. At least I am getting to share this torte now.

Hungarian Walnut Torte

(Dios Torta)

Unsalted Butter, for the pans
1/3 cup (.75 oz) (22g) Panko, finely crushed
10 oz (285g) Walnuts (halves, pieces or any combination there of)
10 large Eggs, separated
6.2 oz (175g) (3/4 cup + 2TB) Granulated Sugar
Maple Butter-Creme, left over from making Macaron ;)

Preheat oven to 350°and crush the Panko with a rolling pin.

Grease 2 round 9" cake pans with butter,

line bottom of pans with parchment paper, then grease paper in each pan as well.

Coat cake pans with a thin layer of bread crumbs and set pans aside.

Shell your Walnuts, if necessary, and place them in a plastic bag.

Crush them finely with a rolling pin. (do not use a food processor, as you may end up with Walnut butter)

Place the bag of walnut crumbs in the freezer to chill and solidify the oils within the nuts. (you want the nut meal to be fluffy instead of pasty, this is why the food processor is a no-no)
Place Egg Yolks and Sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until they become pale.

Slowly sprinkle the sugar into the bowl and continue beating the yolks until thick and pale yellow, 6–7 minutes. (this is "ribbon" stage)

Test the yolks by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to ensure the Sugar has dissolved. If the yolks feel grainy, go ahead an beat them a little longer.

Sprinkle one-third of the ground nuts over yolk mixture and fold them in, just until combined.

Repeat the process twice to use up the remaining ground nuts. (The batter will be very thick)

Set aside.

With a clean whisk, beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl until stiff peaks form, 2–3 minutes.

Gently stir one-third of the whites into nut mixture.

This will lighten the batter enough to facilitate easier folding of the remaining whites.

Fold the remaining whites into the nut mixture in 2 additions.

Divide batter between prepared pans.

Tap the pans on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. (you can also stab the batter with a butter knife, just like you do for Angel Food cakes)

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes.

Just until the torte is pulling away from the sides of the pan...

Let tortes cool in pans for 15 minutes, invert onto a wire rack, peel off parchment paper, and let cool completely.

Bring your Maple Butter-Creme to room temperature, if it looks slightly lumpy or separated, simply throw it in the bowl of your mixer and begin beating it in until it becomes smooth and creamy (makes the "slapping" sound)

Once the layers are completely cooled, place one layer on a cake board and apply a VERY thin coat of Maple Butter-Creme.

Place the Second layer on top.

Give the whole torte a very thin crumb coat.

Chill briefly (only about 10 minutes) then apply a second thin coat of Butter-Creme to the top only.

Press Ground Walnuts around the outside of the torte and garnish with Walnut halves.

MMMM It's been so long since I have made a torte, I almost forgot just how much I love them. Mainly because they are not as sweet as cake.... I will even hazard to say that they are better for you than cake, because even though they DO contain Sugar, they are devoid of the refined flour normally present in cakes.

Mangia!!
~~

Meringue Maverick - Maple Nut Macarons

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:21:00 +0000

Macaron [mah-cah-rone] (fr), noun: an enigma wrapped in conjecture based on superstition; that is filled with Buttercreme or Ganache.

If you have ever attempted to bake these most infamous of French confections, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Every recipe you run across has you performing all sorts of strange tasks before you even begin. Drying almond flour overnight, Aging egg whites for 4 days in the refrigerator, Letting the Macarons age for 1 hour after piping, Make them with Italian Meringue, or Wait for a dry day... The list is exhaustively endless.

Well, I have done all those things and more. In fact, I think the only things I haven't done are sacrifice a virgin to the macaron god and waving a dead chicken over the pan before it goes in the oven. Sheesh! It's all a bunch of superstitious nonsense. There is 1 key to great Macaron.... and I have Stella over at Brave Tart to thank for showing me the way.

The key was.... Forgetting everything I thought I knew about egg whites.

Evidently, I have made too many Angel Food Cakes, Genoise, and Souffle in my life because according to Stella, I have been overly gentle with my egg whites when making Macaron. Stella (who makes Macaron ALL the time at Table 310) advises putting the spurs to them and whipping them into complete and utter submission. WAY beyond where I normally would stop for any other confection based on albumen. Honestly, part of me was cringing when I turned the mixer up for the remaining 3 minutes. I just knew I was going to have a massive mess on my hands afterwards. Well, I gotta tell ya, she was right. They came out beautifully. Hands down, the best macaroning experience I have had in 9 years.

Me being me, I was not happy with traditional almond macarons filled with ganache though, so I made some Walnut flour and decided to recreate one of my favorite Ice Cream flavors in Macaron form.... Maple-Nut

I chose an Italian Meringue Butter-Creme because I was extremely disconcerted about the abuse I inflicted upon the egg whites during the Macaron making process. In order to assure myself that the very fabric of the universe would not be torn asunder, I felt compelled to make something where the egg whites were merely whipped to stiff peaks. Thus, order was wrested away from the foul clutches of chaos.

Because I am ~~anal retentive~~ a detail oriented person, I used a template that I downloaded for free from mooseabout.com. (which is available here) This is only a half sized template (for 8.5 x 11 paper on landscape) so you will have to print 2 copies and tape them together so it fits a 1/2 sheet pan. Be sure to have your printer set for "print to fit" so the 1 1/2 inch (3.8cm) circles are actually 1 1/2 (3.8 cm) inches.
Simply slide it between your baking sheet and the parchment paper. (an advantage of parchment, over a Sil-Pat) Pipe all your Macaron (just shy of the actual outline, cause they spread a little) and then slide it out from underneath. Perfectly uniform... OK mostly perfectly uniform. LOL

Maple-Nut Macaron

Walnut Macaron

4.1 oz (115g) English Walnuts (about 1 1/4 cups Walnut halves)
8 oz (230g) Confectioners' Sugar (2 1/4 cups - It seems like a lot but I measured twice)
5 oz (144g) Egg Whites (5 Egg Whites minus 1 1/2 TB)
2.5 oz (72g) Caster Sugar (1/3 cup + 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 300° and have an 18” pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip ready.

Grab 2 half-sheet pans and lay down your template.

Lay down parchment sheets over the templates.

Crack some Walnuts...

Process the Walnuts and Confectioners' Sugar for about a minute in the food processor.

Pour the mixture into a sieve and sift it, reserving whatever bits don’t pass through.

Toss the chunkier bits back in the food processor and process them again.

Run the resulting powder through the sieve again.

If you still have left over chunky bits, measure it out. If it's less than 2 TB go ahead and just add it the the Sugar/Walnut mixture. If it's more than 2 TB, you need to process those chunky bits again, and re-sieve until you have less than 2 TB.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the Egg Whites, Caster Sugar and Kosher Salt.

Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and turn the mixer to medium (4 on a KA) and whip for 3 minutes (this gives you soft peaks)

Increase the speed to medium-high (7 on a KA) and whip another 3 minutes. (this gives you stiff peaks or bird beak or "bec d’oiseau" to use the French term)

Crank it up to high (8 on a KA) and whisk for another 3 minutes. (every fiber of my being shrieked in horror at this, it just goes against everything I know about egg whites)
Stop your mixer and add any extracts, flavorings or colorings.

Whisk on high speed for an additional minute to ensure they are well incorporated - streaky coloring will make your shells crack. (Evidently you have to beat the whites into complete submission)
You should have a very stiff, dry meringue; when you remove the whisk attachment, there will be a big clump of meringue in the center.

(If the meringue is not clumping in the center of the whisk, and is still forming a "beak" at the end, continue beating for another minute, or until it does so).
Now add the Walnut/Confectioners' all at once. (very disconcerting)

Fold them in with a rubber spatula. (you are going to have to kind of press as well to incorporate the dry ingredients)

The whole point is to "deflate" the Meringue it takes about 40-45 strokes. (Again, the opposite of every other egg white based dish - It just seems SO unbelievably wrong!)

After 30 strokes, you need to start paying close attention... stroke by stroke. You are looking for a "Lava" consistency. To check for this, drop a mound of batter and count how long it takes to sink back into the mass.

It should take 20 seconds, no more and definitely no less, or you have over-folded the batter and when you go to pipe them out, your "Lava" will be more of a "Pyroclastic" flow; which is BAD.

Transfer about half the batter to a piping bag. (Don't over fill the bag, or it will rush out of the tip)

Pipe the batter onto the parchment, following the template underneath. Remember to stop just shy of the border, because the batter will spread a little, especially after the next step.

Grasp the sheet pan, and smack it hard against your counter. Rotate the pan ninety degrees and smack it on the counter another couple times.(This causes the air bubbles to rise to the surface, so they don't crack your macarons during baking)

One thing I still could not get past, was letting them set on the counter to form a "skin", but I only let them set for 15 minutes and then slipped the template out from underneath the parchment paper.
Bake for about 18 -23 minutes, or until you can peel the parchment paper away from a macaron. (if it splits just above the foot, it's not done)

If you are watching closely, at about the 8 minute mark, the macaron will begin standing up on their feet.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool, completely, on the baking sheet.

Now it's time to take a moment and admire the "feet" on the macaron.

(ain't it awesome?)

Once they are completely cool, go ahead and peel them from the parchment.

Use a metal spatula if necessary.

Now I won't lie to you, I still had a couple of casualties. It was from the third pan, and I didn't really smack the pan on the counter with as much zeal as I did on the first 2 pans. And THIS....

is what happens if you don't get those bubbles out of the mixture... But hey, it was only 2, and only 2 out of 90 is really good, considering what has happened to me in the past.

Maple Italian Meringue Butter-creme

60g (2 large) Egg Whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
a pinch of Kosher Salt
2 TB Caster Sugar
2/3 cup (156 ml) pure Maple Syrup (preferably Grade B - it has more flavor)
1 cup (8 oz) (226 g) unsalted Butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

Place Maple Syrup in a medium sauce pan and place over medium flame. (it foams up, so use a larger pan than you think you need)

When it begins to boil, insert your candy thermometer, and cook to 236-240 F degrees.

While the syrup is boiling, begin beating your egg whites with Kosher Salt in the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy.

Sprinkle in the Cream of Tarter and continue whipping until soft peaks form.

Sprinkle the Caster Sugar over the egg whites and continue whipping until stiff peaks form (Bird beaked).

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, and keep them moving until the syrup is done.
When the syrup 236°F, remove the pan from the heat, remove the thermometer from the pan, and crank up to speed on the mixer.

Slowly pour the hot, foamy syrup in a slow stream down side of bowl into egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. (Be careful not to hit the whisk or you may have shards in your finished butter creme)

But we are going to take this a step further... Even though this would be really good spread over a cake.

Change out the whisk and replace it with the paddle attachment.

Turn the mixer to medium speed and begin adding unsalted Butter, 1 TB at a time. (make sure it is incorporated before adding the next chunk)

Towards the end, it will look like the butter creme is breaking and becoming sloppy, just keep beating it and it will come together.

When the paddle begins making a "slapping" sound, that means your Butter-creme is done.
Spoon the butter-creme into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

Assembly:

Match your Macaron by size and shape, as there will be some variations, even with a template.

Pipe a quarter sized dollop of Maple Butter-Creme on one half.

Place it's matching Macaron half over the Butter-Creme and press gently.

And there you have it. Maple Nut Macaron.

Now grab a cup of coffee and a Macaron. Take a bite and enter a state of bliss.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to be alone, with my pan of Macaron... :)

Oh Yeah.....

Mangia!!
~~

Wordless Wednesday - Home Corned Beef & Savoy Cabbage with Potato Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Delectably Delicious Dolphin - Mahi Mahi Mousseline

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:55:00 +0000

OK, don't panic.Yes, it's true this post is about eating dolphin, but I am talking about dolphin fish as opposed to dolphin the whale. It's usually sold under the Hawaiian name of Mahi-Mahi, which means "Strong Fish" though sometimes you can find it marketed under it's Spanish name "Dorado".

I was first exposed to Dolphin fish while reading "The Old Man and the Sea" by Hemingway during my Sophomore year of High School. For it was just before nightfall on the second day, after being towed far out to sea by the Marlin, that a Dolphin takes his second line. Several people, including myself were a little horrified when he begins to fillet it out, and eat it, along with the flying fish he found in it's stomach. Mrs. Larkin, our English teacher, quite calmly explained that the dolphin that Hemingway was referring too, was a Dolphin "fish" not a Dolphin "mammal" like Flipper. Whew!

This is a dolphin fish, and they are tasty.

Courtesy of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

This is a dolphin and they are not for eating. Well, that is unless you are in Japan or Peru.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Did you know an Orca is a dolphin? I didn't. I grew up hearing the term "Killer Whale", so I just assumed they were whales. And while it's true that all dolphins are technically whales, not all whales are dolphins.

But I am digressing, and sea faring mammal genealogy is not what this post is about, so back to the scaly fish...

I have always been curious as to the flavor of Dolphin, since my sophomore year... All I really knew about it was that it eats Flying Fish... Flying Fish attract the Dolphin, the Dolphin attracts the Tuna and the Tuna attracts the Marlin. That, and Santiago saying it was too sweet.

Flash forward about 15 years, it's the year 2000 and I am meandering through the frozen fish section of Trader Joe's in San Diego. I grabbed some Coho Salmon and some Albacore Tuna. I quickly skip past the Orange Roughy, having just recently found out about the Mercury content, when I notice this package of fish labeled Mahi-Mahi... Next to the Ahi Tuna. I figured it was some new species of Tuna, considering it's location in the cooler, so I grabbed a package and headed towards the check-out.

I had given up "meat" at the time and, since I am "allergic" to all things of the nonfermented soy persuasion, I was really big on fish as a lean healthy source of protein. I will even hazard to say that I was a "Pescatarian". It's an environmental hazard of living in SoCal. Everyone seemed to have dietary requirements ending in "an"... Vegetarian, Pollotarian, Vegan, Fruitarian, Pescatarian.... blah blah blah. (This was pre-locatarian) Anyway, I got home with my cryo-packed prizes and decided I was going to try this Mahi-Mahi "Tuna" for dinner. It was a little on the sweet side, but nice and solid, kind of like Tuna, but not as "steak-like" as Tuna can be. It was more like a cross between Cod and Halibut. On the whole, I found it rather tasty, so I added it to my weekly shopping list. It wasn't until about 3 years later, when I was cruising the net looking for new ways to cook this Mahi Mahi, that I found out that it was Dolphin Fish, just like in The Old Man and the Sea.

I will admit, that after acquiring this knowledge, there was a twisted part of my nature that thoroughly enjoyed shocking people with statements like, "Dolphin is delicious", "Do they serve Dolphin here?", "I sure could go for a nice big Dolphin fillet" or "Do you know a restaurant around here that serves good Dolphin?" Horror, disgust, incredulity, and panic would all flash across people's faces in the space of about 10 seconds. Yes, it's one of my many character flaws that I have been working very hard to suppress over the years, at least up until I came up with this Blog Title. ;)

I normally bake my Mahi Mahi in the oven, drizzled with Olive Oil and sprinkled with a Hazelnut Crust, but I have enjoyed it immensely pan seared in butter with a squeeze of lime as well. Tonight, however, I am breaking out of my mold, as it were.

When Laura Calder made her Sauce Nantua, she used it to adorn a Mousseline of Turbot (instead of Dover Sole or Haddock). A Mousseline is sort of a mousse baked in a water bath. Granted, most mousse have gelatin in them and whipped cream folded in before they are chilled, but the idea of a Mousseline is similar, you just add the cream ahead of time, and process the heck out of it in the food processor to drive some air into it to lighten it up before gently baking.

As I said, Laura used Turbot, which is a nice fish and all, but I decided that I can always use a new way to prepare Mahi-Mahi. So this is my spin on her spin.

Mahi Mahi Mousseline

12 oz (340g) Mahi Mahi
1 Large Egg
8 oz (235ml) Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
2 TB fresh Tarragon leaves, chopped
1 handful fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Sauce Nantua

Butter your ramekins and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (I know it's out of season, but these were the only ramekins I have that were the correct 6 oz size)

Line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment as well.

Cut the Mahi-Mahi into pieces.

Place the Mahi-Mahi in the bowl of your food processor, along with the Egg and the Heavy Cream.

Process this until a sort of paste forms.

Remove the blade and stir in a pinch of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper along with the chopped Tarragon and Parsley.

Spoon into your prepared ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan.

Move the baking pan to the oven and fill the pan with enough boiling water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is just set.

Run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the Mousseline (although I found out on the other three, that this was unnecessary)

Cover the ramekin with a plate,

flip and unmold (removing the parchment, if it adheres to the Mousseline)

Spoon Sauce Nantua around the Mousseline.

Garnish with a Parsley Leaf or a Tarragon spring.

Enjoy, being thankful that a Marlin didn't drag your skiff out into the middle of the Gulf only to fight off sharks. :)

Mangia!!
~~

Gettin' Sauced, Again - Sauce Nantua

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:54:00 +0000

I realize I am one of the few food bloggers who is not posting something about St. Partick's day. I also realize, now, that the holiday sort of snuk up on me, and I have not prepared my traditional Guinness dessert this year. Oops!

So I am going to post about something completely off the topic of the day, even though I am "putting the horse before the cart" on this one. But I gotta tell ya, it was SO unbelievably delicious that I had to post about it before it graces the Mahi Mahi Mousseline tomorrow. I am talking about a sauce, of course. But oh what a sauce it is! And I have Laura Calder to thank for this saucy revelation.

OK, it's not a complete revelation... I've had Bisque de Crevettesis (Shrimp Bisque) before, which is made by puréeing shrimp, but it was enlightening to find out that there is a sauce made in the same way as Shrimp Bisque. It makes sense that there would be, but I guess I had just never put it together. Well, I am glad she connected the dots for me, cause this sauce is so delicious, I could swim in it.

Sauce Nantua

2 TB Unsalted Butter
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 medium Carrot, finely diced
8 oz raw Shrimp, shell on (no heads), rough chop (Whole Crayfish are traditionally used)
2 TB Cognac
1/2 cup White Wine
1 1/2 cups Fish Stock
1 Bay Leaf (2 if they are small)
1 spring of Thyme
2 tsp Tomato Paste
1/2 tsp Sweet Paprika
a pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Melt the Butter in a saute pan set over medium heat.

Add Shallot and Carrot and saute for about 2-4 minutes.

Add chopped Shrimp and saute until they turn bright pink (about 3 minutes)

Deglaze the pan with Cognac.

Add White Wine and Fish Stock, then bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and add Bay Leaf, Thyme, Tomato Paste, Paprika and Cayenne Pepper.

Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and fish out the Bay leaf and the Thyme sprig.

Move the contents of the Saute Pan into your blender (shells and all - Don't freak out, it's good trust me)

Blend until smooth. (about 3-5 minutes)
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean sauce pan (See I told you it would be OK)

Dispose of the solids and place the sauce pan over medium heat.

Stir in the Heavy Cream and simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly.

Season with Kosher Salt and Pepper.
Serve over your favorite fish, such as Cod, Sole, Flounder or Tilapia.

I will be serving it over Mahi Mahi Mousseline tomorrow (mousseline, for all intensive purposes, is sort of a baked mousse)

It's like adding the flavor of the ocean to your plate. It's rich and creamy.... unctuously delicious... and just plain wicked good.

Mangia!!
~~

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Pi Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:59:00 +0000

Old English in the Modern Age - Corning Your Own Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:23:00 +0000

I figured since St. Patty's day was fairly close, being Saturday, that I would share my recipe for, what has become, the quintessential food of all American St. Patrick's Day celebrations.... Corned Beef.

So WHY is it called "corned" beef when it contains no corn? Well it seems that, back in the day, salt didn't exist in the refined form we know today as "Table salt". It was much more of a rough product back in the days of yore. The particular unrefined salt used for brining (corning) came in chunks about the size of a corn. I don't mean the size of Corn corn, I am referring to the size of a "Barley Corn". Is this confusing yet? :) You see, the old English word for any type of hard particle or grain seed was "Corn" in much the same way we use the blanket term "Grain" now days. Think of grains of wheat and grains of sand as being wheat corns, corns of sand or, in this case, corns of salt.

Maize from America was originally named "Indian Corn" but this was eventually shortened to "Corn" as Old English became Modern English, and terms like Barley corn, Wheat corn and Rye corn sort of fell to the wayside. Unless you are singing about John Barleycorn while consuming large quantities of beer. But that is another post.

We don't purchase our salt "chunky style" these days, but good old Kosher Salt will work just fine. It's OK, you can still refer to the process as "Corning beef" and the end product as "Corned Beef". I don't think the Old English police will arrest you for using the wrong salt.

The secret to good home corning of beef is to make sure that 1) your brine is really cold, and 2) making sure you "Swiss" the brisket really well with a meat fork or one of those tenderizer gadgets with the rows of little blades or pins so the brisket has more surface area to make contact with the brine.

With those two things in mind, Corning Beef is really very simple. True, the ingredient list is fairly long, due to the spices, but the process of making the brine is very easy. The hardest part is waiting 5-10 days before steaming/boiling it up and consuming it. I prefer to wait the full 10 days, but I am getting a late start this year... So I am only going to get 6 days in before it must be cooked. Once you have corned your beef (at 10 days), you can continue to store it in the refrigerator in the zipper bag for up to 1 week, but no longer than that.

The reason for this is that this particular recipe lacks Potassium Nitrate (Niter, Salt Peter, Pink Salt). I do not feel comfortable adding potentially cancer causing chemicals to my food, so it will not keep as long as one you buy from the store. I am OK with that, since I plan on eating it immediately (and I usually do) after the curing is completed. If you want your corned beef to last longer, go ahead and add about 1 1/2 - 2 TB Pink Salt (Potassium Nitrate) to the brine. Your brisket will be "pinker" than mine and will last a little longer in the brine.

Corned Beef

2 quarts (1.9 liters) Water
1 cup (170g)(6 oz) Kosher Salt
1/2 cup (115g)(4.1oz) Dark Brown Sugar
1 TB Black Peppercorns (See, we still call them "corns")
2 tsp Mustard Seed
2 tsp Coriander Seed
1 tsp Red Pepper Flake
1 Cinnamon Stick, broken
10 All-Spice Berries
8 Juniper Berries
8 Clove Buds
2 -3 Bay leaves (I used three cause mine were pretty small)
1/2 tsp ground Ginger
3 cloves Garlic
2 lbs (910g) Ice (1 quart of water, frozen into ice cubes)
1 sprig of Thyme
5 lbs of Beef Brisket (I chose a point cut instead of the flat end)
1-2 gallon zipper bag
A large stainless bowl, to prevent leaks in the refrigerator

Combine Water, Salt and Sugar in a large saucepan.

Bring to a simmer and add Peppercorns, Mustard seed, Coriander seed, Pepper Flake, Cinnamon, All-Spice, Juniper, Clove, Bay and Ginger.

Bring back to a simmer, then add the Garlic cloves.

Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

While the brine is simmering, fill a large pot with the Ice.

When the brine has finished simmering, move from the stove top and pour the brine over the ice.

Stir until the ice melts and cools the brine to about room temperature.

Place in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 1 hour. (You need the Brine to be at 40 F (4 C) degrees)
When the brine is completely chilled, remove the Brisket from the refrigerator and stab it all over with a meat fork to allow the brine to penetrate.

Place the slab o' meat in a 2 gallon zipper bag.

Place the Zipper bag in a stainless steel bowl.

Pour the cold brine over the meat and add the sprig of Thyme.

Close the bag, removing as much air as possible, and move the whole kit and kaboodle to the refrigerator and let it hang out for at least 5 days, preferably 10.

Agitate the meat and the brine at least once every day to ensure the brine doesn't separate and that the spices don't set on 1 section of the meat through the entire corning process.

And there you have it.... 15 minutes of work combined with lots and lots of waiting.....

See, I told you it was pretty easy.

Mangia!! (in 5-10 days)
~~

Broken Cabbage - Danish Puff

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:25:00 +0000

My mother made this a lot when I was growing up. She obtained the recipe following a potluck at the, then, Troutdale Baptist Church from Dorothy Evans. This is not really Danish pastry per se, it is more of a pie crust or "broken dough" (Pâte Brisée) with Puff Paste or "cabbage dough" (Pâte á Choux) spread over the top. Though it may not be made of the same yeast-ed and turned dough as croissants are made of, the result is still deliciousness. Besides, "Danish Puff" sounds so much more appetizing than "Broken Cabbage", don't you think?

Let me tell ya, this is laden with butter. Thus it is imperative that, since butter is the principle flavor, you use a good quality butter. I usually turn to Lurpak or Kerry Gold for this, depending on which one happens to be on sale at the moment.

The Choux paste is pretty standard as Choux paste goes, except for the addition of a little Almond extract. The Pâte Brisée, however, is much more butter laden than normal. Where I normally use about 3 cups of flour in total (2 3/4 AP and 1/4 Cake flour) with 8 oz of butter, this version contains 1 cup of flour with 4 oz of butter. Which is why you will need to press it out onto the baking sheet instead of rolling it out, cause it's just way too sticky.

The Apricot preserves are completely optional. I started doing it a little while back just because, but my mother never did it that way. She always garnished it simply with sliced Almonds and drizzled it with glaze. It's one of my favorite breakfast treats, simply because the only sugar contained in the recipe is the Confectioners' in the glaze (and in the preserves, if you are using them) so it's not TOO sweet like so many other breakfast foods. That always makes me happy, cause I really don't like starting my day out with a sugar buzz. :)

Danish Puff

Pâte Brisée
1 cup (127g) (4.5 oz) AP Flour
Pinch of Kosher Salt
4 oz (113g) unsalted Butter
2 TB Ice water

Combine Flour and Salt in a bowl.

Cut butter into the flour as for Pâte Brisée.

When butter is small pea sized,

add ice water

and mix with a fork until the dough begins to come together.

Draw dough into a ball and divide in half. (about 130 g each)

On a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, press each of the 2 balls into 12 x 3 strips.

Refrigerate to let it rest while you prepare the Choux paste topping.

Pâte á Choux
4 oz (113g) Butter
1 cup (236ml) Water
pinch of Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Almond extract
1 cup (127g) (4.5oz) AP Flour
3 large Eggs

Glaze:
1 cup (100g) (3.5 oz) Confectioners' Sugar
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
4 tsp Whole Milk

Garnish:
Sliced Almonds
(optional) Apricot Fruit Puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium saucepan bring water and butter to a boil over medium heat.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add Vanilla and Almond extracts stirring to combine.

Add the Flour and stir constantly and continuously until the flour has absorbed all the water,

and forms a balled mass that pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.

Let the dough rest for about 3 minutes to cool slightly.....
Begin adding eggs 1 at a time, stirring after each until completely incorporated before adding the next.

The dough will break apart and look like a big mess at first....

but as you keep stirring it will come back together again.. That is when it's time to add the next egg.

When your done stirring in the last egg, the dough will have transformed into a smooth, yet sticky, paste. (thus the name, Choux paste)

Remove the Pâte Brisée strips from the refrigerator.

Divide the Choux paste between the 2 base pastries.

Spread with with a spatula until the Choux is evenly spread over the base.

Move to the oven and bake for 50 minutes. (until golden and puffed)

Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes before icing with standard Milk/Confectioners sugar glaze.
Simply combine Confectioners' Sugar and Milk with Extract.

Mix with a fork until smooth. (you are going to want it a little on the thick side, so don;t be afraid to add more Confectioners' if it seems a little too runny)

If you like, you may spread pureed Apricots over the surface (I usually only do this to one of them)

Sprinkle sliced almond over the pastry.

Apply glaze by drizzling with a fork.

Consume with wild abandon!

Spis!! er, I mean... Mangia!!
~~

Ray of Inspiration - Parmigiano-Reggiano Roasted Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:31:00 +0000

I have a regular pantheon of culinary "gods" and "goddesses" that I look to for inspiration. Michael Symon, Mario Batali, Laura Calder, Alton Brown, Cat Cora, Gordon Ramsey, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence, Giada DeLaurentis and what list of Culinary Greats would be complete without the illustrious Julia Child. I will even admit that I find occasional inspiration in Martha Stewart... (Don't be hatin'... It happens) But my list of culinary muses rarely includes Guy Fieri, Ina Garten, Bobby Flay or Rachel Ray. It's not that I have anything against them. I just don't usually "feel" their food. Ya know what I mean?

Well that all changed today. I guess I was being reminded that inspiration can come from just about anywhere and not to judge the messenger.

I just happened to catch a "snippet" of a Macaroni and Cheese recipe that Rachel was making on her show. She was attempting to "hide" vegetables in the dish by adding parsnip puree to the cheese sauce, which I thought was pretty clever. But what really caught my attention was what she chose to use as a topping in lieu of bread crumbs. Parmigiano-Reggiano roasted Cauliflower.

Now I don't know about you, but I LOVE cauliflower. It's subtle flavor pairs well with SO many things... But best of all, it is stellar with just about any cheese. Which, being a complete cheese head, I find to be it's most endearing quality.

When I saw her preparation method for roasting the cauliflower and then topping the Macaroni and Cheese with it, all I could think was, "BOY, I bet that's gonna be good!" That was when the inspiration struck. I don't NEED to make Mac and Cheese to enjoy the cheesy cauliflower goodness she was using as a topping. I already roast my cauliflower when I make a puree to replace mashed potatoes so it's not a new concept in food preparation of anything; why can I not simply make this into a side dish, sans Mac and Cheese. So I did... And I consumed... And I relished... I was a very happy camper at dinner time, to say the least. So, thank you Rachel Ray, cause this was wicked good!

Parmigiano-Reggiano Roasted Cauliflower

1/3 cup (78 ml) Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic
1 Cauliflower head, cut into florets
3 TB fresh Thyme (or 1 TB dried)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 cup (2 oz) (56g) Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Place Olive oil in a small sauce pan and warm over low flame. (you don't want to "deep fry" the Garlic)

Drop in the Garlic cloves and cook until browned through (about 10-15 minutes)

While the garlic is cooking and flavoring the oil, go ahead and cut the Cauliflower into bite sized florets and scatter over a parchment lined baking sheet.

When the garlic is browned remove the Oil from the heat and extract the Garlic from the oil. (use this for another purpose - it's almost like roasted garlic)
Drizzle the Garlic oil over the Cauliflower florets.

Hit it with Thyme, Salt and Pepper, then toss to coat everything evenly.

Sprinkle with Lemon Juice.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cauliflower with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, until everything is nicely browned.

Serve piping hot....

Absolutely delicious and, aside from the extra step of making "Garlic Oil", really easy to throw together. This one is entering into regular side dish rotation cause it's a definite winner in my book.

Mangia!!
~~

Mastering the Minutiae - Minestrone alla Genovese

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Minestrone. Is there any soup so quintessentially Italian? I think not. Is there any soup that is more satisfying? I think not. Is there any soup so open to interpretation? I think not. WOW, that's a lot of "not" thinking. :)

Minestrone is often misunderstood. It's not so much an actual recipe as it is a STYLE of soup. If you have ever watched Rachel Ray, you will be familiar with her "Stoup" concept. Whether you choose to view it as a thick soup or a brothy stew... that pretty much describes Minestrone. Thicker than soup but not quite a stew. Which is why it seems to stick to your ribs so well in the cold winter months.

Though Minestrone is more of a "whatever you have lying around" kind of dish, there are still two main varieties. Milan & Genoa. Minestrone alla Milanese is what most Americans are familiar with, made popular by such brands as Progresso. It typically contains at least a little meat, tomatoes and pasta, along with a plethora of other ingredients that are completely at the discretion of the chef. There is, however, another manifestation of Minestrone that is my personal favorite; the meatless version from Genoa in northern Italy.

Not that I am a Vegetarian or Vegan, by any stretch of the imagination; I just find the combination of multiple greens, mushrooms, potato, pasta and white beans to be more to my liking. Granted, if you so desired you could add tomatoes or any other various ingredients to the melee. But there is ONE rule with Minestrone from Genoa... It must, Must, MUST be finished off with a couple hefty tablespoons of that ever so evocative of Genovese ingredients..... Pesto.

Minestrone alla Genovese

1 oz dried Porcini (this will be about 3 oz (85 g) after soaking)
8 cups Water, divided
3.5 oz (100g) Leek, sliced
4 oz (113g) Swiss Chard, chopped
4 oz (113g) Spinach, chopped
2 tsp Kosher Salt
10 oz (285g) Zucchini, peeled, quartered and sliced (about 2 small)
8 oz (226g) Japanese Eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 2 small)
10 oz (285g) White Potato, diced (about 2 small)
2 TB Olive Oil
4 oz (113g) (1 cup) Ditalini or other small Pasta (I used Gemelli this time, cause it was in the cupboard)
12 oz (340g) (2 cups) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
2 -3 TB Pesto Genovese
optional - Pecorino Romano

Soak the Porcini in 2 cups of warm water for 30 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms and reserve the liquid.

Rinse the Porcini under cold running water to remove any grit.

Dry them with paper towels.

Chop them and set them aside.

Strain the liquid through cheese cloth or a coffee filter.

Pour the "Mushroom Stock" into a 6 quart Stock pot.

Add the remaining 6 cups of water to the pot along with the Kosher Salt and apply a medium flame.

Remove the stems from the chard, and chop the remaining leaves.

Chop the Spinach.

Slice the Leeks

Peel, quarter and slice the Zucchini.

Peel, and cube the Eggplant.

Dice the Potato.

Drain and rinse the Cannellini Beans

When the salted Porcini Water comes to a boil, add the Porcini, Leeks, Chard, Spinach, Zucchini, Eggplant and Potato.

Drizzle the whole thing with Olive oil.

Reduce the flame to low and simmer the soup for 1 hour, uncovered.

Add the Pasta and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Add the Cannellini Beans and simmer 5 minutes longer.

Just before serving, stir in the Pesto.

Adjust seasoning with Black Pepper and additional Kosher Salt if needed.
Serve as is, or with a sprinkle of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

Mangia!!
~~

Delectable Dutch Delight - Banket

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:06:00 +0000

Nothin says lovin' like Dutch treats from the oven; and this one is one of my favorites.

I promised Banket when I made my Almond Paste, so here we go. True, it's a little past the season for Banket, but I like to think of this as playing "catch-up". I made SO much Almond Roca, Fudge, Divinity and various Christmas Cookies as well as Christmas ornaments with the kids, that I really didn't have time to make this as well. One only has so much time between ThanksGiving and Christmas Eve.

So what exactly IS Banket? Well, it is the epitome of Almond Paste goodness, that is for sure. Flaky, buttery pastry dough lovingly wrapped around that ever so evocative filling of Almond Paste. YUM! Baked until golden, then sliced on the bias to be served with coffee, tea or whatever you wish.

Traditionally served all over the Nederlands, as well as American Dutch communities, in copious quantities, around the Christmas holiday, Banket not only shows up in simple sticks, but in letter shapes as well. I have not attempted to make letters as of yet, since I am perfectly happy with the sticks.

If you don't feel like going to all the trouble to turn your pastry dough, you can opt for ready made puff pastry instead. Though the only time I have ever had it made with puff pastry was when I bought it from a bakery. Most of the homemade Banket I have eaten has been made of turned "Pate Brisee".

Banket

385g (13.6 oz) (3 cups) AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
228g (8 oz) (1 cup) Unsalted Butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup Ice Water (depending on the weather)

2 large Eggs (separated)
228g (8 oz) Almond Paste
125g (10 TB) Granulated Sugar
18g (2 TB) Cornstarch

Place Flour, Baking Powder and Salt in a bowl; whisking to combine.

Add Butter, in slices.

Using the tips of your fingers, work the Butter into the Flour; producing little "flakes" (This is important; do not work it into "cornmeal" or your pastry will not be as flaky)

Add the Ice Water, beginning with about 5 TB (which is a little less than 1/3 cup) and work this into the dough until it just barely holds together. (if it is still dry add additional water 1 TB at a time. Again, just until the dough comes together)

Immediately, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out.

Fold into thirds.

Turn the dough and roll again.

Fold into thirds.

Then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.

Remove the dough and roll out, then fold.

Turn, roll and fold again.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out a third time.

Fold into thirds, roll and fold into thirds again.

Wrap the dough and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Whew! I know it's a lot of work, but the flaky pseudo-puff pastry you will end up with is worth the effort.

Now once you have the dough made, turned and stored in the refrigerator, you can make the filling, cause you can store that in the refrigerator as well... Or you can wait until right before you are ready to make your Banket.

Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and separate your eggs... Beat the yolks with a fork.

Add 1 tsp of water to the Whites and whisk them until they just begin to foam.

Break up the Almond Paste into the bowl of your electric mixer and add the Egg Yolks.

Beat this well, until the paste becomes batter-like.

Meanwhile, combine Sugar and Cornstarch in a small bowl.

When the Almond Paste and Egg Yolks have become homogeneous, lower the speed of the mixer and begin adding the Sugar mixture.

Continue beating until a soft dough forms.

Divide this into 4 pieces of approximately 100 g each.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces as well.

Roll each piece out into a 4 x 14 inch rectangle.

Roll the Almond Dough into a 12 inch snake and place it near the edge, then apply egg white wash to the short ends of the pastry.

Fold the short sides over the ends of the Almond filling.

Now roll the pastry around the Almond dough, leaving it a little loose. (The filling will swell a little while baking so give it a little room to expand or it will burst out the sides.)

Apply more egg wash at the seam and pinch to close.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down, and continue this way until you have 4 sticks.

Make vents every inch or so down each pastry to allow for steam to escape.

Brush with the Egg White wash and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar, if desired. (I usually don't)

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before move to a rack and cool completely.

They can be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for about 1 week or in the freezer for about 2 months.

Mine never seem to last that long, for as soon as they are cool enough to eat, I slice 'em up and consume with delight.

Mangia!!
~~

A Tip o' The Hat - Almond Tricorn Hats (Pfaffenhutchen)

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Wingerd) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:06:00 +0000

These have got to be one of my favorite old world cookies. They are kind of involved to make, but well worth the effort. They are molded into a tri-corn shape; like hats from the colonial era (The History channel is showing something on the Revolutionary war as I am typing this) though I guess, since they are also known as "Parson's Hats", the clergy use to wear something similar.

Don't like almonds? Don't worry, you can replace the almond filling with the more traditional Hazelnut one (which I will include as well) or simply place a cherry in the middle and call it a day. :)

The oddest thing about this dough, is how it goes together. You don't cream the sugar and butter together like is the practice with most cookie recipes. This dough requires some of the flour to be worked into the butter first, sort of like making a Pate Brisee or Broken dough. Working the flour into the fat first does 2 things; not only does it make for a more tender cookie, but it also prevents the sugar from "cutting" too much air into the butter and causing excessive puffing while baking. This would not normally be a bad thing, but in this case it could compromise the structural integrity of the "hat", thus leading to a "lava flow" of Almond Paste oozing over the rim. That would be sad.

Almond Tricorn Hats

(or Parson's Hats or Pfaffenhutchen)

Almond Filling:

228 g (8 oz) Almond Paste
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 large Egg
50 g (1/4 cup) Granulated Sugar
1 TB (15 g) AP Flour

Cookie Dough:

304g (10.7 oz) (1 1/3 cups) Unsalted Butter
450 g (15.8 oz) (3 1/2 cups) AP Flour, divided
300 g (10.6 oz) (1 1/2 cups) Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
58 g (2 oz) (2/3 cup) Dutch Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Almond Filling:

Beat crumbled Almond Paste, Salt and Egg until smooth.

With the mixer running, slowly sprinkle in the Sugar and Flour, beating until everything is well combined and smooth (about 5 minutes)

Move the mixture to a bowl, then cover and chill until needed.

Cookie Dough:

In a large mixing bowl beat margarine or butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until fluffy.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the Flour and mix on low until combined.

Add the sugar and continue beating until it is incorporated as well.

Add the eggs and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining Flour with the Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder and Salt.

Slowly add this mixture to the dough and beat until well blended.

Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it a little to ensure you have a well formed dough.

Divide the dough in half and form 2 disks, then wrap with plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove 1 disk from the refrigerator, roll to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut 2 1/2 inch rounds of dough.

Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet leaving 2 inches of space between the cookies.

Gather any scraps, re-wrap and refrigerate again. (work with the second disk and then combine the scraps from both)
Spoon 1/2 tsp of the Almond Filling (or the hazelnut filling) onto the center of each round.

Lightly brush the edges with water.

Pinch the edges together to form a tri-corn hat leaving the filling exposed in the center.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or till edges are firm and the filling has begun to puff up.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.

mmmm Tasty!

Next up? Banket! Or rather, Banketstaaf ... The Dutch Treat of Christmas... Though it's a little out of season.

Hazelnut Filling: (substitute for Almond Paste filling)

170 g (6 oz) (1 1/2 cups) finely ground Blanched Hazelnuts (Hasselnusse)
200 g (7.1 oz) (1 cup) Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Orange Zest
2 -3 TB Orange Juice

Mix Hazelnuts, Sugar and Orange zest together in a small bowl.
Add just enough Orange juice for form a thick paste.

Mangia!!
~~