Daring bakers march 2010: Orange tian

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

I was very exited about this dessert to make, and i had never heard of it before. So i started out with getting al the ingredients. But could'nt find any pectin so had to make my marmalade without it. Used a little bit of gelatin, and that worked out fine. Hated the biterness of marmalade, so i found out i really don't like it.

Cutting the orange segments and making the pate sablé disc where no problem at al just like making the orange caramel. But making the stabiled whipped cream i accidentally used to much gelatin, and it turned out lumpy. Gladly i had enough whipped cream to try it out again. They turned out great and made some with marmelade and some with caramel fudge sauce(instead of marmelade).
Will be making it again but without the marmalade, thats for sure.

For the Marmalade:

Ingredients

U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for IngredientsFreshly pressed orange juice ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams1 large orange used to make orange slicescold water to cook the orange slicespectin 5 gramsgranulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked
Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.
Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.
Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.
Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).
Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.
In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Pate Sablee:

Ingredients

U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients2 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperaturegranulated sugar 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon; 2.8 oz; 80 gramsvanilla extract ½ teaspoonUnsalted butter ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams ice cold, cubedSalt 1/3 teaspoon; 2 gramsAll-purpose flour 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons; 7 oz; 200 gramsbaking powder 1 teaspoon ; 4 grams

Directions:Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.
Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Orange Segments:

For this step you will need 8 oranges.
Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

For the Caramel:

Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredientsgranulated sugar 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 gramsorange juice 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons; 14 oz; 400 grams
Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.
Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.
Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.
[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]



For the Whipped Cream:

Ingredients
U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredientsheavy whipping cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams3 tablespoons of hot water1 tsp Gelatine1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugarorange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon
In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]


Assembling the Dessert:
Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.
Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.
Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.
Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.
Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.
Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.
Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.
Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.
Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

Ceasar Club Sandwich

(adapted from the foodnetwork)

Ingredients

2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
1 large ciabatta bread
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Milka triolade cookies (triple chocolate cookies)

Milka is one of my favorite chocolates, I love every kind. But the Triple chocolate bar cant be bought in the netherlands. We discovered it a few years ago on a skiing trip in austria, and favor it ever since. So last January my boyfriend went on a skiing trip to austria again, and surprised me with some bars. Have been waiting to do something with it, except eating, so made some cookies of it today. It was the last bar so have to wait again for more...



Ingredients

200 grams unsalted butter(room temprature)
200 grams dark brown sugar
8 grams vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tblspoons cacao
200 grams flour
1 tsp baking powder
200 grams of the chocolate bar



1. Mix the butter with the sugar, vanilla and cacao until creamy. Add the eggs one by one untill the mixture is smooth again. Mix in the flour and baking powder. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and fold it in the batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap en let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. Prehaet the oven at 180c (355F). Line upt two baking thins with silicone sheets or parchment paper

2.Make small balls of the dough at the size of a walnut, place it on the sheet and form it by putting the palm of the hand on top of it. Let there be enough space between the doughballs because they will become runny while heating. Bake them for 15minutes, so they will be a litlle soft in the middle




Serves nice with some hot cocco or a cappucino.

Dutch Potato, witlof and apple mash with pork

This Sunday Spring will finally kick in, whe have been waiting for better weather. Because whe had a verry cold winter whit lots of snow. Don't understand me wrong i really love snow and the Dutch foods for this period( "stampot" mashed potato with different kind of vegetable). But spring time brings other vegetable and fruits again. Soon whe whil be able to eat white asparagus and strawberry again, which i always buy from a farmer 10 minutes by bike from my home. Straight from the field...hhmm delicious, can't hardly wait.


But to say goodbye to winter i cooked the last winter "stampot", witlof/apple mash.


Ingredients ( 4 servings)

1 kg potato ( for masching)
750 g witlof
2 apples
100 ml milk
fresh parsley
2 tblspoons olive oil
3 tblspoons butter
Pork (any kind you like)



Peel, cut and wash the potatoes. Boil them in water with salt for 20-25 minutes until tender. Chop the parsley and clean the witlof, cut these in strips. Peel the apples en remove the core. Half the apple in dices, the other in slices.

Heat the oil in a wok pan, and stir-fry the witlof for 4 minutes. Meanwhile bake or grill the apple slices. Then i grilled the pork untill done.

Heat the milk, drain the potatoes and mash them together with the butter. Mix in the witlof, parsley and apples dices. Garnisch with the apple slices.
Serve immediately

"Eet smakelijk"

Curried mince meat with peas

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
500g pack lean beef mince
3 tbsp mild or medium curry paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
150ml fresh beef stock, hot
Couple handfuls frozen peas
225g long-grain or basmati rice

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add the mince and cook for 3-4 minutes, until browned all over. Stir in the curry paste, cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a fast simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes until the peas are tender. Season to taste.

2. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, to separate the grains. Put into a saucepan, cover with plenty of salted water and put over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain well through a sieve, then fluff up the grains with a fork. Serve with the curried mince.

Daring Cooks march 2010: Risotto

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

This was my first challenge to participate in, and i liked it. I loved it to see everyones creative risotto's posted in the forum. And some are so fast with that..
I made Risotto alla Milanese(Saffron risotto). But it was the first time that i had to make my own stock, and it didn't turned out quite as well as i had hoped.
Here ar the recipes whe used.


Chicken Stock

Ingredients:
1 large chicken 2-3 pounds about 1 kg
chicken bones 2-3 pounds 1 kg
2 onions, roughly diced
1 medium leek - white part only, roughly diced
2 sticks celery, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do)
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn't matter.)
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Directions:

Wash the chicken and bones and places in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil
Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface
Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil
Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours
Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!
Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters
Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be. 
The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don't need for later use.
Risotto Base

Ingredients:
olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml
1 small onion, quatered
rice 14 oz 400g
Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli.
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L


Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion).
Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don't actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.
Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.

Saffron Risotto
30ml olive oil
1 onion
200 grams Arborio rice
100ml white whine
1l chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon Saffron
50g parmesan cheese

Take 100ml warm stock and ad the saffron.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
Add enough stock(the stock with saffron first) to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two).
Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
Stir the parmesan cheese true the finised risotto

Dutch "Ontbijtkoek"

My first post on my blog...
And its a real Dutch delicacy "Ontbijtkoek" (literally translated it means Breakfast cookie.

Dutch people love it, and we eat it al day long(not only at breakfast time). There are also a lot of variations on this cake. I made mine plane with nuts on top.

Ingredients
250 grams Brown sugar
100 ml water
2 eggs
2 tbl spoons of Spice mix(see below)
1,5 tbl spoon honey
250 grams Flour
1 tblspoon baking powder

150 grams various nuts

Spice mix(in dutch"koekkruiden")
30 grams cinnamon powder
10 grams clove powder
10 grams nutmeg
5 grams white pepper
5 grams anise
5 grams coriander/ketoembar

Just mix al ingredients wel.


Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C (356 degrees F) with rack in center of the oven.
Butter and flour, or spray with a nonstick vegetable/flour spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.

Mix baking powder with the flour. In another bowl mix the sugar with the water, eggs, spicemix and the honey.Add the dry ingredients to the water/egg mixture and beat until incorporated. Immediately pour into the prepared pan. Top of with the nuts ore anything else.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 - 55 minutes, last 10 minutes at 130 degrees C(266 degrees F). Get the cak out the pan and wrap it in aluminium foil to cool down, so it crust stays soft and sticky.