Daring Baker Challange

Chinese dumplings/potstickers – June 2009 Daring Kitchen Challenge

June 14, 2009 by angelaskitchen 11 Comments

This month’s challenge is a family recipe from Jen of Use Real Butter. It is one of the things I used to LOVE back in the ol’gluten filled days – potstickers! I made a dough last year for mu shu wraps that at the time I thought I would try as a potsticker wrap, but, you know how it goes, I got busy and never quite got to it. So, here we are, a year later, and it took the amazing Daring Cooks to get me to remember and try it. Thanks guys! I am so glad I did. The fillings used were very tasty. Jen is one lucky girl having grown up on these every weekend!

This does take a bit of time to put together (think roll, fill, fold and pinch – over and over and over and over…), but I think the results are worth it. I have missed these. I am putting these up in the freezer for Mommy treats (okay, I’ll share…) and for guests and just to have on hand. I will put the freezing instructions and some other filling options on the blog Friday for Gluten Free-zer Friday, so stay tuned! The Kitchen at 200 x 170 (largest)

The Challenge: Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese)

Challenge by Jen of Use Real Butter (family recipe) adapted to gluten free by me

Jen says: “It’s a basic concept: a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, and cooked. This delicious theme runs through many cultures and is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants – especially dim sum. The recipe I provide is based on my family recipe. There is a lot of wiggle room and I encourage you to explore. If you’ve made them before – great! Now try something different!”

Gluten Free Potsticker Wrappers (same as the Mu Shu Wraps) by Angela Litzinger

Made a few more than 2 dozen… You will need to double this to have enough dough for the filling.

1 cup finely ground rice flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 – 1 cup tapioca flour/starch

Place rice and sweet rice flour in a pan. While mixing, add water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until flour is cooked and very, very sticky. Remove from heat. Place sticky dough into a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup tapioca flour to bowl and mix with paddle attachment of your mixer. Allow dough to cool. When cool, remix. If dough is too sticky to handle, sprinkle dough with 2 – 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour at a time and mix (this will depend on the humidity in your area). When you have a dough you can pull off pieces and not have stick to your hands (think play dough consistency – Yum), it is ready.

Roll slightly smaller than walnut sized pieces of dough, flatten into a disk, place on lightly “floured” (use tapioca flour/starch) plastic wrap, roll out dough with a rolling pin, rotating dough/flipping dough over so that wrap is evenly rolled out, using plastic wrap if needed to help pick up dough. I made 3 1/2 – 4” rounds.

About this size for the dough…

Look how thin this rolls out even though it is a gluten free! Woo!

Check Jen’s post on how to fill and shape the dumplings. I wet the edge of the round with a bit of water to get the edges to stick if the pleating wasn’t sticking, but the dough mostly stuck to itself. Remember that gluten free dough is a bit fragile, so you be gentle to your dough. Any rips and tears I had were pretty easy to put back together, however. I did have to place the dumpling dough with the filling on a tray, then pleat, instead of pleating in my hands as the dough couldn’t take too much rough handling…

Gluten Free Homemade Potstickers3 Dairy Free

Dumplings ready for cooking.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

My tasty potstickers. Gluten Free Homemade Potsticker Dairy Free4

(Sorry about the photo quality. Iphones are great, but maybe not for food photos…)

Jen’s Family Potsticker Fillings:

pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork (I used ground turkey – do NOT use low fat ground turkey- because that is what I had, but will use pork next time)
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried – rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce (use a gluten free one!)
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil)
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

I also added 2 cloves minced garlic, because I’m crazy like that…

shrimp filling:
1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb (225g) ground pork
3 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced
1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced
1 tsp (5g) salt
3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

dipping sauce:

2 parts soy sauce (use a gluten free one)
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil (again, I like the toasted sesame oil)
chili garlic paste (optional) (use a gluten free one)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Thank you, Jen, for this challenge. It has inspired me and brought back an old friend to my dinning table! I will be making, and freezing these with various fillings to enjoy whenever the mood strikes… Knowing myself, that mood should be very often!

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day! Will you help me reach my goal?

Pizza Crust, Gluten & Dairy Free – October 2008 Daring Baker Challenge

October 29, 2008 by angelaskitchen 4 Comments

This challenge was a nice one. I had already figured out a gluten and dairy free crust that my family really likes, but this one makes a good crust that is egg free and one you can freeze the unbaked dough. Nice!

I didn’t get too creative on the toppings. I have kids and one will only eat “cheese” (cashew cheese sauce) and pepperoni on her pizza, NO tomato sauce or anything else. Everyone else like lots of toppings, from roasted peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, etc. Really anything you can put on a pizza. (Except my husband, who thinks Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza is an abomination. I wonder where my picky daughter gets it from?) We had a wedding to attend and the girls were sitting at the kid table that had pizza. Using one of the 6 crusts, I divided the dough in half and made two individual pizzas with pepperoni that I had cut into heart shapes. That was as fancy as I got this time.

I will be making this again. The only thing I changed from the gluten free version of the recipe (thank you for adapting it for us GF bakers Gluten a go go!) was that I used millet in place of certified gluten free oat flour. There isn’t as much GF oats available in my area right now, and they are a bit out of budget. However, I do have a ton of millet flour at the house. This turned out to be a good way to use it. Also, because I have a pretty hefty family of BIG eaters, the crust was a little on the skimpy size for them, and too thin. Remember, though I have a triathalon freek husband and two kids starting puberty in the house, so food-wise they eat A LOT! I will be freezing the dough by dividing into 3 portions, not 6 so that the crust is slightly thicker and much bigger around for my pizza vultures.

Thank you for this challenge, Bakers! This month was hosted by Rosa’s Yummy Yums. She was originally to host with two other bloggers, but one has opted out of Daring Baker’s for now and Sherry of What Did You Eat passed away just a short time before.

Of picking the recipe, Rosa said, “As you all know by now, Sherry passed away tragically on the 20th of July 2008 after having been struck by a massive heart-attack. Glenna, on her side, has decided to quit The Daring Baker’s and to stop her baking adventure for personal reasons. So that’s why I am all alone on that challenge. Prior to her sudden death (9 days before), Sher had shared with me her recipe idea for the October challenge that she, Glenna and myself should have hosted together. When she died, it was clear for me that I would respect her choice and that I would still submit her recipe. This is my last ode to a very appreciated blogger, DB member, skilled baker and cook whom I miss a lot!

Thanks to Sheltie Girl (Natalia) at http://www.glutenagogo.blogspot.com (USA) for her precious help and for giving me a glute-free version of this recipe!!!”

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THE CHALLENGE: You have to use the tossing method (as explained below) for at least 2 Pizza Crusts. If you are not comfortable with it, then you can switch to the rolling method, but you HAVE to try the traditional method and exercise it, using at least two dough pieces. You should also capture the moment by either filming or photographing yourself while tossing the dough.

THE RULES: This month’s recipe leaves you with much freedom! You can either make the Pizza Dough gluten-free or the normal way. You may use the sauce (anything liquidy, saucy and spreadable like cream cheese, flavored oils, pesto, Nutella, Peanut Butter, pumpkin puree, etc…) and toppings of your choice, may they be savory or sweet, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or non-vegan/vegetarian. You must use BOTH (sauce & toppings).

JUST USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

POSTING DATE: Wednesday, October the 29th 2008

EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

RECIPE SOURCE: “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.

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~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter). (or 12 personal sized crusts and 3 large crusts for MY family!)

Ingredients:
4 ½ cups GF Flour Blend with xanthan gum or 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 1 cup oat flour (I used millet flour), 1 ½ cup arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch + 2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
2 tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar (or use agave syrup)
cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with cornmeal. (I oiled my pan instead) Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough) on oiled jelly roll or parchment paper.

11. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

12. Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and gfcf cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the ‘cheese’ caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

July 2008 Daring Baker’s Challenge – Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

August 1, 2008 by angelaskitchen

This month’s challenge came to us from Mele Cotte. She chose the Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream from Great Cakes by Carol Walter. Yum! Actually, I wasn’t as scared of this cake as some of the DBer’s seemed to be. For me the biggest baking challenges is to convert to gluten and dairy free, and because of the amount of nuts used as flour, this was a snap to alter. I even know what I wanted to make it for: my 15th anniversary! Ya know, chocolate is the key to my hubby’s heart!

I as able to find raw hazelnuts at Trader Joe’s for a very reasonable price. A quick search on the web showed me how easy they were to peel, and I was set to go. The only trouble I had was when I pulled the Praline Buttercream out of the refrigerator to get ready to decorate the top. The buttercream had separated, and at first, I thought using the nifty tip in the recipe it was all fixed up. But, no, it was too, too, soft. I do not think this was a fault of the recipe at all. I think it has much more to do with the humidity where I live… Meringue and humidity don’t mix too well. (You also make a LOT of dishes with this cake, but it is worth it!) I will make this again, but as it is so rich and special looking/tasting I will probably wait for a holiday as the dessert center piece. Though the cake I will use in other applications sooner than that. It made really nice almost sponge cake that was not too sweet. I really like it. Maybe as a Madeline Cookie?? hmmmm…..

It is really a show stopper! Thank you, Mel Cotte! This was a very fun challenge. This will be made again.

Mel Cotte made a smaller version and put that on her recipe. That is the one I used. I also used an 8” pan, as that is what I had on hand, using a parchment wrap to keep the batter in the pan and rising up.

Toast them….

Let them “steam” and rub with a cloth…

Don’t they clean up nice??

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

¾ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned

1/3 cup bean flour blend

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar, divided into thirds

½ tsp. gluten free vanilla extract

¼ tsp. grated lemon rind

3 lg. egg whites

1/8 cup warm, light tasting olive oil

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

Using a food processor, process nuts, bean flour blend, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add 2/3 of the sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining third of the sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute.

Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Whisk the xanthan gum into the nut meal mixture.

Pour the warm oil in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm oil over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected oil remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

My parchment “sleeve”…

egg yolks all ‘ribbony’…

sifting that nut meal…

Ready to bake…

All done!

Sugar Syrup

Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur (I put in the scraped vanilla pods from last month’s challenge to make vanilla syrup)

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar (and vanilla pod, if using) to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream

1 recipe Swiss Buttercream

1/3 cup praline paste

1 ½ – 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional) (I skipped)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream

4 lg. egg whites

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups (3 sticks)Easrth Balance Buttery Spread (not whipped!!), slightly firm

1 ½ -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice (skipped)

1 tsp. gluten free vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a elevtric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows.

Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the margarine in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the margarine at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the margarine will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the margarine, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Wait! My buttercream won’t come together! Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

Wait! My buttercream is too soft! Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of margarine in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed margarine to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste

1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless

2/3 cup Sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly coat with oil.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze

Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves

1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze

Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

**Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt (I used Callebaut dark)

6 oz. (¾ cup)coconut milk

1 tbsp. light corn syrup (I used agave)

1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreay, or dark Jamaican rum (optional) (skipped)

¾ tsp. gluten free vanilla

½ – 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the coconut milk and syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and coconut milk together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ – 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake – (**okay, I never did figure out where the extra whipped cream was in the recipe, so I skipped that and did not replace…)

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. **Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. **Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

2 Comments

Saturday, August 2, 2008 – 09:24 PM

cheryl

Hi Angela,
the cake does look lovely, and I made mine for our anniversary, too! Same day as yours, July 17th. =)
great pictures!

Sunday, August 3, 2008 – 10:10 AM

Lauren

Happy Anniversary! Your cake looks beautiful, I love the decoration!

Danish Braid, Gluten & Dairy Free – Daring Baker’s Challenge

July 6, 2008 by angelaskitchen Leave a Comment

May’s Daring Baker challenge was an Opera Cake which I was going to make for my kids’ piano recital… Um, but after being at the dentist for several hours with my littlest one I, well, didn’t. And last month, you know, June? Well, I never did quite get to it until now. I think I need to stop trying to find an excuse/reason/event to make the challenges for and just make them for the challenge… And DON’T WAIT FOR THE END OF THE MONTH to start the challenge! Duh! Don’t worry, I know exactly when I am making the challenge for July. And it will be started next week. Wow, how’s that for planning for a change?

I was really quite happy about June’s challenge for a couple of reasons. One I miss a nice croissant and can see this being very easily adapted to that application. I have been lusting after the ones on Gluten Free Gobsmacked for awhile now and haven’t gotten to them yet, so this was a nice opportunity to try a similar technique. And the other reason I was happy? Cardamom, baby. Oh, yeah. It’s that Swedish coming out in me. Ya gotta love it!

The biggest problem I had making this recipe is that I chose to make it for July 4th weekend. It’s not the weekend that was the problem, but the temperature. Making lamintated dough on a day that is over 80 degrees is not the best idea. I had to keep tossing my dough in the freezer to firm up the “butter” layers as it kept melting into the dough. It worked out okay, but the next time I make it I will do so in and air conditioned house. There would have been more of the flaky layering that usually characterizes this type of dough. I made half of the dough into the apple braid and the other half I made into small danishes. I show how I shaped the small danishes at the bottom. I forgot to take pictures of how to shape the braid. Oops!

June’s recipe was chosen by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? Thank you, both. This was a lot of fun and now I have a great recipe to keep working on that I have a lot of excitement for.

Technique: Making and working with yeasted laminated dough

Recipe: “Danish Braid” from Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking

APPLE FILLING

Makes enough for two braids

4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into

¼-inch pieces

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread or

coconut or olive oil

Toss all ingredients except margarine in a large bowl. Melt the margarine in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 – 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

Scraping vanilla beans for the dough…

The dough – ready to be wrapped.

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

For the dough (Detrempe)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I may lower amount to give a slower rise…)

1/2 cup unsweetend almond milk

1/3 cup sugar or cane juice crystals

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1-1/2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 large eggs, chilled

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup millet flour

1 cup tapioca starch

½ cup mixed brown rice flour

½ cup white rice flour

¼ cup sweet rice flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (I will increase this to 1 ½ teaspoons next time)

1 teaspoon pectin or gelatin (I used pectin for this batch and will try gelatin next time)

1 teaspoon salt

For the “butter” block (Beurrage)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and almond milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. In another bowl, whisk the millet flour, tapioca starch, rice flours, xanthan, pectin, and salt. Add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky,(it will be a bit sticky as it is gluten free dough, but you will be able to roll it out after it has been in the refrigerator). Flatten dough to about 1 inch thick on plastic wrap. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

“BUTTER” BLOCK

1. Combine margarine and sweet rice flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature. (It was too warm at my house to leave at room temperature. Next time I will make sure this if cold enough to be more firm, yet soft enough to be able to indent and spread.)

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (use sweet rice flour or tapioca or potato starch). Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the “butter” block evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the “butter”. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional “butter” will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight (I think this is not needed for the gluten free bakers as this is probably to develop the gluten in the dough. I skipped the 5 hour wait time as I wanted to get going on this. Next time I will bake off half right away and bake the next half the next day to compare the difference). The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

My dough ready for the fridge…

Look at how nice it rolls out!!

“Butter” block spread out (it should have been colder).

Second third flipped over.

Ready to chill.

DANISH BRAID

Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients

1 recipe Danish Dough (see above)

2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see above)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash

Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking

1. Spray cooking oil (be sure gluten free!) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch. (2 hours was to long for my house temperature and I think for gluten free – will try 1 to 1 ½ hours next time.)

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. (I increased temperature to 450 and will try 425 next time.)

3.Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

I did the final roll out and shaping on my pan.

The braid.

Proofed, egg washed and dusted with cardamon sugar.

Tastiness!!

The layers of the “butter” block did not stay cool enough, so I didn’t get the flakiness I was going for… Next time! It was still yummy.

Smaller danishes:

They all start with a square of dough. I put them on parchment paper to help with ease of handling.

Two corner:

Four corner:

Pin Wheel:

I had 3 squares of dough left in the fridge after church, cut them into triangles, rolled ham and turkey around some dairy free “cheese,” brushed them with egg wash, topped with sesame seeds. After they rose for 1/2 hour, I baked them off and we had them for lunch. The dough is not very sweet, more of an implied sweetness, so the flavors actually worked together.

2 Comments

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 – 04:01 AM

MyKitchenInHalfCups

Love those pinwheels!
I blew it not using the fresh cardamom.
I’m so impressed with how nicely your apples where chopped. Gorgeous braid, so good wasn’t it.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 – 08:00 PM

Ivonne

Nice demonstration photos, especially the one with the vanilla bean! Congratulations on your braids!

April Daring Baker’s Challenge – Cheesecake Pops!

April 27, 2008 by angelaskitchen 2 Comments

Daring Bakers – the name just makes me giggle! And the logo? Fab! I was so excited to join this nifty group of amazing bakers from all walks of life and types of kitchens. It’s a group of bakers who all participate in a monthly recipe challenge, then post about their success or struggles with the recipe. Just my sort of thing. Hey, I bake without gluten and dairy! I am already daring! Woo! So, the day arrived. I received my invitation, I signed on and checked for my first challenge. Would it be some sort of fabulous rustic roasted garlic olive loaf? A yeasted sweet roll? They had just done a beautiful party cake and lovely baguettes the months before. Maybe a cream puff, a ‘la “cream puffs in Venice”? I clicked on the window and saw, um, Cheesecake Pops.

Did I mention I am dairy and gluten free? Cheese. Cake. Hmmmm…. Maybe this Daring Baker thing is REALLY going to be more of a challenge than I thought. But a good cheesecake recipe is never a bad thing to have under your belt, unless it makes it difficult to buckle that belt! And the photos of the cute little pops (little bites of cheesecake on a stick, dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles) were adorable! You know I can’t resist cute food!

I’ve made tofu based cheese cake before, back in our vegan days, and it was okay, but I knew it could be improved, maybe with the tofu based mock cream cheese. Also, what about soy? It’s high allergen and I wanted to see if a non-soy based cheesecake was possible. So, I started my challenge deciding to run through it with the cream cheese substitute first, than try to find another substitute without soy.

For my soy free version I wanted to try to use my coconut yogurt to make a “cream cheese” and for the soy version I simply used Tofutti brand soy cream cheese. They both turned out very creamy and delicious. I used a bittersweet chocolate as a counterpoint to the creamy filling and really enjoyed how they turned out. They were not too difficult to make, mostly just a bit time consuming with the different chilling/freezing times. They will be something we will make again for a special occasion, as they were delicious and so very cute. My kids loved them, my mom (the cheesecake queen) thought they were delicious (I have to hide them now!), and my husband (who DOES NOT like cheesecake) decided this wasn’t so bad especially with the chocolate coating it. My dad is even bringing a couple to work. He likes to sometimes show people that gluten and dairy free doesn’t mean you have to be deprived of tasty fun.

I am so glad I joined this group! If this month’s challenge is any indication, I have a lot of fun to look forward to! Thanks, everybody!

Angela’s Coconut Yogurt “Cream Cheese”

Scoop one batch of coconut yogurt into a strainer lined with cheese cloth. The strainer should be over a bowl to catch the liquid “whey” that will drain from the yogurt. After a couple of hours, I tie the ends of the cheese cake to a wooden spoon and place the wooden spoon on the top of a water pitcher, suspending the yogurt inside the pitcher. Secure the handle of the spoon to the pitcher’s handle with a rubber band. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-24 hours depending on the desired consistency. The longer the yogurt sits, the thicker the yogurt cheese. Allow 1 cup of yogurt for every 1/3 cup of yogurt cheese.

Suspended coconut yogurt cheese…

Coconut yogurt cream cheese, unwrapped!

Cheesecake Pops

Original recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor – altered to be gluten and dairy free by me.

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature (use same amount of Tofu cream cheese or coconut yogurt cream cheese)

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour (use 2 tablespoons cornstarch)

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (be sure gluten free)

¼ cup heavy cream (use the thick portion of coconut milk that has risen to the top part of the coconut milk can)

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.) (I used a gluten and dairy free bittersweet chocolate)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I used organic palm shortening)

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) – Optional (be sure to use gluten and dairy free options)

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

This is my half batch pan set up in the water bath.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (I cut the cheesecake into even portions, then rolled gently into balls.) Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours. (I did overnight.)

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety. Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

April Daring Baker’s Challenge – Cheesecake Pops!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

6 Comments

Monday, April 28, 2008 – 11:23 AM

shellyfish

Your pops look great! Always thrilled to see other Alternative Daring Bakers!

Monday, April 28, 2008 – 11:58 AM

Deborah

I am always so impressed when people have to make such alterations. Great job – they look wonderful!!

Monday, April 28, 2008 – 03:46 PM

Sheltie Girl

You did a fabulous job on your cheesecake pops. You so rock…another DBer who made their own dairy or nondairy products this month. We’re definitely getting to be a wildly creative bunch. Welcome to the Daring Bakers!

The Alternative Daring Bakers have a bake together each month. Send me an email if you’d be interested in baking along with us.

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Monday, April 28, 2008 – 04:12 PM

Sandie

Very nice, I’ll have to try the coconut yogurt cream cheese.

Monday, April 28, 2008 – 09:01 PM

Lisa

Very impressive! Welcome to the group Daring Baker!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 – 09:05 PM

Kimberly

You NEVER cease to amaze me, my dear!! WOW!! You go, girl…using that talent on loan from God to do some pretty daring baking! 🙂

Daring Baker Challange

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