Daring Bakers in September: Vols-au-Vent with Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
September 27, 2009 at 12:05 am | Posted in daring bakers, groups, other savory, other sweet, savory things, sweet things | 97 Comments
After more than two years as a Daring Baker (it all started with a mirror cake…), I’m so excited that Liz and Ivonne have asked me to host a challenge! Woo-hoo! But oh no–what to pick?? Looking over past challenges, I realized that we’ve covered a lot of territory! One thing we haven’t made since I’ve been in the group, though, is our own puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée). Puff is something most of us usually buy at the grocery store, but in order to be really daring, we should try to make our own at least once, right?
Puff pastry is in the “laminated dough” family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. (In fact, if you participated in the Danish Braid challenge back in June 2008, then you already know the general procedure for working with laminated dough.) A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the beurrage) that is enclosed in dough (called the détrempe). This dough/butter packet is called a paton, and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.
I picked a recipe for homemade puff pastry from Michel Richard, as it appears in the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. In order to showcase off the hundreds of flaky, golden, buttery layers in the homemade puff, we formed a portion of it into vols-au-vent– little puff pastry cases designed to hold a filling. They can be made large enough for a full meal, or made small for little one-bite canapés. Vols-au-vent are typically served hot and filled with a creamy savory filling (often poultry or seafood-based), but cold fillings, such as chicken or tuna salad, work, too. Whipped cream or pastry cream with fresh or stewed fruit often goes into sweet versions.
Sizes of and fillings for the vols-au-vent were left up to the individual baker. I made three types: a smoked salmon mousse canapé, a larger main course-size filled with tuna salad and a sweet version with vanilla whipped cream and bright red tristar strawberries.
As it’s a little long, here’s a printable link to the recipe for puff pastry, as well as instructions for forming vol-au-vents and some extra tips. Also, there is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). Dont’ be put off by the length of time it takes to make your own puff pastry (most of it is inactive, while waiting for the dough to chill between turns)…it really isn’t that hard to do! I encourage anyone who has never made puff before to take a look at the video, get some good butter, and give it a try!
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this month’s challenge– I know it required a lot of time and a lot of butter, both of which are precious commodities. I appreciate your feedback and advice in the forums…not to mention your fabulous results!! Also, of course, great big hugs go to Liz and Ivonne, not only for starting this group, but for keeping it alive and fun and so well-organized! Check out the Daring Bakers’ Blogroll for more adventures in puff!
The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Cottage Cheese Pufflets
September 22, 2009 at 1:35 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 31 Comments
This is my second TWD in a row showcasing 45-45-90 triangles. I majored in math back in the day and am seriously thinking of turning this blog into a weekly cooking/geometry lesson (changing the name to “a whisk and a protractor,” of course). But before I start handing out purple-inked dittos to everyone, let’s review these Cottage Cheese Pufflets, which Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose for TWD.
I really like cottage cheese, but I also really never buy it. Don’t know why…it just doesn’t pop up on my grocery radar screen very often. I was glad, then, to have a little leftover from these cookies to eat for lunch with carrot sticks. I was also glad that these cookies were fantastic, because while I was curious to try them, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from a cookie with cottage cheese in the dough. But I’ll tell you what to expect…they are puffy and light and flaky, but with a little chew. (You can also expect the dough to be super sticky to work with, so chill it every step of the way and your life will be easier.) The dough itself isn’t too sweet, but it’s complimented by a bit of jam in the center. I filled my pufflets with some of my homemade Easy Plum Jam. Such a pretty color poking out through the steam hole (and through the sides…hmmm), don’t you think?
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Daisy Lane Cakes. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
The Cake Slice: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
September 20, 2009 at 1:32 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 37 Comments
Oh…Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake…the last cake The Cake Slice Bakers are making as a group from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes. Sad, but just because the group will be moving on to a new book next month, Sky High won’t be gathering dust on the shelf. After thirteen cakes, it has proven to be one of my favorite books, and I want to make just about every other thing in it!
This cake is like a high-class Ding Dong (although when and where I grew up, they were called “King Dons“). If you were raised, as I was, in a house where such “crème-filled” delicacies were banned, then it will make you very happy. A moist and dark devil’s food-like cake (made with mayo…but don’t be put off, because you’d never know!) is filled with a white chocolate mousse and frosted with chocolate sour cream frosting. A piece of advice…my white chocolate filling seemed a bit too soft to use straight away, so I stashed it, still in its bowl, in the fridge for about half an hour to firm up before using it.
The cake is so rich and good– I think we’re seeing this book off with a bang! Here’s a printable link to the recipe. Better yet, get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne…you won’t be sorry. Cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our sky-high cakes this month, and stay tuned for next month’s new book!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Flaky Peach and Blueberry Turnovers
September 15, 2009 at 1:55 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 37 Comments
This week Jules of Someone’s in the Kitchen chose Flaky Turnovers for TWD. My husband refused to call them “turnovers,” referring to them as “handpies” instead. Whatever you want to call them, these little fruit-filled sour cream pastries are good! Like pie, but so much easier…super versatile, too…fill them with whatever fruit you fancy.
I actually made these back in August, when this month’s recipes were first announced. We were still in prime summer produce season then, so I used peaches and blueberries in mine (yum!). Instead of making turnovers shaped like half-moons, I did triangles (no scrap!). Normally I like my pastry to be a bit more golden brown on top, but I refused to make eggwash for just two turnovers (lazy!), so they got the powdered sugar disguise (really lazy!).
I made a half recipe, and got four turnovers…two of them were baked right away for immediate gratification, and two went into the freezer for a busy day. I had that busy day, and am happy to report that they worked really well baked just out of the freezer, keeping their shape nicely with no leakage.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Someone’s in the Kitchen. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Easy Nectarine and Easy Plum Jams
September 9, 2009 at 3:46 pm | Posted in jams & preserves, sweet things | 18 Comments
Before I really get into this, I want you to know that I do realize I’m basically recycling my Easy Apricot Jam post from back in July. But we’re all for recycling, right? Look– I even recycled these old jars…
In a lot of ways I’m ready for fall, but I want nothing to do with apples and pears quite yet…I’m still clinging for dear life onto the summer fruit and veg. Just this morning I went to the Union Square Greenmarket to restock my supply of peaches, raspberries and tristar strawberries, afraid that maybe by next week they’ll have disappeared. I find some consolation in the fact that, if I cook my fruit down with a little sugar and lemon juice, I can trap a piece of summer in a Mason jar and keep it for a few more weeks.
Easy Nectarine and Easy Plum Jams— makes 2 1/2 cups
adapted from Cooks Illustrated (July/August 1998)
Note: To prep your stonefruit, wash (and peel the nectarines…for the plums, you can leave the skins on), halve and pit them. Then slice them very thin. You want to wind up with 1 pound of fruit after prepping.
The jam will continue to thicken as it cools, so err on the side of undercooking. Because of its reduced sugar amounts, this jam cannot be canned.
1 pound prepared fruit, about 3 cups
1 cup plus 2 T sugar for plum jam/1 ¼ cups sugar for nectarine jam
2 T juice from 1 lemon
– Set a bowl over a larger bowl of ice water; set aside.
– In 10- or 12-inch skillet, bring fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly and skimming foam as necessary, until mixture begins to look syrupy and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon fruit mixture into bowl over ice water; allow to set for 30 seconds. Tip bowl 45 degrees to one side; jam should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is liquid and runs to side of bowl, return skillet to heat and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes longer; then repeat test. Save the ice bath to cool the finished product.
-Cool jam to room temperature (over the ice bath) before serving or transferring to a clean glass jar or airtight container (you can sterilize first with boiling water, if you are so inclined). It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to two weeks (I’ve kept mine for up to a month…but that’s just me).
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Soufflé
September 8, 2009 at 1:57 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 42 Comments
I wonder if the bankers in the building across the street ever notice me taking photos of my food on the windowsill. I can see them clearly, so maybe they see me, too? If they do, I’m sure they were jealous that on a Wednesday afternoon, while they were sitting in their offices or in the conference room with the red walls and heinous artwork, I was enjoying a chocolate soufflé with hazelnut crème anglaise. This is all thanks to Susan of She’s Becoming DoughMessTic, who chose chocolate soufflés for TWD this week.
At every restaurant I’ve worked in, there’s been a soufflé on the menu at some point. Every pastry chef seems to make them a little differently, but I’ve picked up a few universal tips along the way. Use soft butter to coat your ramekins well (one chef had us do two coats). Use room temperature whites and whip them until they “look like shaving cream.” (I prefer to whip my whites by hand, if the amount is manageable.) Fill individual molds right to the top, level them off, and clean off any batter that may have slopped on the rims. Most importantly, get your soufflés to the table straight away (in a restaurant, this is actually the hardest part, because when a soufflé comes out of the oven, inevitably there are no waiters to be found!).
I made a few individual soufflés, rather than the larger one Dorie suggests. The principles are the same, but the baking time is shorter. I had mine in the oven for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes…I like them a little puddingy and creamy inside. They were really very chocolatey, light and delicious….and a little pot of chilled hazelnut crème anglaise served alongside didn’t hurt matters any.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read She’s Becoming DoughMessTic. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Late summer…on a plate
September 4, 2009 at 3:53 am | Posted in savory things, veggies | 12 Comments
Tuesdays with Dorie: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
September 1, 2009 at 1:15 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
My taste in brownies is usually pretty plain. Lots of chocolate and some walnuts– that’s pretty much all I need. I’ve never even had a cheesecake brownie…at least not until Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell chose Espresso Cheesecake Brownies for TWD. Espresso and chocolate are a winning combo, so I was game to give the recipe a shot (in half-recipe form, baked in a loaf pan).
The brownie layer was pretty standard. My cheesecake batter was super-loose, though, and I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t set-up. I wasn’t able to swirl the extra brownie batter into it, so I just plopped bits on (hence the leopard-print spots) and crossed my fingers as it went into the oven. Success! The heat did it’s trick, and everything cooked up fine.
I decided at first to go without Dorie’s suggested sour cream topping for the brownies, but after eating them the first night, I thought they needed more chocolate pop. So the second night, I topped the remaining pieces with a chocolate sour cream topping. Not bad, not bat at all.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Life in a Peanut Shell. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Bircher Muesli
August 29, 2009 at 6:09 pm | Posted in around sydney, breakfast things, cereals | 19 Comments
Despite my love of oats, muesli has always had bit of a negative connotation for me. Why would I ever want that dry, sawdusty stuff when I could have deliciously toasted granola instead? It wasn’t until we were living in Sydney, where it’s a café breakfast staple, that I finally discovered Bircher muesli. Oh, Bircher muesli…where had you been all my life? Better late than never, I guess.
With Bircher muesli, dry oats are soaked for at least a couple hours (overnight’s best), eliminating the whole sawdust thing. While you could use any number of liquids (such as OJ, milk or water) as your soaking medium, I prefer the light, neutral sweetness of apple juice. Next you add in lots of tasty bits…yogurt, fruit and nuts. Here I used grated red apple, along with strawberries, blackberries, sliced almonds, hazelnuts and unsweetened coconut flakes, but it’s really anything goes with the fruit and nuts. (Sliced peaches are incredible in this, as is rhubarb compote!) To me, the grated apple is the only really essential fruit, both for moisture and texture, so I would definitely not omit that. I’ve used all types of apples in the past, though, red or green..whatever you have…grate them skin-on.
This is such an easy and and satisfying breakfast, and a great way for oat lovers to get our fix when it’s hot outside. Thank you Maximilian Bircher-Benner!
Bircher Muesli– makes 2 large or 3 small servings
1 cup rolled oats (the “old-fashioned” kind)
½ cup + 2 T unsweetened apple juice
½ of a coarsely grated apple
5 oz plain yogurt
pinch of ground cinnamon
handful of toasted nuts and/or coconut flakes
handful of fresh berries and/or sliced stonefruit
honey or maple syrup for drizzling
-Put the oats and apple juice in a lidded container and leave in the refrigerator to soak overnight.
-The next morning, stir the grated apple, cinnamon, yogurt and half of the toasted nuts and/or coconut into the soaked oats. Spoon into bowls and top with fruit and remaining nuts. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie
August 25, 2009 at 1:42 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 31 Comments
The brilliant baker Linda of Tender Crumb picked this cool and refreshing Lime Cream Meringue Pie for TWD this week. Lots of lime and grated ginger made for a snappy combination…just right for a hot and muggy summer’s day. I went with a crumb crust, and used waaaay less butter in my lime cream (I don’t know anymore just how much, but I didn’t measure anyway). The lime cream was, well, creamy, and far better in taste and texture than some heavily cornstarched giggly-wiggly meringue pie fillings I’ve had in the past.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Tender Crumb. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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