Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Strawberry Quinoa with Basil Lime Syrup

flickr strawberry quinoa Strawberry Quinoa with Basil and Lime Syrup!

It has been a long, long time since I last participated in the Royal Foodie Joust which is held each month by my very dear friend Jenn, The Leftover Queen! Way too long!

The Royal Foodie Joust is a monthly challenge that is hosted by Jenn-The Left-over Queen. Every month the winner from the previous month is allowed to choose the 3 ingredients that must be used in the up coming challenge. She also gives out prizes for the best overall winner, best photograph, and the most unique interpretation of the ingredients! Sounds like fun huh? Click here to join in on the fun, you have until tomorrow at noon, plenty of time!!!

The ingredients this month were chosen by LK from Healthy Delicious and they were:

Strawberry
Whole Grains
Basil

I immediately knew what I was going to do but I needed to have all of the ingredients on hand and the time to do it. In other words that stars had to be perfectly aligned for me to pull this off!!! And the other day they were!!!

I have made the cereal part of this many times and usually top it with honey but the basil and lime syrup paired perfectly. Lori used the basil lime syrup with a fruit salad and that is exactly what I am doing with the extra syrup that I made. Check out her post here!

P1010641basil and lime infused simple syrup!

Strawberries Quinoa with Basil and Lime Syrup (Quinoa from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks and Basil and Lime Syrup from Lori of The Recipe Girl)

Strawberry Quinoa Cereal:

1 cup low fat milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted*
4 teaspoons Basil and Lime Syrup

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in strawberries, transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon Basil and Lime Syrup.

Basil and Lime Syrup:

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
½ cup (packed) basil leaves
1 Tbs grated lime rind

Combine sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in basil and rind. Cool. Strain sugar mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids & keep syrup.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Monday, June 29, 2009

Ciabatta for the BBA Group

This is the 7th bread from the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group.  I have to confess, I skipped number 6.  I was just kind of sick of egg breads and it was Challah.  The family doesn’t seem to be fans either so I waited the week and dove into the ciabatta.

flickr ciabatta

About the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group: Nicole of Pinch my Salt sent out a twitter message saying “I need a challenge. Am thinking of baking my way through every single recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Anyone want to join me?” Well I jumped right in. Both feet, no thought at all. I think I was one of the first 5 that joined…did I even have the book? Nope but I ordered it that night!!!

bba1

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

We are now over 200 strong with members everywhere on the globe. It’s an incredibly enthusiastic group that wants to share like no group I have ever belonged to before. Awesome!

Our goal is to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An intimidating book at anytime but to think that you are going to be baking one of these recipes a week is slightly overwhelming to say the least. But I love a challenge and feel a real need to get out of my comfort zone. Oh yah, I bake all of our bread but I never seem to have the time or the desire to try something new and different. This will change all that!!!

Ciabatta

I followed Peter Reinhart’s recipe for the ciabatta using a poolish.  I left the poolish in the fridge for about 2 days to help the flavor develop and when I was ready to bake the bread I took the poolish out and left it at room temperature for a couple of hours.  I learned my lesson well from my brioche fail and I wanted that sucker at room temp!!!

I added the poolish to the flour, salt, yeast, and water and mixed it all together.  The recipe called for 6 Tablespoons – 3/4 cup of warmish water.  I swear I added all of that and then some just trying to get my dough really wet!!!  The flour was just sucking it right up.  I finally got to the point where I was afraid to add any more and figured it was just time to let it rest. 

This bread is fairly labor intensive and there is not much time that you can be away from it.  It’s not simply a 1-1/2 hr to 2 hr rise.  There is lots of stretching and folding and shaping involved in this one.  You need to prepare your oven for hearth baking using water in a pan and spraying the inside as well.  With that said I ended up a little disappointed with the crumb.  I know that several others had the same problem and the crumb was tighter than expected.  I just would have loved for this one to have been perfect!!!  The outside was nice and crusty.  The color was beautiful and the smell and the flavor was the best!  But my loaves weren’t perfect…

Would I make this one again?  Maybe, but not using this recipe.  There are so many other recipes and techniques that I would like to try my hand at one that was slightly more successful.  I did love the flavor of this and the kids loved it with an Italian herb and oil dipping sauce and as toast for breakfast!!!  flickr ciabatta and oilThe girl’s loved this with olive oil and herbs for dipping! 

Check out the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Blogroll to see some other really nice loaves of Ciabatta!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun! First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Then just start baking! Even if you are starting late, just begin with the first recipe and start working your way through. There are several ways to communicate with the group as you begin your journey:

Flickr: We have set up a BBA Challenge Flickr Group where you can upload photos, see photos from other members, and even post questions and comments in the group forum. It’s a private group, so you will need to click on the link that says ‘join this group’ if you want to be able to post photos. As long as you are willing to bake bread all of the bread from the book, you are welcome to join the Flickr group!

Twitter: If you use twitter, you can follow what the group is doing by searching for #BBA or #bba using Twitter’s search box. You can join in on the conversation by adding the #bba or #BBA tag to the end of your tweets when you are talking about anything related to the BBA Challenge. For me, following what people are doing on twitter has been the most fun!

Facebook: If you’re on Facebook, you can join the BBA Challenge Group there and share photos, ask questions, and talk about your bread baking experiences with other BBA members on Facebook.

Next up…Cinnamon Rolls or Sticky Buns!!!!

I am submitting this to BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread) hosted by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench. This is a great challenge to get you baking more of your own baked goods. Better for you and cheaper in the process!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Daring Baker’s Make Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding


flickr bakewell tart 1

My Bakewell Tart with homemade Lemon Curd!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.

Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling.

The version we were dared to make is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavoured shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam.

Well I survived this challenge but just barely. I messed up a lot of things but I have to tell you it seems incredibly forgiving! Did I like it? No not really but that could just have been due to all of my mess ups. It is really everything it says it is suppose to be. On the real plus side I made Lemon Curd again and really, love it!!!

First I will give you the recipe and the directions and at the end I will tell you all of the wonderful ways that I messed this one up!

Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

flickr bakewell tart 2

My self-inflicted woes:

  • My first batch of lemon curd scrambled on me giving me lemon flavored scrambled eggs. Nothing really at all appealing about that except when you turn it into Lemon Curd Custard Style Ice Cream (post to come)
  • Could not for the life of me figure out the measurements. Must have been something wrong with my brain but even using the scale wasn’t helping me…
  • Made the crust but even after it being in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes (I played a game of scrabble with the girls) there was no way it was rolling anywhere! I ended up placing it in the pan and pressing it in. Even then it was really sticky. Into the freezer it went.
  • Preheated the oven to 200 degrees. Yep you read that right. I heated the oven to 200 degrees and didn’t notice my mistake for a long, long time!
  • Was making the frangipane and when I went to weigh out the almonds I realized that I was short. Very short. About halfway short. I had some chopped up pecans in the pantry so those got thrown in to the food processor and ground. I probably could have ground the nuts to a much smoother texture but really at that point my head was totally someplace else.
  • I pulled the crust from the freezer and spread my freshly made and perfect lemon curd on top and topped it with my very dark but fluffy frangipane and placed all this in the oven that is set at 200 degrees and set the timer for 20 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes I checked on the tart. Nothing had happened! That’s when logic seemed to filter through the haze and I realized that the 200 degrees was Celsius and not Fahrenheit and that my oven should have been at 400F!!!!!!!!
  • Turned the oven up to 400F and crossed my fingers. After about 20 minutes it had browned up nicely but I think that the 15 minutes of soaking time at 200F had made the crust soggy.

All in all this was a good challenge. It certainly challenged me and isn’t that what all of this is about? Thanks to Annemarie and Jasmine for hosting this challenge!!!

This will be served for dessert to some friends tomorrow night and I am sure they won’t be anywhere near as critical as I am and will love it!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

My new “go to” chocolate cake!

I guess it was last month that I made this (boy has time just flown by!) for T’s birthday. You see he loves chocolate cake and I mean really, really chocolate cake. Good news was he loves this chocolate cake, so much so that I have made this several times since then just because!!!
P1010427 See how moist this cake is? I also used the frosting recipe and it was delicious too!!!
I put a call out on twitter once again in a state of crisis trying to come up with a fail proof cake recipe. I didn’t want something that was dry or had a large crumb. I wanted a moist, soft, melt in your mouth cake and this one certainly fit the bill. Unfortunately I can’t even remember which one of my wonderful twitter pals sprang to my rescue, I am pretty sure it was Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod but I can’t be certain. Anyway to whoever it was, we can’t thank you enough for this wonderful cake which is a great addition to anyone’s birthday cake repertoire!!!
The first one I made was a 2 layer cake in 2 pans that were about an inch too small and overflowed everywhere. It was salvageable and turned out good but this cake is really moist and didn’t hold up to the frosting to well. I was really glad that this one was for family!!! The kids also decorated it for Daddy.
P1010508 The second one I made was a 9 X 13 pan and was perfect for my younger daughter’s birthday at school.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.
VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
As Always…
Happy Entertaining!!!
Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Saturday, June 20, 2009

My Favorite Summer Lunch

It seems like every summer I get on a different kick as to what is the perfect summer salad. Last summer I ate Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella until it was coming out my ears and this summer it’s Texas Caviar, or as I like to call it “Black-eyed Pea Salad”, and it is truly perfect.
The acid is well balanced and the jalapenos give it just enough zing. This can be made in the morning in a matter of minutes and ready for me when I am starving at lunch. The other day I even shoved it into a flour tortilla shell and took it to the beach with me for my lunch!!!
P1010551
Black-eyed Pea Salad or Texas CaviarSaveur Magazine Online
2 15-oz. cans black-eyed peas,
drained and rinsed
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded,
and finely chopped (I use 2 jalapeno peppers)
1⁄2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded,
and finely chopped
1⁄4 red onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve on top of lettuce leaves.
As Always…
Happy Entertaining!!!
Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Coconut Rum Cake

P1010506

I baked this a couple of weeks ago and sadly have just now gotten around to posting it.  You see, my life is now longer my own!  During the school year I have a solid 5 hrs without the kiddos around but now that summer break is officially here I am done.  Loving every single minute of it but with them nonetheless.  So there will be sporadic posts and visits to your blogs but trust me I am really…

Anyway I made this cake at the beginning of June for our monthly pot luck, that unfortunately we were all too sick to attend, with the theme being Caribbean.  The coaches and the other employees at the ice skating rink reaped the benefits.

I was also really, really lucky to be the recipient of some Tommy Bahama rum.  Pretty fancy bottles and they made a great rum cake.  I have yet to try it in a drink but I can’t wait!!!

Rum

This cake was amazing.  I did change a couple of things based on some of the comments that were left on this recipe and I made it more rum flavored.  The cake itself was light and fluffy and full of the rum and coconut flavor and the icing and the coconut on top were the perfect compliment.  

P1010495

 

Coconut Rum CakeEpicurious.com

For cake:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Rum Extract)
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup well-stirred sweetened cream of coconut such as Coco López (be sure this is at room temperature)

For coconut slivers:
  • 1 medium coconut
  • 2 teaspoons confectioners sugar

For icing:
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons well-stirred sweetened cream of coconut (Coco Lopez)
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Rum Extract)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • Equipment: a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep); an adjustable-blade slicer (I used a 9 inch square pan)

Preparation

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Lightly butter parchment, then flour pan.

Whisk together flour (1 1/4 cups), baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in flour mixture until combined, then whisk in butter until just combined. Pour into cake pan and rap pan on counter to expel air bubbles.

Bake until golden brown and cake starts to pull away from side of pan, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Invert cake onto rack (discard parchment) and cool 10 minutes more. Generously brush top and side of warm cake with cream of coconut, allowing it to soak in before brushing on more. Cool completely.

Make coconut slivers as cake cools:
Pierce softest eye of coconut with a small screwdriver, then drain and discard liquid. Bake coconut in a shallow baking pan 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Break shell with a hammer, then pry flesh from shell with screwdriver.

Thinly shave enough coconut with slicer (I used a vegetable peeler and it worked great!) to measure 2 cups and toss with confectioners sugar, then spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Bake until just dry but not golden (some tips may color), 5 to 10 minutes. (Shave and bake remaining coconut with more confectioners sugar to serve on the side, or freeze for another use.) Cool coconut completely. (It will crisp as it cools.)

Make icing:
Beat together cream cheese, cream of coconut, rum, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons cream with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in confectioners sugar. Icing should be smooth and slightly runny; stir in remaining tablespoon cream if necessary.

Smooth icing over top of cooled cake, allowing some to drip over side, then top with coconut slivers.

Cooks' notes: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead and soaked with cream of coconut, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cake can be iced 2 hours ahead.
Coconut slivers can be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Monday, June 15, 2009

Casatiello

This is the 5th bread that I have baked along side the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group.  Casatiello is a bread that I had never even heard of let alone tasted so I was eager to get it started.  It is described as an “Italian elaboration of brioche” filled with bits of meat and cheese.

flickr casatiello
Looks like a huge muffin doesn’t it?

About the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group: Nicole of Pinch my Salt sent out a twitter message saying “I need a challenge. Am thinking of baking my way through every single recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Anyone want to join me?” Well I jumped right in. Both feet, no thought at all. I think I was one of the first 5 that joined…did I even have the book? Nope but I ordered it that night!!!

bba1

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

We are now over 200 strong with members everywhere on the globe. It’s an incredibly enthusiastic group that wants to share like no group I have ever belonged to before. Awesome!

Our goal is to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An intimidating book at anytime but to think that you are going to be baking one of these recipes a week is slightly overwhelming to say the least. But I love a challenge and feel a real need to get out of my comfort zone. Oh yah, I bake all of our bread but I never seem to have the time or the desire to try something new and different. This will change all that!!!

Casatiello

I took a trip to my local Italian Market and was able to come up with some cured Italian Salami and some provolone cheese.  My idea was to grate half of the cheese and then leave some in cubes.  Traditionally this bread is baked in paper bags or panettone molds but  after going back and forth and waiting for Nicole’s results I decided to use a 9 inch springform pan.  My bread turned out wonderfully and looked just like a giant muffin! 

Unfortunately this bread was not how I expected it to be.  I thought it would be a full flavored bread and I really found it pretty bland.  Maybe I should have used a stronger cheese or a cured sausage, not sure but I was not the hit I thought it would be in the house.  Beautiful?  Oh yes, but just not as tasty as I thought it could have been.

Any ideas on left over usage?

P1010538The crumb was beautiful and it rose perfectly but it just didn’t have as much flavor as I would have liked!

Check out the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Blogroll to see some really nice Brioches! Ones that did not fail!!!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun! First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Then just start baking! Even if you are starting late, just begin with the first recipe and start working your way through. There are several ways to communicate with the group as you begin your journey:

Flickr: We have set up a BBA Challenge Flickr Group where you can upload photos, see photos from other members, and even post questions and comments in the group forum. It’s a private group, so you will need to click on the link that says ‘join this group’ if you want to be able to post photos. As long as you are willing to bake bread all of the bread from the book, you are welcome to join the Flickr group!

Twitter: If you use twitter, you can follow what the group is doing by searching for #BBA or #bba using Twitter’s search box. You can join in on the conversation by adding the #bba or #BBA tag to the end of your tweets when you are talking about anything related to the BBA Challenge. For me, following what people are doing on twitter has been the most fun!

Facebook: If you’re on Facebook, you can join the BBA Challenge Group there and share photos, ask questions, and talk about your bread baking experiences with other BBA members on Facebook.

Next up…Challah!!!!

I am submitting this to BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread) hosted by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench. This is a great challenge to get you baking more of your own baked goods. Better for you and cheaper in the process!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Friday, June 12, 2009

Shrimp Burgers

I have been in a bit of a cooking slump lately.  Just looking at my past few months post will prove that!  It seems like I have posted very few real meals in there amongst all of the bread and desserts that have been going up!!!  All that is about to change.  Things are definitely looking up!  The girls are done school for the summer and I am as excited as they are!!!

Anyway the other night, while I am getting into break mode I was thinking about meals I have loved.  One of my favorite things ever and have never really thought about making are Shrimp Burgers.  The only time I have ever tasted them was a couple of summers ago when we were on vacation in Beaufort, SC and ate at The Shrimp Shack.  A very, very rustic place owned by the same people that own Gay Fish Company that supplies the shrimp for these burgers.  It’s one of those wait in line, place your order at the window and then wait until they call your name and then find a picnic table to eat at or take it with you! 

P1010528 Shrimp Burgers

These burgers are chock full of shrimp and come in very close to what you get at The Shrimp Shack.  I think the only difference is the method of cooking.  Pretty sure they cook theirs in the deep fryer and we don’t own one of those!

What would I change if I next time ( and there will be a next time), absolutely nothing but I will make more.  This recipe made 4 burgers and I would have loved one the next day for lunch.  I think they would be delicious cold…

Shrimp Burgers – Adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp (I used frozen and thawed them but would like to use fresh next time)
2 Tbsp onions or scallions, diced finely 
3 Tbsp celery, diced
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp red pepper, finely diced
11/2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup bread crumbs (or cornbread crumbs)
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste 
Peanut Oil or your choice for pan

Directions:

1. Cook and peel the shrimp, and chop or grind up.

2. In a large bowl mix the shrimp with the onions, parsley, red pepper and lemon zest. Stir in the mayonnaise, bread crumbs and the egg, and beat with a whisk or wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Form into patties and saute in oil until both sides are nicely browned. Drain on paper towel. Serve on hamburger buns or choice of bread with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. We used soft rolls and homemade tartar sauce.  Delicious!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Grilled Tilapia Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

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I was at a loss once again for dinner the other night, so I called upon my ever faithful twitter pals! I needed something fast and that could be prepped ahead and thrown together in about 5 minutes. I ended up with some really good suggestions – pasta with fresh tomato sauce, quesadillas, breakfast for dinner… All great suggestions but then Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod hit me with a wrap and my dinner evolved from there!

We ended up having grilled tilapia in a tortilla with fresh pineapple salsa and it was amazing but it would be excellent with chicken as well. It’s a very versatile salsa and one I will be making again and again!!!

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Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

1 8 oz can of pineapple chunks in juice, cut up smaller
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and allow to chill in the fridge for about 1 hr before serving.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Major Brioche Fail

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Very sad, flat loaf of brioche!!!

I tossed around whether or not I should post a fail of an excellent recipe that so many others have had huge success with and in the end I obviously decided to post it. Why? To maybe help teach someone else what not to do and prevent an fail for them! I will also point you in the direction of some really nice ones that did not fail at all…

About the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group: Nicole of Pinch my Salt sent out a twitter message saying “I need a challenge. Am thinking of baking my way through every single recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Anyone want to join me?” Well I jumped right in. Both feet, no thought at all. I think I was one of the first 5 that joined…did I even have the book? Nope but I ordered it that night!!!

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The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

We are now over 200 strong with members everywhere on the globe. It’s an incredibly enthusiastic group that wants to share like no group I have ever belonged to before. Awesome!

Our goal is to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An intimidating book at anytime but to think that you are going to be baking one of these recipes a week is slightly overwhelming to say the least. But I love a challenge and feel a real need to get out of my comfort zone. Oh yah, I bake all of our bread but I never seem to have the time or the desire to try something new and different. This will change all that!!!

Brioche

I was excited about making the Brioche. It looks like such a wonderful loaf of bread and I’ve had such wonderful luck with all of the recipes up until now that it didn’t even cross my mind that something would go wrong with this. I did not have any brioche molds but thanks to the Google group and PR’s great directions I knew that I would be able to form them and make them in loaf pans.

This started out fine. I had decided to make the Middle-Class Brioche. There are 3 recipes in this book. One is for the Rich Man’s Brioche (5 eggs and 2 cups of butter), Middle-Class Brioche (5 eggs and 1 cup of butter) and then Poor Man’s Brioche (4 eggs and 1/2 cup butter). As I was making the Middle-Class Brioche sponge I realized that I had accidently followed the yeast measurement for the Rich Man’s Brioche so my mind was changed and I continued on with those directions. That was when I realized that my butter was still cold. I pulled it out to soften to room temp.

My sponge performed perfectly and I was ready to make the brioche. Using my mixer I was able to mix the eggs with the sponge and add the flour and other ingredients. It was when I got to the butter I had some trouble…

My butter had not quite come to room temperature and was hard to mix in. Even after about 12 minutes of mixing and scraping I never really got that silky, smooth soft dough that people were talking about. I decided to stop it there and let it rest overnight in the fridge and would deal with it in the morning. I shaped it into the rectangle that was called for and placed it in the fridge.

In the morning I got started right away and prepared my pans. I was only going to bake 2 of the loaves right them and had planned on making rolls out of the remaining dough.

Shaping was tough. You had to work fast as shaping this dough was like shaping a blob of butter and it was melting fast. I formed it and set it out to proof for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This is when I knew I was really in trouble. PR had said that larger shapes may take longer but after 3+ hours I was still not happy with the rise! Should I have let it go longer? I’m not sure. I plopped them in the oven and hoped for the best.

By now you know they didn’t turn out and I have one good theory as to why. My butter was too cold and my bread dough must not have ever reached the internal temp that it needed to get to during the first rise. :(

I was going to try and make this again. Now that I know what I did wrong but seeing as I have a different loaf of bread to make each week I am going to skip a remake of this and revisit it at the end!

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The girl’s loved this bread and ate it toasted and for sandwiches for lunch. None of it was wasted but the unbaked dough that was in my fridge…

Check out the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Blogroll to see some really nice Brioches! Ones that did not fail!!!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun! First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Then just start baking! Even if you are starting late, just begin with the first recipe and start working your way through. There are several ways to communicate with the group as you begin your journey:

Flickr: We have set up a BBA Challenge Flickr Group where you can upload photos, see photos from other members, and even post questions and comments in the group forum. It’s a private group, so you will need to click on the link that says ‘join this group’ if you want to be able to post photos. As long as you are willing to bake bread all of the bread from the book, you are welcome to join the Flickr group!

Twitter: If you use twitter, you can follow what the group is doing by searching for #BBA or #bba using Twitter’s search box. You can join in on the conversation by adding the #bba or #BBA tag to the end of your tweets when you are talking about anything related to the BBA Challenge. For me, following what people are doing on twitter has been the most fun!

Facebook: If you’re on Facebook, you can join the BBA Challenge Group there and share photos, ask questions, and talk about your bread baking experiences with other BBA members on Facebook.

Next up…Casatiello!!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Cello-Rita’s

My friend Courtney over at Coco Cooks is a long time fan of the Real Housewives. While I am just getting into this year I can see how it can be totally addicting. I already wish it was on more than once during the week!!! Right now we are into the Real Housewives of New Jersey but just finished out the Real Housewives of NYC. Which one has been my favorite so far? Hard to say. You some how get attached to each one for a different reason.

Anyway on with my purpose here…Courtney decided to host a Real Housewives Cocktail Contest.

This drink is for Tamra from The Real Housewives of Orange County. Seeing as her husband has started up a tequila business (Tequila El Conde Azul) I thought this recipe would be perfect to showcase their tequila!!!

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Cello-Rita

2 parts of Tequila El Conde Azul Blanco (or your favorite tequila)
1 part Limoncello (homemade preferably, thanks Jenn!!!)
3 parts of your favorite margarita mix
squeeze of lime

Shake all ingredients and serve over ice.

This is delicious with a salt rim or not. But should be enjoyed on a hot summer day either on the beach or by the pool! Bartender optional but highly recommended!

You want to join in you say? All you need to do is to come up with your best drink reflecting your favorite character from any Real Housewives series. Deadline is June 20! Check out all the rules here.

Now get mixing!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com