My Kitchen My Garden My Craft Closet

DARING BAKERS’ CHALLENGE: Ice Cream Petit Fours

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:40:30 -0700

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge the Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

I went with the Petit Fours, adapting both the pound cake and ice cream recipes so that they were dairy and egg free. There were four challenges for me, replacing the butter and the eggs in the cake, and replacing the milk and eggs in the ice cream.

My first challenge was to see if you can actually create browned butter using Earth Balance, a non-dairy butter substitute. I use the whipped version because it’s made with organic ingredients and I think it tastes better than the stick version. I conducted a tested one with one tablespoon and yes, it does brown, not quite as dark as dairy butter but it also develops a nutty taste and smell. With challenge #1 a success, I tackled the second challenge, to replace the eggs in the cake. Lately, I’ve been substituting eggs with Bob’s egg substitute without a lot of success so I went back to the old standard of ground flax seeds and water. (I can’t use the EnerG brand product because it’s made with potato starch, which I’m allergic to.) I was much happier with the results of “flax eggs” and I was please with the results of the brown butter pound cake.

I made a coffee ice cream using cashew creme. I’ve had a lot of success lately using cashew creme as a substitute for regular cream in ice cream. I tried every other non dairy milk and thickening agent and it just doesn’t come out creamy. I wanted to see whether or not it made a difference if I cooked the cashew creme and added starch to make a custard first. The results: yes, it makes a difference. The coffee ice creme I made for this challenge was good, but last time I made cashew ice creme, I made a custard first and it was even better.

The recipe instructs you to cut the cake in half lengthwise and put a layer of ice cream in between. I got a little carried away with the ice cream layer, but I like a greater ice cream to cake ratio so my Petit Fours came out taller than they probably should have.

Next, you cut the them into square pieces and put them back in the freezer to firm up.

Lastly, you poured melted chocolate over the squares and put them back in the freezer again to harden up. I used the recipe provided for the chocolate coating but if I made them again I would use melted chocolate chips, I think it hardens up better.

I made half a recipe in a loaf pan and got eight squares. You could double the recipe and make them in a 9x9 square pan and get sixteen if you want to make a big batch.

Vegan Petit Fours
Makes eight large squares - Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

For the pound cake:
9 tablespoons Earth Balance whipped butter substitute
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons flax seeds (I used golden flax seeds)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/6 cup raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Your favorite non dairy ice cream

Four the chocolate coating.
5 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup Silk creamer (I use Wildwood but I’m not sure it’s available everywhere)

Preheat your oven to 325.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper cut to line the long sides and drape over the sides.
Butter the unlined ends.
Put a metal frying pan over medium heat.
When the pan is hot add the non dairy butter and cook for 3 minutes, it should be lightly browned.
Remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl and then put the bowl in your freezer for 15 minutes.
Mix the cake flour and baking powder in a bowl.
Grind the flax seed in a seed grinder or high speed blender.
Mix the ground flax seed and the water, then beat with an electric beater for one minute.
Remove the butter from your freezer, add the sugars and beat for two minutes.
Add the “flax eggs” and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat until incorporated.
Stir in the flour mixture and spread the batter evenly as possible in the loaf pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan by lifting the parchment paper and allow it to cool completely.
Level off the top of the cake with a serrated knife and then cut the cake in half the long way.
Line your loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs over the sides.
Put half of the cake back in the pan.
Cover the cake with your favorite ice cream that has softened. (an offset spatula works well here)
Put the remaining half of the cake over the ice cream and cover with the plastic wrap.
Put the cake back in your freezer, for at least 6 hours.
Put the creamer in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips.
Let this sit for 5 minutes and then stir with a whisk until the chips have completely melted.
Remove the cake from the pan and remove the plastic wrap.
Cut the cake into eight equal pieces.
One by one, put a square on a fork and holding it over the pot, use a spoon to pour melted chocolate over the square until it’s completely covered.
Put the squares on a cookie sheet and put then back in your freezer until ready to serve.
Decorate the tops with fresh fruit or dried fruit depending on what flavor ice cream you used.

Tamale Pie

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:44:46 -0700

It’s a family tradition at our house that you get to choose whatever you want for your birthday dinner. Mr. RK had a birthday a few days ago and he chose Tamale Pie. He always chooses tamale pie, so that was no surprise. He’s loved this dish since the first time I made it many years ago. It really is delicious so I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often. I make it a cast iron frying pan, less clean up that way.

The filling is made from onions, garlic, kidney beans, soy crumbles, tomatoes, corn and black olives. You could also add some bell peppers, I don’t because I’m allergic to them, but you could.

I usually make my own cornbread to top it with, but I worked on his birthday so I went the convenient route and bought a cornbread mix that I love. They call it the “World’s Best Cornbread” and I tend to agree with them. I don’t add any eggs and it still comes out very good.

I topped the cornbread with some cheese. Mr. RK loves cheddar cheese and after all it’s his birthday dinner. You can leave the cheese off or replace it with your favorite non dairy variety.

We both had two servings, this tamale pie is that good. It will quickly be your family’s favorite as well!

Tamale Pie
Serves 6 - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 tablespoon oil (I use sunflower)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or two cups fresh diced tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 can kidney beans (1 1/2 cups cooked beans)
1 12 oz package meatless ground soy meat.
1 ear of corn, kernels removed (or 3/4 cup frozen corn)
1 can pitted black olives
1 package of your favorite cornbread mix or use your favorite cornbread recipe.
3 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (or your favorite non dairy cheese)

Preheat your oven to 350°
Heat a cast iron frying pan over a medium low flame and add the oil.
Add the sliced onions and minced garlic and saute for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and turn the heat up a little.
Add the salt, chili powder and cumin and stir.
Add the beans, soy meat, and corn, and stir.
Stir in the olives, reserving 10 or 12 to decorate the top.
Turn off the heat and make your cornbread.
Spread the cornbread batter over the top of the tamale pie.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top (if you’re using it)
Decorate with olives.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the cornbread is cooked through. (Check it with a knife)

Other dinner ideas:
Smoky Pinto Beans Chili Cornbread Cups Beer Glazed Black Beans

Braised Green Beans with Onion, Garlic & Basil

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:32:40 -0700

We have a bumper crop of green beans this year. Aside from the usual bush beans that I grow, I also planted these beauties. (Read more about them in The Garden section of my blog) They’re very prolific and I grew board with just eating them steamed. Braising is my new favorite way to cook beans. It’s simple and quick, and produces a very tasty side dish. Some days, I turn this into a main dish by adding cut up soy sausage and a little crumbled feta.

I used these beautiful rattlesnake beans but you can use any type of green beans available in your area.
I start by trimming off the stem side of the beans. (Check out that one bean, it’s almost entirely purple)

Here are the other ingredients that you’ll need. Some red onion, garlic, fresh basil and a lemon.

The thing with braising is that you need to get the frying pan really hot. Don’t be afraid, they won’t burn, but you need to stay close and toss them every 30 seconds or so. I like to prepare the other ingredients first so every thing is right there and ready when you need it.

Braised Green Beans
Serves 4 as a side dish- Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
12 fresh basil leaves
1 lb. green beans
2 teaspoons sunflower oil (or other heat tolerant oil-not olive)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 lemon
A couple pinches of salt
Optional garnish: feta cheese

Slice your onion and mince your garlic.
Chiffonade the basil leaves.
Trim the beans.
Measure out a 1/4 cup of wine.
Put a large frying pan over a medium high heat.
Add the oil and swirl it so it covers the bottom of the pan completely.
When the oil is hot and not yet smoking, add the beans.
Toss them (wooden salad servers work well for this) every 30 seconds for a total of 5 minutes.
Add the wine (carefully, so it doesn’t jump back at you) and cover immediately.
Turn the heat down to medium.
Cook the covered beans for 2 minutes.
Remove the cover and add the onions and garlic.
Cook for another minute or so, until the wine is completely cooked off.
Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle with salt and squeeze the lemon over the beans.
Garnish with feta if desired.

Other vegetable ideas:
Orange Glazed Veggies Grilled Asparagus with Figs Roasted Veggies on Polenta

Peach Breakfast Tarts

Sat, 7 Aug 2010 16:18:29 -0700

We planted a peach tree two years ago and this year we probably picked 30 peaches. It’s still a relatively small tree so I was surprised by the number of peaches we got this year. We did pick off the smaller ones in the spring (like they tell you to) to encourage the others to grow bigger. We’ve been eating peaches morning, noon and night. We can’t get enough of these sweet, juicy, tree ripened beauties.

We did have a few peaches that weren’t perfect for eating fresh, so I went online for recipe ideas. I wanted a recipe that was low in both sugar and fat and I found one that was both sugar and fat free. I adapted this recipe from a website called all-creatures.org. What I really liked about it was that it’s sweetened only with dates and the peaches. I love dates and I usually keep some Medjool’s on hand, they’re my favorite variety.

This simple recipe calls for dates, peaches, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda and I added a little bit of salt. You start by turning the rolled oats into flour in your blender and mixing it with the whole wheat flour, soda and salt. I used whole wheat pastry flour but you could easily make this gluten free by subbing the wheat flour for your favorite alternative. Next you blend the dates and peaches together and mix them into the flours. You could make this in 6 individual tart pans like I did or use a 6 x10 pan for one large tart. Then top them off with some sliced peaches and bake.

These tarts are like a bowl of oatmeal in the form of a tart. They’re not really sweet which is why I like them for breakfast.

Peach Breakfast Tarts
Makes six 5” tarts or one 6x10 inch cake - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups peaches, pits removed (about 6 small peaches)
6 medjool dates, pits removed

Preheat your oven to 350°
Put the oats in a blender and grind them up on high until they’re finely chopped
Mix the ground oats in a bowl with the flour, soda and salt.
Put two cups of the peach halves and the 6 pitted dates into the blend and blend on high until smooth.
Pour the peach/date mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just blended.
Spread the batter into whatever type of pan you’re using.
Slice the remaining peach halves to decorate the top of the tarts
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Bake them 5 minutes longer if you’re making one big tart.
Let them cool 15 minutes before eating.

Other breakfast ideas:
Sunrise Smoothies Multigrain Morning Muffins Pear & Chocolate Scones

Beer Glazed Black Beans

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:07:37 -0700

I got a new cook book for my birthday, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. A food writer for the New York Times, Mark is know as the “Minimalist” and I’ve been a regular reader of his blog Bitten Blog for a few years.

I adapted his recipe for beer glazed black beans for dinner and they were very tasty. The flavor of beer and beans go together really well, and I’m sure this dish would work with pinto, kidney or white beans. This recipe is quick and easy and could be made even faster if you use canned beans, however, I cooked by own. Black beans cook in 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.

True to Mark’s minimalist style, there are very few ingredients in this recipe which makes it a perfect dinner for those nights when you’re running late.

I used Rolling Rock beer because that’s what we had in the fridge, but you could use any kind. The darker the beer, the stronger the beer flavor. I added corn, tomatoes and some avocado to boost the flavor and appearance. A big piece of cornbread would be tasty with this dish.....next time.

Beer Glazed Black Beans
Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish - Use organic ingredients whenever possible
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s recipe

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup beer
3 cups cooked black beans, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn, fresh or defrosted frozen
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 avocado, sliced

Heat a skillet over a medium heat.
Add the oil and swirl it around to coat the pan.
Add the onions, stir and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the beer, beans, chili powder, molasses, and salt.
Continue cooking on medium low and let the liquid bubble and thicken for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the corn.
Plate the beans and top with tomato and avocado.

Other bean dishes:

Smokey Pinto Beans Chili Cups Jamaican Rice and Peas