Cheese and Chocolate

If midnight had a flavor, these brownies might come pretty close to capturing it – at least what I imagine in my mind midnight might taste like:  dark, rich, dense, smooth and not too sweet.  Imagine, if you will, a pure chocolate indulgence that screams sinfulness, yet exudes a level of luxury and sophistication.  Sophistication aside though, it’s time to clean out your pie-holes, clear your palette, and get ready for some serious taste.

Allow me to present Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies.  I discovered this recipe on Bri’s blog: Xplicit Sweetness.  She posted about them awhile ago and I marked that recipe as one I needed to try.  The photo alone made them look so good they needed to go on the ‘make it soon’ list.

Since I’m currently underway with a lifestyle change ala weight loss, I’m fighting the urge to bake things that are so tempting as to derail my efforts.  Thankfully, I decided to make these as a kind of fair well to the old me – not so much a celebration of my old habits as much as a look ahead to the person who can some day make these kinds of treats and enjoy them in simple moderation, all the while being satisfied that I don’t need more than a reasonable portion.

So, these were actually made over a month ago, but I’m only now getting to the post.  The recipe uses Mascarpone cheese in the batter.  If, by some chance, you aren’t familiar with Mascarpone, it’s kind of an Italian cream cheese – not quite as ‘sweet’ as regular cream cheese and not as ‘hard’.  It is a bit more expensive, so I don’t buy it very often.  If you want to see some of the other uses for Mascarpone, just check out Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network – she makes good use of the stuff.

For the chocolate, I used my preferred baking chocolate – Ghirardelli.  I know a lot of folks prefer brands like Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Guittard, Callebaut or even something organic like Dagoba or Green and Black’s.  I’ve tried many of them, and for my money, I’ve found the Ghirardelli to work best for my taste and for those who get to share in my creations.  They say if you like the taste straight out of the package, then cook with it – and Ghirardelli is one I do like straight out of the package.  I’m not much of a chocolate snob, but I know what I like, and if I can also manage to save a few bucks a pop, well, that just means I can afford to make more later.  For this recipe, I used their 60% Cacao Bittersweet baking bar.  I will say that if I were to do milk chocolate, the E. Guittard milk chocolate chips are a fine choice.  But, I digress.

After being topped with ganache and allowed to set up in the refrigerator overnight, you are left with an amazing-looking brownie.  These are not your typical eat out of hand brownies.  No, these brownies deserve to be served with some class.  I chose a simple presentation on a nice plate followed by a dusting of cocoa powder.  Partner with a good coffee or a tall glass of milk, and you have a recipe for simple indulgence.  Is this what midnight tastes like?  I don’t know, but I suspect once you try them, you’ll wait until midnight to pull them out so you don’t have to share.

I’ve posted a copy of the recipe here.  Click on any of the photos below for a larger image.

     

     

Catching Up…

It’s been a little while since my last post.  Things have just been a bit hectic around here – couple that with being on a weight loss program and you’ve got a lack of time to bake and a lack of desire to prepare something you may not have room in your plan to eat.

 

That’s okay, things are going well and I’m ready to start getting back into the swing of things again.  Since we’re hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year – a first for us, I’ve got to really get back in the baking/cooking mode in preparation for this.

 

One area of baking I am very interested in building some skills is the area of bread baking.  While I feel pretty comfortable making a cake or pie or some nice brownies, bread has just been something I’ve just not felt too comfortable with.  My wife used to bake bread pretty regularly in our bread machine, and, while it was actually quite good, I want to learn the traditional techniques to turn out a good loaf of bread.  I don’t have any particular bread in mind at this point, but I’m searching recipe collections to mark a few for experimentation.

 

Not long ago, I gave my first go at a true yeasted, knead by hand, bake in a pan, loaf of bread – no bread machine involved (not that there’s anything wrong with that….).  After looking around, I finally settled on a tasty looking Cinnamon Swirl Bread I found on the King Arthur Flour website.  They have a blog posted about this recipe showing step by step instructions, which is helpful for a novice bread baker like me.

 

You know, the process wasn’t as tough as I thought it might be.  The yeast bubbled up beautifully in the warm liquid.  The ingredients came together nicely.  The kneading was both work and relaxing at the same time.  The rises seemed to go exactly as planned.  The loaf rolled out very easily and rolled into a loaf just as easily.  It baked for just the amount of time called for in the recipe, hitting the internal temperature called for.  All things being equal, this recipe really went off without a hitch.  My only complaint (with myself, not the recipe) is that the loaf came out a bit ‘lumpy’ on top, not quite the nice crowned dome I had hoped for.  I’m not sure what I did wrong – one site I read suggested that a top like mine may be due to letting the loaf rise just a bit too long in the pan before baking.  I’m not sure, I’ll have to try it again – maybe I just didn’t quite form it right.

In the end, we sliced up the loaf, toasted it and served it warm with some melted butter on top.  Oh boy, this was some good stuff.  I’ve bought some great bread from bakeries, but so far, even the best store bought bread still can’t compare with the taste, texture and smell (ohhh, that smell!) of fresh home-baked bread.  Yu – mmmy! 

 

If I were to change anything about this recipe, it would be to simply add just a bit more cinnamon/sugar to the bread before rolling it up – it looked like a lot going on, but in the end, it could have handled (for my taste) even more.

Next up – I’ve got my eyes on a savory bread involving bleu cheese.  Chuck over at CookingBread.com has been kindly helping me develop a method to try and duplicate a bread I tried a restaurant recently.  It’s far too good not to copy, so keep your eyes open – I’ll post the results here when I give it a shot.

 

Click here for a copy of the Cinnamon Swirl Bread.  Click on any of the photos below for a larger image.

     

     

     

     

September Daring Bakers: Lavash Crackers and Dips

As a departure from the past few sweet treats we’ve been baking up, this month’s challenge was to bake crackers, Lavash crackers, to be precise, along with something to dip or spread on the crackers.  

This challenge was a seemingly simple one.  The ingredient list was fairly short and the process would not be too time consuming, which is a welcome respite from time to time.  Since this month’s challenge is being hosted for the first time by a couple of Alternate Daring Bakers:  Natalie from Gluten A Go Go and Shel from Musings From the Fishbowl, this month’s challenge stated that, while the crackers could be made gluten free or regular, the dip or spread (at least one anyway) had to be both gluten free AND vegan.  There was a lot of latitude given on this challenge, which allowed for some really neat ideas as I’ve already seen on some other blogs – everything from savory to sweet.  I love the vast array of talent and creativity that populates the Daring Baker’s Blogroll; I’m pleased to be a member of this great group.

My crackers went fairly well.  I decided to make use of my mighty KitchenAid 6qt Stand Mixer.  First mistake.  This recipe does not contain a large number of ingredients, so when I placed them all in the big stainless bowl and lowered the dough hook, it hardly touched them.  I had to use my spatula frequently to keep things going – next time, I’ll either double the batch or just kneed it by hand.  Second mistake was that I couldn’t find my bag of bread flour – I know I bought it, but it’s missing – how in the world can you lose a bag of flour??  I’m thinking the same gremlins that steal socks from the dryer were getting hungry for some homemade bread.  Anyway, I used AP flour, which, according to what I read, should be okay.  Maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t, but I ended up with a very wet dough even though I didn’t add the full amount of water called for.  I had to keep adding and adding flour until I had added another ½ cup to the ball.  I finally stopped because I risked over-kneeding the dough.

The crackers actually rolled out beautifully.  No shrinking back of the dough.  When I went to roll it out ‘paper thin’ to the size rectangle called for in the recipe, it was still fairly thick.  I had to keep rolling until I got to the edges of my baking mat.  By that time, I still had some thick edges, but I ran out of room to roll.  I ended up cutting the big sheet into two pans’ worth of crackers – it made a lot more than I expected.  I added kosher salt and toasted sesame seeds and rolled them into the dough with my rolling pin to help them stick – which they didn’t, but that’s okay.  The crackers turned out fantastic.  I simply broke them into shards when they were done.

As for the dips, I couldn’t make up my mind, so I made three – two that were gluten free/vegan and one that wasn’t.  For the first dip, I did a Roasted Tomatillo and Garlic Salsa that I’ve made before.  It was very good, but wasn’t my favorite with the Lavash.  Dip #2 was Garlic Hummus.  This was my wife’s favorite with the crackers, and my second favorite.  Dip #3 is one of my all time favorite dips, a simple Smokey Salmon Dip – definitely my favorite with the crackers (sorry vegans, I just couldn’t help myself, it was really good).

I enjoyed this challenge and I’ll definitely be making these again.  Arika over at My Yummy Life made a sweet version with an Apricot Coulis that I can’t wait to try myself.

If you’d like to try these crackers or any of my dips, I’ve posted the cracker recipe here and the dip recipes here.   Click on any of the photos below for a full size view.

     

     

     

     

     

Swedish Beauties

Now before my fellow male bloggers out there get too excited, this post has nothing to do with beautiful Swedish women…but please keep reading on. 

The staff here at Baking in Oregon, all one of us, are descendents of a number of fine European countries.  However, Mr. Baking in Oregon is a full ¼ Swedish – my grandmother was born there and emigrated to the US as a child.  She, along with my great aunts and uncle and my great-grandparents, brought with them some of the traditions and recipes from the homeland.  Unfortunately, as time has passed and they have all now gone on to a better place, much of these old traditions have been lost.

Growing up, I remember having a treat only once in a great while that I stopped experiencing when my grandmother passed away when I was 15.  That treat (besides her fabulous apple pie) was Swedish Hotcakes.  If you aren’t familiar with them, Swedish Hotcakes are the Swedish version of the crepe or any other thin pancake you may find around the world.  As one of the most common foods found around the world, there are many different types, but they are all common in one thing – they are really thin.

In Sweden, they are typically eaten with Lingonberries.  For us, we would roll them up with butter and syrup, butter and a sprinkling of sugar.  We always loved having these at my grandparent’s house, but after my grandmother passed away, no one carried on that tradition.

Fast forward 10 years.  Mr. Baking in Oregon invited a young lady to become Mrs. Baking in Oregon.  Wouldn’t you know it, Mrs. Baking in Oregon also had some Swedish ancestry.  And guess what?  Her family also ate Swedish Hotcakes, and they still had the recipe (which turned out, I discovered later to be identical to ours), but even they had not really had them in quite a long time.

Enough was enough.  This tradition had to be revived.  The recipe itself is a very simple mixture of eggs, flour, sugar, milk and salt.  There’s not much that can go wrong, or is there?  As it turns out, that simple little blend of ingredients expects to be cooked in a very specific way or it will refuse to give you the results you expect.  If you’ve ever watched a cooking show where crepes or something similar are made, you’ve undoubtedly seen the likes of Bobby Flay or others attempting to make their first one – and it usually doesn’t come out very pretty.  It seems like it would be easy, and it is, once you know what you’re doing.

After many batches, both failed and successful, I’ve managed to get this down to a near science.  I was told once that I should always expect to throw out the first hotcake as the first one just never turns out properly.  That’s not acceptable.  If I’m going through the trouble of making these (a time consuming process), I’m not throwing any of that wonderful deliciousness away!

Let me start by saying this, patience is a virtue when making these hotcakes.  Also a virtue is commitment and focus.  If you can’t spend your time watching over these through the entire process without getting distracted, you will be disappointed with the results.  The whole process is remarkably simple, but turn your back for more than a moment and you may be tossing your work of art in the trash.

Here are the secrets I’ve discovered to making successful Swedish Hotcakes (or crepes, for that matter).  First use the proper pan.  Pretty much any 10″ pan with a flat bottom and curved sides will work.  I use an actual crepe pan by Calphalon.  Nonstick is a plus and will make your life much easier.  Always, always, always pre-heat your pan for at least 10 minutes before making your first hotcake.  After many years of making these and more hotcakes than I can count, this one step made more difference in how the first hotcake turned out than anything.  I discovered it by mistake when I was making them one day and forgot I had turned on the burner before I was ready.  When I went to make the first one, it turned out great.  What happened?  I always lost the first one.  When I realized what I’d done, I tried it again, same results.  Now I do it every time, and I’ve never lost a first hotcake since.  Next, don’t use too much batter.  For a 10″ skillet, about 1/4 cup of batter is the right amount.  If you want or need them to be thicker, bump it up to 1/3, just know that the thicker you make them, the harder to cook them without becoming rubbery.  Finally, don’t leave them.  They need you.  You need them.  Every time I walk away from my hotcakes for even a minute, they end up being overdone.  Just like making risotto properly requires you to stir through the whole process, plan on planting yourself at the stove until you’re done.  This reward requires commitment people.

As for serving, well, that’s entirely up to you.  There are so many options, a few of which I’ve already mentioned.  For the purpose of this entry, I whipped up a batch of Blueberry Topping as well as a Creamy Ricotta/Cream Cheese filling to fancify these up a bit.  Do what you want, you can even try something savory if you like.

For our family, this is a treat we enjoy only a couple of times a year, which keeps them special.  Now that I have a young daughter, I will pass this fun little tradition on to her in the hopes that she will pass it along to her children and so on and so on.

If you have an old family recipe or tradition that’s fallen by the wayside, why not try and revive it?  After all, it wouldn’t have been a tradition if people didn’t enjoy it in the first place – you may not know what you’re missing.

For a copy of the hotcake recipe, click here.  For a copy of the Blueberry Sauce and Ricotta Filling, click here.

     

     

     

     

Puff up your Breakfast

After a break for vacation, I’m back with a new post (finally!)

There aren’t many things in this world I enjoy more than a hot breakfast.  Maybe it’s because my job and my life mean that I can only do a regular, sit-down style hot breakfast on rare occasions.  Work starts too early in the morning on the weekdays and weekends are often too busy to take the time.  Hot breakfast is usually relegated to vacation time or the occasional breakfast for dinner (which I do enjoy almost as much).

Such was the case last week.  We were off to our annual late summer vacation.  Since our daughter isn’t old enough for school yet, we can still take advantage of a vacation the week after Labor Day while the weather is nice but the crowds have died down a bit.  I usually try to find a place for us to stay where I’ve got a fully functional kitchen.  For me, vacation is not just a time to get away from the usual rigors of life, but a time when I can spend a bit more time preparing meals or baking some recipe I’ve wanted to try.  Since this was vacation, and I had the time, it was hot breakfasts every day. 

One of the recipes I’ve had my eye on for a long time is the puff pancake.  I had a recipe by Gale Gand that I got from the Food Network called ‘Big Apple Pancakes’.  They sounded really good and I’ve been waiting for a chance to try this.  This pancake gets baked in the oven and looks really cool when you pull it out.

Puff pancakes have a flavor and texture that makes them part omelet and part pancake, though this is definitely a sweet rather than a savory dish.  Puff pancakes are often served on a large plate with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a dusting of powdered sugar and may contain (or not contain) a variety of different fillings.  I chose apple for my pancake as I happened to have them on hand and because I love just about anything apple.

Typically, these pancakes are prepared in a cast iron skillet and then tossed in the oven to finish baking, where they experience a big rise, thus giving them the ‘puff’ appearance in the finished pancake.  I didn’t have an oven safe skillet with me on vacation, so I precooked the apples in a regular skillet and finished the pancake in an 8×8 Pyrex baking dish.  Everything went of without a hitch and my square pancake came out of the oven much taller than when I put it in.

I didn’t have any lemon to finish the pancake, and I decided not to sprinkle it with powdered sugar as there was already plenty of sugar in the base recipe.

How was it?  Very good. The apples were cooked all the way through and it had a good balance of tart and sweet with the apples paired with a very delicate and tasty batter.  There was enough here to feed 4 people (or 2 if they’re hungry).  This is definitely a recipe I’ll be making again when I have time for another hot breakfast.  Want to give it a try yourself?  I’ve posted a copy of the recipe here.  Click on any image below to get a closer look at the step by step photos.

            

August Daring Bakers – Éclairs!!!

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was Chocolate Éclairs.  Using a simple mixture of Pate a Choux pastry, pastry cream and a chocolate glaze, the challenge was to create our own version of this fancy treat.  I was really looking forward to this challenge since I’ve wanted to try Pate a Choux for some time.

I love the idea of making éclairs.  I got turned on to the prospect after watching an episode of ‘Good Eats’ on the Food Network called ‘Choux Shine’.  Alton Brown (AB) made the prospect of whipping up a batch of éclairs seem within my reach.  That being said, I never did take the chance to try it, until now.

Thanks to the Daring Bakers, I now had a challenge, one I couldn’t let slip by.  Thanks to Meeta and Tony for selecting this month’s challenge.

Overall, things went pretty well.  The dough was really no trouble.  I chose to use a food processor for the final incorporation of the butter into the mix as suggested in ‘Baking Illustrated’.  I also chose to use their recipe and instructions for both the pastry cream and the chocolate glaze.  Since chocolate and chocolate seemed bit too much for me, I decided to try both a chocolate and a vanilla pastry cream.  The creams and the glazes came together well.

My only real problem was the pastry.  Following some suggestions, I neatly lined out some marks on my parchment paper with a ruler so I could keep my éclairs in nice neat rows of the same size and length, while maintaining the spacing that is important for the rise of the dough.  I wasn’t certain how I wanted to do the piping, so I decided to follow AB’s suggestion from his show and did a kind of ‘s’ shape as I piped the pastry.  I think I missed one step though, and that was to smooth out the layers of dough into a more uniform tube shape.  As I pulled the puffs from the oven, I realized that because I didn’t do this step, the puffs were uneven and looked a bit like smaller tubes of dough stacked together, not one larger, puffier tube.  They did bake and rise well, but I shorted myself on another step – the rest in the oven.  That wasn’t a good choice.  Again, following another suggestion, I pierced the ends of the éclairs with a paring knife at the end of the baking to help release steam and placed them back in the oven with the door propped open to let them dry out.  Okay, that was fine, but I needed the oven to cook dinner, so I only let them dry for about 10 minutes – no long enough.  Most of my éclairs collapsed within the next hour, only a few survived.  I did pipe a few pastries in the classic cream puff shape and, aside from being a bit overcooked, actually turned out much better than the éclairs.

Filling and glazing were actually pretty easy – they all came together pretty quickly. 

The final results were okay.  I would have liked to have had prettier éclairs, but I wasn’t too disappointed for a first go.  As for taste, well, they were fantastic.  The dough was just right, the cream and the glaze were very good.  My wife and I both agreed that the vanilla cream and chocolate glaze combination worked better together than the double chocolate.  Just our personal preference.

Thanks again to the DB’s and to Meeta and Tony for this month’s challenge, it’s been fun.  If you would like to give this recipe a try, I’ve posted a copy of the complete challenge recipe here.

The Piped Eclairs

The Piped Puffs

Eclairs..Before the Fall

Whipping up some Pastry Cream

Filling the Hollow Puffs

Finished Eclairs

Finished Puffs