June Cooking Club Challenge: Hunan Smoked Beef Ribs

INGREDIENTS:•

•  2 Racks of Beef ribs, 8 Bones each rack
  • 9 cups apple wood chips 6 cups soaked in cool water for 1 hour and drained.
  • 4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp chili flakes
• • 2 cups Hoisin sauce
  • Juice of 3 oranges
  • 2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the rub, combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine evenly. Rub this mixture evenly all over the ribs using slight pressure of the hand as to tear the micro fibers of the meat. Place the rubbed ribs in a large re-sealable bag and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight
2. The next day prepare the sauce by combining the Hoisin sauce in a medium bowl; add the grated ginger, garlic, orange juice, sherry and sesame seeds.
3. Strain the wood chips. Place 1 cup (250ml) of dry wood chips on a large sheet of aluminum foil mix in 2 cups (500ml) of the wet until evenly distributed. Close the foil up loosely and make a sealed pouch. Pierce the pouch in several spots top and bottom. Repeat to make 3 pouches in total.
4. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Prepare barbeque by removing the grates, placing a drip pan on one side of grill and placing a smoke pouch on the other side. Replace the grates over the drip pan only.
5. Preheat the grill for indirect cooking by leaving the 2 burners off under the drip pan and putting the heat on under the smoke pouch. Allow to heat to a temperature of 220F (104C) heat. Once smoke beings to form, lift the lid and place the ribs on the grill over the drip pan where there is no heat. Close lid and smoke for 2.5 hours, changing the smoke pouch when smoke dissipates.
6. After 2.5 hours baste the ribs with the sauce. Close lid and continue to cook for 1 hour basting every 30 minutes. Ribs will be done when you can pull them from the bone with ease.
7. Remove ribs from grill loosely tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with left over Hunan sauce.

I was a little nervous going into this one.  To me, smoking meat in the BBQ seemed like a mysterious art and my sad little BBQ was, well, rather uninspiring.  My hubby was convinced it wouldn’t even hold the proper temperature needed but while it did run a little on the hot side, it did do a pretty good job even with an amateur like me at the helm.  Look out Rob Rainford!  Ha ha ha!

I never was able to get 2 racks of ribs so I made do with beef ribs that had already been cut apart.  Prep only took a few minutes and really all the effort was in keeping the temperature steady and changing the smoke packs.  Easy peasy!  The ribs were quite tasty with a great smokey flavor combined with some fabulous heat from the chili’s in the rub where you were aware of the heat in your mouth but not to the point where your tongue was on fire.  I really loved the texture of the ribs, tender and sticky.  To me, that is what BBQ’ed ribs should be like.  :0)

I had a ton of basting sauce left over so I did up some chicken breasts as well.  They worked really well with this and the kids enjoyed them too.

I give this recipe a solid 7.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

The Daring Bakers June Challenge: The Bakewell Tart/Pudding

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.

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. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• 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.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you’re grinding your own almonds or if you’re mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

I looked everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE) for a proper tart pan for this challenge, to no avail.  I really really wanted to have pretty scallops for my pastry but my ever trusty pie pan would have to do.  And it did.  But the next time I go the Big City, I am getting a Real Tart Pan.  So there.

First off, I messed up the crust because I am mathematically challenged and couldn’t convert grams/ounces to cups and what not.  Well, thankfully I caught my errors before I filled my crust so I was able to make a second crust with the help of my digital scale (a tool that I don’t use that much but am so glad now that I have it!).  The crust came together really easily and rolled well.  It is very forgiving so if you tear it or anything, it is easy to patch.

I used a lemon jam from the grocery store as requested by my husband.  He is a huge lover of lemon desserts and since I made this on Father’s Day weekend, I thought it would be sweet to do accomodate his request.  As I had some scraps of extra dough, I also made to chocolate/nutella ones in ramekins, just to play around cause you can’t go wrong with chocolate and nuts.

The frangipane did have a curdled appearance once you add the eggs, but like the recipe says, “Don’t panic”.  It’s all good.  Just keep mixing and take your time.  Nothing bad is going to happen here, Chippies. 

For the cooking time, I took out the ramekins out after about 20 mins and the pie pan out after 25.  The top was browning quite a lot and I didn’t want to burn it.

The result?  I loved the nutella one but it was too “nutty” for my hubby.  He’s not a nut fan anyway (though he IS one!) so he’s really not much of a judge on this one.  On the other hand, he really liked the lemon one.  It was tart  and the frangipane was slightly sweet and spongy.  I only wish I had had some whipped cream on hand at the time.  Would have been perfecto.

We give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10.

The Daring Cooks: Potstickers!

I would like to thank Jen from use real butter for our Daring Cooks June 2009 challenge.

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

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

You can (and should) reference instructional photos and discussion on Jen’s blog post here.

Special Equipment: A rolling pin – preferably not tapered. (see blog pictures for the type I use).

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried – rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

OR

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

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches – or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

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

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (Jen’s mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking – about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

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

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

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

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve: Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with your choice of dipping sauce combinations.

I chose to make a substitution in my potstickers and used chicken instead of pork.  I found it took a bit of practice to get the pleating of the dough to look decent but I got through it and actually found it fun!  A word of caution, if frying the potstickers, do not walk away!  They turn golden quite fast and I overcooked mine a bit.  I would have liked a less “loose” version for the dipping sauce with exact measurements since I have never done anything like this before.  I wasn’t thrilled with my result.

In any case,  the potstickers were a little flat tasting on their own so a killer dipping sauce is key.  Does anyone have one that they could share?

I give this recipe 7 chips out of a bag of 10.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

From Bon Appetit magazine, January 2003

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8×8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

NOTE:

Don’t have buttermilk? Use this simple substitute:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• Milk (just under one cup)
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.

2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.

3. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

My husband doesn’t like “traditional” coffee cake but even he had to admit this was awesome!  The streusel totally rocks and you know, Chippies, how much I love banana and chocolate together.  :0)  The only downside was I found there was actually a little too much streusel for the amount of cake, but that’s a personal preference.  It was still delish!

By the way, I cooked mine in a glass cake pan with 4 med. bananas used whereupon I had to add about 5 mins. to the baking time.

I give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10.

Cooking with Kids: Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup jam,  any flavor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg yolks.  Mix in the flour a bit at a time until a soft dough forms.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  If the dough is too soft, refrigerate it for 15-20  mins.  Place balls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Use your thumbprint to make a well in the center of each cookie.  Fill each with a 1/2 tsp. of your favorite jam.

Bake 8-10 mins. until golden brown on the bottom.  Let cool on wire racks.

Yield: 30 cookies

These cookies are perfect for making with kids.  What child doesn’t like getting their hands in their food?  The result is a sweet cookie with a delicate crumb.

I give this recipe 8 chips out of a bag of 10.

The Daring Bakers: Streudel!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn’t come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney’s notes
- She could’t get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;
- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn’t noticeable;
- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

Linda’s  notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven’t tried using a standmixer so I don’t know how it compares.
- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;
- I used bread flour;
- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn’t work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further

I can’t believe it:  I actually got a Daring Baker challenge completed in under 3 hours!  And half of that time was spent letting the dough rest. 

Did  miss something?

The whole process went so smoothly that I kept thinking something was going to wrong or that the streudel was going to be horrible.  Paranoid, I am!  The dough was silky and I was able to stretch it quite easily with barely any holes at all.  The filling was simple to do and I didn’t burn the bread crumbs.  High fives for me!

When the moment of truth came and my hubby and I tasted the struedel, we were both pleased.  The “dough” was light and flaky (totally not “doughy).  The taste overall was summery and fresh with all those apples (I chose Gala, by the way).  I did feel, though, that it could have been sweeter and with a drizzle of some leftover caramel sauce I had, I was one happy girl.

I give this recipe 7.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

The Daring Cooks: Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

The inaugural May 2009 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was brought to us by Ivonne of Creampuffs in Venice and Lis of La Mia Cucina

Source: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved Restaurant by Judy Rodgers.

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

Tips:

- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it’s worth it.
- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn’t look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.
- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It’s okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they’re not perfectly smooth.
- If you’re not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky.
- For the variations to the challenge recipe, please see the end of the recipe.

Equipment required:

Sieve
Cheesecloth or paper towels
Large mixing bowl
Rubber spatula
Tablespoon
Baking dish or baking sheet
Wax or parchment paper
Small pot
Large skillet
Large pan or pot (very wide in diameter and at least 2 inches deep)

For the gnocchi:

1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (½ ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture. Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt. Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp. In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep. With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl. Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour. At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump. Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes. If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success. Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them. Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour. You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside. In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other. Once the water is boiling, salt it generously. Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi). When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking. Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now. With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

Freezing the gnocchi: If you don’t want to cook your gnocchi right away or if you don’t want to cook all of them, you can make them and freeze them. Once they are formed and resting on the flour-dusted, lined tray, place them uncovered in the freezer. Leave them for several hours to freeze. Once frozen, place them in a plastic bag. Remove the air and seal the bag. Return to the freezer. To cook frozen gnocchi, remove them from the bag and place individually on a plate or on a tray. Place in the refrigerator to thaw completely. Cook as directed for fresh gnocchi.

I had a bit of trouble with my batter.  Even though I let my ricotta drain for 10 hours, it was still too wet but I did do the test gnocchi and was able to add some egg white to get my gnocchi to stick together.  I opted for a very simple version and just used the parmesan cheese with a toss in butter (with a touch more parmesan on top when I plated it).  The gnocchi were light, much lighter than any potato gnocchi I have ever had so that was a pleasant surprise.  I found that you had to use a very light touch when handling the gnocchi as they are very delicicate.  I would follow the recommendation of letting them sit in the fridge for an hour, if you have the time, to let them firm up.  Otherwise, a solid recipe and a nice first challenge for the Daring Cooks.  :0)

I give this recipe 7 chips out of a bag of 10.

May Cooking Club Challenge: White Chocolate Banana Loaf by Anna Olsen

INGREDIENTS :

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups pastry flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
•  1/2 tsp cinnamon
•  1/4 tsp salt
•  3/4 cup mashed banana
•  1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped, plus some for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 6 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Fold in chopped white chocolate. Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a plate.

ASSEMBLY:

Melt white chocolate and drizzle on to cake.

I LOVED this!  So divine! I opted to make muffins instead of a loaf as I didn’t have the proper sized loaf pan and the kids love muffins for a school snack (BIG BONUS: no nuts in this recipe so it is school friendly for those have to worry about nuts allergies).   The white chocolate added a hint of sweetness which was just right.  I ran out of white chocolate so I melted some milk chocolate wafers and drizzled that on top of my muffins instead. 

A couple notes: this recipe will yield 12 muffins and they will need to cook for about 22 mins.

I give this recipe 8.5 chips out of a bag of 10.

April Cooking Club Challenge: Mushroom Ravioli

Laura Calder’s Mushroom Ravioli

Mushroom Ravioli
Yield:  4

 

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom Raviolis

• 1-1/2 pounds of mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
• 1/4 cup butter
• A splash of olive oil
• 2 x cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to season
• A generous 1/2 cup of stock
• A generous handful of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, more for garnish
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, or sage
• 8 sheets of pasta (approx. 3 x 4 inch)

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the mushrooms into quarters or eighths, depending on their size. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Pour 1 tablespoon of the butter into a sauté pan. Continue heating the remaining butter in the saucepan until it turns light brown. Remove from the heat, and reserve. Boil a large pot of water for the pasta.
2. Add a splash of olive oil to the butter in sauté pan. Set the pan on high heat, and add the mushrooms, sautéing until slightly coloured. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft, approx. 4 minutes more. Pour over the stock and boil to reduce to 2 tablespoons. Stir in the cheese. Taste, check the seasonings, adding a squirt of lemon juice if you like. Stir in the dill and keep the mixture warm while you cook the pasta.
3. Generously salt the pasta water once it’s boiling. Add the pasta and cook al dente. Drain, then return the pasta to the pan, tossing with the reserved brown butter. Lay a sheet of pasta on each of four serving plates. Spoon the mushrooms onto the pasta. Top with a second pasta sheet. Drizzle over the brown butter. Garnish with a dill sprig, and serve immediately.

You all know I adore Laura Calder.  She’s the bee’s knees, in my books, so I was thrilled to have one of her recipes chosen for our challenge this month.  After reading several comments on the Food Network Canada site, I decided to go with a mix of white button mushrooms and portobellos (our store had no cremini’s sadly).  Sage was my herb of choice, fontina was my cheese and since I was very strapped for time this month, I used wonton wrappers for my “pasta” as opposed to making my own as I was originally going to.

When it came to taste time, I found the sage to be too strong for the delicate mushroom flavor.  Next time, I will try with dill as I think it will pair better.  The fontina worked well though.  I really disliked the texture of the wonton wrappers.  Much too flimsy and almost “slimy” in this context.  Having made several of Laura’s recipes before, I don’t what possessed me to try and change things.  Her versions are always simple and tasty. 

Somtimes it’s better not to mess with the original.  Be warned.

I give this recipe 7 chips out of a bag of 10.

April Daring Baker Challenge: Cheesecake!!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake:

Crust:

2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs

1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted

2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cheesecake:

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too – baker’s choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done – this can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil “casserole” shaped pans from the grocery store. They’re 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

Some variations from the recipe creator (”Infamous” Abbey):

** Lavender-scented cheesecake w/ blueberries – heat the cup of heavy cream in the microwave or a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add 2 tbsp of lavender flowers and stir. Let lavender steep in the cream for about 10-15 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Add strained cream to cheesecake batter as normal. Top with fresh blueberries, or make a quick stovetop blueberry sauce (splash of orange juice, blueberries, a little bit of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon – cook until berries burst, then cool)

** Cafe au lait cheesecake with caramel – take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of cream and use as normal. Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (I usually find one on the food network website – just make sure it has heavy cream in it. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but the flavor is just not the same since its usually just sugar and corn syrup with no dairy).

** Tropical – add about a half cup of chopped macadamias to the crust, then top the cake with a mango-raspberry-mandarin orange puree.

** Mexican Turtle – add a bar of melted dark chocolate (between 3 and 5 oz., to taste) to the batter, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 tsp.). Top it with pecan halves and a homemade caramel sauce.

** Honey-cinnamon with port-pomegranate poached pears – replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey, add about a teaspoon or more (to taste) of cinnamon. Take 2 pears (any variety you like or whatever is in season), peeled and cored, and poach them in a boiling poaching liquid of port wine, pomegranate juice/seeds, a couple of “coins” of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. Poach them until tender, then let cool. Strain the poaching liquid and simmer until reduced to a syrupy-glaze consistency, then cool. Thinly slice the cooled pears and fan them out atop the cooled cheesecake. Pour the cooled poaching syrup over the pears, then sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Some variations from Jenny (from JennyBakes):

**Key lime – add zest from one lime to sugar before mixing with cream cheese. Substitute lemon juice, alcohol, and vanilla with key lime juice.

**Cheesecakelets – put in muffin tins, ramekins, or custard cups. Try baking 20-35 minutes, or until still a little jiggly, and cool as before.

Caramel Sauce

Copyright 2005, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Directions

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don’t worry – the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

This cheesecake is silky smooth and delicious!  A total home run, in my books.  The amount of prep and “work” is minimal.  The time involved is all in the cooking and setting and is completely worth it.  This will be my go-to recipe for cheesecake.  I topped this luscious dessert with Ina Garten’s caramel sauce.  It didn’t set as thick as it should have but it was incredibly good.  Add a quick drizzle of chocolate on top and perfection!  Extremely decadent and worth every bit of exercise I am going to need to do to work off a slice of this baby.

I give this recipe 8.5 chips out of a bag of 10.