Cooking for Seven

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Macarons are French cookies made with egg whites, almond flour, and sugar and sandwiched with a delicious filling.

For this challenge, we were encouraged to create whatever flavor of macarons we wished. I decided to make chocolate flavored cookies filled with coffee meringue buttercream. It was certainly a winning combination.

“You never make enough of those things,” my sister chided.

I suspect that I did not make my macarons properly. There was no almond flour in the house, so I attempted to grind the almonds with the powdered sugar. It worked fairly well, but I just couldn’t get the almonds ground fine enough. Also, almond flour is dryer than ground almonds, so the cookies were a bit dense. However, the flavor was wonderful.

These cookies were surprisingly easy to create. Next time I will either grind the almonds more or break down and buy some almond flour. I also think I could make these healthier by using raw sugar that has been processed in a blender or food processor.

Here is a very nice video showing how French Macarons are made.

French Macarons

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Ingredients

For the Macarons:

• 2 ¼ cups Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar (225 g, 8 oz.)
• 2 cups Almond flour (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar (25 g , .88 oz.)
• 5 Egg whites at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, optional for chocolate macarons

For the Meringue Buttercream:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup demerara or white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 2 teaspoons of coffee extract, espresso, or flavoring of choice

Directions:

For the Macarons:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder (if using), and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t over fold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip. You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).
6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly colored.
7.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack before filling. When the macarons are completely cool, spread with filling of choice and serve.

For the Meringue Buttercream:

1. Place the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and whisk gently and constantly until the egg whites are hot (approximately 140° F) and the sugar is dissolved, 3-4 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and whip with a hand mixer until thick and cooled, approximately 5 minutes. Beat in the butter and flavoring and continue beating until smooth and spreadable. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Return buttercream to room temperature and beat with a hand mixer before using.

Yield: 10 dozen.

Last year, my sister Janna gave me Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads for Christmas. I haven’t baked very many loaves yet, but the ones I have tried have been very tasty.

Hearth Breads are baked directly on the hearth (without a pan) to create a nice, crispy crust. I baked mine in a very hot oven on a stone.

As with most of Peter Reinhart’s breads, the dough was soaked overnight to produce superior flavor. There are only a few tablespoons of non soaked grains in this bread.

I must confess that this bread was nearly a disaster. When I scored the risen dough, it deflated pitifully. Then, when I attempted to transfer the loaf from the pizza peel to the oven, it slipped onto the floor. Not to be daunted, I simply picked up the lump of dough, placed it back on the pizza peel, transferred it to the stone, and shut the door, hoping it would regain it’s height in the oven.

Thankfully, the dough rose very nicely in the oven. I am quite pleased with this recipe and hope that next time I bake something from Whole Grain Breads I will not have quite so many mishaps.

This is my entry for World Bread Day.

Here is the roundup

Magazine Mondays is an event held by Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice. Once a week, bloggers are invited to post a recipe made from a magazine and submit the post to Ivonne. I think it’s a great way to motivate you to actually use your magazines!

This week, I decided to make New York-Style Cheesecake (in celebration of National Dessert Day) from an issue of Martha Stewart Living. Of course, I didn’t make the recipe as it was written. I used demerar sugar in place of granulated white sugar. And I must admit that I undercooked the cake slightly. But it still tasted wonderful!

New York-Style Cheesecake

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Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, May 2004

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• Cheesecake-Crust Dough (recipe follows)
• 7 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups demerara sugar or granulated white sugar
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• Butter, for greasing the pan
• Boiling water, for water bath
• Large, shallow roasting pan, for water bath

Directions:

For Rolling and Baking the Crust

1.) Make Cheesecake-Crust Dough and chill for the required amount of time. Preheat of to 350°F. Wash out bowl and paddle for stand mixer.

2.)  On a lightly floured sheet of wax paper, roll the Cheesecake-Crust Dough slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Place the base of a 10-inch springform pan on top of the dough as a guide, then cut the dough. Flip the dough onto the base and remove the wax paper.

3.) Attach sides of pan to base. Wrap the exterior of the pan (including the base) with a double layer of foil. Freeze dough in pan for 15 minutes.

4.) Transfer pan to baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and allow to cool. Keep oven going.

For Mixing the Cake Batter:

5.) Place the cream cheese the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until fluffy & smooth, about 3 minutes.

6.) In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the sugar mixture. Mix until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each just until combines. Do not overmix.

7.) Butter the sides of the pan. Pour batter into pan over crust. Set the pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully add the boiling water to roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

8.) Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325° F and continue to bake until the cake is golden and set but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 30 minutes more. Turn the oven off. Leave the cake in the oven with the dore slightly ajar for 1 hour.

9.) Transfer cake to cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight. Run knife around the edge of the cake before removing the sides of the pan. Serve plain or with your favorite toppings.

Yields approximately 12 servings (we got 16 servings)

Cheesecake-Crust Dough

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup demerara or granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.) Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix. Add the flour and salt and mix just until a dough forms.

2.) Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or up to 1 day.

Yields enough dough for one 10-inch cheesecake

Hello there! It’s National Dessert Day today! In celebration, I’m making cheesecake.

Here are my five favorite dessert recipes from Cooking for Seven.

Chocolate & Almond Biscotti

Eve’s Pudding

Maple & Pecan Banana Cake

Macadamia Nut Brownies

Maple Pecan Ice Cream

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So go make yourself a delicious dessert!

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I am  definitely a Minnesota girl. When the weather turns cold, I rejoice! And I get an itch to bake delicious, sweet things. Like these muffins. And this pie.

Our apples didn’t do so well this year. There were quite a few deformed apples, but I am thankful for what we did get! It is so nice to be able to munch on an apple whenever I wish.

These muffins have a lovely blend of flavors. Chunky apple pieces, nutty whole wheat flour, LOTS of cinnamon (1 whole tablespoon), and crunchy sugar granules on top.

“Do these have the same ingredients as apple crisp?” my brother asked.

They do resemble that delicious dessert.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup demerara sugar, sucanat, or rapadura, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour or line with paper muffin cups 14 muffin cups and set aside.

2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add 3/4 cup of the sweetener of choice. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

2) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm with butter.

Yield: 12-14 muffins