Category Archives: baked goods

French Macaron: 1 ChattyCha: 0

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Macaron

Macaron, sorta

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.

THE DARING COOKS OCTOBER 2009 CHALLENGE: MACAROONS

Introduction: Unless you’ve been frozen in permafrost for the past five years, you’ve likely noticed that cupcake bakeries have popped up all over like iced mushrooms. Knock one down, and three take its place. Much has been made about not only the cupcake’s popularity, but also its incipient demise as the sweet du jour. Since we seem to be a culture intent on the next sensation, pundits, food enthusiasts and bloggers have all wondered what this sensation might be. More than a few have suggested that French-style macaroons (called macarons in France) might supplant the cupcake. This may or may not come to pass, but the basic premise of the French macaroon is pretty damned tasty.

In the United States, the term “macaroon” generally refers to a cookie made primarily of coconut. But European macaroons are based on either ground almonds or almond paste, combined with sugar and egg whites. The texture can run from chewy, crunchy or a combination of the two. Frequently, two macaroons are sandwiched together with ganache, buttercream or jam, which can cause the cookies to become more chewy. The flavor possibilities and combinations are nigh endless, allowing infinitely customizable permutations.

For more details on the challenge set forth on the Daring Bakers, visit TheDaringKitchen.com

As for my experience … well it’s definitely a building season for me. I am impressed with the luxury that many of my fellow bakers have with testing and re-testing their cookies. Sadly, I had one day. Not so sad, though. The babe and I visited the in-laws and made it a day of playing with baby and baking. My mother-in-law not only had fun with her granddaughter but was an excellent sous chef (does a baker have a sous chef?).

Alas, my macarons did not turn out as they are supposed to. Example:

Exhibit B

Exhibit B

Tasty? Yes. Chewy texture? Sure. Delicious chocolate ganache filling? Absolutely. However, this batch is missing two very distinctive parts of the true French Macaroon cookie: A. The “feet” and B. The smooth, almost shiny texture on the cookie. I have neither. So, in essence this was a failure. A delicious failure, but a failure nonetheless.

I will attempt again, I just can’t find the time before “reveal” date, but I’m fairly sure I know what I did wrong: overfolding the eggs. Also, as time was of the essence, I wonder if I had let the batter sit for a little bit before piping if that might have helped with adding volume.

Ultimately, the cookies were good, and none went to waste. I am truly impressed with the talent that surrounds me at the Daring Bakers. More importantly, I’m impressed with the support that everyone receives from each other. What a great community. Feel the love.

By the way, if you are curious to know what a French Macaroon should actually look like, either visit TDK or see the pic I took last year when I got these in San Jose’s Santana Row while hanging with my buddies Belinda and Sandy.

Macaron, for real

Macaron, for real

The Daring Bakers September Challenge (or, Do you have the onions?)

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Yeah, sure I work full-time and have an 8-month old baby. But why should that stop me from trying something a little … daring?

This month I joined the esteemed Daring Kitchen, and September marked my first challenge. Quick background … bakers and chefs from around the world all cook or bake a secret recipe. On the 27th of the month, the Bakers reveal their challenges to the Interwebs via blogs and the DK Web site.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Vol-au-vents

Daring Bakers Challenge: Vols-au-Vent

I was a little nervous trying this new challenge, as I simply don’t have the kind of time I used to, to do fun projects like this. Turns out Vols-au-vent was a perfect “rookie” challenge to start with. There is a lot of chilling and waiting and resting required, as the main ingredients in the homemade puff pastry are butter and flour, and the butter must be kept cold for this to work.

To take from the Daring Baker who challenged us to make homemade puff pastry, “Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough’ family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.”

Impressive, no?

The gist of the challenge … make a dough. Beat the butter. Join the two. Cut out shapes. Stack and bake. Fill with tasty fillings. Voila. Pretty simple.

Yeah, right. I read and re-read the recipe a dozen times. I laid in bed the night before, planning the entire strategy in my head. Then, a few Saturdays ago, I was ready.

I had the babe in the Baby Bjorn with me while I made the flour/water dough. She was also with me when I beat a pound of butter nice and flat with a rolling pin. She loved it. I had her sitting in her exersaucer in the kitchen doorway while I “turned” the dough. I turned it some more while she napped. And again the next morning while she played on her tummy. The final baking occurred on Sunday during yet another nap. With plenty of pre-planning, my weekend of baking was actually quite fun and not stressful.

And my apologies to the husband, for getting flour all over the kitchen. 🙁

The above pastry contains a simple dill egg salad. The ones below some fresh whipped cream and strawberries. I can’t decide if I enjoyed the savory more or the sweet. Probably the sweet. But they were both quite fun and tasted amazing (we do not cook with so much butter, ever. What a treat). While Vols-au-vent are meant to be enjoyed immediately, even the next day the pastry tasted fine as well. Ask the husband. He ate a couple of pastry shells with no filling the next day while I was at work. I might have brought some to work to enjoy during the day as well.

Vols-au-vent with fresh whipped cream and strawberries

Vols-au-vent with fresh whipped cream and strawberries

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this, and, more importantly, how much easier it was than I thought it would be. Becoming a Daring Baker was terrifying to me, for some reason. Almost to the point where I wished I hadn’t signed up to do it. But when they took me in, I couldn’t disappoint. I’m glad I am doing this, if only to get me out of a general rut I’ve been feeling this year. Possibly connected with having a baby. I love my child, but I really need to have something outside the realm of being Mom and Employee. I used to be a rower. I am still a baker. Thanks, Daring Bakers, for giving me a chance to spread the wings. And the butter. Whoop!

I still shudder a little bit with fear when I think about next month’s challenge. But I know I’m going to do it. I may not rock it, but that’s not my goal right now.

By the way, the pastry shells in the above pics were four or so of the best ones. There were many that did not make the cut. Here’s a shot of “When Vols-au-vent Goes Bad”:

When bad things happen to good Vols-au-vent

When bad things happen to good Vols-au-vent

Centers puffed up. Sides were lopsided. Oh, and those are supposed to be CIRCLES … not ovals. Alas, they still tasted great. I am proud to say I have a stack of homemade puff pastry sitting in my freezer right now. Yum.

Blue Ribbon Cooking School

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So as you know I’m back at work, it’s been a full week now. Just in time to attend my (new) team’s morale event, at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School. We basically gathered together to cook a really great meal and eat together. We had a terrific time and I discovered that cooking and baking is soooo much more fun when there are people hired to clean up after you; when the kitchen you are using is larger than the studio apartment I lived in as a grad student; and when bowls, spoons, pans and other tools are stacked up to the ceiling, available for you to use.

I, along with two wonderful bakers, volunteered to bake the dessert, Caramel Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was simple and delicious. Here are some pics of our creations. We didn’t create the first two apps … the chefs at the school had them waiting for us when we arrived (along with the exciting beverages)

Italian Bread filled with Warm Herbed Mushrooms and Gorgonzola

Italian bread filled with herbed mushrooms and gorgonzola

Mini Salami and Roasted Red Pepper Puff Sandwiches with Cognac Mustard

Salami and roasted red pepper mini puff sandwiches with cognac mustard

Of the two, the mushroom/gorgonzola app was much more appealing to my palate.

Lavendar Lemonade, Strawberry Ice Tea, Cranberry Ginger Ice Tea

Lavendar lemonade, strawberry peppermint iced tea, cranberry ginger iced tea

Lovely beverages, for ChattyCha, who prefers non-alcoholic drinks during work functions.

Grilled Marinated Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomatoe Salad with Basil

Grilled marinated eggplant, fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad with basil

Our first creation, by Matt and Reed. Wonderful. Some people do not like the texture of eggplant. I am not one of those people.

Artichoke-stuffed Chicken Breast with Proscuitto and Basil

Artichoke-stuffed chicken breast with proscuitto and basil

Main entree, plus Lemon Pasta Salad with tomatoes and feta; skillet-glazed baby carrots and sugar snap peas. Main entree credit goes to: MattH, Phil, Stewart, Keith, Jen. Pasta salad goes to Rob and Laura, who I think also did the veggies. Everything was cooked quite well. No disasters with our group.

Caramel and Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Caramel and walnut upside-down banana cake with vanilla bean ice cream

Finally, the dessert I mentioned earlier, which I helped bake next to the boss and Jessica. Incredibly sweet caramel sauce combined with a subtle cake made for a sublime dessert. A modest portion (we baked in individual cups) meant no overindulging.

Lovely meal! I didn’t stuff myself and really enjoyed having a nice meal that wasn’t rushed or wolfed down, for once. Eating with a baby at your side, you don’t always get that opportunity.

Birthday Pie

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The in-laws were in Palm Springs in April during my birthday. The new tradition, as I mentioned last year, is the coconut cream pie (instead of boring ol’ birthday cake). So, on my first day back to work, I came home to a delayed birthday pie. It tasted amazing. The MIL really goes all out for this. The next day I had to bring it to work to help finish it off (and to incent people I hadn’t seen for a while to stop by). After all, I am trying to lose the pregnancy pounds, not gain it all back. One co-worker saw it and did not believe it was homemade. I believe Mike O., a proclaimed pie-lover, called it, “world class pie.”

coconut cream pie via chattycha on flickr

Fantastic birthday pie

It was pretty fantastic.

Pumpkin pancakes … FAIL

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I don’t hang out in the kitchen like I used to. Well, when I do it’s because I’m starving. Did you know breastfeeding is supposed to burn something like 500 calories a day? Not that it is on this body, but that’s what everybody says. So I’m hungry. A lot. Anyhoo …

I did happen to make some pumpkin bread a couple of weeks back. No pic. But I had leftover canned pumpkin so I thought I’d try to make pumpkin pancakes. I used RF Bisquick because I’m short on time these days. I also did NOT use our nonstick pan because it’s been sticking lately. For the regular pancakes that I made first, the new pan was great and I will no longer use the teflon pan for pancakes (a secret that the husband only recently disclosed to me. Gee, thanks). However, the consistency of the pumpkin pancake batter did not make for restaurant-quality (or even chattycha-quality) pancakes:

Pumpkin Pancakes Experiement

Pumpkin Pancakes Experiement

If you’ll note, you just can’t pick the cake up without wrinkling and smooshing it. Tastewise, the batch wasn’t half-bad. Tasted like, well a pancake with pumpkin/nutmeg/cinnamon/brown sugar. But the texture needs work. I didn’t have time to tinker with the ingredients, and I’m not that knowledgable in the science of baking and cooking anyway, or at least in this case. Don’t think I’ll be trying this one again.

Instead, I’ll stick with the pumpkin bread and biscuits. And muffins.  And cheesecake. And carving, of course!

Back to basics

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First time back in the kitchen (baking, that is), since you-know-who. Simple lemon bars, for a baby shower. Easy and simple, and much overshadowed by the delicious panna cotta made by a certain talented pastry chef.

lemon bars

lemon bars

The husband was bummed that I baked the bars only to take them to a party. So I made another batch today, though this batch stuck to the pan more than I like. Dang.

Happy VD

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I told the husband last week that I didn’t want flowers on Valentine’s Day (what we prefer to call “VD”). I didn’t want jewelry (not that we can afford it right now). I didn’t want a fancy dinner. I all I wanted, I told him, was some petit fours from the Market. And he delivered. Hurrah!

petit fours for valentines day

petit fours for valentine's day

They are delicious. Light and airy, with a touch of marzipan in the center of two layers of cake. Just the right amount of sweetness.

Thanks to the husband!

Energy Bar Update

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First, here is a pic:

Homemade energy bar

Homemade energy bar

Second, I think I failed to mention earlier, pricewise, that I had a few ingredients already in the house, and also left out some stuff that I didn’t want to buy (mainly wheatgerm), or didn’t want in the bar (dates. yuck). So, the price of course will vary.

And on a side note, a couple of days later, stored in tupperware, the energy bars are holding up. A much better snack than the Christmas cookies I had grown so fond of.

Happy New Year!

Homemade Energy Bars

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A few weeks ago the husband and I were at Whole Foods where I normally stock up on inexpensive energy bars (yes, Whole Paycheck was one of the few stores that sold Luna Bars on a regular basis for $.99). Imagine my surprise when the price had gone up 20 cents, to a whopping $1.19. The husband noticed the same thing happen to their canned beans (believe it or not, you can find good deals at Whole Foods, especially with their 365 brand, and on organic foods). So, as our once regular trips to WF have dwindled, I realized maybe it was finally time to stop wasting money on something like Luna Bars, when I could easily create a homemade concotion that served the same function, mainly fuel replenishment after a workout.

Now, at this point, the husband would say, “Yeah, it’s called a banana, yogurt and almonds”. But who remembers to pack all that stuff in a gym bag? And the yogurt needs refrigeration. And lots of bananas, yogurt and almonds adds up wallet-wise. The economy is in the toilet, so let’s find something that won’t break the bank.

Enter the homemade energy bar. I found a recipe on FoodNetwork.com, from Ellie Krieger, whose show “Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger” I’ve only seen once, and it was by accident. Today, decided to try it out.

The results are in … This was a worthwhile venture. First, the numbers. I used the “Toasted Nut ‘n’ Cranberries” Luna Bar as my comparison. This is one of the small handful of Luna flavors that I ate, and the only one with out the drizzled chocolate or whatever stuff, so it seemed a pretty decent comparison.

Luna Bar: 180 calories

Fat grams: 4 (saturated fat .5g)
Carbs 26
Fiber 4
Protein 10 g

Ellie’s Energy Bars: 133 calories
fat grams: 5 (saturated fat .6g)
Carbs 20
Fiber 2.5
Protein 5g
So … Luna wins out in the higher Fiber and Protein count. Then again, since it is also higher in calories, I could double the serving size (which, come to think of it, soon becomes about the size of a Luna bar), and for a few more calories I would be receiving an equivalent amount of protein and fiber.

Taste-wise … well these homemade versions certainly aren’t going to win any awards. And Luna/Clif certainly don’t have to worry about the competition. However, as homemade energy bars go, they aren’t bad. The best thing they have going for them is that they are not overly sweet, which is my preference for a pre-workout or post-workout snack. I don’t want anything that makes me crave for something more, the way sweets often do for me. The first bite seemed a bit dry, but I could bake them for less time and that would probably fix the problem.

Price. Ah, the fun part. I went to the bulk section of PCC to purchase the ingredients, and spent $4.62. (I heart Bulk! Quick Rolled Oats! $0.24! Sunflower Seeds! $0.36!) Since I’m doubling the serving size to equate one Luna Bar, price per bar/serving is $0.46. This price is 61% lower than the Whole Foods Luna Bar price. Keep in mind that WF (and maybe TJ’s still does it, too, I haven’t been there in a while) offers these bars at the lowest price I can find (not on sale). You’ll find them at other stores for between $1.25 to $1.39 or more). Not too shabby.

But, wait, Chattycha. What if you were to purchase a case of Lunas from Costco? Okay. You’ve got me. I haven’t priced these suckers at Costco. And I bet if I bought a case I’d get them for a cheaper price. But I don’t have a membership to Costco (which is what, $40 a year? Seriously. I have no idea), and the closest one is who even knows where so don’t forget to include all that driving time and gas and mileage. PCC, on the other hand, is walking distance from my house. Come to think of it, we are PCC Co-op members and since we used our 10% coupon today, technically the ingredients only cost $4.16. Besides, in the amount of time it would take me to drive to Costco, purchase said Luna Bars (and probably $100 worth of other stuff), I could bake these babies, cool them down and slice them up. So, you do the math. Oh, wait, I already did.

Now, for me, energy bars are really intended to fuel the body following a good lifting workout. Or, I’d eat half of one before rowing practice in the morning to wake up the body and get it going. I’m not really exercising right now, unless you count the 30-minute treadmill walk and 15-minute recumbent bike exercise (HR at a nice steady 100 bpm because anything higher and things start to hurt). So consider this a test run for when I return to my regular programming, sometime in the new year. Not sure when exactly, but I know it’s coming.

Pics to come. I’m just a bit too lazy to download the images onto the PC. Hey. I’m 36 weeks pregnant. I can’t be expected to run up and down the stairs simply for some blog artwork.

Got a quick an easy energy bar recipe I should try? Send it on.