Chocolate Panna Cotta & Nutella Florentines: DB February

Usually, if one prepares their post upon completion of their Daring Baker challenge they don't fall victim of last minute challenge posting, but I wouldn't know anything about that ;-)

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

This months challenge was quite easy as although I'd never made florentine cookies before, panna cotta was nothing new to me. It's challenges like these however, that show me how many kitchen tools I take for granted, a strainer for example: I don't have one!!! (who doesn't have a strainer you say? quick recap: recent move to Canada, living on dorm, don't cook that much outside of the school kitchen...you get the drift...interestingly, I do have a silicone mat) So when my chocolate panna cotta still had teeney tiny bits of grainy chocolate in it, I couldn't pass it through the sieve before pouring it into the containers to set, resulting in and unpleasant mouthfeel. Given that a college budget paid for the ingredients however, I (and my roommate) DID eat it, afterall, it tasted great!

My florentine cookies didn't come out as crisp as I anticipated and I suspect that that's because I didn't use enough butter, but they tasted great and I used them to sandwich nutella.

Recipes:

Chocolate Panna Cotta

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups (480 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
½ cup (115 gm) (4 oz) sugar
¾ cup (145 gm)(5 oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside for 2-5 minutes.
2. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a low boil.
3. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.
4. Transfer to ramekins, or nice glasses for serving.
5. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight

Nestle Florentine Cookies

Recipe from the cookbook “Nestle Classic Recipes”

Ingredients:
2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm) (5.3 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups (480 ml) (160 gm) (5 2/3 oz) quick oats
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (95 gm) (3⅓ oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups (360 ml) (250 gm) (9 oz) dark or milk chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F (190°C) (gas mark 5). Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.


2. To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.


4. While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl).


5. Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).


6. Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.

This recipe will make about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies. You can also choose not to sandwich yours, in which case, drizzle the tops with chocolate (over your wax paper).

Until next time ;-)

What to do with left over buttermilk?

After making Dorie's Perfect Party Cake for my birthday I had quite a bit of buttermilk left over. Ever the cost conscious chef I couldn't have it go to waste. Buttermilk pancakes would have been an acceptable use I guess, but where's the fun in that? Scones on the other hand, are right up my alley. There is nothing I like more than buttery pastry, fruit in my dessert and something creamy.

The plan was: buttermilk scones with orange zest, blueberry compote and whipped cream.

Now my better judgment reminded me that I had some plain yogurt in the fridge so the whipped cream became lightly sweetened yogurt, all together, it was divine! Tender, buttery, flaky scone not too sweet with fruity blueberry cinnamon compote with a splash of Grand Marnier and the balancing tangyness of the yogurt :) I didn't even miss the cream!

But that's not all we did with the buttermilk, we also made buttermilk mashed potatoes with green onions paired with a spicy chicken and mushroom stew, made with crimini mushrooms, white wine and finished with a touch of cream. YUM! I have to admit, I missed some veggies here which would have been the final element to balance this dish, some lightly sauteed bell peppers would have been awesome.



Recipe - Orange Buttermilk Scones

2 cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch Salt
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
Zest of One small orange
2 tbsp White granulated sugar
1 egg (plus 1 for eggwash)
1/2 cup (plus more as needed) Buttermilk
2 tsp Raw sugar (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea sized lumps (this helps with the flakiness).

2. Rub zest into sugar until fragrant then add sugar to the flour and butter mixture, toss gently with hand to combine.

3. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and some of the buttermilk. Slowly pull the flour into the well kneading lightly adding more buttermilk as needed. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Roll into a rough disc and wrap in plastic, place in refrigerator and chill 10 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375F. Beat remaining egg for eggwash and line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove dough from plastic and knead lightly on a floured surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, press or roll out dough to 3/4-inch thick. Slice or cut using biscuit cutters into desired shapes.

5. Place on prepared tray and brush with eggwash and sprinkle with sugar if using. Bake 15 minutes or until biscuits puff up and are golden brown. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I've been loving Canada since I got here but as my birthday approached this year I wasn't as excited as one would expect. I was really missing my mom and then I realised this was my first birthday ever away from her. I'm not really a cake person but I found myself making Dorie's Perfect Party Cake with Whipped Cream and Kiwis, my mom's fave and a variety of pita "pizzas" which is something I would have done, had I been "home". That word has changed destination so often for me in the last year: home at school, home by granny, home by mommy and so on...home, the place I have a pillow or at least one of my belongings, hmmm, sorta works wouldn't you say.

So for my mommy, the bestest mommy in the whole world :-D

I dedicate my birthday spread to you:


The pita pizza selections:

Version one: Greek inspired (FAVOURITE):
-Hummus
-Red Onions
-Mediterranean Olive Mix
-Lamb Sausage (sauteed)
-Feta CheeseVersion 2: Hot Italian Sausage
-Tomato Sauce
-Sundried Tomatoes
-Hot Italian Sausage
-Mini bellas (mushrooms, sauteed)
-Mozzarell

Version 3: Figs & Goat Cheese
-Caramelised Onions
-Wine Simmered Figs
-Soft Goat Cheese

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Yes I know it's late but my blogging year has just began and what a better way to begin than with my first Daring Baker's challenge for the year and my first challenge completed from CANADA!!!!!!

Hello world! I now am a student of the Lambton College in Sarnia Ontario (which I never heard of before getting the opportunity to attend). Three of us in my programme so blessed as to be granted a scholarship to complete our final semester here. I has been AMAZING so far and the thing I was most concerned about - the cold - I've managed to adjust to pretty well.

Anywho, let me lay off my Canada excitement (I'm sure it will come through in the many posts to come)...

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

This challenge should have been easy since a joconde and entremets are both things I'm familiar with...in the end the greatest challenge was adapting to the new space. My mousse didn't set up - no freezer space :-( - and my dessert didn't turn out the way I envisioned it (my chocolate covered hazelnut garnish sank down into the mousse) but such is life it tasted awesome and the mousse was so easy to do: nutella + brown sugar meringue, done! That was it! I coloured my stencil paste yellow, which wasn't very smart since that was the only colour I used and it blended into the background so you almost can't see my polkadots.

I prepped everything in my room then went downstairs to the kitchen (lol) to bake:

Taste: Awesome! Presentation: Hmmmm, not good at all...but for the first for the year, it means it can only get better!!!! ;-)


Oh and my forgotten crostata! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the pastry will definitely made it again...was short on ingredients at the time but interestingly had some cream, chocolate and pistachios on hand, and what does that make?

:-D


Until next time :-)

OMG

I forgot to post my challenge!!!!!

Stay tuned for crostata (yum)