Sass & Veracity

Chocolate Valentino Cake with Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

As the morning unfolds on this the day of the February Daring Baker's reveal, I'm proud to say I finished my challenge a few weeks ago, which could imply that this post was written and ready to auto publish at midnight.  But no.  I guess that with respect to me, it is possible to be too organized.  Best laid plans, right?

So here I am on my oldest son's thirtieth birthday (shhhhh.....) writing about chocolate cake and strawberry banana ice cream, which, now that I think of it is incredibly appropriate since the chocolate cake I'm thinking of is flourless and my son's food allergies and celiac's issues make it a perfect birthday cake.  Unfortunately, he's not supposed to eat dairy products, either, so the ice cream is a rude accompaniment, packed full of heavy cream and milk. But he doesn't care at this point, and a mother can't exactly tell her thirty-year-old how to live his life. Actually, she can, but I wouldn't be that mother, choosing instead to enjoy my son's company whenever I can and hoping that some day, he'll take his health issues seriously.

This February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef who have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Clearly I chose to have some fun with my ice cream.  I couldn't resist the idea of coming up with flavors that remind me of a banana split.

Tuiles and Orange Yogurt Sabayon

Thursday:  8:10 am

I swore I'd not be late on this month's Daring Baker's challenge.  I even mentioned to others I'd complete it two weeks into the month, but time has a way of passing so quickly these days and before I knew it, this week was upon me and bearing down hard.

Two days ago, I cut some forms for the tuiles we are to have made.  And even yesterday, I retrieved some egg whites from the freezer to thaw so I could begin work.  But did I?  No.  So here I am today just getting started.

I know what you're thinking.  What a slacker.  And you'd be right, but it's only a bit after 8am, and I've got plenty of time even with the refrigeration time that's required for the recipe.

I'm thinking that zabaglione or pots de creme should go with my tuiles.  But I'll let you know.  So come back later even though you've got hundreds of others to visit.  I'll be posting in stages.  This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

11:12 am

The good news is that it's still Thursday.  Even better?  I'm done with the tuiles!  They're very easy to make, but do require a 30-minute refrigeration time before baking, and if you're me, then you forgot to turn on the oven and had to wait an addition period of time after the cookies were were already on the chilled baking sheets.  It never fails...

Very few ingredients are needed to make tuiles:  only 1/4 c. softened butter, 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour, 2 large egg whites, and a splash of vanilla.

 

The soft butter and powdered sugar are mixed to a paste, the egg whites added gradually while stirring to bring the mixture together.

The flour is added gradually as well, stirring, but not over-mixing until everything comes together.  A splash of vanilla is incorporated and then the whole mixture goes into the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Line the baking sheets with parchment or silicone and chill them as well.

Use some cardboard to cut out the shape you'd like to use.  I used corregated cardboard and then pinched the inside edges before using an offset spatula to spread batter over the forms.

If you'd like, add some of the cocoa powder to a small amount of the batter and mix well before spooning it into a decorators bag with a plain tip.  Make whatever decorations you'd like and then put the sheets into a 350 degrees F oven for about 7 minutes or until the edges of the tuiles are barely brown.

Remove them immediately from the pan with a thin edged spatula and use wooden spoon handles or rolling pins to shape them.  But you really have to hurry, because if you don't, then yours will be as flat and crisp as mine, poor little cute things.

Have some fun making other shapes, too, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to twist a few!

Okay, off to make the dessert they'll go in.

6:30 pm

Yes, it's late.  A lot later than I thought I'd be, but the goings on of a day tend to make some things take longer than I'd like.  Especially this dessert which, by comparison, is very easy.

Orange Sabayon

1 lg. egg

1 lg. egg yolk

1/3 c. sugar

zest of 1 orange

1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

1 T lemon juice

For the dessert...

1 orange

0% fat Greek yogurt

Prepare an ice bath in a bowl large enough to set the top pan of a double boiler.

In the top of a double boiler pan, whisk the eggs until foamy.  Gradually mix in the sugar whisking until well combined.  Add the juices and the zest, mixing well.  Place the pan over a gently simmering pan of water and stir the citrus mixture constantly until the mixture thickens like a pudding.  Place the pan in the ice bath and continue to stir until it cools.

To create a light dessert, section an additional orange and place the segments in a wide-mouthed glass.  Make sure they're well drained or the juice will pool in the bottom of the glass.  In a small bowl mix 1/2 of the chilled sabayon and 1/4 c. of the yogurt.  To serve, mound the orange yogurt sabayon over the oranges.  Don't forget to include the tuiles!

Notes:

• The tuiles are surprisingly easy to make.  Unfortunately, I baked mine for 7 minutes instead of 5 while I was looking for the browned edges and then didn't move quite fast enough to get them positioned over the rolling pin and wooden spoon handles.  I did have a chance to try it with another batch, so know not to bake them quite so long.
• The sabayon is also easy to put together.  If you wanted to fatten it up a bit, you could mix it with whipped cream and/or a bit of mascarpone.

Daring Bakers: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Brown Butter Frosting

Here I am on a Saturday morning, writing the post for the Daring Bakers' November challenge.  It's due today, but with all the chaos of construction in our house, and cooking for Thanksgiving, somehow there wasn't time to write. Let me rethink that:  I didn't feel like writing until this morning. In fact, baking hasn't been all that enjoyable since the space I normally work in is being shared with this Mac, a printer, and all sorts of other lovely things that usually have places somewhere upstairs, like bills, and catalogues, magazines I've got recipes tagged in, and things I don't want to lose track of -- like the check book we couldn't find yesterday when we needed it for the contractor.  It's a complete dust covered disaster.

To complete the image, my son's computer is set up on a card table directly behind mine, so it's a tight squeeze with the two of us sitting back to back, clicking and pecking away.

Needless to say, my kitchen is always in some stage of being used and in a reduced space, I'm exhausted with trying to make it look reasonable, too.  Good thing this month's challenge was such a breeze -- and a completely delicious one!

This month, we've had the opportunity to delve into Eggbeater author & chef Shuna Fish Lydon's recipe for Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting.  Additionally, we could choose to make Alice Medrich's Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels, but I bowed out on this one to save for another time.  Many thanks to this month's hosts, Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex of Blondie and Brownie, and Jenny of Foray into Food, for such excellent choices. Natalie of Gluten a Go Go assisted with quantities and ingredients for alternative diets.  Nice job, ladies!

Browned Butter and Caramel?  Oh my.  Absolutely perfect flavors for the season!  Wait.  Isn't browned butter good in any season? 

That's what I thought.  Now add some lovely hazelnuts and pear crisps and voila!

Daring Bakers: Deep Dish Greek Pizza

Pizza?  Did someone say pizza?  What pizza?

Pizza with Peter Reinhart's dough from The Bread Baker's Apprentice courtesy of this month's Daring Baker challenge host, Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums.  You'll be able to reference the challenge recipe at her site.

That's what pizza.

Oh.....

But I completely forgot.  I know.  The first time in 17 months. 

So it was after dinner last night when I started my dough and this morning, it's sitting on the counter, flat, and round.  Waiting.

My garlic is roasted.  It will get smashed, mixed with a bit of the roasted garlic oil and spread on the dough before everything else.

The sundried tomatoes are rehydrating.  They'll go in the pesto.

 

And I've still got time to decide what else is going on my pizza.  So far, it's a bit Greek to me:  kalamatas, pinenuts, artichoke hearts, feta....maybe some arugula.  Maybe.  Is that Greek?

Now why didn't I have this all figured out?  Because when we make pizza -- which we do quite a bit -- it's sort of anything goes.  That's the fun of it all.

So this post will be in stages today so I can punish myself for being such a complete dork.

And by all means, tune back in to see where I am on this.  It's not asking much considering you've only got, what?  About a thousand other Daring Bakers' pizzas to check out?

Now, where's my cast iron skillet?  I think we're going deep dish on this one....

Be back later.

10am PST -- UPDATE #1:  The Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.

There are lots of pesto recipes out there...or so I thought.  Actually, there are lots of sun-dried tomato pesto recipes out there as long as you're interested in using oil-packed tomatoes.  But I improvised after looking at about 10 different recipes and used what I had on hand:

1 c. rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 c. fresh parmesan, grated

1/2 c. fresh basil

2 T. pepitas, toasted

3 cloves fresh garlic, very large...

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 pinches kosher salt

Dash of dried red pepper flakes

Pour boiling water over the dried tomatoes and let soak for about 30 minutes.  Drain in a fine meshed strainer, reserving the liquid for another use, and press on the tomatoes to remove as much liquid as possible.

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, toast the pepitas until just beginning to brown.  Be careful not to burn.  Remove from pan.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse the tomatoes, parmesan, basil, and garlic until well blended.  With the motor running, then slowly add the olive oil in a steady thin stream.  Add the salt and pulse a few more times.  Check flavor to correct seasoning, then sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and stir.

Notes:

• The sun-dried tomatoes I purchase are usually found in bulk in large bins.  I keep them on hand because you just never know when you're going to need them for a Daring Baker's Challenge.  OR something.
• The flavor is more intense than those packed in oil in my opinion, and the cost is significantly less.  Plus, I usually find that when I purchase oil-packed tomatoes, I don't use them all, and they go to waste.  The plain dried tomatoes are much easier to store and use as I need them.
• The flavor of this pesto is quite pungent and would be amazing on pasta.  We'll see how it tastes on my pizza.

Okay, back to the kitchen for the next steps.

11:45am PST -- UPDATE #2:  The Roasted Garlic

1 head of garlic, peelings on

1/2 c. olive oil

salt and pepper

Tear off a couple of pieces of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the head of garlic and provide space for the olive oil.

Slice the top quarter or so off the head of garlic and set the head in the foil.  Pour the olive oil over the head of garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Make a loose package of the foil and crimp the edges tightly.  Set in an oven proof dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour.  Let cool in the package, then carefully open making sure not to spill the roasted garlic oil.  When the garlic is cool, you'll be able to "squirt" each of the cloves of roasted garlic into a dish separate from the oil.  Mash the roasted garlic and spread a small quantity onto the pizza dough.

Notes: 

• I do have a garlic roaster, and actually use it unless the head of garlic is too large to fit in it.  It's not necessary to have one -- the foil produces great results.
• Roasted garlic is much more mellow than raw.  To me, it's a completely different flavor.  The mashed roasted garlic is something I put out at parties for people to spread on bread or crostini.  It works well with tapenade or soft cheeses as well.  And if you haven't tried it in pasta or mashed potatoes, you're really missing something.
• Use the oil to brush on bread and toast, or for grilling meat or veggies.  Or use a bit of the oil to thin the roasted garlic.  

Okay, back later...Pizza Numero Uno is up next!

12:45pm PST -- UPDATE #3:  The Flat & Crispy Greek Pizza.

1 disk proofed pizza dough

1 T roasted garlic

2 T sun-dried tomato pesto

artichoke hearts (not marinated)

1/4 red onion, sliced

1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled

1 T fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and position a rack in the lower third of your oven.

Stretch the pizza dough over your extremely floured knuckles until the weight of it causes it to stretch and drape.  Place it on an inverted baking pan covered with parchment.

Thin the roasted garlic with a bit of the garlic oil and using a basting brush, brush it over the pizza dough.

Dot dollops of the tomato pesto over the garlic and spread with the back of a spoon.  It's not necessary to cover the entire surface.

Place artichokes here and there, then the onions, and sprinkle the feta over.  Then sprinkle on the rosemary.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or until crust is pleasantly brown.  Let cool briefly before digging in.

Notes:

• I decided to make a flat pizza first since the whole idea behind this challenge was to try and stretch (um, throw?) the dough, which is a bit sticky if there's not enough flour on it, but is quite nice to work with as long as you have more patience than I do.
• I chose an amoeba-shape because it's Halloween and I thought I'd be clever about it.  Actually, I barely got the dough on my knuckles and boy did it ever want to stretch.  So I slapped it on the baking sheet and proceeded with my toppings.
• I enjoyed the flavors on this pizza.  They worked nicely with the salty dough.  Usually when we have artichoke pizza, there's a ton of cheese on it and that's all I can taste. 
• Even without a "wet" sauce and a very thin crust, this crust wasn't crisp.  I actually prefer something with more substance than this.
• All in all -- not bad.

Okay, next up, Deep Dish Pizza.

1:37pm PST -- UPDATE #4:  The Deep Dish Greek Pizza

You need a cast iron skillet for this.

1 disk proofed pizza dough

1 T olive oil

3-4 San Marzano Whole Tomatoes, canned

2 T sun-dried tomato pesto

1 tsp. roasted garlic

1/4 red onion, sliced

1/2 c. artichoke hearts (non-marinated)

6 kalamatas, sliced

1/4 c. feta

1 T fresh rosemary

red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Oil the bottom and sides of the cast iron skillet with olive oil and set aside.

In a small bowl, squish the tomatoes with your hands until they're small chunks and add the tomato pesto and roasted garlic.  Sprinkle in some dried red pepper flakes and stir well.  Taste for seasoning and correct if necessary.

Using well-floured hands, and a bench scraper if necessary, gently pry the proofed pizza disk off of your counter where it has been sitting for two hours. (See entire directions for making dough at Rosa's site linked above...)  Make sure the skillet is near by because the dough stretches quickly and you'll want to place it into the bottom of the skillet.

Once the dough is in the skillet, push it around to form a thick edge that just begins to rise up the sides.  Pour on the tomato sauce, place the artichokes and onions over the sauce, and sprinkle on the olives, feta, and rosemary.  Add another sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the sides are nicely browned.  Let cool a bit in the skillet before chowing down.

Notes:

• So, this is deep dish compared to the first pizza I made, but by no means deep dish.  I don't think this dough would hold up, but I have two more disks I can try out.
• The tomato sauce is excellent.  It's very rich in flavor and quite wonderful.  I love San Marzano tomatoes and could eat them right out of the can, so clearly I have a problem.  But adding the tomato pesto quickly turns a few canned tomatoes into a very nice sauce.
• I used my convection settings for this, so 10 minutes would most likely take longer using conventional settings.  At least 15 minutes depending on how thick your crust is.
• Comparatively, I liked the thick pizza better than the thin one.  The tomato sauce is very nice with the thicker crust and the olives a perfect addition.
• On the issue of the dough in general, I have a dough recipe I use and like that is very easy to work with and takes much less time.  The flavor of this dough is pleasant, but not for the wait time.  So many recipes, so little time, right?

So there you go!  Another Daring Baker challenge done.  Pizza anyone?  Anyone?

Daring Bakers: Lavash Crackers and Nopales Salsa

Today is quite different than the past many months that I've posted.  Today marks one of the very few times that I've baked a recipe for the Daring Bakers that isn't classified as a sweet.  And even more importantly?  It's the first gluten-free recipe as well.  This month's challenge of Lavash Crackers has been hosted by Natalie of Gluten A Go Go, and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl.  The recipe is from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. 

I definitely have that post for you today,  but thought I'd put a local type of spin on it.  Seriously local. 

Ever had nopales?  These Lavash Crackers with garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin can really take on a substantial salsa...

Banana Caramel Cream Eclairs: Daring, but...

When I saw this month's Daring Baker challenge posed by the extremely talented hosts Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey?, and Tony of Olive Juice, (you should see their sites -- Oh, my goodness...) I thought, great!  No problem.  We were given the freedom to explore the classic eclair with a recipe by none other than Pierre Herme -- and Chocolate Eclairs to boot.  Perfect, if you ask me.  The first time I made pate-a choux was when I was in junior high and it's never posed a problem until now.  It figures.

Okay, so honestly, there was that crocquembouche one year...

I know the the flour goes into the butter which has been melted in the liquid -- this time equal measures of water and milk.  I know the eggs go in one at a time and that you beat them like hell, watching the mixture go from globby to smooth.  Velvety.  I have seriously weak wrists, but I always make pate-a-choux by hand because I actually enjoy working with it.

But sometimes it really doesn't make a difference if you know these things, because well, Murphy shows up when I least want him to.  Like this time.  That's his job.

Maybe I should have spent more time in the Daring Bakers' Kitchen scouring the non-procrastinators' comments and questions.  After all, that would be the whole point of a forum, right?  But did I?  No.  So was I able to find out whether others noticed something strange about the cooking time?  No.

I used a fluted tip to pipe the soft dough onto my baking sheets, making plump little fingers lined up diagonally -- 24 of them.  But when the "about 20 minutes" of suggested baking time came and went, and I had diligently timed and repositioned pans and placed a wooden spoon in the door of my oven like directed, then examined the "puff" and scrutinized the color, and poked for "firmness" and even broke one open to peer inside, I knew that there was no way 20 minutes was enough.

I referred to other recipes for pate-a-choux to see what the differences were just in case I'd missed something -- like pate-a-choux isn't made now has it always has been.  I struggled not to think about the idea that I'd learned to make "cream puff dough" from an old Betty Crocker cookbook and you couldn't get any more basic than that.  So I watched those chubby fingers of pate-a-choux re-puff after I checked them and decided to bake them longer, and longer, and longer.  I lost count, but can estimate that they were in the oven about 35 minutes total, and still, they weren't quite as I thought they should be.

The interiors were far too moist. They were not such chubby fingers after all.  They were flat.

And if that wasn't bad enough?

Let's.  Talk.  Filling.  Shall we?  *Let's not and say we did...*

I thought caramel with bananas and chocolate glaze would be heavenly.  A few almonds sprinkled over it all.  Sooooooo....I experimented with Sherry Yard's Whipped Caramel Cream.  I figured since the Daring Bakers have done caramel until the cows come home and I even longer, that this, too, would be a cake walk. What a total fat head.

Well.  After whipping the heavy cream with the creme fraiche and other ingredients, the cooled caramel sauce never quite allowed me to "carefully" fold it in.  Somehow, I knew this.  I knew that it wouldn't work since I also know that folding anything as thick as peanut butter into fluffy cream (hahahahaha, Sherry Yard -- you're just kidding us, aren't you?) would be a complete miracle.  I'd thought of making a stabilized whipped cream, knowing that it could work, but I'm usually game to try anything once, even when I suspect something is wrong.  Certainly, it couldn't have been moi....right?  After all, I'm not Sherry Yard.  There just wasn't enough whipped cream to hold up the density of that caramel that was so decadently, deliciously spiked with lemon, and just the thought of the creme fraiche with it had me nearly swooning while thinking of the final taste.

But it began to separate, so I decided to whip up quite a bit more heavy cream, then slowly incorporate the almost broken caramel creme, and it held up.  But the sacrifice was huge.  There was no deep caramelly flavor that would have been in the original.  I ended up with an ivory colored whipped cream that I'm not sure I'd think was caramel flavored if I hadn't made it myself.

But, I persisted and put some cute eclairs together anyway, and we each ate a few, experiencing what always happens when I've bitten into an eclair -- everything squishes out the sides.

Such a beautifully decadent and glorious mess after only one small bite, don't you think?

When I asked my hunkster what he tasted, the response was, "Chocolate....and bananas."  No caramel.  But after he left, I drizzled some of the caramel sauce I made the whipped filling with over the top and oh, my goodness.  It was heavenly.  Fresh peaches and strawberries were also nice, but the chocolate glaze I made was too strong for their flavor, in my opinion.  Pretty, though.  A better idea would have been to leave the chocolate off of the top, and either sprinkle powdered sugar alone, or drizzle caramel over -- especially with the peaches.

   

Clearly, I need to whip up some more pate-a-choux so that my ego doesn't stay bruised for long.

To take a gander at 12 million more eclairs, please visit the other Daring Bakers.  For the recipe I used to make the caramel filling...

Chocolate Almond Gateau with Almond Praline Buttah-cream

I do have to say that this month's Daring Baker's Challenge was officially the most involved dessert I have ever made.  Okay, so I don't actually keep a tally, but jeez.  And have I actually seen the inside, or tasted it yet?
 

Um, no.

I mentally line up donation options when I complete these challenges so I'm not stuck with all those calories straining to attach themselves to my rear end which is large enough, thank you very much.  Since school's out for the summer and I can't drop it off there, and my mother swears that she can't leave things in the clubhouse of her complex for residents to sample, I donated it ahead of time to my good friend's dinner party. 

When I meet her in the morning at 5:30 for our walk (yawn...), I'll pick up the remnants, listen to her critique, finally get to see the inside, and taste it myself. 

I've made some pretty involved desserts, but goodness.  I knew it was going to be a hum-dinger since I'd just made that Cassata,  but I was determined (since I yet again put this off until the last possible second...) to efficiently work through the entire cake in record time.  Well, record time for me, anyway, because that's always a challenge.  I simply l-a-n-g-u-i-s-h in my kitchen.  I probably would have done it, too, if my Mac hadn't been on the counter.  It is such a distraction.

I will say I must have been concentrating fairly hard, because at some point around noon, I received a few emails, and some Twitter inquires about an earthquake.  Earthquake?  Really?  Sure enough.  After checking USGS, I could see that there had been an earthquake near LA.  I also saw in a news report that it was felt as far south as San Diego.  Huh?

So I emailed my hunkster, and he responded saying that their building had swayed quite a bit, and that he checked USGS minutes later and they had already documented the quake.  He works maybe five miles from our house, and my son and I felt nothing.  Go. figure.

I guess that means my Almond Gateau with Praline Buttercream is quite THE cake.

But wait!  There's more.

I didn't have to make one single trip to the store for this challenge.  Not one.  Well, let me qualify that.  I sort of half-assed and semi-casually scanned the nut aisle at Trader Joe's a week ago knowing that I'd need hazelnuts for this challenge, and didn't see them.  There's no way my regular market has them -- EVER --  and I wasn't in the mood to take on Whole Foods and the inevitable basket full of luscious food I'd have to pay for if I ventured there for hazelnuts.  And I just so happened to have not one, but TWO packages of almond meal in my obsessive-compulsively hoarded stockpile of culinary accoutrements well-stocked cupboard just screaming for attention on this cake.   

And there you have it.  For the Daring Baker's July Challenge recipe, please visit the Hostess with the Mostest, Chris of Mele Cotte.  There you will find that the original recipe from Great Cakes by Carol Walter included hazelnuts and not almonds.

So about those interminable steps for this cake:

The Genoise:  I have never made a genoise like this.  When I saw clarified buttah, I thought, jeez.  And if I wasn't careful I'd have a brown buttah genoise on my hands.  Trust me that I would have used it, too.  It was definitely odd adding that butter to the egg-nutmeal mixture and after pouring it into the cakepan, finding that there was a pool of butter at the bottom of the pan that I wasn't supposed to include.  Sure the directions mentioned that little tidbit of information, but it looked like none of the butter actually mixed into the batter based on the lake-sized pool I saw rippling on the bottom of the bowl.

Interesting.  But the cake rose beautifully.  I'm still wondering what the clarified butter was all about.

The Apricot Glaze:  This would be the step I forgot.  Sure I read the recipe 18 times.  I even had my little jar of peach preserves (no apricot in my cupboard...) sitting on the counter just waiting to be used.  It just didn't happen.  My after-the-fact thinking (big fat excuse...) is that since there would be syrup in every nook and cranny on this cake, the glaze wouldn't be missed.  Right.  I should have realized that making the glaze was first up after the cake came out of the oven. But no.  My brain farted on this one. Loudly.

Sugar Syrup:  Why oh why do they always ask you to make so much, and why do I fall for it every single time?  In fact, why did I not save the syrup I made for the Cassata last week?  And why, I think as I'm pouring it down the drain, do I not check to see how long I can save the left-overs?  You know, in case I want to hop out of bed next month and make another cake that needs a sugar syrup soaker.  I could have parked it next to my 12 bags of frozen egg whites and 2 bags of anchovies.  For later.

Swiss Buttercream:  Okay, so I think I can say that each time I've made buttercream, it's been made a different way.  Who knew there could be so many different ways to make the same thing.  Really.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you get to whip the whites in the mixer a bit before you have to use a whisk over the simmering water.  Those of us who like to whine about our wrists thank the recipe gods for this bit of good fortune because we actually had the wherewithall to hold the camera in one hand while whipping with the other.  Yes.    

Praline Paste:  This took the most time to do.  Hands down.  I should have kept track, but I didn't.  I was cruising until I got to this part.  When I melt sugar, I normally use a small saucepan.  This recipe called for a 10-inch skillet.  Hmmmm....I was worried about all that surface area, but Hey!  Sure enough.  It took a month of Sundays to melt that sugar.  ARG!  I swirled and moved the pan over the low-low heat to keep the progress going.  It took an amazing amount of time.  And keeping with the almond theme, I used blanched almond slivers (yes, I had them...) and it was nearly impossible to mix them up in the melted sugar.  But it finally began to bubble, and I was able to dump the lump pour the praline on a pan to cool.  To make the paste, the processor must have run at least 8-10 minutes.  Seriously.  But in the end, I was rewarded with a shiny looking lump of something remotely resembling hard peanut butter.

Ironically, it wasn't difficult to mix a bit of the Swiss Buttercream into the lump before throwing the whole mess into the bowl to get an interesting looking frosting.  Sort of brown.  With specks.  And surprisingly fluffy.

Whipped Cream:  I decided what the hell and added 2 oz. of softened cream cheese and 1 tsp. of sugar to the whipped cream.  You know.  To give it some substance.

Booze:  Whenever rum, or cointreau, or Gran Mariner, or anything else with alcohol in it was called for in this recipe (and it was seriously called for...) I used Cointreau.  I did leave the extra dose called for in the buttahcream out, though.  At some point, isn't it just overkill?  Just wondering.

Ganache Glaze:  Oh man.  This was a bit different than I remembered, too.  It was more...wet.  It was thick enough.  It spread nicely.  It oozed down the sides just fine.  But it never really dried.  Even after it had been in the fridge.  It was set, but not quite like I thought it might.  And I could see tiny lumps here and there after it had settled.  Picky picky.  The taste was lovely.  Mmmm...chocolate and orange is always nice.

Decorations:  I had to do the white chocolate leaves.  Had to.  It has been so long since I've taken the time to do any kind of decoration, I kind of got carried away.  And the almonds?  Clearly, we like almonds here, because I have all kinds of them around.  Yes, the decoration looks like a poinsettia.  No, that wasn't the idea. In fact, the plan was to make dark chocolate leaves for the entire top, but my chocolate didn't cooperate, so that's why I ended up with white.  And you can't exactly move things around on that ganache which is a complete drag.

When I get the left overs of my cake back (because my friend doesn't want it in her house, either...), I'll let you know what I think of the taste and try to get a photo of a slice.  You'll come back, right?

When pigs fly.  ;)

Addendum:  Okay, so I walked my 3 miles this morning and have retrieved my cake.  The consensus last night at her party was that the cake is surprisingly not too sweet, half the cake was eaten, but they didn't ask for more."    And now that I've tasted it, I'll agree.  I just had a piece for breakfast and I'm loving that I can taste those tiny pieces of almonds.  The praline isn't as strong as I thought it might be -- a good thing -- and the buttercream a pleasant, creamy compliment to the genoise.  Very, very nice.  But no, I don't want another piece right now, either.  I'm quite satisfied.

Don't forget to check out the other 8 trillion Daring Bakers and their Nutty Cakes.  You'll be amazed.

Danish Braids: Daring Bakers June Challenge

Call me Murphy because if anything could go wrong, it already has.  You know when you get to the end of a very long post and you see that spinning wheel?  The one that indicates that something's not quite right with your browser?  Yes.  That would be me about 3 minutes ago.  And now I'm supposed to start over because the whole freaking thing is gonzo. *sob*  It all happened when I clicked on that link for the Daring Bakers Blogroll...Can you believe it?

It's 12:46 am, and it's posting day for the Daring Bakers, something I can't wait for each month.  And this month in particular, since I'm one of the hosts, you'd think I'd have things all wrapped up.  I've had Danish Braid on the brain for about three months now, from thinking about choosing the recipe, to choosing it, to testing it, and baking it four different ways...and now it's time to raise the curtain and what do you think?

*crickets...*

My browser quits on me and my post is lost.  Crappity crap crap.  It's kind of like not showing up for your own party.

It's bad enough living in the farthest Southwest corner of the U.S. and always, always, always being the very last to be able to post, counting the minutes until midnight, barely waiting for my time to let it rip.  But have my browser quit on me?  That's just wrong.

Ahhhhh.....I guess I should have written this post a month ago, right?  Set it to fly when the clock hit midnight?  But no.

I've had Italy on my brain along with Danish Braid, because we're leaving in two days.  Two.  So this is my punishment for not being ready.

Nevertheless, it's time to give this another go.  To write again that which has been lost.  Right?

Um, nope.  I have no energy at this point.  Forgive me.

With what little grace I have at this point (like, ZERO?), it is so important to me to say thank you to Ben of What's Cooking? for being my co-host for this month's Daring Baker Challenge.  THANK YOU BEN!   I know Ben would have more dignity than I do right now.  *sigh* Right Ben?

Okay, enough of the melodrama and on with the pastry.

Danish Braid anyone?

This completely fabulous recipe is Sherry Yard's from The Secrets of Baking, and what a lovely recipe it is.  Cardamom, orange, vanilla...and lots of options for making it your own.  If you've ever wondered about whether you could make pastry, this is the recipe for you to try.  But I'm biased. I could have eaten all of it myself.

DANISH BRAID

Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients 
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash:  1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1.    Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  On a lightly floured  surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick.  If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again.  Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2.    Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart.  Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3.    Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle.  Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover.  Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling.  This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished.  Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1.    Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid.  Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2.    Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3.    Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown.  Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature.  The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

DANISH DOUGH                 

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe) 
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
½ cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
¼ cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine  yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed.  Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice.  Mix well.  Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth.  You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky.  Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

BUTTER BLOCK
1.    Combine  butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free.  Set aside at room temperature.
2.    After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the dough  into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick.  The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour.  Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough.  Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter.  Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third.  The first turn has now been completed.  Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally.  Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3.    Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface.  The open ends should be to your right and left.  Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle.  Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third.  No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4.    Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns.  Make sure you are keeping track of your turns.  Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight.  The Danish dough is now ready to be used.  If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it.  To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze.  Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling.  Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl.  Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.  If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid.  (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet.  After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

Notes:

• I made two braids:  one with apple filling, and the other with a combination of strawberry jam & pastry cream.  I took the jam & pastry recipes from the Beatrice Ojakangas recipe for Danish Braid in Baking with Julia.  They are quickly and easily made in the microwave and were very good.
• I also made Danish Envelopes folded two ways.  Each had the apples described above, but also with a filling of 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/4 c. demerara, 1/2 egg,  and 1/2 tsp. vanilla well mixed and dolloped onto the apples. I sprinkled chopped pecans over the filling, baked them, and then drizzled dulce de leche over the top.  Mmmm....
• Speaking of those apples -- they're delicious.  This would make a beautiful pie filling or ice cream topping, or...add some nuts and just enjoy. 
• The egg wash for the top of the braid will produce a very brown crust, so be prepared. 
• Absolutely read the recipe several times before you begin.  The recipe is very straight forward unless it's not carefully read.
• Make sure you don't cheat on the 30 minute refrigeration times between turns.  The gluten needs to rest, and the butter to chill.
• If your kitchen is above 80 degrees F, the butter will most likely pose a problem, so make sure all your ingredients are cold to begin with, and if need be, refrigerate when necessary along the way to keep things cold.
• Make sure the "fringe" on the dough for the braid isn't cut too long or the filling will ooze out during the proof time, or even worse, during baking.  Hmmm...did I do this?
• I used green cardamom pods for this -- about 16.  It's time consuming to crack them and grind the seeds, but worth it.  The dough is very aromatic, and the pastry very special.

Please take time to visit the other Daring Bakers to see their sweet and savory, nutty, fruity Danish Braids.  They're amazing, as always, and far more entertaining than I am at this point.

Somebody needs to hose me down.

And here's a quick look at round two with my Danish Envelopes.  To get the rounded ones, I placed them in a Texas style muffin pan and wrapped the corners up over the filling.  Cute little things if I might say so myself.  Wish I had one right now, and I'd drown my sorrows in that yummy pastry.

Look how much nicer my dough was the next time.  All straight and perfect! Such lovely dough to work with. Okay, forget hosing me down.  Just wrap me in this dough, and I'll be happy.

 

Opera Cake: Intensely Apricot

One of the very best things I enjoy about participating in our monthly Daring Baker's challenges is procrastinating until the last possible second spending an entire day in my kitchen -- or as with the case this month -- a couple of days.  Spending a day in my kitchen isn't a rare occurrence, as I do that often, but it's usually trying to juggle all the things I buy that won't fit in my kitchen multitasking with dinner.  Thinking about one recipe, and then indulging myself in all the possibilities makes me completely bonkers giddy.  Bear in mind, this also means, I spend the time in my grungy pajamas comfies.  I head straight for the kitchen.

I'm a serious psycho food nerd.

This month, the Opera Cake made me want to rip my hair out presented some challenges for me with flavor combinations.  It wasn't so much not knowing what the main flavor would be since we were charged with going "light," because this is the time of year when apricots start showing up here.  Those lovely, sun-kissed, orangey-colored pieces of fruit that resemble  an ample derriere. The challenge was more of what goes with apricots, and how not to get carried away adding too many different flavors.  So many choices, so little time.  Sigh.

But have you ever heard of apriums?  Half apricot, half plum.  Go figure.  I saw some at our farmer's market and knew they'd have a place in my Opera Cake.  The question as the month went by was, where, exactly.
I told you they looked like derrieres...

As it turns out, I used fresh apricots, dried California apricots, Swiss apricot preserves, and aprium puree in my Opera Cake. And a touch of Italian marsala...

Apricots, anyone?

Heavenly.  Totally.

This month, in celebration of the Daring Bakers finalizing their divorce from Blogger to wallow in their very own space in the bloggosphere, The Daring Bakers' Kitchen, Lis & Ivonne, the illustrious creators of the Daring Bakers hosted the May challenge.  And the choice was amazing -- one that I'd never heard of before.

The recipe used to create this Opera Cake can be found at Creampuffs in Venice or La Mia Cucina and was influenced by Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle & Timothy Moriarty's Chocolate Passion.  Make sure you give a round of applause when you stop by the Queens of Daring Bakerness, and then if you want a purely calorieless adventure, stroll through the Daring Baker Blogroll.  It's always quite an amazing time.

And guess what?  I'm hosting the June Challenge along with Ben of What's Cookin'?  But you'll have to wait to see what the Daring Bakers create when revealed on June 29th!

In the meantime, here is my "light" version of an Opera cake whose bright and sunny cheerfulness is dedicated to Barbara of Winos and Foodies, Daring Baker Emeritus, and A Taste of Yellow, an event to recognize Livestrong Day. Cheers, Barbara!

Joconde: I made the recipe as written, using two jellyroll pans.  For once, I chose not to use a convection setting, and it did take more than the 5-9 minutes described.  Twelve minutes produced a pleasant joconde, very lightly browned on top. 

• What to work on next time:  Getting the batter evenly spread in the pans.  This was quite the thick batter!  And go back to my convection settings.  All that nice swirling hot air?  I'm hooked. 

Syrup:  After much deliberation, I chose an Italian marsala to flavor this.  The flavor was very pleasant, only hinting of the marsala, and thankfully not tasting like sometimes heavily boozy flavor of rum or brandy that I don't care for but will eat if you force it on me.

• What to try next time:  Amaretto.  I didn't have any and we have a cupboard full of booze we don't drink already...well, except for the tequila. I didn't feel like adding another one to the collection so I could use a tablespoon full once every blue moon.

Buttercream:  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  So heavenly tasting.  Truly!  The biggest challenge is finding that perfect place to position the pan the syrup cooked in to let it dribble down the sides of the mixing bowl.  I've made buttercream and meringue using this technique before, and I have to say this went very well.  No spun sugar effect decorating my whisk this time!  For flavoring, I chose to use whole vanilla bean, and following information I've used in the past for adding fruit purees from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible, I heated, cooled, and strained 1/2 c. of apricot preserves, adding it to the finished buttercream. The preserves were a perfect addition, never even giving the appearance of breaking the buttercream.  The tartness was a perfect compliment, and the color a delicate, pale, well...apricot. 

• What to work on next time:  making a freaking decision for gawd's sake.  I swear.  I am the MOST indecisive person at times.  Oh, and not licking my fingers.  I know there's two cups of buttah in this, but a person's gotta have a vice, right?  This would be it.  I've got 8 miles in for the week so far, so that helps, right?

White Chocolate Ganache/Mousse:  Um.  I was worried about white chocolate overload and was still wallowing in my love affair with apricots, so made a mousse with aprium puree instead of white chocolate while the first segment of the Opera Cake assembly was refrigerating.  I was able to remove my cakes from the fridge, then add the mousse and replace them in the fridge overnight.
    To make the puree, add 2 tablespoons sugar to  2 cups fresh apriums and let sit to macerate, then cook over medium heat until completely soft, about 15 minutes.  When cooled, remov seeds and skins, then  place in food processor to puree. Push through a chinois, removing all pulp to leave a velvety smooth puree. 
    To make the mousse, Add 1/2 tablespoon dissolved gelatin, then in a separate bowl, whip 3/4 cup heavy cream.  Slowly fold the aprium mixture into the cream on low speed.

• What to work on next time:  This is what took so long.  I wanted to use the white chocolate to stabilize the cream, but was worried about adding the apriums to this and could find nothing (five good sources...) to soothe my worries, so chickened out.  The mousse was fabulous under that white chocolate glaze, and perfect to cut the sweetness.  Perfect!  But it needs to be served immediately, as it begins to bulge a bit on the small rounds.  I could have used less mousse, but was experimenting...It didn't seem to be a problem on the larger squares.

Glaze:  At the eleventh hour (like...this morning at 7am?) I succumbed to the white chocolate demons and melted Vahlrona (14 ounces) with 1/2 heavy cream as called for in the recipe.  It went famously well, and I was able to pour the glaze into my four small rounds to pop back into the fridge, then pour a good quantity over each of the small square cakes, and pushing some over the edges to give that oozy goozy drooly effect.  My squares were free form, so drooling white chocolate glaze it was.  I have TONS left over. 

• What to work on next time:  Suck it up and make an apricot mirror for the top.  Now THAT would be amazing.

Additional Features: Apricot Jam to spread on each layer of joconde after the addition of the marsala syrup.  I used a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking with Julia for this.  In a 4 or 8 cup measuring cup, place 1 c. packed dried apricots, 1 c. water, and 1 cup sugar.  Microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until apricots have nearly soaked up the water.  Pour into the food processor fitted with the metal blade, then puree.  Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and a splash of marsala.  Cool to room temp, then with a wide knife, heated in a cup of hot water, spread thinly over each layer of joconde.

• What to work on next time: Leave more liquid.  The final mixture becomes very thick -- almost pastelike.  It's easily thinned with more lemon juice or even water, but it's difficult to work with if overheated.  This is such a great way to make a jam that I'm thinking it's perfect for ice cream, or biscuits, or thumbprint cookies.  The flavor is amazingly intense and it's so easy to make.

Assembly:   After measuring 10" squares from each sheet of joconde, I used the two remaining rectangles to cut 12 rounds for 4 small Opera Cakes.  The two squares were each cut into four more squares to have a 4 joconde layer Opera Cake.

Tah Dah!

   

The flavors work so well with one another, the tartness of the mousse so pleasant under the white chocolate glaze, and my favorite part -- the jam made with the dried apricots.  Very, very nice.

The two pieces I "taste tested" for breakfast this morning slid right down. Now, should I freeze the extra small square, or take it down to the middle school?

Black & White Cheesecake Pops

We've reached the end of another month, and you guessed it:  another Daring Baker challenge.  This challenge month has been special because it marks my first year as a member of that lovely group.  One year of fun, and learning about more than just baking:  a year of having the opportunity to get to know some of the nicest people I've met.  Ever.

As far as the learning goes, the challenges are a springboard for me.  Sometimes a technique is featured about which I don't know as much as I should.  Other times,  an opportunity to focus on something that I know I need to work on presents itself -- even if it may not be a challenge for others.  If there is one thing that I do know about myself with respect to cooking, and baking in particular...no, wait...make that life.  There is always something I can learn.  Always. 

It's called attitude.

So welcome to Daring Baker's Challenge number 12 for me:  Cheesecake Pops, hosted by the great team of Deborah of Taste & Tell, and Elle, from Feeding My Enthusiasms.  The original recipe, which can be found here, was created by Jill O'Connor in her cookbook, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert.  Period.  For as long as I can remember, it's been my birthday cake of choice.  Clearly, I know my cheesecake, and since I've tried my hand at quite a few, I'm also familIar with the method often referred to as a bain marie, or water bath.  It can be used both in the oven and on the stove top to surround a dish, often custard, with moisture, cooking it gently.

To create a bain marie, you need two pans:  one large enough to contain a second, with enough room to allow hot water to be poured into the outside pan, surrounding the inside pan about half way up the side.  The size of your pans depends on the size of your oven and the amount of food you are preparing.  To use a bain marie, heat a kettle of water.  The quantity of wanter needed will be dependent on the size of your pans, so it is important to experiment before baking time to find out the quantity of water needed to rise about half way up the side of your cake pan.  On the counter, place the smaller pan in the larger pan and fill the smaller pan with the food you are preparing -- in this case, the cheesecake mixture.  Place both pans on the center rack of a preheated oven.  Push the oven rack most of the way into the oven and then carefully pour the very hot water in the larger pan so as not to splash into the cheesecake mixture.  Slowly push the rack all the way into the oven, being careful to not make "waves" with the hot water. Bake for the required time.

I halved the recipe and my cheesecake cooked at 350 degrees F on a convection setting for 25 minutes.

So what was my particular challenge with this technique?  Well.  Have you ever wondered whether a silicone baking pan would work in a bain marie?  I did.  You're laughing already, right?  I knew I wasn't going to scoop my cheesecake to make the pops.  I wanted to cut squares and diamonds, so needed an easy way to remove the entire cheesecake when finished.  I knew that after cooling, I'd be able to "pop" -- get it?  Pop?  Okay, whatever.  I'd get to pop the cheesecake out of the silicone with no problem.  Plus, my cakepan is square, eliminating waste -- no rounded pieces to mess with!

The other concern with using silicone in general is that it always needs to be on a sturdy surface like a baking pan so that it can be moved easily without dumping the ingredients.  The first time you use silicone, if you haven't thought of this, it's pretty funny.  There's no way you can lift that pan.  You can, however, sort of drag it onto a baking sheet if you have one handy.  How do I know this?  Because I learn certain things the hard way.  Moving right along...Since I'd have the silicone pan in the larger roaster, and was more focused on whether the pan would float or not, I didn't think about removing the pan after it was cooked.  And the water would be scalding hot. 

The silicone cake pan did float at first -- even filled.  But as it cooked, it settled a bit.  Regardless, it wasn't a problem.  The silicone doesn't heat up, so I was able to grab the edges and lift the cooked cheesecake out of the bain marie with no mess and no burns.

Another "challenge" for me this month was thinking about how I'd present my pops.  These cheesecake pops just scream "Kid's Birthday Party!"  All my kids are nearly grown, with the youngest being nearly 16, so a kid's party was out.  And there was no dinner party planned, unfortunately, but we do often have them and I think people would really think these pops are fun -- especially since you can just pick them up and not have to fuss with a plate.  So I enjoyed my planning for that experimenting with squares and diamonds with the theme of a Black & White Ball.  I think if I worked on it more, it could be pretty elegant with all the combinations possible.  I thought of using dragees, but they're not recommended for consumption, so I passed on that one.

 

Here's what I experimented with:

Dark Chocolate (Ghirardelli 60% cacao)

• white non-pareils
• shredded coconut
• shaved white chocolate
• melted white chocolate

White Chocolate (Girardelli)

• chocolate jimmies
• shaved chocolate
• cocoa powder
• melted chocolate

I cut the recipe in half and measured the 9-1/2 x 9-1/2" finished cheesecake so all the pieces would be as similar as possible.  Each square or diamond weighed 2 oz.  I inserted paper sticks into the chilled cheesecake on a flat side for half of the squares, and on the point for the rest before popping the pops into the freezer for about 3-4 hours.

I used the smallest sauce pan possible to melt the chocolate so I'd have enough to dip my square pops into.  After removing them from the dip, I turned the pop to allow the chocolate to begin to harden on the stick before sprinkling non-pareils, or placing the pop into the coconut.

Working with the dark chocolate was not a problem.  I'm fortunate to have chocolate burner on my stove so can leave it directly on the heat, keeping it warm between dips.

Working with the white chocolate was not as easy.  It coated the pops differently, and did not harden as quickly.  Plus, my experimentation with the diamond shaped pops became my greatest challenge.  Two of the sticks broke through the cheesecake and it all crashed into the chocolate.

ARG!  The diamond pops were too heavy to dip into the chocolate with the stick positioned at the point.  I'll have to go back to the drawing board on this one, most likely pouring the chocolate over the pop while resting on a baking rack and then turning to coat the back side.  That means quite a bit more chocolate and a bigger mess.

In retrospect, the pops needed a longer freezing time -- at least for the white chocolate.  As far as the coatings went, the cocoa (which was mixed with icing sugar and sifted before coating the white chocolate bars in it) tastes great, but didn't match my theme.  It wasn't dark enough.  Maybe if I'd put it on the dark chocolate, it would have looked better.  The shaved dark chocolate was the same.  I was going for a truffle effect on both of these coatings, and I just didn't like the way they turned out appearance wise.  Picky picky, right?

Another challenge for me was thinking about how I'd present these at a dinner party, and the jury is still out.  I think they need to be propped in something, and I did try that, but clearly I need to think on it more.  Florist supply shops have blocks of green squishy stuff that I think will be perfect.  It can be easily disguised inside a box, or container and then wrapped or filled with raffia to look festive.

All in all, these were very easy to put together, so if you know how you'd like to decorate them, it's a fun way to entertain your adult guests, too.  I'm already thinking of other options, like, caramel and chocolate and nuts...Mmmmm....

Oh, and by the way, they're great for breakfast on a Sunday morning with coffee while blogging!

Don't forget to check out the other Daring Bakers to see what creative ideas they're featuring with Cheesecake Pops.