The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

The challenge required me to make my own savoiardi (ladyfingers) and my own mascarpone, which was fun. I’m no stranger to baking cookies but the technique for savoiardi was definitely outside of my experience (and clearly I need more practice with the method). I’ve also made paneer, and the method for making mascarpone is similar but not quite the same; it was interesting to compare the two. Making the tiramisu was a good way to get out of a baking rut that I didn’t really realize I was in: although I’ve got some experience with each individual part, except the zabaglione, I’ve never made anything that incorporated many different elements the way tiramisu does.

I definitely need to play around some more, though. My savoiardi were tasty, but I think I must have deflated the batter somehow, because instead of the predicted 36 cookies, I had 15, which wasn’t really enough. I also experimented a bit with the flavours, using amaretto as the liqueur instead of marsala, which I didn’t have. I really love the idea of the fruit flavours some of the other Daring Bakers tried, and if I make  it again I think I’ll head in this direction, because sadly, I didn’t love my execution of tiramisu. It wasn’t that it was bad, but it didn’t really come together as more than the sum of its parts.

Tiramisu Recipe:

(Source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee; I used amaretto)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream: (my favourite part of the challenge)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk (I used a mix of skim and half&half)

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional; I skipped this)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi biscuits (you may use less; fortunately, as I had only 15!)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:

For the zabaglione:

1. Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove and use a heat-proof bowl large enough to rest against the sides of the pot.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth. Transfer the mixture to the top of the double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency. Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

1. Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.

2. Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:

1. You’ll want to do this right before assembling the tiramisu. Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:

1. Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice. I couldn’t find anything but one of my mom’s casserole dishes; it worked, but it could have been prettier.

1. Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract (if using) and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. This step may be a bit awkward if your mascarpone is stiff, as mine was; do not skimp on this step. I kept finding little lumps of unblended mascarpone in the assembled tiramisu, which was, I think, less delicious than fully blended-in mascarpone would have been. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

3. Now to start assembling the tiramisu. Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the dish you’ve chosen for the tiramisu, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.

4. Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.

5. Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and another third of the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Mascarpone Cheese Recipe:

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:

474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. I strongly recommend using a thermometer. A candy thermometer can be had cheaply, and it would have made my life much easier.

2. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. It took me quite a while to get to this stage; however, I have a feeling that it was actually done much sooner, because my completed mascarpone was very, very thick. This is another reason why I should have gotten a thermometer.

3. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a colander with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

Note: you won’t need all of this for the tiramisu. I used my leftovers to make a creamy version of Heidi Swansen’s harissa spaghettini. Try this, seriously. Not as healthy as the original recipe, but delicious.

Savoiardi Biscuits (Ladyfingers) Recipe:

(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar,

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.

2. Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth. This step is very cool. I don’t think my photos do justice to the change in the texture of the egg whites, but watching it happen was fun.

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy. This is probably what happened to my biscuits.

4. Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips. Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.

5. Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft. Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack. Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

Macro focus, I’m so sorry for all the time it took to discover you. We’re bff now though, right?

I'm not very good at sewing, but I kind of like how the imperfections are visible along the seam.

]]> http://sammysdot.net/2010/02/18/project365-49/feed/ 0 http://sammysdot.net/2010/02/17/in-which-i-fondly-imagine-that-i-can-decorate/ http://sammysdot.net/2010/02/17/in-which-i-fondly-imagine-that-i-can-decorate/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:11:36 +0000 tariqata http://sammysdot.net/?p=213 Perhaps this post might be more accurately titled “Tariqata shows off her mad cupcake skillz to all her friends!”

Um, yes. I wish.

While I think I still qualify as a cake wreckerator and not a decorator – and, yes, Cake Wrecks has joined Cute Overload and xkcd as a site that makes me laugh so hard I cry; why do you ask? – I’m not exactly disappointed with these almond cupcakes topped with green tea frosting and white chocolate-dipped fortune cookies. Even if I did totally steal the decorating strategy from the Baked cookbook right along with the cupcakes themselves. I was, after all, bringing these to a housewarming party right before the Chinese new year for a friend who will be getting married in a few short months; it was so appropriate.

I actually went a little crazy and tried to make my own fortune cookies (using a mix of hazelnuts and pecans in place of the walnuts), but failed miserably to produce anything beyond delicious crumbs. The two that actually resembled fortune cookies broke when I dipped them in the chocolate. However, I do strongly recommend trying the recipe anyhow, because you might be better at folding cookies than I am and even if you aren’t, it’s still a damn good cookie.

Happily, the Bulk Barn sold me a couple dozen fortune cookies for just under a dollar, though I’m sad I didn’t get to use my custom fortunes. Because they were way more awesome.

Though I do like to write out the recipes for these posts, for this one you can see it exactly right here.

The cupcakes were, incidentally, very good, though I might try them again using all butter, instead of a mix of butter and shortening, and I really need to learn not to overbeat my cake batter. I also should learn not to wander off while I’ve got a pot of milk and matcha powder and sugar boiling happily away, but I seem to be the only one who noticed the faint burnt flavour in the frosting, which is otherwise a lot like green tea ice cream.

* * *

Back in December, I had a fantastic meal with the Fellow at a Lebanese restaurant in Dublin. (We also ate Hungarian takes on Italian, Thai, and Mexican food in Budapest. We approve of checking out regional twists on the cuisines of others. The Lebanese food was, however, reasonably authentic. As far as I know.) The only problem was the number of possibilities; we had grilled halloumi, tabouleh, hummus, something that involved merguez sausage, and three or four other dishes, but I could easily have ordered a dozen.

Just from the vegetarian section.

It was good stuff. I want to go back. Unfortunately, it may be a while before that happens, but the Daring Cooks gave me an excuse to do it for myself this month.

I’ve been known to make a meal out of small plates before, though the last time I did, I made way too many, and I’ve made this months requirements, pitas and hummus, many times. However, it was fun to try again to play with the flavours of the hummus, try out a few new things, and try to put together a reasonably well-constructed menu. (I’m afraid that I could have incorporated more vegetables.)

My menu consisted of: the requisite pitas, hummus with homemade harissa, baba ghanouj, beet and carrot salad, felafel, grilled halloumi, spiced olives, and pickled turnips.

Recipes:

Pita Bread (adapted from Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid):

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2.5 cups lukewarm water
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (or like I did, use half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. These are the original instructions: In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours. I actually used instant yeast, mixed it with the flour, and then used my stand mixer to combine with the water to make a sponge. However, as my pitas failed to puff, this might not have been the best idea.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes (or in a stand mixer for about 8 minutes), until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).

4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack. (Really. I stacked my pitas and they were very hard to separate.)

5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn’t puff up, don’t worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus (adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden):

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking)
2 to 2 1/2 lemons, juiced
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
4 Tbsp harissa, or more to taste

Method:

1. If cooking the chickpeas, drain the soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a large saucepan and fill with water; the chickpeas should be covered by at least 4 cm of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain, reserving a half cup or so of the cooking liquid.

2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and harissa. Blend. Add a little of the cooking water, as needed, to get the hummus to your desired consistency.

Harissa (my not-very-authentic version of this spice paste):

5-6 dried chile peppers, soaked in hot water for half an hour (I used guajillo chiles because I had them on hand; I’ve also used fresh chiles in the past, but this is much spicier.)
4 – 5 garlic cloves
2 – 3 Tbsp minced chipotle in adobo (yes, not very authentic, but I love the sweet smoky flavour and they mix in nicely)
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
2 – 3 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (if desired)
big pinch salt
olive oil

Method:

1. In a hot dry skillet, toast the cumin and coriander seed over medium-low heat until fragrant. Drain the dried chiles and remove any tops and seeds.

2. In a food processor, combine the dried chiles, cumin and coriander, garlic, salt, chipotles, and sun-dried tomatoes. Grind to a paste. Spoon the paste into a small jar and pour in enough olive oil to cover the paste. Store in the refrigerator.

Felafels (Recipe from Joan Nathan and Epicurious.com):

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight OR use well canned drained chickpeas
1/2 large onion (roughly chopped, about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp sea salt (I somehow managed not to add the salt – and regretted it; my felafels were on the bland side.)
1 tsp red chile flakes
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour (you may need a bit extra)
vegetable oil for frying (or canola, peanut, soybean, etc.); you will need enough so that the oil is three inches deep in whatever pan you are using for frying

Method:

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, and then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. If you don’t have a food processor, then feel free to mash this up as smooth as possible by hand. (I found this very hard, and I did try; I ended up using my mini-food processor and making the dough in batches.)

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees (190C) in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (Following an alternative set of directions, I baked mine at 325F for about 20 minutes, but I think they’re better fried.)

Baba Ghanouj (from The New Book of Middle-Eastern Food by Claudia Roden)

Ingredients:

2 lbs eggplant
2 – 3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 Tbsp tahini (or a bit less)
juice of 2 lemons, or more to taste

sea salt, to taste

Method:

1. Broil or roast the eggplant until it is very soft inside. Peel and let the flesh fall into a colander; use a fork to mash the flesh. (Surprisingly, you will not lose it, which I was half-expecting.)

2. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl and add the garlic, a little salt, lemon juice, and tahini. Mash with a fork until the consistency is fairly smooth and the eggplant is mixed in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Quick Pickled Turnips (adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters)

Note: These are not at all authentic, and I’m not sure that you can get a properly crisp turnip pickle with this method, but it is fast and the pickles taste pretty good.

Ingredients:

2 white turnips, cut into matchsticks
a few pieces of red beet (optional; these add colour only)
1 1/2 cups white wine or cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
1 Tbsp sugar
big pinch salt

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the turnips and beets and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the turnips to 2 500 mL mason jars. Pour the vinegar-water mixture over, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. These should keep for at least a week (and I have eaten these pickles up to a month after making them without ill effects).

Carrot and Beet Salad (from Sarah Brown’s World Vegetarian):

Ingredients:

2 beets
5 carrots
2 tsp cumin seed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place the beets, unpeeled, in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the beets are tender. Set aside to cool, then peel and cut into chunks.

2. Peel the carrots and place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the carrots are tender, 10 – 15 minutes or so. Drain the carrots, set aside to cool, and cut into chunks.

3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the cumin seed and cook until it begins to pop, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly, then add the carrots and beets and saute for about two minutes more. Remove from heat. This salad can be served warm or cold.

Spiced Olives (adapted from David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs)

1 cup mixed green olives and sun-dried black olives
1/2 lemon, cut into thin slices
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Toast the coriander and cumin in a dry skillet. Transfer to a spice grinder, add the paprika and cayenne, and grind the mixture to a fine powder.

2. Toss the olives with the olive oil, spices, and lemon slices.

Grilled Halloumi

Ingredients:

1 block of halloumi cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp mixed dried herbs (I used thyme)
dash of cider vinegar
black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Cut the cheese into thick slices and lay in a flat baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Brush this mixture onto the cheese slices. Let marinate for about half an hour in the refrigerator, then turn the slices to ensure that the marinade touches top and bottom and allow to sit for another half hour.

3. Broil in your oven until the top is golden brown and bubbly; ovens vary, so check after about 5 minutes. Flip the cheese slices and return to the oven to broil the other side for another 5 minutes or so.

I discovered The Steerswoman last year after a review was posted on Watch the Skies. Finished the first two books (in their omnibus form) in a day, then went back for The Language of Power. And then I waited obsessively for a used copy of The Lost Steersman to make it’s way to me (I would have very happily bought it new, but sadly it wasn’t available). I loved the story. (Despite the Fellow teasing me about the cover and the title, which led him to conclude that the only logical occupation of the main character was unicorn herding.) Science creeping into what appears to be a fantasy setting makes me happy, and so does the sense of discovery and wonder that is so central to Rowan, the main character.

And then I discovered that there weren’t any more yet.

I googled, and kept googling every few weeks, and got myself on the Random House/Del Rey mailing list for updates about her books. It was clear that there would be more stories about the Steerswomen, but just when that would be was a very open question, and I wanted to know when (because I can get a bit obsessive when I want to read something really badly, yes). I know that Kirstein’s blog doesn’t necessarily mean she’s any closer to finishing the book, but if she’s going to be writing about the process, I’m excited that I’ll have the chance to follow along.

Here, a black squirrel makes a delicious discovery.

Something prompts the black squirrel to look up from his delicious almond.

"Oh my!" says he, as his ears perk up.

"Is the coast clear?"

Indeed, the coast is clear! "I can't wait! What luck!"

"You realize that this is mine? All mine."

He sidles carefully over to the unexpected feast, afraid it will vanish as quickly as it appeared.

Sounds of nomming.

Defeated by its size, the black squirrel attempts to drag it away...

But woe for the black squirrel, no longer alone!

Munchy munch. "These seeds are boring," thinks the gray squirrel.

"What are those sounds of nomming I hear?"

"I must join in this nomming!"

The gray squirrel finds the unexpected feast.

"Amazing!"

"Mine! All mine!" The gray squirrel thinks, as he attempts to drag it away.

]]> http://sammysdot.net/2010/02/07/a-nature-story/feed/ 1 http://sammysdot.net/2010/01/31/coco-vegetable-rice-with-satay-chicken-so-good-i-took-no-pictures/ http://sammysdot.net/2010/01/31/coco-vegetable-rice-with-satay-chicken-so-good-i-took-no-pictures/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:01:29 +0000 tariqata http://sammysdot.net/?p=191 There are two things that I like to do when I don’t want to do schoolwork (well, three, if you count knitting, but two are more likely activities): read and cook.

I’ve been in the mood to cook recently.

Tonight’s dinner was, therefore, a chance to experiment. I joined the Daring Cooks too late to participate officially in the January challenge (though I’m really looking forward to the next one!), but it turned out to be something that I really wanted to try for myself, satay chicken.

To go with it, I made the “coco-vegetable rice” from Jay Weinstein’s The Ethical Gourmet. (I’ve made this before, but I really, really love it.) I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years, and I think it was this that first suggested to me that “slaw” need not be synonymous with a soggy, stodgy mess of sad vegetables in too  much mayo, and that cabbage is in fact delicious. And since cabbage is one of the very few Ontario vegetables available in January, this was a happy discovery. (Even if it is served with rice and coconut, neither of which grew here last time I checked. But still. Cabbage! Local!)

Satay Chicken

Marinade Ingredients:

2 shallots
5 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 chili pepper (I used 1/2 a jalapeno because I had it, but normally would use a whole red or green long chili)
1 lb chicken breasts

1. In a food processor, grind the shallots, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, lemon juice, oil, chili, and spices to a fine paste.

2. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips. Place the strips in a shallow bowl, tray, or ziplock bag, and spoon on the marinade. Toss to coat the chicken evenly. Place in the fridge for 2 to 12 hours.

3. In a cast-iron skillet, heat coconut oil or vegetable oil. When hot, begin adding strips of marinated chicken. (I had to do it in two batches.) Fry for about 5 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces. Fry for another 5 or so, then test for doneness. Flip again if they need a few more minutes; otherwise, remove from heat.

I served the satay with peanut sauce and tamarind sauce.

Peanut sauce:

3/4 cup coconut milk
4 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander

1. Mix the coriander and brown sugar together; stir in the lime juice and fish sauce.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk and peanut butter on medium-low heat until the peanut butter melts, then stir in the lime juice-fish sauce mixture. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. (Note: Do not wander away for 10 minutes to do something else. Keep stirring. It tasted delicious, but scraping the burnt layer of the bottom of the pot was a pain.)

Tamarind sauce:

4 Tbsp tamarind paste (note: if you have the tamarind concentrate with seeds, and like I once was, aren’t sure what exactly you’re supposed to do with it, break off roughly 4 tsp of the block of concentrate, put it in a bowl, and just cover it with hot water a half hour or so before you’re ready to make the sauce. When you are ready, mash it up a bit with a fork, and pour off the thick liquid that will result.)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp (or more, to taste) brown or turbinado sugar
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp hoisin (I mainly just added this to thicken the sauce a bit; it also tempered the sourness of the tamarind without making it too sweet. I’m pretty sure that this is not authentically Thai, but none of these recipes are so far as I know.)

1. Stir all of the ingredients together. Add a dab more hoisin sauce if you feel it needs to be thicker, and adjust the tamarind/soy sauce/sugar to taste to balance the flavours.

Coco-Vegetable Rice

1 14 oz can coconut milk
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (or sticky rice)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp salt

1/4 head cabbage
1/2 carrot, grated
2 cups bean sprouts
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 small Thai chili or jalapeno, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil
a few drops sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt

1. Shred the vegetables finely (except the bean sprouts; just toss ‘em in) and toss together in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, oil, sesame oil, and salt. Toss the dressing into the vegetables.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, rice, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

3. When the rice is ready, combine with the slaw.

***

I have to begin with a confession. I think this may cost me some of my Canadian cred – even more than the time I blithely said that the animal on our quarter is a moose.

I don’t particularly like Nanaimo bars.

I do love the idea of them: graham cracker crusts (with nuts and coconut, no less!) are yummy, custard is always good, and chocolate is chocolate and nothing else need be said. But put them all together, and for some reason we Canadians tend to produce something so sweet it makes my teeth ache.

I’ve made them twice before, the second time just this last December, while visiting R in Belfast; we brought them to a potluck dinner his co-workers put on, as they asked us to bring something Canadian. It took a good chunk of our last day before coming back to Toronto to track down the ingredients. We never did find graham crackers (though plain digestive biscuits turned out to be more or less indistinguishable), and had to go to five – FIVE! – grocery stores before we found unsalted butter. I was pretty pleased that we managed to make anything at all, given the under-equipped kitchen we had access to, but they turned out like ordinary Nanaimo bars – painfully sweet. I’m not sure R’s colleagues were impressed. (Probably a good thing we didn’t make poutine!) It convinced me that if I made Nanaimo bars again, I was going to do something different.

Fortunately, a few days later I signed up for the Daring Bakers, and the opportunity presented itself. Part of the challenge was to make my own Graham crackers, preferably gluten-free. I skipped the gluten-free in favour of  using up the whole wheat pastry flour I had on hand, and I think it worked out very well (in the sense that they tasted like store-bought Graham crackers, only better), although my cookies were too sticky to roll out properly. I also decided to use hazelnuts instead of almonds (though I’ll toast them longer next time), and added candied ginger and cinnamon to the base layer. For the buttercream, I added 2 tablespoons of very finely grated fresh ginger (if you try this, it works best with frozen ginger), 1/8 tsp of lemon extract, and instead of Bird’s Custard Powder I used 1 Tbsp of homemade vanilla (vanilla beans steeped in Bourbon) and reduced the amount of cream by half. I could have cut down on the sugar even so, because it’s still very sweet, but there’s a subtle hint of zip and brightness from the lemon and ginger that I really love, and I’m not sure I’ll ever make a plain buttercream again. I topped off the bars with Green & Black’s Fair Trade dark chocolate, which I should have tempered but which is nonetheless delicious.

Graham Crackers:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp flaky sea salt
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey
5 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to break up any lumps. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, with no visible butter.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until it barely comes together. It will be very sticky at this point. Wrap in plastic and chill, at least 2 hours or overnight. (I skimp on chilling sometimes, but this dough really needed all of the time I gave it.)

3. Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment.

4. Divide the dough in half. Return one half to the fridge, and roll out the other until it is 1/8 of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a glass or round cookie cutter to cut it into circles – or if, like me, your dough simply will not cooperate in this process, just lift the irregular pieces to the baking sheet, since you’re going to be pulverizing the cookies anyway. Prick the cookies lightly with a fork, place them in the oven on a middle rack, and bake for up to 25 minutes; they should be fairly hard and will harden more. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Nanaimo Bars:

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups Graham wafer crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (or almonds), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Buttercream:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp cream (whipping cream or half&half)
2 cups icing sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/8 tsp lemon extract

Top Layer:
115 g good-quality dark chocolate
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

1. Make the base: pulverize the Graham crackers until you have 1 1/4 cups of crumbs. In a large bowl, toss the crumbs with the nuts, candied ginger, and shredded coconut. In a small saucepan, melt the butter together with the sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cocoa powder. When the butter is melted, whisk in the beaten egg and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. Combine with the Graham cracker mixture until fully moistened, then press into an 8″ x 8″ square pan. Place in the fridge or freezer.

2. Make the buttercream: cream all ingredients together until a smooth frosting forms. Taste and adjust flavourings if necessary. Spread the frosting evenly onto the base layer and return to the fridge or freezer.

3. Make the top layer: melt the chocolate and butter together, on the stove or in the microwave, and mix until completely combined. Set aside until the mixture is cool but still liquid. Pour over the buttercream layer and spread evenly. Allow the bars to chill until the top layer is hardened.

4. Cut into small (1″) squares. Can be served immediately or kept wrapped in the freezer for several weeks.