Meringue coffee cake-Daring Bakers Challenge March 2011

The March 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria s Collection and Jamie of Life s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yested Meringue Coffee Cake.
we were presented with two variations of this delicous coffeecake. Jamie s All-American version with  cinnamon, chopped pecans and chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and Ria s Indian-inspired version version with saffron added to sweet yeast bread dough and garam masala and chashews flavoring the filling.
I decided  to keep it simple this month so I filled mine cake with walnuts and chopped chocolate. I would very much like to fill the cake with pecans but finding pecans in Croatia is almost mission impossible. Last time I had pecans in my kitchen was some two and half  years ago when I came back from Ireland and brought them from there.We were in Tesco doing some food shopping for breakfast and I seen pecans looking back at me. I was the happiest person on earth. My boyfriend an my best friend thought I went of off my mind how happy I was. Pecans were the best souvenir ever.
This time I used walnuts and they worked great.

INGREDIENTS :

For the yeast coffee cake dough:

600 g flour
55 g sugar
5 g sugar
7 g active dried yeast
180 ml milk
60 ml water
135 g butter at room temperature

For the meringue:

3 egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
110 g sugar

For the filling:

110 g chopped walnuts
30 g granulated sugar
1/4 ground cinnamon
170 g semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Egg wash:

beaten egg yolks remaining from the meringue

Cocoa powder and cofectioner s sugar for dusting

Prepare the dough. In a large mixing bowl combine 230 g of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a saucepan combine milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is melted. With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour and yeast mixture,  beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 150 g flour and beat for 2 more minutes. Using a wooden spoon stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45-60 minutes.
Prepare your filling. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.
Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue. In a clean mixing bowl beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy an opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the 1/2 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.
Assemble the coffee cakes. Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at the time.Roll out the dough into 20 cm x 30 cm rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 3/4 cm from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling evenly over the meringue. Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to mold seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough, meringue and fillings. Cover the two coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 180 C.
Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Make in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from oven and out of the mold. Allow to cool.
Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioner s sugar and cocoa powder.

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Panna cotta-Daring bakers challenge february 2011

 

The February 2011 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in a kitchen.

She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from Giada De Lauretiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

I make Panna Cotta quite often. I find it to be the ultimate summer desert. It is easy to make and you just make some fruit sauce to go with it and that is it. You ve got yourself perfect and light desert.

This time I made Panna Cotta with caramel sauce, because it is winter here in Croatia and selection of fruit is not all that great and I am not a big fan of frozen fruit.

I made Panna Cotta and Florentines some two weekends ago when some friends came over to our house for dinner and everyone loved it. 

Caramel Sauce Recipe: 

50 g sugar
250 ml heavy cream

Put sugar in a thick bottom pan. Melt sugar into golden brown caramel. Be really careful at this point because caramel is really hot and when you add cream it will start to spatter. Return on stove and cook until caramel melts again ( he will turn solid when you add cream).Put some caramel into glasses and set aside for latter.

Panna Cotta Recipe:

240 ml whole milk

7 g powdered gelatin

720 ml whipping cream

80 ml honey

15 g granulates sugar

Pour the milk into a bowl or a pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly over the milk. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour the milk into saucepan and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot but not boiling, about five minutes. Next, add the cream, honey, sugar and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into glass over the caramel sauce. Let it cool completely.

Florentine Cookies Recipe:

150 g unsalted butter

160 g quick oats

230 g granulated sugar

95 g flour

60 ml dark corn syrup ( I used honey)

60 ml whole milk

5 ml vanilla extract

pinch of salt

250 g dark chocolate

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from heat. To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk vanilla and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, 75 mm apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon , or use a spatula. Bake in preheated oven 6-8 minutes, until cookies and golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets. While the cookies are cooling melt chocolate until smooth either in a microwave or in a double boiler. Peal the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on wire rack set over a sheet of parchment paper. Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom side of your cookie, sandwiching another cookie atop the chocolate.

Pasta frolla-Daring Bakers Challenge November 2010

The November Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Simona from Bricole. Simona chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make the pasta frolla for a crostata.She used her own experience as o source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi s Science in the kitchen and The Art of eating well.
I make crostatas quite often. I usually fill them with fresh fruits depending on season; apples, peaches, plums, strawberries...This time I made two tarts; chocolate and coconut and Crostata di Marmellata (tart with jam filling).It sounds much better in italian doesn t it?

Crostata di Marmellata

Ingrediens:

90 g powdered sugar
235 g flour
a pinch of salt
115 g cold butter, cut in small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 egg
600 g jam ( I used my homemade apricot jam)
Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. you can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice. Make a well in the center of mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours.Heat the oven to 190 C. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away 1/4 of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base. Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.Roll the dough into a circle about 3 mm thick. Flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places. Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into stripes. Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the crostata. Use the prepared strips of rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface. Put the tart in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool.

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Chocolate crostata

Ingredients:

60 g powdered sugar
65 g flour
65 g whole-wheat pastry flour
28 g coconut
28 g unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
85 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

320 g chocolate
150 ml milk
250 ml cream
2 eggs lightly beaten
Coconut for decoration

Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into mixture and then use your fingertips. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours.Heat the oven to 190 C. Take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.Roll the dough into a circle about 3 mm thick. Flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
In a small saucepan heat milk and cream just until it boils. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts.Remove from heat and incorporate lightly beaten eggs. Strain the cream through the colander and spread it on the bottom of crostata. Bake for 30 minutes. While the crostata is still warm sprinkle with some coconut.

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