Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream ( Daring Bakers)

July 29, 2008 by 38 Comments

Filbert genoise, praline paste, praline butter cream frosting, sugar syrup, apricot glaze, and a ganache! Phew!! Those were all the components to this months Daring Baker challenge.

I must say It all got off to a pretty good start, I mean my cake itself (the genoise), came together perfectly, it rose nice and I was able to get 3 layers evenly cut.

I think the problem started here, although it doesn’t look that bad, I think I overcooked the sugar which turned into a bitter tasting caramel.

I proceeded to make the praline paste by putting the brittle into my food processor and just letting it go till it turned paste like.

I had no problem with this either, It looks pretty good doesn’t it?

Little did I know at the time that the bitterness of the caramel was going to affect the whole flavor of the cake!

Unfortunately that’s what happened, the whole cake had a bitter taste to it, even my Hubby who has a enormous sweet tooth couldn’t even finish his one piece, believe me, he wanted it to be good!!

So needless to say I was very glad that I halved the recipe. I used a 6×3″ pan, and stuck pretty much to the flavorings.

Oh, and my ganache, well that’s another story, I definitely need help in that department!

Mine never got thick enough it turned out more like a glaze, I probably should have added more chocolate to it, but I wanted to get it done as I was starting to lose day light.

I tried to cover a multitude of sins with my “fancy scroll work,” lol, which I did “Sandra Lee” style, by filling a zip lock bag with the frosting and then snipping the corner like a pastry bag.

Hey, you win some and you lose some! I don’t think “fancy cakes” are my forte’, but that’s what being a Daring Baker is all about, I definitely challenged myself! You should have seen my totaled kitchen, that would have been a great photo! lol

I want to thank our dear host this month Chris, over at Mele Cotte, go over there and you can check out the whole recipe. It was 5 pages long when I printed it out.

And don’t forget to check out the other Daring Bakers cakes, I’m sure there are some gorgeous ones out there!!

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BURRATA!

July 21, 2008 by 64 Comments

If You’re lucky enough to come across some Burrata cheese, please don’t hesitate to pick some up. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but worth every single penny! It’s a food experience you’re not likely to forget. I happen to be at the right place, at the right time, the other day when I saw a special display of Burrata set up over at Whole Foods.

Imported from Italy, this artisanal cheese has a very short shelf life of about 2 weeks because it is fresh and not aged at all. This is not something that Whole Foods has in stock all the time, they try to get it in on all the holidays though. Even they were surprised when they got this shipment in. They tell me when it does come in it sells out so fast, so that’s why I said I was there at the right time. Lucky me there was 3 left!
Don’t you just love the packaging!!

The best way to describe Burrata is think fresh mozzarella kicked up a couple hundred notches, with a luscious creamy-like center that’s filled with a mixture of heavy cream and stracciatella (little rags) or curds of mozzarella. When you burst open the center everything oozes out!
This must be eaten at room temperature for maximum flavor and creaminess.
I roasted some Campari tomatoes with olive oil and purchased some spicy olives to go along with it, and of course some warm crusty bread!

I can’t think of a better way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon, sipping on some cool crisp white wine to go along with our Burrata treat, al fresco style!

You can also cook with Burrata, you can put it on pizza or any number of things.
But Me… I prefer it in it’s purest form, just like this!! I urge you to seek out this cheese if you’ve never tried it, and savor every bite!!
BUON APPETITO!

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RICOTTA FRITTERS With Grand Marnier and Mini Chocolate Chips!

July 14, 2008 by 52 Comments

I’m really not a big fan of frying, but for these I had to make the sacrifice, and I just so happen to have exactly 1 lb. of ricotta sitting in my frig. The key is make sure you’re not alone, and have company over so you can share these while they are still warm. Timing is everything so make sure you have the coffee brewing!

Surprisingly, you don’t use a lot of oil at all and because they cook up so fast, they don’t have a heavy taste at all, in fact they’re crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.

I happen to love the flavor of chocolate and orange together, so that’s what I used, but you can get creative with the kind of liqueur flavor you want. Most recipes call for brandy and lemon zest, but you could also use rum. I didn’t measure my mini chocolate chips either, I just sprinkled some in the batter. I didn’t want to over power the ricotta.

The texture on the inside is a little like the inside of a souffle, one bite and you’ll be smitten!

The recipe makes about 35 2″ fritters.
I highly recommend you invite some friends over, you might not be able to stop at just a few!!

Here’s the recipe!
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbl. sugar
1 lb. ricotta
1 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 Tbl. Grand Marnier
Zest of 1 orange
Mini chocolate chips
Pinch of salt
Vegetable or Canola oil
Confectioners sugar
Combine eggs, sugar, ricotta, flour, baking powder, Grand Marnier, zest and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pour oil into a wide but shallow saucepan, a couple inches deep, and heat over medium-high heat. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter into hot oil and fry, a few at a time, until golden, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, dust with powdered sugar, and serve!

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