Return to Emilia-Romagna

It's been a while since I had the time to post a Daring Baker's challenge, and for some reason I was still struggling with the whole make a vegan dip and cracker thing. However, there was no way I could pass up a lasagna challenge, and I was curious to see how it would measure up to my own ultimate recipe. The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge. Lasagne is one of my favorite foods and I've traveled through this region of Italy and miss it incredibly. I was so looking forward to the memories I thought this would bring back.


Sadly, it was deeply disappointing. While my recipe may be less authentic, its layers of flavor are richer and more crowd pleasing. L and I agreed that while the meat ragu would have been fabulous on some pappardelle, its complexity was lost when mixed with the spinach of the noodles and the creaminess of the béchamel. Most surprising was how strikingly different it was from my usual version, even though I make my own fresh noodles and a béchamel in mine as well!


So my verdict is, if you want to experience the pleasures of slow cooking demanded by a traditional lasagne, give it a try. But for my time, it was not worth the 6 hours when 1 hour yields a better result!

Lasagne Verdi al Forno


Serves 8 to 10

1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)
1 recipe Parmesan Herb Béchamel (recipe follows)
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3 quart shallow baking dish.


Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about two long overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese.


Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.


Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve.

Pasta Verde


In my opinion - this was the least tasty part of the lasagna - I recommend using a plain fresh egg noodle recipe, like the one I have here, but cut for lasagna

3 large eggs
6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry - btw, the easiest way to do this is to stab the plastic bag all over with a fork, then squeeze so the water goes out the perforations - mess free!
3 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour


I used a Kitchen Aid mixer to make the dough, and its pasta attachment to roll it - however, the spinach was not about to mix in, even though it was finely chopped. I had to take it for a whir in the food processor.


Even after that, the dough did not roll out nicely. As soon as it got thin, the small bits of spinach would cause it to develop small holes everywhere, and it looked very lacy. When it cooked up, it was not very tasty and the texture was offputting.



Parmesan Herb Bechamel - my version

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced fine
4 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
2 2/3 cups 1 % milk
3 Tbsp dried italian herbs
1/3 cup freshly grated parmaggiano reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste


Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat and quickly saute shallot until softened. Add the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth, then add the herbs. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with cheese, salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Ragu alla Contadina


This sauce was incredible on its own and would have been better if its flavors weren't masked by everything else. They called for grinding up the meat - but I left it in small 1/2 inch chunks and it braised to gorgeous melt-in-your-mouth pieces! I thought the slow addition of stock and the milk was odd, but it came out incredibly rich and flavorful because of it. This part I will definitely make again!

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces, finely chopped (a slice about 1/2 inch thick will do nicely)
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery, minced
1 large carrot, minced
8 ounces boneless veal shoulder
4 ounces beef skirt steak
2 ounces Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup dry red wine - I used Shiraz
2 & 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups 1 % milk
1 can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
Italian herbs, Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Stir meats into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown.


Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Stir 3/4 cup stock and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another 3/4 cup stock. Stir in the last 1 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir occasionally to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes and herbs. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Working Ahead?
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

How bout Choux?

Contest alert! Please check out fellow Daring Baker Amber from Of Chocolate and Mangoes! She was the winner of my pay it forward contest and now she's giving away her own prize pack. Leave a comment on this post of hers to enter to win!

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the Daring Baker's August challenge. It's not that I don't love eclairs, it's just that it's one of the first recipes I ever mastered, way back in high school. So while these were tasty, they weren't challenging, and I love DBs because they usually make me stretch my boundaries. I was glad not to make another cake, but in the end, the pile of dishes in my sink wasn't really worth it. However, the happy smiles on fellow teachers faces on our stressful first day of classes was rewarding!

Here, dark chocolate pairs with fragrant mandarin orange cradled in a light eggy choux. These are so rich that you'll want to make minis, and if you're like me, you'll prefer them without the chocolate glaze, which I think is a little too over-the-top chocolately with everything else. You'll notice I've made some changes to the techinques in the recipe, since there's really no need to overcomplicate things as much as Pierre Hermes has. For the original recipe, see our gracious hosts, Meeta and Tony.

Chocolate Orange Mini-Éclairs


Pâte À Choux

1 cup 1% milk
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature

In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

Continue stirring by hand (Use those muscles!), but remove from the heat. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, that's OK. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and still warm. Empty into a piping bag or ziploc bag with a hole in one corner.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe 1 inch thick lines across the paper in rows (these can be close together - try to fit them all on one sheet. Place in the freezer until mostly frozen. Use a pizza cutter to cut small éclairs, about 3 1/2 inches long. Separate éclairs onto the two baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake immediately!

To bake: Arrange oven racks to divide the oven in thirds. Place a sheet on each rack. Spritz the sides of the oven with water. Bake with the door closed 7 minutes, then mist the walls again and prop it open with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. Rotate pans and change their shelves and bake for another 8 minutes with the door propped open, until golden and firm. Don't expect them to really puff up, these are traditional French éclairs, which are relatively flat.

When you remove these from the oven, immediately use a skewer to make a 1/2 inch hole in each side, allowing access to the hollow interior and preventing steam from building up inside and making them soggy. Let cool on a baking rack.


Chocolate Orange Pastry Cream

3/4 cups 1 % milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
finely grated zest of one mandarin orange
3.5 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate (I like Scharrfen Berger 70%)
1 1/4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients except butter in the top of a double boiler over an inch of water in the bottom pot. As the water in the bottom comes to a boil, stir the rest of the ingredients, allowing them to simmer and thicken. After about 2 minutes of simmering, remove to an ice bath.

When the temperature of the pastry cream has dropped to 140 F, stir in the butter in four additions. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

1/3 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp butter

Melt all glaze ingredients together in a double boiler. Let cool until almost room temperature.

Assembly:

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small tip with pastry cream. Insert tip into the hole on one side of the éclair, opening the éclair up as much as possible, and squeeze to fill the cavity. Repeat on the other side. Repeat for all éclairs. Use an icing spatula to spread éclairs with lukewarm ganache. Serve within 24 hours.



What to do with the remaining choux and ganache? Make profiteroles with homemade ice cream!

Tiramisu Profiteroles


For each:
one cream puff shell, sliced open at the top
2 Tbsp tiramisu ice cream
1 Tbsp melted ganache

Stuff each cream puff shell with ice cream. Drizzle with ganache. Impress guests with your magical abilities! :)

#100 AKA Fear Factor - Phobias 2 & 3: Cake Decorating & Dry Method Caramel

Hooray! This is my 100th post AND I’ve conquered 2 food phobias AND we have a cake to celebrate with! What a fitting tribute!

This Daring Baker’s Challenge (my 3rd) was a little disheartening to me, since we just made a nut based, buttercream frosted opera cake, neither me nor my boyfriend like cake all that much, and I have never been able to produce a professional looking cake. But I did like the idea of a praline flavored cake.

I decided to go with a Southern theme, since the word praline means a soft pecan candy in my mind. To complement that theme, I combined the praline flavor with Georgia peach. This is a cake I imagine might be served at a bridal shower in Savannah, alongside sweet tea and finger sandwiches, and delicately picked at by women with flowing hair in floral dresses.



Since I altered the recipe dramatically (and also, I found the original instructions hard to follow), I decided to rewrite the directions. I hope I didn’t break the rules, since I used my own buttercream recipe, a traditional pecan praline and left out the sugar syrup. I just know 4 sticks of butter would be way too much for me and everyone seemed to be having trouble with the frosting. I also used a soufflé dish to bake the cake, which resulted in a taller profile, which is easier to cut smaller slices from, as this cake is decidedly rich!

I spent much more time and attention on decorating this cake than I ever have before, trying to get over my fear of cake decorating. It still makes me nervous, but I’ve followed the tips of some great bakers and I’m pretty happy with the results. I conquered two fears here, cake decorating (I have a very shaky hand- although admittedly I still didn't do that much piping) and dry method caramel (I can’t believe I didn’t burn it!). As if it needed more steps than it already had, I felt the need to make sugar decorations for the cake as well, which also resulted in a caramel sauce.



After the opera cake, which was OK, but cloyingly sweet and really nothing special (I blame the white chocolate), I was prepared to be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised when this cake not only looked beautiful, but tasted divine! The flavors here work perfectly, especially since I cut the sugar level in the frosting. So here’s to the next hundred posts, may they be even more delicious and rewarding!

Southern Belle Cake



1. First, make the cake (a pecan genoise):

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted
2/3 cup cake flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided (1/4 and 3/4 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp pecan extract
? tsp. grated tangerine zest
5 lg. egg whites
1/4 cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees), poured into a liquid measure cup with a spout

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 6” inch (diameter) soufflé dish. Alternatively, spray with Baker’s Joy – a nonstick spray that already has flour in it!

Using a food processor, process nuts until coarsely ground. Add cake flour and cornstarch, pulse for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add 3/4 cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should form a ribbon when drizzled from a spoon. Blend in the extracts and zest. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat until the wgg whites form stiff peaks (they don’t fall over at the top).
Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time with one hand while folding the batter carefully. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter while folding. Then, fold the batter to incorporate the remaining nut meal, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. You can also use a toothpick to check – it should come out clean. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 7 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto the rack, removing the pan. Let cool about 20 minutes.

Slice into 3 even layers – I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to get 2 pieces of wood from the hardware store that are the right thickness for your layers (I like 1/2 to 3/4 inch layers). Lay them down on either side of your cake on a level surface. Use a long serrated bread knife, keeping the side of the blade on both ends resting on the pieces of wood, and slide it along the wood, sawing slightly if needed, until you cut all the way through. Repeat for the other two layers. You will probably end up throwing away a narrow piece of cake from the top. At this point, make the peach glaze.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.


2. For the peach glaze:

2/3 cup peach preserves (I like Polaner’s All Fruit)
1 Tbsp water

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring both ingredients to a simmer. Remove from heat. Brush onto 2 cake slices while they’re still slightly warm. Now let cake and glaze cool completely before frosting.



3. To make the Pecan Pralines:

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp pecan extract
1 cup pecan halves

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, butter, and water. Place over a medium-high heat and stir constantly until the sugar mixture reaches the softball stage, 238 to 240 degrees F. Add the extract and pecans to the candy, and pull the pan off of the stove. Continue to stir the candy vigorously with a wooden spoon until the candy cools, and the pecans remain suspended in the candy, about 2 minutes. I like to also crush some of the pecan halves a little bit during this step. Spoon the pralines out onto a silpat or parchment lined sheet pan and cool completely before breaking into chunks.



4. For Peach Praline Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup peach preserves
2 Tbsp frangelico liquor
1 Tbsp water
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature (7 oz)
1 tsp pecan extract
1/2 cup pecan pralines, blended into a paste in the food processor

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook without stirring until mixture reaches 225 degrees (F).

Meanwhile, whisk egg and yolk in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until foamy.

When syrup reaches 225, remove from heat, decrease mixer speed to low, and slowly pour syrup down the side of the mixing bowl as it beats the egg mixture. After it’s all incorporated, raise the speed to medium-high and whisk until cool to the touch, glossy and smooth (about 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, mash the butter with a fork in a small bowl.

Incorporate the butter into the frosting on medium speed in tablespoon chunks. When all butter is incorporated, turn up to high and beat until thick and shiny. Add extract and praline paste and beat another minute.

Refrigerate 15-20 minutes before frosting.


5. Assembling the layers:

Cut a cardboard base to the size of your cake at it’s narrowest part or use the removable bottom of a tart pan as a base. Rest the middle of the base on an upside down bowl or ramekin that sits very flat and stable and lets the base rest without tipping.

Place the smallest layer (spread with glaze) on the base. Spread its top with frosting, in an even layer. Press small pieces of crumbled praline into the frosting. Use a spatula to level off the frosting layer. Chill for 20 minutes.

Repeat with second layer.

Top with final (unglazed) layer. Using a serrated knife, place the blade flat against the side of the cake, pressed against the side of the layer with the smallest diameter. Using an up and down sawing motion, keep the blade pressed up against that layer as you turn the base, trimming the sides so that no layer of the cake is wider than the other. Level off the top if needed, The easiest way to do this is to find a couple objects with flat surfaces as tall as your cake and use the knife the same way you did to cut the layers.

Give the cake a crumb coat of frosting by applying a very thin layer to side and top, scraping away excess to leave just a very thin coating. Chill at least 30 minutes.



5. Tackle the ganache:

4 oz. good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz. (1/2 cup) heavy cream
2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp. Frangelico liquor
1/2 tsp. pecan extract

Combine first 3 ingredients in the top of a double boiler with about 2 cups of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Stir mixture well until all the chocolate has melted. Add Frangelico and pecan extract. Stir until smooth. Let cool 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Arrange the cake on its base over a wire rack, with a baking sheet below to catch the drips.

Pour ganache over the center of the cake, being sure that it flows evenly towards the edges. Let it flow over the edges. Work quickly to smooth it evenly over the sides with a flat spatula. Don’t smooth the top – it should level out on its own. Before it sets, rap the cake base down onto the rack to avoid air bubbles. Let the cake sit at least 30 minutes for the glaze to set.

In the meantime…



6. Make the Sugar Doodads

In a heavy bottomed small saucepan over medium high heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar, stirring occasionally and slowly with a wooden spoon, until it becomes a golden brown liquid. Immediately add an additional 1/2 cup sugar, and stir slowly. Keep cooking, stirring slowly, until all of the sugar is melted and the liquid is dark golden brown. Before it starts to smoke, remove pan from heat and cool the outside by submerging (just the outside!) in cold water. When it thickens slightly, use a wooden spoon to drizzle sugar onto a silpat or parchment paper, making small circles and zig zags on top of each other by moving your wrist as you drizzle. Let cool before handling.

***Note: these need to be made on a dry day or with the AC on high. They will soften too fast if it is humid. Any extras will keep for about a day, wrapped in parchment and stored in a plastic bag. For leftover sugar, reheat over medium heat until liquid, mix in heavy cream in a 2:1 ratio of sugar to cream. (Be careful – it will boil up). Cool and you have a tasty caramel sauce.***



7. Decorate the cake…

This part’s kind of up to you. I went a fairly simple route, pressed large sugar doodads around the sides, piped dots with a star tip in the center of where the slices will be and stuck a small doodad into each one.

Chill cake at least one hour before slicing. Slice with a serrated knife dipped in hot water.



Phew…I know these are a lot of directions. But it did take me all day. And while it’s certainly no cake for beginners, it’s a surefire way to impress the toughest critics if you’re up to a challenge. After all, that’s why we’re Daring Bakers!

10 Days Later...

Wow - I hope someone's still out there! I have (somewhat sadly) been out of my own bed and my kitchen for a week and a half! I wish I could tell you about my glamourous travels in exotic places. The truth is I've been spending long hours cramped into a Civic navigating from one exhausting experience to the next. Not that it wasn't fun. I just feel like I could sleep for a week! Too bad I left my pillow at the hotel!



More details and photos after the recipe...


Since I've had no time to cook recently, I'm glad it's time for the June Daring Bakers big reveal, and I can finally show off my hard work from weeks ago! This time we played with a lovely flaky dough, plaited neatly around the filling of our choice. I created a sweet braid (perfect for my morning treat) and a savory (to satisfy L's snacktime cravings). This was the first time I've ever made a laminated dough and it was so surprisingly easy that I'm now toying with the ideas of homemade croissants and puff pastry.

Rich and buttery almond frangipane finds the perfect counterpoint to sweet-tart cherry jam....


Spring onions, blue cheese and bacon cozy up to sliced pears....


Danish Braids

Danish Dough (modified from The Secrets of Baking By Sherry Yard



Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough, enough for 2 braids

Beurrage
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

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.

Detrempe
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup 1 % milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

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, extracts, 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.

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 note and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto the floured surface with the open ends to the right and left. Repeat rolling out in the opposite direction as before. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. Repeat folding as before. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

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.





Cherry Frangipane Braid



1 cup toasted almonds
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg
1 tsp water
coarse turbinado sugar

2/3 cup highest quality cherry jam

1/2 danish dough recipe

Pulverize first 5 ingredients in the food processor until no chunks of pesky nuts remain. Add egg and extracts and pulse enthusiastically.

Make and egg wash by whisking egg and water until well blended.

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.

Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a pizza cutter, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

Spoon the frangipane down the center of the rectangle, thicker along the sides than in the middle, forming a cavity for the jam. Spoon jam into cavity. 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.



With a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse turbinado sugar.

Spray cooking oil 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. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

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. 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.




Gorgonzola Braid with Bacon, Pear and Spring Onion Jam

1 recipe spring onion jam from The Kitchen Sink
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola
4 slices hickory smoked center cut bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
1 large bartlett pear, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp sesame seeds
coarse salt

Prepare and slice dough as before. Spread spring onion jam down the middle, sprinkle on cheese and bacon, top with pear slices. Braid as described above.



Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt. Proof and bake as directed above.




And now a little about what I've been up to...




I've received a research fellowship for the summer studying oyster immunology. My 6 weeks in the lab start tomorrow, and they were preceded by an intense week of workshops and lectures on Solomon's Island on Maryland's western shore.



This included kayaking in the Chesapeake Bay, water testing in historic St. Mary's, trawling for fish, dredging for oysters and examining the health of submerged aquatic vegetation.



I slept in a great hotel with comfy beds, met some new friends, including a wonderful roomate, and enjoyed dinner out at a couple great restaurants and a few not so good ones. If it weren't for the long hours (7:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night), it would have been almost a vacation.



Along the way I was introduced to the pleasures of geocaching and learned a lot about the state of the bay, including much I can bring back to the classroom.













After the week was over, it was 3 hours home and then 8 up to Mass to visit family, including an oh so cute nephew! I already miss seeing them all, but I'm glad to be home in my own bed tonight!