Berry Daring

Phew! I had a very busy Sunday, spent all afternoon making a Danish Braid. Why? You asked. Well… technically I didn’t have a choice being this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge, which is a blessing in disguise because I certainly wouldn’t pick this myself, I would have been too intimidated to make this one.

This month’s hosts are Kelly and Ben. For this month’s challenge, they picked Sherry Yard’s version of the Danish Braid from her first book The Secret of Baking. I’m actually very thankful for their choice because I own and read this book so many times that I know I wouldn’t be at lost reading this. The recipe is easy to follow and the instructions are very clear.
My first problem started when I didn’t have the time to buy an apple pie filling, I even planned on making my own apple pie filling, there’s a recipe for that in the book too. I absolutely did not foresee this coming, our fridge always has apples, my dad eats one everyday, so I was absolutely amaze when there aren’t any apples in the fridge. Just my luck!

After pondering for quite sometime, I finally decided on using my stash of frozen strawberries (which I horded last summer :p) and frozen blackberries (I got these the last time there was a sale in S &R). Had some cream cheese left in fridge, I decided to make a cream cheese mixture to incorporate with the berries.

The dough was quite easy to make actually, I’m even amaze that it was that easy. My other problem arises when I started rolling out the dough it keeps on resisting fighting even if I left it in the fridge for hours, just few strokes and it starts fighting back again. GRRR!!! Finally got fed up with it, I floured my counter and did the rolling there, it’s a good thing we have marble counter tops keeps the dough as cool as our tropical weather can allow. Finally! I’ve won the battle I had to cut it in half because it cann’t fit in my oven so I got to fill two braids, hey that’s a bonus. More to EAT!!!

The last problem that I encountered is that I somehow forgot that I have to let the dough rise once assembled (dummy me), so while the dough is busy rising, the frozen fruits melted, water starts leaking out and it leaked, and leacked and some more and leaked really ALOT! Tissues please!!! People get me some TISSUES!!! (Can you tell? By that time I’m already panicking!!!) It was very messy but has to be done it, crisis adverted.

All that panicking and hard work finally paid off when I can already smell them baking. Hmmmm… I just love the smell you get from baking, within 15 minutes the whole house smells so buttery and yummy! Hmmm… just can’t wait to taste it. Although I didn’t use any eggwash, they still turned out brown, not golden brown but still look good.

In the end, this challenge turn out great, the tartness of the berries is just right for the rich and flaky dough. The cream cheese didn’t turn out like a cheesecake but it taste like warm cream mix with berries trapped in that spectacular dough. Would love this better with a scoop…or two of ice cream! To die for!

Although, I must admit, I might be a little bit bais. Why? Because I absolutely love, love, LOVE berries!!! Especially strawberries because these we can get locally here in Manila from Baguio which the summer capital of the Philippines. Other berries we get them frozen and a bit expensive so I always indulge in them during summer technically it’s already rainy season here, but whataheck with our weather still too warm to call it rainy season, I’m pushing my luck and using all the berries I have hidden in my berry stash.

Good thing I got from doing this challenge aside from the yummy Danish braids, I can now say I’ve made laminated dough that taste good and edible to boot!!!

Happy Birthday Little Brother!

Happy 17th Birthday Little Brother!!!! Technically, it was last Friday June 20 and techinically he’s not so little anymore, he is way taller than me. He keeps calling me a midget! Can you believe that? And our height isn’t that far off! I’m 5’8” and he’s around 6’1” and continues to grow!

I was actually planning to serve the Turtle Pie as his birthday cake, however, when he found out he disagrees. He said he wants cake! Not a Pie. He wants it TALL and not itty bitty like the pie is. The reason why it’s called Birthday Cake and NOT a Birthday Pie. He got me there. How can I argue with that??? Luckily my brother is easy to please, anything made of chocolate he’s happy. I was planning to make an Old Fashioned Cake which I regularly make. However, this being a birthday I was thinking, I should make something different and special. I was looking at making a Chocolate Caramel Mousse Cake from the CIA Baking Boot Camp book, but it looks such a long process and I’m not up to the challenge for this last minute baking. I chanced upon my Tartine book written by the owner of Tartine Bakery Elisabeth Prueitt. I choose to make the Devil’s Food Cake.
I must admit I haven’t tried anything from this book yet since I get it. But I’ve heard lots of good review about it and what the heck? What better timing than now? Although I might admit mine didn’t turn out as the photo in the book should. Mine looks like the home made version J I was planning to do a crumb coating like in the picture in the book, to make it look more chic however, I can’t make enough crumb left to cover a whole 9” cake and mine turn out a bit crooked and lop-sided.

This being a last mine request I didn’t have enough ingredients readily available. I even ran out of bittersweet chocolate for the ganche frosting, so I once again improvised. Its 50% bitter-sweet chocolate, 25% semi-sweet and another 25% unsweetened chocolate. Well, I’ll hold the judgment till tonight, when we would finally have the chance to eat it.

What I find amazing about this recipe aside from the huge amount of chocolate it called for, is that the caramel sauce that was sandwich between layers. Don’t get me wrong I’ve made and burned a lot of caramels before. But this is the first time I made caramel with out the grainy bits as it cooled down, it stayed silky and smooth, even after being in the fridge. Before when I made caramel sauce, whenever I cool them down, the sauce turns grainy. I’m not exactly sure what’s the difference between this and other regular caramel sauce, maybe it’s the addition of light corn syrup or something else altogether but I definitely love this caramel recipe. I’m utterly amazed WOW! I got some left over caramel sauce with would be good for ice cream sundaes, which I currently don’t have available. I turn to my previous creation the Turtle Pie, drizzle a bit caramel sauce. Hmmmmm….definitely decadent!

Happy Birthday bro!

Gooey Turtle Pie

Hankering for something sweet last Sunday, I grab my all time feel good recipe of Turtle Pie. I learned this recipe from Jill Sandique, years ago when I attended one of her workshop that was when she still teaches at Heny Sison’s Culinary School (HSCS). This is such a decadent dessert that a sliver would suffice, for a night, that is! Good partnered with a tall glass of milk. Think Oreo + Caramel + Chocolate = HEAVEN. What could possible go wrong with that equation? Absolutely none.

Being short in butter, that didn’t stop me in making this recipe, my crust paid for my impatience though. I still went though with this recipe even though I sorely lack in the butter aspect now when a slice my pie, the side crust fell off, which for me is just a minor thing, doesn’t make it taste less special.

I know in baking I have to follow the recipe precisely, however, due to past experience, I know that if I do I would surely burn the nuts, so I revised some steps. Instead of toasting the nuts together with the butter and sugar as I make the caramel layer, I first toasted the nuts separately and set them aside to cool. Then I made the caramel layer. It’s just like making a caramel sauce, and then when it’s cooked, I added the toasted nuts.

Tutle Pie wouldn’t be complete without its chocolate layers. This one has two of them! Both made with ganache, but the first one is whipped and the second one is pure ganache, which acts as the shell of the Turtle Pie.

What I love most in this recipe is that its NO BAKE but I didn’t have to use gelatin to achieve my goal. (Gelatin and I are not in such a good term in terms of desserts. I like my gelatine as a Jello only.) Don’t get me wrong I love baking, however sometimes I get those urges but have no patience to wait for it to bake, to cool, & to frost. This is instant gratification!

Nick Malgieri Visits Manila

It has been such a busy month that I haven't updated this blog for quite sometime. This entry happened a month ago when a popular celebrity chef came and visit Manila. It is none other than Chef Nick Malgieri!

For those who don’t know who Nick Malgieri is here is a short intro. He is currently if my memory selves me correctly the current baking and director of Institute of Culinary Education, formerly called Peter Kump School in New York. He has wrote tons of good baking books such as How to Bake, A Baker's Tour, Perfect Cakes, Perfect Pastry, Cookies Unlimited, Chocolate (my favorite!), his newest book Perfect Light Desserts.

Nick Malgieri came to Manila and held a Two (2) day May 20 to 21, 2008 baking Seminar called Modern Baker. It was held in Rockwell Tent, Makati. A lot of people came from professional chefs, pastry instructors, chefs, business owners to seasonal hobbyist like me. It's like the who's who of the Philippine pastry world was there.

The seminar itself was such an informative one that Mr. Malgieri himself is such a charmer, made everyone laughs and he was open to questions and readily answered them. I even have a picture with him! The second day of the seminar I gamely carried all my FOUR of his books and have it signed! These are my first autograph books! Love the feeling :) (Can you tell that celebrity chefs don't often visit us here?) Rocco Dispiritu once visited us for a brief period of time years ago wasn't able to go, well, that's another story)

He taught us a bunch of new recipes and he is very generous in sharing his techniques. I'm craving to make his Blueberry Crumble it looks so scrumptious. Have scoured the grocery, search for frozen blueberries, and currently haven't succeeded yet. From what I observed from many foreign chefs that I see on TV, he loves to put liqueur in his cakes too! Finally found out what Framboise taste like. I especially love the tales he tells, his past experiences his and with his fellow pastry chefs. I just love those old stories, how a recipe came about, and the stories behind them. Hope he comes back, the two day seminar wasn’t enough for me, and I want more!

I personally have a good time, I’m just so thankful that I paid my fee very early so I got a front row seat. Because I can just imagine how people in the back felt like not getting their money’s worth. I surely would have felt that. Because honestly in terms of the technical aspect of the program, it is beyond poor performance it is downright horrible! I believe that the promoters need A LOT of improvement. They should have put up some mirrors on top of the stage so that people in the front can have an over view of what he’s doing. Like duh! That’s such a basic requirement in any baking demos they should have bothered themselves and put them up! There was this huge TVs in the front however, the man in charge of switching from camera A to B doesn’t listen or much less pay attention to what was happening in the stage, so he/she wasn’t aware that we have to see what’s the other camera is covering. That’s just stupid! I wanted to call their attention with their lack of attention to detail. The freebies of the local food magazines they give out aren’t even complete not everyone got a copy. I certainly didn’t get one, I told people in charge about it and they said they’d give it to me the second day, surprise surprise didn’t get any. The weird this is there are a bunch of people in front of the door as you enter, people there didn’t bother to put 2 or 3 person’s inside to usher people in their seats. When I asked them where my seat is, coz I already saw my seat number, the person in the desk was even rude and said that I should ask their usher inside. I was getting pissed off and answered “I wouldn’t be asking you if there was an usher inside. Apparently, there isn’t that’s why I’m asking you” I mean I paid good money to attend this seminar, I was even downright expensive and I/we deserve a better treatment here. Hopefully, next year it would be better, according to the sponsor they are planning to hold a seminar like this every year.

Mr. Malgieri said everything recipe he taught will be featured in his book new book this September, isn't that exciting! The working title is … guess what? The Modern Baker. Which he said will be suitable for people who love to bake but don’t have a lot of time in their hands. I can hardly wait for the review of this new one.