Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

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.

Ooops, It's been quite a while since i updated. March has been pretty stressful/busy for me due to our Pharmacology NBME finals. Never ever have i started studying 2 weeks before a test. You'd think 2 weeks would've given me a sufficient amount of time to cover all the subjects and have a least a good night sleep on the night before the test but, NOPE! Once again, i took my time and procrastinated... had to pull many all-nighters on the last few days . And having a 1 week accumulation of caffeine and theanine in my system didn't help w/ the anxiety either, sigh... i need a lot of work on my time/stress-management skills!

If it wasn't for the Daring Bakers Challenge, i'd probably put off updating for another 2 weeks (muahahhaa), but since i just joined DB, skipping the 2nd challenge didn't seem like the responsible thing to do. SO! Here it is, my 2nd challenge-- Lasagna with homemade Spinach Pasta! When i first found out this month's challenge, I was a bit reluctant about trying out the recipe cuz making my own pasta just sounded too hardcore... I didn't make the lasagna until 2 days before the posting date (today), muahaha. [Seeee, Pharmacology can just drain the life out of you] I used my own ragu and white sauce recipe for the challenge... i was afraid I'd fail on both the pasta and the sauce recipes DB provided, so i cooked from my old tried and true recipes to make sure SOMETHING wouldn't go wrong, bahaha. The spinach pasta was quite easy (but messy) to make and it turned out GURREAT! Not to mention super healthy and fresh :D JLo loved IT! Thanks, DB! Wonder what's in store for the April challege, I'm excited!

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.
The halved recipe makes enough pasta for a 9x13 inch baking pan.
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
• 10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped [picture 1]
  [or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry]
• 3 1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose plain flour
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle [picture 2].
   
2. Add the eggs and spinach [picture 3]. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach.
   
3. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump [picture 4].
4. With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic [picture 5]. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step.
   
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours [picture 6].
6. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. For lasagna, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours [picture 7, 8].
   
7. Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag [picture 9].

Lasagna
INGREDIENTS:

• Homemade Spinach pasta sheets
  (If using dried, store-bought pasta sheets, just assemble them as indicated in the directions and pour 1/2 cup of water down the sides of the lasagna before baking.)
  
• 3/4 cup of cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan (to top the lasagna)
  
  
• RAGU (Red sauce)
  
• 500g ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 3/4 cup onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  
• 2 - 3 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon basil
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
  
• CHEESE SAUCE
• 3 cups cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 egg, beaten
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the Ragu, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat.
   
2. Stir in onion, green pepper, garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
   
3. Add the ground beef and cook until almost brown in color.
   
4. Pour in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, parsley, basil, sugar, and salt. Stir often and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside [picture 1].
5. If the ragu is too dry, add in more tomato sauce or 1/2 a cup of water or stock.
   
   
6. To make the white cheese sauce, in a medium pot, add all white sauce ingredients together.
7. Place it over medium-low heat and cook for 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent the bottom from burning. Set aside [picture 2].
   
   
8. Drop about four pieces of pasta in boiling salted water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes.
   
9. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender [picture 3].
10. Lift the lasagna from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.
11. Spread a thin layer of Ragu (red sauce) over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish [picture 4].
    
12. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the red sauce [picture 5].
    
13. Spread a thin layer of Ragu (red sauce) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the Cheese sauce (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls). Then sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese [picture 6].
    
14. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with Ragu (red sauce) [picture 7].
15. Seal the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes [picture 8].
16. Remove the foil and top with a generous dusting of cheese and Parmesan. Bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
    

Lasagna with Spinach Pasta
(sorry, i kinda burnt my cheese topping this time)

S'more Cupcakes

These were the other cupcakes that I made during semester break. I made them again a few weeks ago but that batch came out pretty ugly... so no pics of cottage cheese cupcakes to show :P. I was surprised when most of the people i gave them to never had S'mores before so i thought I'd take a minute to explain what they are. S'mores are a traditional campfire snack: you roast the marshmallows until soft and toasty and sandwich them between graham crackers with a chocolate bar. The marshmallows melts the chocolate, turning everything into a big gooey mess... it's great :D. Check out the huge campfires we used to have back in Paraguay! I miss my childhood :'( So don't get discouraged by the complicated recipe, it'll all worth your while after taking the first bite through the multiple layers of graham crackers, cake, chocolate fudge, and marshmallows! *omnomnomnom* ... Okay, back to my pharmacology flashcards now, frickidy freak!

S'more Cupcakes
derived from cupcakeblog.com and misscupcakeface.com
makes 12 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  
  
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature [i used 1/3 cup]
  
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar [i used white sugar]
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  
• Chocolate Fudge Filling [recipe below]
• Marshmallow Frosting [recipe here]
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup of melted butter [picture 1].
2. Scoop a heaping tablespoon into each cupcake paper, pressing down to cover the bottom[picture 2]. Set aside.
   
3. Beat 1/2 cup of butter on high speed until soft, about 30 seconds.
4. Add in brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each [picture 3]. Set aside.
   
6. Mix together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
7. Measure out milk and vanilla together in a separate bowl.
   
8. Add about a fourth of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine [picture 4].
9. Add in about one third of the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined [picture 5].
10. Repeat above, alternating between flour and milk, ending with flour mixture.
11. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 - 3/4 full) [picture 6].
12. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    
13. Remove cupcakes and let it cool down for 20 - 30 minutes.
    
    
14. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a knife and cut a hole into the cupcakes. Fill with chocolate fudge filling (see recipe below) [picture 7]. (you may put the top back on to prevent marshmallow frosting from seeping in)
    
15. Top each filled cupcake with marshmallow frosting with a greased spatula [picture 8]. [if using homemade marshmallow frosting, remember to frost right after whipping for easy handling. ]
    
16. Decorate with chocolate drizzles and graham cracker crumbs.

S'more Cupcakes

Chocolate Fudge Filling
from misscupcakeface.com
INGREDIENTS:

• 150g semi-sweet chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons milk
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a double boiler, mix all ingredients together until fully combined.
2. Allow to cool.
   

The Better Butter Chicken & Tandoori Chicken

Okay, so i had a major sweet tooth for the past few weeks so I thought I'd balance it out with a savory update on an improved butter chicken. There was huge snow storm 2 weeks ago in POZ, forcing me to hibernate and cook enough curry that could last me 3 blizzarding days. I was going to use my old butter chicken recipe but wanted to try something new since I had nothing better to do. So after researching through dozens of websites and youtube videos, I decided to make a more authentic Butter Chicken by using baked Tandoori chicken pieces. The Tandoori chicken was quite time-consuming with its long marination and baking time but oh my, the end-result was worth it. As for the Butter Chicken, this time I added even more spices and another star ingredient: cashew nuts-- trust me, they make a world of a difference! I also blended the sauce into a smooth paste before adding the chicken, makes it much more rich and silky. This recipe is so much better... i'm seriously considering deleting the old post. And if i didn't have a love/hate relationship with red food coloring, I'd have prettier pictures of orange-red curry to show... so damn those ridiculous prices!! GAHHH!!

The Better Butter Chicken
derived from foodtv.ca #1, foodtv.ca#2, youtube.com#1, youtube.com#2
INGREDIENTS:

• TANDOORI CHICKEN MARINADE
  
• 1.5 kg (3 lbs) chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
  [i used 4 chicken thighs and one chicken breast]
• 2 tsp (10 mL) salt
• 2 teaspoons (10mL) chili powder
  
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice
• 1 cup (250 mL) yogurt, thick
• 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin [kminek in Polish]
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander [kolendra in Polish]
• 1 tsp (5 mL) garam masala
  
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground turmeric [kurkuma in Polish]
• 2 tbsp (10 mL) minced fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh ginger
• Red food coloring (optional)
  
  
• BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
  
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp ground turmeric [kurkuma in Polish]
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander [kolendra in Polish]
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon [cynamon in Polish]
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin [kminek in Polish]
• 2 tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup cashew nuts [orzechy nerkowca in Polish]
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Red food coloring (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS:

TANDOORI CHICKEN:

1. FOR TANDOORI CHICKEN only: Clean and cut a few long slits on each skinless chicken thigh. Rub salt, chili powder, and lemon juice all over and into the slits [picture 1, 2].
   FOR BUTTER CHICKEN: Clean and cut up the skinless, boneless chicken thighs into pieces. Season with salt, chili powder, and lemon juice.
   
2. Add in yogurt, cumin, coriander, cayenne, garam masala, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and red food coloring to the chicken [picture 3, 4]. Mix well.
   
3. Seal and refrigerate overnight (at least 4-6 hours) [picture 5].
   
4. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place chicken thighs on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overbake the chicken, or it will be dry [picture 6].
   
5. FOR TANDOORI CHICKEN: Remove from oven and serve hot, garnished with sliced onions and lime wedges.
   FOR BUTTER CHICKEN: Remove from oven and set aside.
   

BUTTER CHICKEN:

1. While chicken is baking, make sauce. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat [picture 3].
   
2. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes[picture 4].
3. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin. Cook 1 more minute [picture 5, 6].
   
4. Add drained tomatoes, broth, cashew nuts, brown sugar, salt and pepper [picture 7]. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally [picture 8]. Remove from heat.
5. Transfer the sauce to a blender and purée until smooth [picture 9].
   
6. Return puréed sauce to pot with remaining sauce. Mix well and return to heat.
   
7. Stir in heavy cream, mix until smooth [picture 10].
   
8. Add cut-up Tandoori chicken and mix well [picture 11].
   
9. Add 1 teaspoon of garam masala and mix well. Cook just until chicken is hot [picture 12].
   
10. Serve with some butter over hot basmati rice, if desired.

Better Butter Chicken

Tandoori Chicken

Chocolate Valentino with Caramel Ice Cream

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

I've recently joined an online baking community called the Daring Bakers. About 70% of the food blogs i browse through are members of the Daring Bakers so I thought I'd join and see what all the fuss is about. Basically it's a community where bloggers/bakers get together every month and bake from the same recipe. You've got a whole month to prepare the assignment and there's also a forum where the bloggers can exchange tips and thoughts, guiding you step by step down the road of success. How could i say no to that, of course I was in! I finally have a forum to belong in... and can now leave JLo and his daily 3-hour NASIOC stare in peace. Lucky him =) .

My first Daring Bakers' challenge was a flourless chocolate cake (Chocolate Valentino) that contain only three ingredients, THREE! I was amazed at the final result, didn't know eggs could hold up so well. Still had some problems though; my cake was still wet and wobbly when the thermometer read 60C and had to bake an extra 10 minutes. The cake didn't set until it reached 85C. Hmm, dunno what happened there... i'll blame it on the crappy oven again, mehhh. Anyhoooo I'm not really a chocolate person so this cake wasn't for me. But for the die-hard chocolate lovers out there, this is definitely your slice of dense, fudgy heaven.

As for my first ice cream-making experience... I came to realize that ice-cream is just nothing but a big tub of FAT. I guess I've been in denial my whole life thinking ice-cream is just frozen milk... but when there's 3 cups of 10-30% cream sitting in front of you, you know you'll never enjoy a carefree, spirit-lifting scoop ever again. AHHHhhhh!!! I'm sticking to sorbets/yogurt from now on. =( But if you set the ass-doubling issue aside, being able to make your own ice-cream with a texture similar to the ones store-bought is gonna make you one happy person. Can't wait to experiment on more flavors, eeek!

Chocolate Valentino (Flourless Chocolate Cake)
a Daring Bakers' Challenge
INGREDIENTS:

• 16 ounces (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  (use milk chocolate for a sweeter cake)
  
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
  
• 5 large eggs, separated

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often [picture 1, 2, 3].
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling, butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment [picture 4].
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls [picture 5].
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry) [picture 6].
   
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together [picture 7].
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate[picture 8].
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter [picture 9].
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C [picture 10].
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C [picture 11] (my thermometer read 85C when done). If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold [picture 12].

NOTE:

• This recipe comes together very quickly with a hand mixer.
• This is a very decadent cake that will sink a little as it cools but will still hold its shape.
• The top forms a light crust, kind of like a brownie.
• The cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use, so use your favorite!
  

Flourless Chocolate Cake: Chocolate Valentino

Caramel Ice Cream (without a machine)
a Daring Bakers' Challenge and serving ice cream
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups (473 ml) of half and half (or 10-18% fat cream)
  
• 1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream (30% fat cream)
  
• 2/3 - 1 cup sugar
  
• Dash of salt
  
• 1 (12 grams) tablespoon of vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the sugar in a saucepan and set over low heat until it melts and turns honey-brown (DON'T BURN IT!). Remove from heat [picture 1, 2].
2. Slowly and carefully, add the 10-18% cream to caramelized sugar [picture 3]. Be careful- the mixture will splatter and the sugar will turn hard. Don't worry!
3. Stir mixture over low heat until it becomes smooth again [picture 4].
4. Mix in the heavy cream and stir until well mixed and smooth [picture 5].
5. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool [picture 6].
6. Once cool, chill mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour [picture 7].
7. Place the chilled ice cream mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes [picture 8].
8. Beat ice cream mixture with an electric mixer until smooth (you can use a fork instead of an electric mixer, but the ice cream will be less smooth and creamy) [picture 9].
9. Place ice cream in the freezer for 40 minutes- then beat with an electric mixer [picture 10].
10. Repeat "40 minute freeze-then-beat cycle" 3 times. This should total 2 1/2 hours of freezing.
11. You can choose to either beat your ice cream mixture every 40 minutes until frozen or let your ice cream mixture freeze on its own. Either method works fine. The more you beat it, the softer it will be. Total freezing time can take anywhere between 3-5 hours.

Caramel Ice Cream (without a machine)

Homemade Marshmallows

I wasn't planning on giving this marshmallow recipe an entry of its own but I didn't want to flood my next S'mores cupcake entry with too much stuff... so I'm gonna be quick and brief here. This recipe can either be used to make normal marshmallows or a marshmallow frosting. I've made them twice for cupcakes and they both turned out pretty well, just have to remember to frost right after whipping for easy handling. I made the mistake of waiting too long and had the worst time frosting with semi-set marshmallows. My cupcakes ended up looking like it was piled with lumpy cottage cheese... GAHHH!!! And I couldn't find corn syrup anywhere in POZ, so i made my own with this corn syrup substitute. Was gonna make them into different colors but it seemed like a messy job at the time. The actual marshmallows came out great though, soft and spongy-- perfect with a cup of hot chocolate ;)

Homemade Marshmallows
from marthastewart.com
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (i used 1 cup)
  
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Spray parchment; set aside.
   
2. Pour 1/3 cup cold water into bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle with gelatin; let mixture soften, about 5 minutes [picture 1].
3. Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid; cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup reaches 238 degrees.(soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes [picture 2].
4. With mixer on low speed, whisk gelatin mixture [picture 3], and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl (to avoid splattering) [picture 4].
   
5. Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is thick, white, and has almost tripled in volume, about 12 minutes [picture 5].
   
6. Add vanilla, and beat 30 seconds to combine [picture 6].
7. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet; smooth with a greased spatula. Let stand at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight [picture 7].
8. Coat cookie cutters with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking.
   
9. Cut out as many individual marshmallows as possible; coat cutter with more spray as needed [picture 8].
   
10. Lightly coat marshmallows with equal parts of cornstarch and powdered sugar [picture 9].
    
11. Use marshmallows immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
    

Homemade Marshmallows