Daring Bakers: STOLLEN

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration

Stollen is basically a fruitcake in wreath form. Its is really easy to make, and smells wonderful.

Full Recipe HERE

I followed the recipe almost exactly with a few exceptions:

• Cherry herbal tea instead of mixed fruit peal. Seriously is that stuff even edible?!
• Coconut instead of candied cherries cause I didn't have any.
• No Rum.

So the results were, if you like fruit cake you will like this recipe. If you don't like fruit cake you won't like this. I, never having encountered fruit cake before ever, found that this recipe was overly dense. I like my breads to be lighter. Also, while i enjoyed the smell, I apparently don't like fruit and nuts in my cakes. Also it is HUGE. This will feed 12 peeps easily. So be warned.

Happy Christmas

For weeks after we put that tree up, Harvey would drag a box under it and just sit there like he was a present too. Merry Christmas Everyone!

10 things I Love about Winter

1. Ice cold water straight from the tap
2. Harvey's sippys full of milk are still good in the morning when I forget to put them away
3. Smores whenever I want
4. Being about to cook without overheating the house
5. Boots
6. Cats curling up under the blankets with me to share heat
7. no lawn mowing
8. Hot coco
9. Great excuse to stay inside all the time, Sorry Harvey we can't got to the park it's too cold.
10. Increase in reading due to love #9

Every time I complain that I'm cold, I remember some things I love about this time of year. What are your favorite things about winter?

Harvey loves his warm baths.

Daring Bakers: CROSTATA

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Well better late than never right? Due to our computer dying on us this is now up about a week late. If you want to read the entire recipe you can find it here.

We were asked to make a crostata, which basically a pie. I'm not quite sure why people were so excited about this challenge, cause who hasn't made a pie before? but it worked out well for the holiday. I chose to use the 2nd recipe and fill my crust with... you ready for this... pumpkin filling. Yep, original I know. Anyways The dough was tasty before being cooked, but afterwards it still tasted like crust to me. That's just how it goes I guess. Either way there is currently have no pie left in my fridge, which I suppose is the point.

So without further ado, here is the recipe I used, it is very easy.

Pasta Frolla aka Pie crust.
Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup almond flour, or almond meal, or coconut flour
1/4 cup whole-grain barley flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (beaten into the egg)

Instructions.
Basically mix your flours, food processor or by hand whatever floats your boat. Add your chopped butter and work it in till its all crumbly. Don't worry if its not all cohesive. Then pour the butter/flour mixture out onto your counter and push the center down. Kneed in the egg/vanilla mixture into it till the whole thing sticks together. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Thats it. It's just pie crust. This will make one 9" pie or 10" tart. enjoy!

p.s. I've decided tart pans are nicer to use than pie pans.