I missed the December Daring Bakers’ Challenge. I was just too busy with the holidays, preparing for Life Hurts God Heals, and snowed in (which meant no shopping for ingredients). Money is really tight this month, but the ingredients were all things I have on hand, so I was looking forward to giving it a try. Then life got crazily overwhelming, and I almost didn’t make the deadline. But I decided that I hadn’t really had any “me” time, which is important, and so I would set aside a couple of hours to take on the challenge.

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Karen and Zorra were also kind enough to include a savory recipe, which I really appreciated since I’m not big on the sweets. That recipe is from Thomas Keller. I made both Keller’s savory recipe and the sweet one from “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

I did change a couple things from the recipes. I used coconut extract instead of vanilla (Yeah, I’ve been on a lime/mango/coconut kick lately). I also played around with colors, smearing colored dough in my stencil with the plain dough rather than piping it. Because I’m lazy, I didn’t sift my flour or sugar, and didn’t refrigerate my pan. I tended to find the dough was easier to spread when it was warm, but I did juggle several pans so that I had a cooler one to use. You can’t reuse one you just took out because it melts the butter immediately. If you want cool bowls like mine, use a square stencil and after it’s first bake, shape in a muffin pan and put back in the oven.

I thought these were pretty cool, but I don’t know if I’d make them again. They have so much butter that I felt sick after eating them! They smoke a lot because of the butter so I had to turn on a fan and open a window. All in all they look amazingly fancy, and taste good too. But they were a lot of work for just the two of us, I’d make them for a party that I wanted something special for though. They were a great challenge and definitely stretched my baking skills. I’ll just include the tuile recipes on this post, and try to follow up with what I filled them with. I did a mango and lime mousse for the sweet tuille, and a spicy crab and avocado filling for the savory.

Tuiles
20 small shapes

Ingredients
1/4 cup softened butter (not melted but soft)
1/2 confectioner’s sugar
a dash of extract (I used coconut)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
1/2 all purpose flour
food coloring of choice
waxed paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with food coloring and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly. (Or smear around your stencil like I did)

Bake for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, so just do a few at a time. Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

Savory tuile/cornet recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
2 large egg whites, cold

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Transfer the batter to a smaller container, as it will be easier to work with (But I didn’t bother!).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make a 4-inch hollow circular stencil. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. After baking the first batch of cornets, you will be able to judge the correct thickness. You may need a little more or less batter to adjust the thickness of the cornets.

There should not be any holes in the batter. Lift the stencil and repeat the process to make as many rounds as you have molds or to fill the Silpat, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cornets. Sprinkle each cornet with a pinch of black sesame seeds.

Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point.

Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door.*** This will help keep the cornets warm as you roll them and prevent them from becoming too stiff to roll. Flip a cornet over on the sheet pan, sesame seed side down and place 4-1/2 inch cornet mold at the bottom of the round. If you are right-handed, you will want the pointed end on your left and the open end on your right. The tip of the mold should touch the lower left edge (at about 7 o’clock on a clock face) of the cornet.

Fold the bottom of the cornet and around the mold; it should remain on the sheet pan as you roll. Leave the cornet wrapped around the mold and continue to roll the cornets around molds; as you proceed, arrange the rolled cornets, seams side down, on the sheet pan so they lean against each other, to prevent from rolling.

When all the cornets are rolled, return them to the oven shelf, close the door, and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to set the seams and color the cornets a golden brown. If the color is uneven, stand the cornets on end for a minute or so more, until the color is even. Remove the cornets from the oven and allow to cool just slightly, 30 seconds or so.
Gently remove the cornets from the molds and cool for several minutes on paper towels. Remove the Silpat from the baking sheet, wipe the excess butter from it, and allow it to cool down before spreading the next batch. Store the cornets for up to 2 days (for maximum flavor) in an airtight container.

Still trying to figure out what to do about my computer. I’ve been taking more pictures so I can do some posts from Eric computer soon, but life has kind of combusted right now so blogging is about 8th on my priority list. I plan to posting some new things in the coming week, but for right now here’s another just in case post I had sitting in my queue.

Mmmmmm turkey. This is my go to recipe after the holidays. I always want leftover turkey, if you’re like me and have some in your freezer bust it out and give this a try. It is light and fresh and full of flavor. The turkey is a delightful change from the other meat we normally have in pasta. This is one of Eric’s favorites, the funny thing is that he doesn’t remember it. I make it every December or January and he gets so excited and talks about how delicious it is!

Turkey, Spinach and Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients
serves 2-4
1 cup shredded turkey meat
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 TBS shoyu
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper (or a good sprinkling)
2-4 servings of spaghetti
Olive oil
3 scallions chopped up
1 clove minced garlic

Instructions

Mix the turkey with the shoyu, vinegar, cornstarch, lemon juice and pepper in a bowl. (I like to refrigerate it and let it marinate at least 15 minutes). Cook your spaghetti according to the package directions.

In a large skillet heat a little olive oil and add the turkey, peppers, scallions and garlic. Cook on medium high for about 3 minutes or until the peppers are getting slightly tender. Add the spinach and cook another minute or two until the spinach is just wilted. Dump in your hot drained noodles and mix well.

Eric and I are big Netflix fans. Being a nerd, Eric keeps track of our Netflix account on Feedflix, which tells us how much we spend per DVD rental. We find that although we enjoy movies, we tend to get more TV shows. They fit better in our schedule since you can choose whether to watch one 45 minute episode or more. You also have convenient places to pause if you need to do something because it’s arranged for commercial breaks.

Lately we’ve been watching episodes of Discovery channel shows and miniseries. We just finished the first season of Everest and it was so fascinating. I was shocked at the drive to reach the top of this mountain, knowing it could mean death. That year it was film had the most deaths (11) and it was hard to watch. There were 600 or so climbers which meant traffic jams from people who weren’t experienced enough to attempt it. This led to even experienced climbers getting severe frostbite. I was so moved be the emotional journey these men went on, and kinda angry for their poor wives as they put their lives at serious risk. But the deaths were the hardest for me and I cried after the last episode. When someone dies on a reality show it’s not like a movie, they’re a real person.
One of the most moving stories was of Mark, a double amputee who lost both legs to frostbite. His strength and courage was astounding, but I thought it interesting that after he was done he said if he had known the risk and sacrifice on the way up, he would have turned around and not summitted. Anyway, although it made me sad, it was very well done and we’ve added season two. I decided since I was sad from Everest, we should watch an episode of something funny, Dirty Jobs.

Unfortunately, the episode was about being a pig farmer. Somehow, I guess I’d never thought to deeply about it, but I pictured pigs, cows and chickens being raised on those storybook farms. They run around and live happy lives and then are one day killed for food. I’m okay with that. I love animals, but I also believe it’s okay to eat them. I don’t judge or look down on anyone who feels differently, and hope they can give me the same courtesy. But I had no idea how truly these pigs would be treated. Within their first day of birth their teeth and tails are cut short and they’re given two shots, one of iron, and one antibiotic because of the open wounds in their teeth and tails. They are kept in little pens and they don’t even breed normally (that was so disturbing). I just felt sick after watching it.

I LOVE pigs, I think they’re so cute. I’ve always had a fascination with them. I’m allergic to pork so eat very little of it. But now I’m rethinking all the meat I eat. I’m not planning to become a vegetarian, I like meat. But I am definitely thinking about eating less, and looking at getting meat that was treated humanely during its life. We have friends who raise 3 grass fed cows at a time and treat them so kindly. Whenever they come out and call the cows, they come running and are really happy. Buying our beef from them would definitely be more expensive, but I’m starting to feel pretty strongly about the idea. Our budget is tight, and all the unecessary expenses are already trimmed away, so I’m not sure how we can afford getting more expensive meat. But my eyes have really been opened and I can’t claim ignorance anymore.

Last night I was planning to go tubing in the mountains. The middle school group at our church had a tubing night and I was looking forward to it, but when the day came I was just so worn out. Last week Eric and I kicked off the first night of Life Hurts God Heals, a teen recovery program we’re leading at our church. It went so great, and this Thursday night was our second week. It went great too and I love it and love the kids that come. But when I got home I was on such an adrenalin high, that I couldn’t sleep and only got about 3 hours of sleep before work. I still really wanted to go, but Eric suggested I take a “me” night. He was sad because he wanted me to come with him, but knew I needed it. His suggestion was just what I needed to decide to stay home.
So I decided I wanted to treat myself with a really special dessert that reminds me of Hawaii and document the whole process. So I made some Coconut Lime Tapioca with Fresh Mango. It was good! I also took a lot of photos of how to prepare a mango so look for those in my next post. The tapioca is great hot or cooled, and good with or without the fresh fruit, but I’ll NEVER turn down mango!

Pour 1 cup of water into a large pot. You want the pot to be big enough to be able to stir easily.

For coconut milk you want a good thick coconut milk. I love Mae Ploy and get a great deal on the large can at Cash and Carry. When you shake the can you should barely hear it slosh to know that it’s the good stuff.

Pour about half the large can of coconut milk into the pot (or a full small can). Pour the rest in a tupperware and use it tomorrow for curry, that’s my plan! (make sure you refrigerate it). Turn the heat to high, but as soon as it starts to boil, turn it down to medium-low.

Measure out 1/4 cup of tapioca pearls, you want the little tiny, long cooking ones. They’re about the size of the head of a pin. Pour them in once the water and coconut milk are boiling (and the heat reduced). It seems like not very much tapioca, but they’ll get bigger I promise. Now here’s the hard part. You have to wait a good twenty minutes for them to cook. Trust me, I’ve taken them off early before and the texture is wrong, be patient. While it’s cooking, cut up your fruit, and make sure to stir the tapioca every couple minutes.

This is at 1o minutes and you can tell they’re not ready because they’re still white in the center. At this point (halfway through cooking) stir in 1/8 cup of sugar. Then squeeze in the juice from half a lime. Hopefully your lime looks better than the sad one I had in my fridge. Make sure to keep stirring every couple of minutes so it doesn’t stick to the pot.

It’s been 20 minutes and the tapioca is nice and thick and goopy. Take it off the heat.

The way to tell it’s done is to take out one pearl (carefully, it’s hot and sticky) and make sure it’s completely transparent.

Layer with fresh mango in a glass, garnish with mango and lime slices.

If you enjoy it as much as I do your glass will look like this in 1 minute flat!

It worked! We had our first complete vegetarian meal and Eric really liked it. There were four different parts to the meal. Stuffed Mushrooms, Tomato and Romaine Salad on a Crispy Tortilla, Skinny Mashed Potatoes and Zucchini Pancakes.

Eric’s biggest concern for eating vegetarian is the texture. He said he’d miss the meat texture too much, and even tofu would be better than no meat. But this meal was full of all kinds of textures. Eric thought the mushrooms were very meatlike in their texture and a great choice. I simply mixed a little feta and parmesan with a dash of Italian seasonings, then packed it into the mushrooms. I baked them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. You want them to get nice and shriveled, I’ve undercooked them and it’s a big juicy mess!

I had wanted to make bruschetta, but we didn’t have any bread. So I toasted a tortilla on the same cookie sheet as the mushrooms until it was nice and crispy. I cut it into 4 triangles and topped it with some tomatoes and romaine mixed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and basil. The crispy tortilla was really good and I will definitely make this again.

Finally, my skinny mashed potatoes. I call them skinny, not because of fat content but because I like to leave the skins on. Eric gave me the greatest compliment, saying he loves my mashed potatoes because since I can’t stand mushy textures I make them chunky with skins. I just glowed! See, I have this thing with texture too. I can’t handle really mushy stuff, even if I think it tastes amazing, I just start gagging! I can handle two bites of regular creamy mashed potatoes, even though I love them. These are so simple to make, especially because you don’t have to peel the potatoes.

Skinny Mashed Potatoes
serves 2

Ingredients
3 small red potatoes
salt
2 TBS cream
1/2 TBS butter
1 TBS Cream Cheese

Instructions

Wash the potatoes and chop them small (leaving skins on). Put in a pot of boiling salted water. Let boil about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain water out. Mix in remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon. Mixing will mash them enough because they are so small.