Alfajores

Alfajores - made December 31, 2011 from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy by Alice Medrich

The last thing I made in 2011

When my parents and later my friend Jenny went to South America, they each brought me back some alfajores, which, according to Alice Medrich, are "the fancy sandwich cookies of Spain and Latin America."  There are many variations of alfajores but they're essentially vanilla butter cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche.  Some are coated in chocolate, some are rolled in coconut, some are plain.  The alfajores given to me were individually wrapped in foil and they were soft because the dulce de leche filling softens the cookies.  So I was eager to make my own alfajores to try them as the fresh, crunchy version with the dulce de leche filling.

I don't own this cookbook but it's another one I checked out of my local library in an effort to keep my acquisitive nature under control.  I like Alice Medrich's cookbooks though so I can see owning this down the road (cough).  For now, the library copy will suffice.  Actually, I've promised myself that once I thin out my recipe books of the ones I don't really use or plan to use, then and only then can I add to it with the ones I want the most.  After my baking challenge is done.

In any case, since this is a sandwich cookie, I made them small, using a small ice cream scoop for reasonably similar-sized cookies.  I thought that would make them small enough.  The dough was a dream to work with, a bit stiff but not sticky and it was easy to shape.  For once I didn't freeze them first.  The recipe calls for flattening the cookie dough balls to a 1-inch thickness before baking.  Although I started with fairly small cookies, they did puff slightly and spread a bit so the cookies turned out a little larger than I had expected.  For the filling, I used the jar of dulce de leche from Williams Sonoma; it's good quality and tastes great.

These cookies turned out really well.  They were crunchy the day they're made and are really tasty, especially with the more high-end dulce de leche as the filling.  I had been a little apprehensive about adding the rum to the dough since I don't like alcohol but it was the perfect touch and upscaled it from "just" a butter cookie.  The rum taste isn't strong at all but gives it more flavor.  Definite thumbs up.  The cookies do soften a little the next day because of the filling but they're still quite good.  The only thing I would do differently next time I make these (and there will be a next time) is to make them even smaller and flatten them a little more to make them a little more dainty.

2 ¼ cups (10.125 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft

1 cup (7 ounces) sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons brandy or rum

1 cup dulce de leche

1.   Preheat the oven to 325⁰F.  Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

2.   Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

3.   With a large spoon in a medium mixing bowl or with a mixer, mix the butter with the sugar until smooth and well blended but not fluffy.  Add the egg and brandy and mix until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.

4.   Shape heaping teaspoons of dough into 1-inch balls.  Place the cookies 2 inches apart on lined or ungreased pans and flatten to about ½" thick.  Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.  Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back, halfway through the baking time.  Transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely before storing or filling.

5.   Sandwich the cookies with a generous dab of dulce de leche.  The cookies will soften as they stand.  They are good crunchy or soft.  May be stored in an airtight container for at least 1 week.




Crazy for Crust Sweet Tuesday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday

My sister's after-Christmas party

Still catching up from last week: My sister threw an informal dinner party the day after Christmas and besides the pineapple teriyaki meatballs and the lumpia I've already blogged about, she had quite a spread.  Because I love taking pictures of food, here you go:

Freshly fried tortilla chips - totally addicting

Guacamole/salsa dip

Vegetarian version of pancit

Two types of shrimp in hollowed-out pineapple shells

Lechon (roast pork)

The lechon, cut up

Gotta have rice :)

My other niece got clever with the Kahlua Cake and made it to be like a wreath

And dessert, also a must have

We also had the veggie version of lumpia but I don't eat it so I must not have taken a picture of it, lol.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Sheet Cake

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Sheet Cake - made December 22, 2011 from Chocolate Chocolate by Lisa Yockelson

I'm a bit behind on a couple of blog posts so this is a catch up from before Christmas.  Despite my earlier claims about keeping it conservative when it comes to recipe experimentation during the holidays, I have to admit I get a little twitchy if I go too long without trying a new recipe.  There's only so much of baking the same tried-and-true recipes I can do without feeling like my baking soul is being stifled.  There are so many recipes out there!  I can't imagine sticking to the same ones all the time.  But I do compromise around the holidays and take very few risks.

So when I do try a new recipe, I go with one that's almost certainly guaranteed to turn out.  As I've mentioned over and over, Lisa Yockelson's recipes typically fit that bill.  I needed a few more baked gifts for the last of my holiday lunches before Christmas and something to put in the freezer for my post-Christmas baked-goods gift giving so this was almost a no-brainer to try out.  A chocolate sheet cake that can be frosted, sliced, wrapped and stored is ideal for what I needed. 

The cake itself turned out great.  The flavor was nice and chocolaty, the texture was soft and moist.  Overall, this is a good chocolate cake recipe.  The only failure though is the frosting recipe I used.  It set too much too quickly, likely because I either used too much powdered sugar or too little milk (because I ran out) so it hardened to be more like a thin fudge layer rather than a creamy chocolate frosting.  Not that that is necessarily bad but I would've preferred a more traditional soft frosting.

2 cups bleached cake flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar

3 large eggs

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups milk

1.   Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Lightly grease the inside of a 9 x 13 x 2” baking pan with shortening and dust with flour. 

2.   Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

3.   Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes.  Add the sugar in 3 additions, beating on moderate speed for 1 minute after each portion is added.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.  Blend in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract.  On low speed, add the sifted mixture in 3 additions alternately with the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently to keep the batter even-textured.  The batter will be velvety.

4.   Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

5.   Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until risen, set, and a toothpick inserted in the center withdraws clean (or with a few crumbs attached).  Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.  Spread the frosting on the cake, swirling it as you go.  Let the cake stand for 1 hour before, cutting into squares for serving.

Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs

Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs - made by my niece on December 26, 2011, recipe adapted from Food Network

Here's another good appetizer to serve at a party if you've got one coming up.  My niece made these for my sister's after-Christmas party earlier this week and they turned out beautifully.  Everyone loved them and they were gone before the end of the night. She made a few changes from the original recipe - noted below.

Flash fry to brown the meatballs for color

After frying, line on a baking sheet to prep for baking in the oven

She used Lawry's teriyaki sauce for the glaze 

After baking, spear with a toothpick and pineapple on top, squeeze fresh lime over all

1 slice white sandwich bread

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce (teriyaki)

5 scallions

1 1/4 pounds ground pork

3 large cloves garlic, finely grated

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger (about a 2-inch piece)

1/3 cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 to 4 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

Pineapple chunks (halved)

Lime

Toothpicks

1. Tear the sandwich bread into small pieces, then toss with the milk and soy sauce in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mince the scallions.
3. Add the scallions, pork, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, egg, cilantro, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the bowl with the bread; mix until combined. Gently form into golf ball-size meatballs. Put the meatballs on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
4. Teriyaki sauce: Stir the hoisin sauce, mayonnaise, 11/2 tablespoons lime juice, the chili-garlic sauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Instead of making the teriyaki sauce, my niece used Lawry's pineapple teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice.)
5. Heat about 1 1/2 inches peanut oil in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Add the meatballs in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (She flash-fried the meatballs in hot oil , brushed with glaze then finished cooking them by baking in a 400 degree oven.)

Pictorial guide to making lumpia

Lumpia are Filipino egg rolls and I've posted a recipe for them previously but my mom and my nieces made them again for my sister's Christmas party so I took the opportunity to take step by step pictures in case anyone wants to see how to make them.  I think the recipe my mom uses varies slightly from the one I posted, mostly because she doesn't actually use a recipe but it'll get you close.  These are great appetizers to serve at New Year's Eve parties or any other kind of party as a crowd pleaser.

Make the filling mixture

Cut the original won ton wrappers into 4 squares

Place a small amount of filling in a log shape at one corner of the square

Bring up the bottom tip over the filling

Fold the bottom tip over the filling

Fold the left and right corners in like you're making an envelope

Roll the lumpia into a small log and seal the edges with a mixture of cornstarch and water

Line them up and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until you're ready to fry them

Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown all over

Drain in a paper-towel-lined colander to absorb excess grease

Enjoy (and workout before and after to offset fried foods :))

Florida Brownies

Florida Brownies with Nutella Crunch Topping - made December 17, 2011, brownie from Nick Malgieri's Bake! book

This is an easy post since I had already posted the recipe as the brownie base for the Almond Joy Brownie Bombshells.  I had a lot of batter leftover after making the mini brownie rounds for the base so I poured the rest into a 9 x 9 baking pan and baked it as a normal brownie.  I couldn't imagine giving it away plain though so I did add the nutella crunch topping to give it some depth and texture.  Once these set, just cut into squares, wrap the squares in plastic (I wrap two squares together to make one wrapped package) and put in freezer storage bags for freezing if you're not eating or giving away immediately.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Banana Bread - another easy holiday gift

Petra's Banana Bread - made December 17, 2011, the latest out of countless times

Got more holiday parties to attend between now and Christmas?  Need to bring something to the family gathering?  Need an easy hostess gift?  I don't know about you but most of the people I know, including myself, already have enough "stuff".  And even if they don't, you don't always know what "stuff" people want or don't want and you don't want to give somebody something they won't like or will end up gathering dust or end in the Goodwill pile.  Which is why I like to give consumables.  And if it's something they can freeze for later, even better, since, if you're fortunate, we're in the season of plenty, food-wise.  But you can't eat everything at once.  Or at least, you shouldn't :).  Which makes this recipe for banana bread a perfect and easy holiday gift.  Besides lemon bars, this is what I'm asked for most often.  This also freezes really well.

I use the same recipe I've always used since college and the only thing that varies is how much I make and how long it lasts.  Or doesn't last. When I went to Winnipeg for my cousin's wedding, I brought 4 batches of banana bread (each batch makes 4 small loaves or 2 regular loaves).  They might've lasted a day, maybe 2, not counting the loaves my aunt hid in the freezer to try and space out their consumption.  The last time I brought some to my sister's house, one of my nieces got mad at her twin, my sister and my sister's boyfriend because "they ate it all" while she was sleeping.  Guess that'll teach her to be the last one in the house to wake up when there's banana bread on the table.

There are many ways banana bread can go right and many ways it can go wrong.  Even though I've shared this recipe with everyone who likes the bread and asks how to make it, I still get a lot of "mine doesn't taste as good as yours".  Hmm, not sure what to say other than "but that's the same recipe I use".  Or maybe they would just rather I made it instead of them, lol.  I've made this recipe so many times I can probably bake it in my sleep and I rarely eat it myself anymore since I don't need to taste test it.  I made it again last weekend and had a taste - hey, it is pretty good :).  I'll reiterate the basic tips for good banana bread, regardless of which recipes you use.


Normally they should be even more ripe than these for banana bread

The bananas have to be really, really ripe.  As in to the point of blackened skins and banana mush texture that you wouldn't normally eat anymore, no matter how much you like bananas.  The ones I used this past weekend were still a little too firm for my liking and not quite ripe enough but I was out of time to let them ripen further as I needed banana bread for baked gifts I was giving away to church friends the next day.  So I made do. 

If you like chunks of banana in your banana bread, puree 2/3 of the bananas called for in the recipe, then mash in the remaining 1/3 with a wooden spoon.  That way you'll have part of the banana that is the liquid mush texture needed for the batter while still retaining some  banana chunks in there.  Some people have suggested roasting the bananas for better flavor.  I tried that once and it didn't work as well as I expected.  I think my bananas were either too firm (it's harder to roast softened banana mush) or I didn't roast them long enough for the caramelized flavor to come out.  I'll have to try it again someday.

I also don't like "stuff" or other flavors in my banana bread.  You should taste banana in banana bread.  Not nuts, not raisins, not cinnamon or nutmeg, nothing.  Heck, Petra's recipe doesn't even use vanilla extract.  It's just pure banana.  Which is one of the reasons I like it.

And of course, don't overbake banana bread.  You don't want to underbake it either since the bananas already add moisture to your batter and underbaking just makes it more gooey than is good.  Baking just right means the toothpick inserted at the ends come out clean but in the middle just barely comes out with moist crumbs.  If it comes out coated with batter, it still needs to bake some more.  This recipe has more of a cakey texture than a chewy bread texture so it's a little lighter than most quick breads.  The sweetness will partially depend on the ripened state of your bananas (the more overripe, the sweeter) so you may want to adjust the sugar content if you like it less sweet or more sweet.  I like to have the banana speak for itself so I might cut back on the sugar but I've never added more sugar than this recipe calls for.

The great things about banana bread during the holidays is 1) it's a year-round fruit so you can get good bananas almost anywhere and don't have to wait for it to be in season and 2) it's easy to bake in pretty paper loaf pans for gift giving.  I love these loaf pans because they're sturdy enough to bake in and are a good way to present mini loaves for gifts.  Not to mention no pans to wash after using. To use them, fill them halfway with your batter, place them on a baking sheet (don't crowd too closely against one another) and bake in the oven.  Once they're baked, let them cool, then wrap them in clear plastic or aluminum foil and put in a holiday cellophane bag with a twist tie.  Easy gift.