Daring Bakers Danish Braid - Better Late Than Never!

Because this month of July is turning out to be even crazier than June was, I am so so glad that I was able to get the time this past week to make the Danish Braid from June's Daring Baker's challenge. I was determined to get to it and though I didn't get to it until after the posting date and I didn't get to make all the variations I wanted to - let me just tell you - I am SO glad that I got to it! This dough is so good!!! And, it was fun to make!

Well, since I'm still a crazy person I'm going to keep my comments brief, but the dough was flaky, tender and tasted wonderful. I used the combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in the dough instead of cardamom and it was delicious. For my filling I made a simple cream cheese filling and a layer of raspberry jam.

The other half of my dough is in the freezer, just waiting until I have another chance to do something fun with it and makes some other pastry shapes.

Thank you to Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? for choosing such a wonderful selection for June that got me to try making something I've wanted to for a long time.

The recipe for the Danish dough comes from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking.

DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, sotened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

2/3 cup raspberry preserves

Beat all ingredients (except the preserves) together in a mixing bowl until smooth and light, approximately 3 minutes.

DANISH BRAID

Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients

1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash

Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking

1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Daring Bakers and the Opera Cake

It's time again for another Daring Baker's post and this time the Daring Bakers have gone to the Opera to boot - Opera Cake that is. This month the theme came to us from none other than the Daring Baker's fearless creators, Lisa and Ivonne, with co-hosts Fran of Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie and Shea of Whiskful . It was also our lovely hostesses idea to give us all the opportunity to dedicate our post to Barbara of Winos and Foodies. As they pointed out, though Barbara she is no longer an active member of the Daring Bakers, as Lisa "so eloquently put it," Barbara will "always be an honourary Daring Baker for her bravery and character in the face of a challenge." So, as a tribute to the incredible, "un-sinkable" Barbara, who as you may know is the mastermind behind the Taste of Yellow food blogging worldwide cancer awareness event for Lance Armstrong's LiveSTRONG Foundation.

Barbara is incredible for so many reasons and has been one of my favorite bloggers to read and be inspired by, and not just because of the wonderful food she makes, but because of what a beautiful and incredible person she is. She is a wonderful inspiration and support to so many - myself included.

So, for this May Daring Bakers Challenge we were also given the task to choose our flavor combinations from an array of choices as long as they were "light" to call this "A Taste of Light" in honor of Barbara. I chose to repeat the flavors of the Lemon and Raspberry Whoopie Pies I made last month for Barbara's event.

Thanks to the Daring Bakers for another great challenge - make sure to check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see everyone's creations!

A few notes about what you see in the pictures and what you see in the recipe. I cut the original recipe - which is shown below - in half and baked one half-sheet baking pan and cut it into three equal rectangles for a long rectangular cake that made about 10 servings. Also, in the layers in the picture you can see that I tried to do a layer of preserves and then the buttercream on top - this really didn't work very well - so I have left the directions for that out since I don't recommend doing it. I think that the top layer, when I just mixed the preserves into the buttercream was my favorite. This cake seems to be too absorbant to have the jam layer without turning your cake layers into mush.

Also, it should be noted that I chose to use the buttercream recipe from a previous DB Challenge - Dorie's Perfect Party Cake. There was some confusion with the two versions of the buttercream recipe given for this challenge, and since I knew I wanted to make the lemon version anyway, I decided to make Dorie's version again.

Either way, this cake was fun to make and was very, very yummy. Though there are four different steps (or five) in the recipes to make, none of the recipes is especially difficult to make. My real mistake in the assembly, as mentioned above, was not taking into account how absorbant the cake was going to be with the jam layer I attemped.

I will be excited to try this again with some other, more traditional Opera Cake flavors. Thanks again to our four lovely hostesses for a great recipe and super fun challenge!

Raspberry Lemon Opera Cake

For the joconde:
(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

• 2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
• a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
• parchment paper
• a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
• two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (grind blanched almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake - you will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2. Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3. Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5. If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6. Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8. Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9. Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10. Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup
(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan

Ingredients:
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream:
(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency).

What you’ll need:
• a small saucepan
• a candy or instant-read thermometer
• a stand mixer or handheld mixer
• a bowl and a whisk attachment
• rubber spatula

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable (puree in food processor to make it smooth if necessary)

To Make the Buttercream:
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.

Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.

On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly. When you are ready to assemble the cake, stir in the raspberry preserves for in between the layers.

Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the Glaze:
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:
• a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1. Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

2. Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

3. Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake:
(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup. Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer. Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup. Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze. Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Clafoutis - Fun to Say, Better to Eat

I had never made clafoutis, but since Bron chose the next round of HHDD to be the Clafoutis Edition, I knew I would be making it this month. After I read her post, I started getting all kinds of ideas for what flavor combinations I would make. While Autumn is starting for Bron, Spring is just starting here.

I think that is a big part of the fun in blogging - getting to know about life in other areas of the world vicariously through others. The fact that we all share the same passion for food and creating wonderful things to eat makes it a simple and natural bond.

And speaking of simple and natural combinations - that is exactly what I thought of clafoutis. I honestly don't know why I've waited so long to make clafoutis - I know I won't wait very long before I make it again. Since Bron opened this round up to multiple entries, I think this might just be my first of a few. I really enjoyed this dish, and since you can serve it either hot or at room temperature, I tried it both ways. I think that room temperature was actually my favorite.
For my first flavor combination, I decided to play off of another of Donna's recipes, the Raspberry Spiked Brownies, I made a couple of weeks ago. While I've read that clafouti(s)? (I don't know which is appropriate - either way it is still really good to eat!) is traditionally using cherries, there just aren't any good cherries here yet. I'm sure there are purists who wouldn't put chocolate into a clafoutis either, but I liked it. Perhaps if I had had it the traditional way first, I would feel the same. So, my recipe is by no means traditional and ended up being a lot more like dessert even though I had already decided to try making my first clafoutis as breakfast. Yeah, there is a trend of eating treats for breakfast going on here - I still don't feel bad about it.

As always much thanks to Barbara for creating this event and a big thank you to Bron for her theme choice. I really enjoyed making this and I like the flexibility to play around with the flavors while it still being a simple dish to make and eat. I just based my recipe off of the one Bron posted for the Plum and Chocolate Clafoutis - from Donna Hay’s Original Recipe. I also replaced the dark chocolate in the original recipe with white chocolate chunks. I didn't increase the amount of cocoa powder I used in the recipe, but the cocoa I use is 100% Extra Brut Cocoa from Callebaut and is very very dark. I imagine that would be why my chocolate version looks so much darker than Bron's did.

Raspberry Double Chocolate Clafoutis
1/3 cup (50g/1 3/4oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1/4 cup (30g/1oz) cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup (75g/2 2/3oz) caster (superfine) sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup (8 fl oz) (single or pouring) cream
1 cup chopped white chocolate
20g (3/4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup red raspberries (fresh, not frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180degC (355degF).

Place the flour, cocoa and sugar in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, place the vanilla, eggs and cream and stir to combine.

Add the vanilla mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.

Stir in the chocolate.

Divide the butter between 2 x 2 cup (500ml/16 fl oz) capacity 13cm (5in) frying pans over a medium heat until melted. (The only pans I had to use for this were cast iron and they worked perfectly).

Pour over the chocolate mixture, top with the plum halves and bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and cooked through.

Makes 2.

A Taste of Yellow... And Pink

Out of curiosity, I went on Epicurious and Food Network to see how many recipes would come up if I did a search for the word "yellow." I was actually a little surprised that the color turned up so many entries, 1,182 and 3,281 respectively. So, there should be no shortage of inspiration for making something yellow. Why yellow? For Barbara, of Winos and Foodies, LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow.

Since Barbara's event is to honor loved ones that have had to battle cancer, I really wanted to make something that encompassed yellow and pink in honor of my mother-in-law who is a breast cancer survivor.

So, I decided that trying to make some whoopie pies was the way to go. Obviously they aren't traditional and this was completely experimental. Oh, they are SO not experimental at all anymore. For a moment of complete honesty here, I made a batch last night - about 30 minutes, start to eating - and, yeah they are all gone. I ate two for breakfast. I figured these weren't much different than a cinnamon roll or a muffin as far as a sweet breakfast goes. So, no, I don't feel too bad about it.

So, here you go. My whoopie pie twist - lemon cake and raspberry cream cheese filling. Read the recipe to see a surprise ingredient though. The deep golden yellow color comes from the brown sugar in the cookies along with the food coloring. I imagine for a brighter yellow you could substitute some of the brown sugar with white sugar.

Did I mention that these were really really good?!

Lemon Whoopie Pies with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling
24 pies

1 cup canola oil
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
zest and juice from two small lemons, or 1 large lemon (About two tablespoons zest and 1/3 cup juice)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon yellow food color*
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Cream the oil, sugar, lemon zest and eggs until thick and well combined. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and the food coloring. In a seperate bowl, add the lemon juice to the milk and stir well to combine. Sift, then whisk together the flour cornmeal, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. Add the milk alternately with dry ingredients & mix well.

Drop batter onto cookie sheets using a tablespoon as a small scoop so the cookies are all the same size. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then place one cookie upside down and coat with filling. Top with another cookie.

Wrap in plastic wrap. These freeze really well!

FOR THE FILLING:
Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
(Based on Joy the Baker's Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons milk
5-6 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed and pureed to be smooth (if necessary)

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in an electric mixer. (Be sure that the two are at room temperature. Cold cream cheese or butter can make your frosting lumpy.) Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract, and beat for about 2 minutes. Add the raspberry preserves.

Turn off mixer and add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on a low speed so the sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Slowly add more sugar alternately with the milk until you reach your desired consistency. It should be fairly thick so it keeps its shape when piped onto the cookie.

When Life Gives You Raspberries...

Only in the past few months did I first hear of Donna Hay. While I am glad to have found her, I am still somewhat bummed that I didn't find her a long time ago. I feel slightly jipped by this. Oh well, at least now I know. And I am SO glad!

The last HHDD round was for Coconut Chocolate Tarts and we were to put a twist on them. I chose to add some raspberry flavor and make these Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Swirl Tarts. They were incredible. Since then, it seems like I keep coming back to the chocolate-raspberry connection.

Which brings us to this post. I found this recipe on Epicurious and thought that their photograph was so beautiful that I knew I would have to try this. Now, I am so glad I did. Though my photography skills aren't as good as the pro's at Epicurious, I think these lstill ook pretty fantastic. I have to tell you, they taste even better.

If you love a brownie that is slightly dense, dark and a little cakey, with a little fudgeiness too (is that even a word?), then this is a great choice for you. I will however mention, that, as you can really see in the photo with the Vanilla Frozen Custard below that these brownies are dark. If you aren't into dark chocolate, then I imagine you could easily substitute semisweet. I, however, love dark chocolate, but my husband wasn't as impressed as they were too dark for him.

For some reason I realized that I don't have a 9-inch square baking pan (seriously! what is up with that!?) in my kitchen I had to use a 7-inch dish that I have. Obviously this didn't fit all the batter, so I will show you in another post what I did with the rest of the batter. However, the measurements below are for a 9-inch pan, since I'm sure the rest of the world isn't as lame as I am. (I think I had a pan, and it broke, and I've still never replaced it!)


Anyway, these Raspberry Spiked Brownies were incredible and easy to make, as brownies should be. Yet they look all dressed up and impressive. Since these brownies got all dressed up, I couldn't leave them with nowhere to go and show off, so I am sending them over to the Monthly Mingle for Spring Fruit Sensations, hosted by Abby of Eat the Right Stuff for this round on behalf of Meeta, the event's creator.

I ate my brownie all by itself, because it really didn't need anything else in my opinion. However, since I had just made a batch of Vanilla Frozen Custard (too rich to be just "ice cream") I served a huge bowl of ice cream with one of the brownies to my husband (he is an "ice cream" fanatic). I've given you the recipe for both the brownies and the frozen custard below. They are amazing, together or each on their own.

Raspberry Spiked Brownies

(Adapted from Donna Hay, Instant Entertaining via Epicurious)

200 grams (7 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped
250 grams (8 ounces) butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa, sifted
1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen* (I used only about 3/4 cup since it was a much smaller pan)

*If using frozen raspberries there is no need to defrost them first. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Place the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place in a bowl with the sugar and eggs. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix to combine. Pour into a 23 cm (9 inch) greased square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Top the mixture with the raspberries and bake for 30–35 minutes or until set. Serve warm or cold with thick (double) cream or vanilla bean ice-cream.

Vanilla Frozen Custard (Extra-Rich Ice Cream)
(Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe - Book: Ice Cream)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups heavy (double) cream
7 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In a heavy 2-qt saucepan, combine the half-and-half and 1 cup of the cream. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup cream in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4-6 minutes, approximately. Do not let the custard boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice cubes and water. Stir occasionally until cool. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Pour the custard into and ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.

Makes about 1 Quart

Do I have to cut this into bars? I think this one could just be my piece!

Raspberry Swirly Goodness

When I signed up for this month's Cookie Carnival I didn't know what the recipe would be. When Kate over at the Clean Plate Club, the event's creator, sent me the recipe I had to laugh because I've been using coconut and raspberries together a lot lately. I have to admit though that I really wanted to fiddle with the recipe because for some reason I just didn't think I would like it. I decided to make them anyway and find out. Thank you Kate for what proved to be an absolutely lovely recipe.

While I didn't entirely love the directions for the recipe I did know that I would have to try at least one cookie. Oh, am I glad that I did. I will be making these again and again. They were nothing short of sublime. This is one of those recipes that blends together beautifully while still highlighting and showcasing the individual flavors and textures at the same time.

These cookies are definatelly worth a try - as is, no changes needed. While I can still think of some other variations that I'm sure will be lovely, this one has me hooked. Use the best quality ingredients you can because their flavors will shine through. The cookies were soft with a little bit of a nice sugary crispness on the browned edges.

Aidan was the one that wanted cookies, so here he is enjoying the spoils. That is one happy boy!

Raspberry Swirl Cookies
Bon Appétit February 2004

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preparation
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten and shape into rectangle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly before rolling out.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13x10-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Mix jam and coconut in small bowl to blend. Spread over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Sprinkle nuts evenly over jam mixture. Starting at one long side, roll up dough jellyroll style into 13x2 1/2-inch log (I used a long clean ruler to help me pick the dough "up" while rolling to keep it from tearing. I think it would even be a good idea to roll the dough out on the plastic wrap directly.). Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie log; cut 1/2 inch off each end and discard. Cut remaining log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange rounds, cut side down, on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart; reshape into neat rounds, if desired. Bake cookies until edges and bottom are golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.