LITTLE BITES - MUSHROOM CHEDDAR TARTS

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts
















Time flies, it's March, and we Avid Bakers are rising to our monthly challenge: a savory pastry from King Arthur Flour: Mushroom Cheddar Tarts. For me, a welcome change after all those holidays sweets (some sticky meringues are still uneaten!)

Like many other reviewers, I halved the recipe, since there was no big party to supply. Also, the best of all husbands left me to my fate, eating everything I bake by myself (to the detriment of my waistline), while braving a 29-hour flight and a rickety bus to visit Cambodia and Angkor Vat.

Exploring ruins instead of helping me eat - I'm left alone with my tarts!

I used my recently purchased mini-muffin pan (a bargain from HomeGoods, my home-away-from-home). Fellow bakers made regular muffin sized tarts with half the dough, but needed the whole amount of filling. For my tiny bite sized tarts half the filling was enough.

For the Hi-Maize Natural fiber in KA's recipe I used the more interesting natural fiber, contained in Einkorn flour, and Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese powder. Otherwise I followed the recipe.

Don't be intimidated by a crumbly dough - it will come together

Except for one thing: "Cook's Illustrated's" secret weapon for a foolproof pie crust.

Instead of adding more (gluten enhancing) water to keep the crumbly dough from falling apart, I used Vodka!

The little tarts turned out really nice, and, left to the task of eating them alone, I "forced" myself to dine on half of the batch - a great sacrifice!

Next time (and there will be a next time!) I might try them with another vegetable, leek or tiny  broccoli florets. And perhaps some fresh herbs, too.


MUSHROOM CHEDDAR TARTS  (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
(24 mini tarts)

Crust
113 g/1 stick cold butter, cubed
120 g/1 cup all-purpose flour
34 g/1/4 cup Einkorn flour
28 g/1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/16 tsp. cayenne pepper
43 g/3/8 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup ice water
1-2 tbsp. Vodka (doesn't taste, but moistens the dough without enhancing gluten formation)

Filling
57 g/1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp. butter
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
3/8 cup milk or half-and-half (I used half-and-half)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
28 g/1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

A food processor makes cutting in the butter a cinch

For the crust: combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until an unevenly crumbly mixture forms (with pea sized butter pieces.)

Vodka - secret ingredient for a foolproof pie crust

Transfer mixture to a bowl, sprinkle with cheddar and water, and, using a rubber spatula, mix and press, until dough is cohesive; add 1-2 tablespoons Vodka, if necessary (more water makes the dough less tender!)

The dough will be crumbly and have a marbled look from the butter pieces

Pat dough into a disk, wrap in plastic foil, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling: saute mushrooms and red pepper in butter until the water is evaporated and vegetables are browned. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200ºC.

Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds

Roll dough into a 10" x 13"/25 x 33 cm rectangle, and, using a round (2 1/2"/6 cm) cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds for mini-muffin pans (re-roll dough pieces, there will not be much leftovers.)

A tamper is a great tool for fitting the rounds in the mini muffin cups

Fit rounds into cups of mini muffin pan (using a tamper helps!)

Place 1 teaspoon each of sauteed mushroom mixture and shredded cheese into each cup. Then fill with egg mixture (about 2 teaspoons).

Ready for the oven!

 Bake tarts for 18 - 22 minutes, until they are golden, and the crust browned.

Allow tarts to rest for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Serve warm. (Or refrigerate and reheat for 10 minutes in a 375°F/190ºC oven.)

Great for a party buffet, or just for Sunday brunch

If you would like to participate in our monthly baking challenge, here is the link to the Avid Bakers.

BACON-CHEDDAR-CHIVE SCONES - A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts

















This time Hanaâ picked savory scones for our Avid Bakers' June challenge. I wasn't too smitten by this idea: scones, okay, but salty ones? Not for nothing I put up the sign: "Life is Uncertain - Eat the Dessert First" in my old kitchen in Germany (sadly it didn't survive the move.)

When I read King Arthur's recipe I was, also, shocked by the amount of bacon that the recipe called for, half a pound! No wonder some reviewers complained about the scones' saltiness, and, though I love bacon (who doesn't?) I was sure they had a point.

Crispy bacon - who can resist it?

But I had a lot of chives in my garden, and, also, a good local cheddar cheese in my fridge, so I decided to give the savory scones a try. To be on the safe side (in case we didn't like them) I made only half the recipe.

The bacon shrank, of course, to more manageable proportions through the cooking, leaving much of its grease in the pan and on the kitchen paper towel. And I reduced the amount of salt in the dough by half, since there was also the salt in the cheese to consider.

Three colorful add-ins: cheddar, bacon and chives

This seemed a good opportunity to use some of my white whole wheat flour, so I exchanged 42 g of the AP flour to King Arthur's white whole wheat (about 17%).

Several reviewers reported problems with the crumbliness of the dough, so I added the whole amount of cream at once, and, using my favorite round bowl scraper, pushed and squeezed it, until the dough came together without falling apart again.

I find it easier to handle sticky dough on a lightly oiled, or slightly wet work surface, than on one that is sprinkled with flour. If you don't like your scones tough, you want to avoid getting more flour into the dough!

Instead of the recipe's large or miniature scones, I made medium sized ones.

Whether in his twenties, or sixties - Richard is dead for the world when he plays guitar

The kitchen already smelled good, when I cooked the bacon. But when the scones were baking, it started to smell so tantalizing, that even my husband, normally deaf for the world with his headphones and guitar, came down from the third floor to investigate.

The scones looked very appetizing, so we had one, soon as they were cooled down a bit. We looked at each other, bliss in our eyes - and had another one...

 What a pity that I didn't make the whole batch!

Fresh from the oven

BACON-CHEDDAR-CHIVE SCONES    (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
(8 large, 12 medium, or 16 mini scones)

200 g/7 oz all-purpose flour
  42 g/1.5 oz white whole wheat flour
   1/4 tsp. salt, (down from 1/2 tsp.)
    1 tbsp. baking powder
      2 tsp. sugar
  57 g/2 oz cold butter, cut in small pieces                 (1/2 stick)
114 g/4 oz cheddar, very coarsely grated or cubed    (1 cup)
  15 g/ 1/2 oz chives or scallion tops, snipped            (1/3 cup)
226 g/ 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
200 g/7 oz heavy or whipping cream (more as needed)
more cream for brushing

Preheat the oven to 425°F/220ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

Some larger pieces of butter should remain

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work butter into flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some larger pieces remaining. (Using a food processor is more clean-up than useful, the amount of butter in the flour mixture is so small.)

Mixing add-ins into flour mixture

Mix in cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.

Add cream, stirring to combine. Using a bowl scraper or your hands, squeeze dough together; if it's not cohesive, add a little more cream until it comes together.

I used a round bowl scraper to squeeze the dough together

Turn out dough unto lightly oiled work surface. For large scones, pat into a 7"/18 cm disk about 3/4"/2 cm thick. For medium and mini scones, divide dough into 2 equal pieces, and pat into 6"/15 cm disks.

For medium scones, cut dough disks into 6 wedges

Using a bench knife, transfer disks to prepared baking sheet. For large scones, cut big disk into 8 wedges. For medium or mini scones, cut the 2 smaller rounds into 6 or 8 wedges each.

Before they go in the oven, brush scones with cream

Spread wedges a bit apart on the pan. (At this point you can also refrigerate them overnight, or freeze them.) Brush scones with cream.

Bake for 22 - 24 minutes (large scones), 20 - 22 minutes (medium) or 18 - 20 minutes (mini), until they are golden brown.

Cool scones on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.


TO MAKE AHEAD:

To bake the next morning: Place shaped, but unglazed (!) scones with the baking sheet in a big plastic bag, and refrigerate them overnight (don't brush them with cream!) When you bake them cold, they will take a little longer.

To store them in the freezer: Put shaped, but unglazed (!) scones on the baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, place them in a freezer bag.

If you are ready to bake them: Place frozen scones on baking sheet, brush them with cream, and bake in a preheated 425°F/220ºC oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are golden brown.

                                        

GRUYÈRE-STUFFED CRUSTY MINI BREADS

French Quarter, New Orleans

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts

































Back from a mother-daughter trip to New Orleans, it's time for our monthly ABC baking again. Our April project could be right out of the French Quarter: cute little cheese stuffed loaves that look like mini volcanoes, overflowing with crispy bits of Gruyère.

And, like every bread we saw in New Orleans, they are all-white, without even a trace of whole grain.

This recipe, GRUYÈRE-STUFFED CRUSTY LOAVES, from King Arthur Flour website, was developed by the French Pastry School in Chicago (Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer also created the tasty Alsatian Beer Bread.)

Starting the evening before, you have to mix a starter from bread flour, water and yeast, and let it rise at room temperature overnight, so that it is puffy and spongy when you scrape it into the mixer bowl the next morning.

A well fermented starter shows a spongy structure

All ingredients are then mixed into a "smooth dough", no further specifications. After all flour was hydrated I gave it a 5 minutes rest for autolyse, and then kneaded the dough for 6 minutes, with a little more water added than the lower amount given in the recipe. The dough should feel a bit sticky first, but only tacky when fully kneaded.

I gave it one stretch & fold, placed it in an oiled container, set the kitchen timer for one hour, and walked the dog. When we came back, the dough had almost managed to escaped from its hold. Though my kitchen was not overly warm, it already had more than doubled!

"Almost" doubled? Slight understatement!

Patting and stretching the risen dough into a square is easy. It is then sprayed or brushed with water, and sprinkled with grated cheese.

Our supermarket had smoked Gruyère as this week's special offer, so I chose that for my filling. I had no garlic oil (optional ingredient), I sprinkled some garlic powder over the grated cheese. Instead of the (optional) pizza seasoning, I used my usual pizza enhancer, a teaspoon of Herbes de Provence.

Smoked Gruyère filling

You roll the square into a long log - no big problem - pinch the seam to seal, place it seam side down, and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It should have grown, but not doubled. Always use the finger poke test to gauge whether it's time to put it in the oven, never go just by looks or time.

You don't know what this is? Poke the dough gently, the dimple should not spring back, only fill a little bit, but remain visible. If it fills completely, the bread has not proofed enough, if the dimple stays just as deep as you poked it, it might be overproofed already (unless it is a very stiff dough with grains and seeds.)

Cut the log in 2 or 4 even slices, for larger or smaller loaves (I chose smaller ones.) Place the pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up and spread open to expose the cheese. From the looks of it, I don't really know how you want to do that with the larger loaves (making chimneys?)

The mini loaves are placed on the sheet, cut side up, to show the filling

I had some egg wash leftovers, so I brushed the sides with egg. After 20 minutes the cheese bits on  top started to get dark, so I removed the breads from the oven. The crust could have been a bit crispier (and, also, softened rather quickly), I should have probably covered the loaves with tin foil and baked them a bit longer.

They tasted very good, especially when toasted. But they tended to fall apart, along the cheese filling lines. That's another reason why I would make them smaller next time.

COMMENTS:
These savory breads are great as a snack, and, with their attractive looks, would grace any party buffet. Since they tend to fall apart along the cheese filling, when sliced, I would make even smaller pieces, like pin wheels, cutting the log into 6 to 8 (instead of 4) slices.

The next time I would try to cut a bit down on the instant yeast (the dough rose very fast), from 2.5 grams to 2 grams.

I substituted 10% of the bread flour with white whole wheat (you could easily do 25%), used Herbes de Provence instead of the (optional) pizza dough seasoning, and sprinkled some dried garlic powder instead of the (optional) garlic oil over the filling.

Next time I would make them smaller, like pin wheels

Submitted to YeastSpotting
                                                    and to

                                                   Bread & Companatico
                                                   Indovina chi viene a cena

ZWIEBELKUCHEN - ONION (OR LEEK) TART FROM ALSACE

Onion or Leek Tart - here the leek version

It's this time of the year again - the garden is full of red leaves, the cats stay more indoors, and the temperatures are finally falling.

Time for the perfect savory fall pastry: Zwiebelkuchen from Alsace, a wonderful companion for young (or old) wine, that we like serving to guests.

A Spanish onion (or two leeks).....

..... plus ham and cheese for the filling

It's fast and easy to make, with frozen puff pastry for the crust, a large Spanish sweet onion (or a couple of leeks) and any aromatic hard cheese you have at hand. Don't go skinny on the cream, you want a smooth and satiny filling.

ZWIEBELKUCHEN - ONION (OR LEEK) TART 
(6 servings)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 large Spanish onion, quartered and thinly sliced
or
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
60 g cooked ham or speck, cubed
2 eggs, separated
100 g/1 1/2 cups grated Emmental, aged Gouda or Asiago cheese
125 ml/1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream
black pepper, to taste (freshly ground)


Place frozen puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface and allow to thaw for about 30 minutes, until you can easily unfold it.

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Adjust rack to second lowest position.

Store-bought puff pastry makes an easy crust

Roll out puff pastry until it fits 11"/28 cm springform or tart pan. Place puff pastry in pan, taking care not to stretch it, then trim the edges.

Mix onions (or leek) with ham and cheese

In a large bowl, mix together sliced onions (or leeks), cubed ham, egg yolks and grated cheese. Add cream and mix to combine. Season to taste with pepper (adding salt is not necessary - ham and cheese provide enough salt).

Fold whipped egg whites into filling

Whisk egg whites until stiff. Fold them gently into onion mixture. Pour filling in springform pan and smooth surface with spatula.

Onion Tart - ready for the oven!

Bake onion tart for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until the crust is done, and the top is golden brown.

Serve warm.

For the unlikely case that you have leftovers: store them in the refrigerator and re-heat slices before serving.

My friend Andrea from Hamburg gave me this recipe.

Sunset over Hulls Cove, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Post updated 12/27/2015