Bagels

Bagels

Living in the US, I had to try making bagels. I have been somewhat reluctant because you need to boil bagels before baking. But after makings these, I will definitely  be making bagels again. It was well worth the effort. 

I have to thank Bettina from the Danish baking group on Facebook, she inspired my to give bagels a try.

Ingredients:

• 400 ml warm water + 50 ml
• 50 g live yeast, or 4 teaspoons dry yeast
• 20 g salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 200 g whole wheat flour
• 500 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup, for the boiling water
• 1 beaten egg white + a splash water, for the glaze
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal, for the pans

Toppings:

• sesame seeds
• poppy seeds

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 400 ml warm water and yeast. If using dry yeast add a sprinkle of sugar  and leave to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast begins to blossom.

Add honey and both flours and mix it for about 3 minutes on low speed. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes so the flours get hydrated. Add the salt and the rest of the water and knead dough on low for about 8 minutes. Cover the mixer bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough to rise for 1 hour.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and punch down. With a bench scraper or knife divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 100 g a piece. Shape each piece into a ball, and allow them to rest for 3-4 minutes.

Spray a piece of parchment paper with oil, and sprinkle cornmeal all over it. Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃).

Poke a hole through the center of each ball to create a bagel shape. Holding the dough with both index fingers in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter. Place the bagels on the cornmeal, and let them rise for about 10 minutes covered with a clean kitchen towel.

Bring water and maple syrup to a low boil. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set a side.

Gently lift bagels, one at a time, and lower into the simmering water. Do not do more than 2 or 3 at a time, so you don't lower the water temperature to much. Cook the bagels for 60 seconds on each side, give or take, then flip them over in the water using a slotted spoon, and cook for another 60 seconds. Lift bagels out with the slotted spoon, and place on the baking sheets. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

Brush the bagels with the foam from beaten egg wash, and sprinkle with the toppings.

Bake the bagels for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Let the bagels cool completely on a wire rack. 

Serve Bagels with your favorite cheese or use the bagels for a sandwich.

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

It's no secret we love spicy food, and here in the fall we love eating soup for dinner. Tortilla soup combines all the things I love in Mexican cooking: Chipotle, salsa, avocado, cilantro and fresh hot tortilla chips all in one.

If you want a more filling soup you can add more vegetables and some cooked rice, or serve the soup with a slice of good bread.

Ingredients

• 4 6-inch (small) corn tortilla, preferably a little old and dried out
• ¼ cup (1 dl) grape seed oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper w. some of the adobo sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock (or 4 cups water + teaspoons chicken base
• 1 can (14 oz/400-450 g) tomatoes
• rotisserie chicken, shredded
• ¼ cup (1 dl) lime juice
• ½ cup (75-100 g) sweet yellow corn

Toppings

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• creme fraiche or sour cream.
• tortilla strips

Directions

Starting with fresh tortilla, you need to do this extra step:

Place the tortilla on a baking sheet and bake them at 200°F (95℃) for about 10-15 minutes to dry them out a bit.

Cut dry tortillas into ¼-inch (¾ cm) wide strips. Heat oil in a wide pan. Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips in the oil, until crisp and lightly browned. Let excess oil drain from the tortilla strips on a paper-towel-lined plate.

In a large pot or dutch oven sauté the onions in a splash of oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped, powdered chili, stock, canned tomatoes and salt. Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and corn, and cook until heated through.

While the soup simmer, dice the tomato, chop the cilantro, peel and deseed the avocado and slice it. Cut the lime into wedges.

Serve the soup scalding hot in small bowls, with the topping you like.

Enjoy!

Green Poisonous Cake

Green Poisonous Cake

Well, the cake isn't poisonous, but the green color makes it look a bit toxic. The cake is a regular poundcake with green food coloring and some marzipan for some luxury.

This green poundcake was a classic cake to bring to school at birthdays and for "klassens time," a kind of free-time, where you might discuss current topics and issues, and maybe eat cake.

The vibrant color made me think, that it would be perfect for Halloween.

Makes one 9-inch square sheet pan.

Ingredients:

• 250 g butter, salted, room temperature
• 250 g sugar
• 35 g marzipan or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 medium eggs. room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla paste or the seeds from ½ vanilla bean
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• green food color, I used a smallamount Wilton icing color

Frosting:

• 100 g confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• about 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 355℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter to fluffy and pale, with the sugar, add the marzipan and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in one egg at a time. Mix flour and baking powder and add it with the milk and food coloring. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter in the pan, and bake the cake for about 25-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan. Mix the frosting, and frost the cooled cake.

Serve the cake with a good cup of tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Danish version:

Grøn giftkage

Ingredienser:

• 250 gsmør, saltet, stuetemperatur

• 250 g sukker

• 35 g marcipan eller 1 tsk mandelessens

• 2 medium æg, stuetemperatur

• 1 tsk vanilje pasta eller kornene fra ½ vaniljestang

• 250 g hvedemel

• 1 tsk bagepulver

• 120 ml mælk

• lidt grøn frugtfarve, jeg brugte en lille smule grøn Wilton icing color

Glasur:

• 100 g flormelis

• 1 spsk kakaopulver

• ca 2 spsk vand

Fremgangsmåde:

Forvarm ovnen til 180℃. Beklæd en bradepande med bagepapir. 

Rør smør let og luftigt med sukker. Tilsæt marcipan og vanilje, og rør massen indtil du har en homogen masse. Æggene blandes i ét ad gangen. Pisk godt imellem hvert æg. Tilsæt de tørre ingredienser og mælk + frugtfarve skiftevis. Rør kun dejen så den lige er homogen. Hvis dejen overmikses ender du op med en tung og kompakt kage i stedet for en let og luftig.  

Hæld dejen i bradepanden, og bag kagen i ca. 25-35 minuter, indtil der ikke hænger dej ved en nål/tandstik, når den prikkes i kagen.  

Lad kagen køle i bradepanden. Bland glasuren, både en kakao, og en lille smule hvid. Dekorer den kølede kage. Jeg udstak mindre runde kager før dekoreringen.

Velbekomme!

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

When I saw this recipe on saveur.com, I knew I had to try it, because I love, love, love garlic. 40 cloves of garlic is a lot, but the garlic cooked in the sauce and became sweet and soft. There were no sharp garlicky taste. I really loved how the vermouth played off the tarragon and sweet soft garlic cloves. I opted for chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken cut up, and the thighs turned out juicy and flavorful. I served roasted root vegetables with the chicken and it paired up perfectly. We are definitely having this again soon.  

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 6 chicken thighs, skin on bone-in

• 40 cloves garlic, peeled

• 400 g button mushrooms, sliced

• ½ cup (1 dl) dry vermouth

• 1½ teaspoon chicken base + ¾ cup water (or a good chicken stock)

• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Heat oil in an ovenproof sauté-pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and sear them in pan, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Place the chicken on a plate and set aside. Add garlic to pan and cook until browned in spots it only takes a few minutes. Take out about ¼ of the garlic, and mash the remaining in the pan, and add mushrooms, vermouth and stock. Place the chicken back in the pan, with the whole garlic cloves. Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes until tender. Garnish with tarragon.

Serve with roasted root vegetables.

Enjoy!

Liquorice Ghosts aka Liquorice Cream Puffs

Liquorice Ghosts aka Liquorice Cream Puffs

These liquorice ghosts or cream puffs are called flødeboller in Danish. Directly translated it means cream rolls, even though  there are no cream and no roll in them.  Basically it’s a wafer, or cookie, with an Italian meringue filling, and covered with chocolate. It is so so yummy, it should be illegal to make or sell.

Growing up, flødeboller was the go-to treat to bring to share at school at your birthday. And it is easy to make up games eating flødeboller, but one thing for sure, it will be messy. 

To make cream puffs it is recommended that you have a electric hand-mixer or even better a stand mixer, because you have to whisk vigorously for more than 15 minutes. 

Makes 20 medium flødeboller

Ingredients:

Base:

• 200 g liquorice marzipan or regular marzipan

Filling:

• 100 g (little over ⅓ cup) pasteurized egg whites

• 200 g ( 1 cup) sugar

• 50 ml (a little under ¼ cup) water

• 2 teaspoons fine liquorice powder

Chocolate coating:

• 200-250 g white chocolate, a good one I used Valrhona

• 25 g dark chocolate

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Cut the marzipan log into 20 slices. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the marzipan for 5 minutes, let them cool completely.

Filling:

When making meringue it is very important that there are no fat residue on your bowl and whisk, otherwise the egg whites won't get fluffy.

The naked ghost

Whisk the egg whites until they just turn fluffy. Meanwhile heat sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and keep it simmering until it reaches 243℃ (117℃). 

Pour in the scolding hot syrup into the egg whites while whisking. The meringue becomes pretty warm, but keep whisking for 15 minutes, until stiff peaks. Gently fold in the liquorice powder.

Add the meringue to a piping bag with a plain round tip. Pipe the meringue in a high peak.

Bake the cream puffs for 5 minutes, just until the surface sets, but haven't got any color. This makes it easier to cover in chocolate. Let the cream puffs cool completely.

Tempering the chocolate:

This is how I do it, but if you have your own way, that works for you, use that method.

Chop the chocolate finely, set just under ⅕ of the chocolate aside, and add the rest into a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl on to a saucepan with very hot water (don't let the bowl touch the water) . Let the chocolate melt while stirring. When the chocolate reaches 102℉ (39℃), take the bowl off the hot water. While stirring let the chocolate cool until it reaches 79-82℉ (26-27℃), add the rest of the chopped chocolate and stir vigorously until its all melted. Put the bowl with chocolate over the hot water again, and heat the chocolate to 84℉ (29℃), and now its ready to use for coating.

Coating:

Place the cream puffs on a wire rack. Drizzle the chocolate on top until the whole peak is covered with chocolate. Tap the wire rack on the counter to get the excess chocolate to run off. Place the cream puffs in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the chocolate has set. 

Melt the dark chocolate and pipe eyes on the ghosts.

The liquorice ghosts will keep 3 days a 50-54℉ (10-12℃).

Enjoy!