Homemade Peanut Butter!

Peanut butter....
What can I say.... I love it! I can take a jar and eat it with a spoon! So naturally, as I like to make things myself, I tried to make my own peanut butter at home.

All it took was natural peanuts in their shells, which I opened, some salted peanuts, a little brown sugar and I added a pinch of salt in the end.
I like doing it this way, because I can regulate the salt to my liking as I make the peanut butter.

Home made peanut butter

 Put everything in your mixer, using the blades.

 Add 1 teaspoon brown sugar.

 Start pulsing and keep pulsing, keep pulsing, until you start to think that you have done something wrong and you've wasted all the ingredients and Oh, my God, my mixer is really warm....

 Just then the consistency changes... It becomes creamier.

 In the end this is what you want: Creamy peanut butter.

 Not all granules were mixed totally, so I ended up having tiny bits of peanut in the butter, which only made the terxture better (at least for me).

So good! Try to combine it with some apple slices and you have a really healthy snack!


Louise

Brown Butter Glaze on vanilla cupcakes!

I was in the mood for vanilla. I don't know why, but I wanted my kitchen to be filled with aromas.
So I baked a few vanilla cupcakes, using my trusted recipe. Of course, for that vanilla fix I needed, I also added a scraped vanilla bean!

I didn't want any buttercream though, so I went for my next favourite thing: brown butter glaze!
Talking about smells in the kitchen, right?

The glaze is really easy to make:
Melt 125gr cow milk butter, until it is brown, smells caramelly and there are brown bits all over.
Pour it in a bowl and add icing sugar, until you get the consistency you want, thick or runny.
I wanted it to be somewhere in between, so that I can dunk my cupcakes.

 Freshly baked and waiting...

I took a cupcake in my hand, held it reversed and dunked it in the glaze. I lifted it and turned it around, so the excess glaze (there is such a thing????) could drip off and the cupcake wouldn't be overflown.
Then I put it on a wire rack to let the glaze dry.

Lovely little domes! I took them to work and they were vanished!

I was happy with the smells.... And the taste!

Louise

Daring Bakers - April 2013

Well, I know I am late, but at least better late than never!
Between me being sick, Ioanna being sick, a million things to do in the office, I took half the pictures with one camera and half with onother.
So... now I cannot find the second half and there are no pictures of my finished savarin....

Yes, you read correct. It was a savarin challenge!

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina was our host this month.

Strawberry Savarin

350 gm bread flour
30 ml lukewarm water
5 eggs at room temperature, separated
15 gm fresh yeast
50 gm sugar
75 gm butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed strawberries
a little butter for greasing the work surface, hands & baking pan

A) Sponge
In a small bowl mix the lukewarm water, 25 gm of the flour and the yeast , cover with cling film and let it rise 1 hour.
B)
Dough
After 30 minutes have passed, put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and start working at low speed adding flour until you have a soft dough that sticks to the bowl (about 270 gm) and work until it comes together , cover with cling film and let rest 30 min

Add the sponge to the mixer bowl along with a tablespoon of flour and start mixing at low speed. Add the orange zest

When it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl add one yolk and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour

Add the second yolk, the sugar and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour

Raise the speed a little and add the third yolk and the salt and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
Add the strawberry puree.
Keep on adding one yolk at the time and the flour saving a tablespoon of flour for later.
Mix the dough until is elastic and makes threads and then add the butter. As soon as the butter is adsorbed add the last tablespoon of flour.

Keep on mixing until it is very elastic and cover the dough with cling film until it has tripled in volume 2 to 3 hours.

While you wait butter your baking pan.Grease your hands and your work surface and fold with the dough two or three times around. Cover with cling foil and let it rest 15 minutes on the counter

Turn the dough upside down and shape your dough in a rounded bun.

Make a hole in the center with your thumb, lift the dough and put it in the prepared pan

Cover with cling film and let rise in a warm spot until the dough reaches the top of the pan about 1 hour

Bake the Savarin for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown in a pre-heated oven 170°C.

Meanwhile you can prepare the syrup of your choice. I made a simple strawberry syrup with 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and fresh strawberries. I let it boil, until the colour and the taste were what I had in mind.

When the Savarin is done take it out of the oven, let it cool and remove carefully out of the pan. When it is completely cold, put it back in the pan, poke it around with a skewer and start adding ladles of syrup until you see it along the rim of the pan.

I left my Savarin in the pan until it was time to serve it. I put strawberries in the hole and drizzled it with white chocolate ganache. Also, because of the red syrup, my Savarin was pink!!!!! (I wish you could see it....)

Thank you Natalia!


Louise

Loukoumades!

Loukoumades is a traditional dessert here in Greece.

It is essentially a yeast dough which is fried and while warm, sprinkled with cinnamon and confectioner's sugar or drizzled with honey or chocolate.

They are rather easy to make, as long as you are patient!

Loukoumades

750gr all purpose flour

1 tbsp active dry yeast

warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

syrup:

350gr honey

300gr sugar

220gr water

Sift the flour and mix in the salt, sugar and cinnamon.

Put it in a large bowl and make a hole in the middle.

Mix the yeast with a little warm water until it is dissolved and pour it in the hole in the flour.

Mix lightly and add a little more warm water until you have a sticky porridge like dough.

Use a hand whisk to mix all the ingredients very well.

Leave the dough in a warm place to rise and double in size. When little bubbles appear, it is ready. See the first picture? That's the idea.

Using a teaspoon, take little dough and drop it (carefully!!!!) into a deep pan with hot olive oil to fry. When the loukoumas is ready and golden brown remove it and place it on a plate, which is lined with kitchen paper towel, so that the excess oil is absorbed.

In the mean time, prepare the syrup (if you want to use it). Boil all the ingredients together, until thick and well, syrupy!

Put your loukoumades on a serving platter and drizzle with syrup, or just drizzle with some good golden honey, as I did!!

Nice golden brown colour!

Excuse the dark picture, but it was getting late and I just want you to see the honey.....

You can play around with the dough, the toppings, the flavors of the syrup. The possibilities are so many!
I like to add cinnamon in the dough, but you can omit that and dust a little on top.
Also, they are AMAZING with nutella on them!!!!
You can add chocolate chips in the dough or small pieces of fruit. Can you imagine apple bits in the dough and cinnamon with confectioner's sugar on top?

Seriously, you have got to try them.

Louise

Daring Bakers - March 2013

It is quite some time since my last post, which was also a Daring Challenge. A lot of work and my little girl being ill kept me away.

So, this month's challenge was very very intersting. Hidden Veggies! Hidden in delicious desserts!

Our host, Ruth from Makey-Cakey gave us a great challenge, as we were supposed to use vegetables in desserts, any kind of veggie in any kind of dessert. She also suggested some recipes.

I made two cakes....
1.
Carrot Cake
slightly adapted from here

300gr all-purpose flour
10 oz carrots, grated
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
300gr white granulated sugar
50gr dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 180ο C. Butter and flour a cake pan or small pans or use a cupcake pan lined with cases. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt very well. Put carrots into a large mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with flour.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine sugars, eggs and yogurt. While the processor is running, drizzle in the oil slowly.
Pour this mixture into the carrots and stir just until combined.
Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45 min.
Reduce the heat to 160o C and bake for another 20 min or until the cake is ready testing it with a skewer to see that the centre is done.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 min. Then turn the cake out onto a rack and allow it to cool completely.
It is great with both cream cheese frosting and just dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Lovely and moist!

2.
I tried to make a Red Velvet cake using beets. I didn't like the result. The taste and the colour and the texture.... It was all wrong!
I will not give you the recipe, because quite frankly I threw it away. There is no need for more people to throw away good ingredients....

I will show you some pictures:

This is the beet purre. The colour is amazing!

Also the colour of the cake batter is perfect!

The pre-baking perfection ended. This is the baked cake and it is brown.

The finished cake.

It is not a Red Velvet. Sure, you can call it Cocoa Beet cake, but not Red Velvet....


Any way, I am so glad with the Carrot Cake recipe, that I have baked it twice already.

Thank you for the grate Challenge Ruth!

Louise

Daring Bakers - February 2013

This month's challenge was mainly savory. It was about crackers and flatbreads. Our host was Sarah from All our fingers in the pie!

I, naturally, turned it sweet... Chocolate sweet, that is. What else?

So, I chose to make a flatbread with cocoa and brown sugar.

You can find the original recipe here, as was given to us by Sarah.

Cocoa Flatbread
the way I made it slightly adapted

240 ml warm water (about 43°C)
5 gm active yeast (not dry)
420 gm all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
50 gr cocoa
45 ml olive oil
coarse salt
50 gm white granulated sugar
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water, for egg wash if you like it


Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, oil, 1 teaspoons coarse salt and the sugar. Stir until a dough forms.
I used the dough hook for my mixer.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Use as much flour as necessary so it is not a sticky dough.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll the dough around in the bowl so that it is also lightly oiled on the surface. Cover with cling film and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Divide dough into equal portions and cover with plastic wrap. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with the egg mixture (if using) and sprinkle brown sugar.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through baking, until crisp 18-22 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Check the brown sugar....

I also made some flatbreads filled with brown sugar...

... and covered with dark chocolate, while they were hot from the oven.

I think I liked the chocolate covered ones better, much much better!

Thank you for this challenge Sarah!

Louise

P.S.: Since taking these photos, I made another sweet flatbread. I added a little more white sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon and no cocoa. Baked them and while they were hot, I drizzled honey on them... Can you imagine what that was like?

Glazed moist orange cake!

Continuing on oranges, after that lovely spoon sweet, which we no longer have, as G ate it all.... we move to a cake!

I like all citrus desserts and the lemon cake is the one I make the most. It pairs nicely with white chocolate...
But I'm getting off the point.

In my files I had a recipe for an orange cake, which I wanted to taste for some time now. It is easy to make and really tasty!

Glazed moist orange cake

3 eggs
175gr granulated sugar
75gr cream
140gr self rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50gr melted butter
20ml rum (which ever you want)
orange zest from 1 orange

glaze:
100gr confectioner's sugar
orange juice

Preheat the oven to 200o C.
Prepare a baking tin (butter and flour it).
Beat together eggs, sugar and zest.
Add the cream, flour, baking powder and mix well.
Add butter and rum. Mix well.
Pour the batter in the prepared tin and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let it rest.
Bake at 200o C for 10 minutes and to 170o C for 40 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the glaze:
Mix the sugar with enough orange juice to produce a thick liquid, not paste, not runny.

As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke it around with a skewer and glaze it. Let it rest for 10 minutes and glaze again.
After about 10 minutes take the cake out of the tin and glaze it again all over. I used a paint  brush to brush the glaze on..
You can do this every few minutes until you have used up all the glaze.

Decorate with some orange spoon sweet!!!

Trust me... You will love it!

Louise