Happy 2nd Birthday, Dani Dishes!

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Dani Dishes's first birthday.  Last year, I was drinking bubbles in the little Cooper Street kitchen in Charleston, surrounded by my girlfriends.  This year, I found myself at my parents' house in NC for a much quieter, but nonetheless enjoyable celebration.

I know I've gotten off track with the blog this past year. I've been trying to get through culinary school, working all the time, and honestly just haven't felt like writing. 

But, I've spent a lot of time trying to get my head straight, and I've decided that it's time for a change. As much as Charleston has meant to me, I'm looking forward to seeing some new places and making some new memories. So, next week, I'll be packing my car and moving to Denver, CO! It's a little daunting, and I know it's gonna be a cold winter for this Carolina girl, but I'm ready to do this thing.

 

I've got a couple posts up my sleeve, so stay tuned. Cheers to another year, Dani Dishes!

Happy Birthday, Dani Dishes!

Happy first birthday, Dani Dishes.

Cheers to a great year...

Bethany, Amanda, Caroline

...and to all my good friends who've supported me along the way.

me , Cindy, Carlie

Here's to another year of inspiration, creativity, and happiness!

A Trip to Chapel Hill

Last week, I went on another fun trip to the triangle area.  The main reason for going to was to take the intro level sommelier exam in Raleigh through the Court of Master Sommeliers.  My friend, Morgan, who works at McCrady's, also took the test.  It involved a pretty intensive two-day seminar prior to the exam, and I was happy to have a friend there with me.  There was a lot of information to absorb, and I think I might have felt a bit more overwhelmed had I gone by myself.

Morgan and I just before taking the exam

I couldn't help but to be a little nervous about the exam, even though I was overall fairly confident about it. Much to our relief, however, we both passed!

So that was pretty exciting. I've been pretty stressed out about the whole thing, and I'm glad to have one less thing looming over my head right now.

~

The other purpose of the trip was to celebrate my birthday!  Tuesday was my actual birthday, but I didn't want to party too hard because the wine exam was the next day.  But, you better believe, on Wednesday after I found out I passed, it was on. 

We finally had dinner at Lantern, after having drinks there my last two visits.  My sister and I asked the bartender to just pick dinner for us because, truly, I would have been happy with any single item on the menu.  He happily obliged us, and I loved every bite.

To start, I got Chaat, which is kind of like a warm salad with roasted chickpeas and cauliflower, crispy potatoes, pickled red onion and a nice, refreshing herbed/minty chutney.  I absolutely adore both chickpeas and cauliflower, and I thought this dish was delicious and certainly unique, with lots of fun texture.

For dinner, I had the steamed wild striped bass, which was served with lots of herbs, crispy ginger, a fermented black bean-type broth, baby bok choy, and rice.  This was excellent as well, along with Margaret's lacquered pork tenderloin lettuce wraps, and Sam's crispy duck noodle soup.  Gotta say, though, I did enjoy mine the best.

The dessert was rave-worthy.  Roasted banana ice-cream with peanut brittle, caramel, and whipped cream. To.die.for.  And I'm really not even the kind of person who just raves over dessert.

Here's one of the sis and me at Lantern.  Sissy bought me the dress for my birthday :)

And one of the sis and her hunky boyfriend, Sam, whom I got to officially meet.

~

So that's about all I have to share with you, except for a couple gem photos from our hungover trip to the Maple View Dairy Ice Cream Store in Carrboro the next day.

*mmm...*

Don't be jealous of the fact that I ate really delicious ice cream two days in a row.

Blood Orange Polenta Upside-Down Cake

This recipe caught my eye as soon as I saw the photo in the March '10 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  It was one of those recipes that I immediately knew I would have to make. The oranges were just so striking, and polenta is one of my favorite things to eat.  What's not to like?

Make sure you slice the oranges as thin as possible.  I talked to my Bakeshop Production chef after I made it, and he suggested using a mandolin.  The flavor of the cake was amazing, but the peels were still a bit overwhelming on the palate.  I think if you cooked the slices with the simple syrup for even just a minute or two, rather than just laying them in the already cooked syrup, it might help candy the peels and take a bit more of the bitterness out.  That being said, here is the recipe:

Blood Orange Polenta Upside-Down Cake

From Bon Appetit, March 2010

7 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus 3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp, divided

3 unpeeled small to medium blood oranges

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons polenta or coarse yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated

6 tablespoons whole milk

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Combine 6 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a 10-inch diameter ovenproof skillet with an 8 inch diameter bottom and 2 1/2 inch sides *my trusty cast-iron skillet worked beautifully for this cake*.  Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat and boil wihout stirring until syrup is golden amber (not dark amber), occasionally brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush and swirling skillet, about 4 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and whisk 2 tablespoons butter into caramel. Set aside.

I

I think I could have cooked my syrup a bit longer.  This is also where I probably would have added my orange slices. 

I'm thinking all this could have been done in a separate pan, and then laid in the cast iron skillet afterwards.

Cut off both rounded ends of each orange so that ends are even and flat.  Using sharp knife *or mandolin,* cut oranges into 1/16 to 1/8 inch rounds.  Remove and discard any seeds.  

Arrange orange slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles atop caramel in bottom of skillet.

I

I also would eliminate that center circle of oranges you see on top here.  

You really only want one total layer of oranges, with maybe a very slight overlap. 

Whisk flour, polenta, baking powder, and coarse kosher salt in medium bowl to blend.  Using electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup sugar, remaining 6 tablespoons room-temperature butter, and vanilla in another medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add egg  yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour mixture in 3 addtions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating batter until just incorporated.

F

Clockwise from top: flour/polenta mixture, butter/sugar mixture, whites, yolks

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  Add remaining 1 tablespoons ugar and beat until stiff but not dry.  Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions.

  whipped whites and polenta cake batter

Drop batter by large spoonfuls atop orange slices in skillet, then spread evenly.

You don't want to pour the batter because you might disturb the arrangement of the orange slices.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  *I underbaked this by 5 minutes, and I think I could have taken it out even a few minutes earlier than that.  It would have been pretty dry had I left it in the full amount of time.  This could also just be my oven...*

Run small knife around cake to loosen.  Place platter atop skillet.  Using oven mitts, hold platter and skillet firmly together and invert, allowing cake to settle onto platter.  Rearrange any orange slices that may have become dislodged.  Cool completely at room temperature and serve with whipped creme fraiche (or whipped cream).

So ultimately, this recipe turned out pretty well, with some room for improvement.  I think if I made it again with these slight changes, it would turn out perfectly. 

This cake is a good one to have up your sleeve because it's stunningly beautiful, but not that hard to make.

 

Culinary School Update: Cream of Broccoli Soup and Pate A Choux

Good for cold days.

This week in cooking class, we made brown stock and Cream of Broccoli soup.  The recipe calls for 2 cups chicken veloute, which is a roux thickened chicken stock, as my mother correctly guessed.  In class, we just added flour to the sauteed veggies, and added the 2 cups of chicken stock on top.  My friend Delia suggested that I post the recipe:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

3/8 oz butter

1 1/2 oz onion, medium dice

3/8 oz celery, medium dice

3/8 lb broccoli, chopped

2 cups chicken veloute

1 cup chicken stock

3 fl. oz heavy cream

salt and pepper

blanched broccoli florets for garnish

Over low heat, sweat the onions, celery, and broccoli in the butter, without browning, until they are nearly tender.

Add the chicken veloute (or sprinkle the veggies with flour and add chicken stock). Bring to a simmer, and cook until the veggies are tender, and the stock begins to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.  Skim the surface periodically.

Puree the soup, then strain through a chinoise, if desired.

Return the soup to the stove and thin it to the correct consistency with additional chicken stock.  Bring the soup to a simmer and add hot cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish!

*This was good- it was nice and thick, and I did choose to strain mine to give it a nice, clean texture. 

~

In baking class, we made Pate A Choux.  

From this dough, we made cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, and profiteroles.

 Cream Puff.

The cream puffs were filled with pastry cream, which was then topped with whipped cream (chocolate or vanilla).

 

Chocolate Eclair.

The chocolate eclairs were piped with pastry cream, and dipped in chocolate ganache.

They were good, but really rich.

Fuji Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I found this recipe in the October '09 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  The picture really appealed to me, which is mostly why I decided to make it.  The magazine chefs didn't frost the sides of the cakes, just the layers, and I thought it achieved a very intriguing visual effect.  Overall, the recipe wasn't too difficult; my frosting, however, just would not become the proper consistency.  It tasted great, but was pretty gooey (overworked, perhaps?), so alas, I gave up and frosted the sides.  The applesauce kept the cake nice and moist, and the apples and walnuts (which I substitued- cheaper than pecans) added a fun texture. 

So, without further ado, the recipe:

Fuji Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons bourbon, apple brandy, or rum (optional)(I used American Honey bourbon)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 medium Fuji or Gala apples, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/3-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (or walnuts!)(about 6 oz.)

Frosting

1 8-ounce package cream chees, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3 cups powdered sugar (measured, then sifted)

coarsely chopped toasted pecans (or walnuts)(for garnish)

Cake

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides.  Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round.  Whisk first seven ingredients in medium bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.  Add both sugars and beat until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla, then bourbon, if desired (mixture may look curdled).  Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 additions alternately with applesauce in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition.  Stir in apples and pecans.  Divide batter between cake pans; smooth tops. 

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 40 mintues.  Transfer cakes to racks and cool in pans 15 minutes.  Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes.  Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment paper.  Place another rack atop 1 cake and invert again so that cake is rounded side up.  Repeat with second cake.  Cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead.  Wrap each cake in plastic and store at room temperature. 

Frosting

Using electric mixter, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth.  Beat in vanilla extract and pinch of salt.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.  

Using long serrated knife, trim off rounded tops of cakes to make level; brush off any loose crumbs.  Transfer 1 cake to platter, trimmed side up.  Drop half of frosting (about 1 1/2 cups) by spoonfuls atop cake.  Spread frosting evenly to edges of cake.  Top with second cake, trimmed side down.  Drop remaining frosting by spoonfuls onto top of cake, leaving  sides of cake plain.  Spread frosting to top edges of cake, swirling and creating peaks, if desired.  Sprinkle with nuts.  Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour to allow frosting to set slightly.

 

A cross-section

 

The cake was still delicious and attractive.  I would like to make it again sometime with hopes of really conquering the frosting.