vegilicio.us

August Daring Bakers Challenge: Dobos Torta

This month's challenge was one I hadn't heard of. (No surprise there. I think "cheesecake" is the only one with which I've actually had prior experience.) I did hear from a Hungarian friend that it's pronounced with an "sh" sound at the end, and that it's delicious. All I needed to hear!

So the Dobos Torta is a layered sponge cake, filled with a chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. I decided from the get go to do a miniaturized version, as I knew this was destined for the office, and having everyone hack into a round layer cake just sounded like a bad idea. 

I did not have the energy to play with the original recipe as handed down by the Daring Bakers hostesses myself, so I kindly borrowed Brynna Clark Grogan's, with minor changes: 

Sponge Cake

• 2 1/2 Cups plus 2 T. pastry flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbs Earth Balance
• 2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice 
• 1 Cup Water
• 3/4 Cup Soy Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350º F. Brush a jellyroll with a light layer of oil. Use a sheet of parchment to cover the bottom. (The oil helps the parchment stick to the pan.)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add Earth Balance, water, and lemon juice and beat well (with an electric mixer) for a minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients and beat again. Pour the batter into the jellyroll pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is lightly browned, and the center springs back to your touch. Set aside to cool. 

While the sponge layer is cooling, mix the chocolate buttercream. This version is courtesy of Daring Baker Mahima, and it was delicious:

• 1 cup Earth Balance
• 1 tbsp soymilk or little more, if needed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled)
• 1 and a half cup confectioner sugar 

Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer. Pour into a bowl to set aside. Lick beaters.  

 

Next, release the cake from the pan. I then cut off the crusty edges (and ate them), and then cut the cake with a serrated knife into small squares, about 2 inches by two inches. I then sliced each of those squares into 2 layers. I stacked 4 layers of the small squares together, spreading chocolate buttercream in between. Then, ice the tortas. I realized early on I didn't have enough icing to ice the entire exterior of every mini-torta. So, half of them were fully iced, while half only had icing on the top and between the layers. I sprinkled toasted, chopped hazelnuts around the sides. Be sure to leave a few top-layer squares to use as caramel-covered wedges for garnishing the top. 

 

Next, make the caramel topping. This portion of the recipe I took straight from the original, although I definitely made a couple missteps here. After previous kitchen disasters, I'm a little gun-shy about melting sugar on the stove. My fear of burning meant that I took the syrup off the stove too early, and never really reached the caramel color or texture. It tasted fine, but never achieved what the recipe calls for. 

Caramel topping

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil 

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Cut the leftover squares into smaller-sized wedges. 

2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

3.Pour the caramel over the wedges, let cool. 

Finally, take each of the caramel-coated wedges, and prop them up against a toasted hazelnut atop each torta. 

The tortas were definitely yummy, and I got compliments from my coworkers. The only bummer was that without the proper execution of the caramel-coated wedges, instead of tasting like an incredibly special, traditional Hungarian dessert handed down over generations (as if I know what that is supposed to taste like), they sort of tasted like birthday cake with extra-yummy icing. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.)

The Hostesses for this challenge have requested that we include the following message: 

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus:  Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

June Daring Bakers Challenge: Bakewell Tart(lets)

From the very beginning, I had an inkling that this might have to be my first Daring Bakers challenge to sit out. It was shaping up to be a hectic month already. And a Bakewell Tart? Never heard of it. It seemed rather egg-reliant and I just wasn't sure I had the energy for it. The only real appeal was that it featured frangipane, made from ground almonds. Yum. 

I was convinced that I was not making this one. No how, no way. But then I found myself on a Sunday afternoon, with some unexpected free time on my hands after my earlier plans fell through. I thought to myself, "Well, I could try for that tart." So I decided that I would forge ahead as long as a trip to the grocery store was not required. I was a little concerned that there wouldn't be enough natural light left to get any decent photographs (as it was already after 6pm), but it was the longest day of sunlight of the whole year. The universe seemed to be sending me a message: Make the tart. Not having any real need for a whole tart to myself, I decided to go with the much more fun tart-let approach, making them easier to transport and pawn off on unsuspecting co-workers Monday morning. 

Now, on to the recipe! (Note: I halved the full recipe below, and got exactly 12 tartlets made in a mini muffin pan.)

Sweet Shortcut Pastry

• 225g (8oz) all purpose flour
• 30g (1oz) sugar
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
• 110g (4oz) Earth Balance, briefly frozen
• Ener-G egg replacers, equivalent of 2 eggs
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional) [Note: I used vanilla]
• 15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water 

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. [I skipped this step, naturally.] Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside. 

Lightly beat the egg replacer with the extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Frangipane

• 125g (4.5oz) Earth Balace
• 125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
• Ener-G egg replacer, equivalent of 3 eggs
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract [Note: I subbed vanilla here too]
• 125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
• 30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream Earth Balance and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the egg replacer, beating well. Pour in the extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour. 

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the thickness, use a biscuit cutter to cut circles a little larger than each muffin cup. Transfer each circle to the muffin pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. [Note: Homemade jam or preserves, of course, were encouraged. I used jarred peach jam in half, and strawberry jam in half.] Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tartlet. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. 

The finished tartlets will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm.

Keeping with the tart's medieval roots, I plated then on some pewterware on a wooden table (as I imagined William the Conqueror might have done.) 

 

I have to confess that considering this whole thing was a rushed job and involved many unresearched substitutions (both to veganize the recipe and account for the fact that I made no trip to the grocery store in preparation and had to go with what I happened to have on-hand), I was quite impressed with the result. I feel like the egg replacer did a fantastic job. I have not ever used it in recipes in which I felt like the eggs really played a crucial role, but I think that was the case here and the result was quite good. The fangipane in particular was delicious (I had a hard time not eating it by the spoonful waiting for the dough to chill.) Not sure the Bakewell Tart will ever be part of my regular rotation, but I'm glad that in the end I chose not to sit this one out. 

Our Daring Baker hostesses have asked that we include the following message:

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Vegan Birthday Cupcakes

It was my girlfriend's birthday recently, and I was set on surprising her with old-fashioned vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting, just like we all had as kids (and since she has two actual little kids herself, making something they would like was important.)

I was looking for a relatively simple recipe, using ingredients on-hand, that no one would suspect was dairy and egg-free. When I've needed something of that sort in the past, I've always turned to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking, and she has yet to fail me. The cupcakes were delicious, and I cite two toddlers (and okay, two grown up women) with chocolate frosting mustaches as evidence.

May Daring Bakers Challenge: Apple (well, Apricot) Strudel

I was both excited and a little scared at this month's challenge of Apple Strudel. I liked the idea, but I've had woefully little pastry experience in my life. And, have I ever even had strudel? Unclear. I have to keep reminding myself that this is why they call it a "challenge." But, the best part was that I didn't even have to do any goofy tofu substitutions to veganize it. This was one ready to go, right out of the box.

The real test of this one was making the tissue-thin dough. As such, the hostesses allowed lots of flexibility on the filling. As much as I like apples, I truly love apricots. 

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers (Note: For my strudel, I halved these quantities.)

• 1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough

• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons or so Earth Balance (just for brushing the dough)
• 2 teapsoons breadcrumbs
  

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

3. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.

4. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

Apricot-Walnut Filling

• 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 pint of apricot jam
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  

1. Mix together dried apricots, apricot jam, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat until jam is melted. 
   
2. Add the shredded coconut and walnuts and mix well.  
3. Set aside until cool.
   

1. Try to find a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a round table or a large work surface. Cover your working area with table cloth (I used a cheesecloth); dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.

2. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

1. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands.
   
2. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. If necessary, cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

1. Lightly spread melted (not too hot) Earth Balance onto the dough, and then sprinkle the dough with a couple teaspoons of breadcrumbs. (This will ensure that air can circulate between the layers of dough.)
   

2. Add the filling along one edge of the dough. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling.
   

1. Lift the cloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself.
   
2. Continue rolling, using the cloth as needed to maneuver it, until all of the dough is used.

1. Transfer the strudel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you do a full batch, you may need to curve it into a horseshoe to fit.)
2. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with just a little melted Earth Balance. (I also added some turbinado sugar to the top.)

1. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
2. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

I must say, I think this was my most successful Daring Bakers challenge to date! It was absolutely wonderful. I served it with a drizzle of dark chocolate and a scoop of coconut sorbet.

The challenge itself wasn't nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I thought it might be, and the dough was way easier to work with than I had feared. I think this would also make a great savory dish, by filling the dough with eggplant, mushrooms, red peppers, onions, etc. Next time!

Our Daring Bakers hostesses have requested the that we include the following message:

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

March Daring Bakers Challenge: Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake

 

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was a little more my speed, in that it was actually a dessert this time. The challenge recipe was for a cheesecake, but considerable latitude was given in terms of style. With spring in full swing, I wanted to do something bright and fresh. Although I'm no enemy to chocolate, with warmer days upon us, I just wasn't in the mood for some kind of turtle something or other.

I have always heard of meyer lemons and seen them used in various recipes, but I had never actually tried them myself. Knowing them to be sweeter than conventional lemons, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take them out for a spin. And, a citrus approach seemed just the kind of thing I had in mind. Luckily, my local specialty market had some in stock, so I grabbed some and headed home to begin. I settled on the idea of a meyer lemon cheesecake with a rosemary shortbread crust. To me, rosemary is a lovely addition for spring, and I just happened to have some growing in my windowsill.

I thought that doing some candied lemons would give me something to use as a decoration on top, while also adding a different flavor dimension and contrasting texture to the soft cheesecake.

Candied Lemon Slices

Ingredients

• 2 meyer lemons

• 2 cups sugar

Directions

Slice the lemons into 1/8" - 1/4" slices. Combine 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let the lemon slices cool in the syrup.

Next, on to the crust. I love shortbread crusts, and I thought that adding the rosemary would give it a little extra interest - something unexpected. I used a basic shortbread recipe, then just added minced rosemary and some of the zest from the meyer lemons.

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Crust

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t minced fresh rosemary
• 1 t meyer lemon zest

Directions

Preheat over to 400°F. In a stand mixer with an electric mixer, beat mix sugar and butter until fluffy. Stir in flour until mixture is crumbly in appearance.

Add rosemary and zest. Gather dough into a ball.

Press firmly into a spring form pan, lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Bake crust for about 15-20 minutes or until golden and firm. Set aside until cool.

Because I was using small-sized springform pan, I had some dough left over from the crust. Refusing to let the extra dough go to waste (we are in a recession after all!), I formed the dough into small cookies. I baked them in the same 400 F oven for 14 minutes. They were golden and buttery and crisp and fantastic. They would make wonderful tea cookies. 

I had made a vegan cheesecake in the past, and so I went with my standard approach and just added some of the juice of the meyer lemons.

Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients

• 1 -14 oz package firm silken tofu
• 1 -8 oz package Better than Cream Cheese (the version without trans fat)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup meyer lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

Reduce oven to 350 F. Place tofu and cream cheese in the food processor. Blend for 1 minute, then add sugar. Process until smooth, 3-5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk in cornstarch until no lumps remain. Pour mixture into the food processor and process until very smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Set pan in large casserole pan and fill with hot water to the half-way point of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven, and allow cake to sit in cooling oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Once cooled, I decorated the top of the cheesecake with the candied lemon slices, and springs of sugared rosemary. The cheesecake had a bright flavor and nice texture. The meyer lemons did give it that perfect mix of sweet and tangy-sour. I do think I should have cooked it just a few minutes longer -- the very center of the cake never completely set. It tasted very good, but it made the cutting and presentation a little messier than I would have liked. And, despite my best tinfoil-wrapping efforts, a little water did still seep into my springform pan and get the crust wet. Amazingly it crisped up well after cooling and sitting in the fridge overnight. The crust was my favorite part. I definitely think those lemon-rosemary shortbread cookies will make a future appearance in my kitchen.

Our Daring Bakers hostesses have requested the that we include the following message:

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Recipe: Banana Nut Bread

My coworker revealed that he'd been too ambitious with his produce purchases last week and he had a bowlful of bananas on the verge of rotting. Being a kind and generous person, I decided to relieve him of the burden of browning fruit by baking banana nut bread.

My mother's delicious recipe from when I was young had made me a fan for life, but I had not yet tried to veganize it. (Unfortunately, when I went to look for it, I came up empty handed. A while back, I removed my non-veg family recipes from my daily use recipe book and relocated them to my keepsake box. Shoulda used more foresight I suppose for those that still had some potential for modification.)

Anyway, undeterred, I combed the Web to find a good candidate and forged ahead. This recipe was inspired by one from VegWeb, and it came out very well. The best part was the exceptionally crusty top.  Note: It's heavier on the fat and sugar than I'd like (it was pretty delicious though, ahem...) but for the next go round I'd reduce the sugar (less would still be plenty) and make a substitution for part of the oil.

Ingredients
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c  mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 c oil
5 tablespoon water + 3 1/2 t Ener-G egg replacer
1/3 c soy-buttermilk (1/3 c soymilk mixed with 1 t vinegar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine bananas, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk in a bowl.
4. Combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients, stirring well. Add the egg replacer, and stir well. Fold in pecans.
5. Pour into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

 

Potato Crasher-Smasher-Thingies (I just call them delicious.)

When I first got Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, I was flipping through the pages (as I always do with a new cookbook) just to get a sense of her style and approach. I noticed the recipe for "Potato Squashers." Basically, you smash cooked new potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, and roast them in the oven. Huh? How is that a recipe? In a published cookbook? I went on to enjoy many other recipes in Dreena's book, and I never thought more about that odd recipe for the potato squishy thingamajigs.

But then I saw this post from VeganYumYum (who is oh-so-trustworthy) for Crash Hot Potatoes, which seemed like pretty much the same idea. So I thought, hmm, maybe there is something to this smooshed-potatoes-with-oil-in-the-oven thing. 

And there was. Think soft, creamy potato insideness with crispy, salty potato skin outsideness. Sort of like a way more interesting version of a French fry.

 

When Whole Foods had these gorgeous little yellow new potatoes on sale, I thought I should go ahead and give the smasher-crashers a try. I didn't follow either recipe precisely, I just put together what made sense to me. Here's my approach:

First, preheat the oven to 450 F. Scrub the potatoes, then toss into a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes well. Boil 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender (when you insert a steak knife into a potato and lift, the potato should slide right off the knife.)

Dry the potatoes, and place them on a large cookie sheet. Give each potato a good squashing with whatever kitchen tool is at hand. (I found that a cast iron skillet worked best, although I have also used a potato masher.) Don't worry if they ooze everywhere, that is the idea.

Give the potatoes a good drizzle of olive oil, and then sprinkle on whatever seasonings you like (but salt is essential). I used a lot of cracked salt, black pepper, a good sprinkle of smoked paprika (great flavor and beautiful color), and then some fresh rosemary. 

Cook in the oven until crisp on top and just beginning to brown, 25-30 minutes. 

I just heap them onto a plate and eat with my fingers. Who knew something something so odd and simple could be so delicious? Sorry I ever doubted you, Dreena!

March Daring Bakers Challenge: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

It's my very first Daring Bakers Challenge! For months I have eyed other bloggers' monthly creations: flourless chocolate cakes, Danish braids filled with apples and raspberries, carmelized spiced cakes! Clearly, this was a group I wanted to join. The Daring Bakers (now 2000 strong) was founded by Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice. The idea behind it is that each person in the group bakes the same recipe every month, keeping it a secret until the "reveal date,",at which point everyone posts her or his experience (with photos!) on their sites. I am thrilled to be a part of this group, and more specifically, I am thrilled to join the "Alternative Daring Bakers," an incredibly creative and supportive subgroup of Daring Bakers who are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-intolerant, or otherwise modify the recipes to meet their individual lifestyle/health needs.

I anxiously awaited the first recipe, and I must confess I was a bit disappointed to see lasagna on deck. Wha? I thought this was about cakes! Fancy cakes! With chocolate shavings or marzipan or ground hazelnuts! But in truth, the Daring Bakers cover the breadth of their name, and lasagna does fit the bill. Cookies it was not, but it was a fun experience with a very tasty result.

There are three components of the recipe: a bechamel sauce, a meat ragu, and spinach lasagna noodles. The real challenge of this month focused on making your own, hand-rolled spinach pasta, which I have zero experience in doing. Since the original recipe used eggs, I relied on Bryanna's recipe from VegSource:

Pasta

• 1 and 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1/3 cup chopped spinach, pureed with 1/3 c water
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 T olive oil

I put all ingredients in a food processor, adding a little extra water at the end to help it come together. The dough seemed a little rubbery, but I had no idea what was supposed to happen, so I decided just to go with it. (Plus, I didn't have enough chickpea flour for a second attempt.)

After letting the dough rest, I divided it into 4 equal portions to make rolling it out a bit more manageable. On a floured surface, I flattened the dough into a round disk, and began to roll it out (trying to focus on gently "stretching" the dough instead of pressing it down with the roller, as the recipe instructed.)

Continue to roll out the dough, stretching it larger and larger, and turning it 1/4 turn after every few rolls. The dough should eventually be thin enough for you to see your fingers through it.

 

Once the appropriate thickness is achieved, cut the dough into 4x8 inch rectangles. (I then hung them over the back of a chair to dry, until I was ready to use them.) When ready, boil the noodles for 2 minutes in salted water and set aside on paper towels.

The second component of the recipe is the bechamel sauce. I made vegan substitutions for ingredients as needed.

Bechamel

• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 4 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
• 2 and 2/3 cups plain soymilk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the Earth Balance over low to medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes.

Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

The final component of the recipe is a meat ragu. I considered using beans, lentils, or other vegetables, but I wanted to preserve the "meaty" quality of the original. Therefore, I decided to use meat substitutes.

Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 package Yves vegan Canadian bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 1 package GimmeLean vegan sausage
• 2/3 cup dry red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)
• 1 &1/2 cups vegetable borth
• 2 cups soymilk
• 1 can plum tomatoes, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

(Although the recipe doesn't call for it, I also added in about 3 T tomato paste.)

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the Canadian bacon and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color.

Add in the sausage and slowly brown over medium heat. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering:
Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup broth into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup broth. Stir in the last 1/2 cup broth along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomato paste and tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Now, assemble the lasagna, layering the bechamel, noodles, and ragu in a 9x13 glass casserole dish.

Put the assembled lasagna in a 350F oven for 40 minutes covered in foil. Remove the foil and leave in for another 10 minutes. Turn of the oven, crack the door, and let it rest for a final 10 minutes.

 

The result was utterly decadent - the bechamel and hearty ragu yielded a richly satisfying lasagna that is unlike any I have ever had. I feel pretty sure I didn't get my noodles quite thin enough, as I only had enough for 3 layers. But they turned out tender and delicious in the final product nonetheless. I can't say that I have plans to make hand-rolled pasta again the immediate future, but it was fun!

Our Daring Bakers hostesses have requested the that we include the following message:

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Telecommuting Lunch: Red Pepper Tofu Pasta with "Chicken"

Another day working from home, another chance to eat a real lunch (and use up some leftovers.) A couple of months ago, I had made the Roasted Red Pepper sauce (a jar of roasted red peppers and a package of light silken tofu whizzed around in the blender with some spices) recipe from Nava Atlas's cookbook. I had frozen the leftovers, unsure of how well it would hold up, but unwilling to let it go without a try. Luckily, it came out pretty well. I thawed and heated the frozen sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, then tossed in some whole wheat angel hair, some Mornginstar Farms Chicken Meal Starters, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

(Okay, so truthfully, I just wanted an excuse to eat out of my brand new chopstick bowl which I had just taken out of the kiln the day before. But it did taste good.)

Oscar Menu 2009: Spiced Popcorn

In lieu of dessert for my Academy Awards-themed dinner, I opted for making Indian-spiced popcorn, which could be enjoyed during the 4 or so hours of the show. The flavors, of course, were inspired by the Bombay-set Slumdog Millionaire. It fits the bill when you want a simple, light snack, that also feels a little special. (And it makes your kitchen smell wonderful!)

Spiced Popcorn
(serves 2, by my standards!)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 cups plain popcorn (I use Bearitos Organic No Oil Microwave Popcorn, 2 bags)
cooking spray

Mix spices together in a small bowl.

Spread a layer of the popcorn on a cookie sheet or piece of parchment/wax paper. Give a light coating of cooking spray, and sprinkle spices over popcorn. (I did this in three shifts, transferring the popcorn to a plastic bag afterward.)

Serve and enjoy.