July Daring Bakers: Macadamia-Apricot Cake

This month's Daring Baker's assignment came from Chris of Mele Cotte. The original cake was a Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream, but I made a few changes, most importantly substituting macadamia nuts for the hazelnuts. Wow, what a delicious cake! Thanks to Chris for this awesome challenge! Here are the layers, from top to bottom:

Slices of fresh apricot
Macadamia praline buttercream
Apricot glaze
Macadamia genoise
Macadamia praline buttercream
Whipped cream (unsweetened)
Rum glaze
Macadamia genoise

The cake itself was light and flavorful, and the addition of the glazes made it extra moist and delicious. This buttercream is one of the best I've ever had! Not too buttery, and the macadamia praline paste made it just incredible. I'm not a great cake decorator, so the finished cake certainly wasn't as beautiful as those of some other DBs this month, but I have to say that the individual slices were gorgeous because of all the layers of yummies!

The original recipe can be found here, but I made a few changes. I used macadamia nuts instead of hazelnuts because another DB had posted on our message board that she tried them and really enjoyed how they worked--plus, they just sounded so summery and delicious to me! They made the thing layers of cake really rich and tasty. I omitted the chocolate ganache glaze simply because I wanted the cake to be as summery as possible and, much as I love dark chocolate, it seems like a more winter-y flavor to me, especially when combined with nuts. I also used a half recipe of Dorie's buttercream recipe (minus the lemon, linked here) for the buttercream, and added in lots and lots of macadamia praline paste (much more than called for in the original), just because I loved how it tasted. Finally, I didn't strain the apricot glaze so that there were some pieces of apricot under the frosting--a delicious surprise!

All in all, this cake seemed to get rave reviews from my "tasters", both from lovers of the Opera cake and those who didn't care for it so much...it was interesting, because although the cakes had some very similar components, they ended up with a very different feel in the final product (of course, they were also different flavors!). One thing I definitely learned from making this cake was to let it sit out for about 15 minutes before eating after it had been in the fridge--all the components are much yummier when softer and closer to room temperature (although everything does cut better cold).

Be sure to check out all the other cakes this month at the Daring Bakers Blogroll (link in sidebar to the left).

Chicken with Catalan Picada

This dish is fairly easy to pull together, especially with two chefs, and it has great flavor. It tastes a little like mole, the Mexican chocolate sauce, but not spicy. My mom says it tastes very gourmet, and I agree--tons of flavor complexity for not much effort! We served the chicken with potatoes, but rice would also be a good accompaniment. Yum!

Chicken with Catalan Picada (adapted from Food and Wine)

4 whole chicken legs, split or 6 chicken breast halves, with or without skin
Salt and pepper
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
14-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sweet wine or sherry
1 bay leaf
3-inch strip of orange zest
1/4 tsp thyme
Picada, recipe below

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. If using skin-on chicken, brown the skin in 2 T of oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. If using skinless chicken, add in step 2.

2. If you haven't browned the chicken, add oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over moderately high heat until very thick, 5 minutes. Add the broth, wine, bay leaf, orange zest, and thyme. Bring to a boil Add the chicken, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Stir the picada into the sauce and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is slightly thickened. Discard bay leaf and orange zest and season with salt and pepper.

Picada (from Food and Wine)

1 slice peasant bread, crust removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 T oil
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 c parsley
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Large pinch allspice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the bread cubes and almonds until slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.

2. In a small skillet, cook the garlic in the oil until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

3. Put the garlic, oil, bread, and almonds in the food processor. Add the chocolate, parsley, cinnamon, and allspice and process until the mixture becomes a paste.

World Peace Cookies

I don't know how I avoided making these cookies for so long! I know they've made the rounds on the blogs probably a few years ago, but somehow the whole "refrigerate for three hours" part scared me off because I like my cookies right away, thank you very much! Well, it turns out that these are very much worth the wait, with delicious chocolate flavor and that perfect kick of salt, plus a texture that's buttery and just melts in your mouth. Wow. If you're one of the two remaining folks out there who hasn't made these cookies, you absolutely must try them!

World Peace Cookies (from Dorie Greenspan's Cooking from My Home to Yours)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips [I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks]

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

3. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting Ready to Bake:

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6. Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Red Beans and Rice & Zucchini Cornbread

I found both of these recipes on favorite blogs and they were perfect for a quick dinner. Closet Cooking has this fabulous recipe for red beans and rice. I couldn't find scotch bonnet peppers, but some serranos spiced everything up quite well, despite being a little less authentic! I also jazzed up the recipe by adding a little bacon. The beans and rice were delicious on their own as a yummy main dish, and also the perfect accompaniment for some spinach chicken my housemate made the next day. I also enjoyed the leftovers reheated with an over-easy egg on top...so generally, I'd say this dish is totally versatile--main dish, side dish, even breakfast!

If you make this meal, be sure to save all that bacon grease from cooking the bacon for the beans and rice--it was a great addition to this fabulous zucchini cornbread from Baking Bites. This is a delicious recipe and also a great way to use up the millions of zucchinis that are no doubt populating your (or your neighbor's) garden...well, one of them anyway! It's moist and slightly molasses-y, but not so sweet that it can't be enjoyed with a savory dinner.

Red Beans and Rice (original recipe from Closet Cooking is here)

Note that the brand of coconut milk I used was pretty thin...if you buy a thick coconut milk, you might want to use less coconut milk and more water, depending on how rich you'd like the final dish to be. Note also that this makes a ton, but that the leftovers are awesome--we actually managed to eat them all up, which is sometimes a struggle in our house!

6 slices of bacon (or more)
3 cups uncooked Jasmine rice
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, tops removed and cut in half lengthwise
5 green onions, white parts and a couple inches of green, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 cans coconut milk
2 cups water
lots of salt and pepper to taste

1. Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve the oil from the bacon.

2. Measure out 3 T bacon grease for the cornbread and then pour the rest into a large pot (about 1 T). Dump in the rest of the ingredients except the reserved bacon. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the rice is cooked. You may need to add more water. When everything is cooked, crumble the bacon and gently stir into the beans and rice. Taste for salt and pepper.

3. Remove the peppers (or just warn the eaters) and serve, with extra salt and pepper for those who want it.

Zucchini Cornbread (original recipe from Baking Bites is here)

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg white
2 T molasses
3 T bacon grease, slightly cooled but still liquid (or melted butter)
1 cup finely shredded zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease an 8- or 9-inch pie plate

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: buttermilk, egg, egg white, molasses and bacon grease until smooth. Pour wet into the dry and stir just to combine. Add the zucchini and stir to evenly distribute. Pour batter into pie plate and spread evenly.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Cool for about 10 minutes or more, and then cut into wedges to serve.

Stuffed Squash

I'm currently in Independence, MO doing research at the Truman Presidential Library, so this is a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. When I first got to Independence, I was rather distressed about my eating situation--both my hotel and the library are in sort of strip mall-y areas, and the only restaurants around seemed to be fast food or chains like Bob Evans and Chiles. Now, I love me some Bob Evans sometimes, but I don't exactly want to eat it for three meals a day!

However, things are looking up: my hotel has little yoplait yogurts in their continental breakfast, I stopped by the grocery store to get some non-perishable stuff to make myself lunches (I'd forgotten how good peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches are out of a brown bag!), and I discovered downtown Independence, which is actually pretty cute, all two blocks of it. I stopped in at Cafe Verona tonight, and really enjoyed their delicious Ceasar salad and reasonably tasty lasagna. Still, I miss making my own food! Even in the zillion degree heat, I'm dreaming of these stuffed squash I made a few weeks ago with my mom. (And BOY, is it hot here! The reference librarian was commenting yesterday that oh, the humidity is only 85 percent! And that's so good for here!) See, despite the heat, I'm spending all day in a highly air conditioned archive, so hot food still sounds pretty good!

Of course, these squash are probably best in the fall, but when you happen to find an old butternut squash in your basement in July, they're still pretty amazing. The recipe suggests that these would be a great Thanksgiving main dish for vegetarians, and I would definitely agree with that. Even if, like myself, you're not a veggie, I think you'll still love them. The stuffing is like a jazzed up version of Thanksgiving dressing, and it pairs perfectly with the creamy orange squash. One half squash is enough for a light dinner, or two halves for a big eater.

Also, feel free to change things up! The original recipe is below, but we subbed almonds for walnuts and pine nuts for sunflower seeds, just cause that's what was around...both were a stunning success!

Stuffed Squash (from Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook)

2 butternut squash, split

3-4 T butter

½ cup chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, crushed and diced

1 stalk chopped celery

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ tsp sage

½ tsp thyme

1 cup coarsely-crumbled whole wheat bread

Juice from ½ lemon

¼ cup raisins

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the seeds from the squash halves and bake, face down on an oiled tray for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until tender enough to eat.

2. While baking, make the filling. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, nuts, and seeds in butter. Cook over low heat until onions are clear, nuts are browned, and celery is tender.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and mix in the cheese. Pack into squash cavities and bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Creole Fish Stew with Quinoa

My housemate Jessie and I chose this fish stew because it was a change of pace from what we usually make for dinner. We loved it! The soup is flavorful and spicy, and has a nice balance between the fish and the veggies. We used cod, but I think another firm white fish would also be tasty. This makes a LOT, so either halve the recipe or invite some friends over. :)


Creole Fish Stew (from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant)

3 T butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 small bulb fennel, cored and chopped
2 large potatoes, cubed
2 small zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (pull off the leaves and discard stem)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup tomato juice
3 cups vegetable stock
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 pounds firm white fish, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

To serve: cooked quinoa or another grain

1. Saute the onions and garlic in butter until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, fennel, and potatoes and saute for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and green pepper, and saute another 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, tomatoes, tomato juice, and stock. Simmer 15-20 minutes until the veggies are all tender.

2. Add the Tabasco sauce to taste. (If you want it to be spicy, you'll have to add quite a bit). Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice, fish, and shrimp. Simmer about 5 minutes until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily with a fork but does not fall apart. Be careful not to overcook!

3. To serve, add a scoop of cooked quinoa in the bottom of the bowl, and then ladle the stew on top. The stew is delicious served with cornbread, which is how we had it.

Blueberry-Raspberry Pie

Mmmm, this pie is fantastic! The inspiration was Dorie's Double Crusted Blueberry Pie, but we added lots of raspberries too, and much less sugar. I like my berry pies on the tarter side, but if you like yours uber-sweet, you can add the full cup of sugar.

One thing I really liked about this pie was that the filling really held together well and didn't run all over the place like some pies I've made...I think this may have had something to do with the preponderance of raspberries, which have lots of natural pectin. It was tasty at slightly warm/at room temperature and also chilled.

Blueberry-Raspberry Pie (adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours)

1 pint blueberries
1 pint black raspberries
1/2 pint red raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
pinch salt
coarsely grated zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon

2 pie crusts

1. Butter a 9-inch pie plate. Roll crust to 1/8 inch and fit into plate. Trim edges to a 1/2 inch overhang. Roll the other piece of dough to 1/8 inch thick also; set aside. Chill both.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the berries in a large bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, salt, zest, and juice. Let sit 5 minutes. Taste and add more sugar/lemon juice as needed.

3. Remove pie shell from the fridge and sprinkle bread crumbs over the bottom. Pour the filling into the crust. Moisten the rim of the bottom crust with cold water, then put on the top crust. Fold over and crimp the crust. Cut four slits in the top crust and a circle out of the center; lift onto baking sheet.

4. If there is time, optionally chill the pie for 30 minutes. Then brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake the pie another 30 minutes (for 1 hour total baking time). Let rest at least 30 minutes before serving.

Here's the pie with some homemade black raspberry-red raspberry-strawberry jam!