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 Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Total time: 4 hours.
Makes about 2 cups of smooth chocolate sauce.
1 cup cocoa powder
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar, set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together cocoa powder and butter until a smooth paste forms.
In a saucepan on medium heat, combine water and cocoa paste until hot, but not boiling. Add this mixture to flour and sugar. Add milk, and mix well. Remove all lumps, and you should have a nice chocolate sauce.
At this stage, it’s great for fondue, really. It might need a little more sugar (you’ll have to taste it, to see). I was hoping for something a little more solid, though. Even after chilling in the refrigerator, it didn’t become hard. Well, maybe it would have, if I hadn’t immediately dipped my pretzels into it. The pretzels became soggy, and the chocolate stayed soft. These tasted better dipped in candy sprinkles or powdered sugar. They’re slightly bitter by themselves.
When chilled, this chocolate is just like Fudge I in consistency, and while it’s unique and rich, it’s not what I wanted. Solid, it’d be good for chocolate chunk cookies or *inside* something else.
There’s always next year, I guess.
 Cinnamon Brioche with almonds and honey 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup warm milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2-4 Tbsp honey
2-4 Tbsp finely chopped almonds
1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Slowly mix the warm milk, butter, cinnamon and 2 of the eggs into the flour mixture.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth. The dough is ready to rise when it is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
5. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down a few times.
6. Press the dough out into a rectangle then spread with the honey. Sprinkle with almond pieces.
7. Roll up like a Swiss roll and place on a lined baking tray.
8. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
9. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
10. Remove the dough covering, bake for 10 minutes. Turn the pan, and reduce the heat to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the brioche is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
 Moo Shu Pork with "pancake" and hoisin paintbrush (scallion) The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried black fungus (‘wood ears’)
½ lb (450 gm) pork loin or butt
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), thinly cut
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice wine
A few drops sesame oil
12 thin pancakes to serve
garnish with hoisin sauce
Directions:
- Soak the fungus in warm water for 10-15 minutes, rinse and drain. Discard any hard stalks, then thinly shred.
- Thinly cut the pork, bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage into matchstick-sized shreds.
- Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Heat about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a preheated wok and scramble the eggs until set, but not too hard. Remove and keep to one side.
- Heat the remaining oil. Stir-fry the shredded pork for about 1 minute or until the color changes. Add the fungus, bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining salt, soy sauce and wine. Blend well and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add the scrambled eggs, stirring to break them into small bits. Add the sesame oil and blend well.
- To serve: place about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot Moo Shu in the center of a warm pancake, rolling it into a parcel with the bottom end turned up to prevent the contents from falling out. Eat with your fingers.
Shown here with a moo shu pancake and a scallion “paintbrush” for the hoisin sauce. I must confess to not being able to try it with mushrooms, but I did stick with all the other ingredients.
 Thin "Pancakes" for Moo Shu Pork The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
Makes 24-30 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes’ standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups (960 ml) (560 gm) (19¾ oz) all purpose flour
About 1½ cup (300ml) (10 fl oz) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting
Directions:
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.
- Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.
- Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.
- Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.
 Wonton Soup en Consommé Total time: 7-10 hours.
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cooks’ September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!
Ingredients:
Stock
1 kg chicken bones or skinned Marylands
1 boiling chicken or 2 kg (2¼ lb) wings
400 gm (14 oz) onions, about 4 medium
400 gm (14 oz) carrots, about 6 medium
200 gm (7 oz) celery, about 4 large ribs
50 gm (1¾ oz) dried mushrooms, about 12
200 gm (7 oz) broccoli stalk, two large stalks
Soup or Consommé
2 litres (8 cups/2 quarts) chicken stock
500 gm (1 lb) chicken mince
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 cm (1½ inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
4 cm (1½ inch) piece fresh ginger, extra, peeled, chopped
½ red capsicum (red bell pepper), chopped
2 spring (green) onions, chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
2 red bird’s eye chillies, seeded (optional), thinly sliced
½ cup (120 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) Vietnamese mint leaves
1 cup (240 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) coriander (cilantro) (Reserve 18 of the smallest leaves and 6 of the tips for service) wash the rest of the bunch including the roots.
1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
1 – 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce
 Stock on the left, Consommé on the right Clarifying the soup
1 egg white per 4 cups of stock (for clarifying)
1 cup crushed ice per 4 cups of stock
Wontons
Recipe makes about 48 wontons only 18 are used for this recipe. The rest can be frozen uncooked for other occasions.
500 gm (1 lb) chicken breasts or tenderloins with the tendon removed.
1 tablespoon (30 ml) rice wine, mirin or sherry
4 teaspoons (20 ml) soy sauce
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) ground white pepper
½ cup (120 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 finely chopped spring (green) onions
48 wonton wrappers
Egg or water to moisten the wonton wrappers so they stick together
Directions:
Step 1 – Stock
1. Cook your bones and chicken until brown.
2. Sweat the vegetables in the oil or butter until soft.
3. Put ingredients in a stockpot and cover with cold water.
4. Cover with a lid, then bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, skimming foam from surface, for 2 hours or until meat falls from bone. Lift out the chicken and keep for another use.
6. Strain stock through a muslin-lined sieve. Discard solids.
Step 2 – Soup
1. Fry the mince until brown and cooked. Allow any juices to cook off. You don‟t want any burnt bits as it will make your stock bitter.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes
3. Skim off any fat.
4. Strain the soup to remove any solids. Stop here and serve with wontons. Allow 1 cup/240ml per serve. Or move on toward Consommé.
Step 3 – Consommé (clarified with egg whites)
1. Place egg whites in a bowl. This is the time to taste your stock and decide if it needs more flavourings or salt and pepper. Add seasoning to the egg whites.
2. Whisk the whites to a bubbly froth and add the crushed ice.
3. Add to the cooked meat. Mix together.
4. Add this mixture to the simmering stock. Whisk for a slow count of three.
5. Let it heat slowly back to a simmer. Don‟t stir it again.
6. The raft is a delicate thing. It is vital it doesn’t break apart (if it breaks apart it will all mix back into the soup and you’ll have to start again with the egg whites.), you want to bring it up to a simmer very slowly. Keep a close eye on it. I try to push the middle back so I get a good hole. Once the raft is substantial, break a little hole in it if there isn’t already one.
7. As the consommé simmers, you will see bubbles and foam, come up through your hole. Skim it off and throw it away. When the bubbles stop coming and the consommé looks clear underneath, then you‟re ready to take it out. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for ten minutes.
8. Removing the consommé from underneath the raft is another nerve racking procedure. You want to break as little of the raft as possible, but you have to get underneath it to remove the liquid.
9. Enlarge your hole with a ladle and spoon it all out as gently as you can. You can strain it if you want too but hopefully the liquid is clear.
Wontons
1. Finely chop the chicken with food processor or cleaver. Transfer chicken to large bowl. Add sherry, soy sauce, pepper, coriander and spring onion; mix well.
2. For wontons, work with about twelve wrappers at a time, keeping remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon meat mixture onto center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten with egg or water and gather edges around filling, pressing firmly at top to seal; cover and set aside.
To serve
1. Heat consommé or broth.
2. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F/180°C. Add eight to ten wontons at a time, cook until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
3. Place the broth into your warmed bowls. Add 1 wonton and place the others beside the bowl.
4. Add 3 Vietnamese mint leaves and 3 chilli rings to each bowl. Place a tip of the Vietnamese mint beside each bowl
5. If you have it add a 1 cm (1/3 inch) wide strip of edible gold leaf to each bowl.
I split this into two days. Chicken stock on the first day, chilled and scooped the fat out. Then soup, wontons and consommé on the second day.
The directions were fairly straightforward and detailed, so I didn’t see a reason to reinvent Peta’s wheels. When I sat down to eat it, I said “Ah, it’s pretty but I didn’t need it to be pretty.” By the time I was finished eating my first bowl, I’d decided that yes, it needs to be pretty like this if I do it again. The visual difference is astounding, and the time is totally worth it.
 Herb & Garlic Brioche Total time: 3.5 hours
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cooks’ September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes! Brioche was one of the optional recipes.
2 cups (480 ml) (280 gm) (10 oz) all-purpose plain flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (28 gm) (1 oz) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt
½ cup (120 ml) milk, warm
½ cup (1 stick) (120 ml) (115 gm) (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (1 gm) chopped chives
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (1 gm) chopped parsley
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (2 gm) Italian mixed herbs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (2 gm) freshly crushed garlic
 Thyme & Rosemary Brioche Bread Bowls 1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Slowly mix the warm milk, butter, mixed herbs and 2 of the eggs into the flour mixture
3. Knead until the dough is smooth. The dough is ready to rise when it is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
5. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down a few times.
6. Finely chop the fresh herbs and mix with the garlic.
7. Press the dough out into a rectangle then spread with the chopped herbs.
8. Roll up like a Swiss roll and place on a lined baking tray.
9. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
10. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
11. Remove the dough covering, gently brush the loaf with the remaining beaten egg, bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the brioche is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
In my old-school Joy of Cooking cookbook, the instructions for brioche include “throwing the dough on the counter violently” (not even kidding). This recipe is so much easier. 🙂 I loved this brioche so much, I also made bread bowls for gumbo. If I hadn’t run out of butter, I’d have made something sweet, too. That’s next on the list.
 Chicken Paprikash and spätzle The boy called this “Jimmy New-tonne Curry”. I think it was the fun pasta.
Total time: 1 hour
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons butter, bacon fat, or lard
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or one can of chicken broth)
1/2 cup sour cream
Serves 2-3.
Melt butter or fat in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until desired doneness – I prefer golden brown, so about 10 minutes.
Add paprika, chili powder, and salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and stir them in the pan until they’re well coated in onion mix. Cook 3-5 minutes more or until all pieces of chicken look like they’re ready to braise (white all over or even browned on each side).
Add tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Slowly stir in chicken broth until completely incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and slowly stir in sour cream. Return to heat for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with potatoes, rice or pasta. Seen here with spätzle.
I meant to spoon the chicken and sauce over my noodles. After I took this picture, I immediately mixed them all up together. And I’m sure I’ll catch flack 20 ways from Sunday for saying this, but chicken paprikash is just a fancy name for HUNGARIAN CURRY.
 Spätzle with Chicken Paprikas Total time: 35 minutes
Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks’ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!
Ingredients
2 large eggs
½ cup (120 ml) milk or buttermilk
1½ cups (360 ml) (210 gm) (7½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour (approximately – have more on hand, in case)
up to 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of herbs and spices (optional – I added 1 tsp nutmeg instead)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (3 gm) fresh parsley, chopped (optional decoration, I skipped this)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and any herbs and spices that you want to incorporate into the spätzle.
2. Incorporate the flour in small batches, by sifting in a small amount at a time and mixing until the flour is completely integrated. Keep adding flour until the dough becomes elastic, smooth and very hard to stir.
Boil a large pot of water. Dip a table spoon into the boiling water to wet it. To form the spätzle, fill the tablespoon about half way with dough, and release into the boiling water.
4. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Drain the water from the spätzle. Because it’s full of fun craters where water can hide, you will need to drain it especially well. Toss with the chopped parsley.
Seen here paired with chicken paprikash.
I pushed my dough through these holes I found in what I think is a food processor salad bowl (I really have no idea, I just found this thing in my “miscellaneous drawer” in the kitchen). I got a little warm standing above the boiling water, but it was worth it. Because the pieces were so much smaller and more spätzle-y, I only had to cook them 8-10 minutes, but I had to do two batches.
This was so fast and easy, and it made a light and tasty noodle.
 More like "everything but the kitchen sink" seasoning. I’ve never tasted Old Bay Seasoning, so I don’t know how close this comes, but I thought it tasted pretty awesome in Jen’s Grandma’s Best Crab Cakes. You need a spice grinder or mortar & pestle.
Total time: 8 minutes
4 bay leaves
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground mace
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground allspice
Most people use Old Bay Seasoning for seafood, but I hear tell of folks who put it on everything like a season-all or season salt.
I had to grind them all together in my mortar. I suspect I could have gotten away with ground bay leaves if I had them and ground celery seed or maybe even celery salt (to replace seeds & salt), but I think grinding up the red pepper flakes is important, too.
 Chicken & Sausage Gumbo in a brioche bread bowl Our May hostess, Denise of There’s a Newf in My Soup!, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need from creole spices, homemade stock and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh.
Total time: 2-5 hours, depending on how you manage your time, or if you’re using canned chicken broth. This took me exactly 3 hours and 24 minutes, including my bread bowls and chicken broth.
Serves 10-12.
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) rendered chicken fat, duck fat, or canola oil
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) flour
2 large onions, diced
1 chicken (3 ½ to 4 lbs.), cut into 10 pieces I used chicken breasts
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) Basic Creole Spices, or store-bought Creole spice blend I used double. Mmmm…
2 pounds (2 kilograms) spicy smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch (15mm) thick I left this out.
2 stalks celery, diced
2 green bell peppers (capsicum), seeded and diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 quarts (3 liters) Basic Chicken Stock (recipe follows), or canned chicken stock
2 bay leaves
6 ounces (175 gm) andouille sausage, chopped
2 cups (480 ml) (320 gm) (11 oz) sliced fresh okra, ½ -inch (15mm) thick slices (or frozen, if fresh is not available)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Filé powder, to taste I left this out.
Tabasco, to taste I left this out, too.
And I added 1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes. I should have added a handful, since I like it warmer. Maybe next time.
1. Prepare homemade chicken stock, if using. The challenge came with a recipe, but I was making stock for several meals, so I did my own.
2. Prepare homemade Basic Creole Spices, if using.
3. Season the chicken pieces with about 2 tablespoons of the Creole Spices while you prepare the vegetables.
4. Make sure all of your vegetables are cut, diced, chopped, minced and ready to go before beginning the roux. You must stand at the stove and stir the roux continuously to prevent it from burning.
5. In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan, heat the chicken fat, duck fat, or canola oil over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil – it will start to sizzle. **DANGER! IT SPITS!!** Reduce the heat to moderate, and continue whisking until the roux becomes deep brown in color, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the onions. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir the onions into the roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue stirring until the roux becomes a glossy dark brown, about 10 minutes.
7. Add the chicken to the pot; raise the heat to moderate, and cook, turning the pieces until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
8. Add the sliced smoked sausage and stir for about a minute.
9. Add the celery, bell peppers, tomato, and garlic, and continue stirring for about 3 minutes.
10. Add the thyme, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally.
11. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, skimming off the fat from the surface of the gumbo every so often.
12. Add the chopped andouille, okra, and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper, several dashes of filé powder, and Tabasco, all to taste.
13. Simmer for another 45 minutes, continuing to skim the fat from the surface of the gumbo. Remove the bay leaves and serve in bowls over rice. Pass more filé powder at the table if desired.
Seen here served in a homemade bread bowl.
I didn’t think I’d like gumbo. I had some seafood gumbo as a kid (made by a really burly, wild Italian man), and I didn’t think I’d care for it this time around – BUT I DID! Not only that, but I really enjoyed it. I should have made a full recipe.
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