Well I’m experimenting with a new kanafa recipe and haven’t perfected it yet so I diverged and made many kanafas!
Also work has been crazy busy!

Kanafa with khashkawan cheese – perfect texture but still on the salty side

Pistachio kanafa bil smeed (my experiment) with ricotta cheese – strange after taste

Pistachio kanafa bil smeed with akawi cheese – something happened to the cheese! I need to rework something there.

Kanafa with creamy ricotta filling (adapted from a book) with honey sugar syrup – loved it and will post its recipe.

So here’s a slideshow of some of the kanafas I made

This time with nabulsi cheese. I used the same recipe as here but instead of the akawi cheese, I used nabulsi.

As with akawi cheese, you need to soak the cheese 3-4 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes.

I personally prefer it with akawi or even ricotta cheese but it wasn’t bad. Actually most people liked it.

The night before Ramadan I already knew I was going to experiment with this idea.

With the help of my mother and her suggestions, this is the result…

What you need:

• 1 packet phyllo pastry
• 1 stick of butter (100 grams)
• 5 apples (I used gala) peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• cinnamon powder

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt a large  knob of butter and add the apples, brown sugar and a few pinches of cinnamon powder, approximately 2 teaspoons. Mix through.

Cook apples until they’re soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius.

Remove the pastry from its package and cover with a wet towel to avoid drying. I used a terrible pastry brand last night. It was dry even before I worked with it! I forgot the name of the brand but it’s black. So don’t use that.

Use one sheet at a time and cut them into squares, about 6 inches. Melt the remaining butter and brush the square sheet with butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and then add another sheet on top and repeat.

The portions are individual so the number depends on how many guests and how much apple mixture you have.  Spoon some of the apple mixture in the middle and pull the edges of the pastry together and carefully twist the ends to form a pouch.

Place the pouches on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Want to take a peek inside?

Crunchy on the outside and soft and sweet in the inside, my perfect kind of dessert!

Enjoy!

The olive oils!

There are a million and one ideas going through my head as to how best use the olive oil and the truffle down to the very last drop!

I went down to the kitchen determined to make a plain cookie but then I saw a bowl of dates leftover from lunch earlier and remembered that I still have a large container of oats. And this is when I decided  to make oats and dates whole wheat cookies. I didn’t change much in the recipe except for reducing the amounts of sugars (brown and white) as the dates are sweet enough.

I made my first batch, just added a handful of oats and chopped whatever dates I saw in front of me. I made them thick and when they baked, they were almost cake-like and the baking powder after-taste was overpowering.

For the second batch, I measured everything correctly, reduced the amount of baking powder and made them smaller and thinner.

Dry mix:

• 3 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (coarse salt)

Wet mix:

• 2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and prepare two baking sheets covered with parchment paper.

Sift all the dry ingredients, except for the oats. Mix the dry ingredients and the oats with a whisk to blend.

In a bowl, using a paddle attachment, mix the butters and the sugars until creamy…

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla and then the flour mixture on low speed for 30 seconds only.

Scrape the mixture down using a spatula and add the chopped dates. Mix with either the mixer on low speed or simply combine with the spatula.

To make it easier for you and to have a consistent size for the cookies, I rolled the dough in a log with the help of a sheet of parchment paper.

Cut the log into about 20 slices and place them on the two baking sheets.

Bake for 16 minutes. Rotate the sheets halfway.

Freshly out of the oven and let’s see a close up of the insides of a warm cookie…

I made this from start to end in less than an hour. It’s the perfect treat for unexpected guests or just because.

Enjoy!

Well so far, I baked three different items: whole wheat cookies (with my additions of oats and dates and omitting chocolate chips), banana cereal muffins using rye flour and lastly my proudest accomplishment so far…

Whole wheat and oats sandwich bread

I started at 1:30 pm and took the loaf out of the oven at 7 pm! It was time consuming and I was about to give up, especially in the beginning as I had to restart 4 times because the yeast wasn’t reacting, but it was all worth it. I could have jumped with joy when I took it out of the oven and then seeing that it does actually look like a loaf of bread! My past experiences with yeast has been miserable so I was quite happy to see that it worked out.

We had to wait a few hours before attempting to slice it. It was a lazy Saturday night so my sister and I decided to stay in and try the bread. She went and bought some turkey, cheese and mustard.

I took the bread knife out and with slow breaths I cut the first slice. It was wonderful! The smell, the texture and the grains peeking out; it was overwhelming.

I buttered the slices, just because.

And layered turkey, cheese, Rocca leaves and a slathering of whole grain mustard.

And then I took my big bite…

I’m hoping to make this a weekly ritual. If you love baking, I highly recommending getting this book. You will require a trip to Al-Raha Stone Mill but that’s a treat on its own so no complaints there.

If you need the recipe for this bread, please do let me know in the comments section below.

I’m also planning on posting about the cookies but I just need to adjust the recipe a little, test it and then if it turns out well, I’ll post about it.

]]> http://theovenexperiments.com/2010/05/26/baking-with-whole-grain-flours-whole-wheat-and-oats-sandwich-bread/feed/ 7 Budour oats wholewheat bread loaf oats sandwich bread (cut) oats bread-sliced and buttered oats bread sandwich oats bread sandwich bite http://theovenexperiments.com/2010/05/10/french-onion-soup/ http://theovenexperiments.com/2010/05/10/french-onion-soup/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 16:20:21 +0000 busymomskitchen http://theovenexperiments.com/?p=670 ]]> Ever since I was a little girl, French onion soup has been a favorite. So when I fell upon the treasure of a cookbook (my mother’s 70’s edition of the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook) when still young and learning to cook, naturally the first soup that I would attempt was the French onion soup. Simple and basic, it’s easy to make and tastes great. Of course, as I learned more about cuisine, I began to add French herbs, some wine (de-alcoholised in our case) and proper gruyere cheese. This weekend, I made it for my visiting sisters that have been craving it for a while. But this time, I added a new ingredient that I learned of from Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking. The addition of egg yolks gave the soup a new dimension and a subtle creaminess that we loved. Thank you Elizabeth! And now for the soup:

The ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, 4 onions sliced ever so thinly; 1 teaspoon mixed dry French provincial herbs (such as: marjoram, thyme, tarragon); 4 cups of preferably beef stock, but chicken will do; ½ cup red wine; 2 egg yolks; couple of drops of natural vinegar, slices of baguette buttered and lightly toasted, grated gruyere cheese.
Cooking:
On medium heat, cook the onions in the butter stirring constantly for 10 minutes until softened. Season with salt, add the herbs, cover and let cook on low heat for 40 minutes. Stir the onions every 10-15 minutes. After the onions have cooked down add the stock and wine and cook covered for 30 more minutes. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks by hand with 2 drops of vinegar and mix in a ladle of the hot soup. Stir the yolk and soup mixture back into the soup until heated through, but (as Elizabeth warns in her book) ‘on no account boiling’. She doesn’t explain why, but I think if the soup boils at this point then the eggs would curdle.
Assembly:
Pour soup into bistro style onion soup bowl, or any oven-proof soup bowl (I used our X-large coffee cups). Cover each soup with slice of the toasted baguettes, enough to cover the surface of the soup. Sprinkle 2-3 heaped tablespoons of gruyere cheese on the floating baguettes. Place the soup bowls under a hot oven grill until cheese melts and bubbles. Be careful not to burn the cheese. Serve and enjoy!

I took the 70% chocolate bar and broke a small piece and placed it on my tongue. As it melted, the chocolate had an unfamiliar taste. It was strong. I’m not sure if it was the camel milk or because I was thinking too much. But I liked it.

So if you happen to be in Dubai and feel a bit adventurous, then why don’t you try some camel milk chocolate and while you’re at it, how about a camel burger?

My cousin who is on her spring break wanted to make ravioli together. My usual filling for ravioli is ricotta cheese mixed with shredded parmesan and dried oregano and I would serve it with  roasted tomato sauce. I love this combination but I wanted to try something new.

My sister as a way of shortcut once made pasta with cubed pumpkin cooked in butter and and sage until very soft and ever since I tried that I had fallen in love with this idea. So I wanted to translate this idea into ravioli…

Well first I had to make the pasta which is honestly the easiest thing.

Pasta:

• 2 1/4 cups floor (extra for dusting)
• 3-4 eggs

In a large bowl or a clean surface add the flour and then make a well. Add 3 eggs and mix, slowly incorporating the flour until you get a dough. If it’s too dry add another egg. Knead it until you get a firm dough. Cut the dough in half. Work with the first half while covering the second half with a kitchen towel.

Have your pasta machine ready and set it to the widest setting and run through the pasta dough at least 8 times, folding the dough like a letter and dusting it with flour every round. After the 8th round, place the setting to the 2nd thinnest and run through it once. The pasta sheet will be very long now. Cut it in half using a sharp knife and dust the sheets and keep it to the side. Do the same for the second half.

And now for the filling. I choose a medium size pumpkin or you can use butternut squash, whatever is available.

Pumpkin filling:

• 1 medium size pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes
• sage
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• double cream (whipping cream)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat, add the 2 gloves of garlic and leave for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin pieces and crush a handful of sage in the pan. Mix all together until the pumpkin has slightly changed color. Add water until you cover the pumpkin. Cook until very soft about 30-40 minutes. Lastly, mix in 3 tablespoons double cream and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Leave the filling to cool to room temperature. You can make this filling well in advance.

Now I wish I had taken more pictures during preparation but it completely slipped my mind and in any case the kitchen was a mess and my hands were so floury so maybe it was best my camera was left out of it!

And now the assembly line begins. Have your sheets ready in front of you and your filling. Put about a teaspoonful of filling at least an inch apart on two sheets. Prepare an egg wash by mixing 1 egg with some water and brush (or spoon) the egg wash around the filling. Carefully place a sheet of pasta on top of the sheet with the fillings and press around the filling. Using a knife or ravioli cutter, cut the pieces of ravioli. Meanwhile, in a large pot boil water with a pinch of salt. Cook the ravioli in batches for 3-4 minutes each.

And now lastly for the butter sage sauce…

• 1 stick butter
• olive oil
• sage
• salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan melt the butter and add a splash of olive oil. Add a handful of sage and salt and pepper to taste.

Dress the ravioli with the butter sauce and you’re ready to go!

Pumpkin

My cousin’s birthday was last weekend and I wanted to be the cake person! I already knew that I was going to have a simple chocolate cake with whipped white chocolate ganache filling and white buttercream as frosting. I have done this combination many times, which is inspired from November’s Jude cake, but little did I know that I would find ready-made marzipan at Sultan. And oh the excitement! I was going to make made-from-scratch marzipan for a certain somebody’s birthday later this month so initially I bought the packets for that project.

I baked my chocolate cake, whipped my filling and frosting and it was time to decorate. My cousin (sister of the birthday girl) and I thought this cake needed something extra! Our initial plan was to use a very small piece of the marzipan and roll it out into a square to write the birthday message but then because I had some time and still energy and enthusiasm we decided to cover the entire cake with marzipan. I took my red food coloring and put two drops in the marzipan dough and rolled it out thinly (too thinly we later found out). Placed the rolled out marzipan on the ready cake and decorated with white chocolate and dark chocolate. It was SO much fun!

Here’s the cake all lit with squiggly candles…

And an inside look…

I still need to practice on marzipan and eventually start making my own! But this one is so easy to use and it’s not ridiculously sweet. It actually complemented the cake.

P.S. If you want the recipe for this cake, let me know in the comment section below.

**UPDATE**

Cake Recipe (take from Little Cakes from the whimsical bakehouse):

Preheat oven 175 degrees Celsius and butter and flour a half sheet pan or a brownie pan.

Mix on high speed 1.5 sticks butter, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa powder until light and fluffy. Add one at a time 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Sift 2 3/4 cups cake flour*, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1.5 teaspoons salt.

Add low speed alternate between dry ingredients ad 1.5 cups buttermilk.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

* Substitute for cake flour: For every 1 cup cake flour = 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)

Whipped White Chocolate Ganache Filling:

Chop 225 grams White Chocolate (I recommend Green and Black’s)

Heat 1 litre whipping cream right before boiling. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Leave it for 5-10 minutes and then mix until all chocolate pieces have melted. Refrigerate or freeze until cold and then whip it.

Buttercream Frosting:

Beat together in an electric mixer using the flat beater 6 cups icing sugar, 2 sticks room temperature butter, 5 tablespoons milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add more milk if you need to thin it out. I never really measure the milk afterwards because I like my frosting more creamy.

Tips:

1. Bake cake a day ahead, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate it.

2. Make the frosting and filling the day of .

3. After filling the cake. Freeze the cake for at least 30 minutes before putting the first layer of frosting

4. If you’re not going to use marzipan, make sure to have the first crumb layer and then freeze it so that the final layer of frosting comes out clean with no crumbs in sight!