The Daring Cook's May 2012:Messieurs-Dames: Boeuf Bourguignon!

Our May 2012 Daring Cooks' hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.

I couldn't believe the timeliness of this month's challenge...I've been spending two month's worth of Saturdays taking up French at Alliance Francaise de Manille. So it was really a nice surprise when I read what this month's challenge was going to be and aside from that our hostess Fabi got the recipe from one of my favorites...Julia Child!

We were given the option of making a vegetarian version using tofu which I really wanted to make but didn't have enough time for. So I just went ahead and made the traditional beef version.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

200 grams Streaky Bacon

Olive Oil

1.3 kilos Stewing Beef cut into 2-in cubes

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

3 Tablespoons Flour

720 ml of young Red Wine (Bourgogne of course but Bourdeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Rioja etc.)

1 Carrot, sliced

1 Onions, sliced in julienne (strips)

355 to 475 ml Beef Stock

1 tablespoon Tomato paste or puree

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 teaspoon Thyme leaves

1 Bay leave

The blanched bacon rind

18-24 small onions, brown-braised in stock

1/2 kg mushrooms sauteed in butter (Champignons are perfect for this purpose)

Fresh parsley sprigs to serve

DIRECTIONS:

1.Prepare the bacon, remove the rind. Cut the bacon into lardons (sticks 1/4 inch thick and 1/2 inch long)and simmer everything in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry carefully with paper towels.

2.Dry the meat cubes carefully with paper towels.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees farenheit.

4. In a fire-proof casserole or a frying pan, saute the lardons in a tablespoon of olive oil for 2-3 minutes until they're lightly brown. Remove them to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

5. In the same pan, saute the beef until its golden brown. Remove it to the side dish where you keep the bacon and set aside.

6. Still in the same pan, saute the carrots and the onions.

7. Return the bacon and the beef to the pan sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add flour and toss.

8. Place the casserole/pan uncovered in the middle position of the oven for 4 minutes. This gives the meat a lovely crust.

9. Remove the casserole from the oven. Stir in the wine, stock, tomato paste, mashed garlic, cloves, thyme, bay and the blanched bacon rind.

10. Bring it to simmering point on the stove. If you are using a frying pan, discard it and put the stew in an oven-proof dish.

11. Cover the casserole (if it doesn't have a lid, use aluminum foil, and stretch it to the edges of the dish in order to minimize the loss of juices) and place it low in the oven. Adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly, it has to go on for 3-4 hours.

12. While the stew is cooking, prepare onions and mushrooms. For the onions melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan and saute the peeled onions until golden brown. Add beef stock until they're almost covered and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until almost all the liquid disappears and they're tender but keep their shape. Set aside.

13. Prepare the mushrooms as well: Wash, quarter and saute them in 2tablespoons butter. Keep in stirring until they're nicely browned. Set aside.

14. When the meat is tender put the stew into a sieve over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the stew to it. Put onions and mushrooms over the meat.

15.Skim the fat off the sauce. Put the saucepan on the stove and simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Skim additional fat if it rises. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If not boil it until it thickens.

*I cheated on this recipe by pressure-cooking the beef for 30 minutes. Then I did the rest of the procedures.

And there you have it...the final result of a hurried version...it still tasted pretty good, even if I didn't cook it for the traditional 5 hours.
I had to take the pictures as fast as I could because a certain cat number 2 a.k.a. Hopster was eyeing the plate.
Thank you Fabi for such a fab (sorry couldn't resist that) challenge this month! Oh and please don't forget to check out the other versions of Boeuf Bourguignon that my fellow Daring Cooks have come up with.

Breakfast Juicing

This is my recipe for breakfast to help me accomplish the tasks of a very busy, very taxing day...
I made up my own juice with some of my favorite fruits and vegetables...it has to be that way because I drink this every morning...every single day :)

But once in a while...like on Saturdays...I can't resist a slice or two of Bibingka!

The Daring Cooks' April 2012 Challenge - Create Your Own Recipe!

Our April 2012 hosts were David and Karen of Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients.

I really like it when we are asked to come up with our own recipes because it brings out everyone's creativity. So what is the list of these ingredients that we can play around? They gave us 3 sets and we had to choose one from each list:

1. Parsnips, Eggplant (Aubergine), Cauliflower

2. Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle Peppers

3. Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

Along with the list, they also provided some recipes but I decided to completely come up with my own. I chose Eggplant because I haven't seen parsnips around here in Manila, and no I don't really like cauliflowers so eggplant it is. I also have balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in the cupboard so I just came up with a dish utilizing those three: Eggplant, Balsamic Vinegar and Eggplants.

Being the true Filipino that I am...when vinegar is listed as an ingredient--I always think of Adobo. So that is what I decided to cook. Adobo is a dish that is cooked with vinegar and/or soy sauce and garlic. There are as many versions of this as there are many cooks in the Philippines. I was going to make my own version based on my 3 ingredients.
ADOBONG BAKA
1 kilo Beef Cubes (cooked in the pressure cooker the night before)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
10 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
2 pieces Bay leaves (dried)
1 teaspoon Black Peppercorn
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Maple syrup
Combine beef cubes, garlic, peppercorn, balsamic vinegar, soysauce and enough water or stock to cover everything in a pot. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes (this process is shorter because the meat was already cooked in the pressure cooker). Do not stir until boiling or the vinegar will taste raw. When mixture is boiling turn down the heat and season with salt, pepper and maple syrup. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Okay, so what about the eggplant? I cut it into rings, salted and rinsed. Grilled with olive oil (no need to season with salt, they might come out too salty).

And there it is...Adobong Baka with Grilled Eggplants. Thank you David and Karen, this was a wonderful challenge!

Bagoong Alamang at Mangga

I didn't realize how easy it was to make Bagoong Alamang. I have a friend who grew up in Navotas, a seaside community here in Manila and they used to make their own Bagoong Alamang, she was the one who told me how to make it. For the uninitiated, Bagoong Alamang is shrimp paste made from very small shrimps that are fermented and then sauteed with additional ingredients (onions, garlic, etc). I was supposed to make it from scratch but all I had available was pre-fermented alamang... BAGOONG ALAMANG

500 grams Alamang (fermented)

1 piece Red Onion (peeled and minced)

3 cloves Garlic (peeled, smashed and minced finely)

2 pieces Chili (minced)

2 tablespoons Oil (I used the solidified fat from the braised pork belly)

200 grams Pork belly (roasted in oven for 4 hours, cut small dice)

1/4 cup Cane Vinegar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Sautee minced onions, garlic and chili in oil until fragrant. Add the diced pork and the Alamang. Pour in the vinegar and let mixture come to a boil. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Cook this mixture until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Adjust the sugar as needed.

Cool and store in jars in the refrigerator.

Just as I was taking the picture...Hipster the cat decided to make an appearance to check out the delicious fishy smell coming from the bowl.

Bagoong Alamang can be used in many different ways. It can be a dipping sauce for Kare-Kare, or used in Binaggoongan. But my favorite way of using it is on Green Mangoes...yummmmmm...
Nothing says Summer more than Bagoong Alamang and Hilaw na Mangga (green, unripe mangoes).

Bonding Over Cognac Truffles

A while back my baby sister asked...no, actually more like begged me to help her make these. I really cherish the times I have with my family especially my younger sisters, having lost our mother 10 months ago made me feel more maternal and protective towards them so when I found time (long weekend because of Holy Week) I grabbed the chance and we set aside an afternoon making these yummy treats. I love anything chocolate, and one of the best ingredients to combine with chocolate in my opinion is alcohol, which this recipe both have. It's quite easy to make and only took about 3 hours of the afternoon, including refrigeration.

COGNAC TRUFFLES

500 grams chocolate (we used unsweetened, but you can use bittersweet)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup cognac

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup ground walnuts

Chop chocolate roughly, set aside. In a glass or stainless steel bowl melt butter and cream over a double boiler. Take off heat and pour the cognac. Add to chopped chocolate and mix until combined. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).

Form into balls and roll in powdered sugar or cocoa powder or chopped walnuts. Flavors can be combined as well.

Cognac Truffles in Powdered Sugar

Cognac Truffles in Cocoa Powder
Cognac Truffles in Ground Walnuts

Yummy truffles all lined up ready for eating and giving away to friends!

And here is my sister after we made the truffles :)

Braised Pork in Oyster Sauce

Everyone needs weekends for relaxing...I especially love Saturdays because it's market day at home and lunch is usually better than usual. There are extra special saturdays when we decide to splurge, like last week when my sister bought crabs and prawns which we made into chili garlic crabs and prawn sinigang. She also asked me to cook braised pork belly which came from last month's Daring Cooks' challenge.

BRAISED PORK BELLY

1.5 kilos pork belly, skin on

250 ml orange juice

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt

pepper

Wash pork belly. Pat dry, rub with salt and pepper. Place on an oven proof dish (I used a baking pan) pour the orange juice on the belly and scatter the onions and garlic. Cover with aluminum foil, which I completely forgot but had a delicious consequence--the skin became crispy! Roast in a preheated 350 degrees farenheit oven for 4 hours. Take out of the oven, cool in pan and refrigerate overnight.

1/4 cup Oyster Sauce

1/4 cup Stock or water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Take out the belly from the refrigerator, remove the garlic and onions. Chop into cubes. I had to pry off the crispy top and chop it separately. Take about a spoonful of fat from the pan where the belly was roasted, and use that to saute the garlic until fragrant. Mix the Oyster sauce and water and pour it on the garlic, add the chopped pork belly. Cook just until the meat is coated with the sauce and season with salt and pepper, I had to cut back on the salt because the Oyster sauce was flavorful enough. Serve hot.

*Set aside the solidified fat from the baking pan for future use(I will post separately about it).

And there you have it...the pork belly was tender and the skin was crispy. I was hoping there would be leftovers for dinner, but it was wiped out!

THE DARING BAKERS' MARCH 2012 CHALLENGE: Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

This is the first time I've heard of this so I am sure, I am not the only one who is wondering what exactly is Dutch Crunch? According to Sara and Erica: "Technically...doesn't refer to the type of bread, but rather to the topping that is spread over the bread before baking. In Dutch is called Tijgerbrood or "tiger bread" after the tiger-like shell when it comes out of the oven. The final product has a delightful sweet crunch to it that makes it perfect for a sandwich roll. It's a coomon option all over the Bay Area, and is often one of its breads to run out. "

Ooooh...okay tiger stripes like what our beloved cat Hipster has?

Dutch Crunch Topping

Servings: This recipe should make sufficient topping for two 9x5 loaves (23cmx13cm) or 12 rolls. If you make only 6 rolls in the first soft white roll recipe, you can cut the topping recipe in half.

We’ve provided this recipe first because it is the mandatory aspect of the challenge. Note, however, that you should not prepare the topping until the bread you’ve selected to bake is almost finished rising (~15 minutes from baking).

2 tablespoons (2 packets) (30 ml) (15 gm/½ oz) active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) warm water (105-115º F) (41-46°C)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm/1 oz) sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt
1½ cups (360 ml) (240 gm/8½ oz) rice flour (white or brown; NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour) (increase by 1 cup or more for home-made rice flour)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a whisk; beat hard to combine. The consistency should be like stiff royal icing – spreadable, but not too runny. If you pull some up with your whisk, as shown below, it should drip off slowly. Add more water or rice flour as necessary. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping. We tried coating it with a brush but it worked better just to use fingers or a spoon and kind of spread it around. You should err on the side of applying too much topping – a thin layer will not crack properly.

3. Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends. With the Soft White Roll, you can place the rolls directly into the oven after applying the topping. With the Brown Rice Bread, the loaves should stand for 20 minutes with the topping before baking.

4. When baking, place pans on a rack in the center of the oven and bake your bread as you ordinarily would. The Dutch Crunch topping should crack and turn a nice golden-brown color.

Soft White Roll

Servings: Six sandwich rolls

1 tablespoon (1 packet) (15 ml) (7 gm/ ¼ oz) active dry yeast
¼ cup (60 ml) warm water (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (No need to use a thermometer – it should feel between lukewarm and hot to the touch).
1 cup (240 ml) warm milk (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (We’ve tried both nonfat and 2%, with no noticeable difference)
1½ tablespoons (22½ ml) (20 gm/ ⅔ oz) sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil (plus additional olive or vegetable oil for greasing bowl during rising)
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (9 gm/⅓ oz) salt
Up to 4 cups (960 ml) (600 gm/21oz) all purpose flour

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or large mixing bowl, combine yeast, water, milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for about 5 minutes (The mixture should start to bubble or foam a bit and smell yeasty).
2. Add in vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook attachment or a wooden spoon, mix at medium speed until the dough comes together. (The photo to below is with the first 2 cups of flour added).

3. Add remaining flour a quarter cup at time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (For us, this usually required an additional 1½ to 2 cups of flour).

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 4 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

5. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled (or more) in size (see photo comparison).

6. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal portions (if you’d like to make rolls) or 2 equal portions (if you’d like to make a loaf) (using a sharp knife or a dough scraper works well). Shape each into a ball or loaf and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (try not to handle the dough too much at this point).
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 15 minutes while you prepare the topping.
8. Coat the top of each roll or loaf with the topping as described above. While the original recipe recommends letting them stand for 20 minutes after applying the topping, I got better results by putting them directly into the oven.
9. Once you’ve applied the topping, bake in a preheated moderately hot 380ºF/190°C/gas mark 5 for 25-30 minutes, until well browned. Let cool completely on a wire rack before eating.

We had to make sandwiches out of our Dutch Crunch bread and the first that I made is this new-ish (at least for me), healthier egg salad made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise and organic, free-range hardboiled eggs. I spread pesto on the inside and topped it with the egg salad and alfalfa sprouts...

(Healthy and Yummy!!--perfect for breakfast)

The second one was made of roasted peppers and pumpkin, and feta cheese, this one is my favorite! I put it in the microwave for a minute to melt the cheese...so good!

Maybe it was the time in the oven but for some reason my Dutch Crunch didn't brown as much as the other Daring Bakers. But thank you Erica and Sara, this challenge was both fun and delicious!