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.
I was expecting something sweet for this month’s Daring Bakers, and I have to admit that I put off making this lasagna until the last possible moment. Between being overloaded with work, going to conferences and reading the Twilight books, my free time has been pretty limited. I wasn’t in the mood for meat and I decided to make a mushroom ‘ragu’. I am always in the mood for mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms have become on of my favorite things over the last year. I thought that the mushrooms went really well with the delicate spinach pasta. I used a pasta machine, and found this dough to be really easy to roll out. My husband helped, and we had long green noodles draped over the kitchen drying. It looked a little nuts like green snakeskins…yum. The whole project was well worth it. In the end, this was a really delicious dish that I will make again.
Thanks so much to this month’s hosts: Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande! You can find the complete recipe for the pasta and lasagne assembling on their blogs. Check out the other Daring Bakers’ creations on the fabulous brand new site or the blogroll!
Mushroom Ragu
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups diced portobello mushrooms
3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 cup sliced shitake mushrooms
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup whole milk
Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the spices, tomatoes and milk and bring to a low simmer, partially covered for at least an hour.
I have made many different kinds of blueberry muffins, but I think that this recipe is my new favorite. Muffins, particularly whole grain muffins, have a tendency to disappoint. The buttermilk really adds a lot to the flavor and texture. They rose higher than expected and were delicate and light. From what I understand, the acid in the buttermilk gives the baking power an extra boost. I used frozen blueberries in these. I usually buy organic frozen fruit, but lately I has been buying Dole. The fruit is perfectly shaped (I’m guessing from being flash frozen) and surprisingly good.
I served these on this really cute cake stand. Apparently, my mom got it at her bridal shower in the late seventies. I don’t imagine it was ever her taste. I hadn’t seen it until we did a final cleaning of my parent’s house after it sold. It was like finding a little gem, and I immediately put it in my ‘keep pile’. The plate has these really cheerful spring bright spring flowers on it. I just love it.
Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
from the Joy of Baking with my notes in parentheses
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups white whole wheat and 1/2 AP)
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
(I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon)
Zest of one orange (I used zest of 1/2 a lemon)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk (I used 1 cup for extra moisture with the whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup (160 ml) safflower or canola oil (I used a light olive)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of blueberries (do not thaw if frozen)
Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the wet ingredients together, including the zest. Sift the dry ingredients together and stir in the sugar. Mix the wet and dry together and carefully fold in the blueberries. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. This will make 12 muffins.
I just love this recipe, and I have made it many times, probably more than any other cake. It is a surprisingly light recipe from the venerable Ina Garten. I have made this cake into tiny muffins, loaves, and baked it in a tube pan as seen here. Although I recently posted an orange poppy seed version, I realized I have never posted the classic lemon. I don’t always glaze this cake as it is plenty good without it and sometimes I don’t want the extra sugar. If I do use a glaze, I usually just use one of the two recommended. I have found that I can use some whole grain flour in this (usually white whole wheat) and it doesn’t affect the delicate crumb. Whenever I use whole grain flour in cakes, I try to double sift it. I find it makes a noticeable difference in the texture. Although it is far from raspberry season around here, I couldn’t resist these berries. I love raspberries and lemon together, but this would be equally good with blueberries or blackberries.
Lemon Yogurt Cake
By Ina Garten, Recipe from The Food Network, My changes are noted below
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used lowfat)
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided (I usually use ¾ cup of sugar in the cake)
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I also used 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (I only use about ½ a cup)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.
Today was pretty much the ideal early spring day. It is hard to believe that I made this sauce when we were completely snowed in less than a week ago. I wanted to make something that could simmer on the stove for a few hours while we both worked from home. I love feeling of being snowed in and knowing that things are moving more slowly outside, if only for a day.
I had most of the ingredients, with a few changes, for a somewhat traditional Bolognese sauce. I used bison meat because I always have some in the freezer and whole grain pasta. Mario Batali’s recipe served as an inspiration. I wasn’t originally going to add bacon to this, but I only had about a tablespoon of olive oil and needed more fat. In the end, I really loved the subtle smokiness that the bacon added. This was a really great hearty sauce. Perfect for what may be the last wintery for day for awhile.
Spaghetti with Bison Bolognese
Inspired by Mario Batali’s Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 chopped carrots
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 slices of bacon. finely chopped
1 pound ground bison meat
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 28oz can pureed tomatoes
½ cup water
1 cup lowfat milk
Heat the olive oil and add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about five minutes and add the bacon. Cook until most of the bacon fat has rendered out of the meat. Add the bison meat. When the meat is almost completely cooked through add the garlic and cook for about a minute more. Add oregano, red pepper, salt and black pepper and can on tomatoes. Stir to combine and add additional ½ cup of water and cup of milk. Simmer covered on low for at least 2 hours.
I am just under the wire in sending this dish over to the Second Annual Festa Italiana hosted by of the Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Mary Ann of Finding La Dolce Vida. They have already posted some amazing Italian dishes that you can check out here and here!
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is definitely one of my favorite desserts of all time. These cookies are a great variation on the classic. The texture had a really pleasant chewiness, and they were still pretty cake-like despite being a bit flat. I had high hopes for these, and they didn’t disappoint. I made my cookies a little smaller than the 1/2 ounce suggested in the original Martha Stewart recipe and put a little over a teaspoon of cream cheese frosting between each cookie. I think that bite sized mini versions of this cookie would also work well.
Carrot Cake Cookies
Adapted from this Martha Stewart Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and cranberries. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
Using a 2 teaspoon scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once completely cooled, sandwich with desired amount of frosting. This makes about 15 sandwiches.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
