The June 2012 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy fromWhat the Fruitcake?!  . She chose to challenge everyone to make Battenberg Cake.  I never eat or make  battenberg cake before this challenge. Battenberg cake is a tasty  teatime treat that when cut in a cross section displays a wonderfully distinctive two-by-two check pattern of pink and yellow.  The dessert was made to celebrate the marriage between Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, and Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884.  
So, let  make some cake. The recipe itself is pretty simple . The interesting part comes in when you try to play with flavors . :)  I used lemon curd as a glue, fresh raspberry puree for coloring and chocolate plastic for wrapping. 
Recipe below is direct copy paste from Daring Baker's challenge. :)

Traditional Battenberg:

Servings: +- 8
Ingredients
¾ cup (1½ sticks) 175gm / 6 oz Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes

¾ cup / 175gm / 6 oz Caster Sugar

1¼ cups / 175gm / 6 oz Self-Raising Flour

3 Large Eggs, room temp

½ cup / 65gm/ 2 1/3 oz Ground Almonds (Can be substituted with ground rice)

3/4 tsp / 3½ gm Baking Powder

½ tsp / 2½ ml Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp (1¼ ml) Almond Extract

Red Food Colouring, paste, liquid or gel ( I used 3 tbsp fresh raspberry puree )

To Finish
1/3 cup (80 ml) 100gm /3 ½ oz Apricot Jam ( lemon curd in my case :) )
1 cup / 225gm / 8 oz Marzipan, natural or yellow  ( I used milk chocolate plastique and  If you plane to use chocolate plastique too , make it a day ahead )

Directions:




Milk Chocolate Plastique

200gm /7 oz Good Quality Milk Chocolate (+-50% Cocoa content)
3 Tbsp / 45ml /1½ oz Light Corn Syrup / Glucose Syrup / Golden Syrup

Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, stir occasionally
2. Once completely melted, remove from heat and allow to cool a bit
3. Stir in corn syrup / glucose syrup / golden syrup, it will seize up almost immediately, just keep stirring until mixed and it comes away from the side of the bowl
4. Transfer chocolate into a sealable bag, spread the chocolate out then seal the bag
5. Leave overnight or refrigerate for about 2 hours until completely firm



Making and assembling a cake

1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/160°C Fan Assisted/Gas Mark 4
2. Grease an 8”/20cm square baking tin with butter
3. Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil)
- Tip: Watch video  for detailed instructions
4. OR Prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring
5. Whisk together the dry ingredients then combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth
6. Spoon half the mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin
7. Add a few drops of red food liquid/gel/paste to the remaining batter, stir until the colour is thoroughly distributed, add more colour if needed
8. Spoon the pink batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin
9. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner
10. Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away from the sides of the pan)
11. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack
12. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife
13. Cut each coloured sponge in half lengthways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge
14. Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible
15. Gently heat lemon curd
 16. Brush warmed curd onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern (one yellow next to one pink. On top of that, one pink next to one yellow)
17. Take  out chocolate plastique  from the bag and knead on a surface dusted with powdered sugar, at first it will just break , but as you knead, it will warm up and start to become pliable. Knead until it's pliable enough to roll out, 5 - 10mins.
Then roll the chocolate plastique in an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and long enough to completely wrap the cake
18. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam
19. Place the cake on the chocolate plastique, jam side down
- Tip: Either in the middle or to the one side of the chocolate plastique
20. Brush the remaining three sides with jam
21. Press the chocolate plastique  around the cake, making sure the join is either neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned over
22. Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top corners with your fingers to decorate
23. Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess chocolate plastique by trimming off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern

 I love Daring Bakers challenges. Every month I learn something new. :)


Battenberg torta



Izazov u ovomsecnom krugu Daring  bakers-a je battenberg torta.Inace ova torta je nastala u cast kraljevskog vencanja princeze Viktorije i princa Luisa od Batenberga 1884 godine. Ova tortica se jako dobro slaze sa soljom caja.  Mendi,nasa ovomesecna domacica je od nas zahtevala da torta bude tradicionalno oblika u bar dve boje. Sto se tice ukusa pustila nas je da se igramo. Ja sam kao lepak koristila lemon curd, pire od svezih malina umesto crvene boje i cokoladnu plastiku umesto marcipana.
Pa da krenemo na recept
Ako cete kao ja koristiti cokoladnu plastiku za pokrivanje predlazem vam da je napravite dan ranije.
potrebno je :
200 gr mlecne cokolade (neke kvalitetnije sa bar 50% cocoa)
3 supene kasike kukuruznog sirupa.
Cokoladu otopite na laganoj vatri, pustite da se malo ohladi i dodajte kukuruzni sirup. Mesajte dok masa ne pocne da se odvaja od zidova posude. Stavite u kesicu , zavezite je i pustite da prenoci. Ako hocete odmah da je koristite mora bar dva sata da bude u frizideru.
Tortica:
175 gr omeksalog i iseckanog na kockice putera
175 gr samodizuceg (self-rise) brasna (  napravicete ga kuci ako  164 gr brasna promesate sa 9 gr praska za pecivo i 2 gr soli)
175 gr secera
3 veca jajeta
65 gr mlevenih badema
3/4 kafene kasike praska za pecivo
1/2 kafene kasicice vanilinog ekstrata
1/4 kafene kasicice bademovog ekstrata
za bojenje crvenog dela testa obicno se koristi par kapi crvene prehrambene boje ali ja sam koristila 3 kasike pirea od malina ( maline sam propasirala kroz sitno sito)
100 gr  lemon curd-a
cokoladna plastika za pokrivanje 
Prosejte brasno, prasak za pecivo, so pa promesajte sa mlevenim bademima. Puter i secer dobro umutite pa dodajtemesavinu brasna, sjedinite pa dodajte preostale vlazne ( jaja,bademov i vanilin ekstrat) i sve dobro umutite. Smesu podelitte u dva dela. U jednu dodajte pire od malina.Kvadratni pleh od 20 cm oblozite peko papirom i pregradite komadom savijene al folije ili peko paira. Najbolje pogledajte ovaj video  .
Pecite u zagrejanoj rerni na 180C 25 do 30 minuta. Izvaditi iz rerne, pustiti da se ohladi i obe tortice poravnajte nozem da budu pravilnog oblika. Od svake tortice napravite dve trake. Svaku traku sa dve unutrasnje strane   premazite zagrejanim lemon curd-om i slozite da dobijete saru kao na slici.
Cokoladnu plastiku izvadite iz kese i mesite. U pocetku ce biti sipkava ali ce vremenom postati kao plastelin. Posle nekih 5 do 10 min. :) Na podlozi posutom prahk secerom pomocu oklagije razvucite plastiku dovoljno dugacko da mozete da obmotate torticu Oblikujte plastiku nozem u pravilan pravougaonik. Pocetak plastike premazite lemon curd-om i na to mesto stavite torticu. Premazite torticu i sa ostale tri strane (leve,desne i odozgo ) i polako uvijte u plastik. Isecite visak plastika koj prelazi preko prednje i zadnje strane tortice , skuvajte caj, isecite krisku ili dve i uzivajte. :)

U toku maja i juna u okviru blogerske igrice FBI rukavice koju je osmislila Maja, istraživali smo Tamarin blog Bite my cake . Tamaru ne poznajem lično ali za ovo kratko vreme koliko blogujem osvojila je moje simpatije. Njen blog je prava oaza dobrih recepata sa prelepim fotografijama. U obilju ukusnih  slatkiša naćićete i divna slana jela. Tamara će vam svojom rubrikom Eat global i uz pomoć svojih gostiju približiti kuhinje različitih  zemalja, od Indije do Portugala.  Svojim putopisima povešće vas do Praga, Plitvica  ili mora a uz pomoć njenih recenzija saznaćete gde lepo možete jesti u Zagrebu. Tamarine recepte možete čitati u V magazinu, 24 časa, Repete  ili on line na honest cooking-u.. A ako ste ipak vizuelni tip i volite pogledati video pre nego što se upustite u izradu recepta potražite Tamarine video recepte na kuhari.com .
Ja vas ovog puta vodim na lepi lagani letnji doručak kod Tamare a na meniju su :

1. Basa - Lički sir u kućnoj radinosti

 

  Basa -  Lički sir se izuzetno lako pravi a jako je ukusan. Recept neću prepisivati, sve lepo objašnjeno možete pročitati ovde kod Tamare. Kao što i Tamara kaže sir je idealan kao namaz a neslan možete koristiti za kolače. Ja sam ga ovog puta koristila za Tamarine brze kiflice sa sirom. Ono što je preostalo je uz sveže seckani timijan završilo kao namaz u sendvičima i nestalo brzinom svetlosti. Obavezno isprobajte ovaj sir.

2. Brze kiflice sa sirom 

 

Kao što im i samo ime kaže , prave se ajko brzo i lako. Obzirom da testo ne sadrži kvasac nego kao agent za dizanje se koristi prašak za pecivo ove kiflice ćete napraviti a i pojesti za čas. Dodatak svežeg sira u testo ( u ovom slučaju domaće Base) uzrokuje da dobijete em ukusno em lako za rad testo. Tamara je sve lepo objasnila ovde a jedinu stvar koju sam ja promenila je da sam umesto običnog ulja koristila maslinovo ulje i nisam pravila kiflice nego školjkice koje sam punila fetom a odozgo sam   posipala  suvi bosiljak i krupnu morsku so.

3. Tzatziki salata 

Ovu salatu obožavam ali sam je do sada uvek pravila sa tečnim jogurtom. Zaintrigirala me je Tamarina verzija sa kefirom. Mogu vam reći da mi se baš dopala.  Ova salata lepo ide uz meso sa roštilja ali se super slaže i sa brzim kiflicama. Ako do sada niste probali tzatziki , obavezno probajte. Orginalan recept možete pronaći ovde.


Od mene , toliko za sada. Ovaj FBI agent u rukavicama će i dalje švrljati po Bite my cake. Ne znam da li ću uspeti do kraja meseca da isprobam i domaće hamburgere ali u skorijoj budućnosti svakako hoću.

Želim vam lep vikend. :) 

Domaćica ovomesečnog kruga Ajme koliko nas je Petra nam je zadala trešnje. :) A ovo je moja ulaznica. Trešnje najviše volim sveže i često se dogodi da im prodje sezona a da ja ne uspem skuvati ništa sa njima iako ih kupujem često. Ovoga puta u jednom dezertu sam spojila moj omiljeni namaz nutelu  i  trešnje. Znala sam da se jagode dobro slažu sa nutelom ili čokoladom ali  trešnje su me baš prijatno iznenadile. Jako ukusna kombinacija :)

Tart sa trešnjama i nutelom

( dve porcije) 

Za testo:

60 gr brašno
12 gr kakaa
12 gr šećer u prahu
35 gr puter
1 jaje
1/2 kašičice arome od vanile 

Brašno ,šećer u prahu i  kakao prosejte pa dodajte naseckani puter i u multipraktiku ili rukama umesite da doijete mrvice.  Dodajte u smesu umućeno jaje i aromu vanile  pa umesite meko testo na pobrašnjenoj podlozi.  Pokrijte ga prozirnom folijom i pustite da se odmori 30 minuta u frižideru  , pa ga podelite na dva dela i svaki deo na pobrašnjenoj podlozi rastanjite u oblik kruga od 15 cm. Modle za mini tart prečnika 13 cm premažite puterom, pospite brasnom pa otresite višak brašna. Stavite testo u modle, utisnite blago uz ivice, izbockajte dno viljuškom, pokrite providnom folijom   i ostavite u frižideru još 30 minuta. Pecite ih 10 minuta u zagrejanoj rerni na 190 °C tako što se preko njih stavili papir za pečenje sa pasuljom ili klikerima a onda sklonite papir i klikere i pecite ih još 10 minuta ili dok ne postanu čvrste. Pustite da se potpuno ohlade u plehićima  pre filovanja. 

Za fil:

120 gr nutele
90 ml slatke pavlake
20 gr putera
250 gr očišćenih trešanja

Pavlaku i puter staviti u šerpicu i na srednjoj vatri kuvati dok ne počne da ključa.  Preliti preko nutele i žicom mutiti dok se sve dobro ne  sjedini. Pustiti da se malo prohladi pa sipati u ohladjene tariće. Sve staviti na par sati u frižider da se ohladi a pred služenje po vrhu naslagati očišćenje trešnje.





 Napomena:
Moje trešnje sa peteljkama nisu očišćene od koščica i služe za bolji vizuelni dojam. Medjutim i taj tart se pojeo. Kao što vidite mom dragom nije smetalo. :)







If you are a Nutella and cherry lover, then you will LOVE these tarts. A divine combination :)



2 servings

For pastry:
60 gr all pourpus flour
12 gr cococa
12 gr icicng sugar
35 gr unsalted butter
1 egg ,small
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Sift flour, cocoa and sugar and put in food processor. Add  butter  and pulse until  mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix egg and vanilla then add to butter- flour mixture. Knead on a lightly floured surface until you get soft dough . Wrap in clear film and chill for 30 minutes.
After that, divide dough into two balls and flatten each into a 15 circle. and use to line up two 13 cm mini tartlet tins . Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Prick the base of each pastry case, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. After that remove the paper and beans and bake  for a further 10 minutes . Cool completely in the tins before filling.

For filling:
120 gr nutella
90 ml heavy cream
20 gr unsalted butter

For toping:
250 gr cherries, pitted  

 In a saucepan, bring the cream and butter  to a simmer over  medium heat and then pour over the nutella and whisk until smooth.Divide  the filling  among the cooled tart shells and smooth it out with a spatula. Let it set and cool for several hours. Before serving top it with pitted cherries. I didn't pit the stemmed cherries . They were just for visual impact . My darling eat tart with stemmed cherries  anyway.  He didn't mind. :)))

Our Jun 2012 Daring Cooks host was Manu  from Manu's Menu . She challenge us to make cannelloni. This was the first time I have made cannelloni from scratch and was delicious.I made cannelloni di margo but I used swiss chard with red stalk instead of spinach. I always thought that making cannelloni pasta is so difficult and I don't like store-bought cannelloni tubes so I didn't eat cannelloni. It is actually quite easy to make pasta even if you don't have pasta maker. Thanks Manu for this challenge .
So, let's make some cannelloni :) 




First you need to make egg pasta. 

For egg pasta:
Ingredients (to make enough cannelloni for 4 persons):
100 grams all-purpose flour
1 large egg
Directions:
1. Put the flour and eggs in a food processor and mix. When the dough looks like crumbs, pour it onto the bench top sprinkled with a little flour. Knead well by hand until you obtain a smooth dough. Make it into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
 2. Now you are ready to make your egg pasta. Cut out a piece of egg pasta dough and flatten it into a rectangular shape with your hands.  
3.Use a rolling pin to get a very thin sheet of dough and then cut it into rectangles.


 4. Put a large pot with salty water on the fire and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta sheets in it for 1 minute. Do this in batches (I use a shallow but large pot and I cook them in 1 layer, so I am sure they do not stick together). Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them on a clean tea towel to cool down.


Making a filling: 
500 gr   raw spinach ( I used swiss chard with red stalkI used)
400 gr  ricotta
2 cups (120 gr) Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, divided
Salt and pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
1 large egg

1. Cook spinach  for 2 minutes in salty boiling water. Drain  and run some cold water on them to cool it down quickly (this will help them retain a nice green colour). Then squeeze spinach with your hands to get rid of as much liquid as possible and  cut  finely with a knife. 

2. Put the ricotta in a bowl, add the minced spinach, egg, 1½ cups (85 gms/3 oz) of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix until well combined
 3.Take one sheet of cooked pasta and put 1/8 of the filling along the long side of the rectangle. Roll it over to make a cannellone. Do the same with remaining pasta sheets. 



Now you need to make bechamel sauce. I made fake bechamel sauce because I 'm daring cook on a diet. :)
Fake bechamel sauce
Ingredients (enough to make cannelloni for 4 people):
2 cups (500 ml) milk, hot
 50 gm  all-purpose  flour
1 pinch salt
1 pinch nutmeg
 Directions:
  Add the flour into a milk  and whisk constantly until well incorporated. Add salt and nutmeg and cook it on a low flame for 10 minutes or until it thickens.




Assembling cannelloni:   


  
Take a big enough oven dish to fit all your cannelloni tightly. Spray it with some cooking oil (or melted butter) and pour some béchamel sauce on the bottom. Spread it well, especially in the corners. Put the cannelloni in the oven dish on 1 layer.
Cover the cannelloni with the remaining béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup  of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake them in a preheated moderate oven 180°C for 20 minutes, then grill them at 200°C for another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately






Ovomesečna domaćica Daring cooks igrice Manu sa bloga Manu's menu nas je izazvala da napravimo kanelone. Nikada ranije ih nisam pravila jer nemam masinu za testenine a i mislila sam da je proces dugotrajan i zahtevan. O, kolko sam glupa bila. Čak i bez mašine, pravljenje je jako lako a neverovatno su ukusni. 
Prvo pravimo pastu.
Potrebno je :
( za cetiri osobe) 
100 gr brašna 
1 veće jaje
Jaje i brašno ubacite u multipraktik i kratko mutite dok ne dobijete mrvičastu masu. Prebacite na radnu površinu i mesite dok ne dobijete tvrdje testo. Ostavite da se odmara 10-15 minuta , pokriveno prozirnom folijom. Nakon odmaranja , oklagijom razivijte testo što tanje, na svega nekoliko 2-3 milimetara i isecite na pravougaonike 10x15 cm.  
U posoljenoj ključaloj vodi , kuvajte list po list da se ne bi slepili  po minut-dva. Ako su vam listovi deblji i duže. Kuvane listove vaditi  supljom kasikom i stavljati  na čistu krpu da se prohlade. 
Fil: 
500 gr svežeg spanaća ili blitve 
120 gr rendanog parmezana
400 gr rikote 
1 jaje
so, biber
prstohvat muskatnog orasčića 

Spanać ( ili u mom slučaju blitvu) operite i u vreloj vodi kuvajte 2-3 minuta. Ocedite u cediljci pa stavite  pod hladnu vodu da prekinete kuvanje. Sačekajte da se još malo prohladi jedno 5 minuta pa rukama ocedite vodu iz spanaća što više možete. Kuvani spanać iseckajte nožem na dasci pa u dubljoj posudi promešajte sa rikotom , jajetom i 80 gr rendanog parmezana.  Posolite, pobiberite i dodajte prstohvat sveže rendanog muskatnog orasćića. 
1/8 fila u vidu valjka stavite na jedan kraj kuvanog lista  testenine i zarolajte. Ponavljate dok ne utrosite svu testeninu i fil.


Sada napravite bešamel. Ja sam pravila lažni bešamel tj samo sam ukuvala brašno i mleko bez prethodnog prženja brašna i začinila muškatnim oraščićem ,posolila i pobiberila. 
Potrebno je : 
500 gr mleka 
50 gr brašna 
Brašno i mleko sam žicom umutila da se dobro sjedine i na tihoj vatri kuvala 10-tak minuta dok nisam dobila odgovarajuću gustinu. 
Vatrostanu posudu, koja je dovoljno velika da svoje kanelone rasporedite u jednom sloju , premazite uljem ili puterom i rasporedite trećinu besamela po dnu posude. Naročito obratite paznju da besamela bude i po uglovima posude. Poređajte kanelone, prekrite preostalim bešamelom i parmezanom. Pecite  u predhodno zagrejanoj rerni na 180 °C pecite ih 20 minuta. Zatim ih pecite još 5 minuta na 200 °C da se odozgo dobije lepa zapečena korica. 
Služite odmah.
Prijatno :)

Evo jedne lepe letnje supice. Gaspačo je hladna supa od paradajza i raznog povrća. Potiče iz Andaluzije, ali je  veoma popularna u celoj Španiji kao i u Portugalu . Idealna je za vrele letnje dane,  lako se pravi a veoma je osvežavajuća. Povrće se u ovoj čorbici termički ne obradjuje što je čini  dobrim izvorom vitamina koji su po prirodi termolabilni. Gaspaćo je u stvari tečna paradajz salata. :)


Za dve porcije je potrebno:
2 veća paradajza (500 gr)
1 manji krastavac (100 gr)
1 /2 crvene babure ( 100 gr)
2 supena kašika maslinovog ulja
1 1/2 kafena kašičica šeri  ili balzamik sirćeta
1 čen belog luka
2 mlada luka ili pola manje glavice crvenog luka
so, biber po ukusu
Za garniranje :
1 kriška starog hleba
1 supena kašina maslinovog ulja

Priprema :
Paradajz ogulite , očistite od semena  i naseckajte na krupnije komade. Krastavac ogulite , očistite od semena i naseckajte. Papriku takodje naseckajte , kao i mladi luk . Svo povrće uključujući i beli luk ubacite u blender i izmiksajte u homogenu masu. Ako vam je supa pregusta, dodajte malo hladne vode da je razredite. Začinite sa maslinovim uljem i sirćetom. Posolite i pobiberite po ukusu.  Većina recepata će vam savetovati da ovu supicu sada procedite kroz cediljku, ali ja neću. Ne vidim zašto bi smo se odricali svih biljnih vlakana kojima obiluje ova supica. Obzirom da smo je dobro izblendovali, već je kremasta. Dobro rashladite u frižideru . Neposredno pre posluživanja krišku hleba prepecite na zagrejanom ulju i iseckajte na kockice. Čorbicu sipajte u zdelice i odozgo rasporedite  prepečeni hleb.
Prijatno :)







Gazpacho is a cold tomato-based, raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía, often defined as a liquid salad, most indicated for the hottest days of summer.

Ingredients: 
(2 servings)

For soup:
500 gr ripe and chopped tomato 
2 spring onions 
2 tbsp olive oil 
1 cucumber 
1/2 red belly pepper
1 1/2 tsp sherry vinegar 
1 garlic clove
salt, pepper


For garnishing:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 slice of  bread

Place chopped tomato, cucumber,onion,garlic,red pepper  in the blender. Blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid.  Taste for acidity. This will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes. If it’s not balanced enough, add a little more vinegar. Add the olive oil and season with salt to taste. Re-blend, then pour the gazpacho  into a pitcher.  Some recipes will suggest to pass gazpacho through a strainer, but I won't. Don't throw away all that great dietary fibers. Place in the fridge to cool for at least half an hour. While the gazpacho is chilling, prepare the garnish. In a small pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame and fry the bread until golden, about 2 minutes. Break into small pieces  and set aside. Serve the gazpacho with the garnish.
Bon appetit :)