Carrot Cake Bars

Since I was a child, I have questioned my biological relation to my mother because it seems like we are from different planets. I now jokingly tell her that she's not really my mom and start listing reasons why:

1. She is an extrovert in any situation; I'm a major introvert around strangers. She claims that she was shy as a child, but I don't believe that for a second.

2. She is short and pear-shaped; I'm tall and apple-shaped. This means that even when she gains weight, she looks slim. I don't have such luck. I tower over people horizontally and vertically. :)

3. She has a slim face, and her Native-American, facial features are salient. I have a round face, and I look more like my father.

4. She is not..um..very abundant in the chest area, and well, I am. She has short fingers, small eyes, and small ears; I don't.

5. She was raised in the country with a bunch of siblings, and I'm an only child on my mother's side, and I was raised in the city.

6. She uses a lot of country jargon, like "doggone" as an adjective (e.g., "Turn off that doggone cellphone." or "My doggone student had the nerve to complain about the doggone pop quiz."). When people hear me talk, however, they think I'm from California or from another country, especially when I speak Spanish or Portuguese.

7. She has a grad degree in English Literature; I have a grad degree in Spanish Linguistics. Also, she speaks a little Spanish, but I speak 3.5 languages (but she would tell you that I speak 7 or 9 languages).

8. She knows how to burn food; I know how to cook food.

9. She LOVES nuts and carrot cake; I DETEST both items.

Despite our differences, we have many important features that are the same and most of them supersede all the abovementioned differences:

1. We both love the Lord.

2. We both value education.

3. We both talk fast.

4. We both gain and lose weight over and over again.

5. We enjoy talking to each other every day (when she is paying attention to what I'm saying).

6. We love each other very much, and even if i were to find out that my mother was not my biological parent (which I now believe is NOT true), I would still love her more than any mortal in this world.

So, since I love her so much, I got over dissimilarity #9 and made her these carrot cake bars; they're much easier to ship than carrot cake with cream cheese icing. These doggone carrot cake bars are for you, mom. I shipped them to you yesterday. They are full of those (yucky) doggone nuts you like so much.

Packaged and ready to go!

I tried to taste a little "nut-less" crumb so that I could report if they are good or not, and they seemed to be pretty good. I guess my mom can provide a better review of the bars once she gets them. Enjoy, mom!

Carrot Cake Bars aka Brain Teaser Bars
from Use Real Butter and Cookie Swap

(I suggest grating the carrots and chopping the toasted walnuts before or right after making the shortbread crust.)

Shortbread Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-size chunks

Set rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a 9×13x2-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an inch of overhang around the top edge of the pan. Smooth out wrinkles and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. [I halved the recipe and used an 8x8-inch pan.] Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. With metal blade, pulse in the butter until the mixture just starts to ball (15-20 seconds). Pat crust evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough with a fork. Bake crust for 20-25 minutes or unti lightly browned and firm to touch. Let cool on wire rack before topping, at least 30 minutes.

Carrot “Cake” Topping
2 1/2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (about 1 cup + 3 tbsps)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (forgot to toast)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried pineapple pieces, finely chopped (did not use)
1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla together. Beat until well combined. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture and stir in the carrots, walnuts, raisins, and pineapple. Pour the mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges are caramel-brown and top is slightly puffy. Let cook completely on a wire rack before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Makes 2 dozen (1 3/4-inch squares).

Apple Puff Pastry Tart

Yes, I made more dessert two days after the pecanless pie. To my defense, though, the dessert was not for me. Saturday was Chuseok/Chusok (Thanksgiving Day) in (most?) Asian countries. My friend from Korea told me that she and another Korean friend would be celebrating this special day at the library where we were going to study. They were both planning on bringing traditional, Korean dishes, So, I told her that I would bring dessert.
I started doing a search on the internet for Korean desserts, but almost all of them involved glutinous rice, rice or malt powder, and other ingredients I didn't have. So, I decided to pull out my leftover puff pastry from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to defrost until the next morning and make apple puff pastry tarts.

I woke up around 11 something, prepared the apples, cut the block of dough in half, and rolled out each piece one at a time and chilled the other. I had to have everything ready by 12:30, which was the time she was going to pick me up. By the time I finished baking both tarts, it was 12:35. She called me, and I told her I needed 10 more minutes. Why did I need more time when I was done baking? Because I needed to take photos for the blog! :) I took the photos during a cloudy, dreary day. That is one of the reasons the photos don't look so great. Oh well. At least I have proof that I made this scrumptious dish.
My friends were very impressed with the dish. I was proud to not have to use store-bought puff pastry, even though this dough came from my failed attempt (the one with too much butter). That is why it didn't puff up as nicely. Despite that mistake, the pastry was great. I ate only a small piece because I'm so tired of puff pastry. I gave the rest to them, and I had made a lot for two people (one large and one medium-sized one). They happily accepted my offer, too.

The large version with two columns of apple slices

I also took my first bite of Korean food, and I'm very selective about new foods (and I consider myself a xenophile). I liked one of the noodle dishes called japchae, but I was not crazy about these rolls, called gimbap, that looked like sushi (I've never had sushi either!). I also ate half of a songpyeon, which I didn't like because the rice part was not sweet, and it was too sticky. I'm all about a good texture when it comes to food. It took me about 5 to 10 minutes to muster up the courage to eat every new item I tried haha. Fortunately, my friends were very patient and understanding.
Anyway, if you other Daring Bakers need another dish to use up your leftover puff pastry, try out this simple, quick recipe. I had it memorized after looking over it one time. I got it from Pioneer Woman, so you can see detailed photos on her site. My changes: I added cinnamon, nutmeg and more lemon to my filling.

CHUSEOK CHAL BONNESEYO!

Apple Tart
adapted by Pioneer Woman

1-2 sheets of puff pastry (homemade or store-bought)
3-4 apples (I used 3 small granny smith apples and still had some leftover after making 1 large and 1 medium-sized tarts)
1/2-1 lemon
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Make the filling first so that the puff pastry does not get too warm. Core the apples with a pairing knife or a corer. Slice the apples in half. With the half face down, cut thin slices. (Next time, I will peel the skin to make it look prettier and to make it easier to eat.) Squeeze 1/2 of to a whole lemon over the apples, and mix them around (prevents browning and adds flavor). Add the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the mixture, and allow it to sit while you prepare the dough.

Take the homemade dough* out of the refrigerator (Make sure you defrost it in the refrigerator one day before using it for this dish). If you have a big block of dough, cut it in half, and put one-half (wrapped) back in the refrigerator while you roll out the other half to 1/4-1/8 inch thick. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, shape the dough to your liking. You can make it big enough for two rows of apples or one. Then place the dough on a Silpat or parchment paper and a baking sheet BEFORE adding the apples (see photo below).

Place the apples in a row, overlapping each other, and then cover it. Place the baking sheet back in the refrigerator, and prepare the other piece of dough. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once you are done with the second piece of dough, take out the first baking sheet, and place it in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Place the covered, second piece of dough in the refrigerator while the first one bakes. Repeat with the second one. Enjoy!

*For instructions on how to use the store-bought variety, visit Pioneer Woman's site.

Pecanless Pie Tarts

Many food bloggers are not fans of repeating recipes. I, however, am a creature of habit and repeat good recipes often (hence the reason I don't post often). Why change a good thing? If I find a good go-to recipe for whatever I crave, I just make it. If a recipe is not satisfactory or if I find another recipe for the same item that seems more appetizing, then I try something new.
Well, in August, I made a double-crust pecanless pie. This time around, I felt too lazy to make a double-crust pie, and I wanted to save that other crust for something else for whenever I get another hankering for a pie.
Since I live alone, I made small versions of these pies/tarts. They came out great despite the fact that I overcooked two out of the four tarts (Um, where is the fourth pielet, you ask? Um, yeah, in my belly. I ate it last night. :D)
As I stated in the other post about this pie, I abhor any type of nut. However, I love the syrupy part of pecan pies and the buttery, flaky crust that tones down the sweet flavor. Since I knew these tarts were just for me, I just removed the nuts from the recipe.
I'm so glad and thankful I know how to bake (even though my jiggly body would disagree). I no longer have to spend hours removing the deeply embedded nuts from the sticky goodness of the pie. I can go right at it and enjoy. If you, however, prefer that nutty stuff in your pie, feel free to add two cups of it to the recipe. The filling makes five tartlets or pielets, but I made only four because I ran out of pie crust and didn't want use up the other crust.

Pecanless Pie Filling
adapted from My Home Cooking
(makes enough for 5 small pie/tarts)

1 Cup White Corn Syrup
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup minus 1 Tbsp of Melted Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Eggs
(add 2 cups of pecans if you want a traditional pecan pie)

Put the butter in the microwave until it is completely melted. During this step, preheat your regular oven to 350.

In a medium to large bowl, mix or slightly beat eggs with a whisk. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients (if adding pecans, add them after you pour the filling in the pie crust).

Take one portion of the pie dough out of the refrigerator, and roll it out to about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Then, apply more flour to the rolling pin. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin, and unroll it onto your pie pan. Allow the excess crust to hang over the pie plate or 8x8" pan so that the crust hangs 1 inch.

Place the pie shell (rolled-out dough) and plate/pan in the refrigerator as you roll out the second portion of the dough. Once you roll out the second portion, take out the pie plate/pan, and then pour in the pie filling. Place the second portion of dough on top of the filling and then fold the edges of the bottom pie dough over the second one. Make a few incisions on top of the dough before placing it in the oven.

Now, put your pie in a preheated oven set to 350F for 1 hour (with my hot oven, it took 40 minutes). After the pie has been in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, take it out, and put strips of tinfoil around the edge to keep the pie crust from burning. Be careful not to spill you pie! The filling is runny and quite hot. Then, put the pie back in the oven.

After you put the pie back in the oven, it will need another 20 to 30 minutes. After about 30 minutes (a total of 40 mins to 1 hour in the oven), test the pie to see if it is done. You can test the pie by sticking a knife in the middle. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done; if it comes out dirty, it needs about 10 more minutes in the oven. It will also no longer jiggle.

Perfect Pie Crust
from Pioneer Woman
(makes 3 pie crusts)

3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups Crisco (vegetable shortening)
1 egg
5 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp salt

Measure 3 cups All-Purpose flour into a mixing bowl; add the Crisco to the flour. Using the pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour (3-4 minutes). Keep working until the mixture resembles “coarse meal,” or until there are no large chunks of shortening left. The flour should be integrated into the shortening.

Next, crack an egg into a bowl, and beat it with a fork. Now pour the egg into the flour/shortening mixture. Add cold water; add the white vinegar. Next, add salt, and stir together gently just until you incorporate the ingredients.

Remove one-third of the dough. Repeat to form three evenly-sized balls of dough (I weighed them out). Now place each dough into a large Ziploc bag and prepare them for freezing. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough to make rolling easier later… seal each Ziploc and place bags in the FREEZER. (If you decide to leave the crust in the freezer, just defrost it for 15 minutes before rolling it out)

Flour the surface. Remove the disc of dough from the Ziploc, and place it on the floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top. Don’t be afraid to use a little flour to keep it from sticking. With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough from the center, outward in one stroke. Don’t roll back-and-forth. When the dough begins to crack around the edges, just use your hands to form it back into the shape of a circle. If you feel as though the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, just use a nice, sharp spatula, and flip it over. Be sure to flour the surface again before you flip it.

Continue the rolling process until the rolled dough is about 1/2 inch larger (all the way around) than the diameter of the pie pan (or tartlet pan). With the spatula, if necessary, lift the dough from the surface and gently set it onto the pie pan. Gently adjust the dough so that it’s laying right against the pan. Then tuck the excess dough under the rim.

If you're using a tart pan, you do not need to tuck in the edges of the crust. Just lay the excess dough over the edges, and press down on the edges of the pan so that the dough cuts off. Pour the filling onto the pie crust, and follow the directions mentioned in the filling section above.

Daring Bakers: Vols-au-Vent

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' Challenge has been chosen by Steph of a whisk and a spoon. Steph chose Vols-au-Vent, which we are pretty sure in French means, “After one bite we could die and go to heaven!”

Get ready for a long post..........

I have made laminated dough in the past. In fact, my first post on this blog was about my cherry danish braid. This dough was different because there was no yeast involved. Here are a few photos showing what I did...

Dough ball from my first attempt (before butter was added)

For this challenge, I had to make this dough twice because I accidentally put too much butter in the dough. That is why my pastries didn't lift the way they were supposed to. They were still very good, just too buttery.

Subsequent process photos are from my second attempt.

About to pour the ice water into the mixer. A food processor is on my Christmas wish list (mom! hint. hint.)

Shaped dough from my first attempt.

The second time around, I halved the recipe. I put in the right amount of butter this time, but the dough looked a bit more crumbly than the first time.
It smoothed out later, though. Most of the prep photos you see are from my second round.

I moved my dining/prep table to the window so that I could take pictures of most of the steps.

Making sure I brush off excess flour from the rolled dough between folds.

After making the turns, I stopped taking pictures since it all looked the same.However, at one point, the butter started to melt and stuck to the table.

In order to remedy the problem, I put flour on the buttery bits, patted it, brushed off the excess flour, and then placed the dough in the refrigerator for a longer period of time.

Marking four turns. Two more to go!

Cutting the prepared dough in half. The layers don't look very good...I was kind of scared at this point.

I am obsessed with the process of making laminated dough. I watched a bunch of youtube videos and a bunch of pictures even though I knew what to do already. It is so fascinating watching the pastry come together and seeing the end result.
The rest of the dough is sitting in the freezer and probably will be sitting there until it's no longer good just like the danish dough (that is still in the freezer! I need to get that out of there.).

Steps for making this shaped pastry.
Eating puff pastry is another story. I'm not crazy about eating it even though it is so good. I guess I like cakes, cookies, and pies more.
Dough getting ready to be cut, shaped, and baked.

Despite my fears, the taste of both attempts was exceptional. That is most important in my book!

The pastries on the brown plate come from my first attempt. I placed homemade lemon-lime, cream cheese curd (recipe below) on top with homemade strawberry topping/jam.

Also, after making all of these pastries, I'm really tired of the stuff haha. Good thing, I only made two or three of them at a time.
These danishes on the black sheet are from my second attempt. I placed more of the lemon-lime, cream cheese curd on top with homemade strawberry topping/jam.
The pastries on the white plate also come from my second attempt after sitting in the freezer for a few days. I wanted to see if I could take better pics, but yeah, that didn't happen. For the topping, I placed a scoop of my Mexican Ice cream, whipped cream, and hot fudge (that's no longer smooth as it was when I made it a few weeks ago).
All in all, the second bit of dough produced a much better pastry. I still wasn't able to make it look as pretty as the others I've seen. Thanks for the great challenge, Steph!

Lemon-Lime Curd with Cream Cheese
adapted from The Knead for Bread

1/4 cup butter

3 large eggs

½ cup sugar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used 3 limes)

1/2 cup of Mascarpone Cheese (I used cream cheese)

Finely grated zest from 1 limes

Add a cup of water to a pot and bring to a simmer. Place the eggs, sugar, lime zest and lime juice into a metal bowl and whisk together. Place the bowl over the simmering pot of water and whisk till the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Now, add the Mascarpone Cheese and blend together. Pour into a clean container and place plastic wrap on top. Be sure the wrap is touching the top of the curd. This will help to prevent a crust from forming. Place into the fridge for at least 3 hours to overnight.