this month i completed my very first challenge for the daring kitchen! i'm really proud of myself for a couple of reasons; first, the challenge involved making four things completely new to me (more on that in a moment), and second, i managed to complete this despite moving halfway across the country in the middle of the month. being somewhat terrible at finishing what i start, that might be the greater accomplishment!
the daring baker's challenge this month was given by jasmine (confessions of a cardamom addict) and annemarie (ambrosia and nectar). the challenge was to make a bakewell tart...er...pudding. i'd never heard of this before the challenge, nor did i own a tart pan, so i was a little nervous starting out.
i picked up some adorable little tartlet pans (they were so cute, i couldn't resist, although i regretted this a bit later, as making six baby tarts was quite a bit more time-consuming than i imagine one would have been), some fresh ingredients, and set to work.
it was a process that took a few days, as i opted to make my own jams, and also was in the midst of unpacking a new apartment and trying to find everything.
the first step was to make the fruit filling: peach jam and strawberry preserves - i'll post the recipes for these later - both of which turned out to be quite delicious on toast.
the next step was the sweet shortcrust pastry shell. below is the recipe provided for the challenge, my comments in italics.
prep time: 15-20 minutes
resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional) [i used vanilla]
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water (i used two or three times this to make it work)
sift together flour, sugar and salt. grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. set aside.
lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. (again, i had to use more.)
form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
i had a hard time using the measurements in this recipe. normally it wouldn't have been a problem, i'd just have googled the conversions easily, but since i don't have any internet at home yet, it posed an extra challenge, and required a bit of cursing at my patient boyfriend's iphone.
next came the frangipane! again, here's the challenge recipe:
prep time: 10-15 minutes
equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour
cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. the batter may appear to curdle. in the words of douglas adams: don’t panic. really. it’ll be fine. after all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. with the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. mix well. the mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
annemarie’s notes:
• add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (heaven help you).
OH THE HILARITY! it just so happens that i DID have to mix by hand! my hand-mixer has mysteriously disappeared. oh well. it wasn't so bad, really.
with all the elements ready to go, it was time to put it all together.
i'd already pressed my shortcrust pastry into my tartlet pans, and chilled them in the freezer for about fifteen minutes. next was a layer of jam into each tart, three peach, three strawberry.
then, spread the frangipane on top, and into a piping hot 400F oven! the recipe called for thirty minutes of baking time, but i don't even think i kept mine in for twenty. the tops browned quickly, and i had to hustle to get them out, sprinkle the almonds on, and give them another few minutes without burning them to a crisp! this was a task made much more difficult by the fact that i am also somehow missing all my potholders and mitts...sigh.
they came out DELICIOUS! we piled them with some cold vanilla ice cream and it was divine. the almond taste was just a hint, and the homemade jam was just perfect - and they looked lovely to boot!
here's the peach:
and a strawberry:
om nom nom!
