Room for Dessert - Food Blog

Last post I wrote about the cookie game we’ve played on Purim at the Israeli food forum I’m a member of, and I told you about the gift I sent. And now you just have to see the absolutely awesome gift I’ve got!
First of all it was from Sivan (she was the one that gave me the wonderful recipe of the yeast cake), a very talented friend of mine from the forum, whom I admire since I’ve entered this wonderful world of baking. She had a big role in my starting to bake. On my first days on the forum, I’d watch her magnificent photo gallery of all the mouth watering creations she prepared and I always thought “Man, how I’d love to taste those, and I’d give anything to be able to make beautiful things as she does”. Now, a year later, I still drool on the wonderful things she makes, and she has been a role model for me ever since.

I was sooo happy to find out that she was the one that sent me the gift!! Can you imagine, I can finally get to taste Sivan’s goodies! And they were everything I imagined, and more! She sent me:
- Wonderful macarons! It was the first time she made them ever, and look how perfect they are!
- Dreamy alfajores! They were perfect - the dough simply melted in my mouth.
- Wonderful flat cookies with pistachios - as soon as Avi laid his hands on them, he didn’t leave them alone, he absolutely fell in love with them!
- Great filo wrapped nuts cookies.
- Very rich chocolate cookies.

Dear Sivan, we enjoyed your cookies all week long, they were all absolutely perfect! We really want to thank you a lot for the wonderful wonderful gift!

I think the thing that I love the most about baking is seeing someone enjoying what I’ve made. Nothing comes even remotely close to this satisfying feeling, not even solving a really frustrating bug at work. I really love my job, and there are times that I think I’ll enjoy doing it forever, but lately I’ve come to think that baking is something that I like even better. That’s why I love sharing the stuff I bake so much.

Each Purim, we have this great custom of exchanging food related gifts with each other (in Hebrew it’s called “Mishloah Manot”). Usually the gifts contain cookies, Haman Ears and all sorts of goodies one can think of. Usually I make them for our families, but this year I decided to play “The Cookies Game” - it’s a game organized by a food forum I participate in. You need to prepare your gift, containing various sorts of cookies, and the game’s manager sends you a name and address to send it to, but doesn’t give away the forum nick name of the person you’re sending it to.

I’ve made:
- The wonderful white chocolate and cranberries cookies I’ve posted about a few weeks ago.
- Haman Ears using my white chocolate and Irish Cream dough.
- Nutella filled rolled cookies.
- Coffee and milk chocolate cookies. Neta, a very good friend of ours brought them to me a couple of weeks ago, and I absolutely LOVED them! I asked for the recipe immediately and decided to make them for the gift. I don’t yet recommend the recipe, though, because mine came out a bit different - some of them were great but some of them were really hard. When I asked Neta about it, she said she also gets inconsistent results with this recipe, so until I research it a bit further I don’t recommend it.
- My mom’s and Avi’s all-time favorite cookies - maple pecan cookies wrapped in a serious coat of powdered sugar. I like them better without the powdered sugar, which is a bit too sweet in my opinion. This time I also improved the recipe a bit, cause the dough was really hard to work with because it fell apart all the time. I added 2 Tbsps of milk, and it sorted things out.
- A wonderful and so easy to make cream and dulce de leche cake. Originally it was supposed to be with nutella, but there was too much nutella in the cookies as it was, so I decided to go with something a bit different. The recipe is from Pnina T, a wonderful virtual friend of mine from an Israeli food forum.

I made them all, wrapped them up nicely and safely, and sent them. Of course I made similar things to mine and Avi’s families. Unfortunately, the person I’ve sent it to didn’t contact me since she got it, last Friday. Hope it wasn’t because she hated the cookies

Coffee and chopped chocolate cookies / Adapted by my friend Neta from an Israeli food forum
Makes about 50 medium sized cookies

Ingredients:
100 gr butter, soft
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp coffee
a pinch of salt
100 gr white/milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 356°F (180°C).
2. Beat butter and sugar together until a light cream is formed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, coffee and salt and mix.
4. Fold in the chopped chocolate and nuts.
5. Roll balls of the dough and flatten them with the center of your palm. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for about 15 mins, or until golden. Let cool for several mins. on the tray until moving them.

עוגיות קפה ושברי שוקולד / עיבוד של נטע, חברה שלי, מפורום אורט
עבור כ-50 עוגיות בגודל בינוני

רכיבים:
100 גרם חמאה, רכה
1 1/4 כוסות סוכר חום כהה
1 כפית תמצית וניל
1 ביצה, טרופה קלות
1 כוס קמח לבן
1/2 כוס קמח חיטה מלאה
1/2 כפית אבקת אפיה
1 כף נס קפה
קורט מלח
100 גרם שוקולד חלב/לבן, קצוץ גס
1/2 כוס אגוזי פקאן, קצוצים גס

הכנה:
1. מחממים תנור ל - 180 מעלות.
2. מערבלים חמאה וסוכר במיקסר באמצעות וו גיטרה במהירות בינונית עד לקבלת תערובת תפוחה ואורירית. מוסיפים את הביצה ואת תמצית הוניל ומערבבים עד לקבלת תערובת אחידה.
3. מערבבים פנימה קמח, אבקת אפיה, קפה ומלח ומערבבים.
4. מקפלים פנימה שוקולד ואגוזים.
5. מגלגלים כדורים מהבצק, משטחים אותם מעט בעזרת מרכז כף היד, ומניחים אותם על גבי תבנית מרופדת בנייר אפיה.
6. אופים כ - 15 דקות, או עד להזהבה. מניחים להצטנן מספר דקות בתבנית לפני שמעבירים.

Maple pecan cookies / Slightly adapted from Carine Goren’s recipe
Makes about 50 cookies

Ingredients:
200 gr butter, soft
1/4 cup demerara light brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
200 gr pecan nuts, chopped

powdered sugar, for coating

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 338°F (170°C).
2. Beat butter, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract and milk until a light mixture is formed.
3. Add the flour and salt, mix just until a uniform dough is formed, add in the nuts, and mix shortly.
4. Refrigerate for 30 mins.
5. Roll small balls and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake about 20 mins, or until golden.
7. When cool, roll the cookies in a bowl with powdered sugar.

Note: If you don’t intend to roll the cookies in powdered sugar, add 1/4 cup more sugar (1/2 cup total).

עוגיות מייפל פקאן / עיבוד קל למתכון של קרין גורן
עבור כ - 50 עוגיות

רכיבים:
200 גרם חמאה, רכה
1/4 כוס סוכר חום בהיר, דמררה
2 כפות סירופ מייפל
1 כפית תמצית וניל
2 כפות חלב
2 כוסות קמח
קורט מלח
200 גרם אגוזי פקאן, קצוצים גס

אבקת סוכר, לציפוי

הכנה:
1. מחממים תנור ל - 170 מעלות.
2. מקציפים חמאה, סוכר, סירופ מייפל, תמצית וניל וחלב במיקסר עם וו גיטרה במהירות בינונית עד לקבלת תערובת אורירית.
3. מוסיפים קמח ומלח, ומערבלים מעט, רק לקבלת בצק אחיד. מוסיפים את האגוזים ומערבבים קלות.
4. מקררים את הבצק 30 דקות.
5. מגלגלים כדורים קטנים מהבצק ומניחים על תבנית מרופדת בנייר אפיה.
6. אופים כ - 20 דקות, או עד שהעוגיות מזהיבות.
7. לאחר הצינון, לגלגל באבקת סוכר.
הערה: אם אתם לא מתכוונים לגלגל באבקת סוכר, תוסיפו עוד 1/4 כוס סוכר (כלומר סה”כ 1/2 כוס סוכר).

Nutella and Cream cake / Adapted by Pnina T from Carine Goren’s recipe
I substituted the Nutella with the same amount of dulce de leche
For 1 English Cake mold
 
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
250 ml heavy cream
a pinch of salt
90 gr sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (140 gr) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp full of Nutella

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 329°F (165°C).
2. Mix cream, salt and sugar until the sugar melts.
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Sift in flor and baking powder and mix slightly, just until incorporated.
5. Place the mixture into a greased mold.
6. Heat shortly the Nutella or dulce de leche in the microwave, pour it on top of the cake and using a knife, create a marbeled pattern.
7. Bake for about 40 mins, or until golden. 

עוגת שמנת ונוטלה / עיבוד של פנינהט מפורום מתכונים של תפוז למתכון של קרין גורן
אני החלפתי את הנוטלה בריבת חלב
לתבנית אינגליש קייק אחת

רכיבים:
2 ביצים
1 חבילה (250 מ”ל) שמנת מתוקה
קורט מלח
90 גר’ סוכר
1 כפית תמצית וניל
1 כוס (140 גרם) קמח
1 כפית אבקת אפיה
2 כפות גדושות נוטלה

הכנה:
1. מחממים תנור ל - 165 מעלות.
2. מערבבים שמנת, מלח וסוכר ביחד טוב, עד שהסוכר נמס.
3. מוסיפים ביצים טרופות ותמצית וניל.
4. מנפים קמח ואבקת אפיה לתוך המסה ומערבבים עד לקבלת תערובת אחידה.
5. מעבירים את התערובת לתבנית משומנת.
6. מחממים במיקרו את הנוטלה, ויוצקים מעל העוגה. מעבירים סכין ליצירת דוגמת שיש.
7. אופים כ-40 דקות, עד להזהבה.

They have so many names in English - hamentasch, homentash, homentasch, (h)umentash. In Hebrew you should say “Oznei Haman”, which simply means “Haman’s Ears”.

So just before Purim (the Jewish holiday during which we eat these great cookies), I wanted to suggest the new white chocolate and Irish Cream flaky dough I dreamt about a couple of weeks ago. It’s perfect for making Hamantash! I know because I’ve tried

And let me tell you, that Avi never loved Haman Ears before last year, when was the first time I tried making them. He said it was because their dough is usually so thick and tasteless. So the secret is (except having a good dough recipe) simply rolling the dough as thinly as you can, and then the ratio of dough-filling is simply perfect! Since then Avi really loves them. Also, my dear friend Shany, that visited me a couple of days ago, really loved them eventhough she doesn’t normally like Haman Ears as well. So go ahead, give them a try, you won’t regret it! And happy Purim everyone!

These I’m giving away as a Purim present (called Mishloah Manot)

You can find the recipe for the dough, both in English and in Hebrew here.
For shaping the Haman Ears, you need to roll out the dough, cut circles of it (a cup will suit just fine), fill each one with 1/2 tsp of Nutella (in my case ) and form a triangle out of it.

Of all the things I bake, bread is the one thing that amazes me the most. Although it’s one of the simplest things to make, and maybe even because of that, the process of putting such a small amount of ingredients together, kneading them, letting them rise and with almost no effort at all, getting such a wonderful smelling loaf that bakes slowly in the oven, rises some more, and fills the house with a great scent - you must understand the pleasure I’m talking about. Actually, the person that made me admire this whole bread baking process is Michael, a friend of mine from work, who worked as a cook for a couple of years for some famous restaurants in Tel Aviv, in between 2 high-tech jobs.

I don’t get to make bread as much as I want. I’d like to make bread every weekend. Bread means home to me, and on weekends, when you’re home with your loved ones, what can be a better companion, food-wise, than bread? Anyway, I get to make it just maybe once a month.

Lately, after tasting some seriously amazing loaves from the Arcaffe bakery here in our town, I’ve really wanted to make something similar. I browsed through their web-site and read that they developed their bread recipes with Eric Kayser’s help, and that the recipes are secret. I’ve tried to find some of Kayser’s bread recipe, but no luck there as well… What I do know is that their bread is made using sourdough and that it’s really crusty. I’m planning to start raising my own sourdough soon, but this time I made the bread using regular yeast.

I found this recipe on Recipezaar, it had so many good reviews that I decided to try it. The dough is great and really easy to work with. I’ve sprinkled water on top of the loaf while baking in the oven (did it 2 times) so the crust would become crunchier, and it did. Next time, though, I’ll sprinkle some more water, for an even crunchier crust. I’ve also rolled the bread in flour after shaping it and before the second rise, and also scattered some cornmeal on top of it. The loaf tasted great, and was airy and fluff. The cornmeal added more crunchiness to the bread. The great taste lasted only one day, though, the next day it was a bit dry.
All in all it was a good bread, nothing sophisticated about its taste or anything - just good and easy to make white bread.

Crusty French Bread / Recipezaar
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
5-5 1/2 cups bread flour

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar in large bowl; allow yeast to proof or foam (about 10 minutes).
2. Add salt, oil, and 3 cups flour; beat for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in 2 cups flour to make a stiff dough.
4. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
5. Place in oiled bowl, turn dough to coat all sides, cover and let rise until doubled.
6. Punch down and divide in half.
7. Shape dough into two long slender loaves.
8. Grease and sprinkle with cornmeal either a french bread pan or large cookie sheet.
9. Place loaves in pan and cut diagonal gashes on top of each loaf (I use scissors).
10. Cover and let rise until doubled.
11. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 30 minutes.
12. Note: You can sprinkle or spray water on the loaves during baking if you want a really crunchy crust.

לחם צרפתי / מתכון מהאתר Recipezaar
עבור 2 כיכרות

רכיבים:
2 כוסות מים חמימים
1 כף שמרים יבשים
1 כף שמן
1 כף סוכר
2 כפיות מלח
5-5 1/2 כוסות קמח לחם (שטיבל 2)

הכנה:
1. ממיסים את השמרים במים החמימים יחד עם הסוכר בקערה גדולה. משאירים כ-10 דקות, עד שנוצר קצף.
2. מוסיפים מלח, שמן, ו-3 כוסות מהקמח. לשים כ-2 דקות.
3. מוסיפים 2 כוסות נוספות מהקמח, עד ליצירת בצק עמיד.
4. לשים כ-10 דקות, עד לקבלת בצק חלק וגמיש.
5. מניחים את הבצק בקערה משומנת, משמנים גם את פני הבצק עצמו. מכסים ומתפיחים במקום חמים עד להכפלת הנפח.
6. מוציאים את האויר מהבצק התפוח ומחלקים לשני חצאים.
7. מעצבים את הלחמים שלנו - אפשר כשני כיכרות ארוכים.
8. מגלגלים בקמח ומפזרים קמח תירס מעל. מניחים את הכיכרות על תבנית מרופדת בנייר אפיה או בתוך תבנית לחם מתאימה.
9. חותכים בעזרת סכין חתכים אלכסוניים לאורך הכיכרות.
10. מכסים ומתפיחים עד להכפלת הנפח.
11. אופים ב - 190 מעלות, כ-30 דקות, עד להזהבה.
12. הערה: ניתן להתיז מים על הכיכרות בעודן נאפות בתנור, להשגת קרום קשה יותר.

You know these times when you see a post on another blog that makes your mouth water and your imagination picture the taste of the great food creation you’ve just bumped into? And then you put the recipe in your “to make” list, and… simply forget about it after a couple of days? That’s the problem with those “to make” lists - they’re so full of recipes, that when you wanna prepare something, you almost never go to look there. In case you wondered, no, I don’t have a solution for this (sadly..), but what I do have is such a recipe that stayed in my mind (and in my “to make” list) until I just had to do it.

Nicisme from Cherrapeno is one of my favorite food bloggers. I really love everything she makes, the beautiful photos she takes and, of course, her writing. A while ago she made these wonderful looking white chocolate and cranberry cookies, that looked and sounded just delicious. A few days ago I gave in to a great crave for white chocolate (and for these cookies in particular) that I had, and made them.

I tweaked the recipe quite a bit, partly because I didn’t have some of the ingredients, and partly because nowadays I’m trying to subtract a little amount of fat from anything I make. They came out absolutely marvelous! I think they’ve definitely entered my top 5!
They are soft but still chewy, the taste of white chocolate blends wonderfully with the cranberries, and the rolled oat just adds some extra crunchiness to the whole thing. Definitely a keeper in my book! Thanks, Nic!

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies / Adapted from Bill Granger’s recipe
Makes approx 30

Ingredients:
125g unsalted butter, softened
145g light brown sugar (Demerara)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
140g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
200g rolled oats
140g white-chocolate chunks
85g dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the oats, chocolate and cranberries and stir together. Add to the creamed mixture and stir together well.
3. Roll small tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on the baking trays. Flatten the balls with a fork dipped in flour, or with the center of your palm.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until pale golden (note that white chocolate tends to easily burn, I recommend turning the pan once during the baking time and keep a close eye on the cookies). Leave to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

עוגיות גרנולה עם שוקולד לבן וחמוציות / עיבוד למתכון של ביל גרנג’ר
עבור כ-30 עוגיות

רכיבים:
125 גרם חמאה, רכה
145 גרם סוכר חום בהיר (דמררה)
1 ביצה, טרופה קלות
2 כפיות תמצית וניל
2 כפות חלב
140 גרם קמח
1 כפית אבקת אפיה
קורט מלח
200 גרם שיבולת שועל
140 גרם שוקולד לבן, גרוס גס
85 גרם חמוציות מיובשות

הכנה:
1. מחממים תנור ל - 180 מעלות ומרפדים שתי תבניות אפיה בניר אפיה. מקציפים חמאה וסוכר יחד באמצעות וו גיטרה עד לקבלת תערובת בהירה וקרמית. מוסיפים את הביצה, תמצית הוניל והחלב ומערבלים עד לקבלת תערובת חלקה.
2. מנפים את הקמח, אבקת האפיה והמלח ביחד. מוסיפים את שיבולת השועל, השוקולד והחמוציות ומערבבים היטב. מוסיפים את תערובת החומרים היבשים לתערובת הקרמית ומערבבים היטב.
3. מגלגלים כדורים קטנים מהבצק בעזרת הידיים או בעזרת כפיות, משטחים אותם קלות באמצעות מרכז כף היד או באמצעות מזלג מקומח ומניחים בתבנית.
4. אופים כ - 12-15 דקות עד לקבלת גוון זהוב בהיר (לשים לב, שוקולד לבן נשרף בקלות, מומלץ להפוך את התבניות בתנור פעם אחת במהלך האפיה ולהשגיח השגחה צמודה). משאירים את העוגיות להצטנן בתבנית 5 דקות לפני ההעברה לצינון על גבי רשת.