culinary capers – curry

We have a small bottle of curry that’s lived in our pantry… well… for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure it’s been a while since we used it for much of anything, so I was pretty excited when this week’s challenge ingredient turned up as curry!

Everyone in the group seems to have had a busy week, so this will actually be a two-week challenge to allow for better participation… but since I’d already settled on a recipe I thought I may as well go ahead an knock this one out! (Besides, there’s never any guarantee in my world that this week will be better than the last!)

The weather is finally turning cooler here and I’ve been craving chicken pot pie for a while, so when I stumbled across a curry chicken pot pie recipe, I knew I needn’t go any further. I’d found my inspiration!

These come together super-quickly if you have extra chicken hanging out in your fridge. As it happens, I didn’t… so I cubed and fried up a package specifically for this recipe. Since I was doing so, I seasoned it up with onion powder, extra curry powder, and a bit of rotisserie chicken seasoning to add a little extra punch to the meal.

This recipe makes two generous servings – great when you’re looking for comfort food on a chilly evening. We loved this recipe so much that we actually had it twice this weekend! YUM.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie for 2
(adapted from Alton Brown)
2 cups frozen peas & carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked, diced sweet potatoes (I used a cup of Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs)
1 cup cooked, diced boneless skinless chicken breast
3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 package crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss frozen veggies, potatoes and chicken together in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine broth and milk in a glass measuring cup and microwave until warm. Meanwhile, in a saute pan heat butter until melted, then add flour, onion powder and curry and stir/cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper and adjust seasonings to taste. Pour over vegetables and chicken and stir to combine.

Spoon mixture into two serving-size oven-proof containers. Portion out two pairs of crescent rolls and pinch together to form two rectangles. Stretch a bit and place one over each of the oven proof containers, wrapping corners around to fit as needed. Poke through the tops a couple of times with a fork or make a couple of slits with a knife to allow steam to escape. (Bake up the other four crescent rolls as sides or fill them with peanut butter/chocolate chips or Nutella for dessert!)

Place onto a small cookie sheet and bake until crescent rolls have browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

culinary capers – cream (part 2)

We started this week’s Culinary Capers challenge with breakfast (cream biscuits) and we’re ending with dessert! That’s the sign of a good challenge, eh?

This was actually my first idea when it came to using cream in a recipe… I mean, how can you think cream and not go straight to creme brulee? Or maybe that’s just me?

Rather than stick with a classic version (which I love), I decided to strike out and give a little nod to Autumn (which, after poking its head in for a few days, seems to have disappeared again). And that’s how these pumpkin spice creme brulees came to be. I could go on and on, but… simply… YUM.

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee
(adapted ever so slightly from White on Rice Couple)
15 oz pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups heavy whipping cream
8 teaspoons granulated sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a medium saucepan, heat whipping cream just to a boil. While cream heats, also begin heating a teapot full of water to use in the bain marie for baking the crème brûlées. Gradually whisk hot cream into pumpkin puree mix.

Place 8 – 5″ diameter x 1″ deep ramekins into 2 large roasting pans. Carefully divide mixture evenly between the ramekins. Gently pour enough water into the roasting pans to come three-quarters of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place roasting pans in oven.

Bake until custards are just set (edges will be set but the center will still have a little wiggle when gently shaken), about 35 minutes. (If you over bake the custards they will get tough and loose their smoothness, and if you under bake they will be a little runny.)

Carefully remove custards from oven, then using a spatula, remove ramekins from water bath and place on a towel. Cool slightly at room temperature, then refrigerate custards until cold.

When ready to serve, spread each dish with an even thin, layer of granulated sugar. Using a torch (or under the broiler), melt and caramelize sugar. Allow to cool to set sugar, then serve.

culinary capers – cream (part 1)

Chosen Capers ingredient of the week? Cream. The good stuff just keeps on coming… I seriously love this little group!

Once again… so many possibilities, so little time. I ended up with four ideas incorporating cream and once again… I couldn’t pick just one. Now you, dear readers, benefit. Stay tuned for more!

Friday nights at our house are breakfast-for-dinner nights. Eggs and hashbrowns usually. Sometimes a side of smoked sausage or bacon. Sometimes made the classic way and others made into a big, messy scramble. No matter how we do it, it’s one of my favorite things.

Yesterday, on my way home from the office (and after a particularly “fun” week), I decided to give one of my chosen recipes (which just happened to be biscuits) a try since they’d be the perfect accompaniment to this week’s breakfast-for-dinner offering.

I was a little worried that they’d be too time- or labor intensive for an it’s-already-6:30-and-I’m-starving kind of evening, but they were a cinch to throw together (THREE ingredients, people – just be sure not to over handle your dough), baked up quickly and were wonderfully tender and moist. I can’t believe I waited so long to try this recipe!! Try ‘em… you won’t be disappointed.

Cream Biscuits
(adapted from Paula Deen)
1 cup self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cream until the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a Roulpat or surface dusted with additional flour. Fold the dough in 1/2 and knead 5 to 7 times, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to your hands.

Gently roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter coated with flour, cut dough into biscuits (I used a slightly larger cutter and got eight biscuits from my dough). Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray, leaving at least 1-inch between each biscuit. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

culinary capers – bacon

I’m not sure there are enough words to convey how excited I was when my dear friend Kathy (who blogs over at Friday Night Family) announced this week’s big ingredient. Truth be told, I asked her to marry me on the spot. Forget that she’s engaged and I’m already married to the love of my life. That’s how much I love bacon.

I spent quite a bit of time waffling back and forth (mmmmm… bacon waffles!) and finally settled on a take on a focaccia recipe I’ve been eyeing for a while.

Stay with me on this, friends… thin crust pizza with caramelized pears and onions… gorgonzola… and candied bacon. Quite possibly one of the best flavor combinations I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. Promise me you’ll try this one sooner rather than later. It’s perfect with a spinach salad and a glass of chardonnay.

Caramelized Pear and Onion Pizza w/ Gorgonzola and Candied Bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium pears, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
1 ball of your favorite pizza dough
1 batch skinny alfredo sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 cup shredded Italian Cheese Blend
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
5 slices candied bacon (recipe follows), chopped

Place a pizza stone in your cold oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

While oven preheats, melt the butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add brown sugar and pears. Cook 3-5 minutes until melted sugar coats the pears evenly. Remove from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning pan, add onions to leftover melted sugar and reduce heat to medium low. Allow onions to caramelize for 7-10 minutes until soft and golden. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool while you start on the crust.

Form crust to the thickness desired. Place on hot pizza stone and pre-bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with caramelized onions and Italian cheese blend. Top with caramelized pears, then crumbled gorgonzola, and finish with chopped bacon.

Reduce oven temp to 400 degrees F and return stone with pizza to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until topping is golden and bubbly. Cut and serve immediately.

Skinny Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup skim milk
3 wedges Laughing Cow cheese
1 tablespoon shredded parmesan
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over low heat until  smooth. If mixture is too thin, thicken with a cornstarch slurry (you’ll want it to be pretty thick to serve as the “sauce” for your pizza). Adjust seasonings to taste.

Candied Bacon
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Place bacon slice on the rack and bake for 15-20 minutes until slices reach desired crispness. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

culinary capers – honey

I love honey. On white toast with butter when I’m feeling under the weather. Over Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast. And, if we’re being honest, straight off the spoon… just because.

And now… I have a new way to love honey. In a honey cake. Sort of reminiscent of spice cake, this one is just wonderful with a nice strong cup of coffee.

Not only is this just generally a lovely cake… making it was a nice lesson in Jewish culture. You see, honey cakes are often made for Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah – which just happens to be next week. Whether you make it for Rosh Hashanah or just because… make this cake. You won’t regret it!

Honey Cake
(adapted from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (optional)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee
1/2 cup whiskey (see Note)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
6 teaspoons turbinado sugar

This cake can be made in a 9-inch angel food cake pan, a 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan, a 9 by 13-inch sheetpan, or three 8 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pan(s). For tube and angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, whiskey and orange juice.

Using a strong wire whisk or an electric mixer on slow speed, combine the ingredients well to make a thick batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle the top of the cake(s) evenly with the sugar and, if using, the almonds. Place the cake pan(s) on 2 baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cake springs back when you touch it gently in the center. For angel and tube cake pans, bake for 60 to 70 minutes; loaf cakes, 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet-style cakes, the baking time is 40 to 45 minutes. This is a liquidy batter and, depending on your oven, it may need extra time. Cake should spring back when gently pressed.

Let the cake stand for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: If you prefer not to use the whiskey, replace it with orange juice or coffee.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 2 of 2

Like I said in yesterday’s Culinary Capers post, I had one recipe left to go for this week’s challenge. Trust me when I tell you that I saved the best for last!

This starts out as a crockpot project – so you can set it and forget it until it’s time to make dinner. When you’re ready, everything will come together quickly for a great meal that’s impressive enough to serve to company!

You can certainly buy raspberry barbecue sauce if you can find it in your grocery store – but you won’t be disappointed if you make my version (just be sure you give yourself time to make it if – I threw mine together when I put my pork into the crockpot so that I didn’t have to worry about it later). It’s delicious!

Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(makes approximately 2/3 cup)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries
7 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons raspberry jam
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Place garlic on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap foil around garlic and bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Once cool, place roasted garlic in a small saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor or blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Brie and Raspberry Pork Tenderloin Quesadillas
with Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(serves 4)
1-1.5 pound pre-seasoned raspberry-chipotle pork tenderloin
(recommended: Prairie Fresh Prime Raspberry Chipotle)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/8-1/4 cup Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows), plus more for drizzling/dipping
4 thick flour tortillas
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded and divided
4 ounces of brie cheese, sliced and divided

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels and add to hot pan. Sear for 3-4 minutes each side.

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add seared tenderloin, chicken stock and jam. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until cooked through.

When tenderloin is completely cooked, remove to a plate and allow to rest. Carefully strain the cooking liquid through a strainer and into a small saucepan. Place saucepan of liquid over medium heat and allow to simmer until thick and reduced by 1/2 – approximately 15 minutes (your reduced sauce should be the thickness of a thin barbecue sauce).

While sauce reduces, return pork to crock and shred using two forks. Pour in reduced sauce plus 1/8 cup barbecue sauce. Stir to combine (sauces should just coat the meat – there should not be extra sauce in the bottom of the crock), adding additional barbecue sauce if needed.

Once meat is prepared, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Brush one side of four tortillas with olive oil and place oil side down in skillet. Cover one-half of each tortilla with shredded pork, then shredded monterrey jack, then brie. Drizzle with additional barbecue sauce if desired. Fold tortilla carefully over filling and flip so that cheese side is down. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 1 of 2

An old friend of mine recently came up with the idea of starting a little group for folks who enjoy cooking… the process of creating something amazing in the kitchen… playing around with ingredients… and of presenting them beautifully. He threw the idea at me one day and we kicked around some ideas… and a few days later, the culinary capers were born.

We’ll pick one ingredient every week and group members will create and cook a recipe featuring that ingredient. Fun stuff (and a great way to get back into the swing of blogging)!

First ingredient… RASPBERRIES!

I had a hard time narrowing down all of my options this week… I blame too much time spent on the internet considering all of the possibilities. So, I settled on three recipes. That’s right. Three. I’ll share two today and another tomorrow (after I make it!). Enjoy!

First up… Raspberry Baked Brie. I adore baked brie. Creamy and warm in a flaky crust… perfection. Rather than make a huge one for just the two of us, I went with a mini for my husband and I to split. Three ingredients and thirty or so minutes later, we had an amazing, warm little appetizer to enjoy with crisp apple slices. Mmmm….

Next… the perfect welcome to Autumn (which seems to have finally arrived this week)… and just the thing for chasing away the chill of a very rainy day… Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple sandwiches. Crunchy, tangy, savory and just a little sweet all at once – these sandwiches were pretty amazing. The savory raspberry sauce is the perfect complement to the sharp cheese and the sourdough.

Raspberry Baked Brie
(serves 2)
1/3 of one sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed
1.5 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam
1 ounce of brie (I used a wedge of Wee Brie)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place puff pastry dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Drop jam into the center of the dough and place brie on top of the jam. Gather corners and seal  the dough around the filling completely.

Invert the dough-wrapped brie on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve with apple wedges and/or crackers.

***

Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple Sandwiches
(serves 2 – adapted from food.com) 
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon raspberry jam
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
5 ounces white cheddar cheese, sliced
1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
4 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a food processor or blender, puree raspberries with raspberry jam. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Once seeds have been removed, whisk raspberries with honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced by one-third to one-half. Remove from heat and allow to cool while assembling sandwiches.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread raspberry sauce on two slices of sourdough, layer 1.25 ounces of the cheese plus apple slices onto each slice. Top each slice with an additional 1.25 ounces of cheese and finish with a second slice of bread.

Place sandwiches carefully in warm skillet, turn heat to low and cook for approximately 5 minutes each side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve any remaining raspberry sauce on the side for dipping.

DB Meringue Coffee Cake

Time check! It’s 10:30 p.m. on posting day and here I am… taking it all to a whole new level of procrastination! I started this challenge just after 5:00 p.m. this evening after waffling back and forth about whether or not I should just skip this month for much of the afternoon. Had I just pried myself off the couch a few hours earlier, I could be in bed by now… but at least I have a yummy dessert to keep me company as I write and edit.

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Naturally, when you start later than late, you’re prone to make some snap decisions. I decided I wasn’t much interested in making a ringed coffee cake because I have such challenges finding ways to plate and store them. The original plan, then, was to make two pans of coffee cake rolls in the spirit of cinnamon rolls. However, after trying to cut the first pan with meringue oozing out ALL over the place, I decided to switch gears halfway through and make the second half of the roll into a loaf.

I also took the two end pieces and threw them into a ramekin… for testing right out of the oven!

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness… I’m so, so happy I sucked it up and made these. They’re unbelievable. I topped both the rolls and the loaf with a coffee cream cheese glaze that took these to a whole other level.

I like to think my photos this time around lend to the feel of this post – considering I took most of them well after dark (and, let’s be honest, couldn’t be bothered to drag out my good light to combat the darkness).

Do you see this? How in the world am I going to have enough willpower to stay away from these things? I mean, really. Chocolatey, moist, light… mmmm. Thank you, thank you to our hosts this month for rocking out another amazing Daring Baker Challenge!

DB Panna Cotta & Florentines

Apparently I’ll never NOT procrastinate my way through the majority of our DB challenges. I’d like to say I work best under pressure, but in actuality it mostly makes me cranky. Sadly (as I told my dear husband the other day), whatever pain I inflict upon myself in procrastinating on these things is apparently not painful enough for me to change my behavior. So, here I am again on posting day… rushing around the kitchen trying to get it all done while there’s still a little good light to be had for photos. I tried to pass it off as great planning for Oscar night, but really it’s just a little bit of insanity.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Luckily for me, panna cotta – an eggless custard desert – LOOKS fussy but is surprisingly anything but. (And to think that all of these years I’d steered away from it thinking it was complicated!) I used two of the recipes provided (the vanilla and the chocolate, of course) and both came out beautifully without a single glitch (I love it when that happens) – and set up very nicely in just a few hours rather than the recommended eight to overnight. Both also halve nicely, just in case you were wondering – but you’ll be sad that you did because they’re so yummy.

My florentines, on the other hand, didn’t spread as much as they should have leaving me with thicker/softer cookies rather than thin/crisp. More than likely user error, of course. (This is what happens when you hurry, Michelle!) They were also just a bit sweet for my taste, though my husband thought them quite tasty (and, hey, anything sandwiched with chocolate deserves at least a moment of glory in my book).

The next time I’m looking for an impressive dessert that doesn’t take a tremendous amount of effort, I know where I’m turning! Check out the DB blogroll for some really amazing panna cotta/florentine photos – seriously, these people are crazy-talented! Thank you, Mallory, for a wonderful challenge and another recipe in my arsenal! (See Mallory’s write-up for the florentine recipe.)

Panna Cotta
(recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).

Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.

Chocolate Panna Cotta
(adapted from Bon Appétit)
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups (480 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
½ cup (115 gm) (4 oz) sugar
¾ cup (145 gm)(5 oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) vanilla extract

Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside for 2-5 minutes.

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a low boil. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.

Transfer to ramekins, or nice glasses for serving. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight

Daring Bakers December Edition – Stollen!

Hi. I know, I know. I’m not even going to attempt excuses. Just focusing on 2011 here. A new year… and stollen. Yeah. (Did you have a good holiday? I hope so!)

Soo… I didn’t think I’d like stollen, which isn’t terribly true to my German heritage. I remember getting it in various “care packages” from family over the years, but was fairly sure I also remember not liking it.

Good news? I was SO wrong. Not only do I like stollen… I love it. Or, I will the next time I make it… now that I know what it’s all about and what few things I’d do differently. Oh yes. Welcome to our new Christmas tradition.

I waited until Christmas Eve to even start this challenge, finishing it up Christmas morning while we prepared to head out to my parents house. Procrastination sometimes pays off… the baking stollen made our house smell positively AMAZING while we opened gifts and got ready to go.

I used the fruitcake fruit mix you can buy in the store (because clearly I waited until the last minute to do this!) – and that’s the big thing I’d change. I remember now that I’m not a fan of that stuff… so I’ll be sure to plan ahead to make my own candied citrus peel next year. I’ll also soak my raisins longer… because you just can’t have enough rum in your life. And I’ll either buy a big platter… or I’ll make two smaller wreaths – because the only thing in my house that this monster fit on was my ugly-ass, older-than-dirt pizza stone – not so great for presentation purposes!

All in all, though, I call this DB challenge a smashing success! My German mom gave it her seal of approval, too… which I call a really, really good sign (and maybe even a bit of a compliment).

The fine print: The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book………and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Be sure to check out the DB blogroll to see what all of the other DB’ers were up to this holiday season! Thanks, Penny, for a wonderful challenge!