Baked Sandwich

This sandwich is easy to prepare and easy to adapt to your own tastes. In fact, this particular version of this sandwich is nothing like the original recipe that inspired it. I think I saw the idea for this sandwich in a Kraft advertisement or something like that and became excited at the possibilities. I usually make this sandwich using turkey, ham, cheddar, jack cheese, spinach, with Brianna's Zesty French Dressing spread on the insides and top of the hollowed out bread.

However, this time I took it in a different direction and was really happy with the results. Great for a make ahead dinner!

Hearty Baked Sandwich

Serves 4

1 large "artisan style" unsliced bread (I used a round Pan Bigio but have used other types of bread with success)

2 large red peppers, roasted*

1 ball fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 lb. roasted deli turkey or chicken

fresh basil and parsley, chopped, to taste

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup of zesty french dressing (I like Brianna's)

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice about 1/3 off the top of the bread. Pull out much of the bread from the center leaving about 1/2 inch of bread all the way around so you have a "bread bowl" (save the bread for another use like bread pudding or dressing). Mix the parmesan with the parsley and basil. Spread the dressing evenly on the insides of the bread and on the cut side of the "bread top". Layer the remaining ingredients evenly in the "bread bowl" as follows:

1/2 the chicken/turkey

1/2 the mozzarella

1 roasted red pepper

spinach

1/2 parmesan herb mixture

1/2 the chicken/turkey

1/2 the mozzarella

1 roasted red pepper

1/2 the parmesan herb mixture (to help adhere the bread top to the sandwich)

(If the sandwich seems too full to put the top on, don't worry, stuff the top on anyway and wrap the foil tightly. The sandwich ingredients will cook down and the sandwich will shrink some). Top with the "bread top" and wrap tightly in foil, twice. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour until hot all the way through. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing into quarters to serve.

*To roast red peppers, turn the broiler on high. Rub the outsides of the red peppers lightly with olive oil. Place under the broiler and roast, checking and turning every 2-3 minutes until blackened on all sides. When blackened on all sides, place in a bowl and cover with a towel and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. When, cool enough to handle, gently peel off the charred skins, slit open and remove the seeds.

Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Rolls

This year, I decided to compete in the Iowa State Fair cinnamon roll competition put on by Tones spices and Fleishman's yeast.  There were three categories, traditional, sticky buns, and non-traditional.  I entered the traditional and non traditional cinnamon roll categories (I didn't enter my sticky buns because I didn't think they were pretty enough, and pretty matters in terms of judging).  

In the traditional category, I entered a variation of these Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls made with Yukon Gold potatoes.  The dough is very difficult to work with because it is kind of sloppy, but the rolls come out beautifully if you can battle the dough into cinnamon rolls.  I found the filling in the original rolls to be lacking so I used a variation of Joy the Baker's Cream Cheese Cinnamon Roll filling (doubled) and it was much better.  However, I don't have any pictures of these cinnamon rolls.  Next time I make them, I will post about them, because I will make them again since they were pretty good.

However, as you can see, the rolls in this post are not traditional looking.  I entered these Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Rolls in the non-traditional cinnamon roll division.  I used the dough from a National Public Radio article about chocolate bread.  It is incredibly divine.  If you haven't had chocolate bread before, I highly suggest you make some. 

How did the competition go?  Well, I thought my Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Rolls had a good chance of being in the top of the non-traditional division since there weren't many chocolate cinnamon rolls (who doesn't like chocolate?) and these were so tasty.  However, they were quickly judged and placed on the "not a winner" table fairly early in the judging.  I thought they were awesome, but they might not have been pretty enough or a little too dense for the judges' liking.  I actually think when I make these again, I may try adding a little more yeast to see if I can get a little more lift. 

The surprise for me was that my traditional cinnamon roll entry sat up on the judges' table throughout the whole competition (a good sign, I think).  However, they were also placed on the "not a winner" table at the last minute. 

Actually, I was quite relieved for it all to be over.  I think I have been less stressed out when making a three course meal for 300 than when preparing and competing in this competition.  I didn't enter really expecting to win, I just wanted to see what it was all about.  Many people prepare throughout the whole year perfecting their recipes and have a lot more experience baking cinnamon rolls than I do.  I'm sure everyone that won, deserved it very much.  In fact, one of my friends, K. actually won the non-traditional cinnamon roll competition with her White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Rolls.  I was very proud of her!  I look forward to trying out her recipe!

So, if you want to try a different kind of cinnamon roll, give these chocolate ones a try.  I thoroughly enjoyed them and most everyone that tried them liked them too (except for maybe the judges! :D).

Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 16 rolls

Dough Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water, divided

2/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted

2 teaspoons salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

Filling Ingredients

½ stick salted butter, melted

1 – 5oz. bag dried cherries

¾ cup water

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Glaze Ingredients

3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 ½ tablespoons whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the warm water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes, until foamy.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, place the flour, the remaining 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, the light brown sugar, the cocoa, and the salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix at low speed for 1 minute, until combined.

Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and the egg to the yeast mixture. Add this to the flour mixture while continuing to mix at low speed. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat the mixture for 2 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. At low speed, beat in the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is incorporated into the dough. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. Knead the dough at low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 2 minutes longer.

Add the chopped chocolate and knead just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl (the dough will be quite moist). Cover the dough closely with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours (or until almost doubled in bulk).

After the chocolate dough has risen, punch the dough down and cover again with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to make the rolls, mix the filling. Combine the cherries, water, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks in a large microwave safe glass measuring cup. Heat on high until it boils. Continue boiling in the microwave until the liquid in the cherries is reduced to about 1 ½ tablespoons. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Add the sugar, almond extract, cornstarch and ground cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.

Butter two 9 inch cake pans. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 10 x 16 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Evenly spread the cherry filling over the dough leaving a 1 inch edge along one short side. Tightly roll the dough from the short side. Using unwaxed dental floss or a sharp knife, slice into 16 rolls. Place 8 in each pan. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and a tea towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Bake the rolls for 5 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake the rolls for an additional 15 minutes. While the rolls bake, place all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool in the pans set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Cool 10 more minutes then serve.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

I didn't quite get this Daring Baker's challenge done in time for last month, but we were only required to make one of the two cookies in the challenge so I technically still met the challenge.  I made the Milan cookies for the challenge and they were great.  However, I was really excited about making my own marshmallow, which I had never done before, so I decided to make the marshmallow cookies anyway, even though the challenge had passed.  These cookies were very rewarding and making the marshmallow was the actually much easier than I thought it would be. 

I actually made two versions, but didn't get pictures of all of them (All the chocolate ones were eaten quickly).  I made two half batches of the cookie dough and made one chocolate and one plain.  I also made an extra batch of marshmallows and stirred in some dark chocolate to make chocolate marshmallows.  So there were four varieties: Chocolate cookie with chocolate mallow, chocolate cookie with plain mallow, plain cookie with chocolate mallow, plain cookie with plain mallow.  Then, they were all dipped in tempered chocolate (instead of the glaze in the original daring bakers recipe). 

I actually have never been a big fan of the store bought chocolate covered marshmallow cookies, however, these were much, much better than the store bought variety.  I would actually make these again and maybe make some other marshmallow flavors for fun! 

Below is the recipe for the original cookies.  If you want to make a chocolate version, you can add cocoa powder (about 1/4 cup) or 3 ounces of melted dark chocolate (or both).  If you add cocoa, mix it with the other dry ingredients.  If you mix in melted dark chocolate, add it with the eggs.  To make the chocolate marshmallows, I simply mixed in 3 ounces of dark chocolate into the marshmallows after whipping them.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

Adapted from Gale Gand's recipe, from Food Network website

Ingredients

3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
3 eggs, whisked together
Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows

1 pound of melted, tempered chocolate (for dipping) (You can also see here or the Joy of Cooking or your favorite source for more information about tempering chocolate.)

Directions

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with cling film or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently dip the marshmallow-topped cookies into the tempered chocolate.
12. Shake the cookie vigorously over the bowl to get rid of the excess.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a pre-heated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
•  1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

 

Lemon Couscous Salad

Here's a tasty summer salad to have on a steamy hot summer day.  It is very versatile.  Next time I plan to add finely chopped red bell peppers or maybe some sun-dried tomatoes (or maybe both!)  This vegetarian salad can also be changed up by adding some finely diced chicken or perhaps some grilled shrimp.

Lemon Couscous Salad

Adapted from The 15 Minute Gourmet: Vegetarian by Paulette Mitchell

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable stock, water

1 cup couscous (regular or whole wheat)

1/3 cup currants

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

1 rib celery, diced

1 large carrot, finely shredded

1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (to your tastes)

1/4 -1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (to your tastes)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

a few drops hot pepper sauce (to your tastes)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat the stock or water, until hot but not boiling, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in the couscous.  Let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Adjust the seasonings to taste.

When the couscous has softened, toss with a fork.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss.  Add the dressing and toss again. 

Makes 4 servings About 189 calories per serving

Conjoined Cherry