Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There Birthday Cake

One of my beautiful daughters has always adored the Lewis Carroll books. This is the cake I made for her birthday last week. I didn’t realise the camera had a big smudge on the lens though and it was a bit of a rush, so these are the best photos I managed. The red blob in the above photo in centre back is supposed to be the Red King sleeping, just as he does right through the story. Below, the Red Queen,

 

and Humpty Dumpty.

Did you know the Mad Hatter appears in both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass? It was fun making all the figures. I felt like a little kid playing with play doh!

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Stacked Creamy Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce is one of my favourite comfort foods. I find it’s great to make more than I need for one meal, as it’s easy to reheat portions quickly for a quick comfort fix during the week.

In this month’s Daring Cooks challenge we were asked to make Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas using homemade corn tortillas and  homemade green chile sauce.

I am using a recipe for Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce and homemade corn tortillas which I’ve cooked many times before and which I love.  The original recipe is found here: thatsmyhome - Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce.

The thatsmyhome recipe suggests using: (2 cans or jars (4.5 ounces each) chopped green chiles (undrained) ). In keeping with the challenge, this time I substituted fresh medium local green chiles, which I then roasted under the griller – much better! I also stacked rather than rolled them and doubled the cumin. I always like to make the corn tortillas too as I think they taste much better than store bought (ha ha - I can hardly ever find them available to buy where I live anyway, only the wheat ones). I buy masa harina at my local Indian ingredient supplier  This is my amended recipe:

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

1 T. butter
3/4 C. chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 T. flour
1 1/2 C. chicken stock or broth
8–10 fresh medium sized (medium heat) green chiles
vegetable oil for softening tortillas
12 corn tortillas (see recipe below)
500g (2 C.) boneless chicken thighs
2 C. cheddar cheese (or monterey jack), grated 
1 C. cream
1/3 C. sliced shallots (green onions) 
1/2 C.  sliced green olives
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Avocado and chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve

Method
Prepare the fresh corn tortillas (recipe below).

Cut chicken thighs into smallish pieces. Coat in vegetable oil, brown and cook on ridge grill plate or frypan, until cooked through (or you can steam them). Shred or cut into even smaller pieces.

Coat green chiles in vegetable oil, put onto foil-lined griller tray and place under grill (broiler). Turn them every few minutes.  They should be black and blistered.
As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out . Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it. DO NOT RINSE! Slice.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion until transparent. Stir in garlic, salt and cumin. Stir in flour until well combined. Slowly stir in stock/broth. Add chiles and stir well. Reduce heat to simmer; cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes. (Sauce can be prepared to this point, cooled and refrigerated 24 hours in advance.)

In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most). Drain on paper towels. Stack on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

To assemble, place tortillas side by side to cover base of shallow 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Combine chicken and 1/2 cup of the green chile sauce. Place 2 tablespoons chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese on each tortilla. Cover each with another tortilla.  Pour remaining sauce over the top of each; then pour cream evenly over entire mixture and top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with the shallots and green olives. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven or under griller (broiler) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, fresh coriander (cilantro) and sliced avocado, and serve.
Makes 6 servings.

Corn Tortillas

Corn Tortillas (from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen)
Makes about 15

1 3/4 cups masa harina (a maize corn meal found at mexican or international  ingredient suppliers - it is specially treated with lime – do not use normal cornflour or polenta)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

Method

Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap.

Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high.

Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic (I use two sheets of baking paper and I flatten with a rolling pin). If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6” circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly.

These youtube videos show tortillas being made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDegTyqL55o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6_iAZ-CCA&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFn3GKVLHnM&NR=1
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_corn_tortillas/

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

PS: If ever I can source tomatillos I will in the future make the far more authentic Green Chile Sauce suggested in the challenge. If you’d like the recipe it’s here:  Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas and Green Chile Sauce. The recipe uses fresh tomatillos, charred fresh anaheim chiles, and monterey jack cheese.

Technorati Tags: Daring Cooks,Enchiladas,Chicken Enchiladas,Corn Tortillas,Green Chile Sauce,Mexican

Sticky Date Pudding – baked or steamed

Sticky Date Pudding is a favourite in our house. I usually bake it.  I’ve  just tried steaming it.  It’s delicious either way!  The cake is moist yet not too sweet. The more sauce the pudding absorbs, the richer, sweeter and stickier it becomes. It freezes really well (I gladwrap individual portions of the unsauced cake  and freeze the sauce separately).  Also, the sauce is great on sliced bananas or ice cream.
I’d been exploring different ways of cooking Sticky Date “Pudd” during the Daring Bakers Challenge for April 2010 (see  Steamed Steak and Kidney Pudding).
Choose:

• baking
• steaming in a saucepan
• steaming in a steamer saucepan

Sticky Date Pudding

• 180g dates, pitted
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 50g  butter  (salted or unsalted), softened
• 150g soft brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 130g self raising flour, sifted
• 50g wholemeal flour
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Butterscotch Sauce

• 150g soft brown sugar, or dark brown sugar
• 250ml full pouring cream (no added gelatine) (I use 35% fat)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1tbl unsalted butter

Almond Praline

• 1/2 cup sugar or caster sugar
• 2 tbl water
• 1/4 cup almonds, slivered

Mixture
Roughly chop dates. Stir dates and bicarbonate of soda together well so the dates are coated.

Pour on boiling water. Stand and leave to cool.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time and beat in.
Sift flours and cream of tartar and then add bran back in.

Gently fold in the flour and the cooled date mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish/pudding basin/darioles/ramekins.

Some mixture in a pudding basin ready for steaming.


Sauce
Combine sugar, cream, vanilla and butter in saucepan. Bring to the boil while stirring and simmer 5 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve.
Almond praline
If you wish, very lightly toast or dry roast the slivered almonds. Then scatter almonds onto a baking paper-lined oven tray or even better, a greased marble slab.  Combine sugar  and 2 tablespoons water in a heavy based small saucepan (the smaller its diameter the better) over medium heat and cook caramel without stirring. Instead, swirl contents (ie. cook 5-10 seconds – swirl, cook 5-10 seconds – swirl), until deep golden. Pour over the almonds and cool until set. Break praline into pieces.
If Baking:
Heat oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan-forced).
For a large square dish - Lightly butter a 20cm (8”) square tin or ovenproof dish and put a square of baking paper at the base for easy removal. Pour in mixture.  If you are not using a fan-forced oven, adjust the oven rack to the lower half of the oven so the top of the pudding will be in the centre of the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes. If it is starting to get too dark on top cover with foil until done. Test for doneness with skewer – only crumbs should adhere. Cut into squares and place in centre of warm dinner plate.  Pierce holes with a toothpick or skewer. Pour  toffee sauce over each (reserving some) and place back in oven for 5 minutes, or else microwave  for 1 minute, or else simply pour hot sauce over pudding, and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
For darioles and ramekins - Lightly butter individual dariole moulds, or ramekins and put a circle of baking paper in the base for easy removal. Fold a kitchen towel and place it in the bottom of a large heavy baking dish (for water bath). This cuts down on splashing and keeps the ramekins from sliding around quite so much. Fill  darioles or ramekins to no more than 2/3 with mixture and place  into baking dish.  Put the dish on the oven rack inside the oven and only then carefully pour warm water around the sides of the moulds until it comes up 1/3 of the side of the moulds. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until golden and testing with skewer comes out clean. Without removing water bath from oven, carefully remove darioles or ramekins individually from oven. Unmould and place on warm dinner plate. Pierce holes with a toothpick or skewer. Pour toffee sauce over each (reserving some) and place back in oven for 5 minutes, or else microwave for 1 minute, or else simply pour hot sauce over pudding, and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
If Steaming in a Saucepan:
(Steaming in a saucepan is not suitable for darioles or ramekins). Lightly butter a metal or china pudding basin and put a circle of baking paper at the base for easy removal.  Fill with mixture to no more than 2/3. Cut a circle of baking paper and a circle of aluminium foil 4 cm (1 1/2”) wider in diameter than the basin. Tie up with string as pictured. If there is a lid use that too.
It helps to put something  inside the large saucepan and  underneath the pudding, such as:

• a collapsible metal steamer basket
• a folded up cloth
• an upturned plate
• a round cake cooling rack
• a cake tin lid
• a metal simmer mat with the prongs pointing downwards (one of these):

Put one of the items from the above list in the large saucepan. Cover with some water and bring to the boil. Also, boil a kettle in readiness. Put filled pudding basin into the saucepan and adjust (from the kettle) the level of boiling water so that it reaches half way up the sides of the pudding. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Bring to a rolling boil.  Adjust heat so that you can hear large bubbles breaking, but it is not so hot or full that the pudding is being lifted too fiercely or floating. Keep topping up with boiling water from the kettle (check every 20 mins or so).  A 500ml or 1 pint pudding took 1  and 1/4 hours  – or 2-3 hours for a 1.5 litre or 3 pint basin.  Steaming is very forgiving and there is a large time frame before it overcooks.  The only failures I have had are when I didn’t have the water hot enough to hear the large bubbles breaking, as I described earlier, or if the water was too high and leaked into the mixture!  Test for doneness with a skewer – only crumbs should adhere.

Unmould and place on warm dinner plate. Pierce holes with a toothpick or skewer. Pour toffee sauce over (reserving some) and place  in hot oven for 5 minutes, or else microwave for 1 minute, or else simply pour hot sauce over pudding, and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Serve in slices.
If Steaming in a Steamer Saucepan:
Lightly butter  pudding basin, dariole moulds, or ramekins and put a circle of baking paper in the base).
Fill with mixture to no more than 2/3.  Cover with a circle of baking paper and then a circle of foil 4cm (1 1/2“) wider than the diameter. Tie twice around with kitchen string  and/or a rubber band.

Pour water into base of pan and steam as you would vegetables or as per manufacturer’s instructions.  Check water every so often and add more when needed. The darioles took me 45 mins.  A 500ml or 1 pint pudding took 1  and 1/4 hours  – or 2-3 hours for a 1.5 litre or 3 pint basin. Test for doneness with a skewer – only crumbs should adhere.

Unmould and place on warm dinner plate. Pierce holes with a toothpick or skewer. Pour toffee sauce over (reserving some) and place in hot oven for 5 minutes, or else microwave for 1 minute, or else simply pour hot sauce over pudding, and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Serve with extra sauce (warmed) and cream.

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