Biscuits For Every Meal : The Daring Bakers January Challenge.

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Appetizer & Sides, apricot, apricot biscuits, Baking, biscuits, breakfast scones, cambil cream of chicken soup recipes, cheddar biscuits, cheddar garlic biscuits, Chicken, corn, corn and chicken chowder, corn soup, creamy corn and chicken soup, daring bakers, daring kitchen challenge, fan tan rolls, herbed biscuits, light lunch, scone, Soup, sweet biscuits, tea time biscuits

Blog-checking lines: Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

It only took me 25 minutes to get these fluffy and tasty biscuits from the fridge to your table. Which is the most thing I adore about making these all the time, and whether it’s for breakfast, snacks or even for lunch these are very welcome in my family.

The recipe was given by Audax was very successful, I followed every step in the recipe, I really like it. I played with the flavours and added a little to the original. Very special thanks to Audax Artifex for sharing these awesome recipes and dedicated her tries to get the best of the biscuits recipes.

actually, I made two kinds of biscuits, and hoped to make more but as always, the time is my big problem.

The savory one which is the Buttermilk Cheese and Garlic Biscuits. Mmm! Warm and cheesy biscuits are a snap to make, and it went very well with the warm chicken and corn cream soup. That was a superb for satisfying light lunch meal. In the biscuit batter I used grated cheddar cheese, garlic powder and sprinkle of dried parsley leaves, Other delicate fresh herbs (tarragon, chives, chervil) will work in this recipe in place of the parsley. For a browner crust, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter after baking, it’s also intensify the butter flavour in the biscuits.

The other kind is the sweet biscuits-Stacked Apricot Biscuit. Tender and slightly sweet, these treats are perfect for afternoon tea, and perfect  for breakfast as will. Serve with softly whipped and sweetened whipping cream, or even a your choice of jam.

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Cheddar and Garlic Herbed Biscuits

For the original recipe check audax recipes here

When the weather outside gets chilly, nothing beats this hearty chicken and corn cream soup, complete with freshly baked flaky buttery biscuits.

1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
1\4 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
1\2 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
1\4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
about ½ cup cold buttermilk
optional 1 tablespoon buttermilk, for glazing the tops of the scones
1 tablespoon melted butter, to glaze after baking

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to very hot 450°F

2. Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.Add the cheese , dried parsley, and the garlic powder (If your room temperature is very hot refrigerate the sifted ingredients until cold.),
3. Rub the frozen grated butter (or combination of fats) into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.

4. Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the rubbed-in flour/fat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) the dough until it is smooth. To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)
6. Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick (15¼ cm by 10 cm by 2 cm thick). Using a well-floured 2-inch (5 cm) scone cutter (biscuit cutter), stamp out without twisting six 2-inch (5 cm) rounds, gently reform the scraps into another ¾ inch (2 cm) layer and cut two more scones (these two scones will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough). Or use a well-floured sharp knife to form squares or wedges as you desire.
7. Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Glaze the tops with milk if you want a golden colour on your scones or lightly flour if you want a more traditional look to your scones.
8. Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures are very unreliable) until the scones are well risen and are lightly coloured on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.
9. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.

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Corn and Chicken Cream Soup

3 chicken tenders, cut into small cubes
1\4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups water
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1\4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, butter or margarine, and the minced chicken. Saute for about 1-2 minutes, then add the corn kernels, sauté for about 5 min more.
Add the cream of chicken soup, water, salt and pepper. Add in the cheddar cheese, whisk in the cream cheese and allow to heat through. Add the herbs, Stir together, test the taste and serve.

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Apricot Biscuits

Stacked biscuits, baked in muffin cups and sweetened or not, make an attractive opener for a feast.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1\4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2\3 cup dried apricot, cut into small pieces
1\2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup fat-free milk
turbinado sugar (row cane)to sprinkle on the top
cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon melted butter for the top and between the folds

Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the dried apricot, the granulated sugar, and the lemon peel. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk. Stir just until dough clings together.

Knead the dough gently for 10 to 12 strokes on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll one portion into a 12×10-inch rectangle. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar and cinnamon over rectangle. Cut rectangle into four 12×2-inch strips. Cut into each strip into 4 square. Stack the strips one on top of the other. Place stacks, edge-side down, in greased muffin cups. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with cream cheese or apricot jam.

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Warm and Comforting Vegetable Lentil Soup

Tags

leek, lentil, pita chips, pumpkin, Soup

 

 

Easy, fast, healthy, and so very good! Torn toasted pita bread in olive oil is a good addition to this soup.

Everyone have a special lentil soup recipe in their lives, one that sustained them and kept them warm during cold winter days.
It was unexpected, at my friends lunch little party, when she served us a hot warming soup in an espresso cup. A gorgeous soup, it was warming, hearty, and possessed a velvety texture that recalled some kind of pureed legumes, but it had a zesty and spicy flavor.
” It’s nothing, just a lentil soup” she said.
Lentil? It didn’t taste as lentils.
“Yes, red lentils, with some other vegetables, pureed and spiced with a little chilli powder and lemon juice.” She added.
As for me, I always cook my lentil soup with red lentil, but the other flavors that make that soup so special. I took the recipe and planed to be on my next day dinner menu. It scored high in my family records, my kids love it.

Unlike their more familiar brown and green cousins, red lentils are hulled and split when you buy them. This lets them cook much faster than their relatives, though they don’t hold their shape as well, making them problematic for salad and ideal for soup.
The Leek and pumpkin, the stars of this rich soup. The leek, is a vegetable in the same family as onions and garlic but have a more subtle flavor. It is perhaps best known for its use in soups. The pumpkin, when you say fall, you’ll always remember pumpkins, I love it.
Puree the finished soup will result in a creamy and thick soup. A good way to include the vegetable in kids meal, thus more appealing for the kids to eat it. To make it more kids friendly, I omit the chilli powder from the original recipe.

Top the soup with toasted pita bread pieces when serving, some chopped fresh parsley, and a squeeze of lemon juice for extra lemony flavor.

 Vegetable Lentil soup

2-3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cup red lentil
2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped
2 cups cubed fresh pumpkins
1\2 cup chopped onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and ground black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon, plus more for the garnish
fresh parsley chopped
toasted pita chips

In a large pot, heat the oil, add the onion and the garlic, sauté until golden. stir in the leek, the pumpkin and the lentil, sauté for 4-5 min. Add the stock or water, the cumin, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook for a bout 20 minutes.
With a hand blender, or any blender available, purée the soup. Add lemon juice and adjust the salt and pepper flavour. serve with some toasted pita chips and some chopped parsley on the top.

For the toasted pita bread
Sprinkle the bread with olive oil, cut the bread in triangle shape, spread the bread pieces in an oven try, bake on 300 f for 10-15 minutes, it depends who thick is the bread.

Japanese Ginger soya Clear Soup Plus Side of Sushi for The Daring Cooks September Challenge.

Tags

California Rolls, ginger, ginger soup, Japanese, mushroom, Soup, soya soup, sushi

Blog-checking lines:  Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s  September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”.  We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we  so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

For this month’s challenge, I liked to make The Japanese Clear Soup, since there is no recipe for it, it’s inspired  from the soup served in the Japanese Restaurant that me and my family liked and always order,  it’s a clear soup with intensive ginger flavor, with a hint of soya, and a small slices of mushroom, scallion, and toasted browned onions, yummy…very delicious, the onion is the star in this soup, it gives the soup the sweet flavor with a little smokey flavor.

A long with the Japanese Soup, what’s better than a side of sushi, so I tried to make the California rolls, and I can’t believe it how gorgeous they are. This is my first time I make sushi, and it turned in very good. I used the toasted seaweed sheets (you can find it in a neighbor food store, I find in Wal-Mart from the oriental section), just drop it in warm water and lift it quickly without soaking it, it will become soft and you can use it immediately.

For the soup, I make a stock of chicken and vegetables the day before, the next day did the consomme`with the egg white raft, then continuo with the soup.

For the protein raft filtration here are some outline and tips from Peta:

To get most of the fat out of a stock, you can simply chill it. The fat will harden and float on top of the stock where it can be scooped off easily. A fat separator, which looks like a big measuring cup with a spout at the bottom, allows you to pour the stock out while trapping the fat. Or you can carefully drag a piece of really top quality paper towel over the top of the stock.
To completely clarify stock, use the following method:
• Prepare your extra meat, vegetables and flavourings as per the recipe.
• Beat egg whites to soft peaks, one for each litre/quart of stock. Combine with your flavourings.
• A pot that is higher than it is round improves your results, because the consommé percolates through the raft in a more efficient way.
• Stir the mixture into the hot stock and bring it back to a bare simmer, do not let it boil. The egg-whites will coagulate, rise, and take any particles and cloudiness out of the stock.
• Keep a close eye on the consommé (push the coagulated egg whites to the side a bit to see) let it simmer 10 to 45 minutes.
• The raft is a delicate thing. It is vital it doesn’t break apart (if it breaks apart it will all mix back into the soup and you’ll have to strain it and start again with just the egg whites.). You want to bring the liquid up to a simmer very slowly. Keep a close eye on it. Once the raft is substantial, break a little hole in it if there isn’t already one.
• As the consommé simmers, you will see bubbles and foam come up through your hole. Skim it off and discard. When the bubbles stop coming and the consommé looks clear underneath, then you’re ready to take it out.
• Removing the consommé from underneath the raft is another nerve racking procedure. You want to break as little of the raft as possible, but you have to get underneath it to remove the liquid.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for another ten minutes.
• Enlarge your hole with a ladle and spoon it all out as gently as you can. Once you’ve removed all of the consommé from the pot discard the raft (you cannot use for another purpose). You could try siphoning it out. Some chef’s say this is possible but they are using great big pots or steam kettles. I haven’t tried this so good luck and let me know if you do it and it works.

Japanese Ginger Soya Clear Soup

First step (The chicken vegetable stock)

1\2 a chicken cut into pieces
2 carrots chopped
2 stick celery chopped
1 stick leek chopped
1\2 onion chopped
4-5 slices of fresh ginger
stack of fresh parsley

In a large pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the chicken pieces and roast on all sides with the oil, the skin will turn golden brown ( if you want the soup color to be lighter,  just toast the chicken a little bit less without browning), add the other ingredients, cover with cold water and this will give it more intense flavor than when you put a hot water (thanks you peta for the tip), don’t cover and let the stock simmer on a medium low heat untill the chicken cooked well.
Sieve the chicken and vegetable, discard the vegetable and keep the chicken for another use.
At this point you can continue with the recipe or you may cover the stock and keep it in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months in a tight container.

To continue with the consomme`:

4 cups stock
1 egg white
1\4 cup onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped

To the soup:

sliced fresh ginger
thinly sliced mushrooms
sliced scallions
2 tablespoon soya sauce reduced sodium
thinly sliced onion roasted to brownish

Whisk 1 egg to soft peak, add some chopped onions, garlic and fresh ginger, as a flavoring elements, add some chopped ice, whisk then add it to the stock.
Let simmer in medium low, try not to boil, just a very small bubble is ok. Make a hole to check if it reach the clarity you wants, if it reached, with a small ladle, carefully scoop the consomme` into another pot.

Add salt, very thinly sliced mushroom, sliced scallions, roasted to brownish sliced onions, and the soya. Bring to boil again, then it will be ready to serve.

From the sushi bar, my first try, California Rolls:

roasted seaweed sheets
japanese short grain rice
sliced cucumber
shrimp cooked
avocado sliced
soya sauce reduced sodium

Cook the rice with water (don’t add any oil, this will get the rice more sticky), add a little salt, cover and let simmer on very low heat, then cool.
Drop the toasted seaweed sheets in warm water, and left it quickly, it will soften immediately, lay on your work surface, arrange a layer of cooked rice on the half of the sheet, then add the sliced cucumber, avocado, and cooked shrimp, roll the sheet over the stuffing carefully because it’s delicate and can be tear easily, cut to your favourite size slices, enjoy with some soya sauce as dip.

Wheat and Chicken Soup

Tags

Chicken, Soup, wheat

 

As it also  known as ‘ The Palestinians Grits Soup’ or ‘Freekey Soup’,  a very nutritious and delicious soup specially in the holly month of Ramadan and a traditional hometown recipe.

The grains known as ‘Freekey’ or Greenwheat, Because the grains are harvested while still young, Freekeh contain more protein, vitamins than the same mature grain. It is  low carb, high in fibre, they roast the grains that will give it a smoky flavor.

 

  The Greenwheat can be used in a variety of ways, It’s good to cook it by itself  like a rice as a side dish for many stews, or use it for stuffing.

In this soup recipe the variations is wide open, you can add meat instead of the chicken as it’s more famous with  the meat, or leave it as a vegetarian soup without any meat addition  just add vegetable with the broth to add more values to the soup, or you may add rice with the wheat in the soup.

It’s good in hot days of summer as a light lunch meal, simple but satisfying.

 Wheat and Chicken Soup

  

1  cup dried wheat 

1  sweet or yellow onion

chicken with bones

 a dash from each of spices like (cardamom, coriander, sweet pepper, black pepper, cumin, salt)

 Cut the chicken in pieces, chop the onion  add it with the chicken in the cooking pot, add water to cover the chicken and flavor it with the spices, let it cook for 20 minutes, drain the stock and don’t discard (we will use it to cook the wheat),  let the chicken to cool a little.

During that time clean and pick the wheat, you might see some small pits of stones with it, wash it with water, add it to the chicken stock and leave it covered to cook on low heat it will to take about 1 hour.

Take the bones from the chicken and cut it into small pieces using the fork, add it again with the wheat when it’s done, add water if it need because the wheat will absorb a lot of water, and cook for 10 minutes more .

You can add some minced parsley at the top of your bowl of soup.