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Stuffed Peppers with Yogurt and Feta (1)

Stuffed Peppers with Yogurt and Feta (2)

Something about Flying and the Wind

Date: Sep. 27th 2009
Category: Chocolate, Italian Sweets, Dessert and Pastry, Daring Bakers
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Tags: chocolate, Daring Bakers, dessert and pastry

The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Before I left for Italy, I knew that Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon would be hosting the September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge and that she would be putting forth vol-au-vents (and puff pastry) as the challenge for DBers everywhere.

In the flurry of getting ready for my trip, I didn’t really think much about it until … ummm … yesterday when I was like, “Oh yeah. Vol-au-vents. Puff pastry. Yeah. I should get on that.”

I could look it up but am, quite frankly, too lazy and tired to do so right now but I believe that vol-au-vents means something like flying in the wind or on the wind. Or something like that. Someone will correct if I’m wrong, I’m sure.

In any event, I made like the wind yesterday and threw together a batch of puff pastry and can I just say that I was thanking Steph all along because truly, I adore making puff pastry.

It’s not that I think my puff pastry is all that great. I mean it’s good, but I’m by no means an expert and I’m sure that my puff pastry would be judged as serviceable, at the very best.

But the act of making it is one of the most beautiful baking experiences. All afternoon long, as I rolled and turned, I kept thinking to myself: “This is what I love.”

A quiet Saturday afternoon, a hot cup of tea, flour, butter and a rolling pin. It’s the best day I’ve had since I got back from Italy.

I decided to fill my little puff pastry nests with a cold, dessert filling. For that I chose Italian Chocolate Mousse from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. I chose this chocolate mousse because it’s actually a recipe that I’m making along with my new friends in a new group that I joined.

Love new groups!

I actually found out about this group, called Cooking Italy, from Simone of Junglefrog Cooking (Love Simone!!!). On Simone’s blog I read about this group that cooks recipes from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. The group was created by the lovely Angela of the blog Spinach Tiger.

Once upon a time when I first started this blog, I remember thinking that I wanted to spend a lot of time really studying Hazan’s book. Of course, that hasn’t happened. While I do refer to it time-to-time, I haven’t used it nearly as much as I should and that’s a shame because Hazan is truly a treasure when it comes to Italian cooking.

I e-mailed Angela and she very graciously said I could join the group. So expect to see a lot more Hazan around here!

I’m going to do a separate post about the chocolate mousse but in the meantime, it was lovely in the little pastry nests. I caramelized some sugar and let it harden and then added some crushed caramel pieces to the top just for a bit of crunch.

So thank you so much to Steph, for choosing this challenge and for helping me remember why I love baking so much. And thanks to Simone for introducing me to Angela who’s helping me rediscover Marcella.

Ciao!

Here’s a photo journal of my vol-au-vent efforts. You can find the recipe on Steph’s blog.

We begin with a mass of flour, butter, salt and water … and a game of tic-tac-toe.

Bash a block of butter. Say it 20 times really quickly.

One day I would like to receive a love letter filled with butter.

My first turn. So pretty.

Dough rings.

And voila! Vol-au-vents!

39 Comments

Tracy @ Sugarcrafter

09/27/09 at 12:38 pm

Beautiful!! The chocolate mousse looks amazing too.

Lauren

09/27/09 at 12:54 pm

I’m so glad you enjoyed this challenge!! Your vols-au-vent look stunning, and the mousse sounds delicious =D. I love how they rose!

sarah

09/27/09 at 12:54 pm

gorgeous!!! i think a love letter of butter would signify true and lasting love!

Amy I.

09/27/09 at 1:12 pm

Beautiful work! I love the chocolate mousse idea and the way you added to it with sugar/caramel and piped it in. I used white chocolate mousse and it was a flop, so I’m hoping to try again with regular chocolate soon. Looking forward to your post on that.

And as if you don’t get thanked enough, I’m so appreciative for the existence of the Daring Kitchen, I’ve learned and grown so much in my kitchen confidence in my short time there. So…thanks for that too!

Megan

09/27/09 at 1:36 pm

One of the best parts about these challenges is seeing how creative everyone is with them. I love seeing all the different filling choices… and chocolate mousse with caramelized crunch on top sounds absolutely delicious to me! These look beautiful. And I can’t wait to see what other Hazan recipes you make. I’ve been wanting to get that book for a while.

Rosa

09/27/09 at 2:12 pm

Great job! I love your choice of filling! So yummy!

Cheers,

Rosa

steph (whisk/spoon)

09/27/09 at 2:49 pm

beautiful– can’t wait to hear about that tasty mousse! thanks for sqeezing in time for a little therapeutic puff making!

Barbara

09/27/09 at 3:02 pm

Looks like the puff pastry loves you back - they look perfect!

Glennis - Can't Believe We Ate

09/27/09 at 3:29 pm

Simply amazing! You just tossed together puff pastry! I’m going to love cooking with you! Beautiful presentation, fabulous choice of fillings!

Courtney

09/27/09 at 4:19 pm

We are twins with this challenge. Beautiful.

John

09/27/09 at 7:07 pm

It is more than apparent, your love of cooking, in the final product!! Looks fantastic!!!! Oh and how long must we wait for the low down on the mousse??

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction

09/27/09 at 7:46 pm

Your vols-au-vent look beautiful! The chocolate mousse sounds delicious, too. I agree with you about making puff pastry - it is so enjoyable and relaxing. Perfect way to spend the afternoon!

Wizzythestick

09/27/09 at 8:34 pm

Serviceable at best is how you describe your pastry. Are you kidding me? They are great! I bow down in awe of your skill.

rachel

09/27/09 at 8:48 pm

I made mine yesterday too..the vols au vent are beautiful.

Dharm

09/27/09 at 9:35 pm

Lovely! Chocolate mousse and puff pastry - could anything be as yummy? This was a fun challenge although i doubt I would go to the trouble of making puff pastry again - but at least I Know I Can make my own! and thats all thanks to the Daring Bakers!

Frenchie

09/27/09 at 10:35 pm

These look very beautiful and I have to say I agree with you, there is something about the process involved that made this challenge so great. You can’t rush it and you have to work with the dough, not on it. I am very curious to learn more about your new group!

Simone (junglefrog)

09/27/09 at 11:12 pm

What a great idea to fill those vol-au-vents with the chocolate mousse!! And thanks so much for the lovely words too… :)) I can’t wait to see more of your Marcella recipes!!

Ahmad

09/28/09 at 12:35 am

Well done

Anh

09/28/09 at 1:22 am

SO neat and beautiful!!

VeggieGirl

09/28/09 at 5:31 am

You are AMAZING for finding the time to make the Vol-au-vents - they look perfect to me, so you should be MIGHTY proud

kellypea

09/28/09 at 6:03 am

Yum! I thought about filling those lovelies with mousse, but got sidetracked! Great idea and so yummy looking. I swear it’s been forever since I stopped by — what a slacker I am : /

Meeta

09/28/09 at 6:49 am

ivonne these are so elegantly cute. love the filling! good to have you back!

Claudia

09/28/09 at 6:57 am

Why haven’t I picked up Marcella’s book? I’m kicking myself (well if I could move my right leg I would). I am cowed by puff pastry - I think you did just fine! And love the chocolate mousse. That just may become a treat mid-week for the family.

Margaret ortigo

09/28/09 at 7:44 am

Those came out beautifully. For something that sounds complicated, it is very simple.

Love your filling.

christina

09/28/09 at 9:07 am

I love how this looks both gorgeous and simple at the same time!

Penny

09/28/09 at 11:00 am

Beautiful pictures and great description. I just want to sit here and keep looking at them…since I can’t eat them

Cheryl B.

09/28/09 at 1:29 pm

I stopped by your blog to verify that you were still hosting your Monday “theme day”.

In case you aren’t sure why I would do that, please first go here: http://thehousethatlovebuilt.xanga.com/712911712/today–/

and then read this one:
http://thehousethatlovebuilt.xanga.com/712911311/sept-theme-days/

I see that you will be, so I shall leave you on the lists

THANKS!!!
Cheryl B.

Tina Marie

09/28/09 at 3:28 pm

I was going to send you my link for Magazine Monday if you are still doing it. I’m at www.tinaculbertson.blogspot.com

Thanks and cheers! Love your site …

Tina

Madam Chow

09/28/09 at 4:10 pm

I agree totally. I love working with pastry and bread. And this was one of my favorite DB challenges!

Lisa

09/29/09 at 1:33 am

Ivonne, Like you, the excitement and enjoyment I get/got out of making the puff pastry is truly wonderful. I actually ‘fall in love’ with the pastry as I’m rolling it, and fall even harder when I cut open the finished dough to see all those gorgeous layers. This time, humidity prevented distinct layers in the raw dough, but the pastry was fine. regardless.

Yours turned out gorgeous, and I happen to own a copy of Marcella’s book..so that chocolate mousse is one to try very soon. I would ask how to join up with this club, but I have too much on my plate at the moment. Love how you piped it into the vols au vent, though - simply mouth watering and beautiful!!

alana

09/29/09 at 4:33 am

sometimes it’s really all about the process, and you really captured it with your afternoon. And the product shows your happiness- I think that makes it rise higher!

Aparna

09/29/09 at 8:53 am

Ivonne, these look so perfect. Ther’s something magic about seeing flat layers puffing up into something like these.

Jenny Tan

09/29/09 at 9:39 am

Your V-a-V looks so tidy! The pic of the dough rings reminds me of pineapple rings! They look so tasty and puffy! Yum!

deeba

09/29/09 at 6:09 pm

Just fab Ivonne. So glad to see baking Mojo back in roaring form…and yay, you got plenty of rise like puff the magic dragon! My tales of woe continued with pooling butter in hot weather. Love the little nests & chocolate mousse! Simone has a beautiful blog, and that does sound like an interesting group! Brava!!

Holly

10/1/09 at 12:38 pm

Wow! Your pastry looks like it turned out perfectly! You inspire me with your baking!

Hillary

10/2/09 at 1:11 pm

Hi Ivonne!! Not sure why I haven’t been by in awhile but I’m glad to be back and see all the delicious things you’ve been up to. I want some of those pastries with the chocolate mousse

Vera

10/3/09 at 5:52 pm

Super-flaky pastry, Ivonne! And this filling looks mouthwatering!

Tamy ~ 3 Sides of Crazy

10/4/09 at 11:04 am

Absolutely superb. I can’t wait until I get a kitchen back and can make these!!

George@CulinaryTravels

10/4/09 at 7:40 pm

I’m so sad to have missed this challenge, your pastry looks just perfect. I will have to bake these someday.

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