The Supreme eGullet Baking and Pastry Challenge (Round 13)

[Kouign Aman]

As for your obsession with lotus root, it's quite do-able for a dessert. You can stuff it with glutinous rice, poach it in a light syrup and bathe it in wine (osmanthus) to serve.

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Ohmygod, Teepee, I think you did it. You knocked a new idea into my caffeine deprived head. Rice. I can do rice, or something like rice or something else, but you gave me the idea. And get the color contrast that's been driving me nuts. I didnt really want orange and green layered together, nor tan and tan.

Happy Dance! Must go pour more coffee and THINK!

Sunny, thank you!

Any volunteers for next week?I got a late start setting that up and havent heard back yet from the first "invitee".

[K8memphis]

..Any volunteers for next week?I got a late start setting that up and havent heard back yet from the first "invitee".

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DuckDuck, you still hiding???!!!

[duckduck]

Yeah, for one more week. Feeling under the weather, worn out and have a full plate for this weekend already. Part of the problem for me is the challenge is issued like monday or sunday night if we're lucky and my weekend is sunday-monday. By the time I'm asked, it's like, man, if I'd only known a day or two ago. If somebody wants to pick me, could you let me know maybe on a friday night or saturday morning so I can have my weekend to work on it? I'll try to set aside the 14th-15th weekend for it if somebody wants to tag me for then.

Edited to add, I'll take it if I can have until the 15th. The week of the 7th to the 12th to discuss and kick ideas around but give me until the 15th to get the dessert done and photos posted, which will probably be the bigger challenge for me. My photos post black and I still need to figure out why.

Edited January 6, 2007 by duckduck (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Duckduck, works for me. You're on and thank you!

[duckduck]

At one point, I was like the squirrel in the movie Hoodwinked running around going ok, I have four different kinds of cinnamon, I have a dozen salts, several smoked, I have tapioca pearls in many colors...and on and on. I should be ready for this. If there is an odd ingredient involved, can I know today before I go do my shopping tomorrow? I live in Portland so I have access to just about anything. Let me know.

[K8memphis]

At one point, I was like the squirrel in the movie Hoodwinked  running around going ok, I have four different kinds of cinnamon, I have a dozen salts, several smoked, I have tapioca pearls in many colors...and on and on. I should be ready for this. If there is an odd ingredient involved, can I know today before I go do my shopping tomorrow? I live in Portland so I have access to just about anything. Let me know.

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Bwoo wah hahahaha

Tag you're it!!!

Edited January 6, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[Kouign Aman]

I'll get you the challenge tonight or pass out on the keyboard trying.

Thank goodness we are on the same timezone.

I guarantee it wont include lotus root.

[duckduck]

It doesn't have to be a full post. You can PM a small heads up if there's an ingredient in there I need to get.

[Kouign Aman]

The munchkin did not go down for a nap on time, and my "backup plan" had to work unexpectely, so the pix wont get posted 'til tomorrow. Final components are in the oven. I expect to put it all together tonight, 'cause I hate missing deadlines.

Via pm, I notified Pam (duckduck) of the challenge last night. The thread can be found here.

[Kouign Aman]

Sick kid, plating is delayed. Cooking finished on time. Sorry. Go see duckduck. She's kicking tushie.

[Kouign Aman]

Here it is.

Left Right= the vegetable, inspired by Thai flavors, served warm

Right Left= inspired by Indian flavors, serve cold

On the right, a standard baked custard, infused with cardamom, and topped with pistachios, like the rice pudding at Indian buffets.

On the left, yam pudding and a slice of lotus root that was poached in coconut milk with lemon grass and ginger root, sitting on thin pastry to keep it from sticking to the plate. The sauce is tamarind & cilantro, flavored with ginger, tomato paste, calamansi juice and sugar. The pudding is very sweet & soft, the lotus root is mildly sweet and tender/crunchy, and the sauce is quite tangy.

Components purchased at the 99 Ranch market about 3 miles away. (pectin and tomato paste bought elsewhere.

Pectin not used, tho I still want to try making a cilantro jelly sometime).I didnt use the spud, the guava or the coriander either.

I enjoyed doing several things I’ve never done before.

I’ve never seen whole lotus roots, or calamansi before, nor used tamarind or lemon grass. I’ve never melted sugar to make decorations before (that was fun!). I’ve never removed a custard from its cup (that wasn’t so much fun ). And lastly, I’ve never posted a picture on eGullet before – this was the easiest part. One conclusion is unavoidable – I need more kitchen skill! In 2007, I will read more recipes & practice (see resolutions thread, to bring this challenge full circle.)

<editted to correct dyslexical location descriptions. Thanks K8!>

Edited January 9, 2007 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Kerry Beal]

That looks gorgeous. Such a nice contrast of textures, colours and flavours.

How did it taste?

[miladyinsanity]

Gorgeous! I have never seen orange yams before, just the purple and white ones.

People will note that I did not make it a resolution to post a picture on eG this year, I hope.

[tammylc]

Lovely!

[Kouign Aman]

I love the custard, tho my husband wants it sweeter. Its just like the indian rice pud, with crunch from the sugar.

The yam sandwich is good, we both enjoyed it, but it could use tweaking. If served it in a restaurant, I would eat it all and be content, but I would not order it again.

The sauce is very tangy and is critical. It would be nice to jelly the sauce and have it gel in the lotus root spaces. The cilantro flavor is quite pronounced, but it needs more 'fruit' flavor in it. Tomato paste helped, as did the calamansi, but its still a bit lacking.

Filo would make a better bottom, the pudding could be smoother, and the lotus root could be more strongly flavored (also, it poached to a light purple which is going to look nasty grey in most light.)

The yam pudding on its own is a keeper, and lotus roots in general will reappear in my kitchen although probably not on the dessert menu. As noted, I still want to make a cilantro jelly sometime. Probably with lime for the sour note, maybe the calamansi tho. Man, those pack some tang!

<editted for grammar & to clarify opinion>

Edited January 9, 2007 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Gorgeous! I have never seen orange yams before, just the purple and white ones.

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I'm told the orange yams are much sweeter and less starchy than the white and purple ones. I've never cooked the latter two. There's always confusion since there are those, plus the yellow version here. Some yellow ones are also sweet, ..... sometimes they are called sweet potatoes instead.

[K8memphis]

Great work, so many firsts! Wonderful job. Hope you are feeling better too!

[miladyinsanity]

Gorgeous! I have never seen orange yams before, just the purple and white ones.

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I'm told the orange yams are much sweeter and less starchy than the white and purple ones. I've never cooked the latter two. There's always confusion since there are those, plus the yellow version here. Some yellow ones are also sweet, ..... sometimes they are called sweet potatoes instead.

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Ah. Okay. I got it now. I don't live in the US, you see.

Sweet potatoes are definitely much sweeter and less starchy than yams.

[K8memphis]

I like the artistic balance of the meandering scrollie thing standing between the teardrop shaped holes filled with yam stuff on one side in contrast to the teardrop shape of the orbs of pistachio on the other. That custard is beautiful. Now what flavor is the scrollie thing and is that the same as the vines that connect the pistachios on the custard creation?

[Kouign Aman]

Thank you.

The scrollie-thingie is the sour tamarind etc sauce. It goes with the veggie-wich. The scroll pattern reminds me of henna patterns on Indian women's hands.

The vines on the custard are sugar - melted and formed on overturned custard cups. The caramelized sugar looks better but the clear sugar tasted better with the custard.

I didnt even notice that the lotus holes and pistachios were the same general shape. Interesting.

[Sunny Simmons Steincamp]

Beautiful, congratulations! The scrollie thing made me think of henna right off, too, as I have a friend who did us all up this summer with it. Everything sounds deilcious, too... terrific job!