En Croute is a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Traditionally, the type of pastry used for making Pâté en Croute is a simple straight pastry dough called pâte à pâté, or pâté pastry. But today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.
Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes! We were allowed to use our favorite foods and experiment with the types of bread/pastries to wrap up the food of choice.
Food wrapped in pastry or bread is very popular in the middle east. I have already shared my spinach pastry triangles and my cheese pastry “fatayer jebneh” but since this was a daring cooks challenge,I had plans to do something with chickens and mushrooms or fish but as usual time was not on my side this month and I ended up taking the easy (but still yummy) way out. I decided to use up some of my homemade string cheese for my food of choice. I love how this cheese melts perfectly when heated. Add a little parsley for refreshment and flavor and you have one of my favorite cheese/herb combos. So why not wrap it with some buttery puff pastry? I wish I had some homemade puff pastry as I am sure it would have taken these cheese turn overs into the next level but I was out and since we agreed we were going to take the easy way, store bought puff pastry did the job.
These buttery, golden and slightly crunchy triangles go by many names.Cheese turn overs, easy samosa or cheese en croute. No matter what you decide to call them, they are quick and easy to prepare making them a great option when you have guests coming on short notice. Paired with a cup of tea and a little salad they make for a wonderful meal, one that does not require you to spend half the day in the kitchen. What I like the most about recipes like this one is that they are easy enough for kids to help with, I had fun making these with my 4 year old son, he did the egg wash and helped with sealing the triangles with a fork.
2 cups grated string cheese (you can use paneer, feta, halloumi or cheddar here too)
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
For the egg wash
1 egg
1 teaspoon vinegar
Instructions
Beat the egg with the vinegar, this will be your egg wash.
Mix the grated cheese with the parsley
I used pre-cut puff pastry squares but you can use a sheet of puff pastry and roll it out thinly and then cut it into squares
Brush the tops with egg wash
Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling in the center of each square
Fold on corner onto the one across from it diagonally
Use a fork to seal the edges
Brush each turnover with egg wash.
Put each turnover onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 15- 20 minutes at 425F/220C/Gas mark 6 or until the turniovers are golden brown.
Serve warm, (the filling inside may be a bit hot).
Once again it is time for this month’s Secret recipe club reveal. I was assigned Katrina’s blog, Baking and boys. What I loved the most about her blog (besides all the wonderful recipes she shares) are the pictures of her family in the side bar her passion and love for them shines beautifully through.
Not only did baked oatmeal turn out to be super quick and easy to make, it also stays in great condition in the fridge for days. Added to that, the combination of bananas, honey and oatmeal is one you don’t want to miss if you have not tried it before. The best part is, in 15- 20 minutes you can have enough baked oatmeal to last you a few days. Store it in the fridge and all you have to do in the morning is top it with some milk or fruits and breakfast is served. It is a great make ahead breakfast for busy mornings.
The banana, honey and walnut baked oatmeal was a huge hit with the kids, they ate it for 3 days in a row topped with strawberries and more bananas and are demanding that I make this every week. This recipe is a keeper for sure and I know I will be making it again and again. Thanks Katrina
After hiding white beans in a coconut cake and spinach and carrots in brownies it was time to hide zucchini in muffins Greg posted a wonderful recipe for carrot and dried fruit muffins a couple of weeks ago and I just knew we would love those muffins! They are pretty healthy with 50% whole wheat flour, honey, dates, cranberries and a little fat.So they would make a wonderful breakfast muffin or a healthy dessert to pack in the school lunch box.
Our daring bakers challenge was about hiding veggies in a dessert in a way that the one eating it will not be able to tell its there. So I thought I would replace the carrots with zucchini. Since zucchini is not sweet, I increased the sugar a little, used brown sugar and cinnamon and I added some cardamom too. The result was an instant hit with the kids and they enjoyed them in their lunch boxes over the next few days. The only thing I would do differently next time is to make 9 muffins instead of 12 and fill the muffin tins more to get beautiful domes like the one’s in Greg’s picture
When I posted the cheese making challenge on the daring kitchen forum, one of my fellow daring cooks attempted to make Armenian string cheese and I immediately knew what my next cheese making challenge should be. Armenian string cheese الجبنه المشلشله or Syrian string cheese as it is often refered to here is a type of milk string cheese made in much the same way as mozzarella is but what sets it apart is the addition of mahlab, nigella seeds and the unique braided or plaited shape. The braid makes this cheese a fun snack for kids and adults alike. unbraiding it and eating it strand by strand is only part of the fun. This Armenian string cheese is perfect for making grilled cheese sandwiches or using as a stuffing into pastry and fatayer as it melts beautifully.
The process may seem daunting with all the steps and pictures but if you have made mozzarella at home before, then you will find making Syrian string cheese a breeze. Even if you have never attempted making mozzarella at home, I promise you will really enjoy it. Watching milk turn into curds and then watching the curds melt and stretch into beautiful strands is nothing short of magical. Or as close to magic as you will get in the kitchen
In this post I will walk you through making mozzarella at home and then turning it into addictive string cheese.
Before we get started, please visit my cheese 101 page for basic information and definitions for the terms like rennet, whey. UHT milk.
The milk:
Raw milk or pasteurized milk are your only options here. Raw preferable to pasteurized. UHT milk will not work even with the addition of Calcium chloride.
Hygiene:
Working with raw milk means that you need to be extra careful about keeping the utensils, hands and working space clean. You don’t want to contaminate the milk and cheese.
Microwave or hot water
To make mozzarella or string cheese you have to heat the curds to allow them to melt, that will enable you to stretch them. This can be done in two ways: the microwave or using hot water/whey. I use the hot water/ whey method because I no longer own a microwave. I gave mine away a couple of months ago.
Before I get to the recipes a big thank you goes out to John from the Bartolini kitchens. without his support and wonderful tutorials I would have never started out on this whole cheese making adventure
1¼ teaspoon citric acid ملح ليمون dissolved in a ¼ cup (60 ml) of cool distilled water
½ tablet rennet dissolved in a ¼ cup (60 ml) of cool distilled water
¼ teaspoon Lipase dissolved in a ¼ cup (60 ml) of cool distilled water – optional but, if using Lipase, add another ¼ tablet of rennet
1 teaspoon table salt
Directions
Place milk in a non-reactive pot with a lid. Gently heat the mixture until 88˚F (31˚C), stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom or burning.
Add the citric acid water mix and stir well.
If using Lipase, add it now and mix thoroughly.(I did not use it)
Place pot where it will not be disturbed. Add dissolved rennet, stir thoroughly, and cover pot.I usually place some kitchen towels on top of the pot or place it next to the heater.
Do not disturb for at least one hour.(on a cold day wait for 2 hours)
You should see that the milk has transformed into curd with some clear liquid on the top and sides (this liquid is called whey).
You need to check the curd to see if you can get a clean break. You can do this is a number of ways. One would be to put your finger into the curd at an angle and then pull it out. You should feel some resistance from the curd and your finger should come out relatively clean
Clean break
If your finger comes out covered in yogurt like substance then that is called a bad break (which means the milk did not set properly and the curds are too weak)
Another way to make sure the curd is ready is to put a straw vertically into the curd. You should feel a slight resistance when you are planting the straw into the curds and the straw should stand vertically on its own
If you get a bad break wait another hour and test again.
If you still get a bad break,wait another hour. If you still get a bad break then sadly there is nothing you can do, you have to discard the milk and start over.
Cut the curds
If you get a clean break then now is the time to cut the curds, this step helps the whey separate from the curds.
Use a long knife or offset spatula, and starting at one side of the pot, cut a straight line through the curd.
Once the opposite side has been reached, create another slice about 2 cm away from the previous cut. Repeat until the entire curd has been cut into horizontal slices.
Give the pot a quarter turn and, starting at one end of the pot, repeat the slicing process. When finished, the curd should be cut into squares.
Now you need to cut the curds below the surface, to do that. Take the knife or offset spatula and direct it at a 45 degree angle to the surface.
Slice through the curds from side to side at ½ inch intervals. This will cut the curds beneath the surface. Repeat this step twice, turning the pot and cutting the curds on an angle each time.
Cover the pot again and leave it undisturbed for 15 minutes. This will allow more whey to separate from the curds.
At the end of 15 minutes, using a slotted spoon, stir the curd gently. Cut any curds that are larger than 1-2 cm.
Return the pot to the stove and gently heat the curds and whey until they reach 108˚F (42˚C), stirring very gently to prevent sticking on the pan’s bottom.If you stir the curds too much or break them into pieces that are too small, you will get a crumbly cheese that looks like ricotta and the curds won’t come together or stretch when you heat them. So stir GENTLY.
Maintain that temperature for 35 minutes. I heat the oven to 150 C. Turn it off and place a towel on the oven rack, place the pot in the oven, cover it with a towel and leave it in the closed oven for 35 minutes.
Your other option to maintain the temperature is to use a water bath.Prepare a larger pan with a little water and heat to 40 ° C, turn off the heat. Place the pot with the curd in the pot of water (make sure the water does not overflow!). Cover with a lid and then cover them all in a towel to keep warm.
At the end of the 35 minutes the curds should have firmed up
Test the curd
Bring a small saucepan of water to a near boil. The temperature should be between 80 and 90 ° C.
Take a piece of curd with a slotted spoon.
Place the spoon with the curd into the water at the right temperature. Allow a few seconds and remove the curd. Stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches, your curds are ready. Otherwise, allow the curds to remain warm and covered for another 30 minutes and check again.
At this stage you can store your mozzarella curds in the fridge for a couple of days.
When your curds are ready, gently pour the pot’s contents into a sieve, separating the curds while reserving the whey.
Allow to drain for 15 minutes. Break apart any large clumps of curds.
Place curds into a large bowl, season with salt, and mix thoroughly.
Divide the curds into thirds. Place one third of the curds into a slotted spoon or fine sieve.
Heat a pot of water or whey to 80 or 90 C
Use a spoon to submerge the curd ball into the hot water/whey. Leave it submerged for 30 seconds
Take the curd out and slowly stretch the curd If it breaks instead of stretching, re-heat the curd for another 15 seconds before trying again.
Fold the curd in half onto itself.
Stretch it again. Continue to stretch & fold submerging the cheese in the water for 30 seconds after every couple of folds.
At first the cheese will be dull and lumpy but then it will start to stretch more and become smooth and shiny
Keep stretching and folding until the cheese is smooth and shines. Form it into a ball like you would bread dough for a dinner roll.
Congratulations, you made mozzarella!
Best if used right away. See Notes forstorage tips.
Notes:
Mozzarella will remain good to eat for about 1 week but the sooner you use it, the better it will taste.
Mozzarella is at its best when it is still warm after being stretched. If you are not going to use it immediately, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and set aside until needed. Do not refrigerate.
If you’re not going to use it that day, do not wrap it but place it in some reserved whey, covered, and then refrigerate it. Be aware that once it is chilled, the texture — the creaminess — will change because the milk fats will harden.
Traditionally the whey reserved from making mozzarella cheese may be used to make ricotta.To do that heat the whey to (95˚C), allow it to cool, and then strain it through a cheese cloth or fine sieve. The problem with this technique is that the amount you will get is very small. No more than a few tablespoons. I do not use this technique to make ricotta. Instead I use this recipe
Mozzarella making troubleshoot
My mozzarella looks like ricotta and it won’t melt or stretch
This can be due to one of two causes. Either you stirred the curd when you reheated them vigorously and broke them down to pieces that are too small. Or the milk you used was heated beyond the pasteurization temperature. Either way there is nothing you can do to make the cheese melt and stretch but that does not mean you have to throw it away. Sprinkle it with some salt and herbs and enjoy it as a spread on your bread. It still tastes good
My mozzarella is dry and rubbery as opposed to smooth and shiny
There are many steps you can take to achieve a softer cheese. You may have stretched your curds too much. Simply let the cheese fall on its self a few times and put it in your container. It loses a lot of moisture during the stretching process.
If it is still too dry, next time, add the rennet at a temperature 2-5 degrees lower or do less cutting and stirring before the stretching stage.
I am using the same milk I used before, but now my curds are too soft.
Sometimes the age of the milk is a factor. You always want it to be as fresh as possible. Try adding a little more rennet (1/2 tablet) next time. There is also a possibility that the milk you are using has been heated beyong the pasteurization temperature even if the package says pasteurized. When possible use raw milk or milk with the lowest pasteurization temperature
Sprinkle your mozzarella curds that you have formed into a ball with mahlab and nigella seeds. The amount is really up to your taste but I would start with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of each .
Knead them into the cheese and taste it to see if you would like to add more.
Place your kneaded cheese curds on a slotted spoon and them submerge in the hot water (80-90 C) for 30 seconds.
Remove the cheese from the water, drain off any excess fluid
Make a hole in the center of the cheese ball turning it into a doughnut shape.
Sorry about the quality of the pictures, my kids insisted on helping with the photography
Stretch the cheese with both hands to form a large loop
Double the loop on itself,then stretch again.
Repeat stretching and looping
The more you do this, the more strands you will get in the final cheese.
When the cheese cools down twist both ends in opposite directions
Twist ends in opposite directions and intertwine rope into a braid. Place one end through the loop of the other to lock it.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video may be worth a million I hope this helps you understand the stretching and looping. You can skip the intro and you will find a video of ladies handing down the tradition of making string cheese to their grand daughter
Set cheese aside to dry thoroughly. Wrap in plastic wrap and
refrigerate or freeze.
That is why I had bookmarked Anne’s wheat free oat muffins. They had oats in them but there’s a catch. They only have oats in them. No wheat flour, only oat flour. When I saw the recipe, it captured my attention because I have never tried to bake with oat flour only. Nor have I tried to replace eggs with ground flax seeds. Would the muffins turn out too nutty? too crumbly?and without eggs and so little fat would they be too dry?I had to try them to find out.
These oat muffins were really quick and easy to make. They smelled heavenly while baking “which is always a good sign” and when they came out of the oven, they did not disappoint. These oatmeal muffins were not too nutty, crumbly or dry. They were light and fluffy, just the right sweetness and the dates and walnuts beautifully complimented the oatmeal in them . Granted they were a little more crumbly than muffins made with wheat flour and eggs but only slightly so.I personally loved everything about them but the best part is that the kids really enjoyed them too despite the fact that they were “healthy muffins”
I used Anne’s recipe with a few modifications.I added dates, cinnamon, cardamom and walnuts to the recipe. Replaced the molasses with date puree and increased the amount a little.
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water
1/4 cup date puree (you can use honey or molasses instead)
1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil or melted butter)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch cardamom
1/2 cup dates chopped
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
Start by mixing the ground flaxseeds with the hot water, set aside for 10 minutes
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Stir in the liquid ingredients. Mix until the mix becomes homogenous
Evenly divide the dough into 9 portions in a greased muffin tin.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.
Notes:
You can replace the ground flax seeds with ground chia seeds.
If you do not wish to make these vegan. Replace the flaxseed water mixture with 1 egg and use regular milk.
If you don’t have oat flour you can make some by simply grinding oats (I used old fashioned rolled oats and pulsed them in the food processor “the blender would work too” until they were finely ground)
These muffins are completely customizable, if you don’t like dates you can replace them with cranberries, raisins or omit them all together. Use your favorite nuts or make the muffins plain without any additions. Play around with sweeteners, honey, molasses, date pure, maple syrup or brown sugar.Each will have its own flavor profile, experiment and find your favorite.
her passion and love for them shines beautifully through.
