The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

I smiled when I saw this challenge from Mandy. I have attempted to decorate sugar cookies only once, last Christmas. I had envisaged beautiful butterflies, glimmering and shimmering their way as presents to my loved ones. Sadly once baked they looked like they had spread, making them look like they had eaten half the insect world and well it really just went all downhill from there.

What I did learn from this is, if you live in Australia and don’t have air-conditioning, do not attempt to cook biscuits with a high butter ratio (the recipe I used at Christmas was) during very hot weather. I also learnt that piping bags are our friends and you really should use them to ice biscuits even if it is just a simple circle, the result is worth it.

So a really big hug to you Mandy for hosting this challenge in September which is our Spring. Mandy set the theme of decorating the cookies as September, basically what September means to you. As we Daring Bakers come from all around the world, this was a great theme as it means so many different things.
September for me represents Spring. Also this month a pretty important chapter of my life, I mean Josh’s life, happened. It was his Valedictory Service at School. That’s it, la fin, die ende, no more school.

Yes I cried at the service, well actually I tried to contain tears so I didn’t look like an emotional blubbering idiot to all the other parents. Pinching, looking at iPhone, breathing, and opening eyes wide sort of helps. I watched Joshua, my baby, walk out of St Andrew’s Cathedral a self assured young man where 10 years earlier I attended his first service and watched him walk in to that Cathedral a slightly nervous little boy.
To be honest I wasn’t quite sure how to put all that emotion on a biscuit, so I stuck with the Spring theme. Josh also wanted to help decorate the biscuits so I let him join in the fun. Hey when your 18 year old wants to ice biscuits with his mum, are you going to say no? I don’t think so.

I used the recipes given by Mandy in the challenge and found that both the biscuit and royal icing was really great to work with.

Basic Sugar Cookies
(Makes approximately 36 x 10cm / 4 inch cookies)


200g unsalted Butter, room temperature
1c caster sugar
3c plain flour
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1t vanilla extract

Directions
1. Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming creamy in texture.
Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during baking, losing their shape.
2. Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid flour flying everywhere.
4. Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
5. Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
6. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in cling wrap and then refrigerate it for an hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
7. Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
8. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
9. Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
10. Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
11. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
12. Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done.
Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
13. Leave to cool on cooling racks.
14. Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated cookies can last up to a month.
Royal Icing

3c icing sugar
2 large egg whites
2t lemon juice

Directions
1. Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and grease free.
2. Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
3. Beat on low until combined and smooth.
4. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

This was Josh’s first attempt at using a piping bag and icing something.  I think he did a fantastic job.  I especially love the “I wuv food” one with the customised bite mark out of it.  He literally iced it and took a bite, nothing like authenticity.  His dragonfly also is a lot better than my attempts.

Oh and I am sure you are wondering how I eat my lego people biscuits……….. head first of course ;p

Sara xxx

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I sit, ponder and plan where I will eat, what I will see and do before I head overseas.  Even when it is for business I try and work out what I can fit in. Of course my research is just a guide and some things are achieved and others aren’t.The joyof travel is finding something not expected. I expected fantastic food in NYC and I had plenty of it, but a chance conversation lead me to a restaurant that is regarded as a hidden jewel, and well hidden it is.

Sakagura was established in 1996 and is now one of the top sake bars in the USA. If you didn’t know it was there you would just walk right past it. Why? The entrance is actually an office building which looks like it is closed in the evenings. You walk in to the foyer and wonder where on earth you are meant to go next. You then find the stairs that you are to proceed down, walk along a corridor and then find this magical oasis. Tokyo in the basement of a NYC office building, amazing.

Funnily though once I returned back to Sydney I saw Sakagura on an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain was discovering the non touristy side of NYC that he loves. Well done me for finding it before being told about it by a celebrity chef.

Besides having a reputation for sake they also take that care and pride in their food. This was an unexpected treat of a meal and I would have to say some of the best Japanese food I have had.

The staff are very knowledgeable in regard to sake (which would be expected) and more than willing to help the novice decide what would best suit their pallet. Myself being a novice with sake I tried their sample set which included three sakes they thought I may like. It is fun to compare the different sakes and then decide which one you prefer. I settled on a dry sake served cold.
It was so hard to decide what to have to eat as everything on the menu sounded so fantastic and a little bit different.Kamo Roast Negimaki: Sliced chilled roast duck wrapped around scallions with an accented basil sauce.

Holly molly this was to die for. The duck was just seared and served thinly sliced. It had a slight smokey flavour to the meat and the finely sliced green onion cut beautifully through the layer of fat on the duck.
Tatami Kwashiorkor: Dried sardine crackers, fried crisp and served with a spicy mayonnaise dip.

The spicy mayonnaise was sesame based and I didn’t find it at all spicy. The crackers reminded me of a Japanese style prawn cracker, nice and fishy, but not overpowering of sardine. Even though the mayo was not spicy it made a lovely companion to the crackers.

Uzaku: Grilled eel vinaigrette served with thin cucumber slices and wakame seaweed.

Sakagura Special – Stewed Diced Pork: How can you go past the words special and diced pork?

This was the most tender pork belly I have ever eaten, melting in your mouth <Homer drool>. The broth was a light cleansing pork broth, with a hint of wasabi, which suited the richness of the pork belly.

I had no room for dessert, but I just had to have some anyway. As I had noticed Black Sesame Crème Brulee with Black Sesame Ice Cream on the menu. Bwaaaaaaa!!! They had just run out. So I opted for my next choice.
Sake Manju:  Sake Lees Bun stuffed with Red Beans served with Green Tea Sorbet.

The dessert was beautifully presented and the black sesame twist in my sorbet was a pleasant surprise and visually stunning. Sadly this was not my highlight of the meal and I sulked slightly as I watched the person next to me scoff down a delicious looking crème brulee, bwaaaaaa!!!If you do find yourself in NYC, Sakagura is well worth the visit.

Sara
xxx


211E 43rd St B1F
New York NY 10017 [Between 2nd& 3rd Aves]
Tel: 212.953.SAKE [7253]
Fax: 212.682.1951

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