Heaven knows I can't make macarons at home

If you've come here looking for macarons -- the Daring Bakers October challenge -- well, have a look!


They're gorgeous. One is dark chocolate and one is olive oil and vanilla with a white chocolate ganache. They were delicious. Crisp, creamy, subtly flavored and absolutely perfect. And neither of them was made by me.

In fact, neither of them was made in this hemisphere -- they are products of the delightful La Renaissance Patisserie and Cafe, a shop located in The Rocks in Sydney, Australia. I enjoyed these macarons there in early September with Mom and the entire Nott clan (even little Madeleine, just born two days ago, was there in utero while her mom snacked on an apple tart). And it's a good thing I enjoyed them then, because heaven knows I can't make macarons at home.


I tried, oh I tried. I was so excited about it, too: I chose my macaron flavors based on the delicious chocolates we sampled at another Sydney-area sweet shop, Josophan's Fine Chocolates. I made four batches of macarons, each time (futilely) refining my method in hopes that the recipe would work. First I made chocolate filled with a semi-sweet ganache spiked with ancho chili powder. Then I tried chocolate filled with a delightful pistachio creme that Husband and I found on our travels through Little Italy in the Bronx. Then I made a macaron flavored with fresh lime zest and dried basil leaves, filled with chocolate ganache. Finally, a saffron macaron filled with a white chocolate-honey ganache.



I wanted them to work so badly. So so badly. I've always wanted to make macarons and I foolishly believed that there was no recipe that I couldn't make work. Well, Dianne: meet Claudia Fleming's macarons. Claudia Fleming's macarons, this is Dianne. She will be failing at you today.

My "macarons" never developed the trademark "feet," meaning, the little ring at the base of the cookie where the batter has risen, lifting the smooth top of the cookie into a perfect little dome. Come to think of it, my tops weren't smooth, either. And my confections were nearly impossible to extract from the Silpat in one piece. The result of my day-long effort and sad waste of several expensive ingredients (including saffron, argh!) was a stack of demolished little sticky, grainy discs that in no way, shape or form resembled macarons. There was cursing. And wailing. And gnashing of teeth, rending of garments.

(Saffron "macaron" with white chocolate-honey ganache)

(Lime and basil "macaron" with chocolate ganache)

Then Husband reminded me that they still tasted good. And I checked the Daring Bakers' forum to learn that many other bakers had similar issues with this recipe. So I talked myself off the ledge. Instead of using the challenge recipe, many of my fellow in-the-know Daring Bakers turned to one of Tartelette's many macaron recipes. I will undoubtedly do the same the next time I attempt these little devils.

And there will be a next time; the macarons must not win.


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You will notice I'm not including any recipes here. I don't feel right posting a recipe that I couldn't make work. If and when I do master macarons, using a different recipe, I'll be sure to write about it here. In the meantime, my only suggestion is to get yourself to a patisserie for a macaron, stat. Because they are really freaking good. When made correctly.



The 2009 October Daring Bakers' challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming's "The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern" as the challenge recipe.

Without having baked daringly

I don't know exactly what it is I'm doing with my life, but I do know that whatever it is, it leaves precious little time for the Daring Bakers. Month after month, I lose track of time and end up faced with the posting day without having baked daringly. It was so bad last month that I missed it entirely. That almost happened again this month, until I decided that the July recipes were too delectable to ignore. They are cookie recipes, for crying out loud, and one involves homemade marshmallow. I'm not too busy for homemade marshmallow.

The July Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies and Milan cookies by pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

So yesterday, before I weeded the tomato garden but after the required Sunday morning blueberry pancakes, I got to work. I always say that Husband and Mom have the same taste in sweets. Hand the two of them some marshmallows -- or marshmallow fluff -- and they will be happy campers. So I was especially excited that this month's challenge involved homemade marshmallow, as Husband has been asking me for some time to try my hand at them. And I knew I could easily pawn off a good number of the finished marshmallow cookies on Mom, so they weren't loitering around my kitchen quietly -- and chocolately -- negating the benefits of my nascent running routine. Mom will look at the tin of cookies, mutter something like, "Mallows..." in a hushed tone that makes it seem like she is getting away with something, then she'll be off, whisking herself and the mallows away for secret eating.

As for the Milan cookies, they are a homemade version of Pepperidge Farm's Milano cookies. I remember eating Milano cookies a lot when I was young and thinking that they were very grown-up and sophisticated -- much fancier and more mature than those childish Chips Ahoy. I would pull them out of my lunch bag in 4th grade and feel like a gourmand, like someone with a very special and very sweet secret. Yes, these are the things I thought about in 4th grade. Along with how to meet Michael Jackson.

Anyway. You can see why I made these Daring Baker cookies a priority this month, even when I would have preferred to rest and relax or maybe even take a nap instead of baking them down to the wire in a harried fashion. I can relax tomorrow.

And while I'm relaxing tomorrow, I will be doing so with a mallow and a Milan cookie in my hand.

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MALLOWS (CHOCOLATE-COVERED MARSHMALLOW COOKIES)

Adapted from Gale Gand

These cookies need some chilling time in the fridge, and some cooling time after they're baked. So be sure to take that into account when planning to bake them.

For the cookies:

3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

3/4 t. baking powder

3/8 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

12 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 large eggs, beaten

Homemade marshmallows (recipe follows)

Chocolate glaze (recipe follows)

First, make the cookies. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk to combine. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the butter is incorporated and the mixture appears sandy. Add the eggs and mix well. Form the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it's 1/8-inch thick. Use a or 1 1/2- or 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookies; re-roll the dough scraps to cut more cookies.

Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cookies cool to room temperature.

While the cookies are cooling, make the homemade marshmallow.

When the cookies are cool, pipe a "kiss" of marshmallow on each cookie. Let the cookies set at room temperature for 2 hours.

During the last 15 minutes of this resting time, make the chocolate glaze.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the chocolate glaze and roll to coat completely. Lift the cookie out of the glaze with a fork and allow excess to drip back into the bowl. Place on the prepared pan and set at room temperature until the chocolate has cooled, 1-2 hours. My chocolate didn't set at room temperature, so I placed the cookies in the freezer for a few hours to harden the chocolate. And, it turns out, I liked the taste of them cold.

For the homemade marshmallow:

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. light corn syrup

3/4 c. sugar

1 T. powdered gelatin

3 T. cold water

2 egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 t. vanilla extract

Combine the 1/4 c. water, corn syrup and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook until it registers 235 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage).

Sprinkle the gelatin over the 3 T. cold water and let dissolve.

Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin mixture to it and whisk to combine.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Pour the syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream. Add the vanilla and continue mixing on high speed until the mixture thickens.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4- or 1/2-inch plain tip. Allow the marshmallow to rest in the piping bag for about 5 minutes before using.

(You don't have to use a glass with feet, but it doesn't hurt.)

For the chocolate glaze:

24 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 oz. vegetable oil

Combine the chocolate and vegetable oil in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Melt the ingredients, stirring occasionally to combine. Use immediately.

Makes about 24 cookies. Store the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer...preferably the freezer.

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MILAN COOKIES

Adapted from Gale Gand

For the cookies:

12 T. unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

6 egg whites

2 T. vanilla extract

2 T. lemon extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

For the filling:

1/2 c. heavy cream

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Zest of 1 orange

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the egg whites gradually, mixing to combine well. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts; mix to combine. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip. Pipe 2-inch "lines" of batter onto the prepared pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan.

\While waiting for the cookies to cool, make the filling. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Place the cream in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and scald over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate; whisk to melt and combine.

Add the zest and blend well. Set aside the mixture and allow it to cool at room temperature (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

Assemble the cookies. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat sides of the cookie, then press the flat side of a second cookie on top. Repeat with the remaining cookies (duh; if you quit after filling just one cookie, that would be very lame indeed).

(Again with the insolent cookie. This one has a ganache-tongue.)

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

"I need to make a strudel."

During this past weekend, over the Memorial Day holiday, I vocalized a constant refrain: "I need to make a strudel. I need to make a strudel." I was like a broken record; family members were all, Go make your strudel and shut up about it already! Trouble was, this past weekend I also needed to plant the tomato garden, help Sister with her vegetable garden, make a loaf of Greek celebration bread, go shopping with Mom (important!), get malts with Mom on the way to the shops (even more important!), walk the dog, go to a parade and participate in no fewer than two cookouts. So while I was planting, baking, shopping, malt-slurping, dog-walking, parade-going and cooking out, I kept thinking, When am I going to make a strudel? Those Daring Bakers wait for no one.

(Disclaimer: I totally get that everyone is busy. It's not just me. I'm willing to bet that 95% of you Daring Bakers out there also struggled to find time for strudel. [The other 5% of you are wonderful planners and completed your strudel-making at the beginning of the month! Oh, how I strive to be like you....])

And so it was that on Tuesday night, the last evening before the Daring Bakers-mandated posting date, after my horseback riding lesson, after dinner out at the local Thai restaurant, I made my strudel. Talk about taking it right down to the wire. But I am not in this group to mess around; I am here to learn new things, to challenge myself, to roll out dough until it is thin enough that I can read the pages of The Bread Baker's Apprentice through it. I am not in this group to skip challenges because I got too busy drinking chocolate malts.

The May Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose apple strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest and Prague, by Rick Rodgers.

Though our gracious hosts this month stated that we had creative control over the filling (the dough itself was the required element of the challenge), I decided to be non-adventurous and go with the standard apple filling per the original recipe. There is something about apples and cinnamon and sugar and thin crisp pastry that just, well, kind of makes my mouth water. I thought seriously about subbing some seasonal and gorgeous strawberries, but my brain kept going back to tart apple slices and rum-soaked raisins. Maybe it's because it's chilly and raining today. Who knows. What I know: the apple filling just felt right.

The only conceivable drawback to this recipe is the fact that it is best enjoyed on the day it is baked. And since I baked well into the wee hours, no one was awake to come over and share. More for me, I suppose. I do deserve it -- yes? -- after all that gardening I did in the hot sun this weekend.

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APPLE STRUDEL

Adapted from Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague, by Rick Rodgers

For the strudel dough:

1 1/3 c. unbleached flour

1/8 t. kosher salt

7 T. water, plus more if needed

2 T. vegetable oil, plus more for coating the dough

1/2 t. cider vinegar

For the apple filling:

1/2 c. walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used a combination of Braeburn, Granny Smith and Gala)

2 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

2 T. golden rum

3 T. raisins

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/3 c. plus 1 T. sugar

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and divided

1 1/2 c. panko

First, make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the water, oil and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Add a little more water if the dough is too dry.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead on an unfloured surface until the dough forms a ball that is slightly rough in texture, about 3 minutes. Then, knead an additional 2 minutes, occasionally picking up the dough ball and throwing it down hard on the work surface. I am not certain of the reason for this, but who am I to mess with strudel method? Plus, it's kind of fun.

Transfer the dough ball to a plate and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Toast the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

Combine the apples and lemon juice in a medium bowl; toss and set aside. Mix the rum and raisins in a small bowl. Place the cinnamon and sugar in another small bowl and whisk to combine. Heat 3 T. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panko and cook, stirring, until golden and toasted, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

When the dough has rested, assemble the strudel. Place the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Cover your work area with cheesecloth or a clean tablecloth. (It is best if you have a work area that you can walk around, such as a table, kitchen island or peninsula.) Dust the cloth with flour, and lightly flour a rolling pin. Place the dough in the middle of the cloth and roll it out as much as you can. Pick up the dough by the edge and let its weight stretch it -- the dough is surprisingly resilient and stretches nicely.

When you can't stretch the dough by lifting anymore, put the dough back on the work surface. Pick up the edge of the dough and place it on the backs of your hands, stretching gently as you walk around the perimeter of the dough. Keep stretching the dough until it measures about 1 1/2 feet by 2 feet and is tissue-thin. Don't worry if the dough tears a little -- it won't matter once you roll up the strudel. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Gently brush it with 3 T. of the remaining melted butter, then sprinkle the buttered dough with the toasted panko.

Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch wide strip.

Combine the apples, the rum-raisin mixture and the cinnamon-sugar mixture in a large bowl. Spread the apple mixture over the walnuts.

Fold the short edge of the dough over the filling. Lift the cheesecloth/tablecloth at the short edge of the dough so that the strudel rolls over onto itself. Roll gently, using the cloth, until the dough is completely wrapped around the filling.

Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet, using the cheesecloth/tablecloth as a sort of "sling" to lift it onto the sheet. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit on the baking sheet and fold the ends under. Brush the strudel with the remainder of the melted butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the strudel is a deep, golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife. The strudel can be served warm or at room temperature, and is best on the day it is baked.

Serves 8. Or fewer, who am I kidding.

I'll shut up when I eat a piece

The past three days have been a very hot 85+ degrees. Late April in Northeast Ohio typically sees normal temperatures in the 60s, maybe low 70s. But nearly 90? Unseasonable. And a little unreasonable.

For as much as I was ready to be done with the frigid weather, this heat is too much too fast. I need a few of those perfect spring days where it's sunny and warm but not so hot that you and your mom and both of your dogs drag on a walk around the lake, wishing you were home so you could lay down on the cool tile floor in the laundry room. (Yes, I do that.) These are the kind of days when it's painful to turn on the oven. These are the kind of days when I wish the April Daring Bakers challenge was, like, a nice cool bowl of strawberries.

But the April Daring Bakers challenge is a cheesecake. And though, in theory, one should never complain about cheesecake, here I sit in my sweltering kitchen, complaining. Feeding ice cubes to the dog. Waiting for the big hot roasting pan containing a boiling bain-marie and a cheesecake-filled springform pan to bake. Whining. I have a feeling, however, that I'll shut up when I eat a piece.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. Though I am certain that Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake is totally delicious as is -- or else it would not be infamous -- I did take a few liberties with the recipe. Some dear friends from Australia will be arriving next week for a visit, stopping by my little town on their way from Vegas to NYC. And in late August, Mom and I will be traveling to Australia for a wonderful holiday that will include martinis on Greg and Kerrie's veranda and hike or two around Uluru. So, in honor of all this trans-Pacific motoring, I chose to flavor my cheesecake with one of Australia's finest biscuits: Arnott's Tim Tam.

Those of you who know the Tim Tam are no doubt smitten with it. Those of you who live in a country where you can't get Tim Tams are most likely even more obsessed with the chocolate treat: searching it out via online retailers, hoping that people bring you some when they visit from Australia, stalking Target when they carried a limited run of the biscuits awhile back. I have been meaning to incorporate the beloved Tim Tam into a cake for some time now; several months ago I scrawled Tim Tam cupcake??? in the margins of a notepad and have been contemplating it ever since. Given the fact that I do not wish for my hard-won Tim Tam stash to melt away in a kitchen whose ambient temperature currently approximates the surface of the sun*, today seems like the day.

*Yes yes I know I can turn on the air conditioning. But the air conditioner, for all its cooling power, ain't got nothin' on my range and her excessive BTUs.

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TIM TAM CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake adapted from Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake

Chocolate crust made from Smitten Kitchen's chocolate wafers, themselves an Alice Medrich confection

If you can't find Tim Tams -- or you wish to savor the one package you might have brought back with you from Australia instead of cutting it up for a cake -- you can of course omit them. But then it is not a Tim Tam cheesecake; it is a chocolate cheesecake. Which is still pretty amazing.

You could also substitute any cookie or candy which suits your fancy. You could even grind up more of the chocolate wafers used for the crust and decorate the sides and top of the cheesecake with them. Or you can eat the cheesecake out of the pan, with a spoon. You can do whatever you want.

Please note: this cheesecake must chill overnight before serving, so plan accordingly.

For the chocolate wafers, to be used for the crust:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. plus 2 T. sugar

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. baking soda

14 T. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

3 T. whole milk

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into about 12 pieces and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the side of the bowl. Transfer to the counter and knead a few times until the mixture comes together into a homogeneous dough.

Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick and place them one inch apart on Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

This recipe makes about 65 cookies; you'll need a little over half of them to make the 2 c. of chocolate wafer crumbs needed for the cheesecake crust. (To prep them for use in the cheesecake recipe, grind the cookies in a food processor until fine.)

For the cheesecake:

Crust:

2 c. chocolate wafer crumbs (see recipe above)

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

2 T. sugar

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Filling:

4 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled

3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 c. heavy cream

1 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 T. pure vanilla extract (or the innards of one vanilla bean, which I used because I like the word "innards" when applied to cheesecake)

Topping:

About half of a 7-oz. package of Tim Tams, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, for the water bath.

Melt the dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside and let cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a springform pan. (I used a 9-inch pan but a smaller one would work as well.)

Wrap the bottom of the pan securely with aluminum foil to prevent the water bath from infiltrating the pan while the cheesecake bakes. Chances are you will have some seepage, but the aluminum foil should help keep most of the water out.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating each egg before adding the next one. Scrape down the bowl in between each egg (or, if you have this awesome bowl-scraping paddle attachment, you don't have to worry about it). Add the heavy cream, lemon juice and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the melted, cooled chocolate and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring the air bubbles to the surface. Place the cheesecake in a larger pan (I use my roaster) and fill the larger pan with the boiling water to half-way up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake 45-55 minutes, until the perimeter of the cakes holds together but the center is still jiggly. You don't want the cake to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This allows the cake to finish cooking and cool down gently enough that the top won't crack.

After one hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, then remove it from the water bath. Remove the aluminum foil from the bottom of the pan. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the counter to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

Before serving, decorate the cheesecake with Tim Tams. You can, of course, decorate however you like. I roughly chopped a few Tim Tams and scattered them on top of the cake. You can chop them finer and press them into the sides of the cake, or you can decorate with whole Tim Tams. Whatever is your pleasure; have at it! A note: I place the Tim Tams in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting them with a serrated knife. This makes the chopping much easier.

Serves 10.

Carrying a torch

March appears to be Lasagna Month, at least in my kitchen.

I seem to have been carrying a torch for the stuff of late. What can I say? There are few foods as comforting as a dense square of baked lasagna, running with piping hot sauce and rich with salty cheese. The waning winter seems to be a good time to be comforted, and I've told you many times that I am not about moderation. First there was my own lasagna, a dish very much representative of me. Then there was Mrs. DiLorenzo's manicotti: not lasagna per se, but ricotta filling baked in pasta nonetheless. Then came the Swiss chard won tons, which I created to salvage a delicious ricotta filling that was made for a different failed dish. And today it's the Daring Bakers and their March challenge: homemade lasagna.

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

I know, I know. You're thinking, homemade lasagna? Daring BAKERS? Huh? I was a bit puzzled as well, as I certainly was not baking as I made my lasagna last night. But the point of the challenge was the homemade spinach egg lasagna noodles and inasmuch as dough-making can be considered baking, well, there you have it. It was nice to partake in a savory challenge, that's for sure. One that appeases my legendary salt-tooth.

The original recipe included a meat ragu, which I as a non-red-meat eater eschewed in favor of my chosen filling: "deconstructed pesto." At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I call it "deconstructed" because fully "constructed" pesto -- pesto that has been whirred with olive oil into a lovely green sauce in the Cuisinart -- really should not be subjected to prolonged high heat, which kills the verdant flavor and mouth-watering brightness. So instead I roughly chopped my pesto ingredients, minus the olive oil and butter, and sandwiched them between the layers of butter-rich bechamel and lovely mottled green spinach noodles. The result was even more delicious than I expected: cheesy, salty and herbaceous, punctuated by the yielding crunch of warmed, toasted walnuts.

I ate two pieces.

March, I have never loved you as I love you now. For you used to be all about random late-winter heavy snowstorms and deceivingly sunny-but-cold days. But now you are all about lasagna. This, dear March, is a significant improvement.

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DECONSTRUCTED PESTO LASAGNA

Adapted from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food, by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

It is not necessary to have a pasta maker for this recipe, though I won't lie to you: it makes it a whole lot easier and quicker. Of course you could use the Kitchenaid pasta-making attachment, if you have it, but I have an old-fashioned hand-crank pasta maker and I love it.

For the spinach egg pasta:

2 jumbo eggs, lightly beaten

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

3 1/2 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour

1/4 - 1/2 c. water, as needed

For the bechamel:

4 T. unsalted butter

4 T. all-purpose flour

2 2/3 c. milk

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

Freshly-ground nutmeg, to taste

For the deconstructed pesto filling:

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed

1 cup walnuts, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/3 c. pecorino cheese, grated

2 oz. ricotta salata, crumbled

First, make the spinach egg pasta. Mound the flour on your work surface and make a well in the middle. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and spinach. Pour the egg-spinach mixture into the well and, using a fork, gradually pull flour into the well, mixing it with the spinach and eggs. Keep pulling in flour and mixing until the dough is solid enough to begin working with your hands.

Begin to knead the dough together. Depending on the humidity in your kitchen, you will most likely need to add water to bring the dough together, anywhere from 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. Just keep adding the water, little by little, until the dough comes together into a ball. Be patient and don't be discouraged; it will take a few minutes of work to bring the dough together.

Once the dough has become a cohesive mass, use a bench scraper to clean any lumps of dough off the work surface -- these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is satiny, smooth and elastic. The recipe states that the dough should feel "alive under your hands." I do not know what that means; I do know that you should continue kneading until the dough is a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 3 hours.

While the dough rests, make the bechamel. Place the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, then sift the flour into the pan. Cook the butter and flour, whisking continuously, for about 4 minutes. Add the milk in a slow stream, whisking to incorporate into the flour and butter. Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and set aside.

Next, make the deconstructed pesto filling. This is really a simple herb mixture. Place the basil, flat-leaf parsley, walnuts and garlic into a medium bowl. Mix to combine; set aside.

After the spinach egg pasta dough has rested, get busy making lasagna. If you're using a pasta maker, divide the dough into pieces a little larger than a golf ball. Place each piece of dough through the machine several times until it's about 1/8" thick. This took 5 passes through my machine for each dough ball, starting on the widest setting and moving sequentially through the next 4 settings. Each sheet of pasta will be approximately 10" to 13" long. Place the pasta sheets on a counter that's been lightly dusted with flour. Do not overlap the pieces of pasta: they will stick to each other and cause great gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.

If you do not have a pasta maker and choose to make the lasagna noodles by hand, follow these directions, which have been lovingly supplied by the Daring Bakers. Please note that I have not tried this method, so I cannot necessarily vouch for it. But if it works for the Daring Bakers....Roll out a quarter of the dough and keep the remaining dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape the dough into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter-turn. As the dough becomes thinner, start rolling the disc back on the rolling pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the rolling pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter-turn and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the rolling pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter-turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness, about 1/8". When you have achieved the desired thickness, cut the dough into rectangles about 4" x 8" and let rest on a lightly-floured surface until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish with about 2 T. of olive oil.

Next, cook the pasta. Spread a large counter space with a double thickness of paper towels and place a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the sheets of lasagna, about 5 at a time. Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook during baking, so make sure it is barely tender). Lift the pasta from the water with a skimmer or Chinese spider, drain and place into the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, lift out of the cold water and allow the pasta to dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked. Turn over the sheets of pasta or gently blot them with a paper towel to dry them as much as possible.

Finally, assemble the lasagna. Spread a thin layer of bechamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of pasta over the bechamel, cutting the pieces of pasta if necessary to fit inside the dish. (Remember, though, that this is a layered dish and the pasta doesn't have to fit in perfectly; it will look gorgeous when you cut it regardless.) Spread a thin layer of bechamel, about 3 or 4 spoonfuls, over the pasta followed by a third of the deconstructed pesto filling. Sprinkle with 1/3 c. grated pecorino cheese.

Repeat the layers -- pasta, bechamel, pesto filling, pecorino -- until all the ingredients are used. Finish with a layer of pasta topped with bechamel, then sprinkled with pecorino and the crumbled ricotta salata.

Place a piece of aluminum foil over the baking dish, taking care to make sure that it doesn't touch the top of the lasagna. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven, prop open the oven door (I use the handle of a wooden spoon) and let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes.

Cut, and serve. Then cut and serve yourself another piece.

Serves 6.