Peanut Butter Cupcakes - Just Put 'Em In Your Mouth, K?

September brought three different birthdays at work and so of course, that meant three different kinds of cupcakes.  I planned on blogging them all but it turns out a second hand is required for photographing while dealing with volatile caramel, and making gluten-free cupcakes requires a lot of timing and attention.  Mission: Blog3Cupcakes was abandoned and Mission: BlogAnything began.


I love peanut butter, and cake, and when I first came across this recipe it seemed like a big hand-to-the-forehead DOH! Instead of cupcakes, I used two loaf pans and made a peanut butter cake with a jam & peanut butter frosting that was presented as half sammies.  It was really good, so it seemed like a natural evolution to a peanut butter cupcake with chocolate.  The chocolate was good, but next time I'm going to try and keep the PB & J theme intact.  There's something really comforting and nostalgic about that archetypal sweet and salty taste.


This recipe is adapted from the June 2010 issue of Cuisine at Home. (Issue 81)


Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting


Tools 
muffin/cupcake tins, whisk, hand or standing mixer, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, medium bowl, large bowl, muffin/cupcake liners


Ingredients 
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached; 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. table salt, 1 1/4 cups whole milk; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter; 1 stick of unsalted, softened butter; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 6 room temperature eggs

A word about the peanut butter: Don't use an all-natural kind.  I am kind of a staunch Adams Creamy kind of girl- I scorn the Laura Scudder and Sunny Select varieties.  I made the mistake the first time I made this recipe of sticking to my guns- it wasn't a disaster, but it was nothing I'd want proclaim, "I made that!" about.  The crumb of the cake will be drier and coarser, and more like a cornbread than a cake.  The natural peanut butter is much harder to cream and incorporate.  Just trust in Jif or Skippy or whatever brand you prefer-- I know it can be difficult, but sometimes you just have to compromise your principles to eat something delicious.  


Preheat the oven to 350, and line the tins.  Set them aside. 


Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set that aside.


Combine the milk and the vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set it aside.


In the bowl of your standing mixer, or a large bowl if you're using a hand-mixer, cream the peanut butter, unsalted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.  

It's going to take about 5-7 minutes on high speed.  Make sure the sugar dissolves into the peanut butter, but don't over do it. It won't be super light and fluffy like creaming plain butter and sugar-- but resist the temptation to overbeat. You don't want the cake to be too dense. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.  

Add about 1/3 of the flour mix to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until it's mixed.

Add a third of the milk. Continue alternating the flour and milk, beating just until mixed.

I like to use an ice cream scoop to measure my cupcakes, because it helps keep things neat and evenly distributed.  Divide the batter among the tins, and bake for 22-26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  This recipe makes roughly 36 cupcakes, so you might have to repeat this step.

The frosting I used was pretty simple-- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup of dutch cocoa, 2 tbsp of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of salt.  Combine it all. Let stand in the fridge for about an hour so that the cocoa can dissolve. Remove from fridge and beat until it is the consistency of whipped cream, a little thicker if you're piping it onto the cupcakes.

Pour a glass of milk and put one in your mouth. Voila!

Strawberry Dream Cake

I get a magazine every other month called Cook's Country.  It's usually centered on recipes that represent the season, and there's always a few desserts I can't wait to try.  The June/July 2011 issue had several winning recipes and when I had a craving for strawberry shortcake, I thought-- why not try the strawberry cake in the magazine for an upcoming June birthday at work? As many know, fruit generally isn't popular with half of my household.  If the strawberry is blended with juice, yogurt and a banana? Maybe it's considered palatable, but fresh sliced strawberries over angel food cake with some whipped cream? Pretty sure I'd have to finish it all myself. 


Lynn Clark's strawberry cake hit the mark.  It was light and moist, had a lovely crumb and packed  serious strawberry flavor. The accompanying strawberry cream cheese frosting made more than enough, and I used the leftovers on toast for a quick dessert at home.  A little labor intensive, but perfect for something fun and outside the realm plain old chocolate or vanilla cake.


My co-worker took a slice home. Her daughter really liked it and requested it for her birthday.  I was stoked! So the Friday night before her party, I made the cakes and then frosted and decorated them that morning.  I adapted the recipe for a 1/4 sheet double layer cake, but the recipe below is for two round 9-inch pans.  I have a kitchen scale, so I weighed rather than measured the strawberries,  sugar, and flour-- amounts for both are included. Since I had a smidge of extra batter, I made two little mini cakes in ramekins so Nate could enjoy strawberries in a more pleasing package and I could taste the fruits of my labor.


Strawberry Dream Cake
From Cook's Country, no. 39, June/July 2011
Recipe by Lynn Clark


Tools: the usual suspects: measuring cups & spoons, spatula, whisk; 2 9-inch cake pans; a fine mesh strainer; one or two large bowls; parchment paper; 1 medium microwave safe bowl; plastic wrap; small saucepan; paper towels; knife & cutting board.


Ingredients:
For the cake-- 2 cups of frozen whole strawberries (10 oz), 3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature, 6 large egg whites at room temperature, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9oz), 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4oz), 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 12 tbsp unsalted softened butter cut into 12 pieces





For the frosting-- 10 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter, 2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar (9 oz), 12 ounces of softened cream cheese cut into 12 peices, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced (8oz), left-over strawberry solids from the cake





Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and crank it to 350.  Grease and line the cake pans with parchment, then grease the parchment. Flour lightly.


Transfer the strawberries to a bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough to accomodate the strawberries by about half, and that it can take being heated. Otherwise, you could end up with something like this:





Set the microwave to 75% power and microwave for 3-5 minutes until the strawberries release their juices.





Press the strawberries through a strainer, over a small saucepan.  It's gonna take some muscle to press all the liquid out of the strawberries. You'll end up with a lot of strawberry juice and a pulpy mash of strawberry flesh. Set the pulp aside and turn the heat on the stovetop up to medium.  Bring to a boil, and cook - stirring occasionally - until the liquid becomes syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup.  This is going to take roughly 7 minutes.


 


Whisk the strawberry syrup into the milk until combined, let stand for a few minutes to cool.  Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla and set aside.





In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low.  Add the butter, one peice at a time and mix until you've got pea sized butter and the rest of the dry looks like coarse meal.





Add half the milk mixture, increasing the speed to medium high, and beat until it's light and fluffy.  This will take about a minute or so, and then decrease the speed, add the remaining milk mixture and beat for roughly 30 seconds to incorporate.  Turn off the electrics, and give the batter a final few stirs by hand.





Divide the batter equally into your prepared pans, and bake until a toothpick comes out nice and clean- about 23 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through baking (YES, THIS IS IMPORTANT. DO IT.)


Remove from the oven, and cool cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove, gently, discard parchment and cool completely.





Once it's cooled, you can get onto the frosting.


Remember those strawberry solids?  Well, they're going to come in handy now.  Gather your ingredients for the frosting.


I like to use a grapefruit spoon to hull my strawberries.  Hull and slice the berries and lay out on paper towels, patting dry.  Mix the butter and sugar together on low speed until combined, about thirty seconds. Then increase the speed to medium high and beat until fluffy.





One at a time, add the pieces of cream cheese and beat until incorporated, about a minute.  Make sure it's smooth, and then add the reserved strawberry solids.





Spread 3/4 cup of frosting over the top of one cake round. Press sliced strawberries in a thin layer over the frosting and top with more frosting.


 
(sorry for the bad photos, wrong settings and unsteady hands!)


Add the second cake round, spread remaining frosting evenly and decorate or garnish with the remaining strawberry slices.  Serve at room temperature.





The birthday girl:







OMG YUM.

Lemon-Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette -- Mexican week rules!

Easy, quick, delicious, fresh, yes?

Tools: Food processor or immersion blender. Hell, a regular blender will likely work. Cutting board, knife, measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (roughly 6 limes); 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3 medium lemons); 1 tsp each lemon and lime zest; 1 clove of chopped garlic; 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped and stemmed; 1 tbsp + 1 tsp white vinegar; 1/4 small sweet onion, diced; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp sugar; pinch coriander & pinch cumin; salt and pepper to taste



Add the juice, zest, garlic, vinegar, and onion to the food processor or combine in a small bowl if using an immersion (stick) blender.  Let sit for about 3 minutes.



Pulse to combine.  Add cilantro and process.  Add olive oil slowly through the feed tube.  (If using an immersion blender, add in stages, combining fully after each addition.)  Add coriander, cumin, sugar. Pulse to distribute.  Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired.

Transfer to a container and let the flavors meld in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving.





Toss with romaine, diced radishes, pico de gallo & carrots and top with avocado & jack cheese or cotija.

with tequila refried beans, enchilda & spanish rice

Burrito night with salad

Lemon Pudding Cakes with Fresh Blueberries

Every once in awhile you come across a recipe missing something crucial. This one was missing the temperature for the oven. Kiiiiiiiinda critical.  Thank goodness Nate managed to find someone else's online- though, when in doubt, 350 is always a good rule of thumb as far as I'm concerned.

This recipe came from Cuisine at Home, the June 2010 issue.

Anyway, the first time I tried this I really liked it but I felt like the cake part of the pudding cake was still a little denser than I fancy it.  I subbed in one semi-heaping tablespoon of cake flour for one of the AP the second time and though the texture was perfect, the lemon flavor was almost too sour. Next time I'll taste the lemon juice and depending on how sour it is, I might add a 1 teaspoon of sugar per pucker.  Or, I'll just use Meyer lemons and skip the puckering all together!

Lemon Pudding Cakes with Fresh Blueberries


Tools: 4 ramekins, one large baking dish, a tea kettle or pot for water, a hand-mixer, a spatula, a large bowl, a medium bowl

Ingredients: 2 eggs, separated; zest from 2-3 small or medium lemons; juice from 2-3 small to medium lemons; 3/4 cup sugar; 5 tbsp AP flour, 2 tsp unsalted, softened butter; 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries & powdered sugar for dusting



Move the oven rack to the center, pre-heat to 350 and put the kettle on with water to boil.  If you don't have a kettle, a pot will do just fine.

Beat the egg yolks, zest, sugar, butter, and lemon juice in a large bowl on medium speed until well incorporated.



Whisk together the flour and salt in a small bowl and add alternately with the milk to yolk mixture, beating well each time.

 



Take the egg whites in a medium bowl and beat them until you get stiff peaks.





Fold into the lemon batter until incorporated. It's okay if a few lumps of egg white remain-- they'll brown nicely in the oven.



Drop some blueberries (to taste) into the ramekins-- I use four 6-oz ramekins.



Put the ramekins in a suitably accomodating baking dish, and divide the batter among the ramekins.



Pour the boiling water into the baking dish until it's about halfway up the ramekins.  Immediately place in oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the top begins to crack slightly and become golden.



If you want a really carmelized flavor, for the last 30 seconds put the ramekins under the broiler until the tops start to get slightly browned.  Keep an eye out because this happens quickly. No walking away!



Remove from oven, and take the ramekins out of the baking dish and let them cool on a baking rack.  Wait at least ten minutes before serving.

Dust with powdered sugar and stuff it in your mouth. Slowly.

Dinner Menu: 07.17-07.30.2011

New Go-to: Grilled Pizza 07.03 & 07.10.2011

Tried this out one weekend and liked it so much we switched the kabobs for the pizza!

Makes a great dish for company, and also just to try out different things.  I made the dough in the morning and then we selected all of the toppings.  Especially good was when we brushed the crust with the garlic-olive oil and again across the final pizza right before cutting.

Combos included jalepeno, sweet white corn, cilantro and lime; sausage with red pepper, onion and mushroom; salami with green pepper & onion; zuchinni, squash, jalepeno & mushroom... You can pretty much do this with anything your tastebuds fancy.

The dough takes awhile to rise but comes together quickly.  Combine a cup of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees) with a tablespoon of sugar and 2.25 tsp active dry yeast.  Let it proof for five minutes.  (If it doesn't bubble and double the yeast is dead or not active. Start over.)  Meanwhile, mix 1 cup cake flour with 2.25 cups all purpose and a tablespoon of kosher salt.  Once the proof is ready, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and pour into flour mixture.  Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes.  Turn it out, knead into a ball, and turn into an oiled bowl or other receptacle.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature in a place that isn't drafty, until it's doubled.  It's gonna be about two hours.  Then, punch it down gently, divide it into four even balls and pinch the bottoms close.  I like to lay it out on a cookie sheet on wax paper and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it rise another hour.

We use a charcoal grill.

When you're ready to go, roll the dough out to about a 10-12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Take it with your toppings, and put it over the grill for about 5 minutes over direct heat, until the bottom starts to crust. pull it off, flip it over and brush the grilled part with olive oil.  Add pizza sauce (make a ton by roasting 4 pounds of romas, two onions and five garlic cloves in a 350 oven for 30 minutes), cheese and toppings and put slightly off the heat, cover with lid, open vent and cook until crust browns & cheese melts. Brush with olive oil, cut, devour.

Sauce makings


PIZZA ON THE GRILL, FIRST GO ROUND

Pizza on the grill, round two: toppings (and yummy drinks!)

 

Fellow Pizza Creators: Tom & Sarah

And Now, for Something Completely Different

So far with this blog I've stuck to recipes, some musings, and photos. But it's Sunday, the day before Independence Day... so... I'm trying something new.  Let freedom ring.


I am a planner. I can't get around it. I plan out of neccesity and habit.  Sometimes I'm spontaneous, but if we're being honest, I'm a fan of the plan.  There's always a little wiggle room in plans-- at least, in mine-- but a plan gives you a net, and an outline, and a direction.  Plans give you accomplishable goals.  These are all things I like.  


Hence, the bi-weekly dinner menu.


I found myself at the grocery store, often wont for something to buy.  I'd see something on sale and purchase it and bring it home and gaze at it in my fridge with a glaze to my eye and then eventually throw it away.  Meat, cheese, veggies, fruit... you name it, I trashed it.  Tired of this constant battle of throwing what was once perfectly good food away, I started making  a dinner menu.  


This is helpful in multiple ways-- one, I get to try out new recipes and ensure I have everything I need. I can allot time for different dinners based on other events I've planned through out the week.  Nate knows what he's cooking on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  My grocery list is succinct, I spend less time browsing and less money on things I throw away.  


So, I give you the dinner plans for the first half of July.  I'll try and blog one or two of these in small snippets-- pictures from the cell phone instead of the fancy camera-- and usually just the end results.  I'll still throw in the recipes and the photos on the biggies, or the ones I like to go back to time and time again.  


One thing about putting your dinner menu out there: people can see how boring (or adventurous) you are... and now the secret is out: I love chicken.  

Escapees have taken residence in my mom and dad's backyard.

But without further adieu, here it is, in all it's... it-ness.

As I write this, I've got the tomato-onion-garlic-red pepper flake-salt-olive oil-merlot mix going for my pizza sauce (also to be tossed with pasta on Wednesday) in the oven, pizza dough rising, and a mandolin longing to slice mushrooms.  We've never grilled pizza before so this will be quite the experiment!