Adventures in Cupcake Land

After receiving an invite to a ladies' party, I wasn't even considering what delectable food I'd be bringing. That conundrum lasted all of 5 minutes when I began salivating over a previously unread "Recipe of the Day" from Chow in my inbox. Oh yes...this was serendipity. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!!! Who doesn't like a little salty with their sweet? What girl doesn't like a cupcake? Thus, it was decided I would bring cupcakes.

I'm not going to write up the recipe because I essentially followed the Chow recipe with one exception (follow link above for recipes). With my cupcakes I used both half of a vanilla bean and about a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I wanted the bean flecks for a nice look but I knew I'd get better vanilla flavor out of the extract. The batter turned out very yummy. The smell of these things baking alone could bring quarrelling lovers back into the arms of love. Provocative scents aside, these cupcakes did become somewhat dry once cooled. However, I sampled one while it was still warm and it was a very good cake, even sans frosting. If I made these again I'd either pull them from the oven a minute earlier or add another egg to the batter.

I didn't read the comments on the recipe for the frosting until after I already made the super yummy salted caramel buttercream. Thus, I missed out on a couple of recommendations, one I definitely agree with. The frosting could stand to be slightly more caramelly than the recipe turns out. When making again, I will increase the ratio of caramel to butter. However, the buttercream I ended up with was definitely decadent.

It also proved a fun addition as an internal filling for these slightly dry cakes, per the recommendation of JTK. To perform this twinkie-reminiscent feat, I slaved like a surgeon to carve a small piece off the top of each cupcake, piped in some frosting, and placed the tiny top back on. I will concede, it wasn't as stressful as surgery, but it was definitely above and beyond what I'd planned for my baked treats. To finish them off, I piped more frosting on the top, and adorned with a few delicate silver dragees and a sprinkling of finishing salt. A less-than-perfect baked creation in light of the dryness and the caramel factor...but still mmm-mmm good.

The Best Brittle You've Ever Had

This past Christmas I made a batch of the best nut brittle I've ever had. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Chelsea Higgins at Scottsdale Community College, though I've trimmed it down some to fit a regular home-sized sheet pan. Aside from having the perfect balance of sweet and salty, without a hint of being chewy; this is the easiest treat you will ever make. All you need is a sauce pan, a spoon to stir, and some elbow grease. I prefer cashews but peanuts or pecans are also yummy.

How to make it:

Ingredients

1/2 Vanilla bean, scraped -- or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 3/4 C nuts

Just shy of 1/2 C of granulated sugar

1/8 C Corn Syrup

5/8 C Butter (this is a stick + 1 T)

1/8 C Honey

1 tsp salt

Have a greased sheet pan ready (or you can put on a Silpat and forget about the greasing) Put all ingredients into a big enough saucepot and cook over medium high heat while stirring constantly. It's done when it's just starts to turn a dark caramel color (mahogany). Poor onto sheet pan and spread around as much as you can. Once cooled, you can break it up and give as a gift or hoarde for yourself with a happy sugar high! The picture below shows what my batch looked like when it was cooling in the sheet pan.

Pumpkin Pie My Oh My

Pumpkin pie is good. Ok, pumpkin pie is great. I made my first pumpkin pie this year for Thanksgiving. Correction, it was my first ever solo pie-making attempt. I don’t have any pictures of the thing because quite frankly, when it came out of the oven I dismissed it to the ugly gods to handle. Something along the lines of, “well, it’ll probably taste good” was uttered.

Along the way I struggled during the “pre-cooking” phase of the pie crust. The darned edges started to sink down the sides of the pan! I tried to fix it, by taking crust from the top edge, leaving my pie a hobbled, and nearly burned, mess on top. During this pre-cooking process I also burned my finger and forearm on the oven. Yes, in a fit of unbridled baking frustration, one becomes uncoordinated and is prone to burns. This also includes yelling at loved-ones to “Get out!” of the kitchen. Ahem…well, maybe that doesn’t apply to you but that’s apparently what happens to me.

Once wounds were licked and the Thanksgiving feast was had, the end result was fantastic. The pie filling was light, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The parts of the crust that remained were light, flakey, mostly not-overcooked, and buttery. Jeffrey paired it with homemade eggnog spiked with spice, brandy, and love (the secret ingredient). And yes, I can be sappy because it’s Thanksgiving! In a word, the two in combination knocked dessert out of the park.

In the spirit of “pies are too much trouble” I do have an alternate dish I prepared the week before of which I do have photos. If you’re a fan of crème brulee or pumpkin pie you will surely love this recipe I picked up from the November issue of Bon Appetit. It was a snap to make and wound up with the flavor of pumpkin pie and a very similar texture. The best part is, there’s no crust to fuss with. Make it extra decadent JTK-style and put a dollop of whipped cream on it.



Though this delicate pumpkin custard is a close-second, it wasn’t the same indulgence of crust-perched richness that is pumpkin pie. If it weren’t for that and my inability to pass up a challenge, I might give up on pumpkin pie in the future. There’s something about making pies that has me no doubt returning again. Pie forces me to deal with my desire for perfection when I’m cooking. Sure perfection helps drive toward a great performance, but a mere pie is not worth burn scars and overblown stress. I can learn a little bit of “ohmmmm” and a whole lot of future yumminess by mastering a great tasting AND good looking crust….and if I don’t…who cares?!