Desserts in a demitasse

Cupcakes, for lack of a better digital-age analogy, are trending—but they aren’t your grandma’s cupcakes!  Long gone are the days of being satisfied by bakery cupcakes covered with neon frosting, heaps of sprinkles and plastic picks of Scooby Doo.  No, the love of these single-serving treats is of a “Cupcake Wars” quality.  It’s all about gourmet cakes and frostings—even unique combinations of the two.  Welcome to the Golden Age of cupcakes!

And in an decade when the personalization of homes, cars, smart-phones and internet profiles is commonplace, it's only natural that we apply this "what suits me?" attitude to our food.  Cupcakes are some of the most customizable foods, and, presuming you like cake, delicious mini statements of who we are.  Because we are no longer limited by chocolate and vanilla, the unlimited flavor combinations can be unique to our person as our DNA.  John Doe likes Cookies 'n' Cream.  Jane Doe likes vanilla bean and lemon.

Although the gourmet cupcake is known better from the TV shows and cupcakeries that tout it, the average chef can have his or her own fun with the bite-sized dessert.  We'll be the first to admit that places like Sprinkles or The Perfect Circle Cupcakery, both So-Cal favorites (and winners of "Cupcake Wars"), seem to do these things better than three wannabe chefs with a foodie blog, but we made some funky concoctions that we loved!  (And we think you might like them, too!)

Can't Beet the Heat Red Velvet Cupcakes* (w/ Spiced Frosting)

Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup beet puree (from canned beets)

3 tsp beet-juice reduction
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp greek yogurt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line each well of a muffin/cupcake pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine beet puree, beet-juice reduction, oil, milk, yogurt and eggs.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Fill 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

For beet-juice reduction: Using the beet juice from the canned beets, bring liquid to a boil.  Boil for 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cool. 

Note: Dutch process cocoa might be difficult to find.  We were unable to find it in our local market.  However, it is finer, richer and has a reddish hue, a key factor in keeping the beet-red color of your Red Velvet cupcakes!

Spiced Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, softened

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Directions:

Place softened butter in a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer, slowly add powdered sugar, mixing well every 1/4 cup.  (This is particularly important if using a hand-mixer.)  Add milk.  Mix well.  Add spices.  Mix well.  Put in a frosting bag and pipe on.

Key Lime Chocolate Cupcakes**

Yields 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 2/3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups water

3 tsp coffee

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line each well of a muffin/cupcake pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine water, mayonnaise, vanilla and eggs.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Fill 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Key Lime Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

zest and juice of a lime

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

Key limes (for garnish)

Directions:

Place softened butter in a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer, slowly add powdered sugar, mixing well every 1/4 cup.  (This is particularly important if using a hand-mixer.)  Add milk and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add lime juice and zest.  Mix well.  Put in a frosting bag and pipe on.  Garnish with a wedge of key lime for extra panache!

On picking limes: The best, juiciest limes are dark green and heavy.  Avoid picking light or yellow limes!

Bon Appétit!

We ran into a color snag with our Red Velvet cupcakes—they didn’t come out too red.  Even after a few dozen drops of red food coloring, they decided to stay brown.  However, as we mentioned previously, we couldn’t get our oven mitts on a canister of Dutch process cocoa.  Just so you know, the color doesn’t affect the sweet, earthy, chocolaty flavor!

But regardless of the color of your cupcakes—or for what meal you eat them—these tasty hand-helds go great with a few combinations.  Have your Spiced Red Velvet cupcakes with a cup of tea, or try your Key Lime Chocolate cupcakes with a glass of cool, refreshing coconut water.  You might even want to mix and match cakes and frostings!  Either way, cupcakes of all types always go well with milk!

  

*Red Velvet cake recipe thanks to Coconut & Lime

*Chocolate cake recipe thanks to Couture Cupcakes

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Posted in: cupcake,dessert

Finding a bit of Southern seafood comfort

When you're looking for a delicious grab-bag of flavor, shellfish is where it's at.  However, while many people will jump at the opportunity to drink a shrimp cocktail, certain crustaceans and bivalves can either be too tough to crack or too slimy to stomach for even the most adventurous of seafood lovers.  Crab legs are (literally) a pain and often the battle with the sea-spider's armor hardly seems worth the amount of booty within.  Oysters are stubborn shuckers, and even if you order them on the half-shell, their flavor and booger-esque texture are usually a taste the person doing the slurping must acquire.


But if you're anything like us here at The Giddy Gourmands (who are natives to the fish-filled state of Southern California), you love to open the hatch and let those gooey, oceanic pearls slide down your gullet--and face a challenge head on.  And, truthfully, there are ways of getting around those aforementioned obstacles: Canned lump crab is far less stressful to open, as are fresh oysters in the jar.  Now, we aren't suggesting that you put cans and jars on ice instead of legs and shells, but for gumbo--yeah, you heard us--it works like a charm!


When it comes to fish on the West Coast, we're all about filets, sushi and snow crab legs on a mountain of ice; dishes like gumbo aren't exactly found on every menu.  However, with its rich tomato base, the "Holy Trinity"--onions, bell peppers and celery--and everyone's favorite wild card, okra, gumbo is a great equalizer for all of those strong fishy flavors.  Also, did we mention it smells pretty tasty?  With a pot of the Giddy Gumbo bubbling on your stove for an hour or two, your house is guaranteed to smell as if it's got a chef (or three) living in it!

Giddy Gumbo
by Chef E, Chef K and Chef S


Serves 6


Ingredients:

10 oz jar of oysters

1/2 lb raw, peeled shrimp, cut up

8 oz lump crabmeat

10 oz sliced okra 

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup bell pepper

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup chopped tomato

2 tsp garlic, diced

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

4 cups poultry stock 117, chicken broth 121

salt

pepper

paprika

cayenne

thyme

chopped parsley (on top)

filé powder (on top)

Directions:


In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions.  Once they are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes), add in flour, mixing well between tablespoons.  Add tomato puree and chicken broth, whisking until smooth.  Add garlic.  Add (to taste) salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and thyme.


Add shrimp, crab meat (picked over for shell and cartilage) and sliced okra.  Reduce heat and simmer until okra is tender (approx. 20 minutes).  Then, add oysters, cooking until oysters are plump.  (Note:  Depending on your preferences and how large your oysters are, you may want to cut them up before adding them.)


Leave gumbo on low heat until you are ready to serve.  Then, trim parsley and sprinkle filé powder over the top, stirring in before serving.  (Note: Filé powder might be hard to find at your local grocery store, so while it may be a typical gumbo spice, you may find yourself omitting it like we had to.)


Serve over some white rice and enjoy!




Side Dishes




When we sat down, ready to dig into the steaming seafood stew in front of us, we had to wonder if there was something missing.  How about something to slather with butter?  How about something to dip into our freshly made gumbo?  We wanted a muffin, but not just any muffin!  We're talking about the South!  So we baked up a batch of cornbread muffins with a honey molasses glaze!

Honey-Molasses Cornbread Muffins
By Chef E and Chef K


Yields 14-16 muffins


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal, stone-ground

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup oil

1 cup milk

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted

4 tbsp raw molasses

1 oz water

1/2 tsp honey (preferably raw)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Beat in eggs.  Add oil and milk.  Add defrosted corn kernels.  Mix well.  Pour batter into well-greased muffin tins and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

To make glaze, place raw molasses and water in a small pot over low heat.  Mix well.  Add honey, dissolving it well.  Once the muffins are out of the oven, use a small pastry brush to apply a light layer of glaze to the top of the muffins.  

Let them cool and then devour them!

Bon Appétit!

Over a bed of rice with some sweet cornbread, a steamy serving of gumbo can turn any overcast summer day into one worth staying inside for.  But even on sunny days, what's better than a spiced spoonful of our favorite seafoods?  Cool your tongue with a white wine or a sparkling cider (alcoholic or not, it's up to you!) and this meal ought to be a crisp and delicious way to end your day!

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Posted in: cornbread,crab,gumbo,oyster,shrimp

Grillin' and gobblin' everything up

Every summer, it's the same old thing: burgers, burgers, burgers up to your buns.  But so many of those flat, beef patties tend to be so dry and tasteless that we cover them with as many condiments as we can manage in order to come out victorious at the dinner table.  Is that diminished hockey puck the best we can do?  Have Americans, the champions of this summertime delight, really forgotten how to make a delicious burger?

And while beef may be "what's for dinner" most of the time, what ever happened to turkey burgers?  These delicious white-meat, condiment-carrying alternatives haven't been in style for years it seems.  Where are they now?  Merely on the menu for those people trying to watch their figures?  Are they dryly crumbling off in the "Lite Eats" section somewhere, tasteless and alone, without a bun to embrace them?

Well, The Giddy Gourmands say "No more!"  Turkey burgers have gotten a bad rap for being the dry and tasteless "diet" version of America's signature food, but it doesn't have to be that way.  Turkey has the unique ability of being a blank canvas of flavor, and although it may be a tad temperamental, that fowl can create a burger that tastes anything but.  All it takes is some creativity and a few spices (okay, and a few adjustments for locking in moisture) and you'll get a delicious, juicy burger just waiting for you to gobble it up.

"I've got class and taste!"

Twice the Spice Turkey Burgers
by Chef E and Chef K

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 portobello mushroom, diced
1 crimini mushroom, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper

Directions:

Combine turkey and eggs in a bowl.  Mix well.  Add in onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt, paprika, cayenne, and white pepper.  Mix well.

Form turkey mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter.  If you're not going directly to the grill, placing the patties on a platter in the fridge will stiffen them up, making it easier to retain their shape.

When grilling the burgers, grill at a lower temperature (between 250° and 300°F) for best moisture results.  Before serving turkey burgers, always check to ensure they are well done.


Condiments

Congrats!  You've got a burger.  But what do you put on it?  You can't ruin that gourmet turkey burger with Heinz 57!  So what are you going to put on that spicy sucker?  How about some gourmet ketchup to cool things down?

Homemade Ketchup
by Chef E

Ingredients:

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
3/4 cup (approx.) water
2 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder

In a small bowl, add tomato paste.  Slowly, add water, stirring periodically.  (Note: Depending on how thick you want your ketchup to be, you may want to adjust the amount of water.)  Add vinegar.  Add salt, brown sugar and onion powder.  Garnish as desired!


Side Dishes


Burgers and ketchup may be delicious, but some may contest that it doesn't make a meal.  Well, on a hot summer day, with a spicy burger, what sounds better than some sweet, cool cole slaw?  If you said "Nothing," you belong at our house!

Sweet 'n' Salty Cole Slaw
by Chef E

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 (16 ounce) packages cole slaw mix
2 tbsp onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper

Combine mayonnaise and milk in a medium bowl until smooth.  Add vinegar and lemon juice.  Add sugar and pepper (to taste).  (Note:  Don't worry if your dressing seems too thick.  As the cabbage absorbs the dressing, it releases water, thinning it out.)

In a large bowl, combine the onion and cole slaw mix.  Add the dressing and toss.  Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Want to mix it up a bit?  Instead of using your off-the-shelf cole slaw mix, try chopping up a head of cabbage, two carrots and two small zucchinis into strings to get a nice veggie slaw.


Bon Appétit!


Top all that off with your favorite crisp soft drink or brew and you've got yourself a great summer treat to enjoy on the patio.  (We sure did!)  In fact, we'll leave you to it!  Who are we to keep you from biting into that beautiful bird?

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Posted in: Burger,cabbage,condiments,salad,Turkey

Putting the 'East' in Easter

Every Easter, my father and I host our entire extended family. The body count usually ends up being from 16 to 20--the perfect appetizer crowd! This is always an exciting prospect for me, as I usually cook for just one person. But at Easter time, the opportunity of venturing into the world of stuffed mushroom caps and cheesy dips was upon me!

Yet, my father insisted for weeks leading up to the gastronomic event that one of our guests would be bringing some sort of appetizer platter. My vacation from the college menu of frozen pizza had been thwarted. I logged off of AllRecipes.com and closed "The Joy of Cooking," muttering curses.

Spring break, a.k.a. the time I could have used for planning some delightful dish, came and went, ending on Easter. Being the good hostess I am (read: my dad is a part-time scatterbrain), I double-checked the status of the guest with the pre-dinner booty. But my inquiries were met with much confusion. "Who's bringing what, now?"

Right.

Using my AllRecipes DinnerSpinner app (fun AND delicious), I flicked through some of the options. I had to be able to make these munchies on the fly--it was the morning of, after all! That's when I saw a recipe for the (strangely named) Chicken Nut Puffs by Karen Bush. They were a kind of pastry with diced chicken and almonds, all spiced with Worcestershire sauce, parsley, seasoning salt, celery seed and cayenne pepper.

But the reviews labeled them as mediocre. Some users called them bland or tasteless, others even complained that they cooled into a hard, inedible block! The morsels, in theory, seemed like such a perfect, bite-sized option for our guests, but I couldn't chance it; if I was going to serve up these puffs, I was going to have to fix the recipe's two huge problems.

The spice problem wasn't such a huge deal after all. Even before reading the comments regarding the blandness, I had already considered subbing the celery seed (not my favorite, I'll be honest) for something a little more bold: curry powder. Something about the toasted almonds and chicken struck me as Indian. At the market, I grabbed spice tins left and right, smelling those aromas right through their protective seals. I finally settled on a mixture of curry powder and ground ginger as my flavor base, throwing out the original recipe's spice list completely.

As for the second issue, it was slightly more difficult for me, a bit of a novice, to craft a solution. I knew it had something to do with butter. (Doesn't it always?) Bush's recipe called for a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. I halved that and made up the other half with some real, salted butter to make it softer and fluffier. What can I say? Fat works that way, you know? It's what makes puff pastries so good.

Anyway, voila! They came out great! Oh, and by the way, I grabbed some delicious fig spread in the cheese section of my grocery store to make a sweet and smokey condiment. I would have preferred some chutney, but that's not always easy to come by here in the States. Maybe I'll make a chutney one day, but that's for another holiday (and another blog post)!

Oh yeah, I also renamed my puffs because, well, I kind of made them my own, didn't I?

Chicken and Almond Curry Clouds

Yields about 5 dozen puffs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped

1/3 cup toasted almonds, finely chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup salted butter

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground ginger

salt

white pepper (optional)

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

Directions:

First, after chopping the chicken and almonds, combine them and set them aside. (CAUTION: When toasting almonds, keep an eye on them at all times. Almonds burn easily!) Next, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, vegetable oil, curry powder, ginger and salt (to taste), but DO NOT add the butter. (If you want your clouds to have more of a bite, adding a teaspoon or so of white pepper might liven the party.) Bring the mixture to a boil.

In a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Then, make a sort of roux by adding a 1/4 cup of your flour to the butter and mixing briskly until smooth. (Adding this before the rest of your flour will ensure that the batter will not clump.) Stir this into the saucepan mixture then add the rest of your flour all at once. Mix until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Next, add in one egg at a time, beating the mixture well after each. Then, mix in the almond-chicken mixture, making sure the mixture is combined evenly.

Drop batter balls onto a greased baking sheet. Just like baking cookies, a heaping teaspoonful will do, however, the batter will only rise slightly and will not flatten, so you don't have to space them too far apart.

Finally, bake them in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately plain or with a fig spread or chutney.

Enjoy!

Also, major thanks to Karen Bush's original recipe for saving my Easter Sunday!

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Posted in: Almond,Chicken,Curry,Easter,Fig,Pastry,Puff