"Kid at Heart" Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

I was recently asked to make cupcakes for a child's birthday. The problem? I haven't made anything for children in forever, and let's just say that their preferences are a little different from ours. (For example, I'm not convinced all children love apple pie cupcakes or Aztec Mexican ones, and so of course these recipes must be reserved for another day and entry.) Sure enough, the little boy's mother had just one piece of advice for me: "He loves frosting!"

This piece of information, however, didn't really narrow things down for me, either-- I don't think children like the same kind(s) of frosting adults do. For example, they don't necessarily love cream cheese-based frostings. (His mother actually ruled out red velvet immediately after suggesting it as a possibility.)  And they don't love fruit in their dessert the way I do.  (Goodbye, berry- or lemon-based whipped and buttercream frostings.)  And, worse, perhaps through a deficiency of my own, I *small voice* actually don't love frosting all that much, anyway... in fact, I've always been willing to scrape off a little bit of the [excess!] frosting from a cake or cupcake in the name of friendship. (You're welcome.)

So I did what I always do in times of recipe crisis: I turned to the Internet.  I Googled, perhaps rather n00bishly, "Cupcakes for Children" and found the following:

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

YES. #Winning. And not just in a Charlie Sheen way, though I would be surprised if he disapproved of this very fun dessert.  (That means what you think it means.)

It's simple, really. Simple in its genius. Essentially, ice cream cones take on the role of edible cupcake wrappers. You can use any cupcake base you want (well, at least any without fancy fillings like cheesecake or cookie dough) and any frosting as well. I went with a lovely classic homemade yellow cake base (recipe here, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen) and a chocolate buttercream frosting, but the idea really works for any combination of cake and frosting your little heart (or little one) desires.

The amount of cake batter that fits into each individual ice cream cone is roughly equal to 2/3 of a normal cupcake wrapper or tin, so adjust baking times ever-so-slightly to account for this (if necessary-- some cupcakes rise a lot, anyway). Also, posts online suggested that the bottoms of the ice cream cones became slightly soggy and leaky from the batter, so I lined mine with a few chocolate chips and marshmallows. They doubled, I think, as a nice surprise for the birthday boy, kind of like a Drumstick.

And, of course, I piled the icing high to resemble ice cream (it might not look like much, but the cakes didn't rise a ton) and decorated with a generous splattering of fun sprinkles. The sky's really the limit at this stage, though-- basically whatever you'd find on an actual ice cream cone or sundae-- is fair game. Have fun and run with it. Be a kid again. After all,

"Love is an ice cream sundae, with all the marvelous coverings."
Jimmy Dean

"Fall into Autumn" Sage Butternut Squash Soup

My back-to-school presents to myself are all-- with the exception of a new laptop-- gadgets for my (already well-stocked/decked-out) kitchen. Some are long-due and obvious (like my new cheese grater); others are purely self-indulgent, like my new KitchenAid standmixer (it's so lovely! Will blog about it later) and *dramatic drumroll* my new immersion blender.

What is an immersion blender? It's a nifty little gadget that essentially allows you to blend things straight in their containers or pots. This saves you the time and hassle of transferring (and later cleaning the various containers) ingredients and liquids repeatedly. It can also handle a pretty sizable volume in a matter of minutes.

In short, it is magic. In a stick.
(Seriously, I'm writing about cooking here. The things that get me excited... )

And this soup is magic. In a bowl.
(Seriously, I'm writing about cooking here. This should get you excited... )

Sage Butternut Squash Soup

Either this soup is chicken, or it is egg. What I mean by that is-- it's hard to say what came first: my desire to own an immersion blender, or my desire to eat (make) butternut squash soup. What's even stranger is that I can't even say I've ever had butternut squash soup before. I'd just looked at some recipes and pictures and thought it had the potential to be amazing.

And I think I was right :)

But first, a cheatsheet:

Things to Know about
Butternut Squash (Non-
Exhaustive)

1. They're funny-looking. (See Exhibit A , to the left.) They're also considerably larger and definitely heavier than I thought they would be-- the average squash seems to be about 1-1/2 lbs.

2. They're actually fruits, not vegetables. I want to pretend that this explains why butternut squash is slightly sweet, but, of course, it doesn't at all. It just means that the actual squash develops from a "flower"-- and that the squash's seeds are contained within its body.

3. Usually, people peel and deseed the squash, then cook and eat its flesh, but both the skin and the seeds are actually edible, if prepared correctly. The easiest way to soften the skin up enough to eat is to roast it; the seeds can also be removed and roasted, much like pumpkin seeds.

4. They're a little tricky to cut up:
a. I have a great set of knives, but not much upper-body strength, I guess-- it was a bit of an effort to slice through these things.
b. The flesh is very starchy and seems to get worse with oxygen, as far as I can tell. I removed the stalks off both squashes, but one had to sit while I struggled with its sister. After a while, the exposed flesh of the idle one bubbled up. My hands, also, dried with a weird puckering all over them, one that remained stubborn even through multiple washes with handsoap. I thought it was the excess starch because, upon more vigorous scrubbing and closer inspection, I could see that the substance was kind of chalky and dry-- and tinted slightly orange.
c. A quick Googlesearch, however, told me that this is a known "condition"-- a known allergic reaction to butternut sap called "butternut dermatitis" by researchers. It doesn't affect everyone the same way, but wearing gloves should solve the problem.

5. But seriously, don't let this deter you. Butternut squash has a really nice, sweet, and-- well, nutty-- flavor, and it's pretty versatile, too. (Chefs are putting it in everything these days, even bread pudding-- maybe because it sounds so fancy!)

The recipe featured in this post is Giada De Laurentiis's and extremely easy. The hardest part, by far, is the prepwork. But it's not that you have to do an elegant job of slicing or dicing the vegetables (after all, everything gets pureed eventually)-- it's that it's time-consuming, given the squash's characteristics.

Also, don't be put off by the use of sage. It's not overpowering at all, not even in the crostini. It really just adds a different flavor dimension to the subtle sweetness of the butternut squash. That's what's so amazing about this recipe: the flavors are complex, but carefully balanced. If you want a sweeter or spicier taste, I'd recommend adding just a pinch of either nutmeg or allspice (or both), but it's pretty good as is.

So go ahead, jump on the butternut squash bandwagon. Stock up and fall into [love with?] autumn.
(This soup can even be frozen and kept for a few months without losing flavor :) Bonus!)

The "Fall into Autumn" Recipe (Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini... Croutons - Slightly Modified; Recipe here, Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network)

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash Soup:
2 tablespoons salted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil ("EVOO")
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (This should come out to approximately 8 cups. I used two full squash and definitely had more than enough-- yum!)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves (I bought one of those little plastic packages from the grocery store and used up all of it here and for the crostini, below)
Kosher (or regular) salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
pinch of allspice (optional)

Sage and Olive Oil Crostini Croutons:
1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
EVOO, for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup (2 oz.) grated Fontina or Smoked Gouda cheese
sea salt

1. Add the butter and the EVOO to an 8-quart stockpot and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.


2. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage.



3. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add pinches of nutmeg and/or allspice, if desired. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

* As a note, it is possible to make this soup without an immersion blender:

Wait for the mixture to cool a bit, then add it, bit by bit, to a regular blender. After each batch is properly pureed, put it back into a stockpot and reheat.

4. For the crostini croutons:
a. Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
b. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with a pinch of sea salt.
c. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
d. After removing the crostini from the oven, wait about 5 minutes for it to cool, then cube into your very own homemade croutons!

5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini croutons.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
George Eliot

"Your Lucky Holiday Secret's Safe With Me" Oreo Cookie Bark

I'm really almost hesitant to post this next recipe. It's ridiculously simple, in terms of ingredients, and almost just as ridiculously easy to make. In fact, it's so easy that I might even go so far as to say that it's... foolproof. And I say that as someone who actually messed it up, presentation-wise, but managed to score huge points, nonetheless, in the taste department.

So why, you ask, the hesitation?

Because, frankly, posting it will inevitably destroy-- or at least damage-- its (and my!) mystique.

It is, though, the season of "giving," and posting now is wholly appropriate: These make the perfect Christmas present/stocking (goody-bag) stuffer! They're quick, easy, (fairly) inexpensive, delightfully tasty, and decidedly (if somewhat deceptively) impressive. In fact, I found and tried this recipe myself by way of sheepish apology...

Oreo™ Cookie Bark

This candy has a back story.

There's a game that's pretty popular with the guys at my law school-- and maybe with guys everywhere, actually, even if I don't know it: Credit Card Roulette. It acknowledges the fact that, within a group of friends, at some point or another, everyone will buy a round, foot the bill, etc., for everyone else. Everyone puts their card-- or wad of cash, I suppose, if they're real high-rollers or, conversely, if everyone's gone cheapskate for the night-- in the middle, and someone picks (without looking) until there's just one card left. The whole bill goes on that card.

You'd think that this is efficient, but, of course, it overlooks one completely unpredictable variable: luck. Inevitably-- despite the best of intentions-- someone will, more often than not, win, and someone else will, unfortunately, rather consistently get the short end of the stick.

I was asked, one night, to be the "picker" for a group of guys. As luck would have it, though, Lady Luck was not on the side of my friend Ed, and I wound up costing him a cool $40+. He was gracious about it, of course (being, apparently, the unlucky one of the bunch), and even bought me a shot, but I felt kind of terrible. I knew, though, two things: (1) Ed loves Oreos™, and (2) Ed thinks I'm a good cook. So I thought it'd be nice to make him some sort of sweet treat, by way of "apology."

I thought my usual Oreo™ pie or cheesecake might be too much, and I didn't have all the kitchen gadgets I'd need for gourmet Oreo™ cupcakes, so finding this recipe turned out to be perfect in a number of different ways.

Reasons To Love Oreo™ Cookie Bark (Non-Exhaustive)

1. It's very easy.
2. It's very delicious. Even people who don't typically like sweets raved. (And hey, Ed forgave me!)
3. Though you can find similar items for sale in gourmet candy/chocolate shops and stores (and they go for a small fortune), it doesn't actually cost that much-- and it's even cheaper if you skip the cookies and go for the peppermint candy substitution (very holiday-esque).
4. Function of Points 2-3: It's impressive. The fact that this candy goes for at least $20/bag at a boutique-- and that it tastes like it's worth that-- really goes a long way.
5. It's a stress-reliever. You get to mash things!


Mine wasn't actually perfect. I burnt/caramelized the white chocolate a bit, which meant it wasn't as pretty:


It still tasted delicious, though, which really should be all that matters :)

Well, that, and compliments, and I assure you you'll get a ton if you make this... but you've gotta promise me: this'll be our best-kept little secret, right?

The "Your Lucky Holiday Secret's Safe With Me" Recipe (Oreo™ Cookie Bark - UnModified; Recipe here, Courtesy of Kathy W., allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 (20 oz.) package chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling
(For an ultra-holiday taste, think of using the special mint creme Oreos™ or just straight up peppermint candy. Yum!)
2 (18.5 oz.) packages white chocolate
(For cost/ease considerations, white chocolate chips work just as well :))

Directions:

1. Line a 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan-- or even just a cookie sheet-- with waxed paper. Coat paper with non-stick vegetable spray and set aside.
(If you don't have waxed paper, yes, aluminum foil will work, though not quite as well.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, break half of the cookies (or candy) into coarse pieces with fingers or the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Melting the White Chocolate: This is very tricky-- and exactly where I messed up. White chocolate has a ton of different fats, butters, and oils in it, and they all melt at different temperatures, which makes working with it extremely difficult-- if you care about the end-product looking nice, anyway. (I would have preferred that mine did, but it's not like the bark wound up tasting any less delicious.) Nevertheless, if you do care, please make sure to follow my (new and detailed) instructions (adapted mostly from The Chocolate Spot and slightly from my own experience) very carefully.

* For better management, please melt just half your white chocolate at once. Trust me: It's worth it to do it in two "different" batches.
a. Do NOT follow the package instructions to melt in the microwave-- it will definitely burn. (There is a way to do it safely and well in the microwave, but it's not according to package instructions, doesn't work for all recipes, and is kind of best-suited for non-novice bakers.) Instead, use either a double-boiler or a heat-resistant bowl and small saucepan. Fill the double-boiler or saucepan with about 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.
b. Chop the white chocolate into very small pieces. Alternatively, you can save yourself some time by using white chocolate chips :D (There is a drawback to this shortcut, though-- the chips tend not to melt as smoothly or beautifully. That doesn't really matter for this particular dessert, but it might make a difference if you're trying to melt white chocolate for gourmet truffles or drizzle.)
c. Put the chocolate into either the top of the double-boiler or into the heat-resistant bowl.
d. Place over top of the boiling water. (If you're using the heat-resistant bowl, place it carefully in the boiling water in the saucepan.) Let this sit until half-melted. Then, remove from heat and set pan (not bowl) on the countertop. (Please place a towel under the pan to keep the moisture from reaching the chocolate-- this, I think, would result in clumping.)
e. The white chocolate is still melting at this point!; stir gently with a spatula until smooth. If unsightly lumps still remain, you may return to heat (carefully!) for about a minute, until all is melted.

4. Fold in broken cookie (or candy) pieces. Pour mixture into prepared jellyroll pan or cookie sheet and spread to cover approximately half the pan.
5. Repeat process with remaining chocolate and cookies, spreading mixture into the other half of pan.
6. Refrigerate until solid, about 1 hour.
7. Remove bark from the pan and carefully peel off the waxed paper. Place bark on a large cutting board and cut with a large chef's knife. Store in an airtight container.


8. Optional: Package beautifully?! Ribbons and satin will dress it up nicely. Merry Holidays!

Here's to finding candy, not coal, in your stocking this holiday season...

"Midnight Surprise" Cheesecake Cookie Cups

I'm something of a paradox: I can be super-spontaneous/impulsive, and yet I love me a good plan. I like to know things in advance-- in fact, I would go so far as to say that it's probably a pet peeve of mine to go forward without a plan of some sort.

This is probably why cooking/baking is so great for me. I bake to relieve stress, and it's sometimes fairly last-minute; I look into my (rather ridiculous, now that I live by myself) pantry and go from there. But there's usually a recipe or combination of flavors I have in mind, and I can either follow it or, more often than not, modify it as I go (usually to taste). Cooking, for me, is the perfect balance of control and surprise, of certainty and uncertainty.

This next recipe was an impulse bake. I wanted to make a cheesecake of some sort, but, as per my obsession with muffins, in a muffin tin. I ran the idea by the rest of the gang-- frankly, I wasn't sure they'd agree, as we were already making these amazing Chocolate Molten Lava concoctions (recipe to come!) that night-- but they were on board, and we had most, though not all, of the ingredients on hand, so...

Cheesecake Cookie Cups

People like cookies. And they like cupcake[-shaped things]. And they like cheesecake. (Usually.) These little, almost bite-sized treats, then-- while a "Midnight Surprise" in that we knocked on people's doors at "midnight" to "surprise" them-- were, to no one's real surprise, a... well, welcome "surprise." (Say that nine times fast :p)

They were incredibly easy to make, despite quite a number of minor substitutions and alterations on our part. I can't say whether or not our adjustments adversely affected the taste at all, but I'm inclined to say that they didn't. I also can't, unfortunately, say how they compare to the original recipe; haven't had time to try that just yet. (In my conceit, though, I'll say that ours were better :p)


See the little crater? That's where the cherry pie filling would go, typically. We didn't have any, though, so ours just wound up looking a little sad/mutant. Only belied their tastiness, though... mmm.

I really think any sort of cookie dough would have worked; reviews on-line were rave for, for example, sugar cookie crusts, too. We didn't follow the exact baking instructions on the cookies, either-- you're supposed to bake the cookies first, at least for a little while, before adding the cream cheese mixture. We did it all at once, though, and just sort of eyeball-changed the baking time. I'm convinced that our method made the crust softer and chewier-- something, as it turns out, we all preferred. And the actual cheesecake part was good, too, neither overwhelmingly cheesy nor sweet. In fact, Mingham, a self-proclaimed "picky cheesecake eater," was so impressed that she e-mailed me for the recipe and made them over the holidays for her folks.

Well, what further recommendation do you need? Check it out :)

The "Midnight Surprise" Recipe (Cheesecake Cookie Cups - Modified; Original/Base Recipe here, Courtesy of Nestle® Toll House®, AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
12 Pieces NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
(We actually used Pillsbury Chocolate Chip-- the type you buy and slice yourself. You can really use whatever kind of cookie dough you like, though. A lot of people use Sugar Cookie dough instead.)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
(We used whipped cream cheese from Trader Joe's. Not that it makes a huge difference, but whipped cream cheese is a lot easier to mix :p)
1/2 cup NESTLE CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk
(Our Substitution: 1/2 cup instant non-fat (skim) dry/condensed milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/6 cup boiling water, 3 tablespoons butter --> Mixed or Blended all together!)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
(We skipped this! :p)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 12 muffin cups with paper.
2. Place one piece/slice of cookie dough in each muffin cup.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies have spread to the edge of each cup.
(Note: We did NOT do this. We actually shaped the cookie dough so that it already lined the bottom of the cup and wound up baking everything together. I think this makes the cookie much gooier; baking separately will make it crunchier.)
4. Beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk (or substitute), egg, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each cookie in the cup.
5. Bake for an additional 15 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Top with pie filling. Refrigerate for one hour.

"Say cheese!"

The "Most Beautiful, I Love You" Strawberry and Cream Cheese Danish

Been too busy to blog, though, apparently, not too busy to cook or bake. In fact, finding myself particularly lethargic/loathe to read or study for class yesterday, I decided to get my baking for Monday done instead. (Yes; I have something of a schedule for this. And ingredients are perishable! Haha; don't judge me with those eyes :p)

I wanted to make something for Bible Study Monday morning. I made a savory pie last week-- pictures and recipe to come at some point-- and wanted to do something similar this week, but apparently neglected to buy enough frozen pie dough at the store... so I decided to go with something sweet instead:

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Danish

The danishes were actually pretty easy to make, though they did take some time. (Cooling time can be quite extensive when you don't have a real cooling rack and have to improvise with someone else's baking pan.)

I think, when I was really young, I really hated danishes-- but without really knowing what they were or how they tasted. I remember my mom and dad would get them sometimes from Costco or the local supermarket bakery, and I would always wrinkle my nose and say, "Ewww!" before devouring a coconut flake doughnut instead (mmm, but I digress). It was probably because I was really confused about the idea of cheese being in a dessert (incidentally, I couldn't even eat cheesecake until I was in high school). Didn't these grown-ups know that cheese belonged only on pizza, burgers, and my macaroni?!

Still, there's an art to cheesy desserts. Some cheesecakes taste too much of cream cheese; others taste too much of sugar. Most danishes I've had actually belong to this latter category. And so, it was with a mixture of hope and trepidation that I embarked on my very first danish-making "adventure."

It was, if I do say so myself, a resounding success.

Here they are, fresh out of the oven and transferred to the back of someone else's baking pan for cooling. Un-iced at this point, but probably still delicious. They certainly smelled it!

I apologize for their gloppy appearance. I used a spoon to "drizzle" the icing. Next time, I'll use a chopstick... should be a lot prettier :)

My friend Tom couldn't wait for his-- despite my warnings that they'd probably taste better the next day. But it was worth it to let him devour it right away-- he closed his eyes in an exaggerated way, proclaimed that it was better than the "most beautiful woman" (yeah, we worry about him :p), and declared his love for me (aww, Tom, the feeling is mutual!).

I had one today-- I couldn't help myself-- and, I must say, the decision to add strawberry preserves was definitely the right one. They were the perfect complement to the sweet vanilla of the icing and the cream cheese filling. The danish was sweet, creamy, and buttery. Mmm.

And now, of course, I have to get them out of my room as quickly as possible! Haha.

Hopefully, you guys will enjoy making (and eating) them as much as I did :)

The "Most Beautiful, I Love You" Recipe (Strawberry and Cream Cheese Danish - Modified; Original/Base Recipe here, Courtesy of Natalie, AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
Danish and Filling:
2 (10-oz.) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough (I used "Big and Buttery", which seemed to give the danish a nice, subtly salty underflavor)
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, diced
1/2 cup white sugar (generous)
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 jar strawberry preserves (optional-- probably, either blueberry or apricot preserves would also taste delicious)

Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk (I didn't have milk, so I substituted with some milk powder and water-- more heavy on the milk powder than recommended on the package, though, mainly because I thought it'd give a richer taste. I refrigerated the mixture for a bit before spooning into the bowl)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (generous)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking sheet.
2. Open up the crescent rolls and, still in tube form, slice the dough (like purchased cookie dough) into slices about 1/4 inch thick. You should get approximately 20 slices per tube. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, pressing down a little to flatten. Take a measuring tablespoon and make little indentations/craters in the center of each slice. The filling will sit here :)
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and sour cream.


4. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the center of each circle. (I filled to the top of each "crater.") Top with fruit preserve.


5. Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, mix the milk and butter together. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, stirring all the while. Add the vanilla extract and stir until blended. After the danish has cooled, drizzle each with icing.
7. Best served the following day/after some refrigeration.

"Something is delicious in the state of Denmark."

"Sinfully Heavenly" Chocolate Spring Rolls

We're mixing things up a bit in this entry. For one, it's not *gasps* about muffins! I know; I've been referring to this as the "Muffin Blog," but, in truth, I intended from the very beginning to blog about food in general (hint: in the future, you'll see some food/restaurant reviews), not just muffins. Secondly-- and this point probably doesn't matter to anyone but me-- it's not in chronological order. A ton of food has both been made and eaten in the interim, but I wanted to get this very simple (and delicious!) recipe on here right away, so... *helplessly* here we are.

It all started when Mingham sent me an e-mail. All of her e-mails are special *winks*, but this particular one was a stand-out: it linked to a decidedly drool-worthy recipe for Asian-style fried chicken (with a modern fusion twist, courtesy of Momofuku). I was so impressed and intrigued by the photography and recipe that I browsed a lot of the rest of the blog (For the record, it's AlmostBourdain-- amazing! Definitely check it out!) and stumbled across a recipe for...

Chocolate Spring Rolls (巧克力春捲)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm not a huge dessert or sweets person. It's sort of part and parcel of being raised in a traditional Asian family, I think-- we just don't eat dessert (aside from fruit, usually as is) very often. We do use sugar, but mostly to cook, not to bake (it's the Taiwanese way, but more on that in later entries).

It's pretty ironic, then, isn't it, that all my entries thus far have been about sweets? *sighs* But I digress...

It's hard to say what the BEST thing about this recipe is-- it's a toss-up between the incredible simplicity of it and the incredible and utter genius of it. It's a great little "Asian fusion" dessert you can whip up in a matter of minutes for company, and it's really not all that expensive, either-- especially if you make them mini.

The original recipe calls for regular-sized Twix Bars. I couldn't find them at the grocery store, though, so I just bought a big bag of fun-sized Twix Bars and wrapped three (or four for the guys!) of them in each of the wrapper pairs. They still worked perfectly, and I served the rolls up with fresh strawberries-- I'd have added a dusting of confectioner's sugar, too, but James was holding that hostage in his room :p


As my friend Gary put it, these were "sinfully heavenly." He felt like we were doing something terribly wrong-- going "against God and nature," I think he said (he can be delightfully poetic)-- and yet, everything about these rolls was right. The texture was amazing: the chocolate and caramel of the Twix bars were melted just so, the cookie and the spring roll shell crisp and crunchy by contrast. The strawberries helped keep things light.

My photography really doesn't do these rolls justice, but it was a trial run, and I'll try to make everything a little prettier next time, and blog it up in a new entry. I'm also going to switch to using smaller spring roll wrappers-- perfect for wrapping just one fun-sized Twix bar each-- slice up bananas, and definitely dust with confectioner's sugar. I think the fruit and powdered sugar are definitely key for balancing out what could otherwise be a an overly heavy, decadent dessert.

The "Sinfully Heavenly" Recipe (巧克力春捲 Chocolate Spring Rolls - Slightly Adapted; Original Recipe here, Courtesy of Ellie, AlmostBourdain)

Ingredients:
spring roll wrappers, either regular or small (two for each roll)
Twix Bars
canola oil for deep-frying
confectioner's sugar
fresh strawberries
fresh bananas, sliced
vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (optional)

Directions:
1(a). If using regular-sized spring roll wrappers, place either one regular-sized Twix bar or three fun-sized Twix bars (laid out in a long line) in the center of two overlapping spring roll wrappers. (You need a double layer of wrappers for each roll to prevent the chocolate from inadvertently soaking up the oil (吃油) when deep-fried.)
1(b). If using small spring roll wrappers, place one fun-sized Twix bar in the center of two overlapping spring roll wrappers. (You need a double layer of wrappers for each roll to prevent the chocolate from inadvertently soaking up the oil (吃油) when deep-fried.)
2. Roll wrappers around the Twix, folding edges inward to close. Brush wrapper seams with water to seal. (This is very important; if you don't do this correctly, the roll might unravel in the oil, and that would be disastrous! And very oily.)
3. Deep fry in hot canola oil until golden brown.
4. Dust with confectioner's sugar and garnish with fresh strawberries, sliced banana, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional).
5. Serve immediately.

"... would be the sweetest sin."

Week 6: "Tastes of Childhood" Gingerbread Muffins With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I love holidays. And seasons. And themes! Continuing the trend, then, when we got back from Thanksgiving break, I went the Christmas route with...

Gingerbread Muffins (With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting)

Let's get a disclaimer out of the way first: These muffins are not for novices-- novice bakers and novice eaters alike, consider yourself warned. Gingerbread seems to, at least in my admittedly limited experience, have a tendency of emitting smoke while baking if in for too long or at too high a temperature. I definitely have yet to master the art of avoiding this completely, although I'm improving with each endeavor. Cookies, though, are a lot easier to control than these muffins, which filled the kitchen with smoke and made James very unhappy :(

The recipe didn't specify how much batter we should spoon into each muffin cup, and so we went with the usual, filling them approximately to the brim. The batter didn't hold up well. It took a lot longer than anticipated to bake-- and was less moist than I would have liked-- and the muffin top collapsed. It was also a bit of a nightmare trying to get them to come out, and very few came out looking like actual muffins:

Slightly deformed, but oh-so-spicy! Can you handle it? ;)

With a dollop of lemon cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Despite the... err, difficulties these muffins gave us, the recipe was definitely something of a success. (One of my friends gushed, "This tastes of my childhood!", which is a great compliment.) Most of the people who didn’t care terribly for the results had opted out of the cream cheese icing; they complained that the gingerbread muffin base was too spicy. The people who had both together, though-- the gingerbread and the icing-- thought that the balance was oddly and unexpectedly perfect. The lemon really made the muffin: it's not an obvious flavor to pair with gingerbread, and yet, it pulled all of the flavors together in what can only be described as, in my opinion, delicious harmony.

The recipe, as posted below, isn't quite what I'd like it to be. I've already adjusted the ginger and spice ratios, but the lemon cream cheese frosting could use a little more tweaking. I'd beat it up the way it's written here, then adjust slightly to taste-- lemon zest, for example, might be a good idea if you want to kick up the citrus; more confectioner's sugar and/or whipping cream might be necessary if you think the mixture tastes a little too much like cream cheese. (Although the icing will taste slightly different-- better-- with the gingerbread muffin rather than without, so be careful of overcompensation.)

"Tastes of Childhood" Recipe (Gingerbread Muffins With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting - Modified; Original/Base Recipe here, courtesy of Kevin Ryan, AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
Muffin Batter:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur's)
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup hot milk

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. whipped cream cheese, creamed
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
splash of whipping cream

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or line with paper liners a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Cream 5 tablespoons of the butter with the white sugar. Add the molasses, the egg, and the egg yolk.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, nutmeg, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the hot milk mixture. Pour the batter evenly (about 2/3 full) into the prepared tin.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until slightly springy to the touch. Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan and remove to a rack to cool.
5. To Make Frosting: Cream the whipped cream cheese; beat in the confectioner's sugar until fluffy. Add a splash of whipping cream and the lemon extract and beat. When the muffins are cool, drop a generous dollop of frosting on each and serve.

"And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should'st have it to buy gingerbread."
William Shakespeare, Love's Labours Lost