"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

Week 5: "Give Thanks" Pecan Pie Muffins

I might have played with the dolls, and I definitely have as much patriotic pride as anyone I know, but I'm really not your typical American Girl. I don't have much extended family in the US. I don't have any memories of "over the river and through the woods" and "grandmother's house," etc., and my holidays have always been a little "unorthodox." You know, hotpot, hot chocolate, and mahjong for Christmas; Peking duck (yum!) and football on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving pies and cranberry sauce are, thus, a bit of a "novelty" to me, and I'm always excited about turkey, stuffing, the whole nine yards (hooray for free and/or catered college campus Thanksgiving dinners!).

Which is why, in celebration of this Thanksgiving, I wanted to make these:

Pecan Pie Muffins

The recipe, to anyone who has never made pecan pie before, looks ridiculous. There are just five very basic, simple ingredients and an almost obscene amount of brown sugar and butter-- like a shot of delicious sinfulness straight to the arteries.

Of course, however, that is precisely the beauty and the nature of pecan pie, and it actually makes a lot of sense that its muffin derivative would be much the same.

Comments on-line complained of over-stickiness (and lost muffin!) and suggested sticking with mini-muffin tins. I, however, made them in regular-size muffin tins and didn't have too much trouble popping them out. I greased the tins with butter, then dusted with confectioner's sugar. This seemed to do the trick.

The muffins didn't rise much-- probably because the recipe doesn't call for much flour and contains neither baking soda nor baking powder-- and so perhaps looked a little on the small-ish and unattractive side. They were, however, as I recall, plenty rich, moist, and delicious, though a little too sweet to be a personal favorite. Nevertheless, most people were duly impressed, and quite a number of my friends declared that they were "even better than actual pecan pie!" I've gotten a lot of requests for another batch, which is always a great indicator of success.

And now, you can make them, too. I promise you, easy as... pie ;)

"Give Thanks" Recipe (Pecan Pie Muffins - UnModified; Recipe here, Courtesy of prissycat, AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (King Arthur's)
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease the muffin tin, then dust with confectioner's sugar. (This will help with the eventual removal of the muffins. You might also want to consider using a mini-muffin tin instead of a regular-sized one.)
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the brown sugar, flour, and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

"Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash."
"But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie... "