S'mores Cupcakes with Scotch Whiskey Marshmallow Icing

This week was my youngest daughter, Rachel's, 21st birthday!  I can't believe my baby is 21, when did I get to be so darn old?  To celebrate we are heading to Washington D.C. where Rachel is a photojournalism student.  We will go to the National Zoo where Rachel works as a volunteer in the invertebrate house, will definitely spend some time trudging around the museums and will probably eat in a lot of the city's great restaurants.  I am excited.

I wanted to create a cupcake for Rachel's birthday that captures her love of candy, nature, and since it's her 21st birthday, has some booze in it!   I came up with these little beauties.  S'mores cupcakes!

The first problem with capturing the flavor of a s'more is getting a cake that tastes like graham crackers.  The solution?  Substitute crushed graham crackers for part of the flour!  These cakes are exceptionally delicious on their own.  They are dense and chewy and buttery and... well, just YUMMY.  I filled them with ganache and topped them with a fluffy dollop of home made marshmallow cream infused with smoky scotch for that real campfire flavor.  If you want, you can use water instead of scotch, but why would you do that?

Finally I toasted the marshmallow icing with a small butane blow torch. (alternatively you can just brown these under the broiler in your oven).

I can't wait to present these to Rachel!  Happy Birthday sweetie!

S'mores Cupcakes with Scotch Whiskey Marshmallow Icing
makes about 18

Step One: Make ganache

3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Heat cream in a small heavy saucepan over high heat until it boils.  Remove from heat, and add chocolate chips.  Stir until smooth and glossy.  Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours, stirring every hour, until ganache is set and has the consistency of chocolate pudding.

Step Two: Make the graham cracker cakes

1 1/2 cups of finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup of flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt, stir until well combined.

In another bowl cream the softened butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in vanilla.

Add 1/4 cup of milk and mix to combine, then ad 1/2 of the cracker/flour mixture and mix until combined. Repeat, alternating between wet and dry ingredients until everything is added.  fold in the miniature chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly between 18 paper-lined cupcake wells.  Bake 25 minutes.  Cool completely.

Step Three: Fill the cupcakes with ganache.

After the ganache has set up to the consistency of pudding, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round metal tip with a wide opening (about the diameter of a pencil).  Pierce each cupcake in the center with a knife, then insert the tip of the piping bag and fill each cupcake with 1-2 Tbsp. of chocolate ganache.

Step 4:  Make the Marshmallow Icing.

2 tsp (one envelope) unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp scotch whiskey (or water)
1 cup sugar (separated into two portions of 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp  water
pinch of salt
3 egg whites

In a small microwave-proof bowl, place the scotch whiskey (or water). Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and allow to soften.

In a medium sized heavy saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, corn syrup and water.  Bring to a boil, with stirring, over high heat until sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat and keep syrup warm.

Combine egg whites and salt in a clean bowl and whip until frothy and light, then with mixer still running, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high heat until whites are stiff and glossy.  With mixer still running on medium speed, slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites.  Once all the syrup has been added, increase speed to high and whip for 5 minutes.

Heat gelatin in microwave for 15 seconds until it is completely melted, then pour into egg whites with mixer running.  Whip until gelatin is completely incorporated.  Transfer to a Piping bag and frost cupcakes immediately before marshmallow sets.

Step Five. Toasting the cupcakes.
Allow marshmallow icing to set up for 30 minutes.  With a hand held blow torch, gently toast the marshmallow icing.  Alternatively, this can be done under the broiler in the oven, but watch carefully so as not to burn!

Red Posole with Pork and Chorizo

So yesterday afternoon was cool and rainy.  We had finished all the French Onion Soup from the previous day and were trying to decide what to make.  I had been making a giant pot of home made chicken stock using the carcass of a rotisserie chicken from earlier in the week and it was happily simmering on the stove.  What to make? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Doug and I like to play the game where we cook using only things we happen to have in the house.  No cheating and running to the grocery store.  We found some frozen chicken and pork tenderloin, and various odds and ends.  Then our friend Chris Pfitzer (author of Delicious) posted on facebook that he was going to make a pork posole.  Bingo!  That was the perfect thing, and we had all the ingredients on hand in the house.  Thanks for the genius idea Chris!

There are probably as many recipes for posole as there are cooks who make this hearty Mexican soup/stew.  The one thing they all have in common is posole (hominy), hence the name.  We loved this version made with spicy Mexican chorizo and red salsa.  You can make your own salsa if you like, but commercially prepared salsa works just fine.  The Mexican chorizo we use is soft, sort of the consistency of breakfast sausage.  It is loaded with achiote and other spices and is really quite hot/spicy, so we didn't add any additional jalapenos etc., but feel free to adjust the heat according to your taste.

The only problem is we finished the entire pot, so now we have to think of something else for dinner tonight!


Red Posole with Pork and Chorizo
serves 6-8

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cubed into 1-inch chunks
4 oz. soft Mexican chorizo
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1 jigger tequila
2 cups tomato-based salsa
28 oz. drained hominy (pozole)
6 cups chicken stock
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments:  Cubed avacado, tortilla chips, sour cream, napa cabbage, radishes, shaved jicama

In a large heavy soup pot heat the oil over high heat.  Add the cubed pork and cook, tossing occasionally until very well browned, about 15 minutes.  

 The pork must be well-browned in order to get the maximum flavor.

Remove browned pork from the pot and reserve. Reduce heat to medium high and add chorizo to pot and cook briefly until browned, about 2 minutes,  Add onions, garlic, cumin, corriander, and oregano and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze pan with tequila.

De-glazing the onions, herbs and chorizo with Tequila, fills the air with an intoxicating aroma!

Add salsa, stock and hominy.  Return pork to pot.  Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce temperature to low and simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered.  Serve hot with tortilla chips, diced avacado and sour cream.

French Onion Soup

Fall has dramatically descended upon North Carolina.  On Thursday the temperature was 92 and on Friday the high temperature was 62!  After months of relentless sunshine and 90+ temperatures, the skies are gloriously cloudy and grey and rainy!  Everyone is thrilled to pull out sweaters and cardigans, and I am in the mood for French food.  So yesterday I decided to spend the afternoon in the kitchen making Julia Child's French onion soup.
This soup is the essence of simplicity.  It is rich and elegant and comforting.  It is not something you can just throw together in 30 minutes, but instead it requires time and patience to coax the maximum flavor from the ingredients.  Thankfully it doesn't involve a great deal of difficult techniques, just your time.
I recommend finding the best french bread you can find for this dish.  For me that meant a trip to La Farm bakery in Cary, North Carolina.  La Farm is owned and operated by bread superstar Lionel Vatinet.

"Lionel Vatinet’s passion for bread was first nurtured when he joined France’s prestigious artisans’ guild Les Compagnons du Devoir as an apprentice at age 16. Emerging 7 years later with the distinguished and hard-earned title of Maitre Boulanger (Master Baker), Vatinet pledged to devote his life to teaching, sharing and preserving the ancient art and science of bread baking.  Among Vatinet’s achievements, his participation with Team USA at France’s competition La Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in 1999 is one of his most proud; the American team earned the Gold Medal for the fist time ever at this International Olympic style baking competition."

I made a few adjustments to Julia's recipe (I slightly increased the amount of onions), but mainly adhered to her meticulous directions.  The key is to very, very slowly brown the onions in butter in order to coax the release and caramelization of the natural sugars.  Too high of a temperature will burn the butter and singe the onions making the soup bitter. The result was fantastic! 
 
If you can find it, try to use real French Gruyere cheese for the gratinee.  Yes it will make your house smell like old socks, but the flavor is incomparable! 


Serve this with a simple green salad and plenty of extra bread for dipping into the soup...perfect for a cool rainy fall evening. Bon appetit!


French Onion Soup
Serves 6


2 lbs yellow or Vidalia onions sliced thinly
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp flour
2 quarts good quality beef stock 
1/2 cup dry white vermouth
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Cognac


1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 lb Gruyere cheese grated (Swiss cheese can be substituted)

In a large heavy pot, melt the 4Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add onions and toss to coat with melted butter.  Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes (this "poaches" the onions in butter and causes them to sweat).

 The onions after "poaching in butter" for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and add salt and sugar to onions. Increase the heat a tiny bit above medium, and cook the onions, uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are a deep and even gold color.  DO NOT increase the temperature to speed this process along unless you like a bitter burnt onion soup.

Delicious, slowly-caramelized onions fill the house with an amazing fragrance!

Ten minutes before the onions are finished caramelizing, heat the beef stock to boiling.


When the onions are caramelized, add the flour and stir to coat. Remove from heat and add boiling stock and vermouth.  Whisk briefly to break up any flour clumps.  Return soup to medium high heat, and cover partially with a lid and allow soup to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  At this point the soup can rest, off heat until ready to serve.


One hour before serving, preheat oven to 325.  Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes, then flip slices and toast an additional 15 minutes until bread is completely dry.


Bring soup back to a simmer, and add cognac.  Ladle soup into oven-proof bowls, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top.  Float dried bread slices on top of soup and top with grated cheese.  Place soup bowls on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted.  Turn oven setting to broil, and broil until cheese is bubbling and golden.  Serve immediately with lots of sliced french bread.

Crab Empanadas

We made these tasty savory cuban pastries as an appetizer for our Hurrican Irene party.  Moist flavorful crab, scented with sherry encased in a delicate pastry crust.  YUM.  These are like a pastry-wrapped crab cake.  They can be eaten as is, or served with a simple remoulade or hollandaise sauce.

I used whole wheat pastry flour for the dough, but all purpose flour also works well.

Crab Empanadas

serves 8

Empanada dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a sifter and sift into a bowl.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine cream cheese and butter and mix until well blended.  Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and mix just until a soft dough forms.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

While dough is chilling prepare crab filling:

Crab Filling
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. lump crab meat
2 eggs
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over high heat, then add peppers and onions and saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Remove from heat, and add crab, gently fold into vegetables. season with salt and pepper to taste.   Allow to cool to room temperature.

Sauteed peppers, onion, garlic and crab...

Once crab mixture is cooled, combine eggs and sherry in a small bowl and whisk to mix with a fork.  Add egg mixture and bread crumbs to crab, and gently fold together.

Assembly:
Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Remove dough from refrigerator and gently roll into a log about 12 inches long.  Slice into 8 equal pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each slice into an 8-inch circle about 1/8 thick (this will be rustic).

Divide crab filling equally among dough circles, then fold in half and roll edges to seal.  With your fingers make a decorative fluted edge. Transfer empanadas to an un-greased baking sheet.

Assembling the rustic empanadas...

Combine 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Brush egg wash over empanadas.  Bake 20 minutes at 400F.  Serve immediately with remoulade or hollandaise sauce if desired.


Mama Ozzy's quick and easy remoulade sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp coarse ground brown mustard
1 Tbsp hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin, mix to combine.

Arroz con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

This has been quite a week here in Durham, NC.  On Tuesday we had a rare earthquake, and then on Friday night hurricane Irene moved in.  Though we were too far west to feel much of the impact of the storm, that didn't stop us from having a hurricane party.  If you have never been through a hurricane, let me explain what its like.  Hurricanes always bring in a mass of moist tropical air and it smells like the ocean.  We only had 30 mph sustained winds and a few 50 mph wind gusts, and only about half an inch of rain.  All in all very mild.

All that moist tropical air put me in the mood for Cuban food.  We prepared Crab Empanadas, Dark and Stormy cocktails (black Bermuda rum and ginger beer with a squeeze of lime), and this dish, Arroz con Pollo.  This is an easy dish to prepare (which is a good thing when you have been imbibing rum drinks all day) and is the ultimate in latin comfort foods.  The rice is fragrant and rich, the chicken falls off the bone, and  though it has a lot of spice in it, it's not what I would consider "spicy".

A couple notes: 1) make sure to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, boneless skinless does not work at all; 2) Use a really "hoppy" beer like an IPA (I used Magic Hat h I.P.A.) to give maximum flavor; 3) do not skip the Bijol powder (also known as achiote or ground annato) which not only colors the dish but gives a very distinct flavor.  It can be found at any latin market and is absolutely essential to the dish ; 4) I like to serve the green peas separately because not everyone is a fan of peas, but I love the sweet burst of flavor they add.

Arroz con Pollo
Serves 8

6 strips of bacon
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, seasoned lightly with salt pepper and ground cumin
2 cups chopped white onion
2 cups chopped green bell peppers
4 cloves of garlic. minced
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
12 oz. beer, preferably India Pale Ale (IPA)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp Bijol powder (also known as achiote or ground annato)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups rice (I prefer basmati)
1 cup frozen green peas

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a large, heavy oven-proof skillet or paella pan, fry bacon over medium heat until crisp and fat has rendered.  Remove bacon and reserve.  Place seasoned chicken thighs in bacon fat, skin side down and increase heat to medium high.  Brown very well (about 10 minutes) before flipping chicken to brown the non-skin side.  Remove chicken from pan and reserve.

Add chopped peppers and onions and saute until onions are translucent, then add minced garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes.  Add bijol, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and saute 1 minute.  Add rice and stir briefly.  Add beer and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add tomato sauce and chicken stock.  Crumble bacon into pot and then return chicken thighs to pan.  Bring mixture just to a boil, then cover with a heavy lid, or aluminum foil, and place dish in the oven.  Bake 45-60 minutes until rice has absorbed all the liquid.  Serve with cooked green peas.

Before baking, the Arroz con Pollo looks soupy.

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney (Vietnamese Barbecue Pork Mini-Sandwiches)

 

I have been craving these spicy little sliders for the last several weeks and yesterday I couldn't stand it anymore and caved in and made them for dinner.  This is one of the most delicious things to come out of my kitchen in quite some time.  Bánh Mì are Vietnamese barbecued pork sandwiches.  They represent the classic fusion of southeast Asian and French cuisine (remember Viet Nam used to be part of the French colonial empire of Indochina until receiving independence in 1949).  You can taste the french influence in the pate and bread, and Asian influences in the spicy pickled vegetables and the fragrant barbecued pork.

Bánh Mì are classic Vietnamese street food.  There are probably as many different recipes for Bánh Mì as there are people who like to scarf them down. Traditionally they are served on a crispy french baguette that has been cut into 4-inch lengths, however I have "Americanized" them into slider form and like to serve them on soft potato dinner rolls.  The inclusion of pate is entirely up to you and I have listed it as otional since not everyone is a fan of pate, and these sliders are perfectly delicious without it.

The pickled carrots and radishes are absolutely essential to this dish because their tangy crunchiness is the perfect foil to the sweet velvety pork.  Even people who hate carrots and radishes love these vegetables and they couldn't be easier to prepare.

I also like to serve these with a schmear of Mama Ozzy's blueberry chutney which enhances the sweetness, fragrance and spiciness of the sandwich.  It is totally optional, but if you are trying to impress, make the chutney, you won't go wrong.

 Doug maniacally wolfing down a Bánh Mì slider

If you have a special guest coming to your home this summer and want to serve a really show-stopping meal without all the fuss, may I suggest the following menu?

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney 

Cold and Spicy Thai Noodle Salad (See variations in Pot sticker Salad)

Dark and Stormy Cocktails (Black Bermuda Rum and Ginger Beer over ice with a wedge of lime)

Lemon Sorbet and fresh fruit

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney  

makes about 12 sliders

Pork:

1,  1.5 - 2 lb. pork tenderloin

3 Tbsp fish sauce (found in the asian foods aisle)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 walnut-sized piece of ginger, minced

1 scallion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Slice pork tenderloin into medallions about 1-inch thick.  Place 4 medallions in a large Ziploc bag, and with the bag unsealed, gently pound them to about 1/4 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining pork.

 

 

Gently pound the pork medallions flat in a plastic bag

In a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.  Pour marinade into plastic bag with pork, remove all the air and seal the bag.  Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight (the longer these marinate, the more intense they will be flavored, but be careful not to go too long because the fish sauce is EXTREMELY salty... I find 3 hours is about perfect).

While the pork is marinating, make the pickled vegetables:

Pickled Vegetables:

1/2 lb peeled baby carrots

1/2 lb radishes (I prefer white Icicle [baby daikon] radishes, but any kind will work)

1 large chunk of peeled ginger

1/2 cup water

1 cup cider vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp salt

Cut the carrots and radishes into matchstick sized pieces.  Cut the ginger into very thin slices.  In a medium saucepan combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt.  Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.  Add carrots, radishes and ginger to hot vinegar.  Cover and allow to cool for 30 minutes before  transferring to refrigerator to chill.  Drain immediately before serving.

When the pork is done marinating, preheat your grill or a large non-stick skillet to high.  Cook the pork until it is well browned and caramelized.

Assembling the Banh Mi Sliders

1 dozen 2-inch square potato rolls

mayonnaise

lettuce leaves

pate de campagne (country-style pate) *optional

blueberry chutney *optional

Sriracha hot sauce

Cut open a roll and spread both sides with a small amount of mayonnaise.  Place a slice of pate on the bottom half and spread with a small amount of blueberry chutney.  Top with a lettuce leaf, a slice of barbecued pork and pickled vegetables.  Season the top bun with Sriracha if desired.  Serve immediately.

Peach Dessert

It's late July and fresh peaches are in season.  I picked up some real beauties at the Durham farmer's market and used them to make my familiy's all time favorite dessert.  Something we just call "Peach Dessert".

How do I begin to describe this dish?  It's the kind of thing you would expect to see at good church potluck dinner.  It's not a pie, it's not a cake, it's not a torte or a trifle or a pudding.  I think the closest thing to categorizing this is to call it an ice box cake.

This recipe comes from Joyce Dekker and the 1983 congregation cookbook from Bethany Reformed Church in Sheboygan Wisconsin.  The dessert consists of crushed Oreo cookies, a rich buttercream icing, loads of fresh peaches and Cool Whip.  It may sound like a strange combination of flavors, but trust me , this is absolutely crave-able and will call you in the middle of the night for just one more tiny spoonful.

 

Bethany Reformed Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Now, a word about Cool Whip.  If you know anything about Mama Ozzy, it's that I love real whipped cream.  I have never been a fan of Cool Whip, but in this particular dish, there's nothing that can compare.  I have made this in the past and used real whipped cream, and it wasn't nearly as good.  I think it's because this dessert must chill overnight before serving, and definitely gets better and better the longer it sits in the refrigerator.  Real whipped cream gets runny and funky sitting this long, Cool Whip on the other hand remains stable and fluffy.  Go with the Cool Whip, just do it.

Peach Dessert
serves 8

4-6 large peaches, peeled and pitted.
1/2 lb. crushed Oreo cookies
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
8 oz. Cool Whip

Peel and pit the peaches.  To peel peaches simply drop them in a pot of boiling water for 15 -30 seconds.  Run them under cold water and then the skins will easily just slip off.

Crush Oreo cookies in food prcessor until fine.   In a 9x9 square pan or a 7 x 11 rectangular pan, place a layer of the crushed cookies (reserving 1/2 cup for topping).

Line the bottom of the dish with crushed cookies

Combine butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl and beat until sugar is incorporated and mixture is fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and continue beating until very light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and mix in.  Drop large spoonfuls of buttercream on top of Crushed cookies in pan, and then carefully spread mixture to the sides.

Place large dollops of buttercream on top of the cookie layer...

...then gently spread to corners with a spoon.

Top with sliced peaches, then cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle with reserved crushed cookies.  Cover and chill overnight before serving.  (This dessert must be kept refrigerated because it contains raw eggs.)

Cover buttercream with sliced peaches...

...then cover with Cool Whip and crushed cookies.