Blueberry Muffin Tops

I feel as though I should cite a fictional character for the originality of this muffin. Remember Elaine’s big muffin tops idea (from “Seinfeld”)? I don’t know if she sparked the idea or if it already existed; but, it’s a good one. So good, I can truly say that I’ve finally made a muffin that can compete with a few of my favorite French pastry shops. And, the shape of this muffin actually makes it look like a fancy tartlette. So, anyway, I came across muffin top liners at Mrs. Cooks, and I decided to give them a go. I may never go back to making regular muffins. It’s true; the best part of the muffin is the top, especially when it’s loaded with a crumb topping. A muffin top, a cup of steaming mint tea, and a good book, and I’m in a happy place.

Blueberry Muffin Tops


Crumb Topping:
3 tablespoons cold butter, diced
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon


Batter:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (allow to come to room temp.)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
¾ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place 8-10 muffin top paper liners on a cookie sheet (not in a muffin tin).


Make the crumb topping:
Combine butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the ingredients together to create a crumb texture.


Make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture and fold together just until incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries. Don’t over mix. Batter will be thick.
Fill liners halfway with batter then sprinkle generously with crumb topping.
Bake 18-20 minutes. Immediately use a spatula to place the muffin tops on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

Toddler Friendly Frosting

Yes, all frosting is kid friendly, but when it comes to buttercream swirls, little chubby hands have a difficult time creating fancy pants cupcakes. Of course, you don’t mind what the cupcake looks like when it’s your child that decorated it; in fact, usually the final look is even more charming because it’s from the hands of your sweet child. But, if your cupcakes are destined for a crowd other than your family, I have just the recipe, and it’s the easiest frosting recipe on earth: ganache. Ganache is multi-purpose; so, if you make too much for your cupcakes or cake, you can repurpose it for truffles. It also works well as filling for crepes, a drizzle over ice cream, or sandwich cookies, whether they're your cut and rolled ones or animal cookies straight from the box.


My daughter had a blast dipping the cupcakes in the ganache for our Valentine's day treats. I demonstrated once how to dip the cupcakes, and, to my pleasant surprise, she mimicked the technique perfectly. She turned out four perfectly frosted cupcakes, one of which is in the photo. You can't tell the difference between hers and mine! So, I gave her four more. At that point, the temptation became too great, and she added a quality check step to her job. With each cupcake she dipped, she took a big lick off the top and squealed, “Mmm, ah, good!”

Ganache
Makes 1 cup


 2/3 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup


Directions

Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth.

Agave Nectar

I don’t know why I’ve had my head in the sand regarding the Agave Nectar craze, but it’s out now. Agave nectar has such a luxuriously soft mouth feel, “nectar of the gods” is what comes to mind-not in the reference to wine way, but in the wow, this is good enough for the gods way. I ordinarily don’t sweeten my cappuccino; but, not because I don’t want to, mainly because I try to cut out refined sugar where ever possible (to make room for cake, haha). But, it seems as though I’ve been hearing about agave nectar left and right; so, when I passed by it in the grocery store, I backed up and stopped to take a looksee at what all the hulabaloo is all about. Offhand, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would use it in a recipe (that’s on deck), so I grabbed the vanilla flavored bottle, thinking I would use a little in my daughter’s milk to replace her favorite Starbuck’s treat. Of course, I had to test it out first. I drizzled a little over my cappuccino, took a sip, took another sip, then drizzled a lot more over the top. Amazing! So, I swirled some over the top of oatmeal, and S. loved it, too. Although, he thought it was maple syrup.



Here’s the lowdown: Agave syrup is a natural sweetener. The carbohydrate in agave syrup has a low glycemic index; so, unlike refined sugars, it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar or produce a sugar rush (followed by a crash). Its sweetness comes from inulin, which is a fructose that occurs naturally in fruit. It’s a winner. I see a whole new frontier for carbonated beverages.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I’m forever steaming and roasting vegetables to puree for my daughter’s meals. I use the purees as additions or substitutions in dishes in order to get vegetables into my daughter. For instance, I add pureed spinach and carrots to marinara sauce, pureed cauliflower to macaroni and cheese, and a tablespoon of sweet potato puree in French toast custard base. Best of all, my daughter doesn’t know the difference, because I’ve been doing this since she started solid foods. At any rate, I roasted a couple butternut squashes this morning for fresh and frozen puree, and, since I ended up with so much I decided to utilize one squash for soup. Most butternut squash soup recipes call for simmering the cubed squash in stock, but that means you need to peel and chop the squash, which is a bit of a bear. The skin is so tough, I find it a painstaking process to peel the squash. So, in the past, I sometimes passed on making butternut squash soup, even though it’s a favorite of mine. To come current, roasting butternut squash couldn’t be easier. And, it can be done a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to put the soup together. Now, I make this soup more often.

I consider soup a meal, not an accompaniment; but not everyone in this household agrees with me. That may be because I love soup, and I want it to take the starring role. But, on a pragmatic level, soup and a piece of bread absolutely fills me up; so, the addition of an entrée is overkill for me. However, a certain someone needs a hunk of protein with every meal. So, if you’re in that camp, butternut squash soup pairs brilliantly with Mexican dishes, steak, grilled chicken, and entrée salads.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 red onion, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of red chili flakes (optional)

2 garlic cloves finely minced

1 roasted butternut squash

2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 apple, peeled and diced 
2 cups water

 2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper

½ cup heavy cream

Pepitas for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, cumin, and red chili flakes. Sautee on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the garlic and continue to sautee for 1 minute.

Add the carrots and apple and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cover with the water and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots and apple are soft.

Add the butternut squash to the sauteed mixture and puree in a food processor. You will need to do this in 2 batches.

Return to the pot and add heavy cream. Simmer for ten minutes or until heated through. You may want to add more water or stock based on your consistency preference.

To serve, sprinkle with pepitas and enjoy with crusty bread on the side. Or, you could go with my daughter’s preference and garnish with Pirate’s Booty.

Roasting Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse the skin of the butternut squash. Trim off the top and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side down in a baking dish and pour 1 ½ cups of water into the dish. Roast uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. The time varies based on the size of the squash. When pierced with a fork all the way through, the squash should give way very easily and feel very soft inside. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh and reserve for the soup or place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and refrigerate or freeze for future use.

Magic Bullet Cappucino

I’ve always wanted to “act now” in response to an infomercial. I just didn’t know which magic beans to buy. Well, after years and years and years, and almost buying the Ginsu knives, I pulled the trigger on the Magic Bullet.

Is it all that? Yes and no. It’s great for making smoothies, because it’s a much easier clean up than a full scale blender, not to mention it’s much easier to pull out of the cupboard than my macdaddy blender, since it’s so light and compact. However, I’ve noticed that the blades aren’t as sharp as they were during the first few weeks of use. Initially, the blades would pulverize ice and frozen strawberries in a nanosecond. Now, they do duty akin to that of Jamba Juice Smoothies-a few stray strawberry pebbles here and there. However, my major affection toward the Magic Bullet is the blade attachment that foams milk.

I use to trot over to Starbucks everyday with my daughter for a cappuccino. The problem with that is once my daughter started walking, she would make a beeline to the milk and treats case and help herself to chocolate milk and cookies. At first, I thought it was charming. She and I would sit in a couple cozy chairs near the crackling fire and enjoy our morning drinks. It became a ritual. And, that’s the problem. Chocolate milk and cookies every now and then: fine. Everyday: not so fine. And, it really didn’t seem fair to get myself a beverage, but deny her one.

So, I began shopping cappuccino makers. I’ve had a few machines in the past, but they were what I would consider imitation cappuccino makers (in the $100-$200 range). They didn’t hold up well and produced substandard espresso. There is no way around it: a good espresso machine is an investment (in the $1000 to $2000 range). But, I have a wish list of high-ticket items, and an espresso maker doesn’t make the top five cut. So, that’s where the Magic Bullet comes in. The blade attachment that foams milk does a superb job. Just yesterday, I made a cappuccino for S, and he loved it. He said it was far better than Starbucks. Now, I’m not sure that’s a compliment, because ever since Starbucks did away with hand pulled espressos and switched to automatic espresso makers, their cappuccinos are just okay. But, he meant well. So, you’re probably wondering why I chose Starbucks everyday. It’s about twenty steps from my front door. And, when you have a small child, you choose the easiest way possible to your destination. Plus, it seems silly to bundle up my daughter, schlep her to the car, secure her in her car seat not always with her cooperation, and then drive three miles to a decent espresso shop just for a cappuccino. At any rate, it’s also a huge money saver. I figured I’m saving $40 per week by cutting out the mommy daughter daily trip to Starbucks. That’s over $1900 per year, not counting weekends. Coincidently, that’s enough to buy a good espresso machine.

The recipe is one heaping teaspoon of instant espresso (I like Medaglia d'Oro) to 3 oz. of boiling water. While your water is boiling, put 4 oz. of milk in the magic bullet and jizz it up for a minute. Then heat the milk uncovered in the microwave for 40-50 seconds. As soon as you see the milk rising in the vessel, pull it out. Then just pour the milk and foam into the espresso. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how to form the cool heart shape in foam. But, it tastes just as good without the heart.

Note: I’m not affiliated with the Magic Bullet or its sales in any way (although I wish I were).

Zucchini Pecan Bundt Cake

I was passing by Williams Sonoma yesterday, and I saw a big red SALE! sign in the window. Of course, I had to walk in. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a sale at Williams Sonoma, and, since I was sure I could easily pick anything off the shelf and be happy with it, I was brimming with anticipation. What super cool how come I don’t already have that thing would I find? A juicer that looks like an industrial tarantula? A panino press? Fancy French linens? No, no, and no. The only things I found on sale were kitchy Christmas items that clearly no one else wanted either. And, that prompted the sad realization that WS actually had things that I didn’t need or want. But, as I was leaving, feeling dejected and unfulfilled, I gave a cursory glance over my shoulder and spotted the cake section. Cake. What is it about cake that is so irresistible? Even the name feels good in your mouth. I was mostly tempted by the teensiest, tiniest cake molds in the shapes of flowers. They were so dainty they gave the impression that I would have to hold high tea with ladies dressed in tiered chiffon dresses. I almost bit; but, then the granddaddy of bundt pans caught my eye. That was it. A Heritage bundt pan (whatever that is). It has deep grooves that curve into a spiral so that if someone spun it in front of your eyes, you could likely become hypnotized. At any rate, I bought it, and I like it.

So, after much thought as to the first cake to pour into the pan, I nixed the fat laden chocolate cake and went for the less fat laden zucchini cake. Remember, my daughter still won’t eat green veggies; but, she’ll eat zucchini in a cake! Although, I may have to put a piece in a cupcake liner to pass her inspection.

I like this recipe enough to share it. Over the last month, I’ve been baking here and there, but nothing has come out spectacular. This zucchini pecan cake, however, came out pretty good (okay, spectacular) in taste and appearance. It’s a keeper.

Note: Make sure to squeeze the excess water from the grated zucchini. Do this by placing the zucchini in the center of a double layer of paper towels (or cheesecloth). Cinch the edges together like a beggar’s purse and squeeze the daylights out of the bundle. When you see how much water is released from the zucchini, you’ll understand the importance of this step. All that added water would make for a mushy cake.

Zucchini Pecan Bundt Cake

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups oil
• 3 1/2 cups grated zucchini (or three medium zucchinis), excess water squeezed out
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter and flour a bundt pan

Whisk first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with both sugars. Add vanilla, then add oil. Add flour mixture and blend just until incorporated. Fold in zucchini and pecans. Pour into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before removing cake from pan. Generously dust cake with powdered sugar.

Grandma's Red Velvet Cupcakes

My grandma made the best red velvet cake I've ever tasted. Of course, since red velvet didn't claim trendy popularity until the sudden fame of the cupcake, I haven't had anything else to compare it to. But, even so, I recently tasted some competition from a very well known cupcakery (the owner was a guest on Martha Stewart's cupcake episode), and it didn't measure up to my memories. So, my recipe is from grandma's cake collection, but I bake it up as cupcakes, because my little girl loves cupcakes. If I give her a piece of cake, she pushes the plate away (or off her tray and onto the floor); but, if I give her that same cake in the form of a cupcake, then bon appetito! So, cupcakes it is. I made these little gems for Christmas dessert and they were a hit. Topped with a raspberry, they looked very Christmasy, but they could definitely fit right into the red and sweet theme of Valentine's Day as well.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temp.

2 large eggs, room temp.

2 tablespoons red food coloring (which is the whole bottle of Mc Cormick's/0.25 fl. oz)

1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, room temp.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Bake approximately 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, halfway through to ensure even baking. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick or bamboo skewer for doneness. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting. 

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts together until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 

Frost the cupcakes with an offset spatula or pipe the frosting from a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, then top each with a fresh raspberry (open end set into the frosting).