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 Strawberry Short-Cupcake It’s strawberry season… so I’ve been told. I forget every year until I start seeing strawberries everywhere and I’m drawn to them by their hypnotic aroma. Yes… the aroma tends to put me in another realm and I forget where I am.
Since I’ve been in a cupcake haze the last few weeks and exploring different types of filled ones, it’s only natural I would focus on what’s in season… but what kind of filling? I thought about making a strawberry-rhubarb but couldn’t find any rhubarb…. so good ol’ strawberry it is!!
I researched different white cakes and found they all looked pretty similar. I compared a recipe by Martha Stewart and another site… I can’t for the life of me remember where where the “Classic White Cake” recipe came from because they all are alike, with variations on the amount of sugar…
I wanted to make mini cupcakes… the recipe I found made three 9″ layers, so I roughly adjusted it down to 25%… but the measurements are exact. For the filling, I decided to make up my own recipe. I chose a vanilla meringue buttercream as it is much lighter than a traditional buttercream and adapted it from an online recipe credited to Martha Stewart.
Mini Strawberry Short-Cupcakes (makes 24 minis)
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
3 oz whole milk
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with liners.
Whisk together egg whites, milk, vanilla and almond extracts in a small bowl and in another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat butter until for about 1 minute, then slowly add sugar while continuing to mix until incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes with a stand mixer and several minutes with a hand mixer. With the use of a hand mixer… it was not getting “light and fluffy” so I added a about a 1/4 of the egg-milk mixture (this seemed to work). Scrape down bowl.
Alternate flour mixture and egg-milk mixture until fully incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Batter will be very thick.
Scoop batter into cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. Place in center of oven, middle rack. Bake 12 – 13 minutes. Test with cake tester until it comes out clean and tops will be springy. Cool on wire rack.
Strawberry Filling (makes 1 cup – enough for 24 mini cupcakes)
8 oz strawberries, washed and hulled
¼ cup evaporated cane sugar
juice from ¼ lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons cold water
1 rounded teaspoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chop and mash strawberries into large chunks in a medium bowl. Mix in lemon juice, sugar and vanilla.
Place strawberry mixture in medium saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Stir in cornstarch/water thoroughly and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to maintain.
Stir occasionally. At this point, the mixture will have a milky quality. When sauce begins to thicken and become clear, keep on low boil for additional minute.
Remove from heat and stir in butter until fully incorporated.
Set aside and allow to cool completely before using. Store in sealed container in fridge until ready to use.
Vanilla Meringue Buttercream
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar
2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium heat proof bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar and place over pan filled with water (making sure bowl does not touch the water). While continuing to whisk, heat egg mixture over simmering water until sugar is completely dissolved. I did not have a candy thermometer but mixture was warm to touch and no grittiness felt between finger when finger were dipped in mixture. Remove from heat.
Beat egg mixture on high speed until it holds a stiff peak. With my hand mixer, it never really formed a stiff peak – more like a pliable hill. After 20 minutes and holding the mixer, I moved on to the next step.
On a medium speed, begin adding butter a little at a time, fully incorporating before adding more butter. Frosting began to come together almost immediately. When all the butter has been added, beat in vanilla and continue beating until smooth, light and fluffy. Use immediately or store in airtight container in fridge. Will keep about 3 days.
 filling the cupcake  ready to frost To assemble cupcakes
Using a small knife, carefully cut a hole in the top of each cupcake, removing tops and set aside. Take the handle part of the spoon, gently scoop out some of the cake to accomodate the filling. Fill each cupcake with filling, using a spoon and replace tops. Frost with buttercream or pipe it with a large size tip. Eat or refrigerate until ready to serve.
 Vegan Key Lime Cupcakes I’m not a vegan, although I did omit all animal products for a couple years. My intro into vegan baking started when I was a cupcake tester for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero opened my eyes to vegan baking, showing that you don’t needs special ingredients to make a fabulous cupcake. I almost prefer vegan baking to traditional - it’s quicker from bowl to pan to mouth. Almost every recipe can be made with a whisk – don’t have to deal with an electric mixer (except frosting). Most of the ingredients I always have on hand… no emergency trip to the store for milk, butter or eggs.
So I’ve been thinking about limes/key limes the last few weeks. I’ve always loved key lime pie and have been throwing around ideas for cupcakes. Key limes aren’t in season but you can easily use the regular limes or (heaven forbid) the juice in a bottle. I picked up a bottle of Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice and set out to make my cuppers.
The following recipe is adapted from the Golden Vanilla Cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as well as their Lime Buttercream Frosting. The lime curd filling is from Bryanna’s Vegan Feast Kitchen
Key Lime Cupcakes (makes 12)
Ingredients
1 oz key lime juice (2Tab) or the juice of one regular lime
zest from 1 lime
7/8 cup of soy milk
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
With a microplane, zest one lime and set aside. Juice lime and place in a 1 cup measuring cup. You should have approx 1 oz. Fill cup to 1 cup mark with full fat soy milk. Stir to blend and set aside for several minutes (it will thicken). Mix in lime zest
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch, then whisk in kosher salt (kosher salt won’t go through sifter)… I use a mesh strainer rather than an old fashion sifter…
In a large bowl, whisk lime/soy milk with sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Slowly mix in flour mixture a little at a time until no lumps appear. Do not over-mix.
Using a scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Place on center rack in oven for 20 minutes. Cupcakes will have a nice golden edge.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN LIME CURD (veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com)
Servings: 12
Yield: 2 cups
This makes a lovely cake filling-quite tangy, so it contrasts with the icing. It’s important to use freshly-squeezed lime juice in this recipe. Refrigerate the leftovers to spread on toast or scones, or to fill tarts.
1 cup fresh lime juice (or 8 regular limes)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated organic unbleached sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt (I used kosher salt)
grated zest of 2 small organic limes,
6 Tbs full fat soymilk
2 Tbs Earth Balance (regular)
Whisk together the juice, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into a heavy saucepan with the zest. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil. Boil 1 minute, not stirring. (OR microwave in a Pyrex bowl 2 minutes and whisk, then 2 minutes more.) It should be thickened and turning clear. Remove from heat. Add soymilk or alternate and Earth Balance. Blend well with the whisk. Cool the curd, then refrigerate in a covered container. It thickens as it cools.
Lime Buttercream Frosting (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (I use Earth Balance)
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined and is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and lime juice, beat for additional 5 – 7 minutes, until fluffy. Add zest and mix. Chill until ready to use.
 top replaced  scooped out cupcake  filled cupcake To assemble cupcakes, use a small sharp knife to cut a circular hole on top of each cupcake (saving the top) and scoop out a little of the cake with a spoon. With a teaspoon, spoon a little lime curd into each cupcake on place top back on. Frost with buttercream and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from fridge about 15 – 30 minutes before serving… unless it’s hot and humid.
 inside of vegan key lime cupcake
 Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles I have been obsessed with pan-fried noodles lately. Years ago I used to love to order Chinese take-out when I first moved to New York – I couldn’t get over the fact that you could order just about any type of cuisine and have it delivered to your door. The only thing I ever ordered for delivery when I lived in St. Louis was pizza…
Over the years my fondness for Chinese food vanished… mostly because there were Chinese take-out places on every block and the quality had gone down immensely. There would be more oil in the container than food… okay, I exaggerate a bit but the food delivered was always very oily and everything tasted the same.
Last year I was taken to a Chinese restaurant (under protest) in Brooklyn called Pacificana. I hesitated to order anything and was very suspicious for what would hit the table. My hosts order food family style… I’m sure I would be able to pick out something. I was not prepared for what was to come…
The food was amazing! Not oily and not greasy and NOT swimming in sauce! The veggies were cooked just right and every dish had it’s own unique flavor. My love for Chinese food had been awakened and my favorite dish became Beef served over Pan-Fried Noodles. The noodles always came out crunchy despite the beef, veggies and sauce over them. I dreamed about pan-fried noodles and looked forward to each visit.
I started thinking – I have got to learn how to make these for myself when the craving gets bad. Stir frying has never been my forte and I don’t have a wok but I was determined to make them. I searched the internet on pan frying techniques and found there wasn’t anything but heating up oil in a pan and frying cooked noodles… Okay, I’m game. I looked at several recipes for stir fried veggies, found what was common among them, came up with my own recipe and decided to add chicken. I couldn’t find Chinese broccoli so I picked up broccolini instead.
This was so good I had to go back for seconds…
*for the chicken broth, I used a powdered style mixed with water
Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles
(serves 4 – 6)
1 12oz package of Chinese Noodles
1 lb boneless chicken breast, sliced into thin, bite size pieces
1 medium head of bok choy, washed and cut into bite size pieces (or 4-5 leaves from a large)
1 medium onion, sliced in half, top to bottom, then in ½” wedges
2-3 scallions, cut into 2 “ pieces, green tops included
4oz string beans, washed, stem removed (about a large handful)
3oz snow peas washed, stem and string removed (large handful)
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2” of ginger root, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
4 – 6 mushrooms sliced
peanut oil
water as needed
Sauce
1 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Prepare Chinese noodles as directed. Drain and rinse noodles in cold water. Drizzle a little peanut oil into noodles to keep from sticking and set aside.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and stir frequently until cooked (about 3 minutes). Remove and set aside.
Add another splash of peanut oil to pan and stir fry onions, scallions and ginger until onions begin to wilt. Add water as necessary to keep from sticking. Remove from pan.
To the pan, add bok choy, string beans and carrot, stirring frequently, adding water to keep from drying out. When bok choy begins to soften, add mushrooms and snow peas. Continue stirring and remove from pan when bok choy is soft but still crunchy (another 2-3 minutes). Remove from pan.
In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, soy and oyster sauce and whisk in cornstarch. With heat still on, add to pan stirring frequently and bring to boil. When sauce thickens, add veggies and chicken to pan and mix together. Turn off heat.
Pan-Fried Noodles
 Pan-Fried Noodles
In a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat. When oil begins to dance, add 4 scoops of noodles into pan. Fry noodles until they begin to brown to a golden color (may take 3-5 minutes). Turn over noodle cakes and brown other side. Brown remainder of noodles into cakes. One 12oz package should make 8-9 noodles cakes. You may need to drizzle in additional oil as needed.
Remove noodle cakes to plate and serve it with the chicken stir fry.
I think the only time I eat lamb is at Easter. It’s not that I don’t think of it – I associate it with Easter as it’s pretty much the only time my mother made it. Occasionally though, she would make a lamb stew…
This is so simple. You can serve it with roasted potatoes or mashed. I like a green veggie and chose asparagus, simply because it looked good in the grocery store. I made gravy from the drippings, flour, a splash of red wine, some water and seasoned with salt and pepper. It would have been better had I used stock but… you make du with whatcha got!
Herb Roasted Lamb
3 – 4 lb boneless, shoulder lamb roasted
 Herb Roasted Lamb 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
6 -7 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
In a small food processor, combine butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Rub herbed butter over roast and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Take meat out of fridge about 30 – 60 minutes before roasting.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place roast in roasting pan on lower rack on oven for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and continuing roasting until desired doneness.
For boneless shoulder roast:
Medium rare – approx 30 – 35 minutes per pound (internal temp 140 degrees)
Medium – approx 35 – 40 minutes per pound (internal temp 155 degrees)
** for this particular roast, it took just under 90 minutes at 2.85 lbs. I meant to pull it out of the oven at 140 degrees but my quick read thermometer decided to “die” just as I was taking a reading. I sent my “man” out to get another one… he came back with a regular meat thermometer (love him – it’s the thought that counts). The roast came out at 145 degrees and after resting went up to 150. It still came out medium instead of medium rare.**
This is a recipe by Jack Ricci. I thought it was too good not to share. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet – gotta dig out the dehydrator… not to mention find a place to put it when using…. I’m NOT kidding!!
If you try it, let me know what you think!!
Crispy Spicy Kale Chips (by Jack Ricci)
1.5 Tbsp untoasted sesame oil 
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Agave nectar or Honey (watch your sources of Agave)
1/8 tsp cayenne (or less depending on spicy taste)*
1 clove garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large head curly kale (lacinto) or 2 heads dinosaur kale
-Mix all ingredients except kale
-Remove stems from kale
-Toss and coat leaves in bowl of sauce, well coated
-Place on dehydrator shelves (teflex) for two hours on Low-Medium level (until juices thicken on leaves, then put them directly on the dehydrator trays on Low setting for up to 8 hours… -Test every hour until they are crispy or desired texture.
-Let cool, store in glass containers. Enjoy.
*adjust the cayenne according to taste
I keep forgetting how easy it is to poach fish. Using white wine gives it that extra oomph that makes it special! Every time I serve this I get looks from those I’m serving that I must have spent hours in the kitchen slaving away. This is actually one of those dishes I feel like I pull out of a hat at the last minute.
If you’re so inclined to make it even fancier, you can make a sauce out of the leftover juices/wine in the baking dish to serve with it.
Poached Salmon in White Wine
(3 servings)
3 salmon fillets (5-6oz each)
½ cup dry white wine
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper taste
In a baking dish, brush the bottom with olive oil and place fish skin side down. Mix minced garlic and olive oil in a small dish and brush the tops of the fillets.
Pour the white wine in the dish but not over it. Drizzle remaining olive and garlic over fish. Season it with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Cover dish with foil and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes and remove from oven.
 Poached Salmon in White Wine Serve immediately.
I love to make these once a year for St. Patrick’s Day. Yea, I’m Irish (what’s it to ya!) but I’m not really a beer drinker. That being said, the stout brings out (ooo, a rhyme!) a nice flavor in the cupcakes that all will enjoy.
Erin go braugh!!
 Mini and Regular size Chocolate Stout Cupcakes Chocolate Stout Cuppers
1 cup chocolate stout
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
¾ cups Dutch-processed cocoa
2 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
2 cups evaporated cane sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (room temp)
3oz sour cream (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Place butter and stout in a double boiler (or a large metal bowl over a pan of simmering water). When butter has melted, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Continue to mix until smooth. Cool to room temp.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sour cream together. Add the stout mixture and combine.
Add the flour mixture, mixing at a slow speed, scraping sides of the bowl. Mix an additional minute.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into lined tin, ¾ full and maybe a tad more.
Place muffin tin on center middle rack in the oven and bake for 22 minutes until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean (approx 14 minutes for mini cupcakes).
 Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Frosting
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (72%), chips (or broken into small pieces)
1 cup of heavy cream
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Place the chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl. Heat cream in saucepan to a simmer or heat in microwave almost to a boil. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for one minute. Stir cream and chocolate together until completely combined and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Set frosting in fridge for 1 – 2 hours until it begins to set up but is still spreadable.
Using a small spatula, frost the top of each cupcake. Decorate with green sanding sugar if desired.
Yeah, yeah…. “FUN-nel.” I’m just bein’ silly. I’ve had fennel on the brain lately and I’m not sure why. It’s been so rainy here in NYC the last couple days that’s it has put me in the mood for soup. Cream of Tomato was always my favorite as a kid. These days I try not to do very much dairy as it creeps into my baking.
I wanted a hearty soup due to the weather and nothing was sounding good until I thought of tomato soup. It was always a comfort soup for me (rather than chicken soup). Whenever I was sick, tomato soup was what I asked for. I added the fennel for an extra burst of flavor and made this recipe totally vegan.
 Tomato Fennel Soup Tomato Fennel Soup
8 servings
2 cans (28oz each) of whole, plum tomatoes w/ juice
2 bulbs of fennel, chopped
4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups veggie stock
½ teaspoon dried thyme (tab fresh)
½ teaspoon dried oregano (tab fresh)
½ teaspoon dried marjoram (tab fresh)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add fennel, onion and garlic and sauté approx. 10 minutes, or until fennel begins to soften. Season with 2 -3 large pinches of kosher salt and pepper.
Stir in canned tomatoes, and stock and bring to a low boil. Add herbs. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 – 45 minutes.
Turn off heat. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. If using a blender, cool the soup before blending in batches.
Serve with a crusty bread or garlic croutons.
 Baked Tilapia with Bread Crumb Topping Tilapia is a medium flavored fish that tend to pick up what ever you cook it with. It reminds me a little of catfish. You can easily broil it with a little olive oil and lemon juice or fancy it up a bit. I wanted to something crunchy so I made a simple bread crumb mixture. I could have left it at that but really wanted a nice sauce to compliment it. The lemon-wine was fast and simple and it’s OHHHH so good!
Baked Tilapia with Bread Crumb Topping
2 tilapia fillets (6 – 8 oz each)
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried dill
olive oil
Coat the bottom of an 8” X 8” baking dish with olive oil and place fish in it.
In a small dish, mix bread crumbs with melted butter and herbs. Spoon bread crumbs over both fillets. Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake 15 – 20 minutes, then place under broiler for a couple minutes to brown topping.
Serve with a lemon wedge or sauce.
This is a simple sauce that goes well over seafood. You can easily add different herbs to change up the flavor a little.
Lemon-Wine Butter Sauce
1 small shallot, minced
¼ cup dry white wine
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
juice from ½ lemon
1 tablespoon cream or half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, heat shallots in wine to a low boil. Reduce to half while stirring occasionally. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Whisk in lemon juice, cream and salt and pepper.
Serve immediately over fish.
If not using right away, keep warm over low heat (or double boiler). If sauce begins to break, quickly whisk in a little cold water until sauce comes back together.
 Pork Chop with Apple-Pecan Stuffing What’s for dinner?? The inevitable question pops up frequently. Sometimes I don’t have a clue. I hate getting into a cooking rut… cooking things I don’t have to think about that are quick and easy. It’s not that this pork chop recipe is difficult, in fact you can substitute 1/2 teaspoons of dry herbs for fresh so there’s less chopping. It’s easy to vary the recipe each time you make it. I love to throw in a handful of dried cranberries into the stuffing from time to time for a little added tart.
Ingredients
2 thick-cut pork chops (1 1/2”)
½ cup of panko bread crumbs
½ cup scallions, finely chopped (3 scallions, with green tops)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ an apple, minced (Fuji or Gala), skin intact or peeled
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp dry mustard
2 sprigs each of thyme, oregano and marjoram, leaves removed from stems and chopped
2 tab unsalted butter
2 Tab extra virgin olive oil (depends on absorbency of bread crumbs)
kosher salt and fresh ground peeper to taste
1/3 cup of chicken stock
1/3 cup of dry white wine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dry pork chops with paper towel and make a pocket, slicing horizontally into chop to bone. Melt butter, add olive oil and mix.
In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, pecans, apple, scallions and seasoning then mix. Add butter/olive oil mixture slowly and mix with fork. – if it’s too dry, add a little more olive oil. Stuffing should be crumbly but not mushy. Fill each pocket with as much stuffing as it will hold. Season each side with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil in pan – just enough to coat it. Carefully place pork chops in pan and brown 2 minutes each side. Turn off heat. Add any leftover stuffing over pork chops and then add chicken stock and white wine to pan. Cover loosely with foil and place in oven. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, basting chops with juices every 10 – 15 minutes.
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