“Tay, let’s stop by Joe’s Garden real quick,” I say after dropping off V at preschool. It’s on the way home. We drive down the hill and around the bend to see the chipped white paint on the wooden sign announcing, “Strawberries.” It was destiny! My heart skips a little, and a surge ofContinue reading “Strawberry Shortcake with Almond & Coconut Flour”
Tag Archives: heavy whipping cream
Sour Cherry with Grand Marnier Creme Brulee
I recall having a traditional creme brûlée years ago and not liking it. I don’t remember where, just that this raved upon dessert tasted a bit like an eggy mess. It turned me off completely. Then, one Valentine’s Day, six years ago my dear sweet friend and old neighbor Allison brought Valentine desserts over to Ben and me. Allison has this knack of having mismatched, yet whimsical, plates, bowls & cups and other trinkets in her home. She converted me to forgoing paper napkins, due to her assortment of linen napkins I would find her using with her lunch, or serving me with a cookie on it.
There she was with two little black foiled containers filled with creme brulee sitting on one eclectic small plate; along with a cut out paper heart placed on those white paper doilies. Allison and I shared the love of eating fine food and here she was sharing this delectable creamy treat with us. As she stood there describing her love of these specific creme brulees (from a local bakery), I stood there smiling with a very thankful heart. What I didn’t tell her was what I was thinking, which was, “Oh, how incredibly thoughtful, but I don’t like creme brulee. I won’t let Allison know.” I placed the plate on the table and gave Allison a big thankful hug and said goodbye.
After I shut the door I said, “Ben, Allison brought over some dessert for us for Valentine’s Day,” to which he replied, “that’s nice.” “Yes, it was, but do you know what she brought? (because Ben knew I wasn’t fond of creme brulee),” I said, “Creme Brulee!” I recall Ben laughing at my predicament and then asked, “well, are you going to try it?” Like any good foodie, regardless if past experience went awry, I responded with an astounding “Yes!”
I got two spoons and dipped my spoon to remove just a little bit. And what I tasted was nothing like scrambled eggs mixed in cream. It was simply heavenly. All Ben heard was, “MMM, OHH! Ben! (another bite) This is amazing! You have to try this! (another bite) I could eat yours if you want!” I was transformed. So when my dear friend Talia was coming over for a little birthday celebration, I knew I needed to make her creme brulee. Except, I wanted to put a spin on it by adding the sour cherry with Grand Marnier filling on the bottom. I recommend ensuring that the creme is very cold while the brulee is warm when you serve–it’s the best way to eat it in my opinion (plus, did you know sweet is more pronounced when it is warmed up, so the cold creme doesn’t allow the sugar to become overbearing). You’ll be sure to win over even the biggest anti-creme brulee person with this dessert.
Sour Cherry Creme Brulee with Grand Marnier (printable recipe)
Keep the egg whites to use for another recipe. And if you stay tuned, I’ll share a Coconut Lime Macaroon recipe to utilize them. If you don’t have a blow torch, then put your cooked & chilled creme brulee ramekins in 9×13 pan (or roasting pan) and fill it with ice, in order to keep the custards VERY cold. Turn your broiler on and put your ramekins (with the sugar on top) sitting in the ice bath directly under the broiler for only 30 seconds. Check the sugar (brulee) to ensure it doesn’t get too burnt. If you need it to cook a bit more, then put it back in for another 15 seconds and continue until it reaches your desired burnt sugar liking.
Sour Cherry Filling Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh/frozen sour cherries ( I used frozen sour cherries that were fresh in the summer)
- 1-2 Tb raw honey
- 1 Tb arrowroot powder
- 2-4 Tb Grand Marnier
Creme Brulee Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier (optional)
- 6 egg yolks, large eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar for brulee part
Sour Cherry Filling:
Put all of the cherries, along with the juices into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (ensure there are no seeds in the cherries). Turn the heat to medium. If your cherries are frozen, wait before adding any of the other ingredients until the cherries are completely thawed. If your cherries are thawed or fresh, add 1 Tb of honey and allow to bubble, stirring occasionally. Keep it in this stage for about 10 minutes. You are working towards a nice filling consistency.
Sprinkle the arrowroot over the cherries and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is bubbling rapidly, turn the heat down, in order to avoid burning. You want it to simmer/bubble. The filling should start to set as you stir occasionally. Taste throughout to see where the filling sweetness is at. If you feel that the filling needs another tablespoon of honey, add it now. Once the filling has thickened (dip a metal spoon in the filling and it should coat it), add two tablespoon of Grand Marnier (I used 2 Tb). Adding more than two tablespoons will make the filling taste more boozy; however, once the filling is added to the ramekins and cooked with the creme, the Grand Marnier burns off a bit with just two tablespoons. Cook on stove top for an additional minute, then remove from heat to cool.
Creme Brulee Ingredients:
Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until it reaches the boiling point. Set aside to steep until it cools down.
Preheat oven to 300 F, and adjust a rack slightly lower than center.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks & optional 1 tsp of Grand Marnier briefly. Add the cream mixture very slowly into the yolks, whisking well with each addition. Once blended, strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Put cherry filling into 8 or 9 (4-ounce) shallow ramekins (about 2 inches high) to cover bottom (about 2 tsp), then pour the custard mixture on top of the cherry filling, and bake them in a water bath for 35 to 45 minutes, until centers are softly set. “Remove from oven and cool in water bath until comfortable to handle. Cover the dishes and refrigerate for 2 hours. These can be stored for 1 or 2 days before serving.
To serve, sprinkle each top with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of brulee sugar and torch to caramelize. For thicker caramelized crunch, use more sugar.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
When I was in junior high, our church youth group would have overnighters occasionally on the Sunday nights when we didn’t have school on Monday. There were those kids who would never come to the overnighter, because they are the ones who “couldn’t cut it (Ben would have been one of those).” In retrospect, they were the smart ones who knew at a young age what their body could and couldn’t take. However, in our juvenile setback, we saw it not only as our duty, but our obligation to stick it to the man by experiencing the world from dusk to dawn.
Our ammunition was nothing less than your basic food groups–High Fructose Corn Syrup disguised as Dr. Pepper, Monosodium Glutamate disguised as Nacho Cheese Doritos, transfats disguised as Grease cloying Pizza & Unrefined sugar disguised as any & all candy. And what happens when you eat those basic food groups over the course of 10 hours? You crash and burn my friend, crash and burn. It wasn’t until we were driving home at 6:00 am with the Arizona sun burning a hole in my retinas, that I began to wonder if a night-time of no sleep, crap food, and a bit more crap food was worth it? My stomach was hungry for real food, but my body was beyond tired. I felt like a two-year old at the one o’clock hour being pushed around the mall with my mom saying, “one more store honey.” That morning my body trumped my stomach and slowly walked down the hall, with random clothes & stuff dropping the floor like Hansel & Gretel walking toward their candy house ecstasy.
It wasn’t until around 12:30 when I arose from my zombie induced coma to meander towards the wafting smell of the kitchen. My mom was making some food for the potluck that evening and all I can say is that I’ve never tasted anything as good as chili mac at a moment like that, nor the chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. I ate a bit to rid my stomach from eating itself and went back to bed. When I finally woke up for the day, I came back to the kitchen to find that the cookies weren’t just an illusion, but were actually really good cookies that I later ate a couple more. And as I tasted these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, I can’t help but think of those cookies on the Memorial day back in the 90s. I remember grabbing a glass of cold milk to compliment the obvious marriage of chocolate & peanut butter. And for these cupcakes, I recommend the same. Just leave the overnighters to those crazy middle & high schoolers.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting (printable recipe)
This recipe is adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home. One thing about Ina Garten’s recipes is she always uses extra-large eggs, which no one ever has in their home. So I always use large. I used two large as an equal exchange in this recipe. However, if there were three or more extra-large, then I would increase the large eggs to equal it out. And you should definitely have a glass of milk when eating these cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso (follow directions) or brewed coffee
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup good cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and instant espresso. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low-speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing. Sprinkle with some sea salt.
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Sea Salted Caramel Frosting
My youngest daughter turned one on Saturday. We had two different celebrations for her to avoid having our house feel like a zoo (small quarters make for a claustrophobic mama). I made some yummy food, because…well, that’s what I do. And since she is only one and cannot talk, I got to pick the menu (that’s both good and bad). It’s good, because it’s pulling out the creative card in the kitchen. It’s bad, because when it comes to picking out a recipe for dessert the sky is literally the limits.
Ben laughs at me saying it takes me three hours to decide what I want to make and then leaving me only an hour to get it all done (too many options isn’t always the best thing in life). I made an apple cake with a cream cheese drizzle frosting for our family gathering. Then, on Sunday I envisioned making a caramel cake with sauteed apples and a salty caramel cream cheese drizzle icing. However, as the clock continued to tick on while I was no where near my kitchen post…I came upon a brown sugar cupcake recipe and then mixed it with an easy breezy Salted Caramel Frosting.
This was our Tayers (not her name) first taste of cake, which she thoroughly enjoyed. And I have to say how much I love this little girl. As I was approaching this weekend (she was born on the 14th), I began reflecting on the 12th (because that’s when my water broke) of what I had been doing a year ago before she graced us with her presence…41 hours later. She fills the house with laughter, cuddles, and squeals of delight when she should be going to bed. Let’s face it…to her life is a party, which is to be enjoyed to the fullest.
I remember thinking after she was born, “what did we do? We had it perfectly with our family of three and now we have this little one who’s going to change everything!” (postpartum moms are allowed to say just about anything, especially when they go through 41 hours of waiting for the baby to be born without drugs, I’m just saying 🙂 ) However, a year later…everything DID change, but it was a good change and she is well worth it.
Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Sea Salted Caramel Frosting
The cupcake recipe is from Chockylit, which is a fantastic & inspiring cupcake blog. The frosting recipe is adapted from here.
Brown Sugar Butter Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full.
10. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Sea Salted Caramel Frosting
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup milk
additional sea salt for sprinkling
Melt butter in saucepan and continue over heat until the butter is brown, but not black.
Remove pan from heat and add lemon juice and brown sugar–stir until smooth.
Return pan to a med-low heat and bring to boil while constantly stirring. Boil mixture for one minute and remove from heat. Then add cream, stir until cream is incorporated.
Return pan to heat and stir until just boiling. Then remove from heat, add salt and let mixture cool to room temperature. When you taste the mixture at this point is may taste very strong and a bit too salty–that’s what you want.
Transfer caramel mixture to mixing bowl and slowly beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. **my notes: I beat mine in my kitchen aid stand mixer, which mixed it up into a blob similar to playdoh. I then added milk & mixed it again, in order to make it spreadable, which worked. It may have been better if it was mixed by hand.
Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with sea salt. Tastes even better the day after.
Backdoor Hospitality 