Recipes Trending: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

Gourd geous Pumpkins!

By now, youre all well aware my pumpkin carving skills are in fact, not skills at all, and instead, just very sad, very awkward movements of hand and child-friendly carving devices. You should also be well aware that its unofficially pumpkin week here at CupcakesOMG! (More like Cupcakes Oh My Gourd!...I dont care if Ive already used it this week!)

Since pumpkin carving isnt really my thang, I did what I normally do with pumpkins and painted them. Unlike most years, I havent really gotten into decorating for Halloween, so I wasnt entirely in the mood to take the decor too literally, so instead of oranges and yellows, I opted for something a little more ladylike and little less "I hate these colors all year long but theyre okay for 3 weeks out of the year!"

I covered the stems in gold glitter because GLITTER!

The glitter is everything.

Do you paint or carve your pumpkins? How great is glitter?! And what do you think of my new C. Wonder napkins used as props in this photo?!?!?

Seafood stir fry with ginger

Seafood Stir Fry

Do you love seafood as much I do? _If you answered YES!! Then this recipes is for you! This is sweet and savory dish with just a little heat from the Jalapeños. Well dont let that taste bud wait any longer and make it tonights dinner! Lets get started on this dish!

Here is what you need:

1lb jumbo shrimp

about 5 mussels in halve shells

2 lobster tails chopped in sections

3 table spoons of chopped ginger

1 jalapeño pepper minced

1 yellow 1 red sweet mini peppers minced

3 cloves of mince garlic

1/2 a small onion diced

2 stalk of green onions chopped

a pinch of sea salt

2 table spoon of olive oil

1 table spoon of splenda or 2 teaspoon of regular sugar

2 teaspoon of granulated chicken stock ( alternative to MSG)

2 table spoons of oyster sauce.

Directions:

In a small pan add 1 table spoon of olive oil, add ginger and garlic until it starts to turns golden brown then add the onions and all the peppers along with a pinch of salt, stir frequently for about 30 seconds and set it aside. In another medium to large pan, add two table spoons of olive oil, all the seafood together and with the splenda or sugar, granulated chicken stock and oyster sauce, stir well then add the ingredients from the small pan. Cover for about 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle chopped green onions and serve with a side of white jasmine rice.

It’s Easy Being Green Hummus

This simple, basil-spiked “green” hummus is a great summer twist on everyone’s favorite spread. While making your own hummus is quite simple, as you’ll see, I completely understand why people don’t. Those big, ready-to-serve tubs at the grocery store are tempting when you’re party shopping and short on time.

But, if you do have an extra 10 minutes, and access to some fresh, sweet basil, this version will provide a great change of pace from the standard wake-me-up-when-it’s-over hummus recipes.

I didn’t mention it in the video, but as great a chip dip as this is, it’s also a world-class sandwich spread. Turkey on wheat? Yawn. Turkey on wheat with green hummus? Hello! And, don’t even get me started on wraps. I won’t even touch a wrap that doesn’t contain hummus, and neither should you.

Fresh basil should still be in good supply, and what better way to enjoy its fragrant flavor than this delicious dip? I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup packed blanched fresh basil leaves

1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained

1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil (1 to start, 2 to finish)

salt and pepper to taste

Irish Cream Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my birthday and loved it!!! Its tender and moist, but slightly dense at the same time. The Irish cream liqueur in this cake makes the recipe extra-special. Its made with white chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries.

Ingredients cake batter:

6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup Irish Cream Liquor
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

White chocolate ganache:
22 oz (2 packs) chocolate chips
1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
2 oz (4 tbs) Irish Cream Liquor

5 oz strawberries

Recipe is from Julys Cupcakes and Cakes

First make the ganache a day before you bake the cake. Bring whipping cream to a boil.

Add white chocolate chips and mix vigorously until it melts.

Add Irish Cream Liquor while mixing.

Pour it through the strainer. Then let it cool and refrigerate overnight.

Directions for cake:

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Combine 6 eggs with 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Whip on high for 7-8 min.

Combine 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 1 cup Irish Cream Liquor in a cup.

Mix 1 3/4 cup flour with 2 tsp baking powder in the strainer.

Add 1 tsp vanilla in to egg mixture.

Gradually at a slow speed add sifted 1/3 of the flour.

Then half of Irish cream liquor and oil. Then flour again and all of the Irish cream liquor and oil. Then the rest of the flour.

I used 6 inch cake baking circles. Cover with parchment paper inside and the borders like in the picture. Spray with oil.

Mix batter with spoon from the bottom before you pour in the cake dish.

Pour equal amounts in to baking dish.

Bake up to an hour. You can take ganache out of fridge for a couple of hours before spreading it on the cake. If its hard to spread, microwave for a few sec.

Cool down completely. To cut cake easier you can freeze it for 30 min. Cut cake lengthwise in to 6 circles. Cut the uneven tops off and just enjoy it with ganache and strawberries. Put fresh strawberries into a blender and blend it well.

Spread a couple tablespoons of strawberries on the each layer of the cake (except the top one). Then spread ganache on each layer. (Mine was runny because I made it in the same day)

Spread the ganache all over the cake and refrigerate it for a few hours. decorate as you wish.

The fact is that the alcohol evaporates when heated, there is no taste or smell. Alcohol gives the effect of tenderness and softness of the cake!

I sprinkled it with coconut and added a flower on top.

Enjoy!!!

How to Cook Hamburgers So That Someone Like Me Would Like Them

I normally dont care too much about how absolutely accurate the color profiles of my photos are. Im the video guy, so if the pictures are a little off, or my grammars aint perfect, I get a pass.

But here I was concerned that my average-at-best photography skills would give readers a false impression of exactly how cooked this hamburger was. Youll have to take my word for it, but this was a pretty perfect medium. It may have been the bright light, but the photo makes this look a little rarer than it was.

Im not a big fan of rare burgers, as Ive always believed the beef fat therein should be hot and flowing, not cool and flabby. If I want raw meat Ill make a tartar. At the same time, I do want to keep the burger somewhat pink, if possible, so it stays moist and tender.

The technique youre about to watch is fairly straightforward, but like any cooking methods, it takes a little practice. The good news is, once you get a feel for this "cook it just over halfway up" system, you should be a perfectly pink hamburger making machine.

By the way, I wont engage in any inane debates on the wisdom of eating less-than-well-done burgers. The topics been covered online, ad nauseam (pun intended). Is it potentially dangerous to eat a pink burger? Of course, but so is crossing the street. Enjoy!

Duck Leg Adobo – A Real Family Meal

If you’ve worked in restaurants before, you know that every night before service the staff sits down to what’s called the “family meal.” One of the younger cooks is usually charged with scraping together something filling and, more importantly, not expensive. It was during one of these meals that I first had adobo.

When I worked at the Carnelian Room in the late 80’s, much of the kitchen crew was Filipino, so chicken and pork adobo was a very common dinner. One of the dishwashers made a particularly great version, and I fell in love with the bold, simple flavors. I also remember being pretty annoyed that the dishwashers there were better cooks than I was at the time, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I happened to have some duck legs around last week, and all it took was a well-timed email wishing for adobo to inspire this video. I understand that most of you will not use duck for this, but if you do, be sure to save the fat.

Duck fat is prized by chefs, and more heart-healthy than people realize. It can be used for just about anything you’d normally fry in butter or vegetable oil. I roasted some Brussels spouts with mine, but it also will make just about the best homefries you’ve ever tasted.

Like I said in the video, no duck, no problem. If you can simmer it in a sauce, it will work in this recipe. Because of the high soy sauce content, be careful about over reducing, but other than that, not much can go wrong. This is cheap, easy, and very flavorful, which is why it makes for such a great “family meal.” Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 duck legs:

6 duck legs (or about same amount of chicken or pork)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp reserved duck fat

1 large onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar (if not seasoned, use a little sugar to taste)

1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste (this is a fairly salty dish, so if youre not into that kind of thing, add less and adjust later)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp sambal chili sauce, or other hot pepper sauce to taste

2-4 bay leaves

View the complete recipe

Muttai Podimas Biryani Scrambled Egg Biryani

Ingredients for Muttai Podimas/ Scrambled Egg

Eggs-6

Onion small finely chopped-1

Green chilly finely chopped-1

Red chilly powder-1tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Salt to taste.

Ingredients for Biryani

Basmati or Any Rice-2cups( cleaned and washed)

Onion medium finely sliced-3

Tomatoes medium finely chopped-3

Ginger and Garlic paste-1 tbsp

Red chilly powder-2tsp( +/- according to taste)

Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Garam masala-2tsp

Black pepper powder-1/2tsp( +/- according to taste)

Salt to taste

Water required

Chopped Mint and Coriander leaves-1/2cup

Thick Curd-1tbsp

For tempering

Aniseed/ Sombu-1tsp

Clove-4

Green Cardamom-2

Cinnamon stick-1" inch

Bay leaf-2

Method for preparing Muttai podimas/ Scrambled eggs.

In a medium sized bowl add 1tsp red chilly powder, 1/4tsp turmeric, required salt for the eggs and 1tbsp water and mix well. Add the eggs one by one to this red chilly mixture and beat the eggs till frothy. Next in a small pan heat 2tbsp of oil, add chopped onions and green chillies and fry till onions turn pink. When onions are done, add the beaten egg mixture to the onions. Reduce the heat to medium, stir well the egg mixture with spatula and break eggs to small pieces and cook till done. Set aside. ( You can also serve this Muttai podimas/ Scrambled eggs with bread, roti and rice)

Method for preparing Biryani

In a pressure cooker heat 4 to 5 tbsp oil, when hot add the tempering ingredients and fry till the aroma rises. Add the chopped onions, fry for 2 mins until onion turns pink, next add the ginger and garlic paste and fry till the raw smell leaves. Add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and black pepper powder, fry for few more mins. Now add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, chopped tomatoes and thick curd. Fry till the tomatoes are mashed, add required salt and water for the rice. Bring the mixture to boil and add the rice, cover the pressure cooker with lid, reduce the heat and cook till rice is tender and done. Finally add the prepared muttai podiams/ scrambled egg to the rice and mix well. Set aside Biryani for few mins till the eggs and rice are blended together. Serve hot with Raita of your choice.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Summer Falls into Autumn Pudding

Summer Pudding is probably my favourite British pudding. There is something about the sharpness of the fruits and the tender bread shell soaked with juice that really appeals to me, especially when doused with a liberal pouring of cream.

For some reason I didnt make a summer pudding this summer so I thought Id bridge the seasons with a summer into autumn version. I had two ripe pears in the fruit bowl, a punnet of raspberries, brambles (blackberries) from my hedgerow and some blackcurrants from the freezer, any combination of soft fruits will do, you want ones that will produce lots of fruity juice.

Summer Falls into Autumn Pudding

Serves 6

1 1/4 kg mixed berries and currants

175g caster sugar

1tbsp Framboise (optional)

1-2 tsp Galloway Chillies, Chilli and Raspberry Jam

Half a loaf of white bread.

1. Slice the bread and cut off the crusts. Line a 1.25ltr pudding basin with cling film making sure you have plenty over the side, this helps you to remove the pudding more easily when it is ready. Line the cling filmed bowl with bread, filling in all the gaps.

2. Put the blackberries and blackcurrants into a pan with the sugar and just enough water to cover the berries and no more. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have started to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the peeled and chopped pears and the raspberries and simmer gently for another 2 minutes.

3. Add 1-2 tsp of Chilli jam, I used Galloway Chillies Special Edition Chilli Raspberry Jam. I found that 1 tsp wasnt really enough to give a kick, so I would recommend at least two, but it will depend on the type of Chilli Jam you use. This is of course, optional!

This is what the berries should look like, still whole and not cooked out.

4. Fill the bread lined bowl with the berries and lay more slices of bread across the top. Fold in the cling film.

5. Place a saucer on top of the pudding and weigh it down with something heavy like a tin. Place it in the fridge overnight.

6. Place the remaining juice and berries in a sieve and press through to get all the juice and pulp.

7. Add a tablespoon of Framboise (Raspberry Liqueur), Cassis (Blackcurrant Liqueur) or Creme de Mur (Blackberry Liqueur) - not all of them just one tablespoon! This is optional, it will still taste gorgeous without the alcohol.

8. Unwrap the cling film from the top and turn the bowl onto a plate lift off the bowl and remove the cling film. I used a pastry brush to paint the bread with some of the sauce or you can spoon it on to cover any patches where the juice hasnt seeped through the bread.

9. Cut into slices and serve with the remaining sauce and some pouring cream. I was really pleased with the way the pudding cut and held together, it may have been the pear which helped to hold it all together.

I am entering this for Four Seasons Food a blog event featuring seasonal ingredients like the blackberries and pears that I have used here. This month the theme is Sliding into Autumn. Four Seasons Food is run by Delicieux and Eat your Veg

Im also adding my Summer Falls into Autumn Pudding for Shop Local a new blogging challenge from Elizabeths Kitchen as it features Chilli Raspberry Jam from local producer Galloway Chillies.
Galloway Chillies produce a range of delicious chilli jams and the Hot Chilli lemon Citrus has recently been awarded a gold star by the Guild of Fine Food at the Great Taste Awards.

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