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Monthly Archives: August 2011
five senses friday
- seeing - small orbs of orange. tomatoes are finally ripening in my garden.
- tasting - pesto. a sure sign of a great summer.
- hearing - my new favorite band, Foster the People. The song I can’t stop listening to, Houdini.
- smelling – the scent of tomatoes and spices simmering for three hours as I made tomato jam.
- feeling – content, very content, now that I’ve posted my first “five senses friday” in many months.
How would you sum up your last week in 5 senses or less? Please share in the comments section. Have a swell weekend, friends.
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cookie cupcakes with raspberry fluff frosting
I’ve made these cupcakes twice since getting the latest issue of Everyday Food magazine. There’s a terrific section on “Cakes for Every Pan.” My most favorite pan? The muffin tin, of course. Individual servings and no cutting required.
I first made the Cookie Cupcakes with Raspberry Fluff Frosting for my lovely friend Megan’s birthday. They were received quite well. I ran out of time to get photos during that baking spree, so I made another batch this week. My co-workers are very lucky.
The original recipe indicated that it would make a dozen cupcakes. Once I had measured out the batter, I had enough for 18. Extra cupcakes! The Oreos, baked in the center of the cupcakes, moisten just slightly and end up being quite the surprise to unsuspecting eaters.
The few other changes to the recipe that I made revolved around the Raspberry Fluff Frosting. The first time I made the frosting, I used Smucker’s Marshmallow Topping found in the ice cream topping section of the grocery store. It’s really runny and just didn’t set-up with the other ingredients well. I scrapped that frosting and began again with jet-puffed marshmallow creme found in the baking aisle and added a bit more confectioners’ sugar. I also added the red food coloring to get a pinker shade of frosting.
These are great cupcakes. Really great. I think the batter would be great on its own, even without the Oreo’s in the middle. But honestly, if you have Oreo’s around…
Cookie Cupcakes with Raspberry Fluff Frosting - adapted ever-so-slightly from Everyday Food, September 2011
- 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 18 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (oreos)
- 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
- 2 – 7 oz. jars jet-puffed marshmallow creme
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 drops of red food coloring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl lightly beat egg and egg yolk and add melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla and 1/2 cup hot water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup and top with one cookie. Top the cookie with 1 tablespoon of batter. Bake until cupcakes are puffed and set, 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and raspberry jam on medium-high speed until smooth. Add both jars of marshmallow creme, confectioners’ sugar and food coloring and beat until fluffy and smooth, 3 minutes. Transfer frosting to a quart-sized zip-top bag; with scissors, snip a small hole in one corner. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve immediately. There will be left over frosting. Enjoy!
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strawberry freezer jam
If you follow my adventures on the made by mike facebook page, you’ll know that I was on a bit of a jam making kick over the past weekend. If you don’t follow my adventures on the made by mike facebook page, then you are completely in the dark, and you clearly don’t love me as much as I thought you did. And frankly, that just breaks my heart. Ok, perhaps that was a bit melodramatic. But you should join all the fun on the made by mike facebook page. See how I made it all easy for you to just click one of those three links to get there?
Back to the jam.
A few weeks back, a friend at work asked if I’d make her some freezer jam. I’d never heard of it, but was intrigued. Coincidentally, not long after that, I received the September issue of Everyday Food magazine with an article about making freezer jam from the bounty of summer fruits available this time of year. It’s a great “how-to” article, and if you download the digital issue on an iPad, there’s a terrific instructional video about the jam making process.
Over a long three-day weekend, I made three different flavors of freezer jam. There was peach (with fresh peaches from my hometown), cherry, and of course strawberry. Best of all there’s only four ingredients in the jam. My favorite part of the process was listening to the metal lids “pop” as the jam was cooling on the counter. Each little “pop” got me more excited about slathering a piece of toast or english muffin with the sweet and fruity spread.
Strawberry Freezer Jam - adapted from Everyday Food, September 2011
- 3 pounds strawberries, rinsed, hulled and crushed with a potato masher (about 5 cups when crushed)
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (1.75 ounces) powdered, no-sugar-needed pectin
Thoroughly wash, rinse and dry seven 8-ounce glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
In a medium pot, combine the crushed strawberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and pectin. Add to fruit, stirring until the sugar mixture completely dissolves and fruit returns to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Transfer fruit mixture to jars, leaving a 1/2-inch of head space on top. Seal and let sit at room temperature until the jam is set, 2 to 3 hours. The jam will last for up to three weeks in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months in the freezer. Allow frozen jam to thaw in the refrigerator.
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homemade dill pickles
A few weeks back we received quite the bounty of pickling cucumbers in our CSA share. About the same time, a co-worker was telling me about how she was making pickles from the cucumbers in her garden. She described a pretty simple method for making pickles that will keep for about a month in the refrigerator.
After doing a bit more research from my friend Martha’s website I came upon the recipe that I’d use for the pickling. The recipe takes about an evening to work through. There’s a bit of waiting between preparation steps. And then, the final great wait. One week in refrigerator before the first taste. I made it five days before I cracked open a jar and tasted the best dill pickle.
I adjusted the original recipe just a bit. An addition of a tablespoon of mustard seed gave the final product just the right look. If you’ve never made you own pickles, I’d strongly recommend that you give these a try. They’re crisp, flavorful and perfect to eat just as a snack on their own or perched on top of a juicy grilled burger.
Dill-Pickle Chips - adapted from Martha Stewart Living, August 2004
- 2 pounds Kirby (pickling) cucumbers
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dill seed
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 bunches fresh dill, coarsely chopped
Cut the cucumbers into 1/2-inch thick rounds, and transfer to a colander set in a bowl. Toss well with salt. Refrigerate cucumber rounds for 1 hour.
Rinse the cucumber rounds well; drain. Pat dry between paper towels. Transfer cucumber slices to a large bowl.
Bring 3 cups water, vinegar, dill seed, mustard seed and garlic to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Add chopped dill to cucumber slices, and toss to combine. Pour in the brine. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to airtight containers, and refrigerate at least 1 week. Pickles will keep for 3 weeks more. They won’t last that long. Ours were all gone in under 2 weeks.
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