Carousel Cupcakes

I told my students I'd bake them an end-of-semester treat, and they requested "funfetti" cupcakes.  They wanted cupcakes from a box mix?! No chance.  So I made my own version of the Pillsbury popular favorite using "carousel" sprinkles.  (As a kid, I loved these sprinkles, and if I'm being honest, I still do!)  So, what's so special about my version besides the rainbow sprinkles?  These are vanilla pudding pound cake cupcakes with a honey buttercream icing.  Far better than "from the box"!

And what song might go with these "Spring Semester's Over" cupcakes?  Of course, Alice Cooper's "School's Out!"

Vanilla Pudding:

*When I made these cupcakes, I substituted the sour cream that's typically in pound cake recipes for a fresh vanilla pudding--extra sweet and creamy!

--2 c. whole milk

--1/2 c. granulated sugar

--3 tsp. vanilla extract

--1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with seeds removed

--1 tbsp. butter

--pinch of salt

Over medium heat, heat the milk until just before boiling (little bubbles will begin to form at the edges).  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch.  Whisk this into the milk a bit at a time until dissolved.  Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens.  Then a the butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

The Cake Batter:

*Adapted from The Curvy Carrot

--1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

--3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

--8 large eggs (I like my cupcakes very dense and egg-y!)

--1 tbsp. vanilla extract

--4 c. cake flour

--1 tsp. baking powder

--pinch of salt

--2/3 c. vanilla pudding (make sure yours has cooled before adding it!)

--1/2 c. carousel sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter, and beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after the addition of each.  Then add the vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  On low speed, alternately add these dry ingredients and the vanilla pudding until all have been incorporated.  Finally, mix in the carousel (rainbow!) sprinkles.

Fill cupcake papers (in muffin trays) approx. 2/3 full.  (I use a medium-sized ice cream scoop for this.)  Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from center.  Allow to cool before icing. 

Honey Buttercream Icing:

*This is the same icing I used for my Pineapple Pistachio Cookies--it has many delicious uses!

--1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/4 c. pineapple juice

--1 c. confectioner's sugar, plus additional 1/2 c. for thickening

--1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

--2-3 tbsp. honey (depending on your taste for it!) 

--approx. 1/4 c. carousel sprinkles (for topping)

Using a hand mixer, beat together all ingredients.  Slowly add confectioner's sugar to thicken the icing until it has reached the desired consistency (I usually end up adding about another 1/8 to 1/4 cup, but you may like it even thicker).

Ice the tops of each of the cupcakes, and then top with rainbow sprinkles.  As one of my favorite holiday songs suggests, this is sure to be a favorite for kids from one to ninety-two! 

Gourmet Grown-Up Sloppy Joes

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Goodbye Winter, hello Spring!  What better way to welcome the new season than to use some winter ingredients for a retro summertime dinner.  Gourmet Grown-Up Sloppy Joes!   Ina Garten makes a “Grown-Up Mac & Cheese” that I often think about when dreaming up ways of turning childhood favorites into delicious “adult” meals.  Here, I've replaced the hamburger and tomato sauce with a sophisticated palette of sweet Italian sausage, butternut squash, toasted almonds, and aromatic arugula.

Like I said, this dish conjures a good-time 1950s warm-weather evening (perhaps eaten just before catching a Brooklyn Dodgers game).  Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill” makes me think of a balmy spring night.

--5 Italian pork sausage links, removed from cases (you can use sweet or spicy, but I prefer the former)

--2 c. arugula, wilted

--2 c. roasted butternut squash, cubed

--1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I make my own—here, I used honey wheat bread)

--3 large eggs

--1/2 cup toasted almonds, sliced (toast these by spreading them on a sheet of parchment paper and toasting in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees F)

--2/3 c. chopped, dried cranberries

--1/3 c. milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

--a few tablespoons apple butter)

--6 toasted Kaiser rolls

--a few tbsp. olive oil

In a large bowl, combine (but don’t over-mix!) the sausage, butternut squash, breadcrumbs, eggs, toasted almonds, cranberries, and milk.  Heat about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large stove-top skillet.  Over medium heat, grill the sausage mixture until browned and cooked through.  On a stove-top grill pan, brush Kaiser rolls with olive oil and toast lightly. 

Place heaping spoonfuls of the sausage mixture onto toasted Kaiser rolls and top with apple butter and arugula.

Pineapple Pistachio Cookies

 

I can't seem to get my mind off pistachios since visiting Istanbul.  Thanks to a Bon Appétit recipe (for grilled pineapple with a honey-orange glaze and toasted pistachios), I was inspired to make Pineapple Pistachio Cake Cookies.  No, no, I didn't use a box cake mix in the recipe!  I call these cake cookies because they're thick, soft, and dense (much like a slice of cake but in cookie form, akin to Baltimore's famous Berger Cookie).  They feature a pineapple-pistachio cookie batter, a honey buttercream icing, and a dusting of ground pistachios. 

Plus, with the weather warming up, I'm inspired to use more tropical flavors in my baking.  (Pineapples on the grill in the summer = a true sensory delight.)  For me, the Beach Boys have always conjured the feeling of the cold seasons changing over to spring and summer.  One of my all-time, best-loved Beach Boys songs?  Without a doubt, "Feel Flows," from the 1971 album "Surf's Up" (the album is no "Pet Sounds," but this song is amazing and moving).

Cookie dough:

--2 large eggs

--1 c. granulated sugar

--1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/2 c. pineapple juice

--1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

--1 c. confectioner's sugar

--1/4 tsp. baking powder

--dash of salt

--1 tsp. vanilla extract

--1/2 c. chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, and pineapple juice until frothy, approx. 3-4 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, confectioner's sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Fold this dry mixture slowly into the egg batter until combined.  Then fold in the pistachios.  Chill in refrigerator for approx. 6 hours, or until slightly firm and easy enough to roll with your hand without the dough sticking.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  Place them on baking sheets line with parchment paper, and flatten them with the palm of your hand.  Bake for 15 minutes, or just until the edges are golden (if the tops are golden, they're overcooked).

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Honey Buttercream Icing:

--1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1/4 c. pineapple juice

--1 c. confectioner's sugar, plus additional 1/2 c. for thickening

--1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

--2-3 tbsp. honey (depending on your taste for it!)

Using a hand mixer, beat together all ingredients.  Slowly add confectioner's sugar to thicken the icing until it has reached the desired consistency (I usually end up adding about another 1/8 to 1/4 cup, but you may like it even thicker).

Ice the cookies and dust with ground pistachios.  Allow the icing to set before serving.

Sweet Cornbread

This past weekend, I was reminded of just how much I love cornbread after having a pie-slice piece at a restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  I've always been a big fan of cornbread during the holidays, especially when it's served warm with a honey drizzle.  (In fact, this is one of my *favorite* baked goods to top with some honey.) 

There are a lot of different ways to make cornbread (sometimes sweeter, sometimes saltier, and sometimes with a jalapeno or two).  This version is a sweet one on its own, but I've paired it with an orange blossom & honey butter.  Yum!  With the honey-infused butter spread over this golden-colored bread, I'd like to give you the Jesus & Mary Chain's 1985 classic "Just Like Honey"--a perfect cornbread topping.

Cornbread Ingredients:

--1/2 c. all-purpose flour

--1/2 c. wheat flour

--1 c. yellow cornmeal

--2 tsp. baking powder

--1/2 tsp. cinnamon

--dash of salt

--1/2 c. turbinado sugar ("sugar in the raw")

--1/2 c. milk (I used almond milk, but you can use whatever you prefer--whole milk always makes breads a bit richer)

--1/4 c. canola oil

--1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce (this makes it a bit healthier than using oil as the only binding ingredient, and you *really* won't be able to taste a difference!)

--1 large egg

--1 16 oz. can yellow corn, drained (you could also use fresh corn if it's in season)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, canola oil, applesauce, egg, and drained corn.  In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, blending *just* until the dry ingredients are moistened (you don't want to over-mix!).  Butter and flour a 10" pie pan, pour the batter in, and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is just slightly golden on top and a cake tester comes out clean.  

Allow to cool, and cut into 8 pie slices.   Now make the butter spread (it won't be a dessert without it!). 

 Orange Blossom & Honey Butter:

--1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

--1 tsp. orange blossom water

--2 tbsp. honey

--1 tsp. vanilla

Using a hand mixer, whip the ingredients until blended and fluffy.  Spread over cornbread slices and serve warm.   

Phyllo Extravaganza!

Oh yes, oh yes!  Baklava, Kataifi, and then some.  I'm keeping the fabulous desserts of Greece and Turkey alive in America, right in my very own kitchen.  With the scents of honey, pistachio, and walnuts wafting from my oven (and a smorgasbord of leftovers across my countertops), I don't regret one second of the many hours it took to make this pastry feast.

I made a traditional Turkish pistachio baklava, Fistikli durum (a pistachio-paste pastry roll), a sesame-molasses roll, Tel Kadayif (a kataifi and walnut cake), and kataifi miniatures.  All the pastries ended up smothered in Kaymak, a traditional Turkish milk cream.  As far as the traditional baklava goes, I already gave you a recipe here, and I didn't make many changes, save for an addition of about 1 tbsp. rosewater to the syrup and a post-bake dusting of pistachios.  

 

For all the others, the recipes are about to follow.  (*Four* recipes are contained within this blog post.  I couldn't help myself.)

And what song could match up with the sugary saturation and sensory overload of this phyllo feast?  None other than the Beatles' "Savoy Truffle," a delicious White Album delight.   

Fistikli Durum:

The paste and pastry:

--2 c. roasted pistachios

--4 c. whole milk (although any would do)

--1/2 c. white sugar

--1 tbsp. cardamom

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 tsp. allspice

--1 package phyllo dough

--1 stick unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1 c. honey

Before beginning your phyllo work, de-thaw your packaged dough according to the instructions on the box (typically, you'll need to plan a day ahead).  For instructions on working with the phyllo, see my previous Baklava post.

For this specific recipe, you'll need to plan at least two days ahead . . . .

In a large bowl, soak the pistachios in the whole milk for 24-48 hours, or until the pistachios have soaked up all the milk (to the naked eye).  Strain the pistachios, and *save* the remaining milk (you're going to use it for your Kaymak!)  In a food processor, combine soaked pistachios, sugar, and spices.  Pulse until a paste has formed.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spoon the paste into a row, length-wise, on one piece of phyllo.  Brush melted butter on the rest of the dough surface.

Carefully roll the dough and place in buttered 18" buttered jelly roll pan (in Athens and Istanbul, you'll see these large trays in bakeries, beautifully filled with baklava and other phyllo pastries).  Continue to make these rolls until you've filled the cake pan.  Then slice the rolls so that you have individual pieces (if you don't slice (or "score") the phyllo before you put it in the oven, you will not be able to cut it afterward.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just golden-colored on top.  Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.

In a saucepan, make your syrup.  Heat the water, sugar, and honey until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour over your pistachio rolls, and allow them to sit for at least 8 hours.

Sesame-Molasses Roll:

The filling and pastry:

--1 c. walnuts

--1/4 c. tahini

--1/4 c. pomegranate molasses (this is a specialty item you'll have to look for at Middle Eastern groceries or buy through special order, but in a pinch, you could also make this yourself by blending molasses and pomegranate juice, 3 parts molasses to 1 part pomegranate juice)

--1 tbsp. cinnamon

--1 tbsp. orange zest

--1/2 c. white sugar

--2 packages phyllo dough

--dash of black sesame seeds

--dash of white sesame seeds (both my black and white sesame seeds came straight from the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul)

--1 c. unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1/2 c. honey

--2 tbsp. orange blossom water (the taste of orange--both in the orange zest above and the orange blossom water here--nicely complements the sesame flavor)

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, tahini, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, sugar, and orange zest until you've got a thick-ish paste that has the consistency of a tootsie roll(!)  Lay out the phyllo dough, and roll out a very long and thin strip of your paste--it should have an approximately 1/8" diameter or smaller.  Place it horizontally on the phyllo dough, and brush butter on the remaining dough sheet.  Now roll up the phyllo dough so that the paste is at the center.  Next, brush another sheet of phyllo with butter, and roll your already-rolled piece (with the paste at the center) again.  Repeat 8 times per roll (this will give you a lot of pastry dough around the center paste).  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the finished roll in a buttered 13"x 9" cake pan.  Repeat steps until the pan is filled with rolls.  Cut/score the rolls so that you have individual pieces (again, you'll need to do this *before* baking).  Bake for approx. 25 minutes, or until phyllo is slightly golden-colored on top.  Remove from oven an allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

While the pastries are cooling, make the syrup.  Combine all syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Pour over pastry rolls and allow to sit for at least 8 hours.  Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

Tel Kataifi:

The cake:

--1 package kataifi pastry dough (as with traditional phyllo sheets, you'll need to de-thaw this in advance)

--1/2 c. walnuts

--1/2 c. pistachios

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 tsp. cardamom

--1 tsp. allspice

--1 tsp. cloves

--1/2 c. brown sugar

--1 stick unsalted butter, melted

The syrup:

--1 c. water

--1 c. white sugar

--1 c. honey

--1 tsp. rosewater

--1 tsp. orange blossom water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

First, divide your kataifi dough into thirds (this is a bit hard to work with, and it's constantly breaking and drying out).  It will come in a very long bunch that has been folded into thirds or fourths.  Unfold the dough (it will look like a large bunch of uncooked vermicelli pasta), and using kitchen shears, cut it into three chunks.  Cover with a damp cloth so that it doesn't dry out.  

In a food processor, combine the walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and brown sugar until all ingredients are combined and the nuts are chopped (but not powdered).  Divide the mixture into thirds.  In a buttered 13" x 9" baking dish, spread 1/3 of the nut mixture on the bottom of the pan.  Take the first chunk of kataifi, untangle it, and spread in bunches over the top of the nut mixture.  (The kataifi does *not* have to be in any neat form--just place it evenly, in knots and small bundles, across the top of the mixture.)  Brush butter onto the top of the kataifi, add another layer of the nut mixture, and then repeat once more so that you have three layers of the nut mixture and the kataifi (ending with the kataifi on top).  

Brush butter onto the top kataifi layer and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Don't let the kataifi burn--as soon as it begins to take on a slightly golden color, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  While it's cooling, make the syrup.

In a small saucepan, heat the water, honey, sugar, rosewater, and orange blossom water until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour evenly over the layered kataifi "cake" and allow to sit for at least 8 hours.

And if you're up for a challenge, you can use the kataifi and walnut mixture to make kataifi minis!  (Roll the kataifi into little nests, place them in mini cupcake papers, fill with walnut mixture, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from mini cupcake papers, place in baking dish, and pour syrup over and allow to sit for 6-8 hours.)

Now, what plate of baklava is complete without a thick cream sauce?  My "Cremaster" boyfriend monitored the Kaymak as it cooked for eight hours, but it didn't drive him to scale any walls (yes, I'm making a Matthew Barney pun).

Kaymak (Turkish milk cream), adapted from Binnur's Turkish Cookbook: 

*Note: you need a lot of lead time for this recipe

--2 cups pistachio milk (this is the leftover milk from the pistachios you soaked for the Fistikli Durum, plus the addition of any whole milk needed to bring the measurement up to 2 cups)

--2 cups heavy whipping cream

Whisk the milk and cream together in a Pyrex bowl.  Next, heat approx. 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, with the Pyrex bowl sitting on top (creating a double boiler).  Once the water (and the cream mixture, sitting on top) has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and allow the cream mixture to simmer for eight hours.  Yes, this is such a long time, but it's worth it!  Whisk the mixture every 15 minutes or so, and once eight hours have passed, remove from heat, allow to cool.  Then cover the cream mixture (still in the Pyrex bowl, but now thickened from cooking) with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Once the mixture has been in the refrigerator for approximately 8-10 hours, a thick mound should have formed in the middle of the bowl, cut it/spoon it onto the top of prepared baklava.  

[If you don't have time to make Kaymak, a regular vanilla ice cream goes very nicely on top, too!] 

Baklava and other phyllo pastries do not need refrigeration, and they last for quite awhile (at least a week or two!).  Delicious desserts for days, and days, and days!

Grilled Halloumi & Mediterranean Pesto

Halloumi is a meaty cheese from Cyprus that's often served in both Greece and Turkey.  I tried it for the first time in Athens, and then saw it on menus in Istanbul, as well.  This recipe is a variation of a halloumi, basil, and olive sandwich from a little restaurant that I was more than surprised to see in Istanbul: the "Red River Pub," complete with 1940s Howard Hawks and John Wayne memorabilia frosting the walls.  It's comforting to know my love of Westerns, cowboy boots, and Clint Eastwood needn't go dormant if I ever planned a move to the Mediterranean or the Golden Horn.  And lucky for me, my little table scape was made complete with an Athens vintage-shop find: original Greek cinema lobby cards from some classic American Westerns.

If the Charlottesville supermarkets weren't lacking, I'd have made this recipe with orzo.  But given the options, I settled for a bow-tie pasta with a roasted red pepper, olive, & basil sauce (a Mediterranean Pesto!).  I tossed the pasta in the sauce and topped it with some slices of grilled halloumi (you *can* buy this in America at Whole Foods, and likely at other specialty groceries, too).  It's a super easy and delicious recipe. 

And I know I already gave you a Clash song, but "The Right Profile" is just too perfect not to use here.  Referring to Montgomery Clift, Joe Strummer sings out, "Where did I see this guy?  In Red River?"  Yes!

Grilled Halloumi:

--1 block halloumi (you'll find this in a specialty cheese section)

--2 tbsp olive oil

Slice halloumi into 1/2" pieces.  On an oiled, cast-iron grill pan, grill halloumi over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes on each side.  Set aside and cover to keep warm.

Mediterranean Pesto Pasta:

--1 lb. bow-tie pasta (or whatever style pasta you like: orzo would be a great substitution, and a gemelli or ditalini would add an Italian twist)

--1 large bunch of fresh basil (about 3 large handfuls)

--1 c. Moroccan dry-cured black olives, pitted and chopped (also a deli specialty item)

--1 c. roasted red peppers, chopped (you can easily roast these yourself over a gas flame or buy them pre-roasted--your choice!)

--1/2 c. capers

--1 clove garlic, minced

--1 tsp. paprika

--1 tsp. red pepper flakes (it adds a little kick--feel free to leave it out if you don't like the heat)

--1 tbsp. salt, or to taste

--1-2 tsp. pepper, or to taste

--1/4 c. red wine vinegar

--approx. 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to thin out the pesto

This is so easy: put all ingredients in a large food processor and pulse.  If the mixture looks thick, continuing slowly adding extra virgin olive oil while pulsing until you have a pesto sauce of medium thickness.  Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve with one or two slices of grilled halloumi on top.  I hope this recipe (and its accompanying cinema lobby-card image) would make the Red River Pub proud!

Lamb & Feta Stuffed Peppers

Αθήνα, σ 'αγαπώ!  

On my last night in Athens, Greece, I visited Athinaikon, an adorable little taverna in the Omonia district.  The Lonely Planet description didn't do justice to it (and neither did a few of the other reviews I've seen): the waitstaff were amazingly friendly, and the food was delicious!  In fact, my waiter even sent me home with paper place mats featuring the restaurant in the 1930s: "souvenirs to take!"  (Of course, I had to use one of these in my photo!)

I've modeled the stuffing inside these peppers after Athinaikon's delicious lamb and pork sausage plate.  (In business since 1932, this taverna specializes in mezedes, the Greek version of tapas.)  My recipe features a roasted red pepper filled with ground lamb, pork, olives, feta, and a few other flavors of the Mediterranean.  I've finished it off with a tzatziki sauce and garnished the plate with cucumber rounds.

Athens is beautiful and gritty: it's filled with grimy sidewalks and traffic-filled streets that call me back to New York, as well as ancient ruins and antiques markets that turn the city into a glorious palimpsest.  For Athens, I'm directing you to Bright Eyes' "The City Has Sex."

Peppers:

--1 lb. ground lamb (I always buy ground meat from Whole Foods--it's often just better, but it's also one of the only places where I can find lamb)

--1 lb. ground pork

--4 large red bell peppers

--3 large eggs

--1/4 c. kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

--2 tbsp. capers, chopped

--1 tsp. red pepper flakes

--1 clove garlic, minced

--1 tbsp. salt, or to taste

-- 1 tbsp. pepper, or to taste

--1 tbsp. fresh thyme 

--1 tsp. paprika

--1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--1 c. crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Be careful not to over-mix: the meat will become tough.  Mix just until all ingredients are folded in.

Remove the tops of the red peppers.  Slice out the ribs and remove all seeds.  If the peppers won't stand up on their own, slice the bottom of each ever-so-slightly so that they'll stand up in your baking dish.  Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper so that there is a little mountain of filling coming out of the pepper, and place in a 13 x 9" baking dish.  Add about 1/8" of water to the bottom of the pan.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.  After 1 hour, remove foil and continue to bake for approximately 30 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of the meat has reached 160 degrees F.  While these are cooling, start on your yogurt sauce:

Tzatziki sauce:

--1 c. Greek yogurt

--1/2 cucumber, chopped into small pieces

--1 tbsp. salt, or to taste

--1 tbsp. pepper, or to taste

--1 clove garlic, minced

--2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

--2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely

Mix ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Drizzle (or put heaping spoonfuls) onto each pepper, and garnish with a few cucumber slices.