Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

For Christina's birthday we went to a local Hibachi restaurant not only for the food, but also for the show! We had a great time and Brett took home the longest Saki shot award with 42 seconds! We concluded the evening with these yummy cupcakes--very Hibachi right?

Ingredients
cupcakes

* 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg yolk

frosting

* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
* Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

Preparation
CUPCAKES

* Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.
* Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).
* Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING

*Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

www.bonappetit.com

White Chocolate Banana Tart with Caramel Sauce

During my parents visit this weekend (last visit before Baby E's arrival!) I had two dishes that I would put on my "top ten" lists and I actually have one of the recipes! Unfortunately, the other one was the "Porky" sandwich at Bar Symon in Avon Lake with homemade chips... I don't have that recipe which is just another excuse to head over to Bar Symon again the future!
However, the dessert I made for my parents was a recreation of a dessert that my friends in Oberlin and I made at our Viking Cooking School class back in February. It was delicious back then but even more delicious eating it at home because I had produced this result all by myself. This recipe was time-consuming but believe me, it was well worth the effort (I know, I know... the picture does not do this tart justice!). Yum!

Crust
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground macadamia nuts
pinch of fine salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Custard
2 T all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch fine salt
3 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk (I used 2% instead and it was just as tasty)
1/2 T vanilla extract
1 T cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

Bananas
3-4 medium bananas, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonla
3-4 T sugar for glazing bananas

Rum Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
2 T rum
4 T unsalted butter cut into 4-6 pieces

Meringue
6 large egg whites brought to room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups sugar

Preparation

1. For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cracker crumbs, macadamia nuts and salt in a medium mixing bowl; stir the crumb mixture to incorporate. Press into a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan, then bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. For the custard: whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks (save the whites from these eggs to be used in the meringue) and whisk to combine.

3. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper, whisking constantly to combine.

4. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan then place over medium-high heat; bring the mixture to the boil, whisking constantly and vigorously until thickened and pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Whisk the vanilla, butter, and white chocolate into the custard until completely smooth. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and cool quickly in an ice water bath (I made things easier by placing the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes). Fill the cooled pie shell with the cooled filling.

6. For the bananas: if you have a torch you can sprinkle them with sugar and torch them until amber but if you are like most people (aka without a kitchen torch) you can place the slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and place under the oven broiler for about 2 minutes until golden. Watch closely so they don't burn!

7. For the caramel sauce (can be made a day ahead of time): Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly bring to a simmer, swirling to dissolve the sugar, about 6 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high, cover and cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, uncover and swirl the pan from time to time to distribute the heat evenly. DO NOT STIR. Cook until the sugar is medium dark amber in color. Carefully whisk in the cream and run. Do not panic if the sauce begins to clump; just continue whisking constantly and vigorously until completely smooth, then whisk in the butter. Cool to room temperature.

8. For the meringue: beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks just begin to form. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the sugar dissolves and the medium shiny peaks form. Do not overmix or it will be dry and lumpy.

9. Spread the meringue evenly over the top of the custard with a spatula; seal the meringue to the crust all the way around to prevent meringue shrinkage. Create soft peaks with a spoon, then use a torch to lightly brown the meringue (or place under a broiler for a few minutes until brown but watch closely). Serve immediately.

*one additional alteration I made to the recipe was to double the filling. I had the extra milk and white chocolate and 2 cups of custard in the center of the tart seemed like it was worth the extra effort. *
www.vikinggrangecorporation.com

Fish and Chips with Tarragon-Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise

Mr. E. made a meal this evening in honor of my friend on the other side of the pond! I was a bit doubtful about how this would actually turn out because how, honestly, how realistic is it to imagine he could make fish and chips that taste just like they would at a stand in England? He proved me wrong and this dinner was amazing!

Ingredients
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
* 1 tablespoon malt vinegar or cider vinegar
* 1 cup self-rising flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
* 1 1/4 cups lager beer
* Vegetable oil (for frying)
* 1 1/2 pounds halibut fillets, cut crosswise into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices
* 3 (8- to 10-ounce) red-skinned potatoes or russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Preparation

Whisk mayonnaise, tarragon, and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk flour and Old Bay seasoning in medium bowl to blend. Add beer and whisk just until blended. Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch; heat oil to 350°F. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Working in batches, dip fish into beer batter to coat lightly, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl. Add fish to hot oil and fry until deep golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to paper towels to drain. Working in batches, add potato slices to oil and cook until golden and tender, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle generously with salt.

Divide fish and chips among 4 plates. Spoon tarragon-malt vinegar mayonnaise alongside and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fish-and-Chips-with-Tarragon-Malt-Vinegar-Mayonnaise-238551#ixzz0ilXLkFW0

Cuban Black Beans & Rice

This recipe comes from The White Dog Cafe cookbook by Judy Wicks & Kevin Von Klause. The White Dog Cafe is located near the campus of the University of Pennsylvania and is the most "Obie" like restaurant in the West Philly neighborhood in that Judy tries to get all of the food on the menu from local, organic and humanely treated ingredients. When she started the restaurant she was ahead of her time!

Cuban Black Beans & Rice (Moros y Cristianos--translated as Moors & Christians--a Cuban staple).

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, minced
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
2 T dried oregano
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 ground allspice
1 pound dried black beans, picked over for stones and rinsed well
2 bay leaves
1 smoked ham hock (optional)--I don't know where I would get a ham hock in Oberlin so I used 1/4 lb of Betty's bacon instead.
8 cups water
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems
2 T fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large pot set over medium heat, heat the oil until it ripples. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, cumin, coriander and allspice and cook for one minute more.
2. Add the beans, bay leaves, bacon or ham hock and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour. If necessary, add a little water during the cooking to keep the beans from scorching.
3. Remove and discard the bay leaves (I often leave mine in the dish and whoever gets the bay leaf in their serving knows that good luck is coming their way!). Remove the ham hock and reserve. Ladle 1 cup of beans into a small bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. Return the mashed beans to the pot along with the cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the meat from the ham hock and finely dice. Add back to the beans. Keep the sop warm until ready to serve or let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
4. Serve with brown or white rice. When serving top with any of the following--grated cheese, sour cream, scallions, tomato salsa or cooked egg.

Chocolate Chip Orange Cannoli

Mr. E. asked me to make cannolis a few weeks ago for a get together with friends, however, at the time the recipes I found all called for deep fried cannoli shells which I was definitely not up to attempting. However, at a cooking class with my friends a few weeks ago I spied a pizzelle maker... putting two and two together I realized I could make cannolis using a pizzelle maker... and luckily my friend Courtney's mother here in town had one that she generously let me borrow!

I followed the directions to make the cannolis and then found a recipe for yummy-sounding cannoli filling. Mr. E. finished off our Valentine's Day meal with some of my favorites--homemade baked sweet potato fries and vegetable reubens. They were tasty but definitely not as tasty as the fried cannolis from a genuine Italian bakery!


Pizzelles

3 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. anise seed or almond extract (opt.)
1/2 c. butter (1/4 lb.)
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Do not use more than 1/2 cup butter and don't use oil as a substitute.

Beat eggs and sugar. Add cooled melted butter and vanilla and anise. Sift flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Batter will be stiff enough to be dropped by spoon. Batter can be refrigerated to be used at a later time. Makes 30 pizzelles.

After heating buttering the iron, place a spoonful of pizzelle batter in the center of each iron and press for 45 minutes until golden. Toss the first round. As soon as you take the next round off of the iron, wrap it around the handle of a wooden spoon for the cylindrical shape and let cool on a rack.

Filling

* 1 pound (2 cups) fresh sheep's- or cow's-milk ricotta, drained 1 hour in cheesecloth-lined sieve
* 3/4 cup superfine sugar
* 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
* 4 tablespoons candied orange peel, chopped, or finely grated zest of 2 oranges
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In medium mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, sugar, chocolate chips, orange peel, and vanilla. Spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch round tip and refrigerate until ready to use. (Filling can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered.) When ready to serve, pipe filling into 1 end of cannoli shell, filling shell halfway, then pipe into other end. Repeat to fill remaining shells. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

King Cake

Last evening we went to a Super Bowl party at a friends house and I decided to make a traditional New Orleans sweet treat in honor of the Saints. A colleague of mine gets one of these sent to her every year from her brother who lives in New Orleans and I tried it for the first time last February and it was delicious so I am hopeful that mine lives up to those expectations.

King Cake

* 2 envelopes active dry yeast
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
* 1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
* 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
* 4 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
* 4 cups confectioner's sugar
* 1 plastic king cake baby or a pecan half
* 5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sugar sprinkles

Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat for 1 minute at medium-low speed. Add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest and beat until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and starts to climb up the dough hook. (If the dough is uncooperative in coming together, add a bit of warm water (110 degrees), a tablespoon at a time, until it does.)

Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide.

Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a cylinder and place it on the prepared baking sheet seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or pecan half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough.

Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups confectioner's sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake.

The cake is traditionally cut into 2-inch-thick slices with all the guests in attendance.

Emeril Lagasse

Pad Thai

For our weekly dinner exchange I wanted to try to make something less time consuming than previous dinners as I am also making a King Cake for a Super Bowl party we are attending this evening and the more time this pregnant lady stands in the kitchen, the more my body aches later in the day. Sigh. This delicious pad thai ended up taking the same amount of time as any other recipe but once I sampled, I decided it was definitely worth the time!

Sidenote--this recipe only called for tofu but since some of the men would prefer chicken, I added sliced chicken and cut the tofu into tiny slices so it would go unnoticed. If you like your tofu extra firm as we do--put it in the freezer overnight, let it defrost and squeeze the liquid out. You will end up with super firm tofu.


Vegetarian Pad Thai (doubled to serve our group of ten)

Ingredients
12 ounces dried flat rice noodles (1/4 inch wide; sometimes called pad Thai or banh pho)
3 tablespoons tamarind (from a pliable block) or substitute 3 T Worcestshire sauce and 1 T line juice)
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)
1 bunch scallions
4 large shallots or 1/2 large yellow onion
1 (14- to 16-ounce) package firm tofu
6 T peanut or vegetable oil
6 large eggs
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups bean sprouts (1/4 pound)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Cook noodles according to the instructions on the package.

Meanwhile, make sauce by soaking tamarind pulp in boiling-hot water in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Force mixture through a sieve into a bowl, discarding seeds and fibers OR mix the worcestshire and lime juice. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and Sriracha, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Cut scallions into 2-inch pieces. Halve pale green and white parts lengthwise.

Cut shallots crosswise into very thin slices with slicer.

Rinse tofu, then cut into 1-inch cubes and pat very dry.

Heat 1 T oil in wok over medium heat until hot, then fry half of shallots or onion over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Carefully strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Reserve shallot oil and spread fried shallots on paper towels. (Shallots will crisp as they cool.) Wipe wok clean.

Add 1-2 T oil to wok over high heat until hot. Fry tofu in 1 layer, gently turning occasionally, until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer tofu to paper towels using a slotted spoon.

Lightly beat eggs with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add eggs and swirl to coat side of wok, then cook, stirring gently with a spatula, until cooked through. Break into chunks with spatula and transfer to a plate.

Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Pour in 2 tablespoons oil, then swirl to coat side of wok. Stir-fry scallions, garlic, and remaining uncooked shallots until softened, about 1 minute.

Add noodles and stir-fry over medium heat (use 2 spatulas if necessary) 3 minutes. Add tofu, chicken bean sprouts, and 1 1/2 cups sauce and simmer, turning noodles over to absorb sauce evenly, until noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.

Stir in additional sauce if desired, then stir in eggs and transfer to a large shallow serving dish.

Sprinkle pad Thai with peanuts and fried shallots and serve with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, and Sriracha.

www.epicurious.com
Altered by Molly