Mobile
Recipe
Friday, September 10, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Dessert Funfetti cupcakes with chocolate frosting
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Happy birthday, Carlton!
In honor of our CL editor Carlton Hargro's birthday tomorrow, I made some festive cupcakes to celebrate the occasion. Nothing says "birthday cupcake" like a classic vanilla cupcake with thick chocolate frosting and sprinkles.
To kick it up a notch, a good scoop of colorful sprinkles were added to the batter of these vanilla cupcakes give them their rainbow-speckled insides.
The base is the same Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe as these cupcakes here, minus the lemon zest.
The chocolate frosting is a bit different because it isn't a simple buttercream. It's a slightly tangy frosting with lots of chocolate, and a bit of cream cheese, butter, and sour cream. And by a "bit," I mean a cup...
I'll admit I might have over-frosted these and loaded up the frosting a bit too much. But for the sake of presentation, I swirled the chocolate frosting up high. It looks prettier that way, no? I won't be offended if you want to cut it down a bit.
Find Carlton on Twitter @CarltonHargro and wish him a happy birthday!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Dessert Mocha cupcakes
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 11:49 AM
So this week's recipe is a mocha cupcake with coffee buttercream. Surprise! Another cupcake!
With a half cup of coffee and a few teaspoons of instant espresso in both the cake and frosting, these can pass as a breakfast food and take the place of your morning coffee.
I found this recipe floating around on food blogs recently. Garnering great reviews and looking very photogenic in all its foodie photo shoots, I thought I'd give these cupcakes a spin. The cake is chocolate and coffee flavored (duh, they are "mocha"), and the frosting is a basic buttercream flavored with vanilla and espresso.
I thought these cupcakes were only okay ... nothing spectacular. The cake wasn't as rich and dark chocolately as I had hoped, and the crumb was too loose – I like a dense cupcake with a tight crumb. These were more fluffy.
The frosting is whipped so that it's soft and deceptively light. As it melts on your tongue, you'll get a hit of some more coffee flavor.
Check it out for yourself.
I frosted the cupcakes three ways: rosettes dusted with cocoa, the traditional swirled top, and a flat-topped mound with sides rolled in chopped chocolate.
Read on for the recipe.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Dessert Creme brulee cheesecake cupcakes
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 3:50 PM
My cupcake hiatus is over. I just can't do it. It was cupcake craziness and I had decided to take a break from making any more baby cakes, but I really can't help myself anymore.
Inspired by the creme brulee cheesecake from Capital Grille, I created the dessert in cupcake form. The original dessert is a mini cheesecake with a crisp bruleed (French for "burned cream") top.
My cupcake version has a caramel cake base to reflect the caramel flavor of the brulee topping. For the cheesecake portion, I went with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. And for the crunch of the hard caramel bruleed layer, I wound spun sugar around the frosting to create a nest of caramelized sugar.
Working with spun sugar is a bit messy and complicated, but the results are beautiful.
So, as you can see, I'm still stuck on cupcakes. Are you? Do you think they are part of a dying fad? Is the cupcake bubble about to burst?
Some say whoopie pies are the new cupcake, others say doughnuts are the new cupcake. What do you think?
[poll id = "4"]
Read on for the recipe...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Breakfast Cinnamon sugar donut muffins
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Don't think about it. Just make these donut muffin things. Now.
I know they are probably horribly unhealthy, but they are extremely good. Downright devilish.
These tender "muffins" are popped out of the muffin tin while they are still hot, dunked in a bowl of delicious melted butter, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. They taste like giant cake donut holes, so I don't think they should really be called muffins. If you eat them warm, freshly buttered and rolled, you might not be able to stop at just one.
The slight crunch of cinnamon sugar under your teeth ... the decadent butter coating around a warm lightly spiced muffin ... it is just so satisfying to take a huge bite. Munchkins can't even compare.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Breakfast Banana pancakes with macadamia nut sauce
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 2:39 PM
If the buttermilk pancakes I made last week were too tame for you, try these tropical banana pancakes with macadamia nut sauce instead.
Banana pancakes, made by adding two mashed bananas to pancake batter, are a fun twist to plain pancakes. Topped with a creamy toasted macadamia nut sauce and sprinkled with ground macadamia nuts, these are definitely a good reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Similar pancakes are served up at Boots and Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen in Kailua, HI, and are quite a hit. Since Hawaii might be a tad far to travel for breakfast, here's the recipe.
You can make the sauce ahead of time, and just warm it in the microwave before serving.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Kitchen Chemistry / Breakfast The best buttermilk pancakes
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 2:44 PM
I finally made those buttermilk pancakes that were assigned for the MIT Kitchen Chemistry course on pancakes, and I am so glad I did.
My previous "Bette's Diner Buttermilk Pancakes" recipe from Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley is getting replaced. Sorry, Bette!
This new recipe, courtesy of Bon Appétit, produces super thick, fluffy, tender pancakes, like I've never seen come out of my own kitchen before. The sour cream makes the batter incredibly thick, which prevents the batter from spreading out too thin in the pan. And even though I used light sour cream, the results were still fabulous. Be sure not to overmix the batter. Bubbles are good.
To scoop the batter onto the griddle/pan, I used a quick-release ice cream scoop. Don't be tempted to swirl the batter around – just drop it, slightly use the scoop to make the blob of batter a little more circular if it isn't, and leave it. If you swirl it around and spread out the batter, your pancakes will not come out thick and fluffy.
If you aren't feeding an army for breakfast, half the recipe. I halved the recipe and got 10 pancakes.
These luscious hot cakes would be perfect for breakfast this weekend. Get on it! Click here for the recipe.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Toasted Coconut Custard Tart
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 3:24 PM
I haven't been able to get the coconut cream pie from Capital Grille out of my head since my first bite a few months ago.
Yes, it's been months that I've been dreaming about it. It was just so good. The shortbread-like crust was perfectly flaky and filled with cool, coconutty cream. Topped with mile-high whipped cream, it was a feast for the eyes. I housed most of the dessert before my friend suggested that I stop inhaling the pie and box it up for later. Party pooper.
After searching far and wide on the internet for the recipe, I still haven't been able to get my paws on Capital Grille's version of coconut cream pie.
... But I did find this Dorie Greenspan recipe for Toasted Coconut Custard Tart that comes very close to the coconut cream pie which dreams are made of.
A sweet pastry tart shell is filled with a smooth vanilla rum custard that has toasted coconut flakes swirled in. It's then topped with lots of rum-spiked whipped cream and dressed up with more toasted coconut. Heaven on earth.
It's a three-step process to make, but worth it.
(Prior to tart assembly, reserving and eating some of the custard part with a spoon is highly recommended.)
P.S. Here's a pic of the coconut cream pie from Capital Grille.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Holy guacamole
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 11:36 AM
What's green and creamy, and delicious? (Nope, it's not boogers. Gag, gag. Who does that?!)
Guacamole is incredibly easy to make. The worst part is paying an arm and a leg for avocados at Harris Teeter.
A tip: To get the pit out of the avocado, smack the blade of a heavy knife into the pit, twist, and remove. To get the pit off the knife, simple pinch the knife blade right above the pit and it should pop off.
This guac recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Since it doesn't contain any jalapeños, those Hint of Jalapeños Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips complement it well.
Get dipping.
Holy Moley, Easy Guacamole
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and diced
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash together the avocados, lemon juice, and salt (leaving it as chunky as you like). Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Lemon curd cupcakes with raspberry mascarpone frosting
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 4:18 PM
See ya, my old vanilla cupcake recipes. It's official. We are breaking up. I've found someone else ... Magnolia Bakery's vanilla cupcakes.
I've finally tried Magnolia Bakery's vanilla cupcake recipe. Reviews online for Magnolia's cupcake recipe are all over the place. Some say it's the worst ever, others say it's amazing. Well, I had to see for myself.
I'm giving these a big stamp of approval. The texture of the cake is dense, tender, holds up well under frosting, and is the perfect canvas for any type of cupcake. The directions are simple and not fussy (I can't deal with drama). Although the recipe calls for self-rising flour (which I do not keep on hand), I was able to make my own SRF and we've settled our differences. All is well.
Here, I used the vanilla cake base and added lemon zest to make lemon cupcakes. Though the hint of citrus in the cake is light, you'll get a surprise in the center of each cupcake ... a bite of creamy tart lemon curd.
For the frosting, I used a raspberry mascarpone frosting. Though it tastes pretty good with these cupcakes, I'd definitely consider using a different frosting next time. This one came out soft and un-pipeable. I love frostings that are thick and fluffy, and that pipe out into voluminous clouds on top of cupcakes.
Now that I've found the ultimate cupcake recipe, I should probably settle down and take a break from testing the cupcake waters, eh? I guess it has been cupcake madness recently...
Monday, July 19, 2010
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Hot-and-Spicy Chicken Cones
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 8:00 AM
Thanks, Food & Wine procuring and printing this amazing recipe. While flipping through a copy of F&W, I stumbled upon these Hot-and-Spicy Chicken Cones. These chicken wraps are famous to The Mighty Cone food trailer in Austin, TX, and I can see why. Meet my new favorite chicken recipe.
Flour tortillas wrap together a sweet and spicy mango slaw with strips of super crunchy chicken. The crunch comes the clever breading made of ground up cornflakes, red pepper chili flakes, sesame seeds, almonds, sugar, and salt.
So spicy, so crunchy, you'll forget all about Chick-fil-A's new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The spice is pleasant without too much burn, and the sugar and mango add sweetness. I think you'll be surprised how extremely crunchy these are. I was amazed.
If you're cooking this for guests, you can simplify things by making the slaw the day before.
-
Crockpot Arsenal: Teriyaki Sesame Pork with Asian Slaw 1
If you like sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, this will be right up your alley, but also a nice change of pace.
-
Food news: March 13
-
Tricia Childress
