Friday, May 7, 2010

Capellini with Lemon Basil Summer Squash



This is a delicious light and summery dish that can be made fairly quickly. When summer squash is unavailable, I will use zucchini.


Ingredients
1 pound summer squash, washed and gently patted dry
1 pound capellini, or angel hair pasta
6 large cloves garlic, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
6 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil and butter in a small pan.
3. Add the zucchini or summer squash with garlic and cook until almost tender (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Add the lemon juice until heated.
5. Remove from heat and at the last moment add the basil.
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve over the hot pasta.

Serves 6

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes



This is the second beer cupcake recipe that I tried, and it turned out better than the first one. The cupcakes actually dome - not sink like the former recipe. 


Although this recipe calls for Guinness, I used Sam Adams Boston Ale. I chose it by accident while I was experimenting with the Sam Adams 25th Anniversary cupcakes. I wanted to use the same beer to maintain some sort of common ground to compare the recipes, but I grabbed the ale instead of the Boston Lager. The ale added a really subtle punch to the recipe, and I would certainly make this again with the ale. But I think that I will try the stout next time, as the recipe calls for.


Also, I used the icing from the Sam Adams recipe. If you decide to use the icing from this recipe, let me know how it is!


Adapted from Big City, Little Kitchen

Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tb vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda


Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Icing
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

NOTE: To create a thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk; for a topping more akin to icing, use less milk, and perhaps more sugar. In either case, add a little sugar or milk at a time, mix, and check for desired consistency.






Saturday, May 1, 2010

Boston Lager 25th Anniversary Cupcakes



I got so excited when I saw this recipe! I found it in The Florida Times-Union, and was just about to toss it aside, when I saw the picture of a bottle of beer next to a pretty cupcake. To celebrate 25 years of brewing deliciousness, Sam Adams's chef partner concocted this beer-infused cupcake. When we went to the Beer Festival in 2009, I was highly impressed with the beer-food pairings that the Sam Adams tent had. No other vendors were as enthusiastic about pairing beer with food, or incorporating their beers into new recipes. This cupcake recipe was so full of promise!


Alas, as you can see by the original recipe, there is a HUGE gap in the directions. Although it lists  flour, baking powder, and baking soda as ingredients, it doesn't tell you when or how to use them. Every single recipe that I found online were printed in the exact same manner. During my first attempt, I whisked the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and soda together then mixed in the butter until the concoction had the consistency of coarse crumbs. The next time, I tried melting the butter like in this recipe by Big City, Little Kitchen. In my last attempt I added the flour, baking powder and soda to the bowls after adding the eggs. Each time, the cupcakes came out very flat. The recipe wasn't a complete loss, though.




The icing is absolutely amazing. It was a nice beer kick to it, and when placed on top of the right beer cupcake, really brings out the beer in the cake itself. On an aesthetic note, it resembles the head on a perfectly poured glass of beer. So, if you want to try a good beer cupcake recipe, try the recipe that I mentioned above. But, use the recipe for the icing that follows. 

Adapted from Florida Times-Union

Boston Lager 25th Anniversary Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Sam Adams Boston Lager
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until smooth. Pour in water and Boston Lager, then salt. Mix until mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
2. Line muffin tin with muffin liners. Pour approximately 3 ounces to 4 ounces batter into each cup. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes

Boston Lager Buttercream Frosting
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whipping cream
2 tablespoons Samuel Adams Boston Lager

In a standing mixer with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended, then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract, Boston Lager and whipping cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed.