Posts filed under 'Recipes'
Mini Chocolate Firecrackers - melt-in-the-mouth mini chocolate cakes laced with cayenne pepper. Price available upon request.
eat a chili (or chocolate), be happy!
Want to banish pain and experience a feel-good moment? Chew on a chili pepper! Chili peppers contain capsaicin, (cap-SAY-sin) a compound that gives these fruits their heat. When ingested, our body releases endorphins, which are chemicals produced in the brain that reduce pain and induce euphoria, giving us that feel-good moment. That burning sensation you feel while eating a spicy Kimchi or a fiery Bicol Express is actually your body’s protective response, a sign that endorphins—the body’s natural painkillers—are at work. When the capsaicin comes in contact with nerve endings in the mouth, pain signals are sent to the brain which then releases endorphins to desensitize the pain and in turn create a feeling of well-being. The spicier the pepper, the more endorphins are secreted. Who knows, those tears streaming from the eyes after chewing on a jalapeno might actually be tears of joy! And I can hear the chili lovers say “bring on those jalapenos, habanero and siling labuyo!”
For those who want to feel euphoric but can’t stand the heat of these edible firecrackers like I do, there is a sweeter alternative—chocolate! To most people, chocolate is the ultimate comfort food, and justifiably so. As a piece of chocolate gloriously melts in the mouth, we get an endorphin rush which explains why our moods turn brighter after indulging in this sweet treat.
So what better way to trigger our body’s pleasure-inducing chemicals than having chili and chocolate in one go? To borrow from Doublemint’s tagline, “Double the pleasure, double the fun.” Mixing chocolate and chili might seem exotic—the Mayans have been indulging in this potent brew as far back as 2,600 years ago—but adventurous chefs and imaginative cooks all over the world have rediscovered this wonderful concoction and are incorporating it in their repertoire.
I myself am not a fan of chili peppers alone but chocolate and chili sounds mighty good to me. I had been surfing for cupcake recipes featuring this hot combination when I chanced upon Chocolate and Zucchini’s Chocolate Chili Bites—thanks, C._, for the wonderful recipe! I scaled down the recipe and modified it a bit— decreased the number of eggs and used cayenne pepper because that is all I had on hand. I also put them in heart-shaped mini muffin tins for a touch of whimsy.
They came out perfect. I especially like their wrinkly, crusty tops that yield so softly as you pop them in your mouth. And as they dissolve in your mouth, you get this wonderful chocolate rush followed by a mini heat wave that subsides moments after. And you can’t help but smile and feel good. Euphoria in a bite-size morsel!
Chocolate Chili Bites - about 24 mini bites using regular mini muffin tin; adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini
100 g bittersweet chocolate (I used chocolate with 72% cocoa solids)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c + 2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp flour
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or any variety you prefer; adjust to taste)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan or microwave.
3. Transfer in a bowl, add the sugar and mix. Let cool a little bit then add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and cayenne pepper and mix well.
4. Put in lined mini muffin tins and bake for 10-12 minutes. The top should look set but the inside should still be soft.
5. Let cool and enjoy!
February 8th, 2009
While browsing through an old issue of Bon Appetit, I found this recipe and seeing that it has cayenne pepper in it, I just had to try it. This was originally a bundt cake complete with a caramel-chile glaze and cayenne-spiced nuts as topping. I thought it might lend itself to a cupcake. Well, the mini cakes came out muffinish along with the familiar hump so I’m going to call them muffins. Because they turned out not the way I expected, I did not make the glaze and the spiced nuts anymore. Thus the “firecracker” in my apple cake fizzled.
We ate the muffins plain and I must say that they are good as they are, moist and flavorful. The flavors balance each other so well, with just a slight tingle and sweetness. My nephew F._ who is such an apple lover and a picky cake eater gave them his two-tumbs up.
Slightly Spicy Apple Muffins - yield, about 15
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/4 c sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c 1/3 inch-cubes cored peeled baking apple, from about one 8-ounce apple (I used Fiji)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, ginger, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl.
3. Whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend.
4. Add dry ingredients; fold together just until blended. Fold in apple cubes.
5. Scoop batter into cupcake-lined pan.
6. Bake until toothpick inserted near center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Savor while warm!
Enjoy!
January 22nd, 2009
In my book, Philippine mangoes are unrivaled. Fragrant, sweet and succulent, they are the closest thing to nirvana—when ripe, that is. I do not know if there’s any truth in this but according to this site, the Philippine mango was listed in the 1995 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s sweetest mango. I could not agree more!
I found this cookie recipe that originally used fresh peaches. Being the mango devotee that I am and since fresh peaches are almost non-existent in the Philippines, I altered the recipe and made a few adjustments in the procedure. Boy, was I delighted with the scrumptious results! The buttery shortbread crust and crumb topping go so well with the moist, flavorful mangoes. Sorry peaches, but you are out!
The last time I made these (which was last New Year’s eve), I realized I left out the nuts and cinnamon in the crumb topping just as I slid the pan in the oven. I got the pan out again and just sprinkled the nuts-cinnamon combo on top. The bars baked just fine and still tasted heavenly.
Mango Crumb Bars - yield, 24 pieces
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 24 pieces
2 ripe mangoes, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c chopped walnuts (or other nuts you prefer)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, then coat with butter.
3. Mix flour, white and dark brown sugars, baking powder, and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and mix until crumbly.
4. Dump 2 1/2 cups into the bottom of the prepared pan and press it evenly over the bottom. Arrange mango slices over the base.
5. Transfer the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and flour mixture to a small bowl. Mix in the cinnamon and walnuts with a fork. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the mangoes.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Then refrigerate for at least one (1) hour. Cut into 24 bars.
Enjoy!
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Philippine Mango Factoids:
1. Mango ranks third as the most important fruit in the Philippines in terms of volume of production and area after banana and pineapple.
2. The Philippines is the sixth largest exporter of fresh mangoes after Mexico, India, Brazil, Netherlands and Peru.
3. Pangasinan produces more mangoes than any other Philippine provinces but most mango exports come from the Guimaras Islands.
source: Dept. of Agriculture, Philippines
January 15th, 2009
Mimosa Cupcake - soft, fluffy orange cupcakes with Mimosa truffle topping and decorated with candied orange zest. Price available upon request.
bring on the bubbly!
I love the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice. I also love sucking on orange wedges. However, I just found this article that says that habitually sucking on orange, lemon and grapefruit wedges will result to a loss of the front teeth enamel because of acid erosion. Yikes! Since, I don’t habitually suck on those juicy wedges, I guess my pearly whites are safe. 
2009 is nearly here and I was thinking of what cupcake to make to celebrate this momentous occasion. Champagne came to mind. What’s more appropriate to escort out the old year and usher in the new one than sipping some bubbly? I tried a recipe called New Year’s Eve Pink Champagne Cupcakes. I don’t know if I did something wrong—the description promised a light cupcake but mine turned out dense, almost pound cake-like. I am not of the dense cake camp so this cupcake did not appeal to me at all.
While Googling for information on champagne, some results showed Mimosa. Now what is a Mimosa? A Mimosa is a cocktail of freshly squeezed orange juice and champagne. The ratio of champagne to orange juice varies from recipe to recipe, sometimes depending on personal tastes. Some call for two parts champagne to one part orange juice or vice versa or equal parts of champagne and orange juice.
So why not a Mimosa cupcake? The Cupcake Project has a recipe that I think has been making the rounds of cupcake blogs everywhere—I’m sure it tastes great. However, I concocted my own. I adapted one of my recipes into an orange-flavored one. I contemplated on adding orange extract but in the end, I just added lots of orange zest which is really a powerhouse of a flavoring besides being more natural than the commercial extract.
The cupcake tasted heavenly—it was fluffy and tender— and the citrusy aroma just permeates the air. The children in our house liked them so much that nothing was left for me to frost so I had to bake another batch. The Mimosa truffle topping I made has a subtle hint of champagne—it does not stand out but one can definitely taste it.
For the final touch, I chose candied orange zest. The recipe I followed stressed that “if any pith remains on the peel, scrape it away” so scrape away I did. The resulting candy was a joy and it delivers a happy burst of sunshine to the taste buds. I was quite proud of this feat as I never imagined myself making candied zest.
I would add this cupcake to my list of favorites. To me, oranges bring happiness and champagne evokes celebration and that’s what this cupcake reminds me of.
Candied Orange Zest from The Cake Bible
3 oranges, thick skinned
1 c sugar
1 c water
1 tbsp corn syrup
Peel the oranges with a sharp knife; avoid any white part of the peel when doing so. Cut the peel into julienne strips. Place in a heavy saucepan of boiling water, reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Place in the same pot as it was cooked in and add in the sugar, water and corn syrup. Bring to boil stirring constantly, then stop stirring. Add in the zest and cover with a tight fitting lid. Reduce to simmer and cook over low heat for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from heat and allow to cool in pan covered. Refrigerate the candy in syrup in airtight container. Store up to a month.
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a champagne by any other name . . .
Nowadays, a true champagne is one that is produced in the Champagne region of France. All others that employ the same method of fermentation are called sparkling wines. Sparkling wines produced in various parts of the world have their own designations: Spain, cava; Italy, spumante; (Italian sparkling wines made with muscat grape is called DOCG Asti); South Africa, cap classique; Germany, sekt.
December 31st, 2008
