Easy, Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

For the filling: 

1 egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

2 1/4 cups cold water

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

5 tsp. balsamic vinegar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the egg, sugar and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Prop up a pastry bag in a sturdy glass or mug with the bags wide opening at the top. Fold the top of the pastry bag down over the glass. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the filling mixture into the pastry bag. Set the filled pastry bag aside.

In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the water, oil, vanilla and balsamic vinegar. (Theres no need to stir these. Just put them together in the cup.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a whisk, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and salt until evenly blended. Slowly pour the water mixture into the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.

The cupcake batter will be quite runny. If your bowl has a spout, you can pour the batter directly into the muffin cups. Otherwise, it will be easiest to pour the batter into the liquid measuring cup and use it to fill the cups. Fill each lined muffin cup three-fourths full.

Pick up the pastry bag. Plugging the tip with one hand, twist the top of the bag to close it. Using one hand to guide the tip and the other to squeeze the top of the bag, insert the tip into the center of one of the cupcakes. Gently squeeze a small amount of the cream cheese filling into the batter. You will see the chocolate batter rise as the filling fills the middle.

Keeping in mind that you need to fill 24 cupcakes, squeeze a small amount into each one. Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with the chocolate chips.

Put the muffin pans in the oven and bake until a thin skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 26 to 28 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and put them on the cooling racks. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then lift out the cupcakes and put them directly on the racks. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Quince upside down cake

Love, Love, Love Quinces...I remember my mother used to make a Persian dish with lamb shank and quince and saffron...hmmmm so good! I can smell it.

This cake is AMAZING! 

For the poached quinces:
3 medium to large fresh quinces 
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine 
3-1/2 cups granulated sugar 
2 3-inch strips fresh orange zest (use a vegetable peeler and avoid the white pith) 

For the cake:
Nonstick cooking spray 
8-1/2 oz. (1-3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs.) unbleached, all-purpose flour 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
¾ tsp. baking powder 
½ tsp. baking soda 
½ tsp. table salt 
½ tsp. ground nutmeg 
¼ tsp. ground cloves 
2 oz. (½ cup) almond flour 
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened 
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 
1/2 cup honey 
3 large eggs 
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional) 

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Poach the quinces:Peel the quinces, trim the ends, and cut them in half from stem to base, leaving the cores intact. Place the quince halves in a 4-quart saucepan and add the entire bottle of white wine, the granulated sugar and the orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then lower the heat to a bare simmer. Weight the quinces down with a small plate to submerge them in the liquid and poach until pink and tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the quinces to in the syrup. Transfer the quinces and syrup to a container and refrigerate overnight.

Make the cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10-inch round cake pan with the cooking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and lightly coat the paper.
Using a sharp knife, halve each quince and run the knife under the cores to remove them. Cut the quinces into 1/8th-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles in the the prepared cake pan until the bottom of the pan is covered. (You may have some slices of quince leftover to enjoy with cheese or add to applesauce).  Pour 3/4 cup of the poaching syrup over the quinces, reserving the rest.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves into a medium bowl. Whisk in the almond flour and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, and honey on medium speed until creamy smooth and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed to combine them, then turn the speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, thick and emulsified, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute. Spoon the batter over the quinces in the pan, and with an offset spatula, gently and evenly spread it to the sides of the pan, smoothing the surface.
Bake the cake, rotating it 180 degrees after 20 minutes to ensure even browning, until it springs back lightly when touched, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes. While still warm, run a knife around the sides of the cake and invert the cake gently onto the rack to cool completely. If any slices of quince break or are dislodged, gently place them back on the cake with a butter knife.
Before serving the cake, brush the surface of the quince with some of the leftover poaching syrup. Serve the cake with dollops of the unsweetened whipped cream (if using).

Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscotti

Surely you've all tried biscotti from your local coffee shop, you know those thin, crumbly, flavorless sticks twigs.  This recipe is not like that - at all.  These cookies are really easy to make and have a really good taste to them.  I especially like the little bursts of the poppyseeds and the fresh lemon zest. 

Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscotti

¼ cup butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp lemon zest

Coarse sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter on high for half a minute.  Add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg, egg white, lemon juice, lemon zest and the vanilla.  Add the flour and poppy seeds and mix in.  You may need to use you hands to get the last bit of flour incorporated into the dough.

Half the dough and shape each piece into a 7 x 2 inch log.  Place the logs on a pan lined with parchment and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Let the logs cool for 10 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut on a diagonal into ½ inch slices.  Place the slices cut side down back on your baking pans and place back in the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned. 

Let cool and drizzle with white or dark chocolate if desired.

Nicoise Salad

I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE  this salad, especially when is served in a nice sunny day with a glass of chardonnay....:-) 

1 small baguette (1-2 days old preferably)
2 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 large eggs
20 green beans, trimmed and tailed
4 small tomatoes (fresh, semi-dried or confit)
4 small kipfler potatoes, boiled and sliced into discs
4 teaspoons lilliput capers
1 red onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ in) rings
50 g (2 oz) olives
200 ml (7 fl oz) olive oil
40 ml (1½ fl oz) sherry vinegar
4 x 100g (3½ oz) fish fillets (tuna, red mullet or kingfish)
4 tablespoons baby rocket
1 lemon, halved

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Slice the baguette into 1 cm (½ in) thick slices and lay on a flat baking tray. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then remove from oven and rub slices with the garlic clove.

2 Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Take out after 6 minutes, when the yolks will still be soft. Set aside and keep warm.

3 Place another pan on the stove, fill with 2 litres (5 pints) of salted water and bring to the boil. Add the beans and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove beans and refresh by placing in iced water for 2 minutes, until cold.

4 In a stainless steel bowl combine the croutons, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, capers, onion and olives, season well.

5 In a separate bowl or jar, mix 200 ml olive oil and sherry vinegar well.

6 Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Season the fish and brush with more olive oil. Reduce heat to low, place the fish skin side down in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn fish over and cook for a further minute.

7 Toss the salad together with the dressing.

8 To serve, set out 4 flat bowls or plates and place a fillet in the centre of each. Arrange the salad neatly around the fish. Peel the eggs carefully, cut in half, season them and arrange on top of the salad. Scatter baby rocket over and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.

Baby Pecan Pies

These are delicious served warm as a dessert or can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. They also freeze well. It's best not to double the recipe, if you want to make more just make a second batch after the first.

 For the pastry:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• For the filling:
• 1 cup pecan nuts
• 60 g butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method: Spray two 12 cup mini muffins tins with non stick baking spray. Place ingredients into a food processor and run machine until the pastry clumps around the blade. Divide pastry into 16 small balls and, with floured hands, press into the bases and up the sides of 16 muffin trays. Place the pastry-lined tins in the freezer to chill for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is really firm and hard. Divide the nuts between the pastry-lined cups, breaking the nuts in half if necessary. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. Melt the butter, whisk in the egg, brown sugar and vanilla essence until smooth but somewhat gluey. Using a small jug, pour approximately a teaspoon of this mixture into each nut filled cup and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling set and crisp. remove from the oven for 5 minutes in the tins, until the pies are cool enough to handle. Give each pie a little twist to loosen the bottom, then carefully lift out to cool completely on a wire rack.

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Thai style shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce

Have you ever thought of exploring other cuisines without even look for a recipe or ask some one to guide you how to make it? Well...It can happen....all you need to do is to open your cupboard and look around, see what you can find to create some thing dynamic....some thing that you can develop and be proud of to show and serve....well, this is what happened to me last Sunday and I came with this recipe that WOWED every body in the neighbourhood..... Try it and you'll see...

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/4 cup tamarind pulp (from a pliable block)
• 1/2 cup boiling-hot water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 firm-ripe California avocados
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (1 1/2- to 2-inch-long) fresh Thai chiles or 1 serrano, stemmed and minced (including seeds)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
• 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, 

Preparations: 

• 
  
• choppedFry shallot and make tamarind sauce:
• 
  
• Heat oil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain (shallots will crisp as they cool). Reserve oil.
  Soak tamarind pulp in boiling-hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 5 minutes. Force pulp through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Add sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  Cut avocados and cook shrimp:
  Halve, pit, and peel avocados. Cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks and toss with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice in a bowl.
  Transfer reserved oil to a 12-inch heavy skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté ginger, garlic, chiles, and salt, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté, turning over once, 2 minutes total. Stir in tamarind mixture and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
  Spoon shrimp and avocado over rice, then sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallot.
  
  
  Bon Appétit
  
  
  
  

Persian Pistachio Nougat (Gaaz)

Nougat or Gaaz is a traditional recipes features the flavours of crunchy pistachio and delicate rose water.

it is also very popular in Iran...almost every bakery or sweet shop carry this nougats. The possibilities of using other nuts are endless, so use your taste buds and your imagination and create your own.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp rose water
• 1 cup toasted pistachio or almonds or mixture of both

Directions:

1. Line a 8x8 square pan lining with aluminium foil and cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large clean bowl or stand mixer whip the egg whites until holds stiff peaks.
3. Combine water, corn syrup, salt to boil on medium high heat, until sugar dissolved and the temperature reaches to 250 degrees.
4. At this point remove the syrup from the heat and slowly in a very thin stream while the mixer is running pour 3/4 of the syrup and keep whisking until mixture holds its shape.
5. Return sauce pan with the sugar syrup back on the stove and continue to cook over medium high heat until it reaches to 300 degrees. ( hard cracking stage)
6. With the mixer running add the rest of the surup slowly until the mixture becomes thick.
7. Add the rose water and nuts and beat until is just combined.
8. Spoon nougat in prepared pan and smooth up the top. leave in the fridge until it sets completely.
9. Take out of the mold and cut into squares. 
10. Store the nougats in air tight container and keep it in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy... :-)