Mango Lassi Popsicles

My new favorite desserts this summer are popsicles.  They are so easy to make and there are no limits to the flavor combinations.  It seems that they are popping up everywhere this year, even the franprix across the street has their own line.

For this recipe I make a puree of mango and a little sugar if it is not sweeet enough. Then I mix equal parts of coconut milk and cream.  Layer these in a mold and place in the freezer for 1 hour.  After it has started to freeze, place the sticks in the middle of each popsicle then return to the freezer until completely frozen.

I serve mine with a spicy chocolate sauce and some fresh raspberries from the garden.

Take the time and experiment with your favorite summer flavors.

Have fun and enjoy taking a break from the heat of the summer!

 

Orange Chocolate Ganache

Taking an old recipe you used before and reinventing it is sometimes more difficult than you would expect.  However, when you do manage to complete this task, you look at your new product and think, “Well, that wasn’t so hard.”

I upgraded my chocolate ganache from grilled ciabatta bread to spiced pain perdu with baked meringue, pistachio and sea salt.  I also really enjoy the fresh orange zest in the chocolate.

 

Beet Versatility

Beets are very versatile and are in season year round.  Two of my favorite preparations for them are roasting and pickling.

This “salad” featured above is seasoned with a confit lemon olive oil, fourme d’ambert blue cheese espuma, candied walnuts and grapefruit segments.  To finish, I drizzle a syrup of grapefruit and chili and a little fleur de sel and fresh black pepper.

I also really enjoy making chocolate beet brownies.  The chocolate works great with the beets, as well as pureed with creme fraiche for a dessert sauce.

 

May the Cupcakes be with you!

Cupcakes have become a very popular replacement for wedding cakes.  It is a great idea if you have multiple flavors and you want everyone to try them, especially if you are baking mini cupcakes.  The wedding I just catered desired five different flavors, vanilla bean with vanilla buttercream, carrot cake, red velvet, Reese’s peanut butter cup, and the focus of this entry, chocolate Guinness with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting, which was also their wedding cake flavor.

The best place to start when making cupcakes is with your favorite cake recipe.  Many people try to overthink the process by believing that they need a specific recipe for cupcakes (that is simply not the case).  For these cupcakes, I took my favorite chocolate cake recipe and just added a bottle of Guinness (in place of the milk), then added sour cream (for the fat).

When making cupcakes you want to remember to always sift your dry ingredients together.  By sifting the dry ingredients together you avoid having lumps of flour that when baked won’t break down and will cause a dry patch in your cake.  If you do not own a sifter you can use a food processor and it will mix and break up all of the dry ingredients (or just use a spaghetti strainer like my wife).  Next in a mixer (I used a stand mixer) you will beat the sugars with the butter until it starts to become smooth and fluff a little.  One by one add one add the eggs then vanilla extract.  Alternate the dry ingredients with the addition of the Guinness.  Once the batter is thoroughly mixed together, add the sour cream and fold in completely.

Setting up your cupcake pan is easy; you place the papers in the muffin/cupcake pan and fill them up three quarters of the way full of batter.  I like to use a piping bag to pipe the batter into the cupcake papers.  Bake the cupcakes at three hundred twenty five degrees, rotating every five minutes, until a pick comes out dry.

                   

Once the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes then carefully remove them and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.  If you leave them in the pan for too long they will start to sweat and the wrappers will start to fall off.

Now you can start the frosting process.  Start by mixing your cream cheese and butter (both should be at room temperature) with sifted powder sugar.  Mix in your mixer until smooth and fluffy.  Slowly add the Bailey’s Irish Cream.  Once completely mixed, transfer the mixture to a piping bag (using any tip), and carefully pipe on top of the Guinness cupcake.

Use your imagination with cupcakes!  Think about your favorite dessert and just use the flavors, such as tiramisu or banana fosters.  You can also switch things up and go more on the savory side, like maple candied bacon or cornbread cupcakes and top them with a chili spiced cream cheese frosting.

The possibilities are limitless!

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes:

2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 C Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C light or dark brown sugar
1/2 C unsalted softened butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
1 12 fl. oz. bottle/1 1/2 C Guinness or stout beer

 

Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8oz. bar of cream cheese, softened
1 4oz. stick of unsalted butter, softened
2 C confectioner’s sugar
4 – 6 Tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish Cream

 

 

mini s’mores bites

This is a great and easy mini dessert idea for anytime of the year. This dessert is easy to mass produce for any size party.

-Start out with either pre-made mini graham cracker shells or make your own in a mini cupcake pan.

-For the chocolate filling, heat one cup heavy cream and mix it in with eight ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips. Stir until completely dissolved and pour into tart shells until filled. Chill until the chocolate is set.

-For the marshmallow topping you can go out and buy marshmallow fluff and pipe it on top with a star tip or to make you own marshmallow fluff. If you decide to make your own marshmallow fluff, mix twelve egg whites and two cups of corn syrup in a mixer with a whisk attachment. When the fluff is at medium peaks, add two cups of powdered sugar and mix to full volume.

-Pipe on top of each chocolate tart, then with a brûlée torch brown the top of the marshmallow.

The great thing about this dessert is that you can make many different flavor combinations by adding flavors to the chocolate as well as the marshmallow fluff. For example, you can make “chocolate covered strawberry” s’mores by adding a strawberry puree to the marshmallow fluff.