Boston Cream Cupcakes

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Boston Cream Cupcakes

I love Boston Cream in any incarnation – whether it’s doughnuts, or the traditional cake, or these perfect little cupcakes…I love ’em all! Last month when I made the homemade paczki, I had some leftover pastry cream. So, I thought what better to do with them than make these cupcakes?

I used my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, filled them with a bit of the pastry cream, then topped with a decadent chocolate ganache. I loved the way the chocolate dripped down the side of the cupcakes. As you can imagine, they were nothing short of spectacular! The guys declared them one of the best cupcakes I’ve made, which really speaks volumes I think.

Leftovers went into work with Jon the next day, and all his coworkers at NASA loved them too. There’s not much that crew won’t gobble up! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe as a traditional Boston Cream cake too, using two 9-inch cake pans instead of baking cupcakes.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We’re still on “baby watch” – 2 weeks left to go! Jon’s mom is in town for the weekend , so we’re looking forward to spending some time with her and Grandpa Matt since we haven’t seen them since Thanksgiving. Kicking it all off by taking the boys to the local baseball game tonight. It’ll be their first time, and they’re super excited. Go Shorebirds!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

1 batch your favorite vanilla cupcakes (about 24 cupcakes)

For the pastry cream:
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare the pastry cream, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and whole egg. Separately mix the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then whisk them into the eggs until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the egg bowl in a thin stream while stirring to temper the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring back to a boil, immediately stirring so the eggs do not curdle or scorch on the bottom.

When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. The mixture will continue to thicken as you stir. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely melted. Pour into a heat-proof container and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled before using.

To make the ganache place the chocolate in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until completely smooth and combined. Set the ganache aside to cool and thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a small hole about 3/4-inch wide and 1/2-inch deep in the top of the cake using a pairing knife. Fill the hole with about 3 tsp of the pastry cream, then top off with the piece of cake you removed. Repeate process with remaining cupcakes.

Top each cupcake with about 1 tablespoon of the cooled ganache. Let sit for 1 hour before serving.

Source: pastry cream adapted from All Recipes

Italian Bread

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Italian Bread

I love making bread at home. And, I think the bread that I use most often would have to be Italian bread. It’s my go-to loaf to make garlic bread, and croutons, and breadcrumbs…great in so many applications. So it was only natural that I wanted to learn to make this favorite at home!

It’s a little time consuming, as it requires a “sponge” that needs to be prepared and let to do it’s thing before the bread is put together for it’s rise and bake. But it’s that crucial step that produces a chewy loaf that’s soft on the inside, yet crusty and crunchy on the outside – essential for a good loaf of Italian bread. You can do it the night before, but I’ve also just done the sponge early in the morning, and then continued with the recipe in the afternoon with no issues.

This recipe turns out two gorgeous loaves. We’ll usually have one for dinner the night that I bake it, and then store on in the freezer so there’s always one on hand. Saves me a trip to the store on those last-minute spaghetti nights when all I need is a loaf of bread. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Italian Bread

For the sponge:
1 cup water
1 cup bread flour
½ tsp. instant yeast

For the dough:
All of the preferment
5 cups bread flour
½ cup nonfat dry milk
1 tbsp. brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups water, at room temperature

To make the sponge, combine the water, flour and yeast in a medium bowl. Mix well to blend, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature at least 4 hours and up to 16 hours.

When you are ready to make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the preferment, 4 cups of the flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, yeast, olive oil and water. Mix on low speed until a sticky dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time. Continue kneading on low speed until the flour has been incorporated (you may need to add even more than 5 cups) and you have a dough that is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky. The total kneading time should be about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a well greased bowl, turning once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until approximately doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough, cover once more, and let rise again for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough once or twice and divide into two equal portions. Cover the two pieces of dough with a damp towel and allow to relax for 20 minutes.

Shape the two portions of dough into the desired final shape and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat (I used a baguette pan). Cover again with a damp kitchen towel and let rise until approximately doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Just before placing the loaves in the oven, brush or spray them lightly with water. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes before rotating them. Bake another 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200 F. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from The Fresh Loaf via Annie’s Eats

Souvlaki Gyros

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Souvlaki Gyros

Chicken gyros have long been one of my favorite meals to make at home – not to mention one of my most popular posts here on the site. Last summer, at a friend’s cookout, our good friend Pete (who happens to be Greek) make some delicious soulvaki kabobs to throw on the grill and share with everyone. I was completely blown away with the flavor, and couldn’t wait to try them out for myself in place of the chicken in my gyro recipe.

I used a boneless pork butt that I trimmed and cut down into bite-sized pieces, but a tenderloin would be fine as well – if you wanted a little less prep work. It’s a very basic marinade of lemon juice, red wine vinegar, plenty of garlic and oregano, and olive oil. It requires a longer soak time than the chicken, but the tenderness of the meat and flavor you get in the end product are well worth it in the long run!

It’s skewered then thrown on the grill. Once the meat was cooked we piled it into warm homemade pita bread, topped with a cool and creamy tzatziki sauce, and topped with lots of fresh veggies. We all agreed that we liked it as much, if not more, than the chicken version. It’s something fun and different for cookouts this summer, and one that I know we’ll be making again and again. Opa!

Souvlaki Gyros

3 lb boneless pork shoulder or butt
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 batch tzatziki sauce
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
sliced cucumbers
lettuce
Pocketless pita bread (whole wheat version found here)

Trim the pork of most of the visible fat, and cut down into 1-inch chunks. Place in a gallon-sized reasealable plastic bag.

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the pork. Seal up and squeeze the bag to distribute the marinade and coat the pork. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinade at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.

Preheat the grill (or pan, or broiler) to medium-high heat. Place pork onto skewers (metal or wooden skewers that have been soaked) and place on hot grill. Cook for about about 10 minutes per side, until nicely charred on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from grill to a serving platter, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm your pita bread on the grill or in the oven. Top the pita with the pork, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

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Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Guys, this is one of my favorite side dishes of all time – and frankly I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it here on the blog. Slow roasted garlic, butter, fresh parsley, and tender red potatoes mashed up into a delicious heap of goodness.

It’s a nice change of pace from the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, and the flavor is just wonderful. It takes a little bit more time and forethought, as you have to roast the garlic ahead of time before mashing the potatoes – but trust me, it’s worth it! Roasting the garlic, as opposed to just using garlic powder, really mellows and deepens the flavor – so it doesn’t have that harsh bite that many garlic mashed potatoes have.

I like to add parsley, for a little pop of color and bright flavor, but it’s great with other herbs as well – I’ve used some chopped rosemary and thyme in the past, and both were wonderful. This side dish would be great on your Easter table, paired with ham or turkey. Or, it’s always my go-to side to serve with a homey traditional dish like meatloaf. It’s a favorite in my family, and I know it will be one in yours as well.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

10-15 cloves garlic (about 1/4 cup), peeled
2 tsp olive oil
2 lbs red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup half and half
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place garlic cloves in a shallow ramekin or baking dish with the olive oil. Toss to coat. Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until garlic is golden brown. Remove from oven and turn off heat. When cool enough to handle, chop into relatively small pieces and set aside.

While garlic is roasting, prepare the potatoes. Fill a large dutch oven or saucepan with water, add 1 Tbsp of kosher salt and stir to combine. Using a potato peeler, remove about half of the skin from each potato. I usually take the strip off of the center, leaving some skin at the top and bottom. Cut potatoes in half vertically and place in the pot of water.

Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife – about 20 minutes. Remove to a colander and drain, then return to the pot and let sit on the stove, uncovered, for a few minutes to dry out.

Place the butter and half and half in a microwave-safe dish. Place in microwave and warm until butter is just melted – about 45 seconds.

Add the roasted garlic, as well as the melted butter mixture to the potatoes. Using a potato masher or pastry cutter, gently smash up the potatoes. You want them cohesive, but still a little but chunky. Add about 1 tsp of kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper, as well as the chopped parsley. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine. Season to taste with additonal salt and pepper if necessary before serving.