Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes

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Becky, an old friend from high school came across a recipe for a Mexican spiced chocolate cupcake a few weeks ago, and passed the recipe along to me. I couldn’t wait to try them! A heavy dose of delicious spices are added to the batter to make them sing of spice. It’s funny how spice can be like that, isn’t it? Spicy doesn’t necessarily mean hot!

Ancho chile powder for a punch of smoke, cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat, and of course cinnamon to round everything out and kick the spice factor into the next stratosphere. These cupcakes were very different, but very well received. The first and foremost thing you taste is definitely the cinnamon – but the other additions are there, simmering on the back burner. The original recipe called for a ganache topping, but I opted for a buttercream instead, and loved the outcome!

If you have a hard time finding ancho chile powder, do what I do – and just grind your own. Dried peppers are a great thing to have on hand in your pantry. A ton of flavor, and they never go bad! If you’re looking for something different, try these cupcakes – they won’t disappoint!

Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa
1/3 cup freshly brewed coffee
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sticks, for garnish (optional)

For the frosting:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine the butter, cocoa, coffee and 1/3 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until the butter melts, about 1 minute.  Whisk to combine.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ancho powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.  Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.  Whisk the hot cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir in the sour cream mixture just to combine; don’t overmix.
Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds of the way full with batter.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tin.  Cool on the rack completely.

To make the frosting, cream butter in an electric mixer on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Then add cocoa powder, ancho powder, and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until combined.  Gradually add in the milk and powdered sugar, alternately, until combined.  Then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes.  (Add in more powdered sugar if consistency is too thin). Frost cupcakes as desired, and garnish with a half a cinnamon stick.

Yields: about 12 cupcakes

Source: cupcake recipe from Food Network, frosting adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Strawberry Chipotle Jam

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It’s been a trying week in my kitchen, and it’s only Wednesday. To start out the weekend, I discovered the door to our stand up freezer in the basement was left ajar for a couple of days. It needed a good cleaning out anyways, but still, talk about a waste. Then, to make matters worse, when cooking dinner on Friday evening – the propane tank that fuels the cook top ran out. We only have to have it filled once a year, and I guess it just slipped my mind. That meant going until Monday without a propane delivery. Thankfully, we have a beast of a grill with a handy side burner. It’s saved our butts more times than I can count when we’ve been without electricity for an extended period of time.

However, one thing that I couldn’t do on my trusty grill was preserve the 15 lbs of strawberries we picked on Saturday afternoon. So, we went over to my Mom’s house yesterday to can, and it was a great afternoon. Mom always enjoys spending time with the boys, and it was nice not to have them pulling on my apron strings when I was in the process of canning. Hot jars + boiling water + toddlers just makes me nervous!

I couldn’t be happier with how this jam turned out. At first taste, it’s pure delicious strawberry.  But, comin’ up from behind is a lovely smokey, slow burn from the chipotles. I intended to do one batch of this, and one batch of a traditional strawberry jam. But, I loved this so much that I went ahead and did a double batch. I can’t wait to try it mixed into BBQ sauce, brushed onto grilled pork, or making a fun dipping sauce for coconut shrimp. Definitely plan on entering this one into my local fair come August!

Strawberry Chipotle Jam

6 cups strawberries, washed and halved
1 (7 oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo (I used about 3/4 of a can)
6 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin

In a food processor or blender, process the chilis and berries in a food processor (pulse), being careful not to over process, you want some pieces of berry. Pour berry mixture, lemon juice, and pectin into a large pot.

Cook, over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

Immediately pour the hot jam into hot jars and put the lids on. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Source: adapted from SB Canning and The Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving

“Animal” Double Doubles

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Have you ever had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful state of California? We went a couple years ago to see my mother-in-law in Ventura, and had the time of our lives! Everything that you’ve heard about it in books, movies, and television – is completely true. Gorgeous weather, sweeping vistas, sprouts galore, and rubbing elbows with movie stars…

Okay, maybe it was more like standing in line behind them at Magic Mountain, but whatever. For the record, Breckin Meyer is just as cute in person. We had a great time visiting the LA Farmer’s Market and Grand Central Market (very ethnic. Lamb head, anyone?), Pink’s Hot Dogs and all the other cheesy Hollywood stuff, the pier at Santa Monica, and of course no California trip would be complete without a trip to In-N-Out.

They are a small burger establishment, that has a bit of a cult following. And, for good reason. Their menu is limited; burgers, hand-cut fries, and shakes. If you’re looking for a chicken sandwich, salad or a Happy Meal, you won’t find it there. Nothing is frozen – everything is prepared fresh to order. They also have a “secret” menu, with things that are not found on the ordinary menu. One of which, and probably the most popular, is the “Animal Style”. A homemade special sauce similar to Thousand Island, dill pickle slices, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and mustard – which is seared directly onto the burger patty on the grill, and the pièce de résistance, plenty of grilled onions. “Double double” refers to two beef patties, instead of one. In the past few years, they’ve branched out to a couple neighboring states – but nowhere near here! I read their rule of thumb is it has to be within a day’s drive of corporate headquarters?

At any rate, I was in love – ate as many as we could before we had to return to the East coast. We came home, and I turned up pregnant a month or so later. Biggest craving of that pregnancy? You guessed it! Thankfully, the good people at Serious Eats had done a whole writeup about it. I bookmarked it, but never got around to making it. Last week, Maya at Alaska From Scratch posted them and it jogged my memory. I rearranged the menu plan for the week to make room for these burgers, and am so thankful that I did. They were spot on!  Going down in the recipe books for sure. While I can’t wait to get back to California for everything else under the sun, at least I’m not wanting for In-N-Out anymore!

“Animal Style” Double Double

makes 2 double cheeseburgers

For the sauce:
2T + 2t mayonnaise
1T ketchup
2t sweet pickle relish
1/2t distilled vinegar
1/2t sugar

For the onions:
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil, for frying
salt
water

For the burgers:
1 lb ground beef, formed into four 1/4 lb patties
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 slices American cheese
8 dill pickle chips
1 tomato, thickly sliced
Iceburg lettuce leaves, torn into bun size pieces
Hamburger buns, no seeds, toasted

For the sauce, combine ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside (or cover and refrigerate until ready to use).

For the onions, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, coat with oil and salt generously. Cook, stirring and tossing often, adding small amounts of water (1T at a time) whenever onions appear to be dried out (you’ll need to add water several times). Cook 10-15 minutes until onions are very soft and browned. Set aside.

To make the burgers, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Toast the interior of the buns in the hot pan. Place into a 200 degree oven to keep warm. Season the patties with salt and pepper. Place into hot pan. While they cook on the first side, spread 1T of mustard onto the raw sides of the patties. Flip. Place a cheese slice on each patty. Remove patties from pan when cheese is well melted and burgers are cooked through.

To assemble, on the bottom bun, spread a generous amount of the sauce. Top with 4 pickle chips followed by tomato and lettuce, then burger patties. Place the grilled onions directly on top of the cheese. Complete with top bun and serve.

Source: adapted from Serious Eats via Alaska From Scratch

Stuffed Artichokes

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I don’t watch a lot of “trash” TV, but I will admit that “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” (and various other sundry cities) is a guilty pleasure of mine. The new season started last night, so to mark the occasion, I made a dish from Teresa Giudice’s second book, Fabulicious. She’s full of herself, talks a lot of smack, and is completely wonky – but hey, what woman on those series of shows honestly isn’t? Surprisingly, the recipes that I’ve tried from her book have been good. A super quick marinara, which I’ve made a couple of times, and will be sharing later this week. And, these stuffed artichokes – which were absolutely delicious. A perfect side dish or light main course for the summer months!

Last weekend I went to see Titanic in 3D with an old friend, the very same friend I saw it with 6 times in the theater. I had to drive 3 hours to get to an IMAX theater (go big or go home – right?), so I took the opportunity to stop by Trader Joe’s on the way home to stock up on pantry staples. Artichokes are in season right now, so I picked up 4 and brought them home. I also picked up one of their artisan red wine salamis – they are so good diced up and topping a Greek salad, or in a pasta salad. Or, in stuffed artichokes.

I followed the recipe, up until the point of cooking method. I decided to bake them, as opposed to cooking them in a dutch oven on the stove top. Some other recipes called for parboiling the artichokes first, but I didn’t bother with that. Just let them bake a little longer. The sauce that forms in the bottom of the baking dish was absolutely delicious. Perfect to scoop up with the artichoke leaves you pull off to eat one by one. Will definitely be making these again, everyone really enjoyed them!

Stuffed Artichokes

4 large artichokes
1 lemon, halved
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 oz dry Italian sausage or hard salami, diced small
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (for topping)

Preheat oven to 425. To prep the artichokes, cut off the stems so they sit securely in the baking dish. Trim off and discard 1 inch of leaves from the top of each artichoke. Using kitchen shears, snip off the thorny tips from the remaining leaves. As you work, rub the cut surfaces with the cut side of the lemon half to keep the artichoke from discoloring.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, sausage, parsley, Romano cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Working with one artichoke at a time, using your fingers, pack 1/4 of the filling between the outer layers of the tougher leaves, spreading the leaves as best you can. Press and remaining stuffing over the top of the artichoke. Place into baking dish.

Combine the marinara and 1 cup water, and pour into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the artichokes can be pierced easily with a knife.

Remove from oven, and turn on broiler. Top artichokes with Parmesan cheese, and return to the oven to broil for about 1 minute – until cheese is starting to brown.

Transfer each artichoke and some sauce to a bowl and serve warm.

Source: adapted from Fabulicious! by Teresa Giudice