Pumpkin Spice Almond Roca

"Well, isn't it splendid & rather toffee?.."
~Stephen Fry

It's that time of the year when everything pumpkin spice jumps out from behind every corner, seeps out of every shadow, and insinuates itself into coffees, cakes, candy, etc.

It's important to do our part. And that means homemade. Because homemade is always better.

This is actually a very easy recipe. Because it's toffee. And toffee is just candy made by caramelizing sugar and butter. And caramelizing just means you boil it. So have no fear.

Pumpkin Spice Almond Roca

1½ cups coarsely-chopped almonds

8 ounces light brown sugar

8 ounces white granulated sugar
1¾ cups unsalted butter
1/4 cup pumpkin spice syrup
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
24 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Spread 3/4 cup of the chopped almonds onto a large (17x11-inch) baking sheet with sides. (I line mine with baking parchment to prevent sticking.) Set aside.

Combine the sugars, butter, pumpkin spice syrup, and pumpkin pie spice to a medium saucepan.

Over medium high heat, stirring frequently for several minutes, combine mixture unit bubbly and thick. Use a candy thermometer and cook until 290° F. (Watch carefully after 280° F to prevent the caramel from burning.) Once it has reached 290° F remove from the heat.

Pour and spread in an even layer over the chopped almonds on the cookie sheet.

Combine the chocolate and oil in a double boiler. Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread evenly over the caramel layer and then sprinkle with the remaining almonds.

Allow the candy to set for a few hours before breaking into yummy pieces.

Enjoy!

Mocha Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Icing

"A cake for all is not a celebration of one. Cupcakes are the ultimate birthday cake."~Jarod Kintz

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."

~T. S. Eliot

My daughter, the middle child, was very adamant about one detail for her third birthday party: pink cupcakes. For six months she would point out things that were pink and declare that that was the proper pink for her cupcakes or she would exclaim that a particular cupcake - in a store or bakery - would be perfect if it were only pink. And she worried over it. She thought that somehow I would forget this important detail, that I would make her fruit cake or bran muffins or something not pink. 

Of course I made her pink cupcakes. Strawberry cupcakes. Very pink strawberry cupcakes. With ice-white frosting and pink sugar sprinkles. And they were good. Damn good.

But this post is not about those pink cupcakes.

This post is about cupcakes inspired by the pink cupcakes.

I have flirted with the idea of coffee frosting for quite sometime. It was something that had an abstract appeal, but an idea I never pursued. For some reason the baking of 48 pink cupcakes took that abstract thought and made me want to make it a reality. Not only would I make coffee icing but I would make coffee cupcakes. (I have no idea why baking a bunch of cupcakes made me want to make more cupcakes, but there you go...)

It was not an easy task.

I didn't want just a coffee-flavoured spread on top of a regular yellow cupcake. No. The whole experience needed to be coffeesque. From creamy top to fluffy, delicate bottom I wanted these to be all about the coffee. But in a balanced way.

My first try was a disaster. I ended up with misshapen brownie-textured muffins that fused to the pan. Tasty though.

My second try was a bit better. The cakes rose beautifully, turned a gorgeous brown, and proceeded to collapse in on themselves like some dying star. I could fill the black hole cakes with something and call them dessert cups. But they were worthless as cupcakes.

Third times a charm they say.

I abandoned my usual cupcake stock recipe and I went chiffon.

If you are unfamiliar with a chiffon cake they differ from a traditional cake by replacing butter with vegetable oil. Of course it is impossible to beat enough air into oil to achieve the lightness of butter so, like a foam cake, beaten egg whites are folded into the batter to give the cake a soft, fluffy texture. The high oil and egg content makes for a very moist cake that does not harden or dry out as much as traditional butter cakes.

The results were amazing.

Mocha Coffee Cupcakes

4 oz cake flour*

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup hot water

1 1/4 -ounce cocoa powder

1 1/2 Tbs instant coffee powder

5 large eggs

6 oz sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat your oven to 325º F and line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl combine the hot water, cocoa powder, and instant coffee. Whisk to thoroughly combine.

Separate your eggs and put the egg yolks and five ounces of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Whisk on high until the mixture becomes pale yellow, about two minutes. 

Add the cocoa mixture, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and whisk just to combine.

Set this coffee-chocolaty goodness aside.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the remaining ounce of sugar. Once it's all combined, increase the speed back to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, approximately two minutes.

Take about a third of the egg whites and add it to the chocolate batter, whisking it until well combined. 

Add another third of the egg whites and mix gently but completely. 

Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them into the batter. (It's OK if there are white streaks in your batter. This is preferable to over-mixing the egg whites.)

You should have a super cream, fluffy batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.

This task is made infinitely easier if you have a variety of sizes of dishers. They make almost any batter task easier and less messy.

Place the filled muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

*Cake flour is important in when making a chiffon. But you probably don't have any on hand. No worries, it is easy enough to make a substitute. All you need is all-purpose flour and cornstarch.

Take one cup of all-purpose flour and remove two tablespoons. Take two tablespoons of cornstarch and add it to the all-purpose flour. Now sift it. And sift it again. And again. And again. And one more time. You have to make certain that the flour and corn starch are mixed together thoroughly and sifting it five times will help do just that.

Coffee Buttercream Icing

6 oz unsalted butter, room temperature

2 oz shortening

1 whole egg, room temperature

1 lb confectioners' sugar

1 Tbs milk, room temperature

1 Tbs instant coffee powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl combine the vanilla, milk and coffee powder. Set aside. Put the butter and shortening into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, cream on high until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined, approximately 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix on low - unless you like powdered sugar all over your kitchen - until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, adding powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until all of it has been combined. Add the vanilla-coffee mixture and continue to beat until the icing is light and smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

If the icing is too thick you can add milk, a teaspoon at a time, to relax it a bit. If it is too liquid you can add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to thicken it.

Now you get to ice your cupcakes.

I used a icing bag, but icing the cupcakes with an icing spatula will work just as well.

I added some sprinkles by putting some coffee beans and cocoa nibs in a hand mill and grinding them over the iced cupcakes.

These cupcakes are very light and delicate and full of flavour. The coffee-falvour is very evident, but not over-powering and these pair well with coffee (Go figure!) or tea.

Enjoy! And if you give these a try let me know how they turned out.

Oatmeal Brûlée

"...now and then a giggling trail of mermaids appeared in our wake. We fed them oatmeal."― Tove Jansson, Moominpappa's Memoirs

Oatmeal is simple. Sometimes too simple to give it much notice.

However simple, there is a lot to like about oatmeal. There's the beta-glucan. And the complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fibre. Loads of B vitamins. Our very own FDA has said it is A-Okay for companies selling oatmeal to claim that it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet. Loaded with more calories than most other types of porridge, oatmeal also encourages slow digestion and stabilizes blood-glucose levels.

And it tastes pretty darn good. 

Oh, oatmeal and oats have detractors, certainly.

Samuel Johnson was no fan. In his dictionary definition for oats he wrote: "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."

In response, Lord Elibank retorted, "Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?"

Touché, Mr. Murray. Touché.

The simple, underrated, and oft-unappreciated oatmeal can be a bit more gourmet with just a scant bit of effort. It's easy, with just a little nudge, to give it a bit more je ne sais quoi.

And why not?

If you are going to make oatmeal you might as well go fancy. And so here, for your enjoyment and epicurean enlightenment, is the deceptively easy Oatmeal Brûlée. No blowtorch required.

(If you feel so inclined and want to impress, you can certainly call this Flocons D'avoine Brûlée. But keep in mind that's just fancy-speak for Burnt Oat Flakes. Sometimes less is more.)

Oatmeal Brûlée
1½ Cups water

1 Cup milk
1½ Cup oatmeal (either Old Fashioned or quick cooking)

1 large egg
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 Cup heavy cream
Fruit for topping (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350º F. Generously butter four small ramekins.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the water and milk and one tablespoon of the brown sugar to boil. Add the oatmeal and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook oatmeal for approximately five minutes until desired texture is reached.

While the oatmeal is cooking, mix the egg with the remaining two tablespoons of brown sugar and the cream. Beat well with a whisk.

When the oatmeal is cooked, spoon equal amounts into each of the prepared dishes, leaving enough room to add the egg mixture on top of each.

Top off each ramekin with the prepared egg mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the top of each dish with powdered sugar. Continue to bake for 15 minutes more or until liquid is set and the top is slightly browned. 

Garnish with fruit of your choice and dust with more powdered sugar.

Serve warm.

Bon Appétit.

Simple Raspberry Tart

"Ethyl formate, which gives raspberries their flavour and smells of rum, has now been found in deep space. Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries.

~Ian Sample

Sometimes the best dessert is the simplest dessert. And this raspberry tart is just that: simple. Easy to prepare, it is a perfect "fancy" dessert that looks a lot harder than it is.

And....go!

Crust:

1 Cup flour
2 Tbs sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 Cup cold butter
1 Tbs white vinegar

Raspberry filling:
2 pints fresh raspberries, divided
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add the vinegar and mix until moistened. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Arrange one pint of the raspberries over the crust. Combine the sugar and flour. Sprinkle even over the raspberries. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400° F for one hour or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven. Arrange and press the remaining berries in a single layer over top. 

Cool before serving. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosted Chocolate Brownies

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

 ~Ernestine Ulmer

The chocolate brownie is a uniquely American dessert. As with many things American, the history of this  cake-cookie synthesis is steeped in myth and legend. In some stories it was a cook who forgot to add flour to a cake recipe, in another a cook who accidentally added melted chocolate to biscuit dough, in another, the most popular, it was a harried housewife forced to improvise a dessert when she realised she was out of baking powder.

According to Chicago's Palmer House Hotel, a hotel chef created the now quotidian but still beloved dessert for Bertha Palmer who wanted a dessert easily eaten from boxed lunches. These first brownies, still being made at the hotel according to the original recipe, featured an apricot glaze and walnuts.

Mistake or willful creation for a ladies' fair, chocolate brownies are part of Americana.

This manifestation is a rich, decadent, sumptuous dessert. Not your mother's picnic brownies, these opulent chocolate squares are topped with a delicious peanut butter buttercream.

Chocolate Brownies

6 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp brewed coffee
1½ tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter a 9-by-9-inch pan and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and chocolate and heat over low heat until melted and smooth. Add the sugars and whisk to combine. The batter will be a bit grainy. Whisk in the coffee and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs. Add the flour and gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan. 

Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and the center is just set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean. You want these to be a bit gooey, so don't over bake.

Allow them to cool for at least one hour before frosting them.

Peanut Butter Buttercream
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ to 2 cups confectioner's sugar
Pinch of salt to taste
Sprinkles (I use mini chocolate and peanut butter chips and chocolate sprinkles)

Combine the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high for about two minutes. Add the vanilla, 1½ cups confectioner's sugar, and salt. Beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add more confectioner's sugar if you want a thicker frosting. You don't want the frosting to be runny, but try to avoid making it stiff as that makes it harder to spread.

Spread the frosting generously and evenly over the brownies and add the sprinkles. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

"A porkchop in the kitchen is a porkchop; a porkchop in Proust is Proust."
~William Gaso

Cooking is both a science and an art, heavy on the art. But the beauty of that science and art is that it can be simple. It does not have to be complicated.

Take the humble pork chop. Suitable for roasting, grilling, frying, or baking. Pork has a light flavour which lends itself readily to taking on the savouriness of marinades and vegetables. Cooked the right way, pork is incredibly juicy. You can make a production of preparing pork chops, or you can keep things simple. And with summer upon us, grilling gives the perfect medium to prepare simple, yet flavourful chops.

The beauty of this recipe is that it provides a marinade, a glaze, and a sauce all in one swoop! 

Brown Sugar Marinade/Glaze/Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
4 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil. In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk the corn starch water into the brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Remove from heat.

Pour about 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture into a shallow glass dish with enough for six pork chops - thick chops, not thin (thin chops are great for frying, but dry out far too fast for grilling) - to have some room between them. Gently place the chops into the dish and then turn them, lightly coating both sides. Let sit, covered in the refrigerator for half an hour to an hour.

When you are ready to grill, prepare your charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (the temperature inside the grill should be 350°F to 375°F). Brush and oil the grill grate.

Place the pork chops on the grill and sear, turning once, until grill-marked on both sides. Move the chops to an indirect-heat area - not directly over the hottest coals or over a burner - and cover the grill. Cook until somewhat firm to the touch or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a chop reads 145°F. This takes about 15 minutes.

Right before you remove the chops from the grill, brush them again with the brown sugar mixture and let the glaze set.

Transfer the chops to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve, drizzled with the remaining brown sugar mixture, with boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables. Enjoy!