Random Saturday blogging, with added cupcakes

[rikibeth]

Dear Internet: you are failing to amuse me.

I even got up and did all the dishes, hoping that there would be something to amuse me when I came back, and still bupkiss.

Okay, the dishes only took me 20 minutes, even though I'd neglected them for a couple of days. There's something to be said for having a limited number of dishes in the house. Also, the Newbury Comics pint glasses are kind of threatening to take over the cabinet.

eternaleponine has been steadily eating through the treats I brought home yesterday. As she was in a minor car accident yesterday, she's entitled, I think. No serious injuries, although some bruises from the seat belt and some neck soreness. No damage that renders her car undriveable, although she now has to live with a slightly bent hood unless she wants the insurance to declare her car totalled. Low speed, other guy at fault.

The treats? There was a party yesterday, so I brought home some extra mini cannoli, a cream puff, and a bunch of lemon tarts where the cookie cups were too uneven to put out in public. See, I don't much like the pre-made mini tart shells from Sysco. I've determined that if I roll out my (Cook's Illustrated) holiday butter cookie dough, cut circles, and center the circles on the cups of an INVERTED mini muffin tin, they will, in five minutes in the oven, drape themselves down over the cups and bake into crispy goodness. Then, once they've cooled, assuming you've sprayed enough pan spray on the bottom of the pan, you can pry them off and there you are, yummy little tart shells. And there's less breakage than if you try to put cookie dough on the INSIDE of the muffin cups. However, some of them WILL break, or drape unevenly.

I keep these irregulars on purpose so I can fill them and set them aside so my co-workers can scarf them up without screwing up the count of GOOD ones. And, of course, bring some home.

I filled them with misia's lemon curd, which I've been making a lot of lately, both for little lemon tarts for parties, and for lemon meringue cupcakes, as suggested in the Demolition Desserts book. This is in no small part because the base cupcake is a BUTTERMILK cupcake, and I have most of a case of buttermilk that I should use up, because Irish soda bread did not sell as fast as I had hoped it would, so I didn't go through the entire case making that.

The other suggestion in the book was for Boston Cream cupcakes -- instead of filling with lemon curd and topping with meringue, fill with pastry cream and top with chocolate glaze. These also have sold well. I just wish I could make everyone understand that PASTRY CREAM IS PERISHABLE, and that as enticing as a stack of cupcakes under a cake dome might look, they CANNOT sit out on the counter.

trowa_barton gave me another idea: mojito cupcakes. Flavor the base cupcake with mint, fill with lime curd, frost with a rum-flavored glaze. Of course, maybe I just want to make lime curd.

Maybe if I get bored enough I'll see about cooking up a batch of dulce de leche, and fill some cupcakes with that.

Anyone have more filled-cupcake suggestions for me to play with?

Comments

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

I think the mojito cupcakes would fly out the door!

For a more playful, childlike take, how about pink lemonade cupcakes?

[kebbykate.livejournal.com]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[witchchild]

Mint cannoli and mojito cupcakes?

*turns into drool puddle*

[follybard.livejournal.com]

My palate has all the sophistication of a trailer-trash toddler's. Therefore, I think everything should be filled with peanut butter and then have chocolate on top. (Which I suppose is slightly better than filled with peanut butter and with jelly on top. Or vice versa.)

[lessthanpie]

I would eat peanut butter and jelly cupcakes!

[kebbykate.livejournal.com]

Peanut butter and chocolate ANYTHING is the very definition of yummy!

[pale-chartreuse.livejournal.com]

Cheesecake filled cupcakes.
Top with chocolate glaze similar to the Boston cream or top with strawberries or blueberries.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I would need to find a good no-bske cheesecake recipe, because my standard cheesecake would be dangerous raw and impossible to pipe baked.

Also, since I put out regular cheesecake every day, it might be redundant.

[tamidon.livejournal.com]

german's chocolate cupcakes would rock and the goo in Cook's illustrated is easy and yum

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Any chance you have time to post a lemon curd recipe? I had some AMAZING lemon curd with scones and clotted cream last weekend. I'd love to know how to make my own. Especially if I could also learn how to use it to make other things. Especially lemon meringue ANYTHING. :)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The recipe I use is here:

http://misia.livejournal.com/662923.html

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

I went looking on my own, too, and found this recipe.

*Drool*

Now when I actually have some energy to cook, I know what I'll be making. :)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The Lady Bird Johnson recipe is very close to the lemon bar recipe I make at work.

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Good to know. :)

Man, I can't wait to have the energy to cook again. Because now I'm HUNGRY. :)

[medraxellion.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm, I really want to taste some of your cupcakes. They sound so good. *is a wreck in the kitchen*

also, did you hear BM has another show at the same venue in Cambridge on June 30th?

Cupcake fantasies

[kebbykate.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmmm.....

Chocolate cake with pastry cream and chocolate cream. (Because Boston cream is yellow cake, right?)

Chocolate cake with a creamy raspberry filling and chocolate glaze/ganache/goo with a lone rasberry on top!

My mom used to make a really yummy, but dense, Harvey Wallbanger bundt cake. I remember it as basically a yellow or pound-type cake with mucho booze. Oh, it was good. I can ask her for the key flavoring agents...

Grammy J makes a pistachio-flavored cake with a basic sugar glaze.

How about something citrusy? Like an orange or lemon cake with another citrus flavor glaze, and put a sour citrus jellybean on the top. I'm imagining little cupcakes that look like jewels...

Re: Cupcake fantasies

[egwenna.livejournal.com]

Ooo... that sounds yummy and I like the jewel tone idea for spring.

[ashbet]

OOoohhhh. Mojito cupcakes sound amazing!

-- A <3

More Cupcakes!

[kebbykate.livejournal.com]

I saw bananas foster on a restaurant menu the other day and it made me think of your cupcakes. No, not a banana cupcake flambe, but definitely the tastes of banana and rum and brown sugar. How about those together?

And then I thought of banana cream in a cupcake with a glaze on top and crushed nilla wafers...

Re: More Cupcakes!

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Any banana themed cupcakes will have to be done by special order or else a SERIOUS miscalculation in how many bananas we ordered for the week. I already make banana bread every day, and it is a sore trial to me, because the smell of bananas gives me the heaves.