Ever since I discovered how simple it is to fill cupcakes I have become obsessed with creating multi-component mini cakes. The added layers of complexity take an already delicious treat from a “yum” moment to a “wow” moment. Or, if you’re lucky, a “wow-I-can’t-breath-because-I’m-too-busy-shoving-this-amazing-cupcake-in-my-mouth” moment.

When I was challenged with creating a cupcake rendition of the German classic Black Forest cake I set right to work. The essential makings of a Black Forest cake are chocolate cake, whipped cream and cherries. The chocolate cake aspect was easy as I already have my perfect chocolate cupcake recipe memorized. I decided to keep the filling simple by using pre-made cherry preserves to give me more time to focus on the whipped cream, but you can certainly make the cherry preserves yourself if you are feeling extra ambitious.

Before getting to the whipped cream topping I knew these cupcakes had to have a little something extra. Although the cupcakes are chocolate I wanted something additional since more chocolate is always better. The most delightful chocolate ganache was hardened on the top of each cupcake to create a wonderful hard shell to contrast the lightness of the fluffy frosting, while also helping cover up the incision marks from filling the cupcakes.

Then onto the final piece: the whipped cream. The whipped cream would have to be light and airy, while still being sturdy enough to act as a frosting for the cupcake. With a bit of tinkering I achieved the perfect texture and was soon piping it into my mouth. I mean onto the cupcakes. Topped with some shaved chocolate and a fresh cherry the Black Forest cupcakes were completed. When you make these cupcakes be sure to admire their beauty before serving them as they won’t last very long!

Black Forest Cupcakes

 

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Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

for the cupcakes

• 1 batch Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
• 1½ cups cherry preserves
• 1 cup chocolate ganache
• 1 ounce chocolate
• 24 cherries

for the frosting

• 1 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Directions

for the cupcakes

1. Using a cupcake corer, apple corer, or knife create a large cavity in the center of each cupcake. Reserve the top of the removed cupcake piece. Fill the cavity with a tablespoon of the cherry preserves. Place the top of the removed cupcake piece on top of the cherry preserves to seal the cupcake back up. Place the cupcakes in the fridge to chill.
2. Remove the cupcakes from the fridge and carefully pour chocolate ganache over the top of each cupcake to coat it. It’s okay if it doesn’t look pretty because it’s going to be topped with frosting. Place it in the fridge for the ganache to harden.

for the frosting

1. Whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and lemon extract in a metal bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Transfer to medium bowl then chill in the fridge.
2. Clean out the bowl of the stand mixer and chill with the whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. Once the bowl has had a chance to chill, whip the heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks start to form, but be sure not to over-beat the cream or it will break. Remove the bowl of cream cheese mixture from the fridge and gently fold in the whipped cream.
3. Remove the ganache-topped cupcakes from the fridge. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round thick tip with the frosting. Hold the pastry tip over the center of a cupcake and squeeze until a large dollop covers most of the cupcake. Using a microplane, shave some chocolate over the whipped cream frosting and top with a cherry. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes. Store in the fridge until serving.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I wasn’t always a chocolate ice cream person. During the years of my youth I was a vanilla ice cream gal. Well, my true preference was a chocolate-vanilla swirl, but you can’t always have it all. When forced to decide between chocolate and vanilla at the hands of ice cream or no ice cream, clearly a situation of life or death, I would choose vanilla.

Sometime during my preteen years I smartened up and converted to my current chocolate ice cream ways. I like to attribute the switch to me being older and wiser, but it was probably due to hormones. Lets stick with the older and wiser thing though.

Now I don’t have anything against vanilla ice cream. I love vanilla ice cream. I try not to discriminate against any flavors of the frozen sugary variety, unless it’s mint ice cream. What is that monstrosity? Anyways, all I’m saying is that all vanilla based ice creams are better in chocolate form. Chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream and peanut butter cup ice cream are all delicious vanilla based ice creams. But put them against chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate cookies and cream and chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream? Not even close!

Today I’m sharing a rich and chocolate-filled ice cream. Double chocolate chip ice cream. The question becomes is it chocolate ice cream with extra added chips or is it a vanilla based chocolate chip classic turned to the delicious dark side? The answer, my friends, is both. In my humble chocolate obsessed opinion there is no better way to improve upon a vanilla based ice cream than by turning it into a chocolate based ice cream, and there is no better way to upgrade a chocolate ice cream than by adding even more chocolate. So where do you stand in the oldest debate of time: chocolate or vanilla?

Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

 

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Yield: about 1 quart

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 5 ounces semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder. Whisk until the cocoa is blended then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer for 30 seconds, whisking continuously.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat before adding the chopped chocolate and stirring until smooth. Add the remaining cup of cream, stir, then pour the whole mixture into a large bowl. Place a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
3. Using the same saucepan combine the milk, sugar and salt over medium heat until warm. In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks then slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan. Constantly stir the mixture over medium heat with a heatproof spatula making sure to scrape the bottom and not let any clumps form. Continue stirring until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it through the mesh strainer into the large bowl with the chocolate mixture. Stir until combined then mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Insert the bowl into an ice bath and continue stirring until cool.
6. Chill the mixture in the fridge. Once cold, pour into your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions. During the last 5 minutes pour in the cup of chocolate chunks.

Notes

I prefer to use Ghiradelli chocolate.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I promise these are real mashed potatoes. They aren’t secretly pumpkin cupcakes or some bizarre looking vanilla cotton candy. It’s April 24^th, not April 1^st. There is, however, a surprise to these mashed potatoes. They don’t taste like any mashed potatoes you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Sometimes expanding our tastebuds into unfamiliar territories is a good thing. This is one of those times.

When contemplating what to serve with Tuesday’s pacific halibut foil packets with shiitakes and snap peas I could only think of my two asian food standbys:  rice and noodles. Both seemed like fine, but very boring, options for a dish with a light and thin sauce. There was one comment on the original recipe that mentioned serving it with mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes and asian cuisine? It certainly seemed like an odd combination so of course I knew I had to try it.

The humble potato is pretty bland on its own and tends to take on whatever flavor profile it is intertwined with, usually butter, milk and salt for the purpose of mashed potatoes. Mimicking some of the asian flavors in the fish dish would, hopefully, provide the perfect complement. And it did! Success! These mashed potatoes were so uniquely tasty and I can’t wait to serve them with stir-fries, sesame chicken or even to jazz up a meal of simple grilled chicken.

I kept the side dish as healthy as one can when we’re talking about mashed potatoes by substituting Greek yogurt for the usual milk or cream. The potatoes are creamy with a strong nuttiness from the toasted sesame oil. Give it a shot and let your tastebuds venture into delicious unfamiliar territory.

Asian Sesame Mashed Potatoes

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• 4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan for 30 minutes, or until they are very tender. Drain the potatoes using a colander then place the cooked potatoes back in the pot.
2. Mash the potatoes very well then add the Greek yogurt, butter, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mash again until the potatoes are well mixed and fluffy. Adjust sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve hot.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Today is Earth Day! While I was brainstorming how Lemon & Mocha would celebrate Earth Day I determined that as delicious as cookies made to look like our green and blue planet might be they wouldn’t really capture the spirit of this environmental holiday. So, as cheesy as it sounds, I decided to make and share something that will have a minor impact on our environment. Certainly a very teeny minor impact, but an impact nonetheless.

It is rare that I cook fish in our house, mostly due to cost and Matt’s unfortunate high school homecoming incident with a salmon-scented outfit, but that’s a story for another day. Since I do not purchase much seafood I had never given the information about trying to purchase sustainable seafood much thought. When Matt and I were in Seattle last year we went on a food tour during which one segment the famous “fish guys” at Pike Place Market talked to the group about the importance of sustainable seafood.

Not all seafood is created equal. There are some seafood that are sourced from oceans or farms in a way that is negatively impacting the ecosystem and is not a viable long-term method for obtaining that seafood. By contrast, seafood that has been deemed sustainable is coming from sources that are not harming the seafood’s environment and they have the ability to maintain or even increase production of the seafood.

Would I want to live in a world where I couldn’t have a fresh rainbow roll, grilled salmon or shrimp scampi? No thank you! Not to mention the disastrous effect it could have on the surrounding ecosystems if more seafood were to become extinct. Now I’m not suggesting we all write letters to unsustainable fish farms and boycott restaurants that aren’t serving sustainable seafood. But if, as consumers, we all made some easy swaps during our weekly grocery trips from an overfished seafood to a good sustainable option then our individual very teeny minor impacts would grow into much stronger impacts.

You can discover what are the best sustainable seafood options for your region using these handy printable sustainable guides published by Seafood Watch.

Pacific Halibut Foil Packets with Shiitakes & Snap Peas

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 4-ounce skinless pacific halibut fillets, or whatever light fish is sustainable for your region
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 6 thin lemon slices
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 4 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed and sliced on the diagonal about three or four times each.
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Tear off two large pieces of tin foil that will easily encase each fillet of fish. If you aren’t using non-stick foil, lightly spray the foil with cooking spray before laying down the piece of fish. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter onto each fillet then top each fillet with three slices of lemon. Turn in the sides of the foil then close the top before tightly sealing it into a little foil packet. Place the foil packets on a baking dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
3. Meanwhile heat the remaining two tablespoons of butter over medium heat, swirling frequently, until it turns golden brown in color, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the sliced peas, as well as 1 tablespoon of water, and cook for about 4 minutes. The peas should be bright green.
5. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, then add the toasted sesame seeds.
6. To serve, lay the halibut fillets on a serving dish or individual plates, top with some of the liquid from the foil packet, then top with the shiitake and pea stir-fry.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

As excited as I am for the light and fresh ingredients of spring, I will definitely miss the cozy meals and rich flavors of winter. I decided to create a dish that would be a farewell to winter, as well as a welcoming hello to spring, if it ever decides to show itself up here in New England.

This pumpkin risotto with roast asparagus is creamy, robust and bright. The pumpkin flavor makes an appearance without overpowering the dish and the crisp asparagus complements the texture of the risotto. Now I’m about to get all product placement on you, but you’re used to my obsessive ravings by now. It is duly noted and acknowledged that I have an outrageous infatuation with food that has blessed me the ability to spout for hours about the topic. It is not limited to ingredients and meals, but also extends to restaurants, cooking methods, food science and news, appliances, food trucks, tableware and the occasional Costco sample discussion.

One of my absolute favorite appliances, courtesy of my stepmom, is my Breville Risotto Plus. What is this contraption you ask? Well the real question is, what isn’t it? Well actually it’s not a lot of things because an appliance can only be so many things out of the realm of all things, so lets stick to the original question.

This beauty is a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute-er and a risotto maker. You can cook brown rice while your broccoli is steaming. You can saute onions and garlic for a slow cooker meal without getting a second pan dirty. You can make risotto without constantly adding liquid and stirring. I’ll let that soak in for a second.

So Risotto Plus or no Risotto Plus, you should make this creamy risotto today and experience the flavors of winter and spring coming together.

Pumpkin Risotto with Roast Asparagus

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1¾ cups Aborio (risotto rice)
• 2 cups white wine
• 3 cups hot vegetable stock
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1 pound asparagus
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. reheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large pot over medium heat melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until hot. Add the shallots and crushed garlic. Cook until the shallots have softened, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Stir in the white wine, cover and let simmer until the wine has mostly been absorbed, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Stir in 1 cup of the hot vegetable stock and let simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring frequently. Repeat with the second and third cups of hot vegetable stock. When the third cup has been mostly, but not completely absorbed by the rice, stir in the pumpkin puree. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted then season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. While the risotto is cooking, roast the asparagus. Remove the thick ends of the asparagus, cutting or snapping the bottom inch or two off each spear. Lay the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with the other tablespoon of olive, then season with salt, pepper, and the Italian seasoning. Roast until the asparagus are tender, yet still firm, about 10 minutes. Cut each spear into thirds or fourths, depending on the length, for serving.
6. To serve, top each bowl of risotto with some cut asparagus spears and freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

*If you are using the Breville Risotto Plus, follow these simple changes. Instead of sautéing the shallots and garlics in a large pot, sauté them in the Risotto Plus on the sauté setting. Then, don’t complete step 4. Instead, after the wine has been absorbed, stir in the vegetable stock, which does not have to be hot, and the pumpkin puree. Cover with the lid and turn the risotto setting on. When it switches to warm, about 20-30 minutes later, stir in the Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste, then continue onto step 5.
*Use whatever white wine you have on hand for the recipe. I usually recommend to not use your best white wine, but still one that you wouldn’t mind drinking a glass of.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments