we all scream for ice cream!

ok it's not even summer and it's miserable here in baton rouge already, so off I went to buy an ice cream maker. I'll admit I did no research on which was best for what but I saw some cute Cuisinart ones at Sur la Table at Perkins Rowe and to clinch my decision I had 10.00 dollars off thanks to frequent trips there so I got one for about 40.00 dollars. After a few tries I mixed a few recipes together to come up what I think and my boyfriend agrees is a real winner, banana ice cream with bittersweet chocolate chunks. The recipe is the so simple yet so perfect so here goes just in time for summer.

banana ice cream with bittersweet chocolate chunks

2 cups low fat milk ( I used Kleinpeter K+)
1 can of condensed milk
1 pint of heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
3 small ripe bananas
1/2 bar of high grade bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

-mix together condensed milk and bananas then add vanilla
-stir in heavy cream and milk
-add to ice cream mixer and mix until slushy
-add chopped chocolate and continue until desired firmness.

this makes approximately 6 cups of ice cream or 12 1/2 cup servings
stats for 12 1/2 cup servings
275 calories
20.5 grams of fat
1 gram of fiber
23.5 grams of carbohydrate

Best Cupcakes so Far!

This is a recipe I made up tonight. I was in the mood for something coffee flavored that reminds me of my favorite muffin that I buy at the Saturday farmers market called a French Drip Muffin that is absolutely delicious. If you get out to the market you must find this muffin. Its a dense rich coffee infused muffin with semi-sweet chocolate chips. So longing for those and it being only Thursday I decided to give it try myself. I took a basic chocolate recipe added a Starbucks Via in Italian Roast and took out the bittersweet chocolate (not because I didn't think it would be great in the cupcake but because I forgot to buy it at the store, next time!)I made my standby cream cheese icing and added a little vanilla bean, almond extract and orange zest. The cupcake turned out really rich but light and I'll add the recipe soon.

Update! as promised

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

Ingredients:
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick of Starbucks Italian Roast Via instant coffee (any instant espresso can be used I had Via handy)
• 10 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• ½ cup of buttermilk (low fat is fine)
• 3 eggs, at room temperature separated
• 1 vanilla bean scraped

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant coffee and salt. Wisk egg whites together until frothy.
Stir in the eggs yolks one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and the buttermilk ending with the flour mixture; do not over mix. Gently fold in egg whites.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Frost cupcakes with cream cheese and orange zest frosting and serve. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.) Makes 12 cupcakes.
Cream Cheese and Orange Zest Frosting
• 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• ½ of a vanilla bean scraped
• 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest
Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar adding one cup at a time until frosting is at spreadable consistency add vanilla and orange zest. Decorate with long threads of orange zest.

Banana cupcake update

OK I took the cupcakes to work for the reviews. They went over well the frosting was a super hit and a definite keeper. The cupcake tended to be more of a muffin sort. I need to find a way to keep the flavor but lighten the texture and keep it simple but a bit more sophisticated. I'll keep you in the loop as try to achieve this ideal.

The Strands Cafe a review

From time to time I like to do food reviews. I'm hoping to one day to give up the drudgery of work and eat for a living, until then I submit a few reviews a month to Urbanspoon and Menuism. I'm including this one because you have to go there it is beyond exceptional and the family that owns/runs the place are some of the nicest and appreciative people you will ever meet and the food which is prepared there is great. I mean seriously where else in Baton Rouge can you get a Cubano and homemade Pavlova?? If you aren't familiar with a Cubano let me let you in on a something not to be missed, a Cubano is a wonderful Cuban style espresso with sugar beaten into it and its heaven or as close as I'm likely to get. All of the chocolates are handmade as are the pastries so check out this review and GO there immediately!


All I can say is this place is not to be missed. I have had the pleasure of visiting some great pastry and chocolate shops around the country and I'm always amazed that we have such a stellar establishment here in Baton Rouge. From the handmade chocolate to the delicious pastry and oh did I mention they have Cuban coffee, this is one of my very favorite places to indulge myself. Every chocolate is delicious and the pastries are fresh and offer something new each time I visit. But the food isn't the only reason to visit, the staff are awesome, they are gracious and inviting. Do yourself a favor and try it yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Banana cupcakes 101

I have been waiting all week for 2 bananas to ripen so I could try out this recipe for banana cupcakes. I was inspired by some "Best Thing I Ever Ate" episode where Ted Allen goes to Butter Lane for a banana cupcake. So i find this recipe at All Recipes that has all the things I think are needed for a great banana cupcake, of course I made some minor changes and list those to the side

Banana Cupcake CUPCAKES
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup banana, ripe and mashed well
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used and highly recommend half of a vanilla bean scraped with the back of knife)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used King Aurthur)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain fat-free yogurt (I used low-fat buttermilk
I added 1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest
FROSTING
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cream cheese,
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (again I used half of vanilla bean scraped)
I added 1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest ( this really gives it a fresh taste and mutes just slightly the sweetness of the bananas) as well as 1/8 of a cup of buttermilk and 1 tsp of lightly salted butter just to get things blended as I mixed everything by hand
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick spray. IMPORTANT: If you use paper liners, be sure to spray the insides of the liners or the cupcakes will stick!

CUPCAKES: Mix the mashed banana and 1/4 cup sugar and set aside.

Beat 1/2 cup sugar, butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract at medium speed of a mixer until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Now add banana mixture and beat well.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to wet mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing after each addition.

Bake at 350 deg. for about 25 minutes (mine were ready at about 22) or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

FROSTING: Beat powdered sugar, chilled cream cheese and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract at medium speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Use the back of a spoon to spread over cupcakes.
I mixed everything by hand with a large fork as I am saving up for a Kitchen Aide stand mixer and refuse to by a hand mixer! Store frosted cupcakes and any leftover frosting in the refrigerator loosely covered with press and seal or whatever you have handy that won't stick to your frosting.

the quest for a perfect cupcake recipe

Ok so I can't find the perfect cupcake here in Baton Rouge and Magnolia Bakery and Butter Lane have no immediate plans for locations here so I have started my very own test kitchen to see what I can come up with. I spent about (no kidding here) 4 hours at Borders looking for the book of cupcake recipes and found nothing that I could have faith in as the cupcake bible. So after a some time online I found this recipe










Butter ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) caster sugar
½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups + 1 tablespoon (185g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (120ml) milk


Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºC. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift over the flour and baking powder and beat until combined. Add the milk and mix.
Spoon the mixture into eleven 1/3-cup capacity muffin pans lined with paper cases. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

I added a simple icing of powdered sugar and lemon juice and decorated with a little curl of lemon zest.


And while good it is not "the" cupcake. Rather bland and dense it would be a good base for some awesome icing. I continue my quest. I went to Whole Foods today and invested in more vanilla beans, almond extract and buttermilk. I'll keep you updated.

what's up cupcake?

Why can't you find a really good cupcake in Baton Rouge? I mean is it really so much to ask? Ok I know we have places to get cupcakes and even a place that specializes in cupcakes. Remember though I said a really good cupcake. I have so tried to like the cupcakes at Sweet Wishes, but they always seems to be pretty renditions of an Otis Spunkmeyer muffin. They are heavy and overly sweet without even a hint of sophisticated taste. They are what I would send to a 3rd grade birthday party but I certainly wouldn't treat myself with one. I'm not asking for a Magnolia Bakery or Butter Lane, I know this is Baton Rouge. But we do so much other food so well. Please someone make a good cupcake, something light and airy with grown up flavors or even a great old stand by like red velvet and when you do please let me know where I can come and get some.