Pomegranate Cupcakes with Pomegranate Vanilla Buttercream

Pomegranate cupcakes and juice

This recipe is from:

http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake/2429805.html

My notes in italics.

INGREDIENTS

Pomegranate Cupcakes

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (this is the original recipe proportion, which I followed, but I think this could have been reduced as it was a bit sweet)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup pomegranate juice (in the future, I would reduce down the pomegranate juice to intensify flavor)
• Seeds from one pomegranate (optional; original recipe included this)

Pomegranate-Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp pomegranate juice (I made half the recipe for the frosting and added 5 tbs pomegranate juice for more color and flavor; again, in the future, i would use a reduced version of the juice for more flavor and color) and some seeds for topping

DIRECTIONS

Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl, set aside.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla extract and milk, plus half the flour mixture. Mix together until combined. Add the pomegranate juice and other half of the flour mixture, mix together until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared cupcake pan (or whatever you prefer using). Add 5-8 pomegranate seeds to top of batter (I forgot to do this but would have been a nice addition).
• Bake in oven for 22 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

• Cream butter until fluffy. Add half the powdered sugar along with the milk, mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla bean seeds or extract, and pomegranate juice and beat until fluffy. Add more sugar or milk if needed for the right consistency.
• Frost cupcakes, and top with more pomegranate seeds.

This made 12 muffins, using the large muffin pans.  I only frosted a few of them.  The frosting comes out a nice pinkish color with a very light tart flavor that almost reminded me of strawberries.  The cupcakes themselves were moist, but the pomegranate juice added very little flavor and color to them.  A reduction of the pomegranate juice may help both the frosting and the cupcake.  I would also lessen the amount of sugar in the cupcake as it turned out too sweet.  Overall, though, a nice moist sweet treat and a good way to use the many pomegranates now that they are in season.

Chiles en Nogada

This is an amalgamation of various recipes I found online.

INGREDIENTS

The Chiles

• 6-12 poblano peppers:  I used 6 large and around 10 small to medium sized ones.  In some stores in California, poblano peppers are (incorrectly) labeled pasilla peppers.

The Stuffing or Picadillo

• 2-3 lbs meat:  I used ground beef, but there were recipes for chicken, cubed pork, ground pork.  This amount was more than enough for the peppers I had, so I could have gone with a lot less meat.
• 1 large white onion, chopped finely
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 2 large roasted tomatoes, chopped or coarsely blended after: Some recipes called for tomatoes, others did not.  For those that did, some used fresh, some used roasted.  I roasted since I was already roasting the poblanos anyway.
• dried fruit(s), chopped:  I used about 2 tbs raisins, chopped.
• fresh fruits, chopped: I used 1 plantain, 1 medium sized apple, 1 medium sized pear, all chopped. Other recipes also suggested peaches, but those are no longer in season here….neither are plantains, but those are available year round at the mercado. I sauteed the chopped plantains in very little oil to brown a little.
• candied fruit, chopped:  I asked my husband to pick up some biznaga (barrel cactus fruit) but I think they gave him candied cherimoya instead.  It’s all good.  I used about 1 tbs, chopped. Some recipes suggested candied citron or candied ginger, but I think the candied ginger may overwhelm the other relatively mild flavors.
• nuts, chopped:  I used toasted almonds.  Other recipes called for pecans or walnuts or omitted nuts altogether. I didn’t use walnuts since they’re in the sauce, and seemed redundant to do so.
• spices, whole ones are toasted and finely ground:  I used ~2 tbs oregano, 1 stick cinnamon, ~1 tbs peppercorn, ~ 1 tbs cloves.  Other recipes used variations of these three and/or had cumin, and marjoram. A few recipes suggested using a molcajete (mortar), but I used my spice blender instead.
• salt to taste:  I used my seasoned salt.
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ~1 cup water, enough to cook meat and boil down; add more as needed

The Sauce

• ~1 to 1.5 cups walnuts
• 2% milk, enough to blanch overnight
• 2% milk, enough to cut the sauce if too thick
• crema: I used one can of Mexican table cream.  Other recipes called for cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, bread.

Toppings:

• pomegranate seeds
• flat parsley, chopped:  this was optional in several recipes.

DIRECTIONS

The Chiles (can be done a day or so before)

• Roast under a broiler, turn frequently for even roasting.  Remove and toss into a paper bag to finish ‘cooking’.  I roasted the tomatoes for the picadillo at the same time.
• Peel skin off when cool.  Keep the stem on.  Cut a slit on the side and carefully remove seeds and veins.
• Some recipes indicated one should not run peppers under cold water to remove skin, others suggested this method.  I went with the former since it meant I wouldn’t have to pat them dry.

The Picadillo (can be done a day or so before)

• Chop ingredients, most require some sort of chopping.
• In a large pan (I used a wok), saute onions and garlic.  Set aside 1/2 the mixture for later addition.  This is a personal preference.
• Add the meat to the onion garlic mixture.  Add the water, tomatoes, and spices.
• When meat mixture is fully cooked, add the onion mixture that was set aside, the dried, fresh, and candied fruits, and the nuts.  Mix together for a few minutes and remove from heat.
• Add salt to taste.
• Set aside to cool.

The Sauce (soak walnuts in milk overnight; make sauce on the day you plan to serve dish)

• Place walnuts in a large bowl and cover with milk.  Soak overnight.  Note some recipes call for peeling the skin from the walnuts.  Some recipes do not call for any soaking.
• Drain milk off.  Blend walnuts to a fine creamy mixture.  Add a little milk if needed.  Blend in the cream. Adjust thickness as needed.  Some recipes suggest adding a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon, others strongly advised against adding any spices as it detracts from the delicate flavor of the walnut.  Either option sounded good to me, though I chose not to add any spices this time.

Putting it all together

• Stuff the peppers with the picadillo.
• Place in oven for 20 -30 minutes at approx 300 degrees.  There’s some variation in whether the peppers are dipped in egg white batter then fried or whether they are warmed in the oven.  I chose the latter.
• Allow to cool once out of the oven.
• To plate:  pour desired amount of walnut sauce on top of the stuffed pepper, top with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Buen provecho!

Zucchini Bread

Future zucchini bread

Somehow, there are always two or three baseball bat-sized zucchinis over the course of the summer that manage to be overlooked at picking time.  This recipe is reliably good.  I’ve made this with reduced sugar, sometimes replaced sugar with maple syrup, replaced spices, and skipped the optionals listed.

from http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/summer-of-the-bats/; also found a similar one at cooks.com

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from several sources

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. (See those pictures of the cakes inside their non-stick pans? Yup, they’re pretty much hanging out in there for the time being.) Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Mole Sauce

Mole in progress

I made this to clean out some older chile and some cacao beans that I had.  I did not measure because my goal was to use up the peppers and beans, produce the paste, and store them in sealed batches in my freezer.  I just adjusted the other items to give the texture and consistency that I wanted.

INGREDIENTS

• dried chile pods:  ancho, poblano, pasilla (toasted in the oven, and soaked in hot water, seeded, deveined, pureed)
• nuts:  almonds, pepitas, sesame (toasted, pureed)
• small onion sauteed
• clove or two of garlic, sauteed
• 1-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• dried fruit:  raisins, prunes
• herbs and spices (toast and grind):  cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, fennel, oregano, thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• cacao beans, toasted and ground
• water as needed to end up with heavy pourable sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

roasting the cacao beans

1.  Toast chile in the oven, being careful not to burn the skins.  Pour hot water over chile and soak to soften.

2.  Sautee onions and garlic.

3.  Toast whole spices and grind.

4. Toast nuts and cacao beans as needed, and grind.

5.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Add water as needed to produce a pourable, but heavy, paste.

6.  Cook over medium to low heat for 1.5 hours or so.

To add to chicken:

1.  Add olive oil to pan and brown chicken on both sides.  Set aside.

2. Chop and saute onions in the same pan as above.

3.  Add liquid to deglaze pan (I used fino sherry because that is what I had available at the time, but stock or white wine or water would work).

4.  Add a stick of cinnamon.  Return browned chicken to the pan and simmer until chicken is tender.

5.  Heat oven to 350-375.

6.  Transfer chicken to baking dish, smear generously with sauce, and bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Momiji Sushi and Grill

We were wrong when we thought going out on a rainy Friday night would mean no waiting in restaurants.  We went to both Paesano’s and Brew it Up!, and both places had 35-45 minute waits.  Since it was almost 8 pm and we were quickly approaching the bedtime of one in our crew, we walked to a restaurant we had passed on our way to Brew it Up!

Momiji Sushi and Grill serves Japanese food.  My husband was commenting on how all the Japanese food restaurants in town, and there a very many, seem to be similar.  It’s true.  Like most regional food, Japanese cuisine exhibits a lot of regional variety.  But, like most regional food, we have managed to distill the diversity down to a select few.  Maybe it is necessity, or accessibility of ingredients, or audience taste that does it.  But, it happens.

Still, we were pleasantly surprised by Momiji.  The service is friendly and prompt.  The menu has variety.  The grilled mackarel was done just right.  The sushi tasted fresh.  The edamame was nicely steamed, and made even more enjoyable by the sea salt it was sprinkled with.

Now that we have to do ‘family’ dining that takes into account a toddler, there are certain area restaurants we love that we have not been to and would likely not go to with her in tow.  One of our favorites, Mulvaney’s, for example, would probably appreciate that we don’t bring her into their space.  She is relatively well-behaved, but a toddler, nonetheless.  Still, I do not want to be relegated to the usual places billed as ‘family-friendly.’ This place fits the bill of a place we would have gone to regardless, but one that is still welcoming of young ones.  Another thing I liked on this front is that (assuming no soy allergies) it was easy to feed her healthy items — the edamame, the pickled vegetables, and the grilled fish, rice and vegetables.

Momiji is located on the corner of 14th and G, where Juliana’s Kitchen, a restaurant I was sad to see leave, used to be.  The space has been re-done nicely, and there is a small sushi bar in one corner with a few seats.  That is where I would probably sit next time, if I came here alone or without a toddler.  Either way, I definitely plan to eat here again.

Arizona Gold Dust Seasoned Salt

the ingredients

Once a year, I make a big crock jar-worth of this seasoned salt.  Here is the recipe for Arizona Gold Dust, courtesy of a fellow salt fiend:

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 cups of sea salt
• 10 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons ground white pepper
• 4-5 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
• 10-12 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

the jar of salt and spices before mixing

It is  good to start with whole black and white peppers and toast them a bit before grinding them. Everything gets mixed in a crock and allowed to age for at least three weeks.

Brassica Medley

For lack of a better name.  Or maybe it can be called Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage.

This time of year, we get a lot of leafy greens and other cabbage relatives in our CSA box.  I love them, but they  have a tendency to fill up the crisper very quickly.  This saute is simple and tasty, and clears out some crisper space.

INGREDIENTS:

• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, cabbage

DIRECTIONS:

Cooking times are not included.

1.  Cut the brussels sprout in 1/2

2.  Trim middle portion from other greens, then cut into strips.

3.  Saute brussels sprouts first in olive oil as it takes a little longer to cook.

4.  Add the remaining greens, and saute quickly til done and still bright green (for the ones that are green, that is).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Kale and Squash Saute

Another winter saute for those CSA box veggies.

INGREDIENTS

• kale
• squash
• raisins
• pine nuts
• mustard seed
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Cooking times not included.

1.  Remove middle portion from kale, and cut into strips.

2.  Bake squash in oven at 350.  You only want it half-baked, so that it is easy to peel and cut, but it still holds its shape when cut into largish cubes.

3.  Toast pine nuts until lightly browned.

4.  Add olive oil to cast iron pan.

5.  Add whole yellow mustard seeds to the oil.  They will start popping within seconds.  At this point, add the raisins and pine nuts.

6.  Add the squash.  When squash is cooked through, add the kale.  Saute for a few more minutes until kale is cooked and bright green.  Remove from heat.

7.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Citrus and Olive Oil Cake

Some people prefer pies, some people prefer cakes. Me — I have always been a cake person, but I live with someone who definitely prefers pies. Just one of those random trivial dividers — like some people write status updates on facebook, some don’t. Though, it’s not always so black and white, I guess. Fruit tortes, which I guess are technically pies, have always been one of my favorite desserts. And, I guess some non-status updaters write updates every so often.

Anyway, I made this simple cake over the holidays. It’s adapted from a recipe in a magazine that my sister subscribed for me as a gift. This reminds me of cakes I used to make in Morocco, where I used olive oil for making breads and cakes (when I made these, that is). We didn’t have a refrigerator, so keeping butter was not always an option, but there was always an abundance of excellent olive oil.

Here is the recipe adapted from Whole Living, Body and Soul Magazine’s Orange-Walnut Olive Oil Cake with Sweet Yogurt. The original recipe suggests using the regular olive oil, and not the extra virgin olive oil, but I used the latter since that is what I keep around.  It seemed to withstand the temperature alright.  In this revision, I omitted the walnut altogether and changed some of the proportions, mostly the sugar, to make it a less sweet version.

INGREDIENTS:

Olive Cake

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1.5 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup wheat)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated zest, orange or lemon; plus more for garnish
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 to 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (original recipe says 1 cup but I found this too sweet, even 2/3 is a bit sweet already)
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice or fresh blood orange juice or lemon juice (to match your zest; I have also used 1/4 cup of port plus 1/2 cup of juice)
• 2 large eggs
• confectioner’s sugar for garnish optional

Sweet Yogurt Garnish

• 1 cup low-fat yogurt
• 1-2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
• a few strands of zest, mostly for the look

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line bottom of cake pan (have also used bread pan) with parchment paper (have also not lined), oil and flour parchment and pan (have also not done this step but used some sort of non-stick pan).

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together: zest, flour, baking powder, salt.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, stir in: eggs, brown sugar, juice, oil

4. Pour batter into pan and cook for approximately 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

6. Make yogurt by stirring ingredients together and serving with a few strands of zest as garnish.

Green Posole

Or pozole.  This is one of my all-time favorite winter comfort foods, second only to this stew.  Generally, I make this as a meatless dish, but it can be made non-vegetarian by adding chicken breast, cut into cubes.  Usually, I cook the chicken separately, then place it in a separate garnish bowl on the side so folks can choose to use or not.

I make this at least a few times during the fall and winter.  In fact, it helped start off our year this time  — we had some for our New Year’s eve dinner to go along with the dungeness crabs.  Then had leftovers for lunch on New Year’s day with the nieces, who actually really enjoyed the idea of being able to select from a variety of garnishes to ‘make’ their own soup.  One even added a little bit of everything to her soup, and apparently, it turned out so well, she actually ate it.  High praise from a child who is usually a little particular about what she eats.

This recipe is from a vegetarian cooking class I took at our local food co-op several years ago.  The original proportions are listed below, but as always, I usually adjust everything according to (my) taste and ingredient availability.  Although I usually forgo the tortilla chips, the rest of the garnishes add great flavor, and the various spices really add to the taste, so I do not skimp on those.  Also, although it looks like a lot of ingredients, it is a surprisingly easy dish to make.  It makes a big difference starting with good stock and toasting the spices, but it is a very forgiving dish — more importantly, a hearty and rewarding  one on cold, foggy days.

INGREDIENTS:

For soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 8 cups vegetable stock, homemade if available
• 1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 10 tomatillos, de-husked, washed, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 jalapeno, roasted and seeded
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon coriander, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• juice of 2 limes
• salt and pepper to taste

For garnish:

• 2 limes, quartered
• 8 radishes, sliced
• 1/4 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 6 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and minced
• a selection of hot sauces

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Saute onions, celery, carrot until onion is transparent.  Add vegetable stock and hominy and bring to a boil.

2.  Blend tomatillos, garlic, roasted jalapeno until smooth.  Add to pot.

3.  Toast spices and grind when cool.  I toast the whole spices together (fennel, coriander, cumin) in a small cast iron pot, cool, then grind in a coffee grinder reserved for grinding spices.  Sometimes I throw the oregano and thyme in the grinder, too, but it is not required.  Add to pot.

4.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes.  Remove from heat, and mix in the lime juice.  The lime juice here is optional, I think, if you have lime as one of the garnishes.

5.  Prepare the various garnishes and add to sections of a garnish plate or to smaller separate bowls.

6.  Serve soup in wide mouth bowls.  Everyone can add their own garnish(es) of choice.  I add everything.