Chocolate cupcakes with lemon filling

There's something about Sundays that just motivate me to cook a nice full meal. This week I made some mini pepper and cheese burgers with fried julienne-sliced red potatoes. My boyfriend (and sous chef I might add) and I like to make these together when the upcoming week is pretty mellow.

For dessert, I made chocolate cupcakes, since I've ended up being drawn to making cupcakes now (late for the bandwagon I'm sure).

Ingredients

1 egg

1/3 cup of self rising flour

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of almond extract

1/3 cup of caster sugar

1/3 cup of butter, softened

1/8 cup of milk

4 tbsp of chocolate powder

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Lemon buttercream filling

1/3 cup of butter

Zest of 1 lemon and half its juice.

Preheat the oven to 320° F. Line the cupcake tray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, add the butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy. Add the milk, flour, both extract and chocolate powder, and stir to combine. Whisk until the consistency is light and creamy.

Divide the mixture evenly between each hole (about 3/4 of the way up, to leave space for their expansion). Bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Allow the cupcakes to cool down and rest on a wire rack until they are ready for the filling.

The naked cupcakes with little Eggsworth

While the mini cakes are cooling down, combine the sugar, butter and lemon juice and zest with a spoon (wooden recommended) until well mixed, then whisk until light and fluffy. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a medium star nozzle (I used a simple Ziplock bag with a corner cut) and set aside until said cakes are cool enough to avoid melting.

When done cooling, make a small whole and squeeze the filling into the cupcakes and pipe as cover. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Ta da!

Pepper and cheese hamburger patties

A quick, healthy and much more satisfying way to spruce up your cheeseburger

Pepper and cheese patties
-1lb of ground meat
-1 red pepper
-1 green pepper
-1/2 cup of assorted grated cheese
-2 tbsp of vegetable oil
-salt and pepper for taste

Before you start handling the meat, chop the peppers into tiny pieces and separate them. Take a handful of ground meat, divide into two and mould into patties.

Place the minced peppers, cheese and season on one patty and cover with the other one (or just cover with the same one).

Heat up the vegetable oil and cook the patties until it's crisp and well done (this is arbitrary to one's preferences). Serve alone or prepare to your liking.

EDIT 2009/10/4: To make mini burgers use a clean cookie cutter about 2 inches in diameter to cut nice, and even patties.

Added here is my home made cheese bread bun

Cream Pudding covered with Meringue

Little egg-y wonders

Very egg-y and simple dessert that impressed my friend who came over way back in April. I'll update this recipe as soon as I can.

Recipe's based on two found in "The Essential Dessert Cookbook".

Custard:
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue topping
4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar

To start, separate 4 eggs. Since we'll be using all of the eggs, store the whites separately for later. Boil the milk in a large saucepan on medium-high, being careful not to let it curl (it shouldn't take more than 7 minutes). Should it curl, stir it lightly until the thin film of curd is gone.

While the milk's getting ready, whisk the eggs and sugar until it's light and creamy (takes about 10 minutes by hand). Slowly pour the mixture into the milk and let it cook for 5 minutes until pale and thick, stirring it constantly. About 2 minutes before the cream's ready to bake, add the vanilla extract.

Get the hot bath ready by placing 4 ramekins into oven-safe soup bowls. Fill the bowls with boiling water up to halfway up the ramekins height. Pour the cream into each ramekin.

While they start cooking on their own, whisk the egg whites and the sugar until stiff white peaks form. Scoop the mixture onto the ramekins, being careful not to mix them. Place the plates onto a baking sheet and bake until the meringues are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Homemade Ravioli

One of the many recipes I have backlogged in my primary blog that I would love to go into deeper is the homemade ravioli I made back in April (I'll cover the custard on another post). The dough is a universal recipe, but credit due to Tyler Florence for this one.

Homemade ravioli stuffed with cooked ground meat

Serves 5-6

For the pasta:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yolk, for egg wash

For the filling:

1/2 pound of ground meat (93%)

1/2 white onion

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon of butter

1 can of tomato paste

1 tsp of garlic paste

2 tbsp of "sofrito" (traditional recipe)

a pinch of salt

Sift through the flour and add the salt. Make a small well inside the flour and add the 4 eggs and oil. Slowly cave in the flour and knead the subsequent mixture until stretchy (remember to flour your hand to avoid sticky messes).

Cut the ball of dough in half, cover and reserve the dough you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter, rolling pin and dough with flour. Flatten the dough to 1/8" thickness.

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue.

Start by melting the butter and "sofrito" and tomato paste in a medium to large skillet.

Chop the onion, peppers and sautee them in the skillet until the onions are golden brown. Once done, cook the meat in the mixture until fully cooked.

Drop tablespoons of the filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready.

It was a huge hit with my guest for the night, so I hope you all enjoy!