Parsnips Anyone?

I just couldn't resist Garrett's and Cheryl's cupcake challenge. They are both master cupcake makers with delicious and original flavor combinations. This particular challenge involved turning traditional flavors on their head. I am a sucker for deconstructed/updated desserts so I wanted to come up with an idea post haste.

A's, my business partner/fake boyfriend, birthday was earlier this month and I wanted to bring a treat to school for his special day. On my home from work, I mentally reviewed what was in my larder and I hit upon the idea of a traditional carrot cake, but mine would be in cupcake form and with parsnips instead. Parsnips are one of my favorite veg and I indulge in them as often as I can during the fall. I tweaked a recipe I found online and while I had to make a lot of adjustments, because I wasn't as well-stocked as I thought, the final product turned out well. The birthday boy liked it and that's what really counts, right?

Parsnip-Apple Cupcakes, adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups finely grated peeled parsnips
1/4 cup grated apple

4 oz cream cheese, room temp
2 oz neufachatel cheese, room temp
1 TB butter, room temp
1/4 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon, and its juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cupcake tin with non-stick spray, or use liners. Mix together first 7 ingredients into a medium bowl. Beat together sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl until well blended. Add dry ingredients to wet in 2 additions, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in parsnips and apple. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Using an electric mixer cream together cream cheese through lemon in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Decorate your cupcakes with frosting. I used a pastry bag without a tip to get the large concentric circles in the pic. Enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes

Sweet and Spicy

Lately, I am really interested in "different" dessert flavors, not necessarily just sweet. A hefty pinch of salt there, a bit of chile here, some fresh herbs (that aren't the ubiquitous mint) or spices there... I know this isn't that exciting or new to a lot of people, but I have just discovered it in my kitchen. I like this element of surprise and how it opens up a whole new flavor palette for sweets for me.

Mexican food is on my short list of preferred cuisines, if not my absolute favorite. While I enjoy lots of different kinds of foods, I long for tacos, salsas, beans and rice, etc. more than anything else. The staff at Los Arroyos, my favorite place to satisfy my cravings, now recognizes me, I go there so often. While I think that I make a pretty mean salsa, I don't know that much about Mexican desserts besides dulce de leche (which I now have a jar of from a different continent!) and paletas but I am more than willing to learn. Any help is greatly appreciated. The following is my twist on a Mexican inspired dessert.

Not really pretty, but definitely delicious

Mole Brownies

This was rattling around in my brain for a while and after making them, I'm glad that I finally did. Version 1.0 used dried cherries soaked in triple sec, pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika. Version 2.0 was raisins in tequila, pecans and the red gold again. I wanted to try it with powdered chipotle but I didn't plan ahead and didn't have any on hand. I tried to sneak in some cumin too but was thwarted by the partner. Both versions are equally fabulous. The recipe is a riff off of David's brownies with cherries and hazelnuts from his book Ripe for Dessert. The salt is important here, it really makes the flavors pop. If you only have conventional salt use 1/2 tsp instead.

1/2 cup dried cherries or raisins
1/4 cup triple sec or tequila
6 TB butter
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp-1 tsp smoked paprika or ground chipotle
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or pecans

At least 1 hour, or the night before, ahead, soak the dried fruit in the alcohol of your choosing.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch square pan (the right size is important) and line with parchment paper or foil. Leave an overhang on the sides, so it is easy to lift the brownies out of the pan.

Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in suger and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time.

Add flour, salt, cinnamon and dried chile and stir quickly until batter is smooth again and glossy, about 1 minute.

If necessary, drain the fruit and stir into the batter with the nuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes. This makes a really fudgy brownie, if you prefer yours more well done, bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Course the Fifth: Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange-Blossom Scented Whipped Creme Fraiche

Long title, tasty sweet.

We had this with Kalyra's Gewurztraminer "Sticky Wicket". Yummy.

Again, professionally written per one serving. Multiply as needed.

Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange Blossom-Scented Whipped Crème Frâiche

pistachios 2/3 oz shelled
sugar, granulated 1/3 oz
light corn syrup 1/3 tsp
orange 1/8 tsp zest finely grated
orange blossom water 1 drop

sugar, granulated 1 oz
butter, whole 1/3 oz
egg 1/5
sour cream 1/3 oz
vanilla extract 1/12 tsp
orange blossom water 1/12 tsp

flour, all-purpose 1/8 cup
baking powder 1/8 tsp
baking soda 1/12 tsp
salt pinch

rhubarb 2 oz cut into ½-inch pieces
vanilla bean paste 1/8 tsp
sugar, granulated .5 oz
white wine 1 TB
strawberry 1 oz trimmed, small dice

cream, heavy 1 TB
crème frâiche ¾ tsp
orange blossom water 1 drop
orange 1/16 tsp zest finely grated

pistachios 2, whole shelled
sugar, powdered 1/8 tsp
cardamom tiny pinch

Method: Grind pistachios finely in a processor. Heat sugar, corn syrup and 1/8 tsp water to 225F. Slowly pour hot sugar mixture into processor while running to make a smooth paste. Add orange zest and orange blossom water. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 325F. In processor, combine pistachio paste, sugar, room temperature butter, egg and sour cream until smooth. Pour into a bowl. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently add to the pistachio mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a buttered 6-oz muffin tin cup to fill between 2/3’s and ¾’s full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack and remove cake from cup.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and ¼ tsp water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let turn brown without stirring or burning, about 5 minutes. When brown, add rhubarb, vanilla paste and white wine. Let cook until rhubarb just begins to fall apart and becomes jam-like, about 15 minutes. Let come to room temperature and stir in strawberry.

Whip cream, crème frâiche, orange blossom water and orange zest together until firm peaks form.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, toss together pistachios, powdered sugar and cardamom. Bake until nuts are toasted and sugar melts, about 10 minutes.

Plating: Place cake on one side of plate. Top with candied pistachios. Spoon compote to make a line through center of plate. On the other side of the compote line, place whipped crème frâiche.

My Grandma's Pugaches

My grandma was a terrible cook and she was the first to admit it. She was continuously surprised that my mom and I are so handy in the kitchen. The only things that she could make I can count on all my fingers, minus a few. I've been thinking about her a lot recently and I had a craving for her pugaches, a Hungarian biscuit-scone hybrid. This was my favorite thing that she made and she would come over for a visit to especially make them for me. She would always intentionally burn a batch for my grandpa who inexplicably preferred all of his baked goods that way. They are especially delicious for breakfast with jam.

Pugaches

4 cups flour
1 cup sugar (this is a bone of contention between my mother and I. She likes the full amount of sugar and I like 3/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb butter, 2 sticks
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and knead until dough comes together (this was my favorite part when I was a kid). Turn out onto a well floured surface and roll to 3/4" thick. Using a floured biscuit cutter (or do it Grandma-style and use a drinking glass), cut out pugaches from dough and place about an inch apart on a baking sheet. Re-roll the scraps and repeat until all of the pugaches are shaped. Bake until slightly golden, about 30 minutes. Eat warm, preferably with home-made jam.

Caramelized Onion Challah

Challah is a traditional egg bread in the European Jewish tradition. It is typically eaten at the meal marking the beginning of the Sabbath, the day of rest, and sometimes at other celebrations. It usually braided to symbolize unity and on Rosh Hashannah it is braided and made into a circle to recall the cycle of the year. Traditionally, challah should not be cut with a knife because it is seen as a form of violence or if it is the Sabbath, work on what ought to be the day of rest. Instead, it is passed around the table family-style, so everyone can grab a chunk. On Rosh Hashannah, it can also be dipped into honey, like apples, to symbolize a sweet new year. This is as I know it though. Each Jewish cultural group, of which there are many, has its own traditions and explanations

Caramelized Onion Challah by Jan Weimer

10 TB chicken fat (schmaltz) or butter
4 cups diced onions
2 1/4 tsp dried yeast
3 TB sugar
2 cups warm water, divided
2 TB kosher (of course) salt
3 large eggs, room temp
4 cups unbleached flour
4 cups bread flour
1 large egg, blended with 1 TB water

Melt 2 TB schmaltz (or butter) in a large pan with a lid over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cover and cook until very soft, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until brown, about 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside and cool completely.

Melt 8 TB scmaltz (or butter) and cool to 110F.

Place yeast and sugar in bowl of mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix until yeast is dissolved. Gently mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups water, salt and cooled fat (or butter). Mix in 3 eggs, one at a time. Add flour, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scrap down sides of bowl.

Change to dough hook and knead 20 minutes of until dough is very smooth. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand one to two minutes. Place in a very large oiled bowl (trust me) and cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place to rise until doubled, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

If you don't have a mixer, not a problem. Follow the instructions using a large bowl and a wooden spoon. It takes a considerably larger amount of elbow grease, but dare I say it, your self-satisfaction will also increase accordingly.

Punch dough down and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in onions. They are full of trickery and will try to escape but after a few turns, they will bend to your will and incorporate into the dough. Try to make sure that they are evenly scattered throughout. Transfer dough to a very large (no seriously, you will thank me later) clean plastic bag, leaving room for the dough to expand and refrigerate overnight.

Grease a 12" springform pan and line with parchment paper. Heavily flour work surface.

Using floured hands, divide dough into three equal pieces. Flatter each piece into a rectangle and roll each into a four-foot long cylinder. Dough will resist and shrink back to its original size a few times. If it does this, wait a few minutes to let it rest and try again. This may happen a few times. Pinch cylinders together at one end and braid loosely, pinching ends together. Starting at the finished end, coil braid into a circle that will fit your pan. Brush end with egg mixture and press into braid. Transfer to prepared pan and cover with a bath towel. Let rise until doubled and very light, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Place baking stone (or if you don't have one, baking sheet) in the oven. Preheat oven to 375F. Brush bread with egg mixture. Try to do this as evenly as possible. The glaze gilds the bread and when it comes out of the oven, it's very easy to see which parts didn't get the egg wash. Place bread in pan atop the stone (or sheet). Bake 20 minutes. Gently remove bread from pan (careful, this part is tricky). Brush again with the egg wash. Return bread to oven and bake 50 to 55 more minutes or until challah is well browned. If you have a thermometer handy the internal temperature of the bread will be 200F. Cool bread on a wire rack.