Avocado Tartines

As most of you are aware, yesterday was the Super Bowl (go Giants!). According to ABC news and the California Avocado Commission (yes, they are so delicious, they get their own commission), about 40 million pounds of avocado will be consumed. That's a lot of guac! I thought I'd try something slightly different from the traditional guacamole. (Don't get me wrong, I'm known to polish off a bowl of guac like my life depended on it.)  *Thanks Matt for taking the great picture!

1 loaf baguette, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1/4 lemon, peeled and seeded
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
Basil leaves, rolled and chopped

Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, place the avocado, lemon, Worchestershire sauce, and green onions. Pulse until creamy. Add the cream cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Top the bread with the avocado mixture. Then place one slice of tomato on top of each one. Add a bit of basil to the top of the tomatoes.

Chocolate Port Cupcakes, with Port Wine Reduction Syrup, Raspberry Creme Fraiche Filling, and Chocolate Mousse

Thursday was my oldest brother's, Vinnie, birthday. Tonight we are getting together, along with a couple of friends of ours (one of whom had a birthday last week as well). Vinnie's dessert request was cupcakes. I used this opportunity to cross off an item off my 30 Challenging Foods Before 30 list. I made these. Had to sample one. Or two. (I worked out this morning, it's like I never sampled any! Yes, logic reigns supreme here.) I'm slightly hopped up on the sugar now. Maybe I should have limited myself to just one.

Source: Food Network

Cupcake:

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups sugar (13 ounces)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)

3/4 cups cocoa powder (2 1/2 ounces)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup port wine, heated

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners.

Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and add into the wet mixture. Whisk the batter together until almost all the lumps are gone. Add in a small amount of the port wine to help thin the batter. Once it is incorporated, slowly add in the remaining wine, whisking continuously. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and make sure that there are no lumps.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Port Wine Reduction Syrup:

1 3/4 cup port wine
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the wine, sugar and salt in a sauce pan. Simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup. Remove from heat to cool. Set aside.

Raspberry Creme Fraiche Filling:

1 cup creme fraiche

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Mix the creme fraiche with the raspberry preserves to combine in a small bowl. Place into the fridge until ready to assemble.

French Chocolate Mousse:

6 ounces chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream, COLD

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, 1 by 1, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Beat the heavy cream in a chilled bowl until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.

Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, delicately fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse. Refrigerate at least an hour before assembling.

Assembly:

Using an apple corer, remove a piece of the cupcake from the center. 

Pour with 1 teaspoon Port Wine Reduction Syrup.

Then fill the cupcake with the Raspberry Creme Fraiche Filling using a piping bag.

Using a large star tip, pipe the chilled French Chocolate Mousse onto the cupcake.

Basic White Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last Thursday was my oldest brother's birthday. His request was a cupcake with creme cheese frosting. I chose the Chocolate Port Cupcakes for the "fancy" type, I knew that the chocolate on chocolate may be a little rich for everyone, I also made a simple white cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a cupcake tin.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil. Add the flour mixture in batches. Combine until just mixed.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from tin and set aside until cooled completely.

Frosting:

8 ounces creme cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until well combined and top the cupcakes.

#10 Read one book each month for fun

This month, I read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns) by Mindy Kaling. I have to say this was the PERFECT choice for January reading. One, it was a fast read (took me only a few nights, mainly because I didn't want to put it down). Two, it had me literally laughing out loud. For once if I were to use "lol", it's actually be true. She puts down to paper the same things we all think about during awkward situations, or at least what we all think 30 minutes after the fact since we're rehashing the event to perfect our what would have been witty comeback. Even during difficult times in her life, she still manages to put a smile on my face, all while having my sympathy. While books like Chelsea Handler's are funny, this one is hilarious and much more relatable. I now want to be Mindy Kaling's friend. My only complaint is the book read SO quickly that I feel like other books I pick up are going to be dull and boring in comparison. Tragic.

30 Challenging Foods Before 30

As you may have already seen, I recently posted a 30 before 30 list of all the things I want to do before turning 30 years old. I thought that since this is a food blog that I also do a 30 before 30 list only filled with dishes and techniques I want to master (or give a valiant effort) before 30. This list took me several weeks to compile and I have done one so far. #11 Profiteroles, which was just recently posted here.

1. Povitica

2. Biscuit Joconde Imprime/Entremet

3. Crostata

4. Vols-au-Vent (Puff Pastry)

5. Chocolate Valentino

6. Napoleons

7. Baked Alaska

8. Sourdough Bread

9. Tournedos Rossini

10. Butter Croissants

11. Profiteroles

12. Soufflé

13. Doughnuts

14. Chocolate Truffles

15. Biscotti

16. Petit Fours (raw)

17. Croquembouche

18. A perfect/signature cheesecake

19. Chocolate port cupcakes

20. King Cake

21. Sachertorte

22. Eggs Benedict

23. Gnocchi

24. Funghetti di Offida
25. Three Chocolate Mousse Cake

26. Cannelloni

27. Savoiardi Cookies

28. Orange Pannacotta

29. Crème Brulee

30. Opera Cake

#14 Learn to Crochet

I get to cross something off my 30 before 30 list! I finished my first crochet project. Given, there is much more to crochet than just a double stitch and granny square, I still count this as a success. The lucky recipient is Patience, the sweet baby of my friends Kim and Patrick.

Profiteroles with Hazelnut Ganache

On Saturday, I had dinner with my friend Kelly, her husband, and his childhood friend. I prepared the dinner with the help of Kelly (true friends are those who let you boss them around in the kitchen). We made homemade liguini with a lemon cream sauce and asparagus and chicken stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatos. For dessert, cream puffs. These were my favorite! And definitely not diet-approved, but oh so worth it!
*Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Pastry:

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 teaspoons sugar
Salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 large egg

Filling:

4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, continuously stirring until the butter melts. Add the flour and rapidly stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Crack 4 eggs into the dough (save one of the eggs for brushing), beating with a wooden spoon after each addition. Combine completely before adding the next egg. Using a pastry bag, pipe 2 inch mounds onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. They will spread slightly.

Briefly whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush over the dough. Avoid dripping the egg on the baking sheet.

Bake the pastries until they are amber brown, about 30 minutes. Allow the pastries to cool completely. When cooled completely, using a serrated knife, cut the tops off the pastry and set aside. Spoon the mascarpone mixture into the pastries and top with its lid.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Using a mixer, beat the mascarpone, ricotta, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Place in a air tight container and refrigerate until ready to fill, or at least 30 minutes.

Add the hazelnuts to a saucepan of rapidly boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, then run cold water over them. Using a paper towel, rub the husks off the hazelnuts. Chop the hazelnuts and bake for about 4-5 minutes at 425 degrees or until lightly golden. Do not allow to burn.

For the topping, combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warm. Stir the mixture until well combined and smooth. Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut sauce atop the pastries. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.