Chocolate Spice Cupcakes

     A long time ago, when Natalie and I lived together in a big blue house on 39th Ave, we were baking and eating cupcakes--something we did on a fairly regular basis. Natalie had the idea of a square cupcake, because she said, "Squares/cubes are a better shape than circles/cylinders. (She is a designer, so you know, these things occur to her.) Additionally, you can fit them together to build a cake with individual portions ready. Most importantly, in my mind anyway, you get more cupcake. Win.

     The dream of squapcakes, as they were named, remained just that--a dream--for many, many years. But the dream did not die. A few months ago I found a baking pan with squares, but alas, it was too shallow to qualify as a cupcake pan. It was not until a few days ago that I inadvertently stumbled upon another square pan and immediately knew that THIS WAS IT. 

      After years of anticipation, I present you with squapcakes: square cupcakes. These chocolate spice squapcakes with chocolate ganache are lightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. They were universally loved and admired at their world debut. The end.

Chocolate Spice Cupcakes

~Print Recipe~ 

Squapcake pan

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tin
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for chocolate chips
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more to taste)
  

For the topping

• 6 ounces semi-sweet best quality chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• Candied ginger, finely chopped
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a cupcake or squapcake tin with butter, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Stir baking soda into the boiling water. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add molasses and baking-soda mixture. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and beat until well combined. (The batter will be pretty thin.)
   
3. In a small bowl, lightly coat chocolate chips with flour. Fold chocolate chips into the batter. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each about halfway. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean--about 20 minutes.



Stirring the cream and chocolate for the glaze

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Remove from tin and let cool completely. While cupcakes are cooling, finely chop chocolate for the glaze and place in a heat-proof bowl. Place wire rack cooling rack over a baking sheet covered with tin foil.
5. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour mixture over chocolate and let stand, without stirring, until the chocolate begins to melt. Gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined. Begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
   
6. Drizzle the chocolate over the cupcakes, letting it run down the sides. Let the glaze set a little, then top with candied ginger.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Coconut Stir Fry

Every week I schedule our dinners out in advance, shop accordingly and look forward to certain meals. I was excited to eat stir fry this week, but at 5pm last night I realized I didn't have my staples. No soy sauce, no sesame oil and no curry of any kind. What kind of stir fry could I make without these key flavors?

I searched around my pantry which has been pretty bare since we moved (I gave everything in our previous pantry to my sister). I found a can of coconut milk, some rice wine, rice vinegar and pepper jelly.

What came out was really delightful. Here it is:
(The ingredients that I used last night are in bold)

Protein, one of the following
-12+ shrimp
-2 sliced chicken breasts
-drained and cubed tofu

Chopped fine
-Garlic, 2 cloves
-Ginger, 2 Tb fresh

Chopped veggies, any of these work well
-Carrots
-Bell peppers, red
-Asparagus
-Onions
-Broccoli
-Cauliflower
-Cabbage
-Bok Choy

Garnishes
-Green onions, chopped
-Lemon Zest (lime would also work)

Sauce, whisk together
-1 cup coconut milk
-1/4 cup white wine or rice wine
-1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar
-2 tablespoons of pepper jelly
-Fresh ground pepper
-2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Heat a few tablespoons of peanut or canola oil in a wok until very hot. Add ginger and garlic. Before the garlic begins to brown, add protein and toss a few times until just cooked. Remove protein from pan and set aside.

Add veggies and toss a few times to ensure they are thoroughly coated with oil. Let cook for about 2 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add sauce and stir. When sauce is bubbling put the protein back in and add garnishes, cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from the heat and serve over rice while hot.

I've never really had pepper jelly before in foods. You usually find it over cream cheese served with crackers at a party. But I knew I needed something with a little bit more intrigue. It worked!

This would be awesome with some basil or red curry paste.


Here are pictures of Molly's dinner plate. This little girl doesn't know how good she has it! This is my attempt to get her to each the meal.

And this is with the peanut butter sandwich and banana wheels I had waiting for her in the kitchen. One day she'll eat all the delicious foods I make for her.

Salmon with Orange-Hoisin Sauce and Bok Choy

Mark and I don't eat a lot of fish, but not because we don't like it. It's just a little pricier than, say, the tempeh at Trader Joe's. But, we decided to "splurge" and get this salmon from New Seasons (my favorite grocery store of all time and one of my favorite places in Portland, period) to celebrate the new year. In the end, two large fillets set us back a whopping $11.50. Then again, when you really think about it, that breaks down to $5.75 a piece for a healthy and delicious meal, which I consider to be a good value.

One recent morning, pasting the recipes I'd cut out of my food magazines (Bon Appetit, Saveur, and old issues of Gourmet) into my cooking notebook, I came across a Bon Appetit recipe for Salmon with Hoisin, Orange and Bok Choy. The title alone ensured that I would have to make it---it just sounds too delicious to pass up. Then there was the fact that I needed a good salmon recipe---usually when Mark and I just wing it, the results are edible, but less than stellar. (Fish is not a food category that either of us has mastered.) And I am always intrigued by new ingredients; though I'd read about it, I'd never prepared anything with bok choy before.

Done deal. Except when the time came, I forgot the green onion and we subbed a white one instead. I also I got a little carried away with the orange zest and juice. (I'm usually the kind of person who assumes if a little is good, more is better! Which is not always the case...) BUT, I bought a whole orange just for this salmon---I didn't want to waste it, you see. Well, don't make the same mistake (stick to the quantities listed below) as the orange in my version dominated the other more delicate flavors.

As for the bok choy: it was good and I'm glad to have tried it, but it is not my new favorite.

NOTE: Hoisin can be found at Asian markets. I recommend having a bottle on hand for stir fries, marinades and the like. Savory-sweet goodness. Also, the picture here is of the salmon before it went into the oven. The photos of the finished project were a bit blurry. Sorry!

Salmon with Orange-Hoisin Sauce and Bok Choy

~Print Recipe~

• 2 heads of baby bok choy, each cut length-wise into 6 wedges
• 2  5-or 6-ounce salmon fillets
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced---or about 1/4 of a white onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon (only!) finely grated orange peel
• Pinch of salt
  
• 3/4 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds (I used a few pinches of ground coriander)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or more, to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Form a bed of bok choy in the center of two large sheets of tin foil.  (Make sure they are large enough to seal over your bok choy and salmon.) Center your salmon fillets over the bok choy. 
2. In a small bowl, mix orange juice, onion, hoisin, ginger and orange peel. Spoon sauce over fish, dividing equally. Sprinkle with salt and coriander. Top with cilantro. 
3. Fold foil together and pinch to seal tightly above the fish and at each end. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake 12-14 minutes, or until the fish is opaque in the center. Plate and serve.

(Serves 2)

Apricot Ginger Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is also from my mom, though I think she got it from a magazine some time ago. I was skeptical at first about the flavor combinations in this dish, but it only took one taste to convert me. I like that it's easy to prepare. It's perfect for fall and more delicious than you imagine.

~Print Recipe~

• 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (hint: Trader Joe's sells them pre-cut!)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss potatoes in a single layer on 2 large baking pans. Bake 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine maple syrup, preserves, butter, ginger and salt in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until preserves melt, around 5 minutes.
   
3. Mix together and serve warm. Enjoy!
   

I have a mini-tradition making this for Thanksgiving. (Amber, this would probably be great even without the crystallized ginger!)