July 2010 Archives
In the past few months, I've gotten into baking
cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes. So far, I think my favorite recipe would be Red Velvet. They are light and fluffy, and the ermine icing is to die for. I chose to skip the expected cream cheese icing, and went with the traditional ermine icing (boiled milk). This icing is different from the heavy cream cheese icing that most people are used to.Ermine butter-cream icing is similar to it's French, Swiss, and Italian counterparts, but instead of using egg yolks or egg whites to create the emulsion, it uses boiled milk and flour to create a suspension. It's similar to a roux, but the lack of a fatty medium, prevents it from technically being called a roux.
How is it different? Well, French and Italian butter-creams are smooth, very very smooth. The ermine icing is a little more dense, but the suspension of the milk and flour makes it unexpectedly smooth, while having a bit of texture at the same time. The recipe is a classic that has fallen out of use in the last 20 to 30 years. I personally think the ermine icing is superior to the heavy and dense cream cheese icing you typically see on red velvet cake. I feel the cupcakes should have an icing that compliments the airiness of the cake. not one that overpowers the cake and brings so much strong flavor to a delicate cupcake.
The Neighbors LOVED these cupcakes and have even asked for them to be made into a birthday cake. I brought them to work up in DC and I think I was almost mugged on the metro getting to my building.
The Icing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or icebox, just make sure to bring it to room temperature and beat it in the mixer before you pipe the icing out. The consistency of the icing is made to be piped. It held up quite nicely with the two tips I used.
The Red Velvet recipe comes from the cookbook: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes The cupcakes are light and fluffy, there is a nice chocolate flavor in them, and, with the addition of food coloring, they come out nice and red. I tried making the cupcakes without the food coloring first, but the cocoa powder and vinegar gave it a weak, almost sickly, brownish red color. There was no taste difference with the addition of the food coloring, so I say go for it. Side Note - This cookbook is amazing. I don't care if you hate Martha - the recipes in here are gold
Recipe after the break
Everyone likes chocolate chip cookies, I'm a fan of the thin and crispy ones, my wife likes the chewy ones, and our son likes anything you give him. I've seen Alton Brown make thin and crispy ones, I've made toll house cookies, and every variation across the board. A few months ago i set out to make the perfect chocolate cookies for us. I estimate 20 to 25 batches of cookies were baked to come up with the one the family like the most.
Brown sugar makes a chewy cookie, white sugar makes a thin, crispy cookie. With this recipe, i have opted for more white sugar for a thin edge, and some brown sugar to keep part of the cookie thick and chewy. I chose to use baking powder and baking soda to keep the cookie from spreading too much, and the addition of the baking powder adds a subtle salty taste to the final product, which everyone has enjoyed.
The liquor adds a nice hint of flavor to the cookie that can be hard to identify, but it also serves another purpose. The additional liquid helps the spread, and ensures crispy edges with their high sugar content. Rum is a great flavor, but amaretto works nicely, as well as grand mariner. Ricard was noticable by me, but the taste testers didn't mind the additional bitter hint. I think I will try sambuca next time. Mint liquors would also be interesting to play with.
Why parchment paper? Well, there is nothing better for cookies. I have tried non stick pans, i have tried silpat. Use parchment paper! The cookies never stick to it, and you can use it over and over. I have two scoops to dish out the cookies. If you do not have a scooper, you can use a tablespoon to drop the cookies on the parchment paper lined pans. The scoop I use to make chocolate truffles is perfect for small, children size, cookies. And the larger scoop makes nine sized adult cookies.
Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a cooking rack. The edges are crispy, and the centers are nice and chewy
If you decide to use this recipe, go ahead and tell me how they came out, and what you used in them. Perhaps I will try adding some bacon next time I make them ...
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