The Food We Eat

Yellow Cupcakes with faux buttercream frosting

 
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you out there. I say this to be polite. I have trid and tried, but I think I'm so over the whole Valentine's day thing. However, the little-uns remind me to get in the spirit. For me, that translates into making cutesy cupcakes and sugar cookies. This I like.

Here is a very simple, yet absolutely delicious cupcake and frosting recipe. This is my go-to recipe for a basic Vanilla cupcake. If you feel like it, add in some orange zest or lemon zest. I baked some up tonight for my son's school party. I am not expecting any leftovers after the party.

Oh! And here are the adorable valentine cards my 2nd grader made for his classmates and friends. I love this kid - no super heroes or sports cards for this one. Aren't they precious? Thank you to the nice parent who posted these homemade Valentine card ideas on the web.

Yellow Cupcakes

Makes 12 - 14 (can be doubled, and I usually do)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup milk (lowfat is fine)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix till light and creamy. Add the milk and the vanilla, and mix for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed till the mixture is smooth and shiny, approx. 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix by hand gently to incporporate well. You do not want to overmix, otherwise the texture will suffer.

5. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Do not overfill the cups, or the cupcakes will overflow and make a huge crown. Still tasty, but not so pretty especially if you want to frost them. I like to use a 2oz ice-cream scoop to make this job easy.

6. Bake until the cupcakes are pale golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approx. 18 - 24 minutes depending on your oven.

7. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin tin for a few minutes. Use a paring knife to lift the cupcakes out of the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

8. Eat as is, frost using the recipe below, or use your favorite frosting recipe.

Faux (easy) Vanilla buttercream recipe

Makes enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes

I borrowed (and adapted) this recipe from the internet where it is published in many places as the Magnolia Bakery (NYC) buttercream recipe. I do not know if this is accurate. I have not been to Magnolia Bakery and don't know if this is indeed their recipe. But I sure do like it -- well, after a few tweaks. I think I now have it down the way I like it. It is super easy and foolproof. Also, it is a cross between a cookie icing and a buttercream - intensely sweet, but not too rich. Seems to be a huge hit everytime.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened (but still cold)

4 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar (plus 1 extra cup on hand)

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Add the butter and 4 cups confectioner's sugar to the bowl of a mixer. Add the milk and the vanilla.

2. Mix on low speed to incorporate. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth and creamy. The frosting should be light in texture. If it is too wet, add a little more sugar, beating well after each addition until the frosting is a good spreading consistency.

Note: If your kitchen is too warm, the icing will look like it is curdling and separating. If so, just chill for a bit and then beat it again. You can store this in the refrigerator for a few days, but bring to room temperature an hour before using.

Mangalore Mutton Curry

 

 

It is very likely that many of you have never had the fortune of tasting food from Mangalore, India. Not the most widely known cuisine, even within India, but what a shame. It is addictive! How do I describe it? Lets just say that If you like peppery curries and tamarind, you are sure going to love this style of curry. It is a welcome change from the more well-known curries. Serve with steamed plain rice or with chapati. I would love to know what you think of it.

 

Mutton is traditional to India, as beef is rarely consumed. If you decide to use beef, I would strongly recommend using 'chuck' meat. As with beef stew, this cut of meat lends well to curries. If you can't find mutton, lamb is a fantastic substitute.

 

Also, yes, I do use a pressure cooker here. Those of you who are pressure-cooker phobic, it is time to come out of your shell and get over it. Hey, it is really 'cool' to own one now. I swear, if you are into Indian cooking, or just good healthy whole grain cooking, you have to go out and get one of these. What if you don't like it? Oh well. I am sure you've made other kitchen purchases below that you have regretted. There is a very very small chance you'll regret it. I promise. But if you still don't want to get one, you can use a heavy dutch oven. Just be prepared to cook this for a few ours to achieve the right doneness and consistency.  

 

Mangalore Mutton Curry

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

 2 lbs boneless Mutton, cut into small pieces

1/2 lb potatoes, cut into fourths

3 large onions, chopped into rough chunks

6 cloves of garlic

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

2 large tomatoes, pureed

1 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

 

For coconut masala paste:

1 tablespoon poppy (khus khus) seeds

1 stick cinnamon

4 cloves

15 black peppercorns

1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 dry red chilis

1 teaspoon oil

1//2 cup grated coconut (fresh preferred, dry will do)

 

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, grind the onions, garlic, and ginger together into a coarse paste. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, or a heavy dutch oven. Add the onion paste and fry over medium heat until golden brown. This shouls take 15 - 20 minutes.

While onion paste is cooking, get the coconut masala paste ready. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small frying pan and roast all the dry spices. Grind to a paste along with the coconut. Set aside for later.

Once the onion paste is golden brown, add the pureed tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently till tomatoes are cooked and change to a dark red color. Now add the turmeric powder and some salt. Add the mutton and saute the mutton in the masala till the mutton gives out some juices, about 10 minutes. Now add the potatoes, ground coconut masala paste, tamarind paste, sugar, and 1 cup water.

Bring to a boil, close the pressure cooker lid and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 more minutes. Once pressure has released, open cooker.

 

Note: If you are cooking without a pressure cooker, you will need to cook the meat for a few hours. You can do this covered, on low heat on the stove top, or better, cook in a 325 F oven. You will need more water to avoid the curry from burning, so plan on at least one more cup of water.

 

Once the curry is cooked (meat should be fork tender), check salt and seasonings. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot. Note: leftovers are excellent!