Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Weekend Recap
It's been a busy weekend here in London - half of which included getting out of London! Yesterday we took a little road trip (and by little I mean a three hour car ride) to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. I'm going to tell you aaaalllll about our trip soon (it involved a seven mile hike, picnic fried chicken and a mexican chip butty) but here's a sneak peak -
There has been a flurry of summer recipes on twitter this past week that have caught my eye. The weather is still pretending to be summery so I took full advantage of an empty house this afternoon and spent a few hours cooking up a storm.
Strawberries + vodka = perfect summery drink! This time next week I'll be sipping on a cool cocktail made with some of this lovely pink stuff (and it's so easy you won't believe it)
A refreshing non-alcoholic option for these hot, humid days (I'm still waiting for some of those, but I'll drink this anyway - try adding some sparkling water for a little fizz).
This went PERFECT with our grilled BBQ chicken tonight. Anything with tomatoes, baby mozzarella and basil is a winner in my book. The basil olive oil in the recipe is amazing, and it's so easy to make - I can tell it's going to be a big hit in this house all through the summer!
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| Rosemary simple syrup (L) and Basil Olive Oil (R) |
I also spent an enormous amount of time trying to make these lovely red velvet cupcakes by Pinch my Salt. I think there is a curse on me that prohibits me from being able to make red velvet cupcakes, because these did not turn out at all. The recipe is totally fine, I was just being a complete spaz by the time it came to make these. The batter came together nicely and then I was too busy dancing around my kitchen to notice that I filled the cupcake liners all the way to the top, so when they were baking in the oven they totally spilled out of the liner and all over the top of the pan. Then I decided to make cake pops out of them and that was such an epic fail I won't divulge in the details for fear of making you close your browser in disgust. The last time I tried to make red velvet cupcakes was a couple of years ago for Valentine's Day. Lets just say that I used two bags of powdered sugar and all I could get the frosting to do was curdle. So, it looks like it will be another couple of years before I try making these again!
I hope you all have a wonderful July 4th holiday if you celebrate that kind of thing. July 4th actually might be one of my favorite holidays, and one that I miss the most living in London - BBQs, fireworks, hot summer weather, small towns dressed up in red, white and blue, cold drinks, spending time with friends and family - yeah, that sounds like a pretty good holiday to me!
How are you celebrating this holiday weekend? Drop me a line in the comments section or send me a note on twitter (@trvlngcupcake) - I love hearing what my readers are up to! Have a happy and safe fourth of July!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken
For a few months now I have been trying to jump on the green bandwagon. Sometimes I make it on the wagon, sometimes I fall a few feet short and land in the dust. But I figure sometimes is better than never...right? I've started to try to buy organic when I can/remember, purposefully separate my recycling and use our compost bin as much as possible.
I started ordering from Abel and Cole back in the winter, when only root vegetables and apples seemed to make it in to my biweekly box of produce. Try as I might, I could never use everything in that weeks delivery before it went rotten. Now that summer is upon us and the contents of the box is getting more exciting and varied, I am making an effort to really use everything in the box before it goes bad. After all, its not very green to let this special-ordered-local-food go to waste.
Huh?
Huh?
One meal from this weeks fruit and veg box? Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken.
Fresh tomatoes + crisp broccoli + chicken + (basil + lemon + parmesan cheese) + bowtie pasta = a yummy summer dish that you can feel good about eating!
I used a very little amount of pasta and really upped the protein and veggie content of this dish. Its filling, fresh and comes together in a snap! The lemon and the basil really make this dish, they brighten up the whole thing - like sunshine on a plate. And who doesn't like sunshine? Seriously...is there anyone who doesn't like sunshine? That would be weird.
Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken
adapted from Epicurious.com
4 oz bowtie pasta (about 1.5 cups uncooked)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets of equal size
3/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 lb cherry tomatos, quartered
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
Handfull of basil, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Parmesan cheese, to taste
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until just cooked on all sides. Add broccoli florets and crushed red pepper, cook until broccoli is crisp-tender (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and half of the chopped basil.
- Drain the pasta and add to the vegetable and chicken mixture. Stir well to incorporate and heat through. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Freshly grate parmesan cheese over the whole dish, and once again on individual servings.
Mangia!
Monday, April 25, 2011
I interrupt these Vietnam recaps...
Lemon Curd Cupcakes to be exact.
You might remember a couple months ago when I made this Lemon Curd Cake. There's a birthday coming up this week and the birthday girl is a BIG fan of lemon cake. She's actually a fan of anything lemon, but really, does it get any better than lemon curd cake?
I decided to use the same Martha Stewart Lemon Curd Cake recipe but turn it in to cupcakes. The result was mediocre. Sure, the cupcakes tasted alright, but they didn't stay as fluffy and light as other cupcake recipes I have. Add a lemon curd center and cream cheese frosting though and they went from OK to AWESOME in a matter of seconds.
I found these super cute Cath Kidson cupcake liners too - they screamed SPRING to me.
In goes the batter
When cool, take an apple corer and take out the center. Eat the little bits while filling the middle with lemon curd
I switched up the frosting this time. When I made this as a cake I used the recommended meringue frosting. This time I wanted something that packed a little more punch, so I used Nigella's cream cheese frosting recipe. The tangy frosting went well with the sour lemon curd, and both were balanced by the mellow flavor of the white base cake.
Lemon Curd Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
I only used one type of flour (all-pourpose) which I think is why I got a denser cake. I suggest using half and half as the recipe calls for.
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (1 cup)
1 1/2 cups all-pourpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Lemon Curd (homemade or store bought - I used Dutchy Originals Organic Lemon Curd)
- Preheat the oven to 350* F (about 170* C), line cupcake pan and set aside. Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
- Turn the mixer down to low, and slowly add in the flour mixture in four parts. Alternate adding the flour and sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mix. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Divide batter between cupcake liners and bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating half way through to ensure even baking. Let the cupcakes rest for a couple of minutes in the pan before removing and cooling on a wire rack.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, remove the center of the cupcake with the apple corer - be careful not to go all the way to the bottom, try to leave a small amount of cake on the liner. Use a small spoon to drop in the lemon curd until it reaches the top. Leave to set.
- Frost with cream cheese buttercream and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Nigella's Kitchen cookbook
I added about 1 tsp vanilla extract to help round out the flavors. Feel free to add if you like or make without per the original recipe. I love using Nigella's recipes as the directions are no fuss and super easy, it doesn't get much easier than this!
500g powdered sugar
125g cream cheese
125g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
- Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese and butter until incorporated.
- Add lemon juice (and vanilla, if using) and mix again to combine until smooth and glossy.
- Decorate as needed, try to get some on the cupcakes and not just in your mouth (I always have trouble with this step).
mix - bake - fill - frost - unwrap - ENJOY
Friday, March 04, 2011
Lemon Curd Cake
This cake to be exact...
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| curtesy of Martha Stewart.com |
Actually, the picture that I have in my Baking Handbook has THREE layers of lemon curd. Ohhh yeahhh. Three.Layers.
Whats the occasion? A coworker of mine is leaving and its her last week - I thought we should have a little cake to wish her luck in the future.
And I had a jar of lemon curd in the fridge that I was dying to use on something other than toast.
So, I made the cake.
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| Don't mind the dirty dishes in the back... |
Bake two 9" cakes made with lemon zest and sour cream to give it some *zing!*
Each cake is cut in half and then filled with three luscious layers of lemon curd.
And then, I made a really whacky whipped frosting - it involves eggs whites, white sugar and butter. I dont think I have ever made frosting without powdered sugar! And right before I added the butter to the whipped sugar and eggs whites, I nearly thought I invented Fluff.
But then I remembered that Fluff was already invented, which is why I knew the name.
Invention fail.
BUT -
Lemon Curd Cake success!
Lemon Curd Cake success!
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