In Search of a Manly Man's Cupcake: The Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's my younger brother's birthday this weekend and we needed a birthday cake to celebrate... and I was in the mood to make cupcakes. Unfortunately, my brother is a manly man & the strawberry cupcakes with pink icing I wanted to make (yay for Ontario strawberries!) are way too girly for him.

Then I remembered one of my favourite movies from the 90s, Steel Magnolias. (It has a great cast & goes down as the ultimate chick flick in the best possible way.)

Now, the girl relationships in this movie aren't the real inspiration for this cake. But in the movie, Julia Robert's character, Shelby, makes a mention of an armadillo-shaped red velvet groom's cake. Now, that sounds manly, non?

Maybe in your neck of the woods, red velvet cakes were always popular... but it seems to me red velvet cupcakes seem to be quite fashionable these days... making the requisite rounds on the food blogs, and in the boutique bakeries. Although it's a dramatic looking thing, the red velvet cake is a simple cake with a hint of cocoa and bold dash of red food colouring. Certainly good enough to celebrate a manly man's birthday.

Martha Stewart has a beautiful recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes on her website which is what I have used here.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
From Martha Stewart

Makes 24
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1.5 oz red food color (about a small bottle)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Spread cupcakes with frosting. Eat at room temperature. (Store in the fridge if not eating immediately.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
250 grams cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.
(This recipe is adjusted from Martha's - the original recipe calls for 1/2lb butter & 4 c of confectioners' sugar.)

Note: Food colouring isn't my favourite thing - you could potentially get the colour for grated beets.
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Fried Rice Noodles with Shrimp & Beef (Char Kway Teow)

When we were growing up, my Mom made this noodle dish every weekend for lunch like clockwork. It involved wok-frying creamy white rice noodles with assorted seafood, beef and vegetables, a dousing of soy sauce and it is transformed into an easy popular Singaporean lunch. Of course, it would not be complete (for me, that is) without a proper dosing of fiery chili sauce.

It has been years since I lived with my mom but if I pop by any given weekend, my mom has some Char Kway Teow on the go. Since my mom is spending her summer in Singapore and New Zealand this year, I am left to make my own weekend lunches. (Not that she makes me lunch every weekend, but when there is a visit.... let's just say there is food...)

This meal is a very common noodle dish you will find in the local (often al fresco) eating establishments in Singapore called, "hawker stands" but I have also had in also eaten this dish in some of Singapore's finer dining establishments.

This recipe is inspired mostly by my mother's recipe but also by Kylie Kwong (a food goddess amongst us mortals!) Kylie's cookbook Simple Chinese Cooking is my go-to Chinese recipe reference guide. Many of Kylie's recipes use malt vinegar as part of the marinade for beef and I think it is excellent. It adds a nice tang and cuts the saltiness of the soy sauce while still lending a complex flavour to the beef. Also, I am a big proponent of using what you have in the fridge. This recipe often uses Chinese green vegetables, if you don't have them, use spinach. (It may not be exactly traditional, but hey, traditions evolve.)

Making this dish, reminds me of eating meals with my family. I remember the gorgeous smell of the beef browning in the wok (sorry, my dear vegetarian and vegan friends, meat is good!) followed by the sizzling and sputtering of the rice noodles hitting a hot wok. When that happens, you know it's only a matter of minutes until lunch is served. (Of course, you can always have this for dinner as well.)




Fresh rice noodles are found in the refrigerated section of the Chinese grocery. You can use the dried ones that are used for pad thai. They tend to be a little more toothy, but nevertheless still equally delicious.


1 lb beef fillet (or you can use the cheaper cut, flank steak*)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4c malt vinegar
1/4c soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
1/2 garlic clove minced

1 lb fresh rice noodles
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
4 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs beaten
1/4c soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 large handfuls baby spinach (very unscientific, I know)
3 stalks green onions, cut into 2 inch logs

1/4 lb bean sprouts, rinsed
1/2 sweet red/orange pepper thinly sliced

sesame oil

To marinate beef:
1. Thinly slice beef and toss with cornstarch. Add malt vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic and chili flakes. Mix well, cover with cling wrap and return to the fridge for at least 30 minutes(or more if you have the time.)

To make the noodles:
1. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Add the fresh rice noodles and gently untangle them. Drain immediately and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a wok or a large wide fry pan with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Drain the beef from the marinade. Lightly pat dry. Working in batches, saute the meat until the outside is browned but not thoroughly cooked. (This happens fast so make sure you have a fresh plate before you start.) Remove beef from pan and cook the next batch until you have cooked all the meat.
3. Then do the same for the shrimp (it can go on the same plate as the beef.) Set aside.
4. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the pan. When the oil shimmers, turn down the heat & add the garlic until fragrant. Add drained & separated rice noodles. I resist the urge to immediately start to stir fry. (I let always allow a litle bit of the noodles to get crisp to add to the texture. But that is definitely not traditional.)
5. Make a well in the middle of the wok/pan. Add the beaten eggs and cook for a minute. Slowly, fold the noodles into the center.
6. Add soy sauce, & oyster sauce and continue to toss with the noodles. Return the shrimp & beef back to the dish along with the thin slices of pepper and bean sprouts.
7. Toss together to incorporate.
8. Serve immediately with additional sprouts and peppers and a drizzle of sesame oil.

*flank steak is one of those meats seem to be quite expensive in the mainstream grocery stores around here. If you venture into a Asian grocery store, you may be able to find flank steak is alot cheaper here.
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Breaded Artichokes

The artichoke does not look like the most inviting of vegetables. It's reminds me of an armadillo or something with its hard shell and many layers. Aren't vegetables supposed to be luscious, juicy and easy to eat?

How do you even prepare one? I don't know the answer to that, since I've never prepared one from whole vegetable. But my fellow blogger, V, has tackled this intimidating vegetable well so I leave that to her.

Although I am intimidated by such a vegetables, I still love artichokes and thankfully, they come readily available in little tins, marinated or in water.

This is a little appetizer we had recently that was absolutely delicious and such a great way to start a meal.


Breaded Artichokes

6 artichoke hearts, halved lengthwise
zest from 1 medium sized lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/3 c panko breadcrumbs
1/3 c grated Parmesan and or mozzarella

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place artichoke hearts in a large baking dish halved side up.
3. Sprinkle lemon zest on top of each half followed by the juice of half a lemon. (If you prefer a less lemony taste, use about a quarter of the lemon.)
4. Mound panko on each half, followed by the cheese mixture.
5. Drizzle with olive oil
6. Bake for ten minutes. Then turn on broiler until cheese is fully melted and golden. Serve immediately.

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A Different Salad for Summer

Sometimes recipes that you love happen by accident. This week's summer salad is a good example of one. Usually, I have a good sense of what I am going to make before I even step into my kitchen. But several weeks ago, I thought I might make a salad for dinner. In my mind, it was going to be a simple green salad with celery, peppers and tomatoes. Then my husband reminded me that our contractor was going to be arriving the following week which means we needed to purge our clutter.(We are "lowering our basement." I know that concept may sound strange for most people but in our neighborhood in Toronto where the tiniest houses sell for a mint, a way of extending your living space when you can't add an addition to your house is to dig down your basement floor to create enough head space. This gives you an additional floor of livable space. If this sounds expensive, you're quite right, it is, but it is cheaper than moving. Unfortunately, we will be working for quite a while to pay this off. But we hope in the end, it will be worth it.)

That little impetus gave me some thoughts to see what was in our pantry and there I saw it, Israeli couscous, in a gleaming mason jar. I had been thinking about using it and I thought I might try it as sort of a "light" pasta salad in that there would be more vegetables with just a highlight of starch.

The result is a clean, fresh tasting salad with the flavours of summer: tomatoes, peppers, and celery. It's juicy and crisp and feels like the type of salad you want to eat when the days are long and it is too humid to cook dinner. Even leftovers are delicious, it stays crisp even overnight and the couscous continues to absorb the flavours of the gardineria and the marinated mushrooms.

In fact, this “recipe” is so simple that I hesitate to call it that. It is really a couple of ingredients we had in the fridge tossed together. This recipe would work well for a picnic or a potluck where you might have limited access to refrigeration, easily doubles or triples to feed crowds and is easy to transport.

Israeli couscous is often mistaken for a grain, but in reality, it is actually quite similar to pasta. If you can't find Israeli couscous, you could use the more common finer-grained couscous or try a small pasta such as orzo. Israeli couscous can be found near the grains, rice section of your grocery store.


Israeli Couscous Salad


1/2 c Israeli Couscous

1/2 yellow / orange pepper
3 stalks celery, trimmed

1/2c marinated mushrooms*
1/2c gardinieria*

2 medium sized tomatoes

1. Cook Israeli Couscous per package's instructions in plenty of water until al dente. Drain couscous.

2. Meanwhile, chop pepper and celery into uniform medium-sized chunks. Add to a large bowl, toss with marinated mushrooms & gardinieria including some of the marinade. Add the warm couscous and toss well. Leave for at least 30 minutes (for best flavour).

3. Slice up tomatoes and add to salad when ready to serve.

*You can purchase marinated mushrooms and gardinieria (a delicious mixed vegetable pickle usually includes cauliflower, carrots, celery and hot peppers.) Both are so easy to make, but in a pinch we buy it. Alternatively, you could lightly pickle fresh vegetables by cutting up bite size pieces of your favourite vegetables - carrots, celery, cauliflower - tossing them in a boiling mixture of distilled white vinegar for up to 5 minutes. Strain and cool. Save some of the pickling liquid to toss with the couscous.
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Green Onion Grilled Bread

This week, I set about planting my backyard garden. The rule in our climate is to plant during Victoria Day weekend (more popularly known as May two four weekend - a two four is the colloquial name for a case of beer that comes in packs of 24 bottles.) Last year, our garden was modest. I wasn't sure what would grow because we have two very large & shady trees that act as a canopy over yard but found that we had modest success with a container garden. Our lonely tomato plant grew abundantly, our lettuce sprouted up so reliably that we had enough for salads all summer, and our little rhubarb came up scrawny but tasty (rhubarb, so I am told, takes three years to gain maturity so we're still waiting...)

This year, we have boldly decided to plant our tomatoes, lettuce and rhubarb again, but they will now be joined with Chioggia (candy stripe) beets, French breakfast radishes, and perhaps some Nantes carrots.



When I was growing up my mom grew loads and loads of green onions or scallions. They grew abundantly in our backyard and when my mom would prepare dinner, she'd ask us to bring a handful to her while we watched the Brady Bunch re-runs. We ate them all the time but I never grew tired of them. Though they still possessed some of the bite of regular onions (we never ate them raw unlike the snow peas that we would pick off during commercial breaks), they were really sweet when cooked. I loved them stir-fried and finished with a drizzle of sesame oil as well as mixed about with thin slices of tender beef.

When I stumbled upon this recipe on Serious Eats, I thought it was such a simple recipe and we could either grill it on a skillet inside or out on the grill in our backyard. Now, nothing says summer like cooking al fresco.

This recipe results in a flat bread that is reminiscent of Greek-style pita break (versus Middle-Eastern style.)


Green Onion Grilled Bread
Adapted from The Asian Grill by Corinne Trang

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced (white and light green parts)
1 cup spring or filtered water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

olive oil

1. Mix 2 cups of the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the water, the sesame and vegetable oils and the green onions. Work the flour in toward the center with a wooden spoon and stir to incorporate both dry and wet ingredients.
2. Turn the soft dough out into a floured work surface and knead, using some the remaining flour. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Form into balls, then flatten them and roll out into disks. (You will need the additional flour to help you roll out the dough)
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush the disks with olive oil and place oil-side down until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Brush on oil on the other side and when the dough appears less gummy flip over and toast until golden. Serve immediately.

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Dessert to End a Bad Day: Raspberry & Blackberry Pudding

Our weekend started with a small disaster. We had the heaviest and hardest rainfall since we bought our house in 2007 and the deluge of rain and hail that pelted our little home resulted in a sheet of water running down one of our walls. All before 10am. No, it was not an auspicious start to our day. However, the damage appears to be minimal and once we got that cleaned up, I was intent on shaking off that memory with something decidedly a little more upbeat. And what is more upbeat than a lemon-based dessert?

I had been craving lemon squares lately but when we saw luscious shiny blackberries and juicy red raspberries at our green grocer, I had to re-think dessert. If anything was going to brighten our mood today, this dessert had to be it. This dessert absolutely fit the bill.... it was gooey, satisfying, and luscious but also fresh and easy on the calories (for once!) since it's not laden down with delicious cream or butter. (I love my high-fat dairy, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from the calories.)

The dessert is a cross between an angel food cake and custard. The egg whites bake nicely into a tall, light as a feather cake and underneath is a molten, clean tasting, lemony custard. The addition of the fresh fruit lightens this dessert and really makes you feel like it's almost summer. It really is a dessert to end a bad day.



This isn't a pudding the way North Americans tend to think of puddings: creamy, smooth, and rich. This pudd is more in the English-style. Slightly cakey, a little bit custardy but just as satisfying as its North American counterpart.


Raspberry & Blackberry Pudding



3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
Pinch salt
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup milk

1/2 pint raspberries & blackberries, each

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 4 1-cup ramekins. Place a mixture of berries in each ramekin so that the bottom of the ramekin is covered. Save leftover berries for garnish.
2. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until white peaks form.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk in lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, and milk. Whisk in egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Gently fold whipped whites into lemon mixture. Pour into each ramekin.
4. Place the ramekins in a shallow baking dish. Open oven and pull out bottom rack. Place the dish with the baking tray in the center of the rack. Carefully pour hot water (tap is okay) until the water reaches about 1 inch up the sides of the inner baking dish. Bake until top is lightly browned, approximately 20-25 minutes. (If you decide to use one large baking dish, it should take about 30-40 minutes.)
5. Garnish with leftover berries.

I think this tastes best coming straight out of the oven. If you are serving this to guests, I would not whip the egg whites. I'd keep the egg whites and the prepared batter in the fridge until you're ready to go. Then preheat the oven, and whip the egg whites. Mix with batter and portion into ramekins. Bake per instructions.
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