Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

        For this week's blog post I am going to take a break from cooking "cultural" foods and share with you a festive holiday recipe. I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting. The recipe I used was easy to follow and the cupcakes took less than an hour to make, including the frosting. Basically, you mix together all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Then, you mix together all of the wet ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add in the dry mix. Bake the cupcakes at 375 for 20 minutes or until the center comes when tested with a tooth pick. For the frosting, you put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together until fluffy. Be sure that the cupcakes are completely cool before icing them with the cream cheese frosting or the icing will melt off of the warm cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes

Dry Mix for the cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake

                            Here is the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (Makes 24):

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cinnamon, Saigon

1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Sicilian Sea Salt

1/8 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cloves, Ground

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

Almond Cream Cheese Frosting:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter,

softened 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese,

softened 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract (or vanilla)

2 cups confectioners' sugar,

sifted 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, coarsely chopped (optional)

Nutritional information

(amount per serving)

Calories: 314

Sodium: 249mg

Fat: 18g

Carbohydrates: 35g

Cholesterol: 55mg

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 1g

Directions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For the Cupcakes, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt and cloves in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat pumpkin, granulated sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended.
2. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
4. For the Frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and almond extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes with Frosting. Sprinkle with almonds.

Sources: 

• http://www.mccormick.com/Gourmet/Recipes/Dessert/Pumpkin-Cupcakes-with-Almond-Cream-Cheese-Frosting#

 * All Photos Courtesy of Me

Eton Mess

       From Greece we travel to the shores of Great Britain to experience the flavor of their classic dessert: Eton Mess. The dish was traditionally served at Eton College, one of Britain's most famous public schools, and consists of whipped double cream, strawberries, and crushed meringue nests. This delicious dessert is simple to make if you are prepared with the right ingredients and prior knowledge to pull off all of the components of this dish.

       The recipe for Eton Mess consists of two parts: the meringue nests and the actual "mess" put together. If you are not culinary savvy, I suggest that you purchase ready-to-eat meringue nests from a grocery store rather than attempt to bake these tricky treats on your own. Meringue, like many creams, is very sensitive and the conditions must be exactly right in order for the concoction to set. If the weather where you live is wet or humid, you should wait for a dry, sunny day to prepare your meringue. Meringue is made using egg whites, cream of tarter, and vanilla extract. See the recipe that I used to make meringue nests below for more details.
    
       Eton Mess in it's self is easy to make and requires absolutely no cooking, unless you couldn't find meringue nests in your local grocery store. (Lucky me!) Simply cut and puree strawberries, whip the double cream to stiff peaks, crush the meringue nests, and mix the "mess" together. Serve in a cold wine glass and garnish with whole strawberries and springs of mint. The recipe I used (see below) serves four.


            Here is the Eton Mess recipe I used from BBC and my recipe for Meringue Nests:

 Eton Mess


Ingredients:

·         500g/1lb 2oz strawberries, hulls removed

·         400ml/14fl oz double cream

·         3 x 7.5cm/3in ready-made meringue nests, crushed

·         sprigs of fresh mint, to garnish

Directions:

Whipped Double Cream

Pureed Strawberries

Chopped Strawberries

Strawberries in a Blender

·         Purée half the strawberries in a blender. Chop the remaining strawberries, reserving four for decoration.

·         Whip the double cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the strawberry purée and crushed meringue. Fold in the chopped strawberries and ginger cordial.

·         Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into four cold wine glasses. Serve garnished with the remaining strawberries and a sprig of mint.

Eton Mess

Eton Mess (Aerial View)

Eton Mess in A Bowl

Meringue Nests


Ingredients:

·         3 egg whites

·         ½ tsp of vanilla extract

·         ¼ tsp of cream of tartar (this is optional – it works well without it)

·         ¾ cup of sugar

·         Parchment paper (to bake on)

Directions:

·         Pour egg whites or separate cold eggs into a small bowl (be sure not to get any egg yolk in the bowl, if you do fish it out with the cracked egg shell half, not your fingers)

·         Set the small bowl of egg whites into a larger bowl filled with hot water (not too hot, though… put plastic wrap over the bowl of egg whites to prevent spillage) for 15 minutes or until the egg whites are at room temperature

·         Add the vanilla extract and cream of tartar to the egg whites, beat together with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks have formed (this means that the mixture can stay on the spoon when turned upside down)

Baked Meringue Nests

Unbaked Meringue Nests

Meringue

·         Slowly add in the sugar ¼ of a cup at a time while beating on high speed, repeat the process until all of the sugar is completely blended and the meringue is in hard peaks (meringue should set within 5 to 7 minutes… if it does not start over because you have done something wrong)

·         Drop meringue into eight mounds on the parchment paper lined baking sheet, form the mounds into 3 inch bowls with the back of a spoon or pipe the meringue into bowls

·         Bake at 275 for 40 to 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and let the meringue nests set for 1 hour (inside the cooling oven)

·         Crush meringue nests (4) to use in the Eton mess recipe or fill with your favorite fruit filling for an entirely different dessert

·         Makes eight servings

Sources:

•  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/etonmess_81082
•  http://britishfood.about.com/od/strawberryrecipes/r/etonmess.htm
• Meringue Nests Recipe from a cookbook at my house 

         Photos courtesy of me

Tzatziki Sauce

The next stop on our tour of cultural cuisines is Greece. As an island nation located near the Mediterranean Sea with a proud history, Greece has no shortfall when it comes to traditions – or food for that matter. Grecian culture is bursting with flavorful and delicious recipes; however, I chose to prepare a simple, yet classic Greek staple. Tzatziki sauce is a dip made from yogurt, cucumber, and other herbs. Traditionally, Tzatziki sauce is used to add flavor to other dishes such as souvlaki or gyros. In addition to being great as a complement to an appetizing main dish, this tangy sauce is perfect as a dip on pita chips or vegetables.

This recipe is easy to make and the instructions are straightforward, which makes preparation and cleanup hassle-free. Tzatziki sauce requires only a few ingredients that are common in grocery stores – this means you won’t have to search for some obscure ingredient in the “specialty” food aisle only to find that it’s not available. Honestly, this recipe was so simple that it was quite a relief after the nightmare that was the Hamantashen recipe I made a few weeks ago. Start with a cucumber, one clove of garlic, a sixteen ounce container of plain Greek style yogurt, fresh chopped parsley, mint, and lemon juice. Follow the directions below and in less than four hours you’ll be enjoying an awesome dip that will be sure to spice up all your social affairs.

Here is the recipe I used from All Recipes.com with a few minor improvements:

Ingredients for Tzatziki Sauce 

Ingredients:

o   1 (16 ounce) container of low-fat plain Greek yogurt

o   1 cucumber (peeled, seeded, and grated)

o   1 clove of garlic (minced) or ¼ of a teaspoon of minced garlic in a bottle

o   1 tablespoon of fresh parsley (chopped)

o   1 tablespoon of fresh mint (chopped)

o   1 tablespoon of juice from a fresh lemon or lemon juice from a bottle

o   Salt and pepper to taste (I personally didn’t use any…)

o   Optional: Pita chips to eat with the dip

             Directions:

o   Peel, cut, and seed cucumber – grate slices with a cheese grater or mixer attachment

o   Lay grated cucumber on a plate lined with paper towel; allow to drain for 1 to 2 hours

o   Combine the rest of the ingredients and the cucumber into a bowl; stir well until evenly mixed

o   Refrigerate sauce for at least 2 hours prior to serving

Grated cucumber 

Seeded cucumber

Chopped mint

 

Sources:

o   http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-tzatziki.htm

o   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tzatziki-Sauce-Yogurt-and-Cucumber-Dip/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Photos courtesy of me