Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 (15 page)

Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies

Anyone traveling through Mississippi is likely to see a pickup truck along the side of the highway filled with sweet potatoes for sale. With sweet potatoes being so plentiful, I am always trying to come up with new ways to use them in my cooking and baking. This recipe combines my love of three things: sweet potatoes, blondies, and peanut butter!

Unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato

2/3 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 X 9-inch baking pan with unsalted butter.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in the beaten eggs, sweet potato, peanut butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined. Add the flour mixture ingredients and mix well.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking dish. Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the blondies into squares or desired shapes.

Serves 8 to 10

Strawberry Cream Cupcakes

Birthdays are a big deal in my family. Each birthday girl or boy gets to request his or her own favorite cake for the day. My mom’s favorite is German chocolate. I like coconut with lemon cream filling. My sister Brittyn loves strawberry cream cake. In fact she loves it so much that I have nicknamed it “Brittyn’s birthday cake.” This is the cupcake version of Brittyn’s much-loved cake. Once your friends and family have tasted these fluffy, creamy cupcakes, don’t be surprised if they start requesting them for their birthdays, too!

1 box (16 ounces) angel food cake mix

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sliced strawberries plus 15 slices for garnish

2 cups heavy cream, cold

5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin with paper liners.

Prepare the angel food cake batter according to package directions. Fill the paper liners three-quarters of the way to the top with batter. Bake until the cupcakes just start to turn golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Let the muffin tin cool and repeat for 2 more batches (the last batch will only be 3 cupcakes).

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk. Fold in the 1 cup strawberries. Refrigerate until it firms up, about 40 minutes.

Once the filling has firmed up and the cupcakes have cooled completely, carefully cut off the cupcake tops with a sharp knife and set aside. Make a slit in the top of each cupcake with a sharp knife and push down on the airy cake to make a 1-inch-deep well. Fill the well with the strawberry filling using a small spoon. Replace the cupcake tops, pressing lightly to seal.

Beat the cream in a cold bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until combined. Fill a resealable plastic bag with the whipped cream and snip off the corner of the bag.

Pipe the whipped cream onto the tops of the cupcakes in a circular motion. Top with a strawberry slice. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 15 jumbo cupcakes

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

When I was under pressure to create a perfect cupcake on
MasterChef,
my mind immediately went back to my inspiration: My 95-year-old great-grandmother and her wonderful homemade cake with a lemon glaze. This cupcake recipe infuses a moist yellow cake with coconut flavor and is topped with a light, tangy lemon glaze and crunchy toasted coconut.

CUPCAKES

1¼ cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten, at room temperature

½ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon canned coconut water

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

TOPPING

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

LEMON GLAZE

3/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cups of one 12-cup muffin tin and 4 cups of a second 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

To make the cupcakes: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Place the butter in a large bowl and stir until it reaches a creamy consistency. Slowly stir the sugar into butter. Slowly stir in the egg mixture. Add one-third of the flour mixture. Add one-half of the milk. Continue adding them alternately, ending with the flour mixture. Stir the batter after each addition. Stir in the coconut water and vanilla.

Fill the paper liners half full of batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 14 minutes. Leave the oven on. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool, about 20 minutes.

To make the topping: Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake lightly browned and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl and let cool.

To make the lemon glaze: Mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, and confectioners’ sugar in a small shallow bowl.

To assemble, dip the top of a cooled cupcake in the glaze. Immediately dip the glazed top in the coconut. Allow the glaze to set before serving or storing the cupcakes.

Makes 16 cupcakes

Molten Lava Cakes for a Crowd

Rich and fudgy brownies were the go-to dessert at my house when a chocolate craving struck. That is, until I started making my molten lava cakes. These rich, gooey cakes will satisfy even the most die-hard chocoholics, and since they’re baked in a muffin tin, it’s easy to whip up a large batch in no time at all.

WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy cream, cold

2½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

CAKES

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons brewed coffee

½ cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

To make the whipped cream: Beat the cream using an electric mixer in a large cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons of the confectioner’ sugar. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cakes.

To make the cakes: Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Once the chocolate and butter are melted, stir in the coffee until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until the cakes are slightly jiggly in the center, about 7 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of each cake and transfer the hot cakes to dessert plates. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and dust with the cocoa powder.

Serves 12

Not Your Grandma’s Lemon Meringue

On Sunday morning, my grandma would often whip up a “few” (at least three or more) lemon meringue pies for Sunday dinner. Although the taste of this tangy lemon dessert transports me back to my grandma’s kitchen, it’s actually a very different dessert comprised of four separate elements: lemon panna cotta, lemon curd, meringue shell, and tuile cookies. You can make each of these components ahead of time and assemble it for your guests at the last minute.

MERINGUE SHELLS

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup superfine sugar
*

PANNA COTTA

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup whole milk

1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest

1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder

¼ cup superfine sugar
*

TUILE COOKIES

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

½ cup sifted all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

LEMON CURD

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

SWEETENED BLACKBERRIES

3/4 cup blackberries

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

*
If you do not have superfine sugar, pulse granulated sugar two times in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 225°F.

To make the meringues: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a pencil, trace four 4-inch circles on the paper using a glass or cookie cutter as a guide. Turn the paper drawing-side down.

In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce to low speed and gradually beat in the superfine sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.

Spoon the meringue onto each parchment paper circle, smoothing the meringue to make a solid round. To make the shells, use the back of a spoon to push the meringue toward the edge of the round to form a 1-inch-high wall. Swirl meringue up into short peaks on the sides.

Bake until firm, about 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for 1 hour.

To make the panna cotta: Heat 3/4 cup of the half-and-half and the milk in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the zest and cook for 8 minutes to infuse the mixture with lemon zest flavor.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining ¼ cup half-and-half into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the half-and-half and let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the superfine sugar into the milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking to dissolve. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin, whisking until it dissolves. If any gelatin particles remain, return to low heat and stir until it’s all dissolved.

Grease four 3-inch ramekins or 4 cups of a muffin tin. Strain the milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring bowl or container for easy pouring. Fill the ramekins or cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, 2 to 4 hours.

To make the tuile cookies: Whisk the egg whites in a bowl. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Whisk in the flour to combine. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick liner or parchment paper.

Working quickly, spoon no more than ½ teaspoon batter onto the prepared baking sheet to form thin cookies. Using the back of a spoon or offset spatula, thinly spread the batter into rounds. Bake until lightly browned around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Quickly use a spatula to remove the cookies from the baking sheet. While hot and soft, mold the cookies over a wooden spoon handle or rolling pin to form curved shapes.

To make the lemon curd: Heat the granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the egg yolk. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture slightly thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Stir in the butter until it melts. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firmed up, about 10 minutes.

To prepare the sweetened blackberries: Combine the blackberries, turbinado sugar, and ½ cup water in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble, place a meringue shell on a dessert plate. Unmold a panna cotta into the shell. Spoon about 1 tablespoon lemon curd in a line down the side of the plate. Using the back of a spoon, widen the line to a pretty smear. Top the panna cotta with a tuile cookie. Lastly, spoon a few blackberries around the meringue shell. Drop a few dots of blackberry juice onto the lemon curd for decoration.

Serves 4