Whisky Glazed: Maker’s Mark Pecans

Posted on May 15, 2013 by fat pig in the market

What’s up? Whisky is what. Let’s douse something in Kentucky bourbon.

whisky pecans light

Get on your Maker’s Mark!

makers glazed pecans ingredients

You need bourbon, pecans, dark Muscovado sugar, butter (of course) and salt for this bourbon-tinged midweek moment.

The hardest part of making Maker’s Glazed Pecans is trying not to eat them while they cool from a warm, gooey state and get set into glazed chunks of slightly salty sin.

Maker's Mark Pecans

Maker’s Glazed Pecans are quietly sweet, softly crunchy with a snap of salt. The whole nutty experience is underlined by the mellow caramel of Maker’s Mark. They contrast well against bitter greens like arugula. Add in some crumbled blue cheese, a simple vinaigrette and you have one of my favorite simple salads.

Maker’s Glazed Pecans on top of pure vanilla bean ice cream…I expect that needs no further explanation.

They disappear quickly if you sit around eating them so you can best describe their flavor on an oinking blog. My commitment to wooing you with snacks on Wednesdays is fierce.

fat pig in the market…get your bourbon glaze on!

Recipe: Maker’s Glazed Pecans

Summary: Pecans glazed in butter, bourbon, dark Muscovado sugar and salt. Quietly sweet, softly crunchy with a spark of salt and the caramel undertone of mellow Maker’s Mark.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons dark Muscovado sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky
  • 1 cup raw pecan halves

Instructions

  1. Whisk the dark Muscovado sugar and the salt together in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
  2. Toast the pecans over medium-high heat in a medium pan until they darken a bit and smell toasty. Stir frequently during this process. Approx. 4-5 minutes.
  3. Scoop the toasted pecans onto a plate and set aside.
  4. Adjust the heat to low and let the pan adjust.
  5. Add butter and let slowly melt over low heat.
  6. Add the sugar/salt mixture to the melted butter and stir well over low heat until the sugar is melted. Approx. 30-45 seconds.
  7. Add the pecans and stir to coat.
  8. Add the Maker’s Mark. It’ll sizzle a bit. Stir well over medium heat until the pecans are well coated and look shiny. Remove from heat.
  9. Empty pecans onto a tray lined with wax paper or into a stainless prep bowl (my preference…I use the same one that I whisk the sugar and salt in) and allow to cool.
  10. Allow to cool on either a parchment lined baking sheet or in a stainless prep bowl. Approx. 25 minutes.
  11. Sprinkle them on simple salads, ice cream or enjoy them straight up.

Preparation time: 30-35 minute(s) – includes prep, cooking and cooling time

Cooking time: 7 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4 topping size servings or 2 can’t stop snacking portions

Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket. Recipe by fat pig. Microformatting by hRecipe.

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Shine a Light: The Art of Ann’s Greenlake

Posted on May 8, 2013 by fat pig in the market

My friend, Jodi, is the kind of person who brings thoughtful gifts like homemade granola and Italian plums plucked from the tree in her backyard when you invite her over to drink wine and deconstruct Project Runway.

wine for girls night

A giant bag of locally grown Concord Grapes she gave me inspired my Concord Grape Extravaganza last year.

Jodi’s hand has made a cameo appearance on this blog before. Her hand is the one with the graceful fan of fingers, slim wrist, nice manicure. The one near the corks with the purple polish, pink ring…that’s my paw.

Jodi is the daughter of an artist, Ann Norton, who resided in the Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood for over thirty years. I love Ann’s paintings.

anns greenlake shelves

This black cat should be an art studio muse or a reading nook companion.

black cat by Ann Norton

Ann Norton’s paintings are whimsical, emotional, vibrant. They speak for her now since her own voice has been fogged by Alzheimer’s disease.

My friend is shining a light on the world by sharing her mother’s art. Shine your light for the world to see.

I’d like to let Jodi’s words tell you more of their story:

My mom, Ann Norton, has always been a proud woman, one who let very few people if any get close to her, including me.

Ann Norton Vancouver 1950s

When the reality of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis finally sunk in I knew the road ahead was going to be a long, treacherous one for both of us.

Bright Spot by Ann Norton While going through our family home, to my surprise, I discovered hundreds of paintings my mom had created. As I looked through them, I remembered seeing her sit in her window seat, dabbing paper with a paintbrush. I asked her once what she was doing and she simply replied, “Oh, just doodling.” As I went to take a closer look, I was amazed at how beautiful her “doodles” were. I told her so. She said, “It just helps calm my nerves and keeps my mind at ease.”

What was so amazing about her art was the emotional connection I felt immediately just looking at it. Her art spoke to me like she never had.

Bubble Gum Tree by Ann NortonThere is a quiet serenity about her paintings though they harbor powerful emotions. They hold a sense of humor, a personality, perhaps a piece of her soul that communicates the joy and charm she didn’t express in her everyday life. When she felt compelled to paint, she simply grabbed any nearby scrap of paper, back of a product carton, or a piece of a cardboard box to get started.

I am blessed to feel this connection to my mom through her art. This connection as well as the emotion and beauty of my mom’s paintings are what drove me to share Ann’s Greenlake with you.

~Jodi Norton, daughter/curator

Prints of Ann Norton’s work are available for purchase here on Etsy. And Jodi has designed greeting cards from her mom’s paintings which are also available at the Ann’s Greenlake Etsy store. Ten percent of sales are donated to The Alzheimer’s Association.

Selected works from Ann’s Greenlake are currently on display through the end of May as part of the Freemont Art Walk. Several Seattle neighborhoods host art walks every month. Local galleries and businesses show art, serve wine and cheese and snacks. It’s cool and laid back. Art and snacks…I’m in!

Happy Mother’s Day! Oink for art. Oink to daughters and sons who give clarity and conjure beauty, life, a voice from what might otherwise undo them.

Anns Greenlake sunflower paintings

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As the Bacon Sizzles

Posted on May 2, 2013 by fat pig in the market

Morning light and sizzling bacon go well together. Bacon cooked slowly on low makes a morning good.

bacon sizzling

Chocolate goes with soft sunlight too, right? Just to be sure…we’ll use two types of chocolate.

cookie making morning

This is the opening moment of a bacon baking mystery morning.

chocolate chopped

Hunks and slivers of chocolate are gonna get folded into fluffy batter along with crisply cooked, roughly chopped bacon.

Dough will be rolled while pigs watch, eyes wild from three successive espressos.

cookie dough balls

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bacon Cookies: mystery solved. Mouth made happy.

Oatmeal Chocolate Bacon Cookies

Soft-centered oatmeal cookies with crisp edges and melty pools of semi-sweet and dark chocolate are sweet and thick enough to quiet the bacon a bit. You get a salty, smoky pop every once in a while. It’s just enough bacon-y goodness to make it seem totally okay to have cookies and three espressos for breakfast.

cookies and mr bacon

May the dawn bring you thick, soft cookies with two types of chocolate and bacon.

fat pig in the market…oink!

Recipe: Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Bacon Cookies

Summary: Soft-centered oatmeal cookies with crisp edges and melty pools of dark and semi-sweet chocolate and salty, smoky pops of bacon.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cups Old Fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cups golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 2 pieces of crisply cooked bacon, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rack should be in center of oven.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat sheet. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add the oats and stir with the whisk to get them well distributed through the flour, soda, salt mixture. Set aside.
  5. In a separate bowl beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
  6. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well to combine.
  7. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand until just combined.
  8. Add the chopped chocolate (both types!) and chopped bacon and fold briefly to distribute.
  9. Take a generous spoonful of batter and briefly roll it between your hands to form dough balls. This recipe will make a baker’s dozen or 13 dough balls which will bake up into 13 cookies.
  10. Place dough balls on a silpat lined baking sheet. Leave some space between them so they don’t run together.
  11. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. The centers will be soft but not runny. The edges should be golden brown.
  12. Cool on a rack.
  13. Store in airtight container. These cookies will keep for a few days though they really are best on the day they’re baked.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 10-11 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 13 cookies

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket. Recipe by fat pig. Microformatting by hRecipe.

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IOU Wednesday

Posted on May 1, 2013 by fat pig in the market

I owe you. It’ll be worth the wait. Promise.

oatmeal chocolate bacon cookies and mr bacon

See you tomorrow for chocolate of many sorts and bacon. Oink!

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What’s That Wednesday Kaffir Lime Leaves

Posted on April 24, 2013 by fat pig in the market

Kaffir Lime Leaves are my new crush.

Kaffir lime leaves

I saw them standing there by the refrigerated machine when I was cruising the produce department at Uwajimaya.

Kaffir lime leaves on slate

Kaffir (pronounced kay-fer) lime trees are native to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. They’re grown mainly for their hauntingly fragrant leaves which are essential in Thai cooking.

If you’ve sipped some Tom Yum or Tom Khaa soup you’ve sampled the citrusy magic of Kaffir lime leaves. Or at least I hope you’re sipping and souping at places that serve authentic lime leaf love because Kaffir lime leaves are divine…and really hard to define.

Kaffir lime leaves on bamboo

Kaffir lime leaves are intensely fragrant. Tear one and rub it on your hands or across your cutting board. Their scent is clean and sparkly but not in a light-handed way. It is lingering, lush, vividly citrusy.

The Kaffir lime fruit is small with bumpy skin and a somewhat bitter juice that’s used in cooking but not with the same frequency and enthusiasm as the leaves. The juice and rind are used in medicinal tonics for the blood and digestive system as well as in natural cleansers. Rubbing the leaves on your gums is supposed to be good for your mouth zone. And the juice is supposed to be wickedly good at getting out tough stains.

Kaffir lime leaves are pretty. I love the contrast of their shiny, dark green fronts and their bright, chartreuse backs; their almost heart-shaped leaves.

kaffr lime leaves back and front

They impart a flavor that’s a mix of lemon, lime and mandarin yet it is disctinctive. Whole leaves, fresh or dried, are used to flavor simmering stews and broths in much the same way as Bay leaves are used. The leaf is removed after the simmering or pushed aside in a curry…not eaten.

When fresh leaves are young and tender they can be slivered finely and used in salads. The sturdy center rib should be removed first if you’re going to try them that way.

Kaffir lime leaves can be dried and stored just like other dried herbs. The fresh leaves keep well frozen.

Have I convinced you to track down fresh Kaffir lime leaves yet? Did I tell you I read that you can throw a few in your bathwater for a refreshing spa moment? Trying it!

Kaffir limes leaves are rumored to be good for warding off evil spirits and banishing gloomy moods. I like both those qualities.

This might turn into a Kaffir Lime Leaf Palooza.

In the meantime…if you pick up Kaffir Lime Leaves try throwing one in coconut water or stock and poaching fish in it which I did with cod. I also added a fresh Kaffir lime leaf to red beans while they simmered and those red beans rocked. Kaffir lime leaves will impart a mysterious, deeply citrus note into your concoctions. A few leaves simmering in water will cleanse the air and make your home smell spiffy. Plus…it’ll keep the gloomsters and ill-willed spirits away. Win win and what what!

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With and Without: Strawberry Soda and Heavy Cream

Posted on April 17, 2013 by fat pig in the market

Bright moments happen when strawberries, Meyer lemon, vanilla bean and seltzer meet.

strawberry meyer lemon soda

I’m a fan of bright moments and stripey straws.

strawberry meyer lemon soda with striped straw

Strawberries were on sale and looking good this week at my local market. Meyer lemons were hanging out in yellow mesh bags…acting affordable. Plus there was sunshine.

This is a serious miracle in the Pacific Northwest where the sun is coy.

dramatic northwest sky

Seize that serious, sudden, bright moment!

Fresh vanilla beans bring a calm smoothness to this beverage. Meyer lemon juice brightens and highlights the fruity sweetness of fresh strawberries.

meyer lemon halves

In case you haven’t tried one…Meyer lemons have the crisscrossed taste of mandarin orange and lemon. They are aromatic, sweet, slightly tart and rounder than straightforward lemons. That’s how Meyer lemons roll.

meyer lemons rolling

Since we’re seizing the moment we should add some heavy cream to this concoction.

heavy cream in strawberry meyer lemon soda

Heavy cream poured into a crisp, fruit-sweet strawberry soda is totally good for truly appreciating a bright moment.

strawberry meyer lemon vanilla cream soda

Strawberry Cream Soda. Sparkly, light milkshake.

It’s like you listened to the devil on your devil shoulder just a little bit but you didn’t sell your soul.

fat pig in the market…oink!

Recipe: Strawberry Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Soda with Cream

Summary: Sparkling strawberry soda with Meyer lemon juice and fresh vanilla bean served with or without luscious heavy cream.

Ingredients

for the strawberry syrup:

  • 16 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped into eighths (approx. 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
  • three inch piece of vanilla bean
  • juice freshly squeezed from one Meyer lemon

to make one strawberry soda (syrup recipe above yields enough for four drinks):

  • 4 tablespoons strawberry syrup
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 3/4 – 1 cup seltzer *start with 3/4 cup then taste and adjust to your liking
  • *optional luxury: 2 Tablespoons very cold heavy cream

Instructions

for the strawberry syrup:

  1. Place the chopped strawberries in a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Pour brown sugar on top of the strawberries.
  3. Add fresh Meyer lemon juice.
  4. Split the vanilla bean pod in half and scrape the beans into the strawberry, lemon, sugar mixture. Throw the pod halves in too if you like.
  5. Mix well with a spoon.
  6. Cover tightly with a lid or wrap. Place in refrigerator for one hour.
  7. Remove from fridge, Discard vanilla bean pods if you threw them in.
  8. Puree in a blender or food processor.
  9. Strain through a fine sieve. Push on this pulpy mixture with the back of a spoon to get all the juices and syrupy parts.
  10. Discard the pulpy solids you strained out.
  11. *Note: The strawberry syrup will keep well for a day in the fridge. Best when fresh.

for making sodas:

  1. Add 1/2 cup of ice to each medium glass (*Note: strawberry syrup recipe above yields enough for four drinks)
  2. Pour  4 Tablespoons of strawberry syrup over the ice
  3. Add seltzer. Mix well. Taste.
  4. *Optional: add heavy cream, stripey straw
  5. Seize the bright moment!

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Chilling in the fridge: 60 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket.
Recipe by fat pig.
Microformatting by hRecipe.

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A Wolf in Beets Clothing

Posted on April 10, 2013 by fat pig in the market

I’d call this a ladylike lunch but considering the zeal with which I consumed this Golden Beet Crème Fraiche Salad, Wolf Snack might be more accurate. At least I set out flowers and a tablecloth.

three vases spring flowers

p.s. I believe in the beauty of rumpled linens.

This dish is NOT a quiet side of sad veggies waiting like a wallflower for a little attention.

golden beets backlit

Thinly sliced, raw beets are sharpened by a lemon shallot vinaigrette and soothed by the calm cool of crème fraiche in this simple salad. I wolfed down a whole plate of Golden Beet Crème Fraiche Salad and called it lunch.

golden beets on blue

A few simply prepared ingredients create a play of flavors and textures that makes you want more. Finely minced shallots sharpen up the earthy sweetness of golden beets. A sweep through luscious crème fraiche calms that high note down. Raw walnuts underline a smooth earthiness. And fresh lemon juice brings on citrus clarity.

I’m tempted to compare the addictive crunchiness of raw beets to the heaven-sent crackle of Doritos. Sliced raw beets are crunchy with just the slightest veggie give at the finish. Okay…they’re not as crunchy as Doritos but beets of all colors are good (and good for you).

Doritos truck

I’m also tempted to paint a wall this color and name it Pavlovian Gold. Living with it will make me fierce, hungry, instinctive. It’ll be a lair, a den. Call it home.

Home is here where I howl at night lights…

night lights san francisco

and hunt sunstruck streets

nyc street sunstruck

Home is my weightless heart, gone loopy, drawing on the sky.

stunt plane over Lisbon

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Bacon! You are my home.

Howl.

fat pig in the market…oink!

Recipe: Golden Beet Salad with Creme Fraiche

Summary: Crisp, thinly sliced, raw golden beet salad with a sharp, citrusy shallot vinaigrette, walnuts and a dollop of soothing creme fraiche.

Ingredients

  • 1 Golden Beet
  • 2 Tablspoons shallot, finely minced
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste *I use about five or six turns from a grinder
  • 1 cup of creme fraiche
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • small handful of fresh dill sprigs

Instructions

  1. Scrub and peel the beet.
  2. Cut the beet in half then thinly slice each half into half-moon slivers. *Use a mandolin if you have one. The salad pictured here was sliced with a knife.
  3. Place sliced beets in a medium bowl and set aside.
  4. In a small bowl combine the minced shallot, lemon juice, salt. Whisk well with a fork to combine.
  5. Add freshly ground pepper and whisk briefly. Taste and adjust to your liking. *Note: the dressing is very sharp on its own at this stage. The olive oil, beets and crème fraiche will mellow it out.
  6. Add the olive oil and whisk well for 30 seconds or so till well combined.
  7. Pour the dressing onto the thinly sliced golden beets and toss to coat evenly.
  8. Swoosh two generous dollops of crème fraiche onto each serving plate.
  9. Pile the dressed beets on top of the crème fraiche.
  10. Sprinkle raw walnuts on top.
  11. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs.
  12. Howl.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket.
Recipe by fat pig.
Microformatting by hRecipe.

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Spring Vegetable Soup with Slivers of Sizzle

Posted on April 3, 2013 by fat pig in the market

This is an art studio luncheon. A simple bowl of soup on a rickety, round table gussied up with vintage linen and a milk glass cake plate. A Spring bloom in the delicate, glass vase my buddy and former roomie, Betsy (hello Betsy Loo…I miss you!), gave me. Busy city street.

spring soup city street

Paper thin slivers of potatoes and carrots are the magic in this soup. I do my best to slice them super thin…translucently thin. Use a mandoline if you have one. I need to get one of those suckers.

Thinly slivered veggies cook quickly. And you’ll get a little bite of each ingredient in every spoonful. There’s a supporting cast of tender leeks, crisp green beans and one sumptuous piece of slab bacon because good things begin with bacon.

spring vegetable soup

Spring Vegetable Soup starts up with sizzling bacon slivers which gives this soup a lightly smoky, slightly sinful taste. Bacon is the mischievous background player in this production that you just can’t help noticing.

I throw in whole pink peppercorns while the soup simmers to add a quiet, subtly floral note. This is a Spring soup after all.

Spring Vegetable Soup close

It’s time for light, bright, veggie-loaded soup with a tinge of naughty richness. Time to savor a view, buy a bloom from your favorite flower shop, watch the city buzz by and sup soup.

fat pig in the market…oink!

Recipe: Spring Vegetable Soup

Summary: Savory, light veggie-loaded soup with little slivers of sizzle

Ingredients

  • 1 piece of slab bacon, slivered
  • 1/2 cup leeks, minced
  • 1/2 cup, peeled thinly sliced carrots
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and slivered
  • 1/2 cup green beans, chopped into small pieces
  • 5-6 whole pink peppercorns
  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt *more to taste
  • fresh dill sprigs

Instructions

  1. Peel the potato and slice it in half lengthwise.
  2. Slice each half in thirds lengthwise. Now you have six pieces.
  3. Slice across the potato pieces in the opposite direction so that you create thin, triangles of potatoes. Try to slice them so that they are translucent.
  4. Rinse the slivered potatoes in very cold water then place them in a bowl, fill with water and add a few ice cubes. Set aside.
  5. In a medium soup pot cook the bacon slivers over low heat until they sizzle and begin to curl approx. 2 minutes
  6. Add leeks and carrots and sauté over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes until they soften.
  7. Drain the potatoes.
  8. Add the potatoes and the 4 1/2 cups of water to the soup pot.
  9. Add the whole pink peppercorns.
  10. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer.
  11. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
  12. Season to taste with sea salt.
  13. Add the chopped green beans. Simmer for another 7 minutes.
  14. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs.
  15. Serve it solo or with a crispy baguette and a view!

Preparation time: 1 hour(s) 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket.
Recipe by fat pig.
Microformatting by hRecipe.

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The Easter Tree

Posted on March 27, 2013 by fat pig in the market

My grandmother, Bootsie, wore skirts, heels, hose, herringbone blazers and chic, wide leather belts when she went out to lunch every day. Bootsie carried a small, silver flask of gin in her handbag and she’d jazz up her lunchtime martini with quick, covert douses.

Grandma Boots believed in gin (very dry, up with a twist), classic fashion, statement belts and the obvious health benefits of sneaking a single piece of chocolate in the late afternoon. Boots had mad stashes of chocolate hidden around her house which may have been how she got the idea to make an Easter Tree.

easter tree start

I think I’m the only member of my blown apart family who loved (and remembers) Bootsie’s Easter Tree tradition. I thought it was genius. Still do.

The Easter Tree is a casual, bohemian, chocolate stashin’ relative of other arborous holiday décor. An Easter Tree requires no big whoop, no stress. You can use a houseplant like Bootsie did when she started this awesome tradition. Houseplant plus ribbon plus chocolate tied onto houseplant with ribbon equals Easter Tree. Done.

You can use branches, drink umbrellas and kitchen string. No worries. Got it? Decorate with it!

paper umbrellas on tree

Pretty little things should appear on and around the tree…you know…whenever you come across something pretty and feel like adding onto your tree.

hummingbird and easter tree

The tree shall bloom and those blooms shall be chocolate.

chocolate on the easter tree

When other family members get bent up about religions and start dissing Easter just call it a Spring Tree and carry on. Chocolate is a religion.

Frog chocolate easter tree

You could totally spend an hour with an origami instruction booklet trying to make a pig from a square of pink paper that’s softening along refolded seams. It’ll be that je nais c’est pas your tree was pining for. Plus Spring is best enjoyed with a jazzed-up martini on the deck and that whole origami thing will give you something to fidget with during happy hour.

origami pig

The Easter Tree should be fun, sweet, whimsical and absolutely NOT formal or fussy.

Grandma Boots always preferred the Easter Tree to the Christmas one. Everyone would complement the big-ass, bauble-loaded Christmas tree and she’d always say, “I like my little Easter Tree best.” And then no-one would remember that we had an awesome and genius houseplant that morphed into an Easter Tree every Spring…except me.

Later Grandma Boots and I would agree on the superiority of The Easter Tree while nibbling mad-stash chocolate in the kitchen and wondering if anyone would help us untangle the Christmas tinsel they claimed to love so much.

decorated easter tree

Dear Grandma Bootsie…spirited chocolate and pretty little things whisper your name while bright green stems break ground. I remember you.

I drape my navy blue blazer over my shoulders when I get a chill because you always did that blazer-drapey thing and you were so damn chic. I got you, Bootsie. I buy a well-fitting blazer every fall and one excellent belt per year. I shall maintain your sweet and classically stylish traditions. When I hit sixty I’m totally buying a flask.

Happy Springtime, people! Happy mad-stash, Bootsie-worthy chocolate! Happy Easter Tree…because chocolate is so much better than tangled tinsel. Represent!

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Muscovado Mini Cupcakes with Grapefruit Ginger Icing

Posted on March 20, 2013 by fat pig in the market

I’m ready for sunshot skies and fluffy flowers. Springtime, get here!

cherry blossom tree Seattle

I have many mini cupcakes sweetened with deep, molasses-rich Dark Muscovado sugar.

bear and muscovado sugar

Muscovado Mini Cupcakes with Grapefruit Ginger Icing is one of the first recipes in my new recipe-scribbling, brainstormin’, black bear notebook.

cupcakes icing grapefruit

I have many mini muscovado cupcakes less three (or seven).  Three (or so) is the number of mini muscovado, coconut milk cupcakes dolloped with grapefruit, ginger, cream cheese frosting that one needs to eat in order to definitively decide that they are good.

the three muscovado minis

Good enough to oink about. Good enough to tempt the sun.

muscovado cupcakes with grapefruit ginger icing

All for you, Springtime, because you are on the way here…right? Good!

fat pig in the market…oink!

Recipe: Muscovado Mini Cupcakes with Ginger Grapefruit Icing

Summary: Fluffy mini cupcakes sweetened with molasses-rich Muscovado sugar and iced with bright grapefruit, ginger, cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

for the mini cupcakes:

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 Tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup dark Muscovado sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 large egg

for the icing:

  • 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh grapefruit juice
  • 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

special equipment:

  • one mini muffin baking tin for 20 muffins
  • cupcake liners

Instructions

for the cupcakes:

  1. Line your mini muffin tray with paper cupcakes wrappers.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl beat the softened butter and dark muscovado sugar together on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has lightened in color a bit approximately 3 minutes.
  5. Add the egg and coconut milk to the butter and sugar mixture and beat well to combine for about 1 minute.
  6. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) gently until just combined.
  7. Spoon into lined mini cupcake tray.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes. Cakes should be springy to touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of one should come out clean.

for the icing:

  1. Mix grapefruit juice and minced ginger together in a small bowl.
  2. Beat softened cream cheese and grapefruit ginger mixture together in a medium bowl, on high speed to combine.
  3. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat on high speed until mixed well and fluffy.
  4. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes to make it easier to work with. Or don’t and just dollop it on the cupcakes and consume!

Preparation time: 25 minute(s)

Cooking time: 16 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Copyright © fatpiginthemarket. Recipe by fat pig. Microformatting by hRecipe.
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