Amazing 30 Second Chocolate Leaves

One of the best tricks that I learned during my day as a chocolatier at Kakao Chocolate was how to make these chocolate leaves in just thirty seconds.

Start by pouring a long blob of tempered chocolate onto parchment paper.

Candied Cucumber - This is No Pickle

Cucumbers are clean, crisp, and refreshing.  Why do we often sour them, turning them into pickles?  Although candied cucumbers resemble bread and butter pickles, I assure you that they taste nothing alike.

Candied cucumbers taste like candy!  They are sticky, sweet, and - since I added some fresh mint when I candied them - minty fresh!  These candied cucumbers made a gorgeous topper for my cucumber martini cupcakes (coming soon).  But, they would also steal the show on an after-dinner cheese plate or perched on the side of a glass of an actual cucumber martini.

Homemade Apple Chips in Fun Fall Shapes

Apple chips serve as lunchbox-ready snacks that are crispy (baked - not fried) and have just a touch of cinnamon and sugar.  Even store-bought apple chips are wonderful treats, but when you make homemade apple chips, you can not only control how much sugar you add (you don't need to add much), but you can also make your homemade apple chips in fun shapes!

I used tiny harvest cookie cutters to cut my apple pieces into leaf and apple shapes. Using the apple cookie cutter was the literal version of the game Apples to Apples.

How To Make Homemade Apple Chips

Panko Sprinkles

Sometimes sprinkles are just too sweet on a sugary cupcake.  Colored coconut (see my Pina Colada cupcakes) is a nice sprinkle substitute, but coconut is extremely divisive.  There are always crushed nuts.  However, nuts don't go with everything - plus, there's that darn allergy thing to contend with.  What's left when you want a colorful sprinkle-like look for the top of your cupcakes?  Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)!

Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpeas - Cheap, Easy, and Addictive

Prior to making sweet and salty roasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans), chickpeas did not entice me at snack time.  I didn't search the pantry saying, "Chocolate, nah!  Graham cracker, no thanks.  Oooh, I know what I should have: chickpeas!"  Silly me!   I now realize that with minimal effort, some sugar, a small amount of oil, spices, and salt, a can of chickpeas can turn into a grazing food akin in addictiveness and crunching pleasure to popcorn.

Hop on board the chickpea choo choo (I'm picturing a train with chickpeas flying out of the engine instead of smoke) and give these a go!  If you're already along for the ride, I'd love to hear what spices you use.

Latik - Cooking Magic with Coconut Milk

Although I still marvel at sugar turning to sweet, sticky caramel, egg whites tripling in size to become fluffy meringue, and heavy whipping cream turning into pipable clouds of frosting, I've seen these kitchen tricks so many times that I need to stop and remind myself to not take them for granted.  But, when I first saw a photo of latik a couple of weeks ago, I may as well have been at a David Copperfield show.  "Coconut milk can turn into that?"  I marveled.  I had no idea!  

Latik, a Filipino dessert topping, is made by cooking down coconut milk or coconut cream (the more solid stuff on the top of a can of coconut milk) for hours until it separates into fried coconut curds (latik) and coconut oil.  It's like putting coconut milk into a magic hat, saying abra cadabra, and pulling out a toasted cross between brown sugar and shredded baker's coconut. 

Latik is ideal for sprinkling on ice cream (in the image above, I topped Caio Bella Mango Sorbet with latik) or cupcakes to give them a shot of rich coconut flavor.  Also, you can use the byproduct (the coconut oil) for cooking or baking.

Latik may not be something that you'll make every day, but if like me you love exploring new feats of culinary wonderment, it's worth making at least once.

Gulab Jamun - Indian Syrup-Soaked Donut Holes

Gulab jamun are the Indian version of donut holes.  But unlike the donut holes that I would mooch off of my brother's soccer team while they were having halftime meetings, gulab jamun are not finger foods.  Imagine, if you will, hot Krispy Kremes fresh out of the fryer, soaked in sugar syrup, and then served on top of some extra syrup.  That, my friends, is gulab jamun.  Gulab jamun are little syrup sponges (in this case a cardamom, syrup) your arteries will hate you for, but that you won't be able to resist (if you feel guilty, you can remind yourself that they aren't as fattening as deep fried cupcakes or cupcakes wellington). 

Candied Carrot Curls - A Unique Carrot Cupcake Topper

Why are carrot cakes and carrot cake cupcakes always topped with a piped carrot drawing?  Apple cakes don't have apple drawings on them, nor do peach cakes have little piped peaches.

Why not top your carrot cakes with the real thing?!  I found the recipe for these candied carrot curls on Epicurious (they got it from the December 2007 issue of Gourmet). 

Don't be alarmed by the number of steps in the carrot curl instructions.  I know it sounds like a lot of fussing, but making the carrot curls is really quite simple and they will easily impress your cupcake eaters.  When Bride 3.0 saw the cupcakes topped with these, she loved that they looked like little ribbons.

Here is the reprint of the recipe, along with my notes:

• 1 large carrot (preferably fat) or 2 medium
• 1 C water
• 1 C sugar

1. Peel layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with peeler until you begin to get wide slices. Peel wide strips, reserving them, until you get about 15 (there will be a few extra). (I just did the whole carrot.  I figured that it couldn't hurt to have extras.)
2. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
3. Add carrot strips and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. 
4. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, discarding syrup.
5. Let stand 15 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 225 F with rack in middle.
7. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick liner (I used parchment paper), then arrange candied carrot slices flat in 1 layer on sheet.

8. Bake until dry but still flexible, about 30 minutes. (Leave oven on.) 
9. Wind carrot strips, 1 at a time, around end of handle of a wooden spoon in a loose spiral, then slip off each curl and return, seam sides down, to lined baking sheet. 

10. Return curls to oven to dry until crisp, 30 to 45 minutes more. (Some of my curls looked less curly after this step. I'm not sure why it happened - maybe they weren't seam side down, or maybe they got too dry.  I loved them anyway.)
11. Cool completely on baking sheet.  Carrot curls can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a 250 F oven 10 minutes. (Don't put them on your cake until just before serving or they will get soggy.)

Note:  If you don't want to make carrot curls but still want to top your cupcakes with real carrots, you might consider Chockylit's carrot sprinkes.

Candied Pineapple Recipe

Candied pineapple, according to a quick informal poll of my friends, is typically thought of as dried pineapple that has been sugared. My recipe was about as dry as a St. Louis summer (for those not from St. Louis, picture rainforest-like humidity). What makes my candied pineapple different from non-candied pineapple is that the juice is extra sweet and the outside of the pineapple has an irresistible glossy shine.

Aside from topping a cupcake, candied pineapple could be:

• eaten all on its on,
• used in or on top of a meat dish,
  
• mixed into a fruit salad, or
  
• thrown on the grill (although I haven't tried it).

Candied Pineapple Recipe

To make candied pineapple, I followed the same technique outlined in a post by The Repressed Pastry Chef on candied orange slices. I am reprinting that technique, modified for pineapple.

• 1.5 C water
• 1/2 C sugar
• 12 pineapple rings (I used the kind from the can, but fresh pineapple would also work.)
  

1. In a large, heavy pot, bring water and sugar to a boil.
2. Add pineapple rings.
   
3. Let the mixture boil for about 5-10 minutes. Be sure that all of the pineapple rings are under water.
   
4. Reduce the heat to medium and let it continue cooking for about 30 minutes. The liquid will thicken and become a syrup.
   
5. Remove from heat but let the pineapple remain in the pot as they cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove to a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.
7. The syrup remaining in the pan can be saved and used in other dishes.

Candied Pineapple vs. Pineapple Candy

If you are looking for pineapple candy rather than candied pineapple, check out my yummy pineapple candy. While the cupcake that the candy was on was a bit of a fail, I loved that pineapple candy.

Greek Bird's Nest Cupcake Toppers: Not for Easter

I admit - I made these Greek bird's nest cupcake toppers because I thought they would be good for Easter. I don't celebrate Easter and clearly I have no clue what is good for Easter. I thought that because it was a nest, it would be Spring-like and perfect for a post about an Easter recipe.

Only after several people said something to me did it become apparent that I would have needed to use little pastel-colored eggs in the nests to be Easter-appropriate. Oh well! I finally caved in and decided to leave the Easter recipes for someone who celebrates Easter (at least this year!).

So now, I bring you my non-Easter Greek Bird's Nest Cupcake Toppers during Passover week (when I can't eat them, but I sure can think about them). Also, be sure to check out the Greek Bird's Nest Cupcakes that they go on.

Kataifi - The Key Ingredient

The easy way to make Greek bird's nests is to buy some kataifi. Kataifi is essentially shredded phyllo dough. You can buy it in the frozen section of an international supermarket or at a Greek deli. I imagine you could make kataifi from scratch, but I wasn't about to give that one a go.

The Greek Bird's Nest Recipe

I modified a recipe from about.com for kataifi to create my Greek Bird's Nest recipe:

• 1 lb of kataifi dough, defrosted per package instructions
• 1 C (2 sticks) of butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 C walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 C almonds, coarsely ground
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 t brandy

Making the bird's nests is a bit of an art form. It would be a really fun job for a kid. First, you mix all the filling ingredients and stir them. Then, you grab some kataifi dough and form it into a bird's nest shape. Slather the bird's nest with butter (this will help it to stick together). Then, plop some of the nut mixture on top.

I made 12 of them. However, the recipe could have made a few more than that. I just got lazy. Too bad I didn't have a kid around to make some for me.

Place the bird's nests into a glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

The Syrup

What makes bird's nests yummy is that they are soaked in a honey syrup. If you are not using these as cupcake toppers, make syrup using the recipe at about.com and pour it over the bird's nests while they are still hot. Wait 3-4 hours for the syrup to absorb into the bird's nests before digging in. .

For my cupcakes, I made a different syrup that I used on both the cupcake and the bird's nest and poured it over both items at once. I'll write about that process and the syrup recipe in my upcoming cupcake post.

What To Do With the Extra Nut Mixture

When I made the bird's nests, I was left with a lot of extra nuts and a little extra syrup. I covered the nut mixture with the syrup, wrapped it aluminum foil and toasted it in our toaster oven twice. It was a great snack for a couple of days!