Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Can you believe that I'm posting a dessert that isn't chocolate? What is that about? Well, it's a fabulous dessert! These dainty cakes are sweet and moist, and the buttercream is caramel perfection.
Tres Leches
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, butter, and sugar. Add egg yolks 1 at a time. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cake batter. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. While cupcakes are still warm, stir together the three milks. Poke holes into the cakes and pour milk mixture over each cupcake, filling each hole. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from pans.

Buttercream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

For the buttercream: Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil. Place in a larger roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water, to a depth of about halfway of the pie plate. Place in the oven and bake at 425 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.

Place the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water first, then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a small bowl. Cool completely.

Beat the butter on high until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture. Beat in the 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Frost cupcakes liberally.

A Fabulous Sunday Dinner

I thought I'd try to dress up Sunday dinner, so we had a full three course meal.

First course - homemade brioche and a blue cheese, candied walnut, and craisin spring salad
Second course - roast pork wrapped in pancetta and served with creamed corn and tomato relish
Third course - molten chocolate cake

Everything was fabulous, but to save you all the details, we'll just focus on the oh-so-rich molten chocolate cakes.


Molten Chocolate Cake

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup cold ganache, plus more for serving (see below)
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat the interiors of four 4-ounce ramekins with nonstick spray. Set aside on a baking pan. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring to blend.

Place the eggs, yolk, and the remaining teaspoon of sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment or use a handheld electric beater. Beat on medium-high speed until the eggs are thick and yellow. Add the melted chocolate and continue to whip until thoroughly blended. Add the flour and salt, beating to incorporate. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes or ideally up to overnight.

Fill the prepared ramekins halfway with the batter. Place a tablespoon of ganache in the center. Pour in enough cake batter to cover the ganache and fill to 3/4 full. Bake until the sides are set and the tops are puffed but still soft, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the ramekins for 2 minutes before inverting onto 4 dessert plates.


Ganache:
4 ounces white or dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup nutella, peanut butter, or malted milk powder

Place the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Combine the cream and nutella (or other flavoring) in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until bubbles just begin to form around the edges. Remove from heat and immediately pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate in a steady stream. Let it sit for a few seconds to begin to melt. As soon as the chocolate begins to melt, using a whisk or rubber spatula, stir in a circular motion until the chocolate is completely smooth.

The great thing about the ganache is that you can change the flavor by substituting white for dark chocolate or peanut butter for the nutella. Any way you try it, it makes a fabulous cake. It was so rich, it was impossible even for me to finish!

Bajio's Sweet Rice

No more need to cook that horrible Spanish rice from the box! This recipe is sweet and savory and complements any type of Mexican food. It's so tasty, that after our first sampling, I promptly got rid of the boxed junk that I'd previously been using. It's a very easy recipe, and is just as convenient as using the boxed mixes.

Bajio's Sweet Rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 of a white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
2/3 cups long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sugar

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the chopped cilantro and saute a minute more. Add the rice, cooking until light brown. Combine the chicken broth and sugar and let the sugar dissolve. Stir chicken broth mixture into the rice until combined. Bring to a boil Cover and let cook on low until the rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Feel free to swap out some of the sugar for lime juice, if you prefer that flavor. Browning of the rice is also important, as it helps the rice from losing too much starch and getting too sticky.

Chunky Avocado Salad

Actually buying a California avocado in California is wonderful. They are so much bigger, meatier, and riper. I mean, we get California avocados in Utah, but they just aren't the same. This recipe is really a guacamole recipe, but I like to just eat it as a side dish, especially when the avocados are perfect. Serve it chilled and chunky as a perfect complement to any Mexican entree.

Chunky Avocado Salad

2 large ripe avocados, in large chunks
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup finely diced onions
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
juice of 1 lime
garlic salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Incorporate all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. The avocado should still be in chunks, but a little mashed avocado should cover all the other vegetables. Spoon into empty avocado peels. Enjoy!

Mother's Little Helper

Growing up, my mother always had a jar full of hot fudge sauce in the fridge.  She called it 'Mother's Little Helper', and anytime she needed a chocolate hit, she'd take a spoonful of cold fudge, stick a few nuts or chocolate chips in it, and enjoy a little mom time.  As children, we were forbidden from eating any of her fudge sauce.  She told us that it would stunt our growth or that we had to be 18 to eat any.  

Now that I'm a mom, and well past 18, I frequently indulge in hot fudge sauce, cold and straight from the fridge.  I like mine so stiff and chewy that I often put it in the freezer.  It's the perfect shot of chocolate after dinner.

Mother's Little Helper

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

3 Tbsp. butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, butter, sugar, and corn syrup together very slowly, stirring occasionally.  Heat until almost bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add milk and vanilla.  Refrigerate until firm or enjoy it hot over ice cream and brownies.

Whole Wheat Bread

Nothing beats fresh, homemade bread! I was lucky enough to enjoy such a treat every week growing up; mom always had fresh bread and homemade strawberry jam, and it is still one of my favorite snacks.

I love making bread now, though I'm not so sure I've got it perfected the way I want. It took me years to perfect my mother-in-laws dinner rolls, so maybe it will still take years for me to perfect my mother's wheat bread. I've only just started to make it since I now have my own flour mill and can grind my own wheat. Fresh wheat flour is so much better than store-bought and makes the bread all that much better.
Whole Wheat Bread
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
4 cups wheat flour
3-4 cups white flour

Mix 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. Allow the yeast mixture to rise and double in size. In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups warm water, sugar, oil, and salt. Add yeast mixture once it has proofed. Add wheat flour and mix. Switch beaters to dough hooks on your mixer. Add enough white flour so that dough begins to form a ball, but not a stiff ball. Knead the dough by hand or with dough hooks for 10 minutes. (I just use my Bosch) Put dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise until double. (1 1/2 hours)

Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease three 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pans. Divide the dough into three balls. Roll each into a loaf and place in prepared pans, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until loaf reaches the top of the pan. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Remove from pans, brush tops with melted butter, and let cool on a wire rack.

Truffles!

It's candy time. Generally, I save candy making for Christmas, but who says you can't make it all year round? I made two kinds this week: walnut truffles (right) and chocolate marzipan truffles (left). The walnut truffles are fabulous, and you could substitute any kind of nuts. The recipe actually calls for pistachios, but I don' t generally buy unsalted pistachios. The salted ones are just so much better for snacking.

Walnut Truffles
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp. sour cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup medium-fine chopped walnuts

In a double boiler, combine the chopped chocolate and cream. Set over barely simmering water and melt the chocolate, then whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter pieces, stirring until smooth and well blended. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and salt and stir until blended. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Fill the pastry bag with the chocolate mixture and pipe into 1-inch mounds onto baking sheet. Freeze the truffles until very firm. Roll each truffle in the nuts, pressing to coat. The truffles should be served slightly chilled. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Marzipan Truffles
3 cups blanched almonds
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. almond extract
Dipping chocolate

Combine blanched almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and process until the nuts are very finely ground. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water. Increase the heat to medium, place a warmed candy thermometer in the pan, and cook, without stirring, until it reaches 244F, firm ball. Remove from the heat, turn on the food processor, and immediately pour the sugar syrup through the feed tube in to the almond mixture. Grind to a fine paste and then add almond extract.

Lightly coat a medium bowl with spray and remove the paste to the bowl. Place a damp towel over the top and let cool. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with tempered dipping chocolate and allow to set on the baking sheet.

Make sure to calibrate your thermometer. I calibrated mine, but I still ended up overcooking the sugar syrup. I thought it would be done at 238F, but I guess it was too long and my marzipan didn't turn out perfectly. It still tastes fine, but it was a little stiffer and drier than it should have been. All in all, both truffles make great little treats right from the freezer.