Blueberry Cupcakes with Avocado-Lemon Frosting

Sometimes to make cupcakes you have to process a few blueberries.

It's summertime! hooray!

I felt as if I hadn't done a cupcake in a while (like, a really really long while) so the best way to ring in my new favorite of seasons seemed obvious. A nice, summery cupcake!

After toying with a few different ideas, I decided I wanted to do a blueberry cake with an avocado frosting. Why? I can't remember. But I do remember all of my friends shuddering in horror at the thought, thus making the challenge irresistible.

I came up with the following recipe:

1.5 - 2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch Kosher salt
1/2 cup milk
tsp vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp powdered ginger

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Add dry and wet ingredients alternately. Fold in food-processed blueberries. Fill cake liners to nearly 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Folding, then scooping.

The cakes came out pretty well, except without that nice, domed rise. I have to figure out what I'm doing wrong there. Maybe not baking long enough, or overfilling my cake liners, or not using enough chemical leavening. . . . sigh. These technicalities escape me sometimes. Regardless, the cakes were tender and moist, with a beautifully vibrant blueberry flavor. I might use more ginger next time, but they were quite delicious.

Flat yet fine.

The frosting was really exciting for me. I figured that since avocado is so fatty it would be a good substitute for butter in a cream cheese frosting. I was also hoping to maintain that lovely green color by adding some acid, in the form of citrus. I wanted to use Meyer lemons, but was unable to find any.

Recipe:

2 ripe avocados
4 oz cream cheese
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 lemon's juice
vanilla

Mash avocados with lemon juice and vanilla. Add cream cheese and beat until incorporated. Slowly add sugar and beat until the mixture reaches frosting consistency. May adjust sugar and lemon to taste.

GREEN!

I was right about the color - it was awesome. And the flavor was nice. The brightness of the lemon came through at first taste, followed by a cool creaminess brought in by the avocado. Only about half of my tasters could actually identify the avocado in the frosting, actually. Nobody wanted to throw up after eating them, which is the important part. I actually got nothing but positive reviews of this recipe.

Man, I love the colors!

All in all I'm super happy with this recipe. Both elements of the cake stand alone in their flavors, and the flavors marry well together. The frosting did discolor after almost 2 days, but I think that's pretty good.

Chicken Tuscany, a little bit of rock

Non-melty cheese. Such potential.

Sometimes, when I need to bribe people, I entice them with the promise of a home-cooked meal. This usually only works when it wouldn't have taken much persuasion to get my way in the first place, but it does give me a reason to cook for other people. Win!

Having my friend Maverick over before he gave me a ride out to Arrested Development night allowed me to try out a recipe I'd seen over on The Food In My Beard - a tempting dish called chicken Tuscany.

I can't figure out why this is so blurry. Camera?

Chicken Tuscany

2 large red peppers
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
5 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
provolone to top

1. Preheat broiler. Cut tops off the red peppers and remove seeds and
membrane. Roast peppers by placing under the broiler briefly and turning
several times until skin is slightly singed. Remove peppers from the
oven and let cool.

2. Lay the chicken flat between two sheets of wax paper. Using the side
of a mallet or cleaver, pound chicken until it’s about 1/4-inch thick.
Moisten each breast with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Cover each breast with 1/4 cup chopped spinach and 1/2 cup
mozzarella cheese. Tightly roll up chicken breasts and place in roasted
peppers. (Chicken can be prepared up to this point several hours in
advance and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to start
dinner.)

3. Cook at 350 F for 45-50 minutes. Take out peppers. Place 2 additional
tablespoons of provolone cheese on top of each pepper. Place under the broiler and
cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Hey, what's with that shirt?

I cooked it up with a side dish of saffron rice with golden raisins. That one was sort of improvised - just made in a rice cooker with chicken broth instead of water, some spices including saffron, and golden raisins. Um, ta da.

Man that was tasty.

The dish turned out really nicely - lots of melty cheese, the pepper was tender and fragrant, and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Just don't do what I did and forget to turn the oven on for a half hour. That will tend to extend your cooktime by a half hour. And make you look like an idiot.

WHOA!

So even though we were late, it was probably worth it. And by the way, if you want a great show, check out Baranof in Greenlake for karaoke.

And speaking of great shows, I also got to check out the Truckasaurus CD release party at Nectar. Wanna see some pictures? Yeah you do!

Skinny intensity.

Past Lives: They reminded me a lot of If Looks Could Kill I'd Watch You Die. Nobody reading this will get that reference.

Jazzy intensity.

Dead Science: I've loved this band for a while now. Their music is unlike anything else I've heard - beautiful, lush melodies and haunting, ethereal vocals. They're incredible musicians.

Patriotic intensity.

Truckasaurus: See how they look? That's not at all how they sound. It's a little electronicey, a little video gamey, a little dancey. Plus, they pair it with a show on a projector, kind of like Head Like a Kite. Super cool show.

Veggie week.

Toasted just before burnt.

I know what y'all are thinking. Hey, what happened to the cooking on this blog? There sure is a lot of eating out and whatnot, but the cooking side has been sadly light.

Well, that's true. I don't know why that is. Lazy, I guess. But! In preparation for my parents' visit to town, and the subsequent overeating that was inevitable, I turned to vegetables for a week. Here are a couple of things I made. Cooking!

I found a recipe for pisto manchego a while back and wanted to give it a shot. It was described as a "Spanish Ratatoullie," which sounded kind of neat. It involves a lot of vegetables.

Pile o' vegetables.

Here's the recipe. I got it from Serious Eats. And they got it from Food and Wine!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 head garlic, top third sliced off
• 1 eggplant, about 1 pound, pierced several times with a fork
• 1 medium red onion, unpeeled
• 2 pounds tomatoes (or one carton cherry tomatoes and one can diced with juice)
• 3 peppers, red or green
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• Large pinch red pepper flakes

1. Using either a large grill, grill pan, a 500°F oven, or a broiler, grill/roast the eggplant, peppers, and unpeeled onion, turning occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until soft and charred. 10 minutes in, add the zucchini and tomatoes.

2. Transfer the vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet as they finish cooking, picking over as they cool to remove charred skins. Core and seed the peppers and cut into a medium dice. Halve the eggplant, remove the seeds, and dice. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Dice the zucchini. Slip the garlic cloves from their skins and trim any charred parts, then chop. Roughly chop the tomatoes, and seed if using whole tomatoes.

Slimy yet satisfying?

3. In a large (at least 12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the eggplant and onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then add the remaining vegetables and spices, plus any juices from the baking sheet, strained.

The health factor almost disgusted me.

Bring to a boil then simmer until the vegetables are all tender and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper (it will certainly need a lot of seasoning).

Egg: crowning glory!

4. Fry as many eggs as eaters, cooking without flipping until the whites are just
set. Divide the vegetables into ramekins or small bowls, and top with the fried egg.

It turned out really well. Despite my aversion to zucchini, it really appealed to my tastes. The roasted vegetables really married well together, and the spices brought out just enough flavor make the whole thing delicious. And I'm convinced that a fried egg will make everything better, I'll report back after I've tried one over chocolate ice cream. Though next time I may poach it instead of frying it. Anyway.

So in keeping with my "no meat til parents' visit" I also prepared one of my very favorite things in the world: tomato soup.

Raw tomatoes!

I love tomato soup in a way that can only be quantified by puppies. I love tomato soup 23 puppies worth. And we're talking cute puppies, people. Not Chinese Crested puppies.

I started my tomato soup love with Campbell's, but I soon realized that a much tastier, more homemade soup could be had with an acceptable sacrifice of effort. I got the recipe from eggs on sunday - it begins with whole, canned tomatoes.

Not-quite-roasted-enough tomatoes!

And other stuff:

2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, packed in juice (preferably organic)
1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup minced shallots
1 tbsp tomato paste
pinch ground allspice
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade stock if you have it)
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a tiny bit more for garnish
2 tbsp brandy or sherry

Open the cans of whole tomatoes and drain them in a colander, catching the juice in a large bowl — set the bowl with the juice aside. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes gently to remove any excess juice and place the tomatoes in another bowl. Reserve 3 cups of the tomato juice you caught when draining the tomatoes and set aside.

Place the drained tomatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle them evenly with the brown sugar. Roast for about 30 minutes, until they’re starting to color.

Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan until it starts to foam, then add the shallot, tomato paste, and allspice. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot softens, about 7 minutes. Add the flour and stir until it’s blended in, then gradually whisk in the chicken stock/broth. Next, add the reserved 3 cups tomato juice and the roasted tomatoes. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let this mixture simmer about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

Break out your stick blender and puree the daylights out of your soup. If you're not in possession of one of these babies, puree the soup in batches using a food processor or blender. Return to pot. Add the cream and heat over low heat until hot, then turn off the heat and stir in the brandy or sherry. Taste and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed.

This soup is mind-blowingly delicious. I'm not exaggerating at all.

Rendering them delightful.

Less delicious are brussels sprouts. I'd never had them, and had received a promising recipe from my grandmother. I decided to try them out. I mean, it started with bacon. How could it go wrong?

Steamy!

It's a Barefoot Contessa Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces Italian pancetta or bacon, 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (2 containers), trimmed and cut in 1/2
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 3/4 cups Chicken Stock

Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and add the pancetta. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the raisins and chicken stock. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. If the skillet becomes too dry, add a little chicken stock or water. Return the pancetta to the pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.

Yes, they looked good. Taste is another story.

I concluded that, since the recipe was pretty solid, I must not like brussels sprouts. At all. As in, I'm pretty much giving up on them until someone serves them in a sexier presentation than baconned. Good luck.

Balanced meal. Balance of tasty and not tasty.

Despite the brussels sprouts fail, the meal was still satisfying because of that awesome, amazing soup.

And anyone who points out how vegetarian this post is not will get quietly dagger-glared. This is as veggie as I go.