mascarpone

Spiced Pumpkin Mascarpone Cupcakes And A Housewarming Party

29.11.2007 49 Comments

Let me start this by a little clarification. On my previous post about the Daring Bakers' Potato Bread challenge, I said that Tartelette was anti-carb….followed by a big "Yeah right…"! Obviously my sense of humor does not translate very well in writing because I am 100% "Pro-Carb". Trust me!! This said…

This week is just flying by….started slow for, about two hours and then I got bombarded with training requests and baking orders. Small things taking a long time and I was started to wonder if I was going to post these on time for the party. What party? My baking pal, Peabody is hosting a virtual housewarming party at her new and gorgeous abode next week.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to bring. Needs to travel easily (which can be easily done with this), needs to feed a bunch of people because from the look of things we are going in numbers, but most importantly I wanted to make something for her. Although she never fails to surprise me, I think pumpkin and mascarpone are sure values with this lady. Since we also seem to share a love for all things small, cupcakes seemed like a good way to combine both in one sweet treat.

I wish I could say I went and bought a fresh pumpkin, gutted it out and used the flesh in the cupcakes…that would be like telling you I went and milked my own cow and waited patiently on the milk creaming process to make mascarpone…that would be a lie. If one Mrs.L is cool enough to put that pumpkin in the can, then I am cool enough to use it. The week is flying by remember…and I still need my four-five hours of sleep! If, on the other hand you are opposed to the idea, by all means, go ahead and use fresh. Sara, from I Like To Cook has great instructions for it here. If you can’t find or don’t like (crazy you!) mascarpone, by all means substitute cream cheese in the frosting. Feel free to decorate the cupcakes any way you like. I used hard candy pebbles for these for a more winter look but feel free to use other sprinkles or candies, or keep them plain. The recipe is a combination of several I have tried over the years and I am now finally happy with all the ratios, fat, pumpkin, spices, flour, etc….

Spiced Pumpkin Mascarpone Cupcakes:

Makes 24

3/4 cup butter softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place baking cups in muffin pan.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine pumpkin, vanilla extract and milk in a separate bowl. Mix flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add to butter/sugar mixture alternately with pumpkin/milk batter, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Divide evenly among the cupcake liners and bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Mascarpone Cheese Frosting:

16 oz mascarpone cheese (1 pound), at room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add more sugar, little by little until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like. If the frosting gets too stiff, add some milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Waiter There Is Something In My…Butterscotch Mascarpone Cream Layer Cake!

26.10.2007 42 Comments

It seems like an eternity since I have participated in a WTSIM event, and that is not for lack of ideas, recipes or just plain desire to get in the kitchen and cook, but pure and simple lack of time. Oh sure, there are lots of baking going on in the house, but with all the visitors we have had lately I rely on tried and true, easy to come together desserts, most of which have already been published here…except this one Butterscotch Mascarpone Cream Cake…..And it has been a long time coming believe me!

Let’s see if I can make a long story short about that one (can I do that?!)…When I first visited Lisa last July, she had received a an issue from the magazine Wicked, a special publication from The Australian Women’s Weekly dedicated to pastries and sweets. I remember looking at every recipe and drooling over them and the pictures. Her printer had a little malfunction that time, believe me it was all my fault, I just have to stare at anything plugged or battery operated for it to break down,….anyway, life took over and we both forgot about the pages I had marked in the magazine. This time around though, I went ahead and copied them by hand. I always do that, not that I don’t trust the machine, but over the years I have developed my own recipe writing pattern, especially if I am at someone’s house or the library and have minimal space to write them on. Back home this week, I quickly flipped my notebook to the Butterscotch Cake recipe..what’s not to love in caramel, mascarpone and tender flaky cake? Nothing, trust me!!

I thought it was also a tasty cake to add to Waiter There Is Something In My ….Layered Cakes, hosted this month by Andrew from Spittoon Extra

Butterscotch Mascarpone Cream Layer Cake:

Serves 10-12

For the Cake:
250 gr. butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tb. honey
1 1/4 self rising flour (I used 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour and 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder)
1/2 cup milk

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at time. Add the honey and flour. Add the milk slowly and mi until combined. Pour into 2 8-inch cake pans and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool and unmold. Cut each cake in half.

For the Mascarpone Cream:
250 gr. mascarpone, at room temperature
300 ml. heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks. Fold it into the mascarpone and spread 1/4 on one cake layer, repeat with all the cake layers, finishing with the cream on top.

For the Butterscotch Sauce:
60 gr. butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Heat the butter, sugar and milk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar, stir until smooth.

Berry Salad on Yuzu And Mascarpone Creams

14.06.2007 31 Comments

It is probably no news that I love berries, lemons, and mascarpone, but what I love when two bloggers give me the chance to put them together. Lisa from La Mia Cucina and Kelly from Sass & Veracity got together and concoted a Salad Extravaganza event in their quest to shrink their hips and thighs.

I first thought about doing a simple fruit salad with a drizzle of honey and lemon juice, maybe a dollop of barely sweetened whipped cream. However, after several email exchanges with Lisa and her desire to keep the taste and bang factor while watching what she eats, I wanted to share with her that one can keep that "wow" factor by using regular ingredients but decreasing the portion size. I too have had my battle with my thighs and over the years I have found out that they respond well the old "quality over quantity" phrase (although I have been known to have my cake and eat it too!).

I first tried yuzu in a tart purchased from the amazing pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki while in Paris last Christmas. How to describe the taste? Sometimes it is like a grapefruit or a perky tangerine in your mouth, sometimes it has a lemon kick to it, the kind that makes you gums go "ouyee" overall it just is plain good if you love citrus! I cannot find fresh yuzu fruits here but thanks to the internet the juice is easily accesible.
These "verrines" are a dessert we have often as it is light and tasty, easy to put together and extremely refreshing. Don’t tell be but I even enjoy a few spoonful in the morning before my run. With the yuzu juice, I make a simple (lower calorie) curd that I layer with a mascarpone cream spiked with lemon zest. The berries don’t really need anything else as you dip your spoon and mix them with the creams.

Berry Salad on Yuzu and Mascarone Creams:

Serves 4

For the yuzu curd:

2/3 cup yuzu juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

Combine the sugar and juice in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until light.
Beat some of the yuzu mixture into the eggs to temper. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook stirring constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.Strain and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.

For the mascarpone cream:

8 oz mascarpone, at room temp
1/4 cup powdered sugar
grated zest of one lemon

Mix all the ingredients together and keep at room temperatue, it will be easier to layer.

For the mixed berry salad:

1 cup cut up fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh blueberries

To assemble: layer the yuzu curd and mascarpone cream in glasses or cups and top with a generous amount of the mixed berry salad.

Hope you enjoy it ladies!

Sour Cherries, Avocado and Mascarpone Verrines

29.03.2007 18 Comments

I am not what people would call a "fashion victim", food wise or clothes wise. I know the shape and curves of my body and what will feel good on it, what fabric I like and cuts that I love and look good on me. The same goes with food… with the exception of verrines, or what one might call "creations in a glass". Whether savory or sweet I have been fascinated by them since I saw them on Mercotte's blog over a year ago, and since I was given this book at Christmas. The European culinary scene seems to have been quite fond of them for a couple of years now and I totally fell for them , so go ahead…say it…I am a verrine fashion victim…and it is mighty sweet.

I am also another kind of food fashion victim as I love to participate in blog events. Not only do I have the chance to share my passion with others but I also discover a multitude of great blogs and talented cooks everywhere in the world. When I read about Chris from Mele Cotte’s event Cooking to Combat Cancer, I knew I could not sit back and not participate.

Too many people in my life have been taken away by cancer, particularly my grandmother and my brother. I felt complete loss of control when they died: could I do anything to prevent this in me? Probably not if it is in my genetic profile, but since there is no way to know and since our family health history is not that great, it could certainly be improved, and I could do my part with what I would put in my body. My diet was not bad to start with since my parents very rarely served us boxed or processed foods but I think I developed a sort of acute awareness to the cancer fighting essentials around me.

I know what looks good on me, but I also know what does my body good and food wise, even desserts can do their part in fighting cancer. For this particular event I wanted a shock full of cancer fighting foods in evey bite and although I was not sure how my little creation would turn out I thought it was worth the try. These verrines turned particularly tasty, surprisingly tasty!
I am new to avocados in desserts but after my first try a few days ago, I have to say I am a convert and they won’t go only in my salads anymore!

Sour Cherries, Avocado and Mascarpone Verrines:

Makes 4-8, depending on the size of the glas you use.

Mascarpone mousse:

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces mascarpone, softened to room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

Cream together egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is thick and doubled in volume. Remove from heat. Stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.
In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Avocado Mousse:

3 avocados, pitted, skin removed and cut into cubes
1/4 sugar, or to taste
1 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 lime
In a food processor, combine the avocados, sugar and lime juice and puree until smooth. Whip the cream to soft peaks and slowly fold it in the avocado mixture.

Sour Cherry Topping:

1 cup sour cherries
1 cup sour cherry jam

Heat the jam and cherries over low heat. Let cool to room temperature until ready to assemble.

Assemble:

Do this just before serving as the avocado will oxydize a bit and get brown over time.

Layer the mascarpone and avocado mousse in glasses or conainers of your choice and top each with a 2-3 Tb. of the sour cherry mixture.

This dessert is health in a glass (if you forget the heavy cream….) as avocados are rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals in the body. They are also high in protein, fiber, niacin, thiamin, ribofalvin, folic acid, zinc and healthy fats (see…you can forget about the heavy cream!). Cherries contain the anti-cancer bioflavonoid quercetin.

Update: I apparently converted my temperatures wrong for the salted butter caramels. I corrected the recipe accordingly.