strawberry cupcakes with goat cheese frosting and balsamic glaze

For unknown reasons, I powered through an entire industrial-sized bottle of balsamic vinegar in about a week. I have been dousing everything in the stuff — clearly, even strange things, like cupcakes. I couldn't explain to you what sent me into the frenzy. All I know is that suddenly, things felt incomplete without the balsamic tang-factor. And it's just so fun to watch it boil and thicken into a sweet reduction as your entire apartment fills with the overwhelming scent of vinegar and you have to open all the doors and windows to keep from suffocating. Makes me feel like I'm in Potions class or like I can actually do chemistry. My kind of party!

Strawberries and balsamic and goat cheese is the flavor combo that got stuck in my head. It's strawberry season and nothing complements their tangy-sweetness like similarly tangy-sweet balsamic vinegar. Especially when you roast the former and reduce the latter, that's when the real magic starts. And we're all familiar with my goat cheese fixation, so of course I had to throw it into the equation to balance the sweetness with a refreshing creaminess.

If you want to get in on this action, this is the way to do it. This flavor trifecta could translate to any number of other recipe combinations, such as a spritely salad or a fresh pile atop multigrain toast or another healthy, light, tossed-together sort of situation. But who honestly likes that? Honestly. Especially when it can also, just as easily, translate into cupcake form?

Goat cheese and balsamic? In a cupcake? I can sense the suppressed gag reflex of some select readers. But I want to prove you wrong. First of all, the balsamic looks like chocolate, and while that's misleading...it's really just as sweet. Secondly, the frosting is an insanely rich and delicious combo of goat and cream cheese, so nothing too savory here. And lastly, nothing beats roasted strawberries at peak season, in any form. Put them in a cupcake? Everything is right with the world.

strawberry cupcakes with goat cheese frosting and balsamic glaze

ingredients:
cupcakes:
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup half and half or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg + 2 egg whites

 

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice hulled strawberries into quarters, toss with honey and olive oil, and spread evenly on a tin-foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until evenly roasted. This brings out the sweetness. Yum.

 

2) Puree roasted strawberries in a food processor. In a medium bowl, mix 1/3 cup strawberry puree with half and half and vanilla. 

 

3) In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

 

4) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and slowly add in the sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and whites, continuing to beat the mixture until well-combined, light and fluffy.

5) Turn the mixer on slow, and gradually fold in half the flour mixture, followed by the strawberry puree mixture, and then finally by the rest of the flour mixture until well-combined.

6) Scoop batter into a cupcake pan lined with tins and sprayed with nonstick baking spray, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full.

7) Bake at 350°F for about 22-25 minutes, or until cupcakes are dry to the touch. Remove and let cool. Meanwhile, make frosting:

 

frosting:

8 oz of goat cheese, room temp.

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

pinch of salt

juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons of strawberry puree

 

1) Cream together goat- and cream cheese in bowl of an electric mixer.

2) Add the confectioners sugar, salt, lemon juice and strawberry puree, mixing until smooth. Add more sugar if frosting is too thin or runny.

3) Fill a pastry bag or Ziplock bag with a small corner clipped open with frosting, and frost cupcakes once cooled.

4) Drizzle frosted cupcakes with some balsamic glaze.........

balsamic glaze: 

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 tablespoons strawberry puree, divided

1) Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a large saucepan. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 35-40 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half.

2) Mix in 2 tablespoons of puree, and the brown sugar. Let cook until syrup-y. 

3) At the end, mix in remaining 2 tablespoons of puree to ensure vibrant strawberry flavor. 

4) Use a spoon or fork to drizzle/fling (Jackson Pollack-style) balsamic glaze atop frosted cupcakes.

Enjoy!

salted caramel pecan pie

I feel kind of bad for pi. Maybe it’s just because I’m the furthest you could possibly get from a numbers person, but I’m pretty sure that no one really appreciates Pi Day solely for the mathematical concept it was created to honor. I’m pretty sure that even on its very own Day, pi is completely overlooked in favor of pie. What is poor helpless pi to do in the face of everyone’s favorite baked good? Leave it to mankind to corrupt a day that’s supposed to honor a beautiful numerical mystery by turning it into an excuse to gorge on pie.

 Or maybe that’s just me?

I know that for thousands of hyper-intelligent high-school seniors who possess the mental abilities to generate the scientific ideas that will shape the future of humanity, today means discovering whether or not they got into MIT. For me, today means baking pie at 1am, eating a slice at 3am, going to bed a 4am, waking up the next day at noon and kicking the day off with pie for breakfast. Because this kind of behavior is completely and utterly acceptable because it is Pie Day and no one will convince me otherwise and no I am not ashamed, thank you very much (I am ashamed).

Anyway, regardless of the occasion, whenever circumstances call for pie, I highly recommend you make this. Pecan pie is the ruler of the pie kingdom in my opinion, and with the addition of salted caramel, this is an incredibly easy and delicious spin on your average pecan pie recipe. You seriously won’t be able to stop thinking about it. It is indulgent, salty-sweet, and hey nuts are good for you, so I say go wild.

My calculation abilities might be limited to measuring cups and teaspoons, but if it adds up to this next-level pie, I'm okay with that. Because the extreme extent of its deliciousness is way more mind-blowing than pi. 

salted caramel pecan pie

ingredients:
Pre-made pie crust (or homemade for overachievers)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tablespoon water
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cream
1/4 teaspoon salt (start by adding 1/8 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or bourbon or Kahlua!)
2 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400°F and spread pie crust evenly in pan, crimping the edges. Butter a piece of tin-foil big enough to cover the flat part of the crust, and place butter side down on flat part of crust with the edges slightly upturned. Fill with beans, rice or pie weights to keep the crust flat while it bakes.

2) Brush crust with lightly beaten egg, then bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove foil and beans/weights, and bake for an additional 2—4 minutes or until evenly golden brown.

3) Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until moist and slightly thickened.

4) Stir in butter, cream, and vanilla until combined. Start by adding in 1/8 teaspoon of salt, then gradually add more to taste.

5) Mix in pecans and let sit over medium-low heat until crust is done.

6) Remove crust from oven and let cool, then pour in pecan filling.

7) Freeze or refrigerate pie (depending on the urgency of consumption) until filling is set, then serve. Sprinkle with additional sea salt on top if desired.

barbecue roasted brussels sprouts & edamae stuffed avocados

This is an explosion of green that resulted from a Monday night when I peered into the fridge and all that stared back at me was a leftover barbecue sauce from an old, regrettable GrubHub order, a package of brussels sprouts, half a red onion, and some frozen edamame. That was literally it.

Thankfully, there were two avocados atop my fridge to save the day. We all know how close avocados have been to my heart lately.

Anyway, this is where cooking becomes a life lesson. Because I managed to combine these paltry ingredients into this amazing delicious dish that consists solely of healthy veggies but is inexplicably addictive. When is the last time you couldn't stop shoveling brussels sprouts into your mouth? That's probably never happened to you, but now is the time to experience it. It's thrilling.

The lesson? Creativity isn't about creating something genius out of thin air. It's just about having extremely limited resources and being forced to combine them, and hoping the result is pleasing. At least, that's what I got out of this. I also got a really satisfying, vibrant and veggie-tastic meal.

I'll never say veggie-tastic again, but that's what this was. 

Brussels sprouts get a bad rap, but they're a whole other animal when you roast them — kind of sweet, crunchy and with a more subtle savory flavor. Mixed with edamame and sautéed red onions, piled inside an avocado and drizzled with barbecue sauce to bring in the sweet-factor, this dish is loaded with protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamin C and even cancer-fighting chemicals (thanks to the unsung hero of the vegetable world, brussels sprouts). All this with a balance of crunch of creaminess that takes just about 25 minutes to make. And is topped with barbecue sauce because it was just missing something at first taste and barbecue sauce cured it perfectly.

It seems weird, but definitely do this.  

roasted brussels sprouts & edamame stuffed avocados

ingredients
1 lb brussels sprouts
1 avocado
1/2 cup edamame, shelled
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Paprika
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Barbecue sauce


1) Preheat oven to 400° and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil brussels sprouts for about 3 minutes, just until bright green. Drain, pat dry, and cut each sprout in half.

2) Toss sprouts with olive oil in a large bowl, then arrange evenly, flat-side down, on a baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, then switch to lower third for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until bottoms are a nice, even brown (check often, be careful they don't burn).

3) Meanwhile, prepare edamame (I used the frozen pods — microwave for 5 minutes, then pop them out of the shell.) and chop your onion.

4) Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook onion and edamame over medium heat until onion is soft and slightly browned. Sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

5) Halve avocado by inserting a sharp knife vertically into the avocado from the top until it hits the core. Then, without moving the knife, swivel the avocado around so the knife slices vertically down to the bottom and back to the top again. Hold each side of avocado and twist the two halves apart (for better instructions see here). Remove pit from avocado and place slices flesh-side-up side by side on a plate.

6) Toss roasted brussels sprouts, onions, and edamame in a large bowl, then pile into the pitted avocado (and around the edges since you'll definitely want more filling).

7) Drizzle everything with barbecue sauce to taste. Then indulge without guilt — you're eating brussels sprouts!

PS. I'm aware I used three versions of essentially the same photo in this post, and I apologize. I was honestly too busy stuffing my face with this to worry about getting a wider variety of photographs.

pesto avocado egg toast

Mornings in general can be pretty dreary. Add in the constant bleak gray slush and snow of a Chicago winter, and the act of waking up becomes utterly and completely miserable. My answer to the soul-destroying problem of weekly sad mornings? Avocados!

Avocados have actually been the solution to pretty much everything in my life as of late. I'm a little fixated on them and have been finding ways to incorporate them into just about anything I eat. Aside from the fact that just cutting into an avocado increases my joy quotient due to the vibrant green color, they're also rich, creamy, and super good for you. They are also fruits in disguise, which is just fun.

Eggs kind of have the same thing going on. Maybe I'm too easily entertained, but there's just something about cutting into a soft-boiled egg and seeing the bright yellow yolk that makes me believe that, even in the abyss of February, there is some light left in the world. Melodramatic? Yes. But why shouldn't your breakfast be poetic and artful?
Anyway, metaphors aside, I'm just going to say that I have never been so obsessed with a breakfast dish before in my life. It's pesto, avocado, and eggs (maybe my top 3 foods, in case you were wondering. Not that I have a ranked list, or anything) on crunchy whole grain toast. It is the best combo of flavors, easy to make, really filling, not too bad for you, and it features fun colors, which is important to me. I suggest you make it immediately and thank me later. Your entire day will improve if you start it by ingesting this.

The recipe features what I believe to be the best method of making soft-boiled eggs, and definitely a superior alternative to poaching eggs. It is ultra easy and produces perfect results every time. You will want to put a soft-boiled egg on top of everything once you figure out how genius this is. Also, if you don't like or don't have pesto, a drizzle of olive oil is equally superb.  

pesto avocado egg toast
ingredients
1 avocado
1 egg
1 slice whole grain toast
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Salt and pepper

1) Start by bringing just a 1/2 inch of water with a pinch of salt to a boil over high heat in a medium pot.
2) Place your egg(s) in the boiling water, reduce heat to medium, and cover. Let it cook for about 6 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, toast your bread and create pesto spread by mixing Greek yogurt or mayonnaise with pesto. Spread as much as you'd like on your toast.

4) Peel and slice an avocado, then layer slices on toast, smashing a bit if desired.

5) Use a slotted spoon to remove egg from water, and run it under cold water to make peeling easier. Gently crack the shell by tapping the egg on the counter, and peel the shell off while holding egg under cold running water.
6) Place egg on top of avocado toast, sprinkle with pepper and sea salt to taste, and dig in!

Yum. And warning: avocado recipe overload will ensue.