Progetto Trenta: Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

I shall not disclose the recipe on my blog. If you are a friend of mine, don't hesitate to ask, but I will think about it.

I made this batch of Cupcakes especially for my college buddies: Maika Noda and Alexa Martinez. But they were too busy to come over so it has been in my ref for days. They still taste great though. :)

Progetto Ventinove: Garlic Bread

Ah yes, the perfect match to any pasta dish. :)

Ingredients:

Any bread of your choice
It would be best to have a baguette though.
A whole garlic bulb
A couple of spoons of butter
Chopped parsley


Procedure:
1. Grate the garlic, this is recipe basically based on your taste so you have to decide on how much garlic you want in it.

2. Cream the butter then incorporate the garlic and parsley.

3. Spread on your bread and bake for a couple of minutes. Until lightly brown. You may use an oven toaster if you please.

Progetto Ventotto: Tuna Carbonara

As most of you know my cousins are over for the week. We had a hearty spread for lunch c/o my uncle who stays in my house as the 'chef'. So anyways, we had a whole set of Filipino dishes. Since my uncle went out and we didn't resort to going Fast Food I decide to make Tuna Carbonara. I'm not really into pork and the sort so I've opted for the healthier version. 

 

This isn't the original Carbonara recipe, cause that would mean I didn't use any form of cream in it. Yes dear readers, the real Carbonara didn't have cream at all. But that's another story.

Ingredients:
450 g Pasta (Either spaghetti or fettuccine)
250 ml All-Purpose Cream
250 ml Fresh Milk
2 cans of Tuna
1 can of mushrooms
Green Olives
1 Glove of Garlic
Magi Magic Sarap
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Parsley

Before starting anything I advice you to ready all your ingredients before the actually 'cooking' it would be easier.

Here's what you should do first:
1. Open all the cans and drain out all the liquids from them.

2. Chop the Garlic and Parsley.

3. Have all your ingredients close by the stove.

Procedure:
1. Get a pot that would fit your pasta. Fill that with enough water to cook your pasta in. Drizzle a little bit of oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil before dropping in your pasta.

2. While your pasta is cooking get started on your sauce. Ready a pot enough to accommodate your ingredients. First off we saute the garlic, don't wait for it to brown. As soon as you smell the garlic cooking drop in your tuna.

3. Add in your all-purpose cream and milk. Season with the seasoning mix (you have your choice of Maggi Magic Sarap, Aji-Ginisa or whatever brand you use)

4. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir constantly so we don't end up with a film on the top. Drop in your mushrooms, parsley and olives at the end.

5. Set your sauce to a low heat and check on your pasta. You'd want it to be 'Al dente' not soggy and mushy. If it is firm enough to your liking strain it. And let water run through it so the heat stops cooking the pasta.

6. Ready the bowl you wish to place your pasta in. Brush olive oil around the base. And then drop in your pasta. Mix it a bit so the oil gets mixed with the pasta.

7. I usually place the sauce in a separate bowl so the guests could decide on how much sauce to put in. But it is ok to mix everything together. Whatever suits you.

Cupcakes vs Muffins

I've been getting this a lot: 'What is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin?' When I was a kid I always thought that muffins were bigger than cupcakes and that they were the dome-y shaped ones. But over the years and after reading books about cakes and such (Thank you Powerbooks Alabang Town Center) I came to my point of realization as to what is the difference between the two.

Cupcakes are actually 'minature' cakes, ergo the presence of frosting and what-not. Muffins on the other hand are fruity and don't have frosting and they are usually eaten for breakfast.

So the politically correct term would be for small blueberry cakes would be 'Blueberry Muffins' and small carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting would be 'Carrot Cupcakes'

Progetto Ventisette: Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Our cousins' Joy and Fr. Eugene are going to stay over for the week and I decided to make some chocolate cupcakes. Instead of the usual buttermilk frosting I made strawberry frosting.

Use my recipe for chocolate cupcakes on my previous post then follow the same concept of my buttermilk frosting the add-on is instead of plain food coloring use strawberry flavoring. You can get them in almost any grocery store in Manila. They're usually in the baking section. :)

Progetto Ventisei: Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Procedure:
1. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

2. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Chill dough for at least an hour.

4. Preheat up to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on powdered sugar or flour. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter of your choice.

5. Place each on a cookie sheet, then back for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool before putting on royal icing.

Progetto Venticinque: Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat up to 375 degrees

Procedure:
1. Combine the dry ingredients then set aside.

2. Cream butter in another bowl and incorporate the sugars a tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and beat until creamy. Then add the egg and blend in the flour mixture.

3. Fold in the chocolate chips. You can use more than a half cup.

4. Spoon mixture into paper-lined muffin cups.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. And there you have it.

Venti Quattro: Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can of blueberries

Pre-heat 400 up to degrees

Procedure:
1. Combine dry flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl cream butter and add sugar, whisk until it melts add the milk and beat in the eggs one at a time

3. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients.

4. Strain the blueberries then fold in the mixture.

5. Line your cup cake pan with paper holders. Fill each 3/4s of the way.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown.

Check!

I went grocery shopping the other day so I picked up a few necessities:

Oh pretty measuring cups

Yes, I didn't have measuring cups up until now so congratulate me I'm growing. No more estimating and leaving it 'up to luck' the Rachel Ray style. Just for the sake of baking though, I still bish bash my way through my other culinary master pieces.

New whisk

Since I couldn't find the old one, I've decided to buy myself a new one. I'm probably the only baker in town who doesn't have a whisk!

I still need cookie cutters though, and I don't want to splurge on them by getting them at Gourdo's or Rustan's any suggestions? Or if you want, you can gift it to me. I won't mind. :)

Progetto Ventitre: Tuna Tomato Pasta

It's basically your every birthday party spaghetti sauce-like recipe I just prefer tuna. Add a little seasoning and you're done. Oh yeah, I don't like sweet tomato sauce Filipinos prepare, its sickening. It's like ketchup and noodles. Horrible. I loathe people who even think of using ketchup as a pasta sauce and worse, I can't stand people who add ketchup to spaghetti, it's like an insult to the cook if you asked me. 

Progetto Ventidue: Chocolate Cake with Buttermilk Frosting

It's no secret that I have a thing for the color purple but due some sort of hue error the icing didn't come out as what I expected it to be. My cake turned out to look like ube instead of that deep velvety violet I was going for. But it tasted good anyway.

The recipe is basically the same as the chocolate cupcakes I just used a round baking pan. It takes longer to bake than the cupcakes and I blame my electric oven for that.

Progetto Venti Uno: Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup Boiling Hot Water
1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pre-heat to 375 degrees

Procedure:
1. In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

3. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen.

Frosting:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring

Procedure:
1. Cream the butter until soft.

2. Incorporate the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Then add the vanilla extract.

3. You may add any food coloring of your choice.

Note: Let your cupcakes cool down before icing.

Progetto Venti: Almond Cookies

I decided to bake cookies for my roomie: Erika. :)

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
48 whole blanched almonds

Procedure:
1.Stir together flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar at medium speed of electric hand held mixer. Beat in egg white and almond extract.

3. Stir flour and ground almond mixture into the creamed mixture. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for about 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven up to 350 degrees.

4. Shape dough into small balls, about 3/4-inch. Place balls 2 inches apart; flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Press an almond into the center of each cookie. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set but not browned.