Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I went to a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married in Miami in a few weeks (her fiance is from there), so the theme of the shower, logically, was Miami.

I was asked to bring dessert and the first thing I thought of was Key lime pie.  But not everyone is into Key lime pie (although I think everyone likes Steve's Key Lime Pie, especially the Swingles), so I decided to bring, yes, cupcakes.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Here's the second of the three flavors of cupcakes I made for Matt's brother's wedding a few months ago.  They're a variation on my vanilla cupcakes and the frosting is my standard Swiss meringue buttercream with an ample dose of fresh raspberry puree to make the frosting not only a vibrant shade of pink but also tart and redolent of raspberries.  They're light and bright and perfect for a party.

Italian Old Fashioned Doughnuts - a winner at the Brooklyn Booze Experiment!

Who knew that turning a classic cocktail comprised of just a few simple ingredients into a little doughnut would be such a hit?  Apparently it was - my Italian Old Fashioned Doughnuts won 1st place from the judges as well as the Theo Prize for embodying the spirit of the competition (no pun intended) at Sunday's Brooklyn Booze Experiment.

When I saw the theme, the first thing I thought of was transforming a classic cocktail into a dessert.  I'm not sure why that immediately popped into my head, but, for whatever reason, it did, and I was determined to do so.  

Blood Orange, Olive, and Arugula Salad

I've recently developed a minor obsession with citrus.  This may be (largely) due to the fact that, for more than a month now,  it's been freezing and snowy and slushy and gray.  When did I move to a strange hybrid of Seattle and Minneapolis?  But my daily 3 pm Cara Cara orange always seems to make me oblivious to the nasty conditions outside.

Despite of the lack of local fruit this time of year (I know there are lots of apples in cold storage, but I really cannot eat another apple for a long time - we were getting 8 pounds a week from our CSA for nearly two months and we ate every single one of them and I am surprised we did not turn into apples), February is the perfect time of year for out of the ordinary citrus: Meyer lemons and Cara Cara and Moro (aka blood) oranges.  All of them are head and shoulders above their run-of-the-mill counterparts, so I try to indulge in them as much as possible for the few weeks I can find them.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake with Candied Pistachios

Early March is generally pretty dreary here in NYC - as evidenced by the past few days of horribly grey and wet weather - but there is something that comes around every year at this time to (temporarily) lift the doldrums: citrus. Sure, you can get navel oranges and pink grapefruits year-round, but it's only for this brief period in the late winter that we New Yorkers can readily get our hands on Meyer lemons, blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, and Key limes.

There's something about these ephemeral citrus species that just works wonders in lifting my mood. Maybe it's their exotic flavors or their fleeting nature, but it always is such a treat to be able to indulge in the sweet, bright, and not-too-tart flavor of the aforementioned fruit. Of them, I'm particularly fond of blood oranges - aside from their wonderful flavor, their ruby red flesh is so dramatic and there's something amazing about a fruit that can stain your hands and your cutting boards.

Mojito Cake

Here’s another one from the archives.

I made this for a co-worker’s going away party…which was before Labor Day… Anyhow, I wanted to try something new, and had seen a few recipes for mojito cakes but liked none of them. I concocted this recipe and figured that even if it didn’t come out right, there was enough mint, lime, rum, and frosting going on in this cake to conceal any minor problems.

Lemon Raspberry Cake

I made this cake for a family gathering at my parents’ house a few Saturdays ago. I was initially planning on making a cake version of my Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting, but apparently all the supermarkets my mom went to were conspiring against us, as she was unable to find blackberries at each of the stores she went to that day (and she went to a lot just to find those elusive blackberries). I was informed of this dearth of blackberries while I was at work, and she asked what she should get for my Plan B cake…except I didn’t have a Plan B, so I was forced to come up with one on the spot: Lemon Raspberry Cake.

Lemon Curd

I’ve never made lemon curd before, and I’ve only eaten it once to date – and that was over 20 years ago. I might be making this up, but I’m pretty sure that my one and only encounter with it was when I was about 7 years old.

A family friend who lived in Switzerland (and therefore frequently traveled all over Europe) always brought us Swiss chocolate and some other treat, and that one time, he brought us a jar of lemon curd from his travels to England. I thought it would be really sweet and creamy – perhaps like lemon pudding – and so I shoved a big spoonful of it into my little mouth, only to be shocked by its bracing tartness. I think I immediately spit it out.

Mini Key Lime Pies for Pi Day

Today is 3.14 and that means that today is Pi Day! Yes, my recognition of this makes me a nerd, but this is something I have known for a long time and I fully embrace it.

I almost forgot about Pi Day but Kate reminded me. I recently had a conversation with her about Key lime pies (particularly the ones from Steve’s Key Lime Pies in Red Hook, Brooklyn) so I decided that’s what I would make for today’s “holiday.”

Sanguine Salad (Roasted Beets, Blood Oranges, and Pomegranate)

I made this last week as part of dinner for Valentine’s Day because, although it is red, it is comprised of a variety of components that are all a deep, bloody shade of red – perfect for a dinner made by someone who hates Valentine’s Day!

Earl Grey Cake with Kumquat Marmalade and Almond Meringue Buttercream

My brother celebrated his birthday last weekend, and, of course, I offered to make him a cake. He loves Earl Grey tea, so he requested that the cake somehow incorporate this flavor. After some brainstorming, I came up with the idea to flavor the cake itself with the tea. I like to make my cakes such that they have some sort of fruit filling and, if it works, some sort of nut on top of a flavored frosting. For this cake, I picked kumquats because their tart citrus flavor would complement the bergamot in the tea, and almonds for their mild nuttiness.

This cake isn’t very hard to make, but, as I learned while making it, you should definitely make the kumquat marmalade in advance – between the slicing and seeding, simmering, reducing of the syrup, and cooling, it takes a good 2 hours. The marmalade can be made up to a week in advance, and you should definitely make it before you start making the cake. (Learn from my mistakes!)