Friday, May 1, 2009

Figs and Cupcakes

The luscious fruit of the fig in its natural state has to be some sort of evidence of a higher power. The fig represents everything great about food - healthy, sweet and satisfying.  Cupcakes on the other hand have little of the natural about them - but when you think of childhood and its wonder and surprises, how can you not think of a cupcake?  Many of the women I know still get that feeling when they eat one.  Below find my favorite recipes for figs and cupcakes and while you are eating them, let the taste bring you back to that wonder.  ENJOY!

Figs and Prosciutto

One pint of fresh figs (about 10 figs)
12 slices of prosciutto sliced extra thin (2 extra in case you need to snack)
4 oz. gorgonzola cheese 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees - fully.  At the top of each fig, cut a small cross roughly one quarter down the fig and stuff with about one tablespoon of the cheese.  Wrap in one slice of the prosciutto.  On a small baking pan (maybe a glass Pyrex), put a little dab of olive oil under each and place the wrapped fig on top.  Keep in for roughly 5 minutes, or just until the cheese is starting to ooze.   Let cool before serving as an appetizer for 10 people or place two on top of a salad of baby spinach and then top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Momma's Had a Hard Day Cupcakes
These are a life saver on a challenging day and the best part is that they can be made with the help of the kids during melt down time and enjoyed together.  Even though the directions say to let cool, try icing a few while they are still warm, watch the icing melt and spread all over your kids' faces, and hands, and clothes and the floor..... 

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
4 eggs, room temp
2 softened sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup minus one tablespoon whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 and line tins with muffin liners.  Combine all dry ingredients and set aside.  Combine butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on med-high for a few minutes until it puffs up a bit.  Add the eggs beating well after each.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour in the milk and add vanilla.   Alternate adding this to the mixer with the dry ingredients, starting and ending with the milk.  Just mix to combine.  Finally, add the lemon juice and zest.  Mix and spoon into the muffin cups - somewhere a little less than 3/4 full.  
Bake for roughly 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.  Let cool and frost with your favorite vanilla buttercream frosting.  Check out this blog on buttercream frosting if you want the whole "scoop" http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2009/05/cakewalk-will-real-buttercream-icing.html

5 comments:

  1. I think I worked out the posting glitch, so please try to post comments when you can!

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  2. When does the next article come out?

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  3. when will the next article be posted?

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  4. Hey Krissy,
    I just wanted to say THANK YOU for my first edible Mother's Day dinner! While I've always appreciated Dave's effort in making dinner, I can't really say the same about the taste of said dinner. But this year I pointed him to Figs and Cupcakes and, behold, a delicious, juicy, thoroughly yummy roasted chicken!!!! Many thanks!

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