Recipe for Blackberry Curd!

I posted pictures of these gorgeous cupcakes on Saturday, and I promised a recipe.

Here it is!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Blackberry Curd and Dump Frosting
(One recipe Pumpkin Spice Cake*)


Blackberry Curd
1/3 C blackberry puree, seeds removed
juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
1/3 C + 2 T white sugar (if your puree is extremely tart, go ahead and make it 2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
4 T butter, in cubes


Place all of the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, and stir constantly until the temperature reaches @165 degrees.  Remove from heat.  Your mixture should be moderately thick.  Add the butter a piece at a time, and set aside to cool.  After 30 minutes, cover surface with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

Bake your cupcakes. *I baked 12 cupcakes and poured the remaining batter into a 6" cake pan.  I would hesitate to halve this recipe, as it is hard to properly cream a half a stick of butter with a stand mixer.  When cooled, I put the cake layer in the freezer, maybe for some cake pops down the road.

When your cupcakes are cool, core the center.  I use a 1" round cookie cutter and press it into the center, that way they are all uniform.  Make sure you leave an ample amount of cake in the cupcake, as no one wants a mouthful of custard (and that pumpkin cupcake is too, too good!).

Drop a few tablespoons of the curd in the cavities of the cupcakes, and then frost as desired.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, I used a combination of leftover Swiss Meringue Buttercream, cream cheese, and butter.  There was no rhyme, no reason.  I knew I wanted it to be fluffy, almost the consistency of whipped cream, but with more staying power.  Perhaps a Seven-Minute Frosting?  I do love Seven-Minute Frosting, but I was out of corn syrup.  Besides, why not use what you have laying around?

Please do try this blackberry curd.  It is simple, refreshing, and purple- for heaven's sake!  It is not too often we get to indulge in purple food.

Have a great Monday!

Rachel Bee

An exceptional sort of hot.

It is summertime, and although the living isn't exactly "easy," I couldn't be happier with the warm weather. I am sure I am not special in that I prefer summer to winter; but here in our little corner of Georgia, summer is an exceptional sort of hot.  The high 90's begin in June, and seem to stay until November (Thanksgiving is always in shorts).  The air is muggy and stale, with no cool breeze or (heck) even warm breeze to provide momentary relief.  When I made plans to move here, a man I knew (who had lived here before) cautioned, "Take whatever temperature it is here, add 10 degrees, remove the breeze, and that is the summer there." Since he had a reputation for being a jerk, I believed that comment to be typical from his jerky "Old White Man Says" soul.  However, when we pulled up to our new house in August that year, the thermometer outside read 110 degrees, and we proceeded to unload our trucks.

Drat.

Four years later, I am somewhat used to my 94 degree run, my car seats seething with the summer sizzle, and spending most afternoons indoors with a very active 3 year-old.  We turn our thermostat up to 80 (78 if we get too hot), sit in our underpants, and try not to use the oven past 10AM.

One of the pleasures of summer is all of the ripe and juicy berries, and this week blackberries were the theme.  The texture of blackberries are a little off for me, with every little juicy capsule bursting it's innards in a noisy succession, "pop, pop, pop, pop."  I can eat one or two, but the third one always weirds me out.  I do not mind them in cobbler, tarts, bars, coffee cake (when the oven does the exploding for me), or curd, as I learned this week.

I had a good cup of blackberries left over from last week's bounty, and as I hate to throw things out, I pureed them with the intention of putting the resulting goo in the freezer.  After sieving out all of the seeds, I tasted it, and was surprised at how tart it was. Immediately I pulled out some eggs and a lemon, and started making Blackberry Curd.

The result is so thick and creamy, and the perfect shade of violet.  As I had some pumpkin left over from winter, I decided to fill Pumpkin Cupcakes with it.

I pulled the remaining frosting from my Rose Cake out of the freezer, whipped it up to high-heaven, added 2 tablespoons of the curd (for color), half a slab of cream cheese and half a stick of butter.  I also threw in two cups of confectioners sugar, and then whipped and whipped until it almost had the consistency of whipped cream.

I was out of piping bags, so I slopped that frosting right on there, all willy-nilly.

I topped them with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a cinnamon stick, and a little blackberry.  So sweet!

Finally, a cross-section.  See that gorgeous purple deliciousness?  See the orangeyness (a word) of the pumpkin?  What a delightful pair!

If you have any pumpkin laying around, do make this recipe- which I will post later today (I hope) as I need to get ready for my run.

Love you all, and hope you have a great weekend!

Rachel Bee

Spontaneity-

Today, I am being spontaneous, which is completely unlike me.

As I look at my profile- a sum of all of my likes, interests, beliefs, and morals- I am sure that "spontaneity" should just fit in there- right in like a lint-covered, trampled-over little puzzle piece.  I currently have a lot of excuses for not being spontaneous- motherhood, wife-y-hood, home-owner-y-hood; but I say "lint-covered" and "trampled-over" as I would like to add "spontaneity" to that list of qualities I wish I own but never really have.  On the contrary, I can't say that I have a routine, as I don't have a set time when I really do anything- but I will call that a "lack of self-discipline" and not quite "spontaneity."

Wait- wait one minute.  Let's call it "spontaneity!"

Today, I will take my shower at... 6:45 AM.  Tomorrow, 8:00, and Wednesday- I won't even take one at all.  I am so spontaneous!  I am one fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl.  You never know what's going to happen when you are around me.  Crazy life- this- the one I lead.

Yep.

Spontaneous.

But really- last night I thought while looking at a very empty day-planner for Monday, "What if I took the kid to Charleston for a day?  Wouldn't that be fun?"  I called my father (or texted him on his new Ipad- my dad is so cool) to see if he would like to go, and he is!  Charleston for a day- what a dream!  I am currently trying to get over the fact that I still am wearing my winter body, and if I just had a month to prepare- only one month- I would feel much better about going.  As I stare at my bathing suits in their dank little bottom-drawer home, I am thinking that "spontaneity" is perhaps better-suited for another day.  Am I really that vain, that I would spoil everyone else's fun only to give myself time to prepare for a bathing suit?  Or even worse, will I be that "mom" in a hat and cover-up, lounging in a chair with a Bud light?  Every time I get up, pulling the wedge from my dimply behind, tugging the cover-up over my bulging alabaster thighs- only ever to go grab something else from the cooler?  The words, "I have given up completely" scrawled on my forehead?

Neither, I am sure.  I am going regardless, as I am spontaneous- at least for today.

But not before I share these with you...

These are Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins, and they are delicious.

And they will do nothing for your bathing suit body, despite the healthful name.

You may or may not have the ingredients in your pantry to make these, but carrot muffins are sort of "dump" muffins.  Just throw a bunch of stuff together, fill it with cream cheese, and I am sure it will taste delicious.

Don't trust yourself on that?  Where is your spontaneous spirit this Monday morning?

Fine then.  A recipe.

Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins (adapted from The Delicious Life)

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
8 swipes of whole nutmeg on a microplane
1 cup + 2 T sugar
1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts of choice
3 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1.5 cups carrots shredded on a microplane (trust me)
.5 cup raisins, soaked in warm rum, I mean water
1 t vanilla extract
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 egg yolk
.25 cup + 1 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together all of your dry ingredients, including the nuts.
Stir together all of the wet ingredients, including the carrots and raisins, in a separate bowl.
In yet another bowl, mix together the remaining 4 ingredients (this will be your filling).

Make a well in your dry ingredients, and pour the wet ones in.  Very gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, as you really, really want to avoid over-mixing.  When the ingredients are incorporated, fill 12 muffin cups until 3/4 full.  Plop a teaspoon of the filling right in the center of each muffin.  Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, and voila, absolute carrot muffin deliciousness.

Or put the cream cheese mixture in just about any muffin, as I mentioned before.  Grating carrots is a pain in the behind-

-the big, white, dimply, wedge-prone behind.

Have a great day!

Rachel Bee

From a reluctant girl.

It was a long winter.

A very, very long winter.  We live in an old drafty house, and it was cold.  And we were cranky.  

And I couldn't get bread to rise.  And there was no fruit to find outside of navel oranges and grapes.  Frozen fruit is OK, but we all know that it gets mushy as it thaws; and it turns your muffin batter blue if you try to bake with it.  

Strawberries show up first around here, usually tart and tasteless, with big green shoulders and completely white interiors.  You can find them in one or two grocery stores at a decent price, and if you are a sucker like me, you buy them.  But if you can hold out long enough, roadside stands start popping up, and you can get a huge bucket of freshly picked berries from our local farms.  This is a great notion, but they are usually ample in bugs and little worms (I HATE worms), and the bottom half of the bucket are smashed and unusable (I still opt for grocery store varieties).  

As I peruse our new selection of spring and summer fruits, I of course first think about what I can make with them.  The overwhelming abundance of strawberries and a few way overripe bananas reminded me of a dessert that was served at my bridal shower.  

At around the time I was married, I was next to friendless.  I had some "friends" at work and "friends" at school, but really- I was so dependant on my then fiance that I had no need (in my mind) for other "friends."  So when my mother came down to throw for me a surprise bridal shower, she had a time finding people to invite.  

Regardless of who came, the food was a site to behold (and consume).  My brother's girlfriend at the time was an aspiring pastry chef (and is now in Paris doing exactly that), and she and my mother came up with a spread fit for Kate herself.  My dear, sweet husband watched as I downed a huge sandwich before I entered the party, and I was furious to see not only the above, but chicken satay, bruschetta, and an absolutely huge cake from a local bakery.  Throwing caution to the wind, I shovelled more food into my mouth at that event than my tiny stomach could hold.  And I was happy.  And temporarily chubby.  

But out of all of the delicacies at the event, these sandwiches reign in my mind as being so very simple, and yet so unique and elegant.  Yes, that is banana bread, and the white stuff is cream cheese that has been cut with a few tablespoons of sugar and some vanilla extract.  I love this recipe so much, and really, it is the first one that I wanted to keep all to myself.  

Mine.  

So as I have a particular fondness for this dish, please don't defile it with store-bought banana bread, or low fat cream cheese, or out-of-season berries.  Give care in choosing the bananas (make sure they are fully ripe), toast your walnuts or pecans, and then chop them so that they are teeny-tiny (as the bread will cut more easily).  Make it, and when you do, share it with someone you really like.  

Banana and Strawberry Sandwiches

one recipe Banana Bread

one block full-fat cream cheese, softened

3 T sugar

1 t vanilla extract

One container of strawberries, sliced

Prepare your banana bread, and let it cool completely.  I have used the one shown above many times, and I love it.  The key to good quickbread is not to over mix.  Gently and methodically fold your mixture until it is just moist.    Also, if you choose to make this recipe, it usually takes me more on the 60 minute side of baking.  I always rotate my pan at 30 minutes.  Remember that bananas are moist, and if at 60 minutes baking you are not sure it is done, leave it in another 3-4 minutes, and then pull it out and let it cool in its pan.  I think you will find that it is just finished.  

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together.  Stir vigorously, as you want to thin out the cheese a bit.  

Using a serrated knife, cut your completely cooled loaf into very thin slices (about a half inch).  Lay out the slices, and spread a decent layer of cream cheese on each of them.  Place slices of berries on half of the bread slices, and then sandwich them with the berry-free slices.  

Cut in half, and serve within a few hours.  

Note, berries lose their "bite" when they are out of the fridge for too long, making this sandwich sort of a drag.  However, you don't want to make these, and then shove them in the fridge.  No one likes a mouth full of cold cream cheese, so it is important to assemble them right before you indulge.  

Enjoy.  

From a girl reluctant to share, 

Rachel Bee