Angel Food Cupcakes with Black Raspberry Curd and 7 Minute Frosting

     Anytime I eat a fresh-picked black raspberry I am immediately taken back to my childhood. My grandparents who, for the younger part of my life lived just down the lane; had a raspberry patch that we would love to go and pick from. One evening myself and a few of my brothers, (I don't remember who anymore) decided to camp-out in our backyard. The next morning for our 'breakfast in a tent' we ate Cheerios with black raspberries. So that is what I think of the second a raspberry is popped into my mouth. Sweet memories!
   Now my in-law's who live just down the road, have a large patch that we are lucky enough to get to pick from whenever we want/need. Last evening we had stopped by for awhile and I decided while I was there to pick a few to bring home with me. While they are delicious just by themselves I also wanted to make something fun with some of them. Hubby is on shift at the firehouse today, so I thought I'd bake something to take in for him and his co-firemen. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and after combining and adapting a few different recipes this was the end result. Just like I had imagined....which was great, because unfortunately, it doesn't always happen that way.

Angel Food Cupcakes with Black Raspberry Curd and 7 Minute Frosting

yield:18-20 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

6 egg whites, room temperature  

12 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cake flour, sifted

Sift together sifted cake flour and 6 tbsp of sugar.  Set aside. In the bowl of mixer with whisk attachment beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tatar, salt and almond extract and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add in remaining 6 tbsp of sugar and beat until stiff  peaks form. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites (about half at a time) and with a spatula gently fold in. Divide batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Run a knife through the batter to remove any air pockets and smooth out the top. Bake at 350° for  15-17 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing onto wire racks. 

Black Raspberry Curd:

1 1/4 cups of fresh black raspberries

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tbsp water 

pinch of salt

7 tbsp butter, room temperature

Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add raspberries, sugar, eggs, water and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon. Dice butter into small pieces. When raspberries begin to break down and the mixture starts to bubble, add the butter and stir until it is melted. Increase heat and keep stirring until mixture is thickened. (It should coat the wooded spoon) Remove from heat and immediately rub through a sieve into a bowl. Cool thoroughly. This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks.

7 Minute Frosting:

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup

1/3 cup cold water

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients except vanilla in a double boiler, mix well. Cook, beating constantly with electric beater until mixture forms peaks, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla.

To assemble the cupcakes I used a wooden chopstick and poked a hole in each cupcake. Then pipe the black raspberry curd into the hole and partway over the top. Pipe the frosting over all and garnish with fresh berries and a mint leaf if you wish.

     

   Just a quick note; if you haven't already read or heard Google reader will be going away forever tomorrow (July 1). So if you use it you may want to consider switching to something else before it disappears. I switched to  Bloglovin and so far I 'love' it! It was extremely easy to switch over and you can also easily switch all the blogs you follow over at one time. I'd love if you'd follow my blog over there as well! =) You can do that by clicking  here or you can also just click on the 'follow with bloglovin' link in the side bar on my blog page. Thanks for your interest in my little teeny tiny part of the blogging world! I truly appreciate each and every one of you! =)

...........................................................................................

Because of the Lord's great love

we are not consumed,

for His compassion's never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "the Lord is my

portion; therefore I will wait for Him."

~Lamentations 3:22-24 

 

  

 

 

 

Baked Eggs with Grits and Sausage

    Happy Monday, friends! Do you have a brunch planned but you're having a hard time deciding what to make? Just want something new to try for breakfast? These are the perfect solution.
   Hubby had made spaghetti for dinner the other night and there was sausage in the fridge that was left and needed to be used. I haven't made grits in awhile and was hungry for them, so these little guys fit the bill perfectly. 

 Baked Eggs with Grits and Sausage

yield: 4 6(oz) ramekins

1/2 lb sausage, fried and drained

2 cups milk

1/2 cup quick cooking grits

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp butter

 1/2 tsp sriracha

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup Edam cheese, grated

4 cold eggs

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 4 (6oz) ramekins with nonstick spray. (or you could just use one regular sized baking dish)

In a saucepan bring milk, salt and pepper to a boil. Slowly whisk in grits and continue stirring until thick, about 5 min. Remove from heat and add butter, sriracha and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir until butter and cheese is melted.

To assemble place 1/4 cup sausage in the bottom of the cup. Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of cheese on top. divide grits over the cheese. Crack an egg on top, season with pepper and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and fresh herbs. Bake until the whites are set,  15-17 min for a runny yolk or 18-20 minutes for a firm yolk. 

Serve hot.

Adapted from: this recipe 

...................................................................................................

This is the confidence we have

in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us.

~1 John 5:14 

  

 

Roasted Asparagus, Parmesan and Rosemary Tart

   Even though the weather doesn't feel so much like it right now, I know Spring is here. If for no other reason than this....Asparagus! I love having my own asparagus patch and always look forward to the first harvest of the season. It seems to be doing really well so far this year and I had a bunch in the fridge to use. 
   I almost always take Hubs lunch to the shop if he is working there and today I thought I'd make something for him using the asparagus. A tart was what I had in mind and after combining a few recipes this was the end result.

 

Roasted Asparagus, Parmesan and Rosemary Tart

yield: 1 -9.5 inch tart pan 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups pie & pastry flour

1/4 tsp salt

9 tbsp cold unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp ice water

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour and salt. Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour. Beat until mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix together egg yolk and water. Add and mix until combined.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. Turn dough out onto paper and roll until it fits the tart pan. Carefully pick up and place dough into the tart pan. Press it down and then slowly remove parchment paper. Prick with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or over night.

To prepare, remove from fridge, remove plastic wrap and bake @ 350° for 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

8 stalks of fresh asparagus

Arrange asparagus stalks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile in a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper & paprika. Whisk well; add onion, rosemary and cheese. Stir to combine. Pour into the baked tart shell. Top with asparagus stalks and bake for 15-20 minutes or until set. 

    As it turned out hubs had to go on a service call over lunch, so I didn't take it to him until later on. G-bug and I shared a slice right away though and it was delicious. 

   I stuck it in the warming drawer then to keep it hot until we took it to the shop. The little monkey found it while I was in another room. Fortunately I caught him before he was able to help himself. =)

.....................................................................................

The grass withers and the

flowers fall, but the word of our

God stands forever.  

~Isaiah 40:8