Caramelized Banana Chocolate Coconut Pie

For the last few weeks, I've been drowning in bananas. I'm putting them in cereal, eating them with Nutella, snacking with them late at night, but nothing helps. Perhaps they're reproducing on their own, no matter how many I eat, I am still overrun with mountains of bananas. Our new organic and local produce delivery service, TCF Organics, has been overly generous with their banana allocation in our weekly shipment. But this unexpected banana windfall has pushed me to get creative and inspired me to create a delicious caramelized banana and chocolate pie last weekend.

Between the caramelized bananas and the silky ganache is a thin layer of coconut, all nestled in a butter crust.

The pie looked and sounds fancy, but it actually took just a few minutes to come together thanks to a microwave ganache base and a quick and easy butter pie crust. The longest part of the process was using a kitchen blow torch to caramelize the bananas, an optional but fun touch.

This isn't the kind of dessert that you can make ahead of time as the bananas will turn soggy, but it's an impressive looking dessert. I love the combination of bananas and dark chocolate. It has a tropical flavor that is ideal on hot summer nights.

Caramelized Banana Chocolate Pie
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
For the butter crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
8 tbsps (1 stick) of butter
2 to 3 tbsps cold water
For the ganache:
1/2 cup of heavy cream,
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter,
8 ounces (2 bars) of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. For the bananas:
4 bananas
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cups of coconut

Make the Pie Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2 or 3 times quickly to mix. 
3. Cut the butter into 1 tbsp pieces and add to food processor. Pulse over and over again very quickly until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. You should not be able to see any more large pieces of butter. 
4. Scatter 1 tablespoon of tap water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 to 6 times. The dough should begin to hold together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
5. Remove the dough from the food processor. In your hands, roll it into a uniform ball. Place it on a silpat or countertop sprinkled with flour and roll it out with a floured rolling pin. Then press it and shape it into a greased pie pan.
6. Line the bottom of the crust with pie weights or a bunch of dried beans.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Make the ganache:

1. Pour the heavy cream and butter in a glass bowl. Bring to a boil in the microwave by cooking for 1 minute increments until it begins to bubble. Don't let it boil over.
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in a mini food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. If you don't have a food processor, you can do this with a knife.
3. Remove the hot heavy cream from the microwave. Pour the chocolate in. Stir with a spatula until chocolate is melted and smooth.
4. Spread on cakes, cupcakes, or pies. Cover the leftovers with plastic wrap and save in the fridge for up to a week. To reuse, heat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds and stir with a spatula.

Top with Bananas and Coconut:

1. Spread the ganache on the cooled pie crust with a spatula. Don't be stingy! Biting into thick layers of chocolate in the pie is what makes it heavenly. You should have some ganache leftover from this recipe even if you are generous in your spreading.
2. Sprinkle the ganache with the coconut.
3. Cut the bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Spread on top of the coconut, overlapping the bananas slightly.
4. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar if you would like to caramelize the bananas. Using a kitchen blow torch, caramelize each banana until lightly browned. 
5. Serve immediately.

Brown Butter Pound Cake with Grilled Pineapple and Dulce de Leche Drizzle

When we're grilling, I love using the grill for the entire meal. Grilling caramelizes fruits and brings out the most interesting flavors. And I never complain that it keeps my husband cooking while minimizing my clean-up. Grilled fruits are delicious on their own or with a little ice cream, but this weekend, I kicked it up a notch by pairing grilled pineapple with brown butter pound cake and then drizzling it all with dulce de leche.

Browned Butter Pound Cake Topped with Grilled Pineapple and Dulce de Leche

Bringing together these three very different sweets worked magically. The pound cake had a lovely moist crumb and a very slight nuttiness from the browned butter. The pineapple with its caramel overtones really shone in contrast, and the creamy dulce de leche just took it all over the edge. This dessert is one you'll crave.

The Browned Butter Pound Cake, Cooled and Sliced.

Browned Butter Pound Cake 
(Adapted from Marcus Samuelsson's blog who adapted it from Gourmet)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 80 minutes
Ingredients:
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter a loaf pan (mine is 6 inches by 11 inches)
3. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it turns light brown and emits a nutty aroma. Stir and keep a close eye on it, as you don't want to burn it!
4. Transfer to a shallow bowl and put in the freezer to congeal and cool, for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, cream the chilled browned butter and sugars together with an electric mixer. Beat them until creamy and light, at least 2 minutes.
7. Add the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla. 
8. Add the flour mixture and mix together with a wooden spoon until just mixed. You don't want to overmix batters once flour has been added as that increases gluten and makes for tougher cakes.
9. Transfer batter to pan, smooth out the top, and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake until golden and the blade of a knife comes out clean, 60 to 80 minutes.
10. Cool for at least 30 minutes before turning out the pound cake onto a cooling rack.

Look at those perfect slices grilling. What a sight!

Grilled Pineapple
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pineapple
1/4 cup of vanilla sugar
1/2 stick of butter

1. Cut off the head and bottom of a pineapple and cut the body into 3/4 inch slices. Remove the rough skin and carefully cut out the tough middle. Be careful not to break your pretty round slices. Feel free to cut out stars or other patterns out of the middle if you're craftier than me.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave. Add the vanilla sugar. Stir with a spoon.
3. Place the slices in a large bowl. Cover with the vanilla sugar butter to coat each piece as best you can.
4. Grill over indirect heat, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, brushing with additional vanilla butter as needed. Keep a close eye on the pineapple slices to not burn them.

Dulce de Leche Drizzle 
Prep Time: 30 seconds
Cook time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1. Open a can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into the top of a double boiler.
2. Cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for an hour and a half, until the mixture turns light brown.
3. Keep warm or reheat in the microwave.
4. Can be made a few days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.

Dulce de Leche Ganache Cheese Cake and How To Make Dulce de Leche

Childhood taste memories, the really great ones, get embedded in your soul, in the very fabric of who you are. Most people, even the most jaded and sophisticated ones, have a memory of childhood food that they describe with a faraway look in their eyes. For my husband it is his mother's rice pudding. For me, it's dulce de leche. 

I was just a little girl, no older than eight when I tasted dulce de leche for the first time. My father had just come back from a lengthy trip to visit his parents in Brazil and he had brought back a few of the sweets that he'd loved as a child. He laid them out on the kitchen table, thick pale brown caramel bars and bright red fruit pastes in crinkly plastic labelled with strange words. The dulce de leche was baked into chunky bars. He cut a morsel off with a knife and speared it on the tip before daring me to try it. I took a tiny corner bite that melted on my tongue: the foreign and exciting tangy caramel flavor filled my mouth. It was crumbly and delicious, so sweet, yet like nothing I'd ever tasted before and I felt more awake somehow.

My initial hesitation turned to greed, and I threw myself into the rest of the feast from far away. I shoved the rest of the dulce de leche in my mouth, craving more of this novel sweetness, moving on to guayaba paste and the other foreign fruits, flavors I've been searching for ever since without success. I devoured this gift from my father, this unexpected concert of tastes and sensations too quickly, but the exciting new flavors were burned in my taste memory forever. I haven't found the fruit pastes that I tried that day, but dulce de leche is now a favorite dessert flavor of mine. It's easy to make, and never fails to take me back to the thrill I felt when it first touched my tongue.

Dulce de Leche is nothing more than caramelized condensed milk. It's now so popular that you can buy it ready made in most supermarkets, in the baking aisle or the ethnic aisle. But buying it is not nearly as fun as making it, and you'll have way more excuses to sneak tastes that way. To turn a plain old can of condensed milk into dulce de leche, simply pour the condensed milk into the top of a double boiler and cook it on low heat, stirring occasionally for an hour and a half or until it turns light brown. Never put the unopened can in boiling water as it might explode, possibly burning you and definitely making a big mess in your kitchen. I've also seen some sites recommending putting the unopened can in a pressure cooker which sounds even more dangerous. Why risk explosions when you can sneak tastes from a double boiler?

To celebrate Steve breaking his Passover with some sweet carbs as well as the visit of my friend Tricia, I made a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. I find that the creaminess of this light cheesecake pairs perfectly with the sweet tang of dulce de leche. Topped with some rich, dark chocolate ganache and a homemade graham cracker crust, the cake was a huge success.

Dulce de Leche Ganache Cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the Graham Cracker Crust  (adapted from Marie's Makes and Takes recipe):
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (either storebought or made by crushing a sleeve of graham crackers in the food processor)
1/3 cups of sugar
6 tablespoons of melted butter

For the Dulce de Leche Filling:
2 cans of condensed milk
2 eggs (always use large eggs unless directed otherwise)
4 ounces of cream cheese


For the Ganache Topping:
4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cups of heavy cream

1. In the top of a boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl if you don't have a double boiler, pour the contents of two cans of condensed milk. Fill the bottom of the double boiler with 2 inches of water (use a saucepan the bowl fits into if you don't have a double boiler). Place on the range on low to medium heat, and cook the condensed milk for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Watch your water level, refilling when it gets low. The dulce de leche will be a light brown when it is complete. Definitely taste it as it changes!
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
3. Mix the graham cracker crust ingredients in a food processor. Press into a pie pan until packed all around and the surface is reasonably smooth. You can press it in with your fingers, and even use the side of a small bowl or mug to get the bottom really pushed in. That said, I like mine a little loose and crumbly.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes to brown it up. Remove and set aside.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Once the dulce de leche is ready, pour it in a food processor. Add the cream cheese and the eggs and pulse until blended.
7. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the center is firm and not jiggly. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
8. Now it's time to prepare the ganache. In the double boiler, put the chocolate broken by hand into coarse chunks, and the heavy cream. Cook on low to medium heat until melted. Mix with a spatula and spread onto the cheesecake.
9. Serve immediately. Will keep in the fridge (although the ganache will harden a bit) for up to 5 days.

a Delicious Chocolate Souffle Cake That Just Happens To Be Kosher for Passover

Next Monday is the first night of Passover, the beginning of eight days when most Jews abstain from eating anything containing wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye that have come in contact with water for longer than 18 minutes, which means no breads, pastas, cereals, cakes or cookies. Instead, people use special Kosher for Passover products made with unleavened flour matzo cracker meal including cake mixes, cereals, and even pasta which, for the most part, have little to do with the real thing. Passover is a beautiful holiday about passing on the oral history of Judaism, but many of these bland ready-made store bought convenience products just take away from the joy of the holiday.

I'd only been dating my husband a few months when I attended my first Passover seder with his family, but I immediately started to question why the dessert course had to be something he dreaded. Why was it necessary to turn to dry mixes when so many delicious desserts can be made without violating the Passover rules? Ever since, I have been collecting recipes, trying to make his eight days of Passover a flour-less feast no less cravable than the rest of the year, filled with flavorful entrees and memorable desserts that just happen to be Kosher for Passover.

I had a Lunch in Paris pot luck lunch at the house on Friday and made Elizabeth Bard's Quick and Dirty Chocolate Souffle Cake for dessert. It was absolutely delicious, somehow both rich and light, with intense chocolate flavor. It took less than 10 minutes to get in the oven and was the perfect end to our schmorgasbord of delicious dishes. It was only as I was licking the last crumbs from my fork that I realized it would be the perfect dessert to serve for our Passover seder as it contains no flour.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Souffle Cake (adapted from Lunch in Paris)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 bars of Ghirardelli)
2 tablespoons of strong coffee
1/4 cup of cream
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup of sugar
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly butter a large souffle mold.
3. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the coffee. Once melted, remove from heat and add the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir til smooth and shiny.
4. Separate the eggs by putting the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large bowl. 
5. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is a pale yellow, almost like mayonnaise.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture on the yolks and beat to combine.
7. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites til the peaks are stiff. About a quarter of the way through, add a tablespoon of sugar to hold the eggs.
8. Gently fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture with a spatula. Now add the rest of the chocolate mixture back into the egg whites and blend in gingerly, turning the bowl a quarter after every fold of the spatula. You want the chocolate to be all mixed in, having worked the eggs as little as possible. 
9. Pour the batter into the buttered dish and bake for 20 minutes. It will puff up and fall as soon as you take it out of the oven. This gives it a wonderful homey look and in no way takes away from the texture and lightness of the cake.

Vanilla Pot de Cremes: Perfect Pregnant Woman Comfort Food

Since morning sickness took over my appetite, three months ago, I've had to change the way I cook and plan in the kitchen. My weekly menus have been replaced by bland but safe repetitions of pasta, ravioli, and cereal. Because cooking is like therapy for me, I turned to making desserts instead of dinners. While just thinking about a bloody steak could send me running for the bathroom, cakes, cookies, and puddings brought me boundless joy and comfort.

My favorite dessert for the last few months has been Vanilla Pots de Creme. Although the name can be literally translated as pots of cream, this pudding is actually quite light. I don't like to use heavy cream when I make them because it makes them too cloying and thick. The ingredient list is short and easy: milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, nothing requiring a special trip to the supermarket. These pots de creme are something that can be quickly whipped up by a desperate pregnant woman with a craving, by a harried mom at witching hour, or a loving husband fixing a surprise dinner for his exhausted wife.

Many recipes call for infusing the milk with a vanilla bean, but I love to use Nielsen Massey Vanilla paste. I'm always a little grossed out by the tortured vanilla beans, I never know if they're too dry, and almost expect some sort of exotic bug to come jumping out as I scrape the seeds. This paste has the seeds and intense flavor you get from infusing a vanilla bean without any of the work.

You can eat these Pots de Creme chilled from the fridge. For the last few months though, I've been enjoying them still warm from the oven, one delicious spoonful after another.

Vanilla Pots de Creme (Pots de Creme a la Vanille)
Makes 6 small ramekins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups of Milk (30 cl) (don't mess around - use whole milk for best texture)
1 Tablespoon of Nielsen Massey Vanilla Paste (or 1 infused vanilla bean)
3 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons of sugar (45 grams)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees centigrade). Prepare a large sheet pan with high sides or a wide Pyrex pan, big enough to hold 5 ramekins without touching each other, and with sides that are at least 2 inches tall and set aside.
2. Pour the milk in a small saucepan. Add the vanilla. Warm over low heat but do not boil. Whisk occasionally.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks and the sugar with a blender. At first the mixture will be a beautiful brilliant yellow. Keep mixing for about 5 minutes, until the egg yolks whiten almost to the shade of mayonnaise.
4. Take the milk off the heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of the vanilla milk onto the egg mixture. Whisk immediately to avoid curdling. Add another 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk quickly again. Continue in small quantities, pouring and whisking quickly, until all the milk has been added. Make sure to scrape all the vanilla seeds out of the saucepan - they add all the flavor and beauty to the dish.
5. Now pour the mixture into small ramekins. You should have enough to fill five ramekins halfway up.
6. Place the ramekins in your pyrex or sheet pan with the high sides. Pour water around the ramekins to the halfway mark. The water bath will keep them cooking evenly.
7. Cook the ramekins at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Then pop them in the fridge for a few hours to chill, or be a greedy glutton like me and eat them warm from the oven.

Crepes for Mardi Gras

We weren't very religious growing up, but we never missed an opportunity to celebrate holidays with food. Mardi Gras was always one of my favorite holidays, because we got to have crepes for dinner. My mom would fire up the crepe pan and start flipping. She would flip until we couldn't eat any more, our bellies filled with crepes.

My mom would begin with the traditional savory crepe fillings: grated Swiss cheese, ham, and egg. To keep things simple, she didn't use buckwheat sarrasin flour for the savory crepes, and I was glad because I hated the bitter taste of galettes de sarrasin. After a few salty crepes, she would allow us to move on to sweet crepes, filled with salted butter and sugar, jams, and Nutella. My sisters and I would stumble from the table in the throes of the happiest food coma.

Crepes are my kids' favorite food, but they won't waste their time with savory crepes. They insist on going straight to the sweet stuff. So instead of a dinner time treat, they've become their favorite breakfast. But tonight, to celebrate Mardi Gras like I did as a child, I'll whip out the crepe pan and flip until they can't eat any more. It's only now that I'm a mom that I realize how much my mother must have welcomed the relative peace of our food coma.

Crepes (Makes 15-20 small crepes)
Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups of milk (I always used whole or 2%, but this weekend I used skim and found the crepes to be thin and tasty)
2 tablespoons of melted salted butter

Toppings: Butter, Sugar, Jam, Nutella, Sweetened Condensed Milk and fruit

1. In a food processor, pour the flour, milk and eggs. Pulse 3-6 times until just blended. 
2. Pour into a bowl, add the melted butter and stir together. The dough should be very liquid, much looser than American pancake dough. Add more milk if it feels a little thick. You can always add a little more flour to even things out. Err on the runny side, better to have a thin crepe than a thick one.
3. Many cookbooks would tell you to rest the crepe batter for 20 minutes at this point to let the gluten in the flour relax. I sometimes do this, but often the kids are out of their minds with hunger and I just get going.
4. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat until hot. Pour some vegetable oil on a bunched up paper towel and grease the bottom of the pan.
5. Pour the crepe dough into the hot pan, swirling the pan around until all the batter has been spread around. Keep on swirling until no batter is moving.
6. Place pan back onto the flame. Cook the crepe until the bottom is lightly browned, peeking for doneness with a spatula. Flip the crepe either with a grandiose flick of the wrist (after loosening it with a spatula), or the old fashioned way with a spatula. Cook it for another 30 seconds to a minute and serve.
7. For butter and sugar crepes (my kids' favorite flavor), I melt the butter on top of the crepe as soon as I flip it.
8. You can serve these immediately, cooking and eating as you go, or make a big batch that you cover with plastic wrap and reheat in the microwave for 5 seconds a crepe.

Make Ahead Chocolate Souffles for a Night of Love

We used to go out on Valentine's Day. Big expensive dinners with menus studded with exotic aphrodisiac ingredients that we booked months ahead of time. One year at a fancy French restaurant in New York, the chef decided to do a his and hers menu, with no substitution allowed. I spent the evening coveting Steve's dinner of truffled venison and chocolate cake while I was served feminine portions of sole and passion fruit mousse. My anger grew all evening long and I finally threw a fit over dessert, demanding the "manly" chocolate. I would have marched into the kitchen to personally yell at the sexist chef if that's what it took to get me my chocolate fix.

Our Valentine's feasts now take place at home. No reservation stress, no menu frustration, and most importantly, no misguided chocolate denials. We typically start with a cheese souffle, share a prime aged steak, and finish up with chocolate souffles.

I love this particular souffle recipe because it can be made ahead of time. There's nothing romantic about leaving the table to whip up egg whites. If you make the batter right before cooking it, you'll get a half an inch more height right when the souffle comes out of the oven, but even if you make this a few hours ahead, you'll still get a beautiful, light as air chocolate dessert to finish your romantic meal.

Make Ahead Chocolate Soufflés (Adapted From Gourmet Dec 1998)
Makes 8 individual souffle ramekins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup sugar plus additional for coating ramekins
8 ounces fine quality semi-sweet chocolate
4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

4 large egg yolks
7 large egg whites

1. If you're planning on cooking the souffles immediately, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter 6 1-cup ramekins (4x2 inches) and coat with sugar, knocking out excess sugar.
3. Break the chocolate into coarse chunks. In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add chocolate, stirring until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, let cool for 2 minutes, and stir in yolks.
4. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks. Gradually add ¼ cup of sugar, beating until just combined. Stir one fourth whites into chocolate mixture to lighten and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
5. Divide soufflé mixture among ramekins and smooth tops with a knife. Run tip of knife around edges of soufflés to aid rising. Soufflés may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and kept chilled, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap.
6. Bake soufflés on a baking sheet in lower third of oven until puffed and surfaces are cracked, about 20 minutes.
7. Top soufflés with ice cream or crème vanille and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Skor Chunks

I've been using the same delicious brownie recipe for 20 years. I know that statement makes me sound like an old crone, so I should clarify that I started making homemade brownies as a pimply teenager, shedding tears over mean middle school boys while being hypnotized by the sensuous beauty of chocolate slowly melting into butter. Those brownies were rich, fudgy and decadent, and although I tried other recipes over the years, I never found one worthy of replacing our family brownie recipe, until this week, when I got the latest issue of Bon Appetit.

The brownies were right on the cover, in a mouth-watering tower. Only the chunky walnuts marred their perfection. I actually did a quick Twitter poll, asking how people feel about nuts in brownies. The answer was almost unanimous. Most people think adding nuts to brownies are a crime. I completely agree, crunchy nuts just take away from the chocolate.

Caught this brownie thief red-handed.

The recipe is easy to whip up. You can have a warm pan of brownies on the table in 35 minutes.

The brownies are rich and intensely fudgy, perfect to cut into tiny bites of chocolate bliss. Unlike my original brownie recipe, this one uses cocoa powder instead of melting chocolate as the base, but it still sends tendrils of chocolate smells up throughout the house, combined with the betwitching aroma of browned butter. This recipe makes a very small batch, and I had to make it twice to have enough to bring to my book club and have a few leftover for the kids and these pictures.

After making the recipe plain a few times, I had the urge to experiment by adding bits of Skor candy bars. They melted but gave the brownies a hint of toffee and sweet almonds. Seems like a nice compromise to put to bed that whole nuts in brownies debate.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Skor Chunks (Adapted from Bon Appetit Feb 2011)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 30 minutes
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Scharffen Berger - this is worth experimenting with as each cocoa tastes so different)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
3 Skor Candy Bars, smashed into tiny chunks
2 teaspoons of water
1/4 teaspoons of salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line an 8x8x2 baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Spray the foil with a non-stick cooking spray or rub with butter. (This foil trick is so neat. No more messy looking brownies stuck in the pan. Revolutionary.)
3. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Watch it closely. You do not want the browned bits to burn. Use your nose and smell the butter. You want it to smell a little nutty, not burnt.
4. Remove from heat and add sugar, water, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Stir until blended then leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Add eggs to mixture one at a time, stirring vigorously with a rubber spatula after each addition until shiny and smooth. 
6. Now add the flour and stir until blended. 
7. Stir in the Skor chunks. 
8. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Begin checking at 20 minutes. Note that the Skor candy chunks added 10 minutes of cooking time to these brownies. If you're leaving them out, the brownies will be done pretty close to 20 minutes.
9. Cool on rack then remove by pulling out the foil. Enjoy! These stay moist and delicious in an airtight container for up to a week.

Clementine Meringue Brulee: a Diet Dessert You'll Crave

Are you watching your weight this January? Cutting out sweets to get a good start on your new year's weight loss resolutions? Going without dessert is usually the first thing I do when I'm trying to shed a few pounds, but every night after dinner, my sweet tooth gives me some powerful sugar craving.

I crafted a dessert the other night that's perfect for this "I'm trying to be good" time of the year. My Clementine Meringue Brulee is easy to make and only has a little bit of sugar in it. I'm no nutritionist, but I can certify without the shadow of a doubt that it's much better for you than giving in to your sweet tooth and sneaking a bag of brownie bites in a weak-willed binge moment. Every bite contains the promise of summer.

The Clementine Meringue Brulee is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, easy enough to surprise your husband after a bad day, and delicious enough to please the kids. It needs so little sugar because of the flavor and sweetness of the main ingredient: clementines. Those little orange cuties have gotten so cheap in recent year that it's easy to dismiss these sweet little fruits as a kiddie snack.

After you make this dessert, you'll look at clementines in a whole new light.

Clementine Meringue Brulee
Makes 1 dozen  desserts
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
12- 14 Clementines
1/3 cup of sugar (optional or use less if desired)
3 egg whites
1/4 cup of sugar (no this is not a typo, I wanted to make it clear the sugar needed for the meringues vs the sorbet)

1. Juice the clementines, either by hand with a fork or with a citrus juicer if you have one. If you don't have a juicer, you'll need more clementines (14 to 16).
2. Add sugar to clementine juice. Pour in ice cream maker. Run machine for 30 minutes until juice is frozen yet soft. Alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, put juice in freezer and mix with a fork every 5 minutes.
3. Remove sorbet from ice cream maker and put in freezer-safe container. Place in freezer until ready to serve.
4. Crack egg whites into a large bowl. Using hand held mixer, beat until soft peaks form, adding sugar halfway through.
5. Once egg whites are beaten and you are ready to eat dessert, ladle sorbet into pretty cups. Scoop a few tablespoons of soft meringue on top. If desired, use a kitchen blow torch to caramelize a little of the meringue. If you don't have one, you could try putting all the meringue in a baking dish in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and watching it closely until it is just toasted on top.
6. Serve immediately.

Give Meringue Swirl Cookies to Friends and Family this Christmas

On Friday, I shared my Oreo Truffles recipe. Dark, moist, and decadent, these little balls of indulgence will keep you going throughout the holidays. I keep a constant supply in my fridge and pop one in my mouth every time I walk through the kitchen. Didn't you hear that there is no calorie counting during the holidays?

Today I want to share with you a recipe that is the polar opposite of the Oreo balls. Light, airy, and elegant, these Chocolate Swirl Meringues are a like a little kiss of sugar on the tongue. The chocolate center is moist and rich and the outside is light and crispy. A perfect combination. Make a couple of batches and you have the perfect treat to share with friends and neighbors when you hand out your belated holiday cards.

I often think that baking has an element of magic to it, especially when it comes to meringues. Even though I've been making them since I was a kid, watching the egg whites transform into a puffy cloud of white always seems like a miracle. This recipe brings a little heat to the process, making the meringues especially shiny and beautiful.

Chocolate Swirl Meringue Cookies
Makes 2 dozen
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped) (about ½ cup)
5 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups of sugar

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. 
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats and set aside. 
3. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a bowl, combine egg whites and sugar. Place over simmering water and whisk until mixture is hot, 4-5 minutes. 
5. Transfer bowl to mixer; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and mixture is lukewarm, 4-5 minutes. Don't stop too early. To test for peaks, pull the beaters out and watch for the egg whites to hold their shape.
6. Remove bowl from mixer and drizzle melted chocolate over egg whites, folding in with a rubber spatula until just marbled. Don't overmix or you'll just end up with chocolate meringues. The marbling is what makes these cookies truly special, a mix of chewy chocolate and crisp, airy meringue.
7. With a soup spoon, drop batter in large mounds spaced 1 ½ - 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. 
8. Bake until crunchy outside and still chewy inside, 35-40 minutes. 
9. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool completely before removing cookies from parchment. Store in airtight container.

Grown-Up Rice Krispie Treats and a $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

I was ten years old when I tasted my first Rice Krispie Treat.

It was Kathy Duffy, our favorite babysitter, who taught me how to make them one winter evening. Kathy was a rockstar babysitter, the type my sisters and I waited for in our pajamas eagerly by the door, wondering what new game or craft she would pull out of her giant floppy purse. One night she surprised me by pulling out something edible, a bag of cereal and some marshmallows, and with the addition of a little butter from our fridge, she showed us Frenchies how those three ingredients come together magically.

I gorged myself on that first batch of Rice Krispie treats. Hot from the pan, I licked them off my fingers, amazed that something so good hadn't come out of a boulangerie.

Now my kids are the ones eating the Rice Krispie treats straight from the pan, making magic by bringing together marshmallows, butter, and Rice Krispies with a little heat. But this holiday season, I wanted to make Rice Krispie Treats my own again, by turning them into a grown-up treat.

I started with Smitten Kitchen's salted brown butter version, as recommended to me by my friend Alma. Without this amazing recipe as a base, the ratios would have been all wrong. Then I added coconut and dark chocolate, two of my favorite dessert treats.

The result: a decadent grown-up Rice Krispie Treat. More gooey than traditional Rice Krispie treats. Every bite filled with rich caramel and dark chocolate overtones. I just wish I had a cookie exchange to attend this year to dazzle everyone with my creation!

$100 VISA GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY
I'm working with Kellogg's Rice Krispies this December to inspire home cooks everywhere to create their own version of Rice Krispie treats this holiday season. To help spread the word, Kellogg's has given me a $100 Visa gift card to give away to one of my readers.

To enter to win, please leave me a comment about how you like your Rice Krispie Treats or do one of the actions below. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Other actions to qualify you for your one entry:

• Follow @Frenchfoodiemom on Twitter
• Tweet about this contest using either this tweet, "Win a $100 Visa Gift Card in the @FrenchFoodieMom #RiceKrispie giveaway. www.chefdruck.com"
• Like the Chefdruck Musings Fan Page
• Post about this contest on your Facebook page.
• Post about this contest on your blog.
• Subscribe to Chefdruck Musings.

I'll select the winner at random using Random.org after midnight on Tuesday, December 21. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or their entry will be void and I will select another winner. There are 30 different Rice Krispie Treats $100 Gift Card Giveaways being coordinated by The Motherhood this December. You may only win one gift card across the 30 blogs.

THE MOTHERHOOD HOLIDAY RICE KRISPIES TREATS EXCHANGE BLOGGER GIVEAWAY
Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 11/29/10 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 12/21/10. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/motherhoodholiday. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The Motherhood. Head on over to the Motherhood for the full official rules.

Good luck to everyone, and here is the recipe:

Very Grown Up Dark Chocolate and Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 16 2-inch squares

1 stick of unsalted butter (4 oz), plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)
3/4 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups of shredded coconut (sweetened)

1. Grease an 7x12 inch rectangular Pyrex pan with 2-inch sides. Line with plastic wrap that is three times as long as the pan. Leave the extra wrap hanging out of the pan.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Make sure you pick a large pot, or you will have a sticky mess of Rice Krispie overflow all over your counters and floor. The butter will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Use your nose to guide you! When it smells good, slightly nutty, and is a pretty golden brown, the butter is "noisette" and ready. Don't wander off, because your browned butter can and will turn to burnt butter in less than a minute.
3. As soon as the butter is ready, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. If the warmth of the melted butter is not enough to melt the marshmallows, turn the heat back onto low to help it along and get the marshmallows smooth. But again, be careful not to burn the butter.
4. Remove the pot from the stove. Pour the salt, Rice Krispies, coconut and chocolate chips on top of the melted marshmallows. Take a deep breath and get ready to work stirring. This is the hardest part of the process as you'll have to burn off a little sweat equity stirring the pot.
5. Quickly spread the mixture into the greased pan, on top of the plastic wrap. Then cover the top of the treats with the extra plastic wrap, and press in the mixture as hard as you can. I even like to use a small pot to push it in smoothly. 
6. Cool at room temperature, or if you have some impatient kids (or adults) in the fridge. 
7. Store in airtight container. Will keep for 3-4 days.

a Chocolaty Twist on Pecan Pie

The only way to deal with a long, frustrating day replacing credit cards, car windows, and cell phones, is with chocolate. Lots of warm, ooey, gooey, melt in your mouth chocolate. As that first forkful melts on my tongue,  the stress of the day finally begins to recede, my shoulders loosen, and the angry old woman crease I didn't realize I had worn all day between my eyes relaxes.

No doubt about it. Chocolate is a miraculous substance.

In honor of Thanksgiving, my chocolate today was in the form of pecan pie. Although I'm usually a pecan pie traditionalist, tonight, the mixture of pecan and milk chocolate was just the amount of comfort I needed. The flavors melded together like a warm chenille bathrobe on a cold winter morning. Topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, that slice of pie was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I'm not sure if this pie deserves to share the spotlight of the dessert table this Thanksgiving, but here is the recipe whether you need it for a bad day, or just to share with family on Thursday.

Pecan Pie
Crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
8 tbsps (1 stick) of butter
2 to 3 tbsps cold water

Filling:
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
¾ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup of coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup of milk chocolate chips

1. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2 or 3 times quickly to mix. 
2. Cut the butter into 1 tbsp pieces and add to food processor. Pulse over and over again very quickly until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. You should not be able to see any more large pieces of butter. 
3. Scatter 1 tablespoon of tap water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 to 6 times. The dough should begin to hold together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
4. Remove the dough from the food processor. In your hands, roll it into a uniform ball. Place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Press it down into a 6-inch disk and cover with another piece of plastic wrap.
5. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch glass pie dish. Decorate the edges by folding and cutting the excess dough.
8. In a medium sized bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and salt, one at a time, beating well with each addition. 
9. Stir in half the pecans and all the chocolate chips. Carefully pour the filling into the prepared crust. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly over the filling. 
10. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until the filling is fairly set. Filling will firm up as it cools.
11. Give the pie 30 minutes to an hour to cool and firm up before serving. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!

Sprinkle Pudding: a Fun and Easy Dessert to Make with the Kids

There's something about these gloomy post-daily savings evenings that makes me crave pudding. Big bowls of creamy pudding. Isn't that the perfect food when it's pitch dark outside at 5PM?

Last night I wanted to make pots de creme with the kids. If you've ever had these delicious little puddings and felt your spoon pierce through the thin skin on top to get to the rich custard beneath, you'll agree that they are the perfect dessert to cure the late fall blahs. They are practically the definition of homemade goodness.

But just as I reached for the whole milk and the chocolate to melt, the cozy mood in the kitchen disintegrated. Bella started moaning about the stupidity of math homework. Jack pulled Juliette's hair. And Juliette decided to attach herself to my legs and whine continuously. The opportunity for a slowly and lovingly baked dessert had vanished. I needed something quick, something fun, something instant to get the mood back on track.

Instead of homemade goodness, I reached for a box of Jello Instant vanilla pudding and put the kids to work. Bella poured the milk. Jack opened the pudding box. And Juliette whisked with gusto.

Exactly two minutes later, we had 6 ramekins filled with golden vanilla pudding, and smiles on everyone's faces. Time to decorate. I let the kids rummage through the pantry for leftover Halloween candy and anything else they could find that would fit a 2-inch ramekin. They came back with Oreos, chocolate chips, sprinkle sugar, and marshmallows, thrilled by the illusion of a sugar free-for-all.

A few minutes later, the puddings were beautiful and ready to be put aside until dessert. And we were all re-energized for bathtime and dinner.

I'll expose them to the natural goodness of pots de cremes soon. The Jello pudding mix can't be compared to how delicious they will be; they're not in the same category. But sometimes, homemade is not the answer. In the name of family peace and sanity, I'm all for instant pudding.

Sprinkle Pudding Extravaganza
ingredients:
1 box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding (or Chocolate or any other flavor craved!)
3 cups of 2% or whole milk
An assortment of toppings like sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate chips and oreo crumbles

1. Measure the milk.
2. Pour in the pudding mix.
3. Whisk for exactly 2 minutes.
4. Pour into reserved ramekins.
5. Let the kids decorate. Either serve immediately or refrigerate until dessert.

Fat Lady Peach Cake: an Alternative to Honey Cake this Holiday

Tonight is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year which is celebrated with a big meal, like many holidays. I particularly enjoy cooking for Rosh Hashanah because it gives me an excuse to indulge my significant sweet tooth. To start the year off right and increase the chances that it will be a prosperous year, the meal has to be filled with sweet dishes, especially apples and honey.

The traditional dessert is a honey cake and I'm going to try to make it for the first time tonight. But as an alternative, I'll also be serving this Fat Lady Peach Cake, a sweet yet light creation that showcases the last of this summer's glorious peaches. It actually reminds me of a clafouti, served warm, it dissolves in the mouth, leaving just a hint of sweetness on the tongue.

I was inspired to make this cake after seeing Steven Fries, columnist for the New Haven Register, prepare it for a TV segment on Connecticut Style. I met Steve at the Pillsbury Bake Off, and really enjoyed getting to know him and his partner Chris Barrett, one of my favorite people on Twitter. Steve got the recipe from the Fat Lady Cookbook and serves it doubled.

I'm not sure which dessert will win tonight after we finish our brisket and carrot souffle. If all goes well, it will be a tie and everyone will go home, happy and full, sure that the next year will indeed by a good one.


Fat Lady Peach Cake (adapted from Stephen Fries' recipe)
Ingredients:
6-8 ripe peaches
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar or butterscotch/sugar Gluttony Grinder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Thinly slice peaches and toss with lemon juice in a bowl, set aside.
2. In another bowl cream butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well with electric mixer. 
3. Sift flour, salt and baking powder and add to mixture. 
4. Put into well greased 8 in spring-form pan. Place peaches on top and sprinkle with vanilla sugar or, if you can get your hands on it, the wonderfully named Gluttony butterscotch and sugar grinder. I found mine at the Chelsea Market - and there was no chance I would resist it.
5. In a pre-heated 350 degree oven bake 45 minutes to one hour until toothpick comes out clean.

Clafouti, the Perfect Showcase for those Summer Berries

When I'm stressed, I bake. As warm smells waft through the house, I start to breathe again. It's not even about the end result, the sweet bite of dessert on my tongue, the simple act of baking soothes me.

With all these gorgeous summer berries around, the perfect comfort food dessert is a clafouti, the French equivalent of the American crumble. Imagine a warm, very fluffy, sweet crepe surrounding hot berries. Each bite is simple, deep satisfaction.

Just like a crumble, you can have a clafouti in the oven in under five minutes. All you need are ripe berries (or pears, apricots, plums), flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and, the magic ingredient: heavy cream. Whisk the base ingredients together, throw it in the oven for half an hour, and this homey summer dessert is ready.

Top it with a little vanilla ice cream, and you're in heaven.

Clafouti
Ingredients:
2 cups of summer fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, pitted cherries, plums, or quartered pears
3/4 cups of flour
3/4 cups of sugar
2 eggs
8 ounces of heavy cream
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and flour a baking dish.
3. Fill the bottom of the baking dish with the fruit. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, slowly whisk together the flour, eggs, cream, and vanilla until just blended.
5. Pour on top of the fruit. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or golden brown.
6. Serve immediately, either plain or with ice cream.

Simply the Fudgiest, Yummiest, Most Irresistible Brownie Recipe Ever

Family secrets are meant to be shared. So tonight I'm outing a big, decadent,  fudgy family secret. I may get in trouble for this. Maybe even get raked over the coals. Because it's not really my secret to share. This is my baby sister's recipe. But how could I keep the recipe for the fudgiest brownies under wraps?

Only the bravest amongst you should read on. The butter content of these brownies is not for the faint of heart. But these brownies are rich and decadent and well worth every calorie-laden bite.

That is, if you manage to even get them cooked. It's always a challenge for me. As soon as Jack smells the chocolate and butter melting, he hovers, spoon in hand, ready to pounce on the batter. And I confess (because we're sharing secrets here), that I often join him spoon in hand!

Aunt Tiff's Irresistible Brownies
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter
150 grams of bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13 inch by 19 inch baking pan. In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. Let it cool a little.
3. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well.
4. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and stir well.
5. Pour batter into greased baking pan. It's up to you how well you scrape down the sides. Bake in oven 30 to 35 minutes. We like it a little mushy in our family. But to make sure it's cooked, slip a knife into the middle and make sure it comes out clean.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes: Hands On with Dave Lieberman

Yesterday, as the temperature plummeted and the wind whipped in Columbus, I boarded a plane for New York City. My destination was a swanky culinary loft in Soho to attend a cooking demonstration with Food Network cutie David Lieberman. And to multiply the fun factor, I was bringing my baby sister as my plus 1 and meeting my NYC Moms Blog friends Jennifer Perrillo and Amy Oztan.

I basically danced with glee all the way through the Columbus Airport.

Even with the ferocious wind gusts, our plane was only delayed an hour and I arrived at the loft right on time.

The event was sponsored by Del Monte and tied in nicely with Dave Lieberman's new book The 10 Things You Need to Eat: And More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Ways to Prepare Them.

I was hanging out with the lovely Vera Sweeney and her husband, Tim, from I'm Not Obsessed, plying her with 1,001 questions about Tiger Woods, Tom Cruise, and Katie Holmes when Dave Lieberman started walking around. He was such a nice and approachable guy that I almost didn't recognize him. He came right over and chatted with us and once again, I was surprised by how down to earth TV celebrities can be.

He demonstrated four recipes, enough to make a knock out meal, and then gave us a chance to make each with him. He started with a spinach scallion dip, a chunky chipotle corn chowder, a chicken cacciatore entree, and the most interesting and most delicious of all, a beet and chocolate cupcake. As a butter and cream lover, I was highly skeptical of this beet creation, but it was moist, sweet and intensely chocolaty.

The recipe includes plenty of butter and sugar, and is by no means a diet recipe. It generates its health benefits from the inclusion of beets. I'll quote Anahad O'Connor, co-author of 10 Things You Need to Eat and a weekly column in the New York Times science section, to best illustrate its value, "Ounce for ounce, the beet boasts what may be a heftier range of nutrients - folate, potassium, iron, fiber, antioxidants, and even a little protein - than virtually any other fruit or vegetable on the planet." So eating one of these little cupcakes is a little like taking a multivitamin.

I'm including the recipe below, and off to make it myself to add pictures and validate its yumminess outside of a fancy Soho kitchen.

Beet Mash Chocolate Cupcakes with Beet Frosting

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes

• 1 1/2 14.5 oz can of fresh cut beets, thoroughly drained
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups of sweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the glaze

• Approximately 1/2 a 14.5 oz can of beets, thoroughly drained and mashed
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 1 pound of confectioner's sugar

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, mash the drained can of beets finely with a potato masher and set aside. (You could also use a food processor)
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and water. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the mashed beets and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into cupcake cups. Bake about 70 minutes, until set but moist. Let cool on cooling rack.

To make the glaze frosting:

1. Mash the 1/2 can of beets finely with a potato masher.
2. Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan and add the mashed beets. Simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cream the second stick of butter with a mixer in a bowl. Mix in the melted butter and beet mixture until fully incorporated. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.

Ice the cupcakes when cooled with a thick layer of glaze icing.

*A very grateful thank you to Bobby Marro Photography for these gorgeous pictures. I lugged my big camera through airport security, but forgot my memory card in Ohio.