Pink Vanilla and Rose Cupakes

I love these because they're so pretty!

Ingredients

(makes 6)

For the cupcakes:

50g self-rasing flour

50g caster sugar

50g margarine

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 egg

a few drops of red food colouring

For the rose butter-cream topping:

200g unsalted butter

50g icing sugar

1 1/2 tsp rose essence

a few drops of red food colouring

6 sugared rose petals

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C

Whisk together all the ingredients of the cupcakes in a large bowl until smooth

Spoon the cupcake mix into cupcake cases

Bake for about 15 mins then allow to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling make the topping

Cream the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl

Whip in rose essence and food colouring

Pipe the butter-cream topping onto the cooled cupcakes.

Decorate each cupcake with a sugared rose petal

Lemon and Ginger Tea Meringues

This recipe was inspired by the egg foams part of Dr Heve This's lecture I wrote about in my Science of Cooking post . It makes an amazing amount of the most beautiful melt-in-your-mouth meringues from very little ingredients.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 50)

For the meringue:

100g caster sugar

2 egg whites
75ml hot water
1 lemon and ginger tea bag

2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 120 C
Make the tea buy putting tea bag in the hot water.

While the tea cools, whisk the egg whites, sugar and lemon into soft peaks.

Then slowly add the tea and whisk until very stiff.

Pipe small whirls of meringue mix (about 6cm diameter) onto a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 1 1/4 mins until the meringue in completely dry.

The Science Of Cooking

Something that I have become interested in recently is finding out about the science of cooking and why ingredients react the way they do to different conditions and processes. I feel that the more I understand this, the more experimental I can be with my recipes, and the greater chance that they will work.

I have just finished reading The science of cooking by Dr. Peter Barham. Dr Barham is at the forefront of scientific understanding of  molecular gastronomy (essentially the science of cooking), yet the science of cooking is a fantastic book that explains the science behind cookery in an engaging understandable way. It also contains great simple recipes to demonstrate the concepts that are explained.

I also just watched this brilliant lecture given by Dr Herve This, another giant of molecular gastronomy given at Imperial College. It is both amusing and enlightening an well worth any hour of anyones time.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hearts

I had a little of the raspberry and dark chocolate coating left over from  my dark chocolate and raspberry mini meringues so I decided to make some heart shaped chocolates. I simply spooned the left over coating into a silicone chocolate mold and popped in the freezer for about an hour to set.

Mini Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Meringues

This recipe is relatively easy but looks very impressive when served to your guests.

Ingredients:

(Makes 25)

For the meringue:

100g caster sugar

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

For the raspberry and dark chocolate coating:

60g raspberries

200g dark chocolate

Method:

First make the meringues:

Pre-heat the oven to 120 C

Whisk the egg whites and vanilla into soft peaks.

Then slowly add the sugar and whisk until stiff.

Using a star piping nozzle pipe small stars of meringue mix (about 4cm diameter) onto a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 45 mins

 

Once the meringues are baked and cooled make the chocolate coating:

Melt the chocolate over a bain marie until runny.

While the chocolate is melting cut up the raspberries into small pieces.

Add the raspberries to the melted chocolate while it is still over the heat an stir until you have a smooth runny mix.

Holding them by their tops, dip bottom of the meringues into the chocolate coating and place on a non-stick sheet.

Pop the finished meringues in the fridge so the chocolate can cool and set.

Lemon Mousse

I have finally perfected my lemon mousse recipe, creating a stable mousse a good balance of flavour between the sour lemon, the sweet icing sugar and the smooth double cream.

Ingredients:
(serves 4... or 2 very hungry people)
juice and zest of 2 lemons (plus a little extra zest to garnish)
175ml double cream
35g icing sugar
2 egg whites

Method:
Pop the lemon juice and zest in a small, non-stick pan and reduce over a medium heat until the it forms a thick paste. Then take of the heat and allow to cool.
While the lemon paste is cooling whisk together the icing sugar and the egg whites in a large bowl until shiny and stiff.
Once cool add the lemon paste to the double cream and whisk until stiff.
Fold the lemon cream into the egg whites mix and then whisk briefly to combine and stabilise.
Finally spoon the mix into pretty cups and garnish with a little lemon zest.

Dinner Party Dessert

I had some friends over for dinner last week and I deiced to make a trio of different desserts for them to try.

The first was a heart-shaped truffle made from my brandy and white chocolate truffles recipe (without the food colouring) then while still soft pressed into a heart-shaped mold and popped in the freezer for about 2 hours. The next was a  mini white chocolate, raspberries and cream cupcake . Finally I served a little lemon mousse.