Bacon Waffle Cupcakes

Tonight we did a little appetizer party with our neighbors and it always turn into a smorgasbord since we all love to cook. Since tomorrow is National Bacon Day I figured I'd whip up some cupcakes and use bacon.

What goes better with bacon than waffles... So there you go Waffle Cupcakes with a Maple Butter Cream and Bacon Frosting. Oh yeah and a little maple syrup inside!

These cupcakes are so rich and sweet but salty you can only eat one!  So glad it's such small batch.

Waffle Cupcakes

2 cups of flour

3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 cups of buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Stir together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

Beat the butter, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract until combined. Little by little, add in the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture. Slowly mix until just combined

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool fully before frosting.

Once the cupcakes are cool use the Wilton 230 tip and add some maple syrup to the inside of the cake. I used Aunt Jemima since its all we had.  The cake will absorb some of that flavor and it just elevates the overall taste of the cake.

Butter Cream Frosting

2 sticks of butter, softened

2½ cups powdered sugar

3 tbs syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 slices of bacon, crispy, cooled and crumbled

To make the frosting, cream the butter on medium-high speed for scraping the bowl as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it’s mostly incorporated before adding more.

Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy.

Add the maple syrup and the vanilla and whip for another minute or so to incorporate.

Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and top with additional crumbled bacon.

No Bake Dessert

Dessert for tonight...

Ingredients
1 giant bottle of Heineken

Open bottle
Drink cares away

Tapas Tuesday

Tuesday night is Tapas night.

A little bit of Spanish Cheeses, mmmm

Home blended truffle honey, (yes truffle two nights in a row) olives, crostini and tomato bruschetta with some fresh basil from the only plant I have ever managed to keep alive.

Cheeses - From the good people at Wegman's

Manchego

Drunken Goat

Campo de-Montalban

Garroxta

Tomato Bruschetta and Crostini Recipe

2       Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1/2   Red Onion, Diced

3 tbs Olive Oil

1 tbs Minced Garlic

Handful of Basil

Salt

1/2   French Baguette (biased cut)

1 tbs Olive Oil

Pre-Heat Broiler

Dice the tomato and onion into 1/4 pieces and place them into your bowl.

Chop up your basil.  I think chiffonade the easiest way to slice basil quickly and evenly.  It’s great for things like basil, spinach, lime leaves or any leafy green.

All you have to do is to layer the basil leaves on top of each other and tightly roll up the leaves. Then run your knife along the roll creating fine, thin strips. The tighter the roll, the easier it is to make your slices thin. If you wish to mince the basil you can run your knife back through the pile.

Add your basil to the tomatoes and onions. Drizzle with olive oil and add the salt. Let this sit in the fridge so the favors can meld together while you make the crostini.

Slice half of the baguette at slight diagonal angle. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Toast each side of the bread until golden brown. About 2- 3 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn the bread!

Bon Appétit

First Post Pizza

Apparently I’ve had this blog for a few years now and I never realized it.  Since me and my neighbors are always asking each other what’s the recipe for this or that, I figured why not pop mine up on-line rather than emailing or texting them.

Since this is my first post.... Tonight we are going with an easy dinner, Wild Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Arugula and Brie. This really is one of my favorite easy dinner ideas.  I had something similar when I was in Sonoma County.  It was so delicious and light, I had to try and make it at home and well I think I have conquered the recipe and won.

The recipe is pretty simple; it’s a mix of wild mushroom that you brown in a little bit of butter, the labor of love that is caramelized onions, arugula, brie and a pièce de résistance black truffle oil. Now if you ever watched Chopped or some of the other shows on the Food Network you will learn they all seem to despise truffle oil.  In excess it’s over powering but in small amounts I think enhances the mushroom essence.

Once you have your onions caramelized and your mushrooms browned pile them high on your crust.  I like to use naan bread.  Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread and is used a lot in Middle Eastern cuisine.  You can find it at most grocery stores so you don’t need to go to a speciality store. I use the naan bread for this recipe because of the size. It’s perfect for individual pizzas or appetizers.  

If you don't want to use naan I have used this same recipe with pre-made pizza dough and it works just the same I just use more of the pizza ingredients.

Enjoy….

Alexa

Ingredients – Wild Mushroom Pizza            

1             Large onion, sliced in to half moons

8 oz.       Wild Mushroom Mix

3 tbs        Butter

1 tbs        Olive Oil

1 piece    Naan Bread

3-4          Pieces of Brie

Arugula

Sprinkle Black Truffle Oil

Salt

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degree

Toast your naan bread on a cookie sheet for about 6-8 minutes.  This will help make the crust become crispy once you add the other ingredients and put the naan back in the oven. You can skip this step but I like a crispier crust.

Pre-Heat a large skillet and add 2 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of olive oil.  Once the oil and butter are heated add your onions and a little salt.  Caramelizing onions takes time so be patient, it should take about thirty minutes to get them golden brown and sweet.  The onions need to sweat first then they will start to caramelize.   If they start to dry out, use the additional olive oil to moisten them.

If another skillet add 1 tbs of butter, once heated add your mushrooms into the pan.  Try not to crowd them so they brown rather then steam.

Once your onions and mushrooms are ready add them to the top of your pre-toasted naan bread.  I try to spread the onions and mushrooms evenly over the naan.  Next top with your arugula and slices of your brie cheese.  Sprinkle a little of the magical black truffle oil over top and put the naan back in the oven. 

Toast the pizza for about 5- 8 minutes and it’s ready to serve.  As I said before I like crispy pizza I usually leave it in just a little bit longer.

I hope you enjoy the recipe!  Let me know any comments or feedback.

Happy Cooking!

ps I paired this with chateau haut guillebot white bordeaux and it was tasty.