Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting: Oh-my-friggin'-god Delicious

Having been a fan of the Wannabefoodies blog for a while now, I wanted to make sure my inaugural post was worthy. This recipe, fellow foodies, fit the bill. I found it while browsing through another favorite blog of mine; Honey and Jam.

But first, let me get this off my chest...

I have not always been a fan of Martha Stewart. Many of her recipes, that she touts as "good things" are anything but. They're overly complicated or elaborate, easy to screw up, and involved ingredients not easily found at your local grocery.

Maybe Martha saw the light, because this one is a winner.

Martha Stewart's recipe for Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting opened up my eyes to a whole new world of cupcakes. I will not, and cannot, return to the world of Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines.

To call the result a "cupcake" seems wrong however. The spongey, dense texture reminds me more of a slightly fluffy banana bread than of a cupcake. However, the presence of the honey cinnamon frosting decidedly takes this out of the "muffin" category and puts it in a whole new dimension. It's just something you have to try... too sweet to be a muffin, but too fulfilling to be a cupcake.

The frosting is.... Amazing. Stupendous. Incredible. I would recommend getting creative with this frosting and using it with other recipes. I personally decided to go with sourwood honey I picked up from the farmers market while visiting Raleigh-Durham North Carolina. The intricate flavor in the sourwood honey marries perfectly with the cinnamon.

A quick note: This recipe might by convertible to an incredible muffin if you add a bit of cinnamon to the cupcake batter, increase the flour content a bit and skip the frosting. I think these would taste marvelous with melted butter and honey drizzled on top... but I digress.

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting

(makes 12)

dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

wet ingredients (mix together in a separate bowl):

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (approx 4)
• 2 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients together in a separate small bowl Once mixed, pour wet ingredients into the well you made in your dry ingredients.
4. Stir to incorporate the ingredients together. Do not over mix!
5. Spoon mixture evenly into the 12 muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Approx 25-30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Frost once cooled. If desired, garnish cupcakes with a small slice of banana before serving.

Honey Cinnamon Frosting

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Tbsp honey (I prefer sourwood)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and airy. Approx 4-5 minutes.

Burger + Bun = Logical Progression

I have two specific wannabefoodie goals that I've been working on since last summer. One, as you may have guessed from the disproportionate number of posts on the subject, is bread. Sierra and I have been learning about and perfecting the process of making our own so as to free ourselves permanently from the commercial supply chain (with the exception of some local, artisanal bakers). The other goal, which I'm just now beginning to explore: hamburgers. Now that we have some space to put it, we've got a charcoal grill on our shortlist and we're expecting big things. I've been secretly plotting the All-American Meal of Meals behind Sierra's back.

Picture this: The end of a hot July Saturday, relaxing on the deck. The light just beginning to soften as the sun sets. A pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade. The lingering smell of hamburger buns, baked fresh that morning, at first blending with and then overcome by the familiar scent of charcoal. The sizzle of beef as it is gently placed on the fiery grill. A layout of farm-fresh vegetables - lettuce, onions - and sliced, homegrown tomatoes. Crumbles of aged cheddar gently melted on top, lightly toasted rolls lathered with homemade, herb infused, mayonnaise. Assembly. The first bite.

Give me a break, right?

Project Bread is going well for us. I'm confident the hamburger buns I speak of will soon become a reality. But the hamburgers themselves will have to wait. We're at that stage again where the weather is nice enough, long enough, to get you comfortable with the idea of no more winter. But I'm from New England, and Cincinnati isn't much different, so I've got the sense not to get lulled into thinking that 70 degrees is here to stay; Not yet. If I didn't, that grill would be ours right now, and I'd be staring out the window like a kid with his baseball glove, wondering if the rain would break so I could go to my little league game. It's better, for a number of reasons, that we haven't bought that grill yet. Sierra and I tend to loose ourselves a bit with the promise of a good meal: on a day like today (rainy/cold), given the right set of conditions, I wouldn't put it past us to talk ourselves into hauling that grill indoors. Obvious ramifications.

With a little restraint, the testing phase will have to wait. However, the reconnaissance need not. Which explains our visit to Terry's Turf Club (Yelp|Urban Spoon) in Cincinnati. Huge, fresh, reasonably priced. Damn good burger. Thick-sliced, crisp bacon. Awesome french fries. Instantly on my top 5 burger-joint list. We will go back again and we will stand in line if need be (and probably). Insert this burger into my summertime fantasy above, and I would be happy man. Although I still think I can do better. Should have a good time during our "testing".

Here's my motivation:

Terry's Turf Club

3 ingredients = a classic combination and a delicious treat

On Saturday night Jared made us a terrific snack with a mere three ingredients.  This is great for single people or couples because it's relatively inexpensive (with the exception of the 4-year-old cheddar which I suggest not "scrimping on" due to its intense flavor.  It really sets the whole thing off, although any good quality cheddar will do.)  I suppose I have become somewhat of a "cheese snob."

A classic combo of apples and cheese is the perfect topping for a crusty, chewy baguette.  

1. Slice a french baguette in half lengthwise.  
2. Core and slice an apple (about 1/2 inch slices) of your favorite variety (I like Honey Crisp or Pink Ladies best).  
3. Grate or use your knife to take a few hunks out of some good quality white cheddar.
4. Spread the apple slices over the bread evenly, top the apples with the cheese (be as liberal as you'd like.  Part of the joy of cooking -  you decide how much cheese!!).
5. Toast in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns slightly brown on the corners.  
6. Take a bite while it's warm and melty from the oven.  :)
   

If you don't enjoy this, you're nuts.  Really, you've gotta try this combination, it's easy and totally delicious.

Lasagna Bolognese, Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons & Crusty Homemade Baquettes

tonight, almost everything was from scratch. 

jared started making the lasagna bolognese a few days ago.  the recipe calls for meat sauce and béchamel to be combined and spread across the noodles.  if done right, the noodles become perfect blankets: saturated, not soggy, full of the flavor and richness of the sauce.

the caesar dressing was spot on.  the homemade croutons, perfect. 

he even had the audacity (or sheer genious, however you look at it) to make fresh baguettes (also a multi-day project.)  he pulled them out of the oven just as the lasagna had cooled enough so that it wouldn't burn the roof of our mouths.  the crusty outside gave way to a tender dough inside.  butter melted quickly on the piece i tore right from the loaf.

these recipes were definitely what i was consider labor-intensive, but jared enjoys a challenge.  i'll stick to the easy stuff for now, but I certainly don't mind being jared's official "taste tester." 

all recipes are Cooks Illustrated and all, as usual, are unbelieveable.

New Additions

 

Last Saturday Jared came home and explained that he had "accidentally" bought us a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven and an All-Clad 4 qt sauce pan.  He didn't need to explain much.  You see, these types of purchases have been happening to the both of us.  A few weeks ago, after going out to run a quick errand, I somehow came home with three pairs of shoes.

But I disgress.

I've gotta say, having top quality cookware does enhance the experience and the outcome of cooking.  Now that we are the proud owners of a Le Creuset, we've been putting it to good use.

Two winners so far:  Brown Rice with Black Beans and Cilantro, Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard.  Both are Cooks Illustrated recipes and both were exquisite.  Of course I can't post the recipes to this blog, but go to the Cooks site and subscribe if you're interested.  We think it's worth every penny.

Brown Rice with Black Beans and Cilantro  
(Vegetarian Reuben Sandwiches on the side, a Moosewood Simple Suppers recipe.)

Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard