Recipe 48 & 49 : Banana Nut Cupcakes with Nut Icing

My turn to cook for mothers group and a feeling of dread, but at the same time excitement wells up inside. Excitement as I can cook a new recipe and dread because its a new recipe and who knows if it is going to come out ok!
The result - if I hadn't needed to get my little boy up right when they were almost ready they would have turned out wonderful! In the end the cupcakes were a toasted brown and slightly dry... due to being in the oven just a bit too long.

Recipe 48: Banana Nut Cupcakes

3 Eggs
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Caster sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1 1/2 cups Self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp smooth Peanut butter
1 Banana mashed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Line a 12 cupcake pan with cupcake papers. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy.
2. Add Milk, flour, peanut butter and banana and stir to combine. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the banana and stir through the mix.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake papers. Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool fully before icing.

Recipe 49: Nut Icing

1 cup Icing sugar1 cup Butter, room temperature
2 tbsp Crunchy unsalted peanut butter
1 tbsp Golden Syrup

Method

1. Combine half the icing sugar, butter and peanut butter and mix with a wooden spoon.
2. Add remaining Icing sugar, butter and peanut butter and beat with the spoon until light and fluffy.
3. Ice the cupcakes and then drizzle golden syrup onto the cupcakes.

Recipe 41: Pecan Pie and Recipe 42: Maple cream

I do enjoy entertaining. a couple of days ago we had our friends over and decided I would give a pecan pie love the show Alive and Cooking, staring James Reeson. He shows some of the most amazing food and so quick and seems easy as well. So have decided I would try one of his recipes and was surprised as to how yummy it was!

Recipe 41: Pecan Pie

Short crust pastry


Pecan Filling:

1 cup (215 grams) dark brown sugar

2/3 cup (160 ml) Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon rum or bourbon

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1/4 cup (60 ml) cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups (150 - 200 grams) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
2. Gently transfer to a 23 cm pie pan. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the blind baking material and pop in the oven for another minute. Take the pastry out of the oven and cool.
3. Make the Pecan Filling: In a large saucepan, heat the brown sugar, Golden Syrup, rum (or bourbon), and butter until boiling, stirring constantly. 
4. Remove from heat and let cool until tepid. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. 
5. When the boiled syrup has cooled, beat in the eggs, salt, and cream.  
6. On the pastry crust evenly distribute the chopped pecans over the bottom.  Then pour the filling evenly over the nuts. Bake for about 25-45 minutes or until the filling is just set (a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie will come out clean. (If you find the edges of the pie crust are over browning during baking, cover with foil.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipping cream. 

Recipe 42: Maple cream

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

METHOD

1. Place the heavy whipping cream and maple syrup in bowl of your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Something a little bit flashy

Have realised that you don't need to be slogging away in the kitchen to make something that will impress. This recipe takes less than 10 minutes and I cannot believe how well it goes down with visitors. Only problem is, just like the title states of this post, it is a little bit flashy in terms of $$$. So in truth, this is something I put together when we used to be DINK's (double income, no kids).

Prosciutto sticks with grilled Pear, Honey and Walnut salsa

16 fine slices prosciutto
16 Italian breadsticks (thin sticks)
2 firm pears
1/4 cup walnuts
1 spring onion
1/4 bunch mint
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp honey


METHOD

1. Using a sharp knife halve the prosciutto slices lengthways. Wrap each breadstick with two prosciutto halves.
2. Heat a ribbed griddle (a pan with ridges) over a medium heat, whilst heating, peel the pears, quarter them and remove the stems and seeds. Lay the pear slices on the griddle (or pan if you don't have a griddle) and cook for 2 minutes until lightly caramelised (a nice golden brown colour).
3. Chop the walnuts, finely dice the spring onions and mint. Combine the spring onions, walnuts, mint with the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Do taste this salsa and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
4. Lay four breadsticks on each serving plate and garnish with two pear quarters. Drizzle with honey and garnish with salsa.