02 February

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February 14, 2011

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Posted by HI Cookery under 02 February | Tags: , , |
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Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

February 14: Valentine’s Day

During Valentine season, many churches sponsor special events, such as Marriage Encounter retreats, World Marriage Day prayer socials or masses with vow renewals. True love, which has withstood the test of time in a marriage, deserves to be celebrated!

Back in the fall of 2005, Islander’s Mommy and Daddy renewed their vows for their 40th anniversary. It is such a beautiful moment when children are able to witness their parents reaffirm their love and commitment to each other, for they set a good example to everyone about a Christ-centered marriage. For their milestone, Islander made a vibrant red velvet tiered cake for her parents’ “ruby” year.

She has made many red velvet cakes and cupcakes for other special occasions, including for Valentine’s Day parties, when they are a popular treat for those who are sweet.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn)

For the red velvet cupcakes

  • 1 box (18.5 ounces) butter recipe golden cake mix
  • 2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
  • 1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and cocoa powder. Stir in the buttermilk. Add the red food coloring, butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar and mix until the batter is smooth.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Scoop the batter into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: About 2 ½ dozen cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • a few tablespoons water

Directions

In a large mixing bowl or mixer, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time. Thin with water to a spreadable consistency.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Frost the cupcakes. We decorated our red velvet cupcakes by piping in swirls from a pastry/icing bag outfitted with tip 1M and sprinkling them with colorful Valentine nonpareils. Double or triple the recipe for the cream cheese frosting, if necessary.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Notes

  • World Marriage Day is observed annually on the second Sunday in February and is sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter.
  • God bless all married couples on Valentine’s Day and always!
 

February 14, 2011

Poulet Saint-Valentin

Posted by HI Cookery under 02 February | Tags: , , , |
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Poulet Saint-Valentin

(Chicken St. Valentine)

St. Valentine Chicken

February 14: Feast Day of St. Valentine

We tend to avoid going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day when it is crowded and less intimate. One alternative to celebrating this day with a special significant other is to cook a romantic meal at home—because home is where the heart is, and sometimes the way to someone’s heart is through the stomach! For us, we would prepare our favorite foods or cook poulet Saint-Valentin for the feast day of the legendary saint of love. Though this is a rich-tasting chicken and rice dish, the ingredients are more economical than what cost-conscious couples might spend on a complete meal at a fancy restaurant. Try this traditional poulet Saint-Valentin for a deliciously different dish on Valentine’s Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

For the chicken

  • 1 roasting chicken (we used 4 chicken thighs)
  • ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, unsalted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup milk (we used lactose-free lowfat milk)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the rice

  • ½ cup rice, uncooked
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons ham, diced
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a large skillet, brown the chicken in butter. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika. Drain the grease, leaving half in the pan to mix with the flour. Pour in the wine and milk to make a sauce. Cover the skillet, lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Mix the lemon juice into the sauce. Boil for two minutes to reduce and thicken it before serving over the chicken.

St. Valentine Chicken

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the rice with the chicken stock and cook on medium-low heat until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Stir in the ham, parsley and butter. Continue to cook until the rice is tender. Serve on a plate beside the chicken. Pour some of the gravy on the chicken and garnish with additional parsley (optional).

St. Valentine Chicken

Notes

  • If using a whole roasting chicken, cut into manageable parts for cooking.
  • Adjust the taste of the seasonings accordingly. We prefer less pepper and nutmeg in this dish. The paprika adds a rich red color to the sauce.
  • If doubling the rice recipe, reduce the chicken stock ½ – 1 cup. Cook this simultaneously with the chicken.
  • Happy Valentine’s Day with love from Highlander and Islander!

 

 

 

 

February 14, 2011

Guava Macarons

Posted by HI Cookery under 02 February | Tags: , , , , |
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Guava Macarons

Guava Macarons

February 14: Valentine’s Day

Those who are gaga for guava will love getting guava macarons as a gift for Valentine’s Day. The tropical fruit is Islander’s favorite flavor for cakes (specifically, DeeLite Bakery’s guava chiffon cake) and she indulges in drinking its nectar whenever she is in Hawaii. There is a guava tree in the back yard of her childhood home on Oahu where her parents still live, and she and her brother have visited the Guava Kai Plantation on Kauai (before its unfortunate closure).

Guava

Guava Kai

Her hubby, Highlander, also enjoys eating Hawaiian guava jelly and jam on his breakfast breads—and now as a filling between macarons. So in lieu of the usual chocolates as a sweet treat for her Valentine, Islander made guava macarons in a passionate pink color and filled them with guava jam. These guava macarons were made with aloha (love) for Valentine’s Day!

 

Recipe

For the guava macarons (Italian meringue method)

  • 1 cup almond flour/meal
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
  • 1 cup sugar, granulated white
  • ½ cup water
  • rose pink, red and orange food coloring (we used Wilton brand’s concentrated gel icing colors)
  • guava drink powder mix

Directions

Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. Grind in a food processor in batches to remove any lumps (optional). Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage). Pour into the egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy.

Guava Macarons

Fold in the almond flour/meal-sugar mix until the consistency “flows like magma.” Tint the macaronage with pink, red and orange food coloring until a desired shade of “guava pink” color is reached. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet.

Guava Macarons

Lightly sprinkle the tops with the crystals from the guava drink powder mix. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.

Guava Macarons

Spread guava jam as a filling. Refrigerate the macarons to set. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Guava Macarons

Notes

  • Aloha ke Akua (God is love)!
  • Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) to Islander’s parents for the guava jam and to sistah Nan N. for the guava drink powder mix.
  • Guava, like pineapple, was introduced to Hawaii from Latin America. There are various types of guava cultivated in the tropics.
  • Guava macarons are our entry into the MacAttack #16 challenge on the MacTweets website. Happy Valentine’s Day to the MacTweets ‘ohana (family)!

 

 

 

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