Tomato Cobbler with Sage and Olive Oil Fried Eggs

You could call me a tomato fanatic. 
Also, Mark Bittman is a genius.

Tomato Cobbler with Sage and Olive Oil Fried Eggs
Source: Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Yield: feeds 2-4 people since I cut the recipe in half (below is the 1/2 recipe).

Ingredients for cobbler:
oil or butter for the baking dish
1.5-2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
1/2 tbsp corn starch
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more if needed (I used whole wheat instead)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 + 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp butter, cut into large pieces and very cold
1 egg beaten (really, it should be 1/2 of 1 egg, but I messed this part up and it turned out okay)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk (I had heavy cream so I used that + a splash of vinegar)

Directions for cobbler:
1. Grease a square baking dish (or smaller) with the butter or oil.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put the tomato wedges in a large bowl and sprinkle with the cornstarch and some salt and pepper.  Toss gently to combine.
3. Put the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda in a food processor along with a teaspoon of salt.  Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the egg and buttermilk and pulse a few times more, until the mixture comes together in a ball.  If the mixture doesn't come together, add a spoonful or two of flour.  If the mixture is too dry, add a few drops of buttermilk.
4. Gently toss the tomato mixture again and spread it in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Drop spoonfuls of the batter on top and smooth a bit with a knife.  (Try to leave some gaps so that the steam from the tomato mixture will have a place to escape as the cobbler bakes.)  Bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden on top and bubbly underneath.  Cool to just barely warm or room temperature.  To serve, scoop servings out with a large spoon.

Notes:
I'd recommend adding some herbs to the topping and a little cheese.  Mmm.


Sage and Olive Oil Fried Eggs
Ingredients:
Sage leaves
Olive Oil
Eggs
Salt and Pepper


Directions:
1. Heat the oil in the pan on medium high.  When the oil is hot, add the eggs and sage leaves.  As soon as the egg whites turn opaque, turn the heat to low and cook until desired stage.  Season with salt and pepper.

Coffee Cupcakes with Whiskey Maple Butter Cream (a la Irish Coffee)

My friends know that if I'm not drinking beer or wine, I'm drinking whiskey.  Make that Jameson Irish Whiskey NEAT to be specific.  I love the color- golden beautiful amber.  I love the warmth it creates in my belly.  I often tell my husband that the only thing I dislike about whiskey is the fact that I can't drink very much of it; it's very powerful stuff.  On the other hand, he hates the it.
On a desperate night last winter, we were going out late to meet friends.  I was torn, being incredibly cold in our crappy apartment, between whiskey for warmth and coffee for energy.  Brent randomly decided to pour whiskey into the coffee concentrate I make and keep in the fridge for my morning iced coffee (yes, even in the winter I tend to drink my coffee iced since it's easy to make and less acidic).  The result was quite magical.  The two flavors married so well that Brent not only tolerated it, but loved it.  I know we aren't the first people to put the two together, but it was pretty awesome.
This weekend I found myself surrounded by cake ingredients that needed to be used up.  I started searching for whiskey frosting recipes and here is what I came up with:

Coffee Cupcakes with Whiskey Maple Butter Cream
Adapted from: cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart and frosting from Cupcake Rehab
Yield: around 36 mini cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons instant-espresso powder
1/4 cup whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with liners.
2. Pour water over espresso powder; let cool.  Combine espresso with milk.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with espresso-milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour (batter may look broken).
4. Fill cups three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 10-12 minutes. Let cool; turn out cupcakes from tins.
 
Ingredients for frosting: (I used 1/2 of this recipe)
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons maple syrup or extract (room temp. if you use syrup; I used the extract- I'd use a bit less than called for since it is intense stuff)
2  tablespoons Jameson or other Irish whiskey
4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
1. Combine butter, maple syrup, Jameson and 2 cups confectioners sugar in a large bowl and beat at medium-high speed until smooth.
2. Add remaining sugar in gradually until frosting is thick enough to pipe easily. You may not use all the sugar. If icing is too dry, add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.  Frost cupcakes.

Bumpy Cake Cupcakes

My wonderful neighbor Lisa had a birthday this weekend.  She's from Detroit, home to a culinary delight known as Bumpy Cake.  I really wonder how this cake developed; it is quite bizarre yet familiar.  The original Bumpy Cake came from a company in Michigan called Sanders.  Basically, it's a rich chocolate cake topped with rows of butter cream icing "bumps" and a layer of ganache over that. 
(Warning: I must emphasize here that I strayed incredibly far from my pseudo-vegan/health conscious roots here.  I even bought corn syrup....which is kind of magical.) Shh...don't tell.  I've never had good success with vegan ganache, but this vegan one was pretty great.

Here's my cupcake take:

Pre-ganache

Bumpy Cake Cupcakes
Source: lovestoeat.wordpress.com
Yield: 11 cupcakes

Ingredients for cake:
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Ingredients for buttercream:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Ingredients for ganache topping:
4 T cocoa
2 T oil
2 T + 4 t water
2 T dark corn syrup
2 C powdered sugar

Directions for the cake:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in a cupcake pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly.
4. Stir in the vanilla. Using a mixer, beat in the eggs, then mix in the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

Directions for the butter cream:
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Fill pastry bag and  set aside.

Directions for the ganache:
1. Mix all except sugar in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until hot. Mix in sugar and stir until smooth.

To assemble:
After cupcakes cool, pipe strips of butter cream on each cupcake. Freeze for at least 30 mins. Make ganache and once frozen, dip the cupcakes into the ganache. Refridgerate until set. Enjoy with a large glass of cold (almond or soy) milk!