Sweet and Savory Barbecue

Around mid-summer, I start to get tired of the usual barbecue staples. Last weekend in the Berkshires, I made a delicious sweet and savory barbecue which resulted in some fantastic quesadillas. The savory was the usual zucchini and summer squash; we also added peaches and pineapple. The peaches were on their way out when they were in the fridge, but grilled, they tasted delicious grilled- smoky, caramelized, with a deeper flavor. Try it!

Cupcake Bread Pudding

Last night my husband was making pizza dough and he used a package of gelatin instead of a package of yeast.

If you know my husband, this may not surprise you. And you may also be unsurprised to hear that on Sunday he made bread pudding from cupcakes. He's been crazy about bread pudding since he had one made out of Krispy Kremes in Connecticut last year.

Anyway. Remember the July 4th cupcake fail? We made chocolate Guiness cupcakes that kind of fell apart due to their general delicious gooiness. That's what led to his brilliant idea. Because I hate to waste food, we took the broken, decapitated cupcakes and froze them. Then, a few weeks later, he took them out and soaked them in a mixture of milk, eggs, and vanilla and let it all bake. He tells me that he just used a bread pudding recipe and cut down on the sugar. And ultimately, what looked like brownies was actually a super-moist, ultra-rich chocolaty concoction.


Which was perfect for our friends' brunch garden party. It was 2/3 gone before I got my camera.

The Loveliest Flower is the Cauliflower

This post is for Jess Solomon, who saw fit to praise this much-maligned veggie on Facebook yesterday. Cauliflowers everywhere thank you!

The recipe is from Didi Emmons' Entertaining for a Veggie Planet.

1 16-oz block tofu
3 tbs oil
kosher salt
1-2 chile peppers, minced (optional)
2 tbsp peeled and grated ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
7 plum tomatos, chopped
1/2 c plain yogurt
3 tbs chopped cilantro (if you enjoy the evil weed)
1 tbs butter

Basmati rice

Fry tofu in hot oil until it gets nice and crusty. Set aside and drain on paper towels. Heat a little more oil and add spices for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and salt and brown. Add tomatos and 1/2 cup water , cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, add tofu, dairy, and cilantro. Stir until heated and serve with rice. Don't boil or the yogurt will curdle!

Cupcake Fail with a Silver Lining

I love cupcakes.

Why don't they love me back?

The picture above is my wedding cake cupcake tower. They were wonderful- lemon with lemon curd filling, chocolate with raspberry filling, and vanilla with chocolate ganache filling. And they were delicious. Thanks to sandcastlematt for the image! And yes, that's Batman and Wonder Woman on top.

However. The following is my Facebook status report upon trying this recipe
for Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen:

"Erica Smiley's Irish cupcakes met with mixed results. Removal from pan proved difficult and there were many casualties. Decapitation frequent and gruesome. Lack of more formal piping bags led to collision of ganache and ziploc. Must work quickly to establish historical precedent for "Erica's Awesome Spatula Cupcakes." Am hoping preponderance of butter, Bailey's and cocoa will smooth things over. Results to follow."

Well, the results were gooey, rich, and delicous. I halved the frosting and doubled the whiskey in the ganache. But all I can say is: Use paper liners on these cupcakes, people. Paper liners.

Update: While my cupcake tin did not have a silver lining, this story in fact does. My culinary/coronary daredevil of a husband, who fears nothing high in fat or cholesterol, has taken the cupcake wreckage, placed it in a tupperware, and vowed to make it into bread pudding. Ladies, that's what we call a keeper.