Autumn Cupcakes for #bettabakeoff

Betta Living in celebration of National Cupcake Week have challenged bloggers to come up with an innovative and interesting variation. So with the nights’ drawing in and the temperatures definitely on a downward trend culinary thoughts wander towards comfort foods and homely foods. In light of this I would like to offer my take on an Autumnal Cupcake.

Turn your oven on to 180C and let warm up

Prepare your cupcake trays and line them with paper forms.

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 2 large carrots; grated
• 3 large eggs
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 220g brown sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 1.5tsp baking powder
• 0.5tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5tsp ground ginger
• 0.5tsp ground nutmeg
• A handful almonds; chopped
• Pinch of salt

Ingredients for the decorations:

• 200ml whipped cream
• 125g mascarpone cheese
• 1.5tblsp icing sugar
• 1 large carrot
• 250ml water
• 220g caster sugar
• Orange food colouring

Method:

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda.

Now add the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) and the pinch of salt and mix well.

In a second bowl gentle whisk the eggs together mix in the oil; sugar, grated carrots and vanilla extract, you are wanting the ingredients to be just combined.

Now add your wet ingredients to your dry ones and throw in the chopped almonds and combine gently.

Spoon into your paper cupcake forms, you should have enough mixture for 18 cupcakes.

Place into your preheated oven for 20-25minutes or until golden brown and a wooden toothpick comes out clean when stuck into your cupcake.

Turn the oven down to 110C.

Allow the cupcakes to cool as we get ready to start creating the decorations.

Wash your carrot and peel it and dry with some kitchen roll. With a sharp knife you can turn half the carrot into julienne pieces and the other half into wafer thin leaves, or if you are like us who have good but not stunning knife skills then drag out your Oxo Chef’s Mandolin Slicer (other makes are available) and it’s done in seconds.

Add the sugar to the water in a heavy based saucepan and put on a low heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Add all the pre-cut carrot pieces to the pan and boil gently for 10-15 minutes.

Sieve the carrots to remove the excess water and place on a baking tray that is lined with baking paper, space them out so they each have lots of space. Place in the oven 20-25minutes.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool you want to roll the leaf shaped pieces around something like a skewer to help form the curl shape. The julienne pieces you want to tie together into knots. Once all the pieces are formed pop them back into the oven for another 20 minutes, we are wanting them to be very dry.

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form and then add then fold in the mascarpone cheese and the sugar. Split your cream if desired so that different colours can be added, we have created a nice orange cream to accentuate the cupcake base.

So we should now have 18 lovely baked cupcakes, a tray of carrot decorations and a bowl of topping.

Now all that is left to do is find your piping bag and let your imagination run riot.

Have fun and enjoy!

Travelling for food – USA the land of BBQ and the ultimate pulled pork

Did you know that over 40 per cent of travellers aged 18-34 have chosen a holiday destination specifically because they wanted to try a certain type of food? Good news, wouldn’t you agree?

According to an ICE survey more and more young people are indulging in food tourism. The numbers are reversed as the age of those surveyed goes up; only 11% of people over 65 let their stomach do the decision making for them.

It’s a shame that our older population isn’t so adventurous but it is nice to see that young people are willing to try and discover new things, food included.

We love new foods and would be happy to take a trip just with food in mind. One of our dream destinations is USA, the land of real BBQ. Yes, seeing the Great Canyon, Niagara Falls or driving on Route 66 would be awesome and a once in a lifetime experience but visiting USA BBQ hot spots would give us much more pleasure.

You might think “Hold on a minute, really, travelling to USA just to have a BBQ?” Yes, we would. Mainly because USA BBQ has nothing to do with blackened half burnt sausages that are still raw in the middle or poorly looking shop brought burgers, which tend to dominate UK BBQ parties. USA BBQ is a full on trip to flavour town that has elevated the humble BBQ to an art form; be it a pulled pork from Tennessee, hickory smoked brisket from Texas or glazed ribs from Missouri and please don’t even get me started on spicy chicken wings or any one of the variety of handmade burgers. USA is truly the chosen land in regards to BBQ.

Mark and I like BBQ but we simply can’t afford to be travelling to USA every time we feel like having a pulled pork butties, so we decided to learn how to cook it ourselves and invested in some pieces of real BBQ equipment of our own. We bought ourselves a Primo. Primo is the USA’s most popular barbeque / smoker used for home or in a small industrial setting. No, you can’t buy it on the continent, if you want one you will have to import it from USA, but we have something similar over here called a Big Green Egg (we never considered buying it or used it and I can’t speak as to how good it will be comparing to our Primo). The main difference between your standard BBQ and a Primo is that the Primo works like a barbeque / smoker, so you get the best of both worlds, depending on what you cook and what you are trying to achieve. You can cook on an open fire, just like your standard BBQ or you can smoke stuff in it for hours and hours… We love it and use it all year round. Being ceramic in construction it is not scared of the winter rains or even snow and it is always ready for action.

I would like to share with you a recipe for one version of the perfect pulled pork, not roast pork as it usually ends up being when sold in the UK but proper fall apart, melt in the mouth meat that just makes you smile – yes, it involves our Primo but not to worry you can simply do the same in the oven; obviously just skip the part where you would add wood chips to make the smoke – this wouldn’t be advised in the oven. If you really want to have some smoke taste on your pulled pork, on one oven cook we put some tea leaves in a tinfoil boat that we shaped and placed on the stove in an empty saucepan, when heated some lovely aromatic smoke will come. With some tongs carefully take the tinfoil boat of the heat and pop into the oven next to your meat.

Ingredients:

1 whole pork shoulder (bone included)*

For dry rub:

• 1tbsp ground cumin
• 1tbsp garlic powder
• 1tbsp onion powder
• 1tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1tbsp salt
• 1tbsp ground pepper
• 1tbsp paprika
• ½ cup brown sugar

For brine solution:

• ½ cup salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 3tbsp of dry run
• Water to cover the entire shoulder

*You can’t buy it from your local supermarket; you will need a trip to a real butcher. Decent size pork shoulder will cost between £30- £40. It might seem like a lot but it will feed a lot of people, or a few people for a long time. Though it is worth remembering that once people start eating the finished dish; the concept of sharing does tend to take a holiday for most of them.

Method:

Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container, pour in the brine solution, and add water until it is completely covered. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (brining overnight 12+ hours is best). Remove from the fridge and pat dry with paper towels. Place it in a baking tray and begin coating with your dry rub. Your entire shoulder is supposed to be covered in the rub, massage the spices into every part of the shoulder until all mixture is gone. Remember to place your meat so that the fat layer is upper most before cooking. If you have a meat thermometer this would be a perfect time to use it. Place it in the thickest part, close to the bone but without touching it. It will help with assessment later on in regards to the readiness of our meat.

Now you are ready to cook it. I would put it into my Primo and leave it for about 16-18 hours, cooking low and slow at 110C and adding wood chips every few hours for the additional smoke. You can place it in the over on a shelf. Make sure you can easily see the thermometer. When it hits 93.3C (the internal meat temperature) turn your oven off and leave it inside to cool a bit, this will allow for the meat to relax and all the juices to flood back to the outer edges of the joint. After a couple more hours or so, when the internal meat temperature has dropped to 75C remove from the oven. Place on a dry, large and clean work surface, remove the crust and begin to shred. It should come apart with easy just by using 2 forks. If you are going to use your fingers I recommend some rubber gloves, it will still be very hot!

If you cooked it well you should have a large amount of liquid / fat at the bottom of your cooking pan – pour it onto fat separator. Let is separate and reserve the juices for tomorrow, when you want to reheat the left over pulled pork just throw a hand full into a frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of the juices. Cook for 2-3 minutes covered, and you can relive the awesome experience all over again … unless you have an army of hungry people already waiting to be fed 😉

That’s it; nothing less, nothing more.

We made our first pulled pork in the oven. We loved it so much but we just couldn’t understand how the same piece of meat from a smoker could taste any better, but believe me the difference is huuuuuge. A proper BBQ / smoker takes it to a totally new level, it’s the smoky taste it speaks to the inner caveperson, it satisfies some primal craving, it is the best way to enjoy cooked meat.

Have you ever been on a holiday that was based around the quest for a particular food or dish?

In a few weeks time we are going to Poland to sample some local Bigos 🙂

Review – OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle

We all know that staying well hydrated is a big deal and something which we shouldn’t forget about especially as summer is fully upon us now. That said, despite the fact that I clearly posses this knowledge, I very often forget to drink. I feel thirsty I wonder downstairs planning to get a drink and then… I get distracted. Time passes by and I still didn’t get myself that drink of water… I feel a bit tired (as I didn’t really drink) so I get a coffee (bad choice) and so on and so on… Ever since the lovely people at OXO sent me a twist top bottle my drinking routine has become much better. Maybe because the bottle is quite big, so it can hold more water, maybe because it has a top so no dust, hair or fly’s can get into my drink or maybe because it has a straw, which makes it more fun… not sure what the reason really is and it doesn’t really matter, but the fact is that my OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle is in use every day, all day.

I want to share with you the OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle description from the website, so you can have a bit better understanding what I am talking about.

OVERVIEW

Simplify sipping with the OXO Good Grips 24 oz Twist Top Bottle. The large opening makes filling, cleaning and adding ice easy. The 24 oz Twist Top Bottle features a soft, non-slip carrying loop that is angled downwards for a natural, comfortable hold and is perfect for attaching to backpacks. Convenient measurement markings help track how much you’re drinking and can be used as a reference when adding supplements. The Bottle fits in most car and exercise machine cup holders and the soft, flexible straw is easy to drink from while on the move. The twist-open lid keeps the straw covered and clean, and prevents spills when not in use.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

• Twist-open lid keeps straw clean and prevents spills when not in use
• Soft, non-slip carrying loop
• Large opening for filling, cleaning and adding ice
• Convenient measurement markings
• Dishwasher safe
• 24-oz capacity
• BPA free

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 3″ x 3″ x 8.75″
• Weight: 6.7 oz (empty)

Now it will be easier for me to explain what I like about the bottle.

First the bottle is blue, it might be a silly reason for some but I like the colour blue and I like things to be colour coordinated so this works out for me perfectly.

Secondly the twist top makes it secure – leak and spill proof – all you have to do it to twist the top in order to bend the straw and pinch it closed.

Third it has a wide opening, which makes it so much easier to fill with ice or thick drinks like milk shakes or fruit smoothies full of bits.

And last but not least it has a fantastic non slip handle for caring it around. The handle is fairly small which is great as it doesn’t make the bottle too bulky.

Oh and I almost forgot… you can easily pull it to pieces so keeping it clean is not a problem.

Is there something I do not like about it?

Actually yes, there is one thing which I would love to see fixed or corrected. OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle has some lovely measuring marks – they are both in ml and oz but they only go up to 500ml / 16oz and bottle itself can hold up to 710ml / 24oz. It might not be a big problem but sometimes it is good to know exactly how much fluid we consume, so an enlarged scale of markings would come in very handy.

In UK this bottle is sold in blue only and it has a RRP of £10.

I think OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle represents great value for money. It is well made, the design is simple yet very practical and it is BPA free, so you really don’t have to worry about drinking the contents if left in a car in a heat wave.

So if you are on the market for a new water bottle I would highly recommend OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle.

OXO Good Grips Twist Top Bottle gets my approval and I am linking it into Tried and Tested.

* Product was provided by OXO free of charge for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own .