Pettifogging Coconut Cupcakes

i lost a bet at work today, and spent the evening making coconut cupcakes for my colleague to hold up my end of the deal.  against all the odds, he had the asinine courage to use the word 'pettifogging' in our bi-monthly staff meeting during his political updates on programs in Kyrgyzstan. the entire room blinked, then paused, and erupted in laughter as one intrepid staff member said, 'what the hell does that mean?'  my face was buried in my shoulder as i (sitting next to my director) tried in vain not to laugh while my colleague  tried to explain the word 'pettifogging'.  as i wiped tears from my eyes, he leaned over and whispered, 'ha. the joke's on you - you're making cupcakes tonight.'

so i found myself sorting through cupcake recipes this evening, eventually settling on a coconut cupcake recipe from ina garten. as usual, i modified a few things. ina's recipe called for buttermilk, which is added for moisture but i opted to use light coconut milk to give the batter a bit more depth and flavor and cut down on the fat, without sacrificing the moisture.  i also used less sugar than the recipe called for and used turbinado sugar, which seems slightly less sweet but is more importantly less refined than granulated white sugar.

i used an almond buttercream frosting and dipped each frosted cupcake in shredded coconut for the topping.  adding a raspberry on the top of each cupcake would be a perfect garnish and would add a bit of tart to cut the coconut sweetness (actually any berry would do). since i have to cart these to the office in the morning, the raspberry will have to wait! enjoy. :)

1 1/2 c. butter (unsalted)
1 1/4 c. turbinado sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. light coconut milk

Frosting:

3/4 c. butter
1 c. confectioners sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbl coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. If you have a confection oven setting, cupcakes are the perfect time to use it so turn it on!

Whip the butter and the sugar together. Turbinado sugar is a thicker granule, so it will take some time for the sugar to melt down. Beat in the eggs, preferably one at a time. Once all the eggs are incorporated continue to mix for an additional 2 minutes, until the batter starts to thicken. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

Now it is time to incorporate the dry ingredients. Recipes always say to do this gradually, and to sift everything together in advance. Basically the point with that is to avoid the baking soda or powder clumping in the wet ingredients, and you don't want to dump the flour in all at once and deflate the batter that has been aerated by the mixing. Generally I don't like washing more dishes than necessary, so I will mix the baking powder and soda into the first cup of flour and then sift that in gradually, with the mixer on. Alternate adding coconut milk and the rest of the flour.

Once the batter has been full mixed, add 7 oz (half of a regular sized bag) of shredded coconut.**  Mix until fully and evenly incorporated.

**Another good way to cut the sugar in this recipe is to use unsweetened coconut.

Spoon batter into each lined cupcake mold, filling to the top of the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. These are very light colored cupcakes and they will turn a golden brown when they are ready to come out. When a toothpick comes out clean, pull the pan out of the oven and let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before removing them.  This allows the cake to set before trying to pop the cupcakes out of the tin.

while the cupcakes are cooling off and the next batch is in the oven (this recipe should easily make 24 medium sized cupcakes), it is a good opportunity to make the frosting. Start with creaming the butter then adding the wet ingredients directly into the creamed butter. If you have cream cheese, feel free to use in place of or cut in half with butter. Once the wet ingredients are all incorporated, add 1/2 c of the powdered sugar, and slowly add the second 1/2 c. Feel free to add more sugar if necessary until the frosting is the proper consistency for spreading. If too stiff, soften by adding 1 tsp of coconut milk.

Wait until the cupcakes are cooled, as the frosting is butter-based and will melt if the cupcakes are still warm. Put the remainder of the bag of coconut in a shallow bowl. Frost the top of the cupcake and when done, invert the cupcake and dip it, frosting-side down, into the shredded coconut. Repeat until all cupcakes are frosted.

Garnish with berries or serve as is with coffee or a tall glass of milk! Enjoy!

spicy sesame ginger beef

many of you know i have cut sugar and grains out of my diet for a temporary cleanse. i am using the opportunity to explore new dishes that i might otherwise avoid because they have ingredients that i am not accustomed to using.  one of my first adventures was tonight's spicy sesame ginger beef, a variation on a chinese dish, which was delicious! i compared a number of recipes (as i normally do) and put together a variation that i thought would be the best.  Feel free to adjust the ingredients below but i found this was just the right blend of spice, flavor and crunch.  


there were two ingredients in this dish that I have either never used (chili oil) or very rarely use (red meat).  I cannot give you much guidance as to the cut of meat you should use, but i would advocate for a very lean sirloin steak or stir fry strips.  consider this my plug for buying organic, grass fed beef - i know it is more expensive and there are plenty of moral arguments that i could appeal to, but from an utterly hedonistic and self-interested perspective, it simply tastes better. for a full exposition of the more compelling arguments around eating meat there are heaps of books on the market but for a funny foray into the sustainable meat industry i'd recommend the butcher and the vegetarian: one woman's romp through a world of men, meat and moral crisis. in any case, i digress....


the chili oil is something that can easily go awry.  it is difficult to predict just how much flavor and heat there is in a single teaspoon of this oil, without either eating one (ouch!) or cooking with it and tasting incrementally. i suppose with time and experience one gets better at understanding the impact of this oil on the total composition and flavor of the dish. so, a word to those like me who cannot handle excessive heat - be careful with the chili oil and wash your hands after you add it - rubbing your eyes, for example, with chili oil on them is incredibly painful! (I am, uh, not speaking from experience here, or anything....) finally, be mindful not to overcook the green beans or peppers - mushy vegetables are not appealing!


15 oz lean sirloin steak (cut into 2 inch strips) or stir fry strips
3 tbl sesame oil
1 1/2 tbl sesame seeds
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1/8 c shredded fresh ginger or ginger powder, if you don't have fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 red pepper, julienned into 2 inch strips
8 oz of fresh string green beans (french green beans)
2 tsp red chili oil


heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil and garlic. Toss in the sesame seeds and brown for 2 minutes. add in the steak strips and ginger, being careful not to overcrowd the meat (it should be able to spread out throughout the pan), and brown 5-6 minutes, stirring. add salt. goss in red pepper, continuing to stir and saute for 3-4 minutes, until pepper begins to soften. add green beans and stir, coating the beans with oil, then cover the pan. lower the heat and saute for 7-8 minutes. be sure the sesame seeds are not burning at the bottom of the pan; stir frequently. add in red chili oil and stir, thoroughly coating the meat, peppers and green beans. cover and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until the green beans are cooked al dente and red peppers are soft. 


Serve immediately and enjoy!