May the S'mores Be With You

It's been a while since I've posted on here, and I apologize. I could make excuses: tell you about how I don't own a digital camera and have to borrow one whenever I want to download photos for the blog (true); how I've had the flu (also true); am planning a baby shower (for a friend) and laying groundwork for a cookbook (true); have had to work quite a lot lately (sometimes true, mostly not); but really, I have just not been super motivated. Winter is hard for me -- the lack of sun makes getting up in the morning hard enough some days; I really just want to drink coffee all day, hang out with my friends and watch Doctor Who. Spring is just around the corner, sun and flora following soon after, and I already feel more energized just thinking about it. In fact, I am posting this very recipe because it reminds me of last April and my friend Ryan's birthday. Ryan is a kid at heart and he decided to celebrate his birthday in true child-like fashion: silly games and s'mores.

To be completely honest, these are my favorite of all the cupcakes I've made. The base is classic graham cracker crust with velvet-smooth chocolate cheesecake filling and a scorched meringue top reminiscent of warm, toasted marshmallow. Too decadent, maybe. Rich, surely. Resist-able, certainly not.

First thing: Preheat your oven to 325(f). Line a cupcake pan with the cutest cupcake liners you can find. No need to grease anything. Place your cupcake pan on a sheet pan with a little water. Cheesecake is a custard and cooks much more evenly with a little steam in the oven.

CRUST:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (just smash-em!)

6 tablespoons brown sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Graham crust is amazingly easy and hard to resist eating on its own. Simply mix the brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a medium sized bowl and slowly pour over the butter and mix with your hand. You may not need all the butter and you may need a touch more, much depends on the humidity. You know it's cheesecake worthy when you can squeeze a small amount in you hand and it keeps its form.

FILLING:

9 ounces bittersweet bakers chocolate, chopped

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or bain marie, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted. Blend your cream cheese, sugar and salt in either a food processor, mixer with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer. Heck, you could do it all by hand if you want to work out your biceps. Now add your cream until fully incorporated, followed by your chocolate. Once this is all blended, you can begin SLOWLY adding your eggs. 

Fill your cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake 20 min, then check for "doneness" with a toothpick. They will probably need a few more minutes. These will cook a little differently in every oven, so just be patient. Once the cupcakes are done, let them sit on the counter for 30 min, then cool in the refrigerator uncovered two hours before serving. 

MERINGUE TOPPING:

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

7 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter (optional -- the cream of tarter just helps stabilize the meringue)

In a small pot over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Swirl the pot over the burner to dissolve the sugar completely. Do not stir. Increase the heat and boil to soft ball stage (235 to 240 degrees). Wash down the inside wall of the pot with a wet pastry brush. This will help prevent sugar crystals from forming around the sides. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over fluffed egg whites. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Depending on the look you're going for, use a spoon or a pastry bag to apply the meringue to the tops of your cupcakes just before serving. Use a kitchen torch to make the meringue brown and toasty. You can use the broiler in your oven if you don't have a torch, but it just won't do as well. I highly recommend the small investment.

I hope you enjoy these tasty treats. Happy Spring, everyone!

Think you have what it takes?

It makes me uncomfortable when people call me "Chef." My skin outright crawls. The Chef is the head of the kitchen, the lynch pin holding the entire crew together -- it takes people decades to earn that position and I maybe never will. Rather, I hope I never will. I have never been the boss of anyone; sometimes I pretend I'm the boss of my cat, but he won't even fall for that. I'm best at being boss of myself, and that's all I could ever hope for.

I'm writing this post for anyone who is considering going to culinary school. The average cost for a culinary degree is around $40,000. For $60,000 you could get a business degree and get a job making $70,000 a year. Most cooks make under $30,000. Hell, most have to work a second job just to pay rent. I don't regret getting my culinary degree -- not entirely anyway. I do regret the debt I'm in now. I also regret not weighing in my options. I went to culinary school on a whim, thinking that as an artist I could apply my skills to cake decorating and make those $4,000 cakes you see at the weddings of people who just don't know any better. But unless you own your business, you just wind up getting paid $10 an hour to make those cakes for someone else to profit from. I'm not even a cook anymore; I'm a server. I can't name the restaurant I work at, let's just say when you eat there you're "family." This blog is the meager beginning of what I hope will be my own business. In my future I see sponsors for my blog, cookbooks, and eventually a very nice, quiet bake shop to call my own. It all will take a lot of work and a very long time. That's something they didn't tell us in culinary school -- and they won't tell you either. In fact, they may even promise you a job when you graduate. Trust me, it's not true. You have to make your own way, which is why I am giving you this small bit of advice: if you have any other passion -- the vision of any other path in your line of view, take that and run with it. Don't wind up $40,000 in debt wondering if you would been a great librarian or veterinarian. Be certain. And if you are, then good luck to you. I look forward to eating at your restaurant.

Achiote chicken tacos

 I love Mexican food more than any other food on the planet. If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life it would not be a burger, pasta, lobster or steak; it's all about the taco. And this taco is all about the sweet and savory meat.

You need:
2 lbs chicken thigh
flour for dredging
2tsp canola oil
@ cups Orange juice
2 tsp achiote paste
4 Jamaican peppers, rehydrated and seeded
salt to taste

I like to use chicken thighs when cooking -- there tends to be more flavor and the meat is just more tender. Dark meat also has a higher fat content, so you will want to trim off as much of the fat as you can. Dredge the thighs in seasoned flour and brown them on medium heat with a little oil. In a bowl mix your Achiote paste and orange juice. Pour the mixture over the cooked chicken -- bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover until the meat falls apart with a fork. Uncover and reduce the sauce until very thick.

1 can Black beans

1can roasted tomato

handful of cilantro chopped

Chili Powder, salt and Cumin to taste

I use canned black beans. Dry beans are more inexpensive, but I don't usually have time to soak them. Simmer your beans in a pan with tomato, cilantro, chili powder and cumin. Salt to taste.

Check out the spread:

Top your excellent taco creation with avocado and some queso fresca and enjoy!