Jack's Birthday Cupcakes

I wanted to do something special in honor of Jack's 1st birthday in Heaven. A few close friends and family went to dinner at Main Street Grill. I thought it was appropriate since this is where they also went when Sam died. I say 'they' because I was in the hospital when they went. I did go here for my birthday last year though and really liked it. I just wanted a place that we could eat well and have a nice conversation over dinner. While there, we had Monica Salad and Jack Cupcakes! Here is the recipe for the cupcakes I made for my dear sweet son. I love you Jack!

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp.
• 6 tbsp. Hershey's cocoa powder
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. milk, room temp.
• 1 large egg, beaten, room temp.
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. boiling water

Place rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 12 liners; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, milk, egg and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes making sure that all ingredients are well blended. Add boiling water and beat to combine (batter will be thin). Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners.

Bake until a toothpick inserted int he center comes out clean, about 23-25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Frost with your favorite chocolate icing or dip in chocolate ganache.

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CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate discs
• 8 oz. heavy cream

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Warm cream to scalding, then pour over chocolate to melt. Stir til glossy and chocolate is completely melted. Allow to cool to room temp before dipping cupcakes.

When cooled, dip the cupcake tops in ganache. Refrigerate any leftover ganache.

NOTE: I used Guittard 61% cocoa chocolate discs. You can use other chocolate (milk, semi-sweet or dark) but don't use chocolate chips. The chips contain stabilizers and they tend to separate and the ganache will become grainy. If you can't find the discs, then use a good quality chocolate bar and break it into pieces.

I had ganache leftover, so I double dipped the cupcakes. Yummy!

In Memory Of:

Jackson Robert- February 21, 2007

Happy 1st Birthday My Love!

Valentine Day Goodies

Farmer's Market Finds

We went to the Farmer's Market over the weekend and got lots of local goodies. One of our finds was colossal shrimp. They really were huge. There were 13 shrimp to a pound, so to say the least, they were sizable and filling. I ocassionally like to eat fried foods, but I don't make them at home because it uses so much oil, and it's messy. I found this recipe for baked coconut shrimp and it's really simple, quick and yummy.

Baked Coconut Shrimp from Better Homes & Gardens

• 24 fresh or frozen medium-large shrimp in shells
• 1 1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 lightly beaten egg whites

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp leaving the tails intact. Rinse shrimp, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

Spray non-stick cooking spray on the bottom of a 15x10x1- inch baking sheet, set aside. In a large shallow dish, combine toasted coconut, cornstarch, sugar and salt. In another small shallow dish place the beaten egg whites. Dip shrimp into the egg whites then coat with coconut being sure to press the coconut mixture onto the shrimp. Arrange shrimp in prepared pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and coconut is golden. Serve with mango chutney or plum sauce.

NOTE: I have made this more than once, and I thought I would try it with pre-separated egg whites in the carton. It doesn't quite work the same. The egg whites in the carton tend to be watery and "real" egg whites are thicker which helps the coconut adhere to the shrimp.

I have served this with all kinds of sauces (apricot, plum, tartar and cocktail sauces) and they're all good. I served it with spicy mango chutney that we got from the farmer's market and it was a really nice balance to the sweetness of the shrimp.

Use your best judgement when choosing shrimp. I used 1 lb. of colossal shrimp (13 pieces) if you buy smaller shrimp you will need more, obviously, but don't buy 24 huge shrimp or you won't have enough coconut to go around.