Sweet Smarts: Duke's Healthy Dessert Contest

Over the past several weeks, I have been baking cupcakes like a crazy person. Why? For the Sweet Smarts Dessert Contest at Duke University.

The goal of this contest was to create a "nutritious, delicious dessert" for Bon Appetit's campus dining facilities. The contest called for desserts that could be presented in single servings that are healthier than traditional desserts. Semi-finalists were chosen in three categories (vegan, fruit, luxury--contains dark chocolate, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, or mousse) based on the healthfulness of the recipe and the ability of Bon Appetit to acquire the necessary ingredients.

I was lucky enough to get a spot in the semi-finals with my "Delectable Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes," alongside "Swagger Pie" and "Loaded Cheesecake Brownies." My recipe is below, and other recipes in the competition can be found here.

I've gotten lots of questions about how I go about developing my own recipe, so I'd like to take some time to describe my process.

Testers going to town!

1. Make a mistake. I was making chocolate cake, and I didn't have enough brown sugar. I decided to use a combination of white sugar and molasses to mimic the flavor and texture of brown sugar. The result was a moist, rich cake with a deep chocolate flavor and a little boost of molasses flavor. I loved the intensity that molasses added to the cake, and decided to run with it.
2. Have a goal. Per the dessert contest's goals, I wanted to develop a dessert that was healthier than average without sacrificing flavor. The "mistake" molasses cake was a great candidate, because its intense chocolate flavor would be able to hold up to some modifications. In particular, I wanted to use at least some whole wheat flour (for increased fiber), I wanted to cut the butter (for reduced fat), and I wanted to reduce the sugar.
3. Start testing. I devoted a whole afternoon to testing recipes, and invited a bunch of friends over that night to taste test and give me some feedback. I started making changes to the recipe, like using increasing amounts of whole wheat flour (replacing the all-purpose flour), replacing half the butter with unsweetened applesauce, replacing half the sugar with molasses, and using a combination of egg whites and whole eggs instead of just whole eggs. 
4. Taste carefully. I tasted each recipe before moving on to the next one, to make more effective substitution decisions. For example, the first recipe was airy, more like a muffin than a cupcake. To increase the density of the cupcake, I upped the whole wheat flour. The resulting cupcake was the dense, rich chocolate that I was looking for.
5. Ask the audience. I took all of these cupcakes, combined with 2 different fillings and 2 versions of a ganache frosting, and let my friends have at them. Everyone got a plate, an evaluation form, and a glass of milk. At the end, there was a pretty clear winner. While it was the winner that I expected, the feedback was immensely helpful.

Happy taste-testers and an ever-hopeful pup.

So that's my process. Now for the recipe:

Delectable Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

An Original Recipe

Makes 26-28 cupcakes

These cupcakes are a rich, grown-up treat, with far more intense flavor than their healthy ingredients betray. The cupcake itself is light and airy, with overtones of dark chocolate, molasses, and coffee. The inside is stuffed with a dollop of gooey, sweet-tart raspberry jam, which serves as a bright contrast to the deep, dark taste of the cupcake itself. The trio of flavors is completed with a decadent dark chocolate frosting containing brewed coffee, honey, and vanilla for depth of flavor.

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1 t instant coffee
• 1 ¼ cups boiling water
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking soda
• ¼ t salt
• 8 T unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup blackstrap molasses
• 1 large whole egg
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1 t vanilla extract
• ½-3/4 cup raspberry jam (filling)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 24 muffin cups.
2. Combine the chocolate, cocoa, and instant coffee in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir until chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. Beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add applesauce and molasses and beat until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.
5. Add eggs and beat well. Add yogurt and vanilla and mix until combined
6. Add flour mixture and chocolate mixture alternately, ending with flour mixture. Mix until just combine.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, about ¼ cup of batter each. Bake 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. For the filling: Poke hole in center of each cupcakes with the handle of a wooden spoon. Fill with about ½ teaspoon of jam. Top with dark chocolate icing (recipe below).

Dark chocolate icing

• 4 oz. dark chocolate (such as whole foods 365 brand dark chocolate chips)
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 T brewed coffee
• 1 T honey
• ¼ t vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler until smooth and shiny. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Let stand 5 minutes before icing cupcakes.

Balsamic Greens

This is one of my favorite ways to serve greens, and it is a great recipe for those new to cooking with greens. I usually use collard greens, but you can use any variety (mustard or beet greens, kale, swiss chard, etc).

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans
1 lb collards or other greens
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c raisins or dried cranberries
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Remove stems and cores of greens and coarsely chop.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add nuts and let cook for 2 minutes
5. Stir in greens, lower heat to medium, and cover. Cook until greens are wilted.
6. Stir in balsamic vinegar and raisins/cranberries. Taste and add salt and/or pepper, as desired.
7. Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetables

It's that time of year again! The weather is getting chilly, leaves are changing, and root vegetables abound. Here is a recipe I use to celebrate the season.

Ingredients
2 pounds root vegetables*
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Optional: 1 pound other veggies**
2 T olive oil
2-4 T fresh herbs***
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Prepare root vegetables accordingly. Most will need to be washed, peeled, and cut into cubes. Do your best to cut them into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly.
3. Prepare other vegetables, if necessary. Snap ends off green beans, cut larger mushrooms in half, and halve brussels sprouts. Okra is best roasted whole.
4. Combine root vegetables, other vegetables, onion, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan.
5. Toss vegetables with oil, herbs, salt, and pepper.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring once, until root vegetables are fork-tender.

*Root vegetables include carrots, turnips, rutabagas, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Use any combination that you like. If you've never worked with one of those vegetables, this is a great way to try them out!

**"Other veggies" that I have used include green beans, okra, mushrooms, or brussels sprouts.

***I like sage, rosemary, and marjoram, but oregano, thyme, chives, and tarragon are also wonderful in this dish. As in other recipes, you can use any combination of herbs that you like or have on hand. If using dried, use closer to 2 T than 4T.

Mushroom Gravy

This is my go-to gravy recipe for any occasion. It makes a flavorful, savory sauce that is great on stuffing, tofu, potatoes, chicken, turkey, and more!

Ingredients

1/4-1/3 pound mushrooms*

3 T butter, divided

2 T flour

1 c vegetable broth/stock

2 T fresh herbs**

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in frying pan over medium-high heat. 
2. Slice mushrooms as thinly as possible. If you want a smooth gravy you can mince them. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until quite tender. 
3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. 
4. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until just combined. 
5. Add the vegetable broth and whisk until smooth. 
6. Stir in herbs. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened. 
7. As it thickens, stir occasionally, taste, and adjust spices accordingly. DO NOT add salt unless you have tasted it and truly feel it needs it. Typically vegetable stock is salty enough.
8. Serve warm.
9. Optional: Put the gravy in the blender and pulse for a few seconds to make it smooth. I usually need to add 1/4-1/2 cup of extra stock to thin it when I do this.

*A note on mushrooms. You can certainly use white button mushrooms, but to me they're a little plain-Jane. I like shiitakes or criminis (baby portobellos) for this recipe, but any type of mushroom will work.

**I typically use a combination of sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, but you can use whatever you have on hand. It works well to use the same spices in the gravy as you're using in other recipes being served. Fresh is always preferred to dried. If you do use dried, start with 1 Tablespoon and add more to taste.

Extending the Harvest: Drying Hot Peppers

In the late spring, summer, and early fall you will find your local farmers market full of fresh, seasonal produce. This is the time to savor these fresh flavors and celebrate the season. But what about in January when you're craving a fresh peach and buying produce at the grocery store makes you cringe. If you're interested in supporting local farms (or helping the environment, or food safety, or health, or any number of the other benefits of local food), you should seriously consider preserving the season's finest in some way. There are numerous options, from simple to complex, most of which are pretty inexpensive. For example, drying/dehydrating can be done with just a few simple household items and a little bit of patience.


My farmers market has had a ton of gorgeous hot peppers lately, so today's impulse buy was a handful of cayenne and tiburon peppers (also known as a poblano, or ancho when dried). The process is pretty simple, and after a few weeks I'll have dried peppers which can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for a year or more. If you dry a lot of peppers at once and don't have space to store them whole, you can grind them up in food processor, blender, spice grinder, or coffee grinder. This will make flakes or a powder, depending on how long you process them for, and it can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry. I prefer to keep them whole and grind them as I need them. The flavor stays stronger when left whole, and I also have the option of rehydrating them and using them whole in soups, stews, and sauces.


Drying Hot Peppers

Materials
Hot peppers, whole, any variety
Strong thread
Needle
Pushpins/tacks
Window, preferably one that gets good sunlight






Method

1. Cut a length of thread 8-10" longer than the width of the window you are going to use. Fold the thread over a little bit on one end and tie a knot, making a loop. Thread the free end of thread through the needle.
2. Gently poke the needle through the lower part of the stem of each pepper and slide the pepper onto the thread. Continue until all the peppers are on the thread (or as many will fit on that piece of thread). Space peppers at least 1" apart.
3. Remove the needle, and fold over that end of the thread and tie a knot, to make another loop.
4. Put a pushpin or tack on either side of the window frame. Hang the thread from the pushpins by the loops at each end.
5. Multiple rows of peppers may be hung, as long as there is at least 1" between the bottom of the longest pepper and the top of the row below it.
6. Let peppers hang like this until thoroughly dried, at least 3 weeks, longer if you live in a humid climate.
7. Store in an airtight container whole or ground for up to 1 year.

The Last Supper

I recently read a post on a blog that I love, The Kitchn (part of the Apartment Therapy family of blogs, which are all awesome), about what to have for your first meal in your new house. Most of what the commenters came up with was takeout, but there were some fun ideas in there, too. Admittedly, I will probably get takeout on my first night in my new place. However, this is one of my last nights in my old place, and I feel the need to say a proper goodbye to my kitchen.

The problem with the last meal in a soon-to-be former home, of course, is that you've emptied the contents of your kitchen cabinets into boxes. My kitchen is currently in the back of my Outback, save 2 plates, 2 forks, 1 knife, 1 travel mug, and 1 non-stick frying pan. It is with these limited resources that I made a surprisingly delicious dinner out of what was left in my pantry and refrigerator.

What did I have left?

The remains of my pantry in an empty kitchen.

1 frozen ostrich burger patty, defrosted (Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch)
1/3 French baguette, baked from frozen (Chef Charles Catering)
1 tablespoon garlic scape pesto*
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, grown in my front yard
1 apricot
Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt (a family favorite and a must in my pantry)
Olive oil

I put a little Jane's on the ostrich burger and heated about a tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Ostrich is extremely lean (40% less fat than beef!) and thus needs a little lubricant in the pan. When the pan was hot, I added the burger patty, let it cook for about 2 minutes, and then reduced the heat to medium.

While the burger continued to cook, I sliced the baguette and spread one side with the pesto. I sliced both tomatoes, and put one of them on the baguette. The other tomato I fanned out on the plate and sprinkled with Jane's. I cut the apricot in half and removed the pit.

When the burger was nicely browned on one side, I gently loosened it from the pan before flipping it. I topped the burger with the Parmesan cheese, and let it cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. I like my burgers medium or medium rare, and this is important with ostrich. Because it is so lean, it is very red, almost purple. If you wait until it is just pink in the middle (or worse, no pink at all) before you take it out of the pan, you'll have a lovely hockey puck, but not much in the way of dinner. If you are nervous, use a meat thermometer. Once you get to 160 degrees F, you're done; be sure not to exceed 165 degrees F.

Finally, I sliced the burger into thirds, laid it out on the baguette, and sat down to enjoy a scrumptious last supper with my little house. I'll miss you kitchen, it's been fun!

The Last Supper

*What is garlic scape pesto? It's a homemade pesto that I love to make in the late spring and early summer with garlic scapes in place of basil. Garlic scapes are the stalks of the garlic plant before the garlic head forms. They are a verdant green coil of delightful garlic flavor. Simply cut off the bulb end and cut into 1 inch sections to use. My "recipe" for garlic scape pesto is a handful of this and a handful of that, but it's similar to this recipe that I found at Food.com (but ignore the part about artichokes and pasta...). Make up a batch and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It is great on sandwiches, pasta, mixed into hummus, and anywhere else you would use a basil pesto.

Strawberry Perserves...er...Sauce

It's strawberry season! The Farmers Market has gallon upon gallon of big, red, juicy strawberries every week, so last weekend I set out to make some strawberry preserves. They were a big hit last year as gifts, and I really enjoyed having the sweet reminder of summer in the dead of winter (okay, the "dead of winter" in central North Carolina isn't so bad, but still).

My preference is for the old fashioned style of preserves for two reasons, 1) preserves do not gel, which makes them more versatile than jam or jelly, because they can also be poured over ice cream, pound cake, yogurt and granola, etc., and 2) I don't have to mess with pectin (which I never get right anyway).

With 2 gallons of strawberries on hand, I set to work washing, hulling, and quartering the strawberries. I wound up with 16 cups of strawberries! It took my biggest bowl and more than half a bag of sugar to macerate these guys, but boy was it worth it. I put them on the stove to cook and went about some other business. And then...

Catastrophe #1! The sweet syrupy mixture boiled over, covering my stove with a big sticky mess. Bummer.

I managed to salvage most of the batch, moved it to another burner and a bigger pot, and set to cleaning my stove. Once the preserves looked about as thick as I remember them looking last year, I got out my canning equipment and canned 10 jars (both pint and half pint) of strawberry preserves. The next day, I went to inspect my preserves, and...

Catastrophe #2! The preserves turned out to be more like sauce. Alas, it would appear that I had not cooked them long enough. I guess I'll just have to put them on ice cream.

Below is the recipe, based on the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Preserves

1 gallon strawberries (about 8 cups)
4 cups white sugar

• Wash, hull, and quarter strawberries. Pieces should be as close to the same size as possible--halve smaller berries and cut larger ones into more pieces.
• In a large bowl, mix berries with sugar. Let sit for at least four hours, or overnight.
• Pour mixture into large stockpot--the pot should be no more than half full. If it is more than half full, use a bigger pot or cook the preserves in batches.
• Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved, then stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to maintain a steady boil (about medium heat), stirring occasionally. Cook until sauce has thickened, about 1 hour.
• If canning, turn heat to low while preparing jars and boiling water bath.*
• If refrigerating, remove from heat and let cool for several hours. Ladle into container, seal with an air-tight lid, and refrigerate. Use within 3 weeks.

*Canning and preserving with a boiling water bath can be dangerous if not done properly. Consult a book about home canning and preserving before attempting (NOT the Internet--you never know who is posting and how experienced or qualified they are). I recommend the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, available at most book stores.