Chocolate-Covered Banana Cupcakes

We bought too many bananas last week that were the same ripeness & ended up with a few of those nice soft brown ones that are so perfect for cooking. I told Matt I'd make him some banana bread but he said he wanted banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting. That made me think of one of my favorite summer treats frozen chocolate-covered bananas rolled in peanuts. Seems like a wonderful combination for a cupcake as well.

I didn't want the cupcake to just be a small banana bread, I was hoping for something a little lighter. I search around & found a whole bunch of recipes that were very similar so that's what I went with. This is a much moister cupcake than my typical one, probably because of the banana. It is a little heavier than I had hoped for but really it tastes so good & bananay (is that word?) that is doesn't really matter.
I used a simple chocolate ganache for the frosting because I felt it most simulated the chocolate coating on a frozen banana.

Banana Cupcake

3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/2 c. mashed bananas
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 8 muffin tins. Cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg & beat again. Dissolve baking soda in sour cream, add to creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in banana, flour and vanilla until everything is combined. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. There maybe a little sticking due to the banana. Allow to cool before frosting.

Makes 8

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz chopped chocolate (I used a mixture of semi & bittersweet)
1/4 c plus 2 T cream
1 T butter

Bring butter & cream to a boil. Boil over chopped chocolate & stir until chocolate is completely melted. Frost cupcakes & sprinkle with some salted chopped peanuts if you wish. Put cupcakes into the fridge to set the ganache.

Weekly Menu - 4/28 - 5/2/08

Oh, did we eat well this weekend. Matt made our favorite comfort meal, roast chicken & vegetables. Its so simple to put together but always feels like a special treat. In a post this week we'll be showing our favorite way to prepare a chicken for roasting, spatchcocking.


Now on to the Menu Planning Monday

Mustard & Pretzel-Coated Chicken Breasts - inspired by a Rachel Ray recipe & an amazing honey mustard we have.
Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese with Ham & Peas - I usually make it with Gruyere, carmelized onions & tomatoes but Matt asked for this combination. - RESULT - This combination is fabulous too.
Beef Stroganoff - My Mom's classic, really easy recipe. - RESULT - Classic comfort food.
Curried Roasted Vegetables over Raisin Couscous - A new take on one of my favorite dishes.

Friday we'll be eating out to celebrate Matt's birthday on the 2nd & mine on the 3rd.

This week's cupcake is a tribute to one of my favorite things, Chocolate Covered Bananas.

Merguez Lamb Patties with Golden Raisin Couscous

This dish really doesn't look like much but don't let the fool you because the flavor is fantastic. The lamb & spices have a wonderful North African flavor which balances nicely with the sweetness of the raisins in the couscous. It's a good thing too since it took trips to three grocery stores to find ground lamb (or even lamb we could grind ourselves without) as well as three grocery stores & a middle easter market to find the harissa. This really surprised me as we were shopping at the "gourmet" markets. Anyway if you like lamb (& can find some harissa) make this.

Matt likes things extra spicy so that's a big dollop of harissa on each patty, I skipped that.

1 t fennel seeds
1 lb ground lamb
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T harissa (more or less to your tolerance for spicy)
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 c chicken broth
3 T golden raisins
1/2 c couscous
1/4 c chopped cilantro
zest of 1/2 lemon

Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until a shade darker, about a minute. Grind to a fine powder. Mix together lamb, garlic, harissa, cumin, fennel, coriander, cinnamon and salt with your hands being careful not to overmix. Form into 4 patties about 3/4-inch thick. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat then add patties. Cook for about 9 minutes turning once.

While the patties are cooking bring the broth, raisins & a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in couscous. Cover & remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in cilantro & lemon zest.

Makes 4 patties & 2 servings of couscous
adapted from Gourmet March '08

Marinated Soybean & Tomato Salad

In an effort to eat more vegetables we are trying to make more salads for lunch as a side instead of chips (its so hard when Lund's has the amazing Tavern Mustard chips). We really aren't big fans of just a green salad so have been looking for other alternatives. This is one of the first ones we tried & I've already made it twice this week. It comes together really quickly, smells heavenly of garlic & fresh basil & looks beautiful with the bright green & red. The original recipe called for canned soybeans but I usually have some mukimame (shelled soybeans) in the freezer to eat as snacks. They work perfect for this recipe because they have a nice bite to them & you can just use what you need while keeping the rest frozen for another time (open a can & you are stuck with finding a use for the leftovers right away). We've also changed the dressing a bit because we felt it was a little too heavy on the mustard but it can easily be changed to suit your taste.


Marinated Soybean & Tomato Salad
adapted from Dr. Weil's My Optimum Health Plan

1/2 c frozen soybeans
1 med tomato, seeded & chopped
1 t olive oil
1 t garlic, finely chopped
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 c basil leaves, finely chopped

Microwave the soybeans on high for 30 - 40 seconds just to thaw them. Mix the the olive oil, vinegar, garlic & mustard in a bowl, add the tomato and the beans. Stir in the chopped basil and let the mixture sit for at least an hour to blend the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 1 serving but is easily increased.

Next time I think I'll try adding a little red onion....

Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcakes

I love salty sweet things. One of my favorite sweets is dark chocolate, really don't waste my time with wimpy milk chocolates. One of my favorite salties is bacon, truly a food of the gods. I had my first taste of the two together is a Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar which I frustratingly enough haven't been able to find since moving to Minneapolis. So, I decided why not blend those two things together myself into a cupcake.

I had run out of the Dutch Processed Cocoa I have been using & decided to try Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa which is a Dutch Processed blend. I was afraid it wouldn't have the flavor I was looking for but I was wrong. This cocoa gives a wonderful dark color & just the dark chocolate flavor I was looking for. Plus its about half the price & I can get it at Target.
Don't skimp on the bacon in this recipe because these cupcakes are best when you get a nice chunk of bacon in each bite. I sprinkle each cupcake with a little Fleur de Sel before serving for just that extra touch of saltiness.

Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcake

8 slices good thick-cut bacon
1 c unsalted butter
1/2 c Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
3/4 c water
2 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c well-shaken buttermilk
2 T vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 24 muffin tins.
Chop bacon into about 1/2-inch pieces. Cook over med-high heat in a skillet until bacon is brown & crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Pat any remaining oil off the bacon. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in cocoa. Add water and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in separately sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined (it will be a little bit lumpy). Stir in bacon.

Fill muffin tins to about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean. It's a moist cake, so don't worry if a few crumbs stick to your tester.
Allow cupcakes to cool.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/2 c unsalted butter
2/3 c Hershey's Special Dark
3 c powdered sugar
1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

About 2 cups frosting.

This is Hershey's Frosting recipe & still the best one I've tried.

Frost the cupcakes & sprinkle with a little Fleur de Sel right before serving.