Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

I’ve been craving for some Tiramisu lately.  It’s one of my favorite desserts.  Hm…guess I really have a long list of favorites.  Anyhow, I can’t seem to find ladyfingers anywhere, which is one of the main ingredients in making Tiramisu.  I’ve tried to bake the ladyfingers but unfortunately, they weren’t that successful.  (Yeah, not everything came out of my kitchen are perfect.  Let’s be real.)  The homemade ladyfingers were not good enough for me to use them in my Tiramisu!  Fortunately, I came across the idea of Tiramisu Cupcakes (before I had a chance to drive down to a bakery to get my Tiramisu fix)!  What a genius idea, right?!   So, in the kitchen I went….



Instead of just regular Tiramisu cupcakes, I kicked it up a notch with a little more flavor, my favorite MOCHA!  Chocolate and coffee/espresso were just perfect for each other.  Since I filled up my inventory in Valrhona Cocoa Powder on my last trip to Whole Foods, I just couldn’t resist not to add it to my recipe!  :P  They were really chocolaty and addictive!   After you’ve tried Valhona’s Cocoa Powder, you’ll not go back to any other brand.  At least, that’s the case for me.  It’s a little bit more pricey, but totally worth every penny.  (By the way, I’m not compensated in anyway for saying these—although I wished they would pay me in chocolate/cocoa powder.  hahaha….These are just my own opinions.)



With Tiramisu in cupcake forms, it’s a perfect way to portion control!   Yes, I needed serious controls over these Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes.  The cake itself was moist, with a lovely mocha flavor and a hint of Kahlua.  The syrup really did wonders to the cupcakes.  The Mascarpone frosting was light, creamy, smooth and fluffy.  Just like eating clouds….clouds that were packed with Tiramisu flavor.  If you love Tiramisu, you’ve got to try this recipe out.  It’s much easier than making the traditional Tiramisu.  At least I didn’t have to drive around to find the ladyfingers.  There’s no dipping or layering involved.  But the end results were as stunning and delicious as the traditional ones. 



Hm…nom nom nom….



Heavenly…..



Need I say more?

Caramelized Onion, Roast Beef and Goat Cheese Focaccia

 



Not sure if you’ve noticed, many of my savory dishes includes Onion.  Onion is such a good aromatic ingredient in many dishes.  It enhances and accentuates the over all flavor of the dish without over powering other ingredients.  In many dishes, the onion functions as the aromatic ingredient.  However, onion is the star of this Caramelized Onion, Roast Beef and Goat Cheese Focaccia.  I especially adore caramelized onions. How can I not?  They are naturally sweet and the caramelized flavor is wonderful.
   

I’m glad that both of my kids love onions as much as I do.  When I was serving these Caramelized Onion, Roast Beef and Goat Cheese Focaccia the other day, my three and a half year old son ate the whole piece all by himself. Then, he requested for more caramelized onions!  Just the onions!  :)  I couldn’t help but smiled and gave him more onions.  After all, he has a very sophisticated palate, and I know exactly where he got his genes!  LOL



As promised from the previous post.  Here’s the “dressed up” version of the herbed Focaccia.  These Caramelized Onion, Roast Beef and Goat Cheese Focaccia are easy to make, and certainly elegant enough to serve at parties or gatherings as appetizers.  Yet, they are just simple, everyday ingredients.  Don’t you love that? If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can substitute that with your favorite type of creamy cheese.  You can also substitute the roasted beef with smoked turkey or any other kind of meat that you preferred.  Just make sure to be generous when you pile the caramelized onion on top and you’ll have a treat! 



This recipe is an entry for April’s Kitchen Play sponsored by the National Onion Association.  This Caramelized Onion, Roast Beef and Goat Cheese Focaccia is inspired by the Beer-Braised Spring Onion and Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini.  Since my husband and I are not Beer drinkers, we don’t have any beer in the fridge.  But, I do have many bottles of red and white wine!  :)  So, I used some dry white wine to deglazed the pan when I sautéed the onion.  With a few springs of fresh chopped thymes, these caramelized onion turned out succulent, flavorful and amazing with it’s natural sweetness.
     
For more information about the Kitchen Play contest, please review the complete contest rules.
 

         

Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano Focaccia

A few weeks ago, I’ve planted my new herbs, just in time for Spring.  Unlike last time around, I planted them in a rectangular pot (less crowded) and placed them right outside my kitchen window to get some sunlight.  There are thyme, oregano, tarragon and mint in this pot.  I have some rosemary in a separate pot (the only survivor from my last herb planting).  It’s soothing to see the greens while looking outside my kitchen window.  I’ve been using the herbs a lot lately and this Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano Focaccia is one of the creations using my favorite herbs.  

  
I made these Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano Focaccia in my trusty bread machine to save time in kneading.  If you don’t have a bread machine, no worries, I included the instructions without a bread machine for this recipe!  This is a really easy flat bread recipe and you can’t really mess it up.  I used some good quality organic extra virgin olive oil in this bread.  The olive oil adds a lovely fruity flavor to the bread, it also makes the bread fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside.  The fresh rosemary gives the bread a piney and woodsy scent; the thyme is lemony and refreshing, and the oregano adds a depth of sweetness.  I especially love the golden brown crust on this bread!  Hm…wash it all down with a glass of iced tea and I call it a perfect afternoon pick me up.  This is one way to enjoy this Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano Focaccia.  I’ll show you in a different post on how to dress it up, and make a perfect appetizer, brunch or light supper out of this wonderful Focaccia.  Stay tuned. 



***If you haven’t enter the two leaves and a bud’s Complete Tea Samplers Giveaway, please click here to enter. 

Virtual Bake Sale Update

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated, placed a bid, and/or helped spread the words on the Virtual Bake Sale that benefits the Japan Earthquake victims.  We raised a total of $8269 in just one day, for all the baked goods sold in the auction.  So, thank you everyone!  For the rest of the details about the bake sale, please visit The Tomato Tart’s blog. 



On Monday, I shipped out two dozens of these Triple Chocolate Almond Cookies to the action winner.  The cookies should arrive today, I hope they stay intact in this lovely cookie tin.


This is such a beautiful cookie tin, just perfect for two dozens cookies.  Baked with love, from my kitchen to yours.  I packed some heart shape printed napkins on top of the cookies inside the tin so the cookies won’t move around during shipping.  Plus, the recipients can have some napkins to use while enjoying the cookies. 



I hope the winner and her family would enjoy these cookies as much as my family does. Thank you again!

Homemade Granola

There is no doubt that Spring is here and Summer is approaching fast.  At least, that’s how it feels in Southern California.  With the temperature rising, I crave for cool treats in the afternoon as a pick-me-up.  However, I’m kind of watching my waist line (if there’s one) because I want to get ready for the bikini season.  Hahaha…who am I kidding!?  Let me rephrase it.  I guess I just don’t want to look too over-weight when I have to wear short sleeves.  Fact: I’ve never put on my bikinis after having my kids.  I don't dare to look at, or imagine, the “before and after” pictures. Yike…Hopefully, someday in the future, my bikini collection will see the sunlights again! 




Who said healthy snacks can’t be tasty?  After today, I hope you’ll change your mind on that.  At least, my family and I did.  These Homemade Granola not only are super duper easy to make, they are to die for.  I love the flaky and crunchy texture of the toasted coconut, oats and almonds.  The honey adds a lovely sweet tone, but not overly sweet.  The vanilla extract accentuate these granolas with a lovely sweet aroma.  When these granolas are baking, your whole house would smell sweet and wonderful.  I say, it’s even better than breads or cookies baking in the oven!  You’ve got to give it a try to find out.



In this recipe, I added the Homemade Granola on the bottom of the mini martini glasses.  Top with fresh raspberries and strawberry yogurts, and of course, MORE granolas on top!  This granola is also a wonderful topping for ice cream, gelato or sorbet.  Simply add them to your favorite bowl of cereal or oatmeal would take your morning breakfast to a whole new level.  They are definitely perfect with any cool treat!  But before you add them onto anything, try to refrain yourself from eating the whole batch right out of then oven!  Yes, they are really that good!   :)