It's Borderline Genius

Recipe by Tom Diasio

"It's the best thing I've ever tasted" - Carson Daly

Who doesn't love a good deep fried chicken wing, right? But then add in a college staple... Ramen... and something magical happens.  You have the best boozy sunday funday, kick up your feet, turn on a little football (I can say that now... I've played in a LEAGUE) and nosh down on the latest trend I'm trying to make happen...

The Ramen-Crusted Chicken Wings 

Oh. Don't want to click on the link?  How about I just share some of the photos right here?

So I've started writing for this little website... Home & Garden Ideas, and my first published article was a Recipe for Beef Tacos! 

Being me, I of course took this assignment to a slightly elevated level, wanting to emulate the amazing Tacos Vampiros that I'd tried at the Taste of Beverly Hills.  Sadly, with my article they used a stock photo, so I did a little cooking myself this weekend... And I present Tacos Vampiros!!

Throwing a little Mexican-themed fiesta and want to impress your guests with a slightly unique take on the classic beef taco? Then, this recipe is just right for you. These tacos are inspired by the infamous Los Angeles Taco Truck, Tacos Guanajuato’s Vampiros Tacos. A traditional street cart taco, which is making appearances up and down the US-Mexico border, the Vampiros Taco (or vampire taco) gets its name from the tortilla preparation.  When the tortilla is griddled until it’s hard and crunchy, and then filled with a mixture of grilled cheese, the result is reminiscent of a bat wing. 

While the preparation feels a little time intensive, the payoff is totally worth it. Crunchy, salty & filling, this gourmet take on the traditional will certainly change your mind on the limits of culinary innovation. This feast should easily serve 12-15 people. 

http://www.homeandgardenideas.com/food-recipes/mexican/main-dishes-mexican/recipe-for-beef-tacos

This week I decided to go with a Superbowl Sunday decadent treat... The Kegs 'n Eggs "Cupcake."  I'll use the term cupcake lightly here since that term seemed to throw my boyfriend's mental image of this breakfast snack slightly off...

Thanks to my best friend M, I'd been introduced to the concept of a bacon cupcake wrapper... Hot diggidy, did this idea need a test run on my blog!  And to add to the bacon & egg allure, I tried to think of a way to creatively introduce a tinge of beer flavor into the mix.

Kegs 'n Eggs Cupcakes
8-10 slices of Bacon
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
6 eggs
1/4 finely chopped chives

To drain a little excess fat out of the bacon, I laid the strips on paper towels and microwaved for about a minute and a half.  Then, using 6 strips I lined the inside of the cupcake tins.  With the remaining bacon, I sliced them into squares to cover the bottom of the cupcake tin.

Into each cup I added a small handful of Gruyere, a sprinkle of chives and a cracked egg. Make sure to pack everything down so your egg does not overflow out of the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the egg looks thoroughly cooked.

Beer & Cheese Frosting
1 package Mascarpone Cheese 
2 tablespoons Blue Moon (or any other Hefenweizen Beer will do)
1 tablespoon orange zest
Chives for garnishing

In a bowl I combined the Mascarpone Cheese with the beer and slowly mixed until it was all incorporated.  Do this slowly as the beer will start to fizz if you mix it too quickly.

Then, using a cheese grater (or mandolin if you have one) zest the rind off of your orange and mix into your Frosting.  This will add a nice slightly bitter orange flavor and texture to your cheese.  A little sweet, a little sour, and a great creamy topping to the saltiness of the bacon, I thought it all worked out quite well!

I garnished each dollop of frosting with a pair of crossed chives.

Sticking in the savory realm, I wanted to take a classic appetizer and re-imagine it into a cupcake...

Caviar & creme fraiche are normally paired with blini or small pancakes so you can enjoy the salty, sweet and succulent textures wrapped up perfectly in a bite sized treat.  The blini are normally fairly bland in flavor, merely playing an edible plate of sorts to the star ingredient, the caviar.

A fairly easy duo to work with, replacing the blini with something equally as innocuous seemed like the perfect solution...

Cake seemed a little too heavy, as did a muffin, so I thought that a light and fluffy cornbread dotted with diced chives would add a nice texture to the dish.  So here you go... enjoy!

Caviar & Creme Fraiche Cupcakes
yields 3 dozen mini cupcakes
2 Cups self-rising flour
2 Cups self-rising cornmeal
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 Cup diced Chives
1 Cup Creme Fraiche
2-3 oz Caviar

Combine all ingredients + 1/4 Cup diced Chives; mix well. Pour batter into a well-greased cupcake sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool

Top each "cupcake" with a dollop of creme fraiche "frosting" a garnish of diced chives and a spoonful of caviar!

In honor of finally trying the infamous McNuggetini, created by the fabulous Alie N Georgia... I decided to let that be the architecture behind my latest cupcake of the week.  If you haven't seen the duo work their magic, you must watch the video below!



Combining the deliciously sweet and dangerous chocolate vodka shake, with a BBQ sauce rim which works surprisingly well and a McNugget garnish, this certainly seemed like an awesome contender for my Herbivore vs Carnivore Cupcake Battle.

McNuggetini Cupcakes
Recipe by Nicole Iizuka
3 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate milk
1 cup chopped chocolate pieces

mix everything together well. it helps to use a hand mixer or professional mixer. makes lots of air bubbles which help make these cupcakes awesome. the mixture should be a little wet and nice and light.

fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cupcake has a nice sponge-y texture.  there should be a few brown spots of ooey-gooey melted chocolate throughout your cupcakes!

Vanilla Vodka Buttercream
1 stick of butter
1 box of powdered sugar
2 tbsp vodka
2 tsp vanilla extract

in a large bowl, whip softened butter until it's nice and fluffy. slowly add in the powdered sugar until it's incorporated. about halfway through making the buttercream, add your liquids to flavor the frosting.

BBQ Sauce & McNugget Garnish
4-5 packs of BBQ sauce
20 piece box of chicken mcnuggets

Using a plastic squeeze bottle, empty the packets of BBQ sauce so it's easy to drizzle.  (If you don't have a squeeze bottle, you can always use a plastic baggie and cut off just the tip of one of the corners).  Drizzle on your sauce, and top each cupcake with a warm McNugget before serving!

These little suckers came out amazingly well.  Granted, a little dangerous if consuming more than one per sitting...  I could easily see these served up with a nice side of fries and a coke.  Or a shot of vodka.  You're choice.   

Apparently my mind just keeps going to darker and weirder places when brainstorming cupcake ideas.  But the end results? They keep getting better and better... This weeks confection was inspired by one of my favorite burgers in the city... Stout Burgers "Six Weeker" camembert/fig/mild jack/arugula/caramelized onions. Burgers & Cupcakes... oh my!

I pulled the sweet fig and caramelized onions out of the mix, but I wanted to add a touch of sour & savory so I decided to swap out the creamy cheese flavors for a slightly sharper blue. 

Fig & Blue BurgerCakes

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup soft blue cheese
• 1/2 cup fig jam
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 2 pats of butter
• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup diced green onions

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  in a bowl, combine white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup soft blue cheese, 1/4 cup fig jam.  mix until combined.  in a skillet melt your pat of butter and over low heat saute your red onions with a tiny sprinkle of sugar, until they are soft and browned.  mix in half to your cupcake batter and save the other half to use as a garnish.  line your cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way.  bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

while your cupcakes are baking, it's time to make your mini-burger patties!  in a bowl mix your meat with worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  make balls the size of a large marble and then flatten into 2 inch patties.  on your still hot skillet add another pat of butter to coat the pan.  grill your burger patties until they are nicely browned.  drain over paper towels.

in a bowl, mix together the rest of your blue cheese with heavy cream until it becomes a spreadable consistency.  if you need to use more cream, do so.  add in your fig jam and mix.

once you're ready to assemble, spread some of the blue cheese and fig mixture on top. garnish with a mini burger patty, a pinch of caramelized onions and a sprinkle of green onion.  enjoy!

I'm always surfing the web looking for new ideas or sparks of inspiration. While on one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman, I stumbled upon what looks like an amazing and refreshing summertime salad. Grilled Romaine? What?

However sadly our BBQ died at the end of last summer, and we haven't quite gotten off our asses to buy a new one, so I decided to take the essence of this salad and turn it into a cupcake. Strawberries, check. Balsamic, check. Gorgonzola? Sure, why not? I mean the creamy blue worked well with the fig in my burgercake creation.  Now, I realize that my taste buds veer a little on the strange end of the pool, but my trusted crop of taste testers gave this one a giant gold star!

Gorgonzola, Strawberry & Balsamic Cupcakes
yield 2 dozen mini cupcakes || 10 minutes prep; 20 minutes cook

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 box of powdered sugar
• 1 stick of butter softened

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Cut your 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter into chunks and mix in. Then add in your wet ingredients, eggs, milk & vanilla extract. Spoon in to your cupcake tray until 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

While you're cupcakes are baking, heat up a small sauce pan and pour in your balsamic.  Once your balsamic is boiling, add in a 1/4 cup of the diced strawberries, 1 tbsp of sugar and turn down the heat to a simmer.  Continue cooking for a few minutes until the sugar is melted and the balsamic has reduced slightly to a syrup.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl whip the remaining stick of butter until it is nice and fluffy.  Slowly pour in a tablespoon of your reduced strawberry balsamic sauce, until your frosting develops a nice brown color and a softer texture. 

With each cupcake, cut a hole in the middle out.  Stuff in a piece of strawberry, a few crumbles of Gorgonzola and top with your balsamic buttercream frosting.  To garnish, sprinkle on a few more crumbles of cheese and a drizzle of the remaining balsamic sauce!

Bacon Jam whaaaaat?  As you can imagine, what with me being a Bacon Aficionado (I was trying to go with an alliteration, but couldn't think of a clever synonym that started with B) the moment that the amazing Lorraine Elliott of Not Quite Nigella posted her recipe, my inbox was flooded.

Because. Nope, I really have no good excuse.  I've been wanting to test this out for quite a while, and I finally whittled out a little time in my calendar to give it a go... especially since we're nearing the Grilled Cheese Invitational and I need to start taste testing my sexy grills to come up with the winning combination.  Forcing myself to include a variation on Not Quite Nigella's Bacon Jam in my sammie was the perfect way to start testing & experimenting!

Spicy & Sweet Bacon Jam
Adapted from an Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

• 1 pound of Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Bacon (I'm obsessed)
• 1 head of garlic, diced
• 1 medium brown onion sliced
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• dash of tabasco
• 1 cup coffee
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• pinch of black pepper
• extra water

1. In a non stick pan, fry the bacon in batches until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Using a pair of scissors cut into 1 inch pieces.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the rendered bacon fat on medium heat until translucent.  Add back in the bacon into what I'm now calling the "Devil's Mirepoix: 1 lb bacon, 1 head of garlic, 1 white onion" a base that I know will make it into several more recipes down the road.

3. Then, transfer the bacon, onion and garlic into a heavy based cast iron pot and add the rest of the ingredients except for the water. Simmer for 2 hours adding 1/4 of a cup of water every 25-30 minutes or so and keep stirring.  If you're water is evaporating too quickly, reduce your heat and make sure not to burn your mixture.

4. When ready, cool for about 15-20 minutes and then place in a food processor. Pulse for 2-3 seconds so that you leave some texture to the “jam” and enjoy!

Thoughts after the first round?  The spice added a very nice and complex element to the after-taste of the jam, but I think in the next trial I'd like to start with a mixture of regular & roasted garlic to add a little more sweetness, and substitute in balsamic for the vinegar to see how that affects things.  Could be good, could be bad, but I'll never know until I try!

This time I went outside of the box... way outside of the box.

I mean, really.  This sandwich was just asking to be made into a cupcake... turkey & cheese wrapped in a blanket of french toast and dusted with powdered sugar and jam?  Sweet, savory & insane.  All qualifications of things I love to toy with.

And so.  Here it is.  The Monte Cristo Cupcake.

Monte Cristo Cupcake
yield 1 dozen mini cupcakes || 20 minutes prep; 15 minutes cook

• 6 slices of bread
• 6 slices of turkey (or ham)
• 1 wedge of gouda (sliced into 6 even slices)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• toothpicks
• shot glass
• deep fryer (or tiny pot filled with vegetable oil)

Assembling the Sandwiches

using your shot glass as a cookie cutter, cut 4 rounds out of each slice of bread, 4 rounds out of each slice of turkey and 2 rounds out of each slice of gouda.  stack your mini sandwiches, slice of bread, slice of turkey, slice of cheese, slice of turkey, slice of bread.  insert a toothpick in the center to hold it all together when you fry it.  

Deep Frying the Suckers

either bring your deep fryer up to 350degrees or heat up your olive oil to 350.  (if you don't have a thermometer, test your oil heat by dropping in a tiny spoonful of the egg wash.  it should brown fairly quickly, but not burn)  in a bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk & vanilla extract. carefully dip each sandwich in the egg wash, coating entirely, and then drop it in the fryer until it's nice & browned on all sides.  lay the cooked sandwich on a plate with paper towels to soak up any extra oil.

Lingonberry (or any other jam you like) Frosting

• 1 box of powdered sugar
• 1 stick of softened butter
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 1/4 cup lingonberry jam 

in a bowl whip your butter until it's nice and fluffy.  slowly add in the powdered sugar & milk until you've formed a nice & stiff frosting.  then mix in the jam until you have a spreadable consistency.  top your cupcakes with a dollop of frosting and enjoy both hot or cold (it works either way!!!)

Now I  know many of you are going to read this & be like "oh NO she didn't!" But really... you know me.  This cupcake should come as no surprise.

Spam is to Hawaiians what Bacon is to the rest of America... that slightly taboo, insanely bad for you, yet insanely delicious meat item which make sudden appearances in truly baffling foods.  Wandering around Hawaiian food stands one can find Spam in everything from hamburgers to grilled cheese to sushi to salads to brown sugared desserts, so why not in cupcakes?

Now before you go and get your panties in a bunch, no I didn't slide to the sweet side of the scale.  Instead I re-purposed Spam into my cupcake-fied version of a loco-moco.  Plus I've been toying with the idea of using a Yaki Onigiri as the base of a cupcake for quite a while.  There's a "Japanese Eggs Benedict" recipe that's been brewing in the back of my mind.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you... the SPAMcake.

SPAMcake
prep 20 mins || cook 25 mins || yield 6 servings

• 1 tin of SPAM
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 small clove of garlic finely minced
• Furikake or sesame seeds for garnish

First, cook your rice.  Set aside & let cool.  In a frying pan, lightly cook your slices of spam, so the outside is slightly charred but the inside is still pink. Place in a food processor (or use a bowl + immersion blender) and pulse until smooth.  Add in the whipping cream & continue to mix until it's developed a creamy & spreadable consistency.  Set aside.

In a metal cupcake tin, use a little bit of the sesame oil to grease the sides and then spoon about half a cup of rice into each tin, being sure to press the rice down firmly.  Once you've made your "cupcake" bases, in a frying pan pour about a teaspoon of sesame oil into the pan on med-low heat and cook your yaki onigiri, carefully flipping them with a spatula, until the outsides are nicely browned & crisp.  Set on a paper towel to drain.

While you're frying your rice balls, turn your oven on to broil.  Crack an egg into each of your (still oiled, but add more if necessary) cupcake tin.  Bake your eggs for 5-7 minutes or until the whites have cooked through and the yolk is a little runny.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat your sugar, soy sauce & garlic in 15 second intervals, stirring at each junction, until the sugar has completely melted & is starting to reduce.  This is how you make teriyaki sauce!  You want your sauce to be thick enough to drizzle, but not too reduced or it will turn to candy.

Assemble your SPAMcakes, first the Yaki Onigiri "cupcake" base, followed by a cooked egg & topped with your spam mixture (you can use a frosting piping bag for a pretty design).  Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and finish the dish with a drizzle of Teriyaki sauce.  Enjoy!

At our most recent Cloak & Dinner: Rags to Riches, we cobbled together an eclectic menu full of what we'll lovingly call "college" food and classed it up a bit with smoked this, pate that, bacon wrapped bison.  7 courses & 4 cocktails later, we unveiled our "surprise guest" a take-home "Cinnabon" morning roll so our guests could continue the party well into the morning (although from hearing reviews post-dinner, I'm guessing most of those rolls didn't quite make it to the next day...)

But since these were Cinnabon's gon rags to riches, we of course added our own little twist... a heavy helping of Duck Confit & Orange Marmalade!  Because, why not?  One of my hero duo's in the culinary world are the extremely talented Aki & Alex of Ideas in Food, a collection of inspired ideas, photos & videos of their adventures & experiments.  I look to them for little clues as to how to make everything I make even better & when I saw them post photos of their insanely delicious breakfast, I knew I had to try it myself. 

And boy did these turn out well... So well in fact, that I feel compelled to share my take on their idea here!

The Duck Confit & Orange Marmalade "Cinnabon" Roll
prep 2 days + 2 hours || bake 30-40 minutes || yields 3 dozen

• 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tbl instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tbl kosher salt
• 4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup mashed Duck Rillets
• 1 jar of Orange Marmalade
• 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-3 fresh oranges
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp water

First, mix up a batch of simple brioche.  The trick here is to prep it 2-3 days ahead of time so it has loads of time to rise in the fridge.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast & salt.  Once your starter is nice & mixed, slowly add in the flour.  Get your hands in there & work it in, making sure not to leave any tiny dry bits.  It's pretty overwhelming mixing in 7 cups of flour, but the end is totally worth it!  Cover it up and stick it in the refrigerator at the very least overnight, but give it a few days to really set up.

When you're ready to make the rolls... first thing's first.  Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it into thirds.  Take the first batch, flour your board & rolling pin & shape the dough into a large ball with no air pockets.  Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Roll out the dough into the largest square (or oval if you can't quite get the square right) as possible.  You'll know your dough is ready if it doesn't keep springing back into a smaller state.  Make sure that you keep your board well floured so the dough won't stick.  Once it's rolled out, evenly spread your duck confit on top.  Then spoon out 1/3 of your Orange Marmalade making sure to cover the entire area.  Brush with melted butter & sprinkle with sugar.

Then, very carefully, start rolling it up.  Make sure to keep it tight as you're rolling.  Once you have a log, flour a serrated knife & cut the roll into 12 pieces.  Place your rolls into a greased pan, cover with a towel & let it rise for another 1-2 hours. (Yes I know there's a lot of waiting around, but really, it's worth it!)

Preheat your oven to 350F & then bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops are nice & browned.  While your rolls are baking, mix up a simple glaze with the powdered sugar & water.  Zest the oranges & set aside.

When your rolls come out nice & hot, drizzle on some "icing" dust with orange zest & a sprinkle with a little cinnamon!  Enjoy!

As your spoon breaks through the sponge-y exterior of this delectable chocolate cake, and molten liquid fudge pours out, you find yourself enveloped in what can only be described as death by chocolate. Invented by chef extraordinaire Jean-Georges Vongerichten as an accident, the Molten Lava Cake has taken on many forms, but one thing remains constant, the oozing hot center for which it’s named.

I’ve taken the French classic that literally melts in your mouth and added a spicy twist to awaken your taste buds. Easy to prepare, these delicious treats are a surefire way to impress even the toughest dessert critic.

Aztec Chocolate Lava Cakes
Recipe by Nicole Iizuka

Preparation Time: 15 minutes || Cooking Time: 10 minutes || Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
• 6 oz. Butter (Room Temperature & Diced)
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/3 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
• Orange
• Powdered Sugar
• Butter for Ramekins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the chocolate on a low flame in double boiler. (Or if you don’t have a double boiler, very carefully microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until its liquid smooth.)
3. While your chocolate is melting, in another bowl beat together the eggs and sugar until it starts to whiten and foam up.
4. Take the melted chocolate off the heat and stir in the butter, cayenne, cinnamon and chili powder. Keep mixing until all of the butter is melted.
5. Mix the chocolate into the egg mixture, and then very quickly mix in the flour until it’s all incorporated.
6. Butter 4 individual ramekins and then pour in the chocolate batter.
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, then immediately tip the ramekins upside down onto a dessert plate.
8. Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar and some orange zest to serve.

Tips & tricks

• You can prepare your Aztec Chocolate Lava Cake batter ahead of time and then simply toss your pre-made cakes into the oven 10 minutes before serving.
• Play with the cooking time, 10 minutes gives a nice cake exterior with a melted chocolate interior, but if you prefer more liquid cake then bake for a shorter time, or if you’d prefer a stiffer cake, add on a minute or two!

Ingredients

• 6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
• 6 oz. Butter (Room Temperature & Diced)
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/3 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
• Orange Zest
• Powdered Sugar
• Butter for Ramekins

Preheat your oven & melt your chocolate!

 Preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt the chocolate on a low flame in double boiler. (Or if you don’t have a double boiler, very carefully microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until its liquid smooth.)


Crack your eggs & add the sugar.

While your chocolate is melting, in another bowl crack 3 eggs and add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.


Whisk it all together.

Vigorously beat together the eggs and sugar until it starts to whiten and foam up.


Take the chocolate off the heat.

Take the melted chocolate off the heat and place on the counter.


Add the spices.

Stir in the cayenne, cinnamon and chili powder to flavor the Aztec chocolate.


Melt the butter.

Add in the room temperature butter to the still hot chocolate. Keep mixing until all of the butter is melted.


Which came first, the chocolate or the egg?

Mix the melted chocolate & butter batter into the egg mixture.


Add in the flour!

Then, working quickly so there aren't any lumps, mix in the flour into the batter until it’s all incorporated.


Butter your ramekins!

Butter 4 individual ramekins and then pour in the chocolate batter.  (Or if you don't have ramekins, you can use lightly buttered silicon pinch bowls or cupcake molds.)


Bake your cakes.

Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, then immediately tip the ramekins upside down onto a dessert plate. 


Enjoy!

Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar and some orange zest to serve.

Tips & tricks

• You can prepare your Aztec Chocolate Lava Cake batter ahead of time and then simply toss your pre-made cakes into the oven 10 minutes before serving.
• Play with the cooking time, 10 minutes gives a nice cake exterior with a melted chocolate interior, but if you prefer more liquid cake then bake for a shorter time, or if you’d prefer a stiffer cake, add on a minute or two!

Thanksgiving... that delicious time of the year when all of the classics make their appearance in abundant quantities only to sooth hungry eaters into a tryptophan induced slumber, before they wake up to a household filled with leftovers and only so many trips down Thanksgiving lane before they're sick of the turkey, stuffing, yam and cranberry combo.

Determined to not fall prey to the usual pitfall of reheating the same meal over & over, only to eventually throw out plates of week old turkey, I wanted to figure out a new way to snack on delicious Thanksgiving leftovers without feeling like I was stuck in a rut.  Then Momofuku walked in and saved the day.  Serious Eats posted a video of their November only Milk Bar Thanksgiving Croissant. Stuffing flavored croissant, minced turkey, gravy & mashed potatoes, sold.  The idea was great, but not going to lie, the execution looked a little, well, muddy.  I'm sure they taste fantastic, but visually they were pretty unappealing. I was missing the bright colors I normally associate with Thanksgiving, the deep red cranberry sauce, the bright green beans, the sweet orange yams etc.  So I decided to try it out for myself, but with a few of my own tweaks!