I fell in love with Nigella Lawson’s baking book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, from the moment I first saw it. The pictures are gorgeous, the recipes seem simple and delicious, and from a writer’s standpoint, the title is just brilliant. At first, I really loved Nigella. That unabashed love turned a little dubious after actually watching her cook on her Food Network shows Nigella Feasts and Nigella Express. From her sometimes unreasonable instructions (“Just cook the whole chicken for five minutes till it’s done.”) to the way she makes things a little uncomfortable by looking directly into the camera and seductively purring “The tender, succulent meat will be just dripping off the bone,” there’s just something… amiss. One moment, I’m charmed; the next moment I’m thinking “What the…?” The closing scene of each show when she opens the fridge in her bathrobe for a midnight snack? That’s either genius or crazy. So basically what I’m trying to say is I started baking these cupcakes with one very inquisitive eyebrow raised.
The result? Well, it’s mixed — a lot like my feelings for Nigella. There were some beautiful aspects of these cupcakes. The cupcakes? Pretty tasty. The icing? Incredible. There were also some seriously out of whack aspects of this recipe that must be discussed, so here’s everything you need to know about Nigella before proceeding…
Nigella wants you to get dirty.
Well, it’s more like she wants to get every dish in your house dirty. I don’t know if I just wasn’t being smart about it, but it seemed like I dirtied every dish in my cupboards making these.
Nigella either lives somewhere very cold, or she lies big time.
In the instructions, it says to preheat the oven and then start burning the butter in a saucepan. Now, she does give a little warning to those in warmer climates saying that you might want to wait to start pre-heating the oven until after you’ve burned the butter because it will obviously take longer to solidify again. Umm, right Nigella. Try four hours longer. That liquified butter just sat there. It’s warm in Texas, but not that warm in my air conditioned kitchen. I’m sensing a flaw in this recipe.
Nigella doesn’t like her friends.
The recipe is supposed to yield 12 cupcakes. Meticulously following the recipe and using a normal sized cupcake tin, I was able to eek out 10 half-filled cupcakes. This turn of events was crushing. I should have probably seen this coming, based on the fact that the batter is really only 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 3/4 cup of flour plus some tablespoons of sugar, eggs, and flavoring. That’s not a lot of stuff to deal with. Let’s just say that all that excitement going on in the kitchen to produce only 10 small cupcakes made some people in our house very unpleased (mostly me, but oh well…)
Nigella knows how to make a mean frosting.
The cupcakes were a little dense. I think it’s because there wasn’t very much flour in them. (Faithful readers would be very proud to know I kept my resolution and used cake flour instead of all-purpose!) So while the cupcakes weren’t the best ever, the burnt butter frosting was supreme. Later, I actually ended up making another batch of cupcakes (Betty Crocker from the box) and using the extra frosting on those. *sigh* C’est la vie.
Keeping these points in mind, I’d make these again (doubling the batch and burning the butter further in advance). I think there’s a lot of promise here, especially with the frosting. It’s fantastic. Burnt butter has a rich, sweet flavor that’s unlike anything else. As for Nigella in general, I think the verdict is still out. I’ll let you know next time I make another recipe of hers…
Burnt-Butter Brown Sugar Cupcakes
From How to be Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking
For the cupcakes:
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4 c. self-rising cake flour
3 tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
2-3 tbsp. milk
12-cup muffin pan lined with 12 paper baking cups
For the icing:
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 2/3 to 2 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. milk
Preheat the oven to 400°F and then get on with burning your butter. Put it in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring all the time until it turns a dark golden color. Take the pan off the heat and strain the butter into a bowl or cup, as it will have a sediment. In other words, this is like clarified butter, but with a smoky note. Let the butter solidify again but don’t put it in the refrigerator; you need it to remain soft for the cupcakes. This shouldn’t take long, except in hot weather, in which case leave the preheating of the oven till after the butter’s been burnt.
When the butter is solid, but still soft, put all the cake ingredients except the milk in a food processor (or mixer) and blitz to a smooth batter. As normal, add the milk down the funnel, pulsing sparingly to form a soft, dropping mixture.
Divide among the paper cups, and cook for 15-20 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, get on with the icing. It’s the same procedure for the butter–burn, strain, solidify–then beat it with half the sugar or enough to make it stiff. Add tablespoons of milk and the remaining sugar alternately to reach a good consistency, and finally the vanilla. While the icing’s still soft, smear messily over the cooled and waiting cupcakes. Makes 12 **Editor’s Note: NOT.**
[So I know the 'Best Burger In Town' thing has been done before and probably before that, and there even a few dedicated sites dealing with just the burger. Despite all that, the little dish feels like we need to weigh in on the subject. Being from California, home of the In-N-Out, I grew up loving cheese burgers. Since then I have always been a fan, and as a fan, I am always searching for the best and tastiest burger around. Moving to Dallas presented a new opportunity in the wake of a travesty (no more In-N-Outs). So not being able to get my weekly fix of Double-Doubles, I needed to make amends with my stomach and search out some suitable replacements here in the Lone Star state. I'm happy to say I have found some, and over the next month or so I will go over my favorites. I've tested burgers far and wide, expensive to cheap, beef to turkey and these are my findings...]
Now from the outside, Cafe Express is a hard sell as a legit burger joint. They mostly specialize in salads and sandwiches and do a great job at it. They do, however, have a few burgers on the menu, ranging from a simple cheddar and beef, to a more untraditional mushroom and spinach combo. Any of their burgers can be made into a turkey, veggie, or beef patty and since I love animals (especially the cow) I opted for the beef. Right?
I like my burgers simple. I hate too many sauces, lettuce stacked up too high, or flavorless tomatoes. Ideally when I make burgers at home, I like to have just the patty, a little mayo or mustard, plus some fresh red onions and pepperocinis to top it off. I want to taste the meat and not be bothered by some poser salad on top of my burger. Usually when a burger is over dressed or covered with tons of lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, or whatever else they throw in, it usually means the meat is going to be over cooked and dry, so they need to hide that behind other tastes. In my opinion, the meat of the burger should be the most prominent thing about it, not the superfluous additions.
So, I went for the Blue Cheese & Bacon Burger. A big patty, lots of tasty blue cheese crumbles, two big slices of perfectly cooked bacon, accompanied by a small amount of lettuce, red onions, and tomatoes. All this is wrapped between a tasty wheat bun that holds its shape through the meal and was fresh and delicious. Honestly, there is nothing worse than the promise of a great burger, ruined by a stale/dry bun that falls apart after two bites.
Overall Cafe Express has a great burger on its hands. The price is reasonable for the size of the burger and taste, plus throw in some sweet potato fries and you have yourself a meal going. While not the best burger in this round up, it’s a safe haven of delight if you ever find yourself in need of some beef and all your friends are feeling salads.
Price: $7.99
Cafe Express
5307 E. Mockingbird Ln. | Dallas, TX 75206
Other locations in Dallas, Plano, and Southlake
Browse the recipes I’ve posted so far, and you’ll be able to gather that I’m not a gastronomic guru. I love to bake, know my way around the kitchen, and I’ll say right now that I (if you won’t consider it bragging) make some pretty delicious food. However, my current level is nothing compared to someone like Carol Blymire who is currently cooking her way through Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook. Shout it with me: “OVER ACHIEVER!”
So being a far-from-expert baker, I tend to take some shortcuts that I’m not very proud of. I’ll use regular flour when a recipe calls for cake flour. I’ll use salted butter if that’s what’s around. I’ll substitute vanilla extract when I know very well that I really should be using a vanilla bean. But it happens! I bake on the fly! It’s what I do! I use what I’ve got and don’t let an extra trip to the grocery store bog me down.
One of the things I usually don’t have is a vanilla bean and that brings me to this beautiful find that our Central Market cooking instructor introduced us to during our desserts class. It’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste. It’s essentially vanilla beans and sugar stored in a way that can keep in your spice cupboard and use as an even exchange for vanilla beans or extract (1 tbsp. paste = 1 tbsp extract = 1 vanilla bean). I’ve used it three times already and couldn’t wait to post about it. It’s great.
As for the rest of the cheating I do in the kitchen, I’m thinking cake flour is the next thing I need to get serious about. I’ve heard that using it makes all the difference…
Price: $9.95
Available at Central Market
Our adventure in Glen Rose, TX originally sprang from a collection of fragmented childhood memories. A few weeks ago, around a large brunch table, someone brought up visiting a wildlife park in west Texas as a child. Visitors were allowed to drive through and feed the animals from their car windows. I remembered the same place and so did others. In our minds it was wild, untamed, and completely free. Somewhere in the far, far West, goats, deer, zebras, and even giraffes were allowed to roam without fences, walk right up to your car, and eat out of your hand. Was it possible that they really allowed people to do that? Had our young, excited minds simply exaggerated the wildness of it all? And, if this park had existed, what were the chances that it would still be there?
The wildlife park came up again later and someone looked it up: Fossil Rim. It was real, still open, and (surprisingly) not as far as we had thought. So over the weekend, we loaded up and made the 1 1/2 hour drive southwest to Glen Rose, TX.
We were excited, not knowing what to anticipate, when we pulled off the highway down the gravel road towards the park. When the moment of truth came, we were not disappointed. The only word fitting to describe it? Awesome. I think it’s slightly more regulated than it was before with rules like ‘one bag of feed per car’ etc. but for the most part, it’s as sprawling and free as it was when we were kids. Cute (and sometimes a little scary) animals came up to our open car windows to get a treat. We fed giraffes out of our palms, dodged the threatening looking ostriches, and threw handfuls of dry pellet food at deer to get them to move out of the car’s path. My favorite animal by far was the zebra.
Skipping the Fossil Rim’s Cafe, we waited until after leaving the park to find something more fitting. Feeling inspired by the rural atmosphere, we thought barbeque would the the best choice. Driving down highway 67, we looked for something authentic looking. Hammond’s BBQ’s red barn exterior caught my eye, as did their very full parking lot.
As far as authentic barbeque goes, Hammond’s really has it going on. We sat on picnic benches. We drank sweet tea out of mason jars, and we enjoyed some really good barbeque. Their chopped brisket was deliciously tender; their fried okra crisp and fresh. Their potato salad is the classic Southern mustard-style and was too sweet for my taste, but their barbeque sauce made up for it. It was very mild, which usually isn’t my first choice (I like it spicy). However, the sauce had such a wonderful flavor, its mildness didn’t matter.
I wasn’t quite ready to hand it a blue ribbon for best BBQ, but if you’re ever in Glen Rose, it’s a fantastic place to stop. The combination of Fossil Rim, good Texas barbeque, and even a stop by Dinosaur Valley (if you’re up for it ) a fun day trip for a group of friends or family. It’s especially good for small kids, because from my experience I can promise you it’s something they’ll remember for a very long time 
1106 N.E. Big Bend Trail | Glen Rose, Texas 76043
254.897.3008
You can find more crazy animal pictures here.
Hoping to see the first Triple Crown winner in three decades, we spent the day at the horse track watching live races and a simulcast of the Belmont Stakes. This being my first trip to the races, I didn’t know quite what to expect. What little I did imagine was by far tamer and more refined than what we found at Lone Star Park.
We sat outside on a patio and the heat was bearable only because of the breeze. The air was thick with excitement, boisterous noise, and deep-South humidity. People everywhere sipped on draft beers, shouted during the races, and tore up their losing tickets. From the looks of the crowd, they weren’t here for a leisurely drink and the possibility of seeing history made. They were serious about this. I liked being in the thick of it: the scene, the noise, the cast of unusual characters that I never really see in my day-to-day life.
I wanted to do my first time at the races right, so a week ago I looked up the official drink of the Belmont Stakes. There seems to be a little contention about this. Up until ‘97-’98, it was the White Carnation. Apparently that changed in order to modernize the races image and they picked a sort of whiskey punch called the Belmont Breeze. It seems that the “official” drink depends on who you ask. Since it was the 140th anniversary of the races, I had my heart set on the traditional White Carnation, but was willing to go with whichever the two the bartender was familiar with. Luckily(?), he wasn’t familiar with either. So with the help of an iPhone, I instructed him on how to mix a White Carnation. It sounded a little dubious, but I wanted it for the sake of tradition. It turned out to be quite alright–enjoyable even. It’s a sweet cocktail, very creamy, and an appropriate drink for a brunch or something girly like a baby shower.
Despite Big Brown’s lost, it was a lovely day. I felt bad for Big Brown, the end of his Triple Crown quest, and all those who placed their money on such a seemingly safe bet. Honestly though, I was pleased with my day at the races and that I had my way and got to enjoy it while sipping on the (former) official drink.
The White Carnation
From the National Bartenders Cocktail Recipes
2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
2 oz Orange juice
Soda water
Splash of Cream
Stir and pour over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with orange slice.
Weekend before last, we attended one of Central Market’s hands-on cooking classes: Desserts Everyone Loves. It’s the second class so far that we’ve attended and just as the first time, we had a lovely experience. The class was a whirlwind of delicious tastes, cooking tips, and informative instructions. Our instructor was great and the people we met in our group even better.
The menu du jour was centered on classic desserts that are as impressive to serve as they are simple to make: crème brulée, molten chocolate cakes, caramel apple crisp, and cheesecake. They’re all essential desserts to have in your repertoire and ones that I have personally struggled with from time to time. (I can’t tell you how many crème brulée and cheesecake recipes I’ve dug up online looking for the perfect version). The class went wonderfully and the desserts were delicious, but the real moment of truth came when I went home and made the cheesecake for a birthday dinner.
True to the recipe we had tried in the class, the cheesecake turned out perfectly. It’s a classic, thick, New York style cheesecake that’s flavored with vanilla bean and lemon zest. The sour cream-based layer on top is the perfect finish. The recipe is a little choppy, so read it all the way through before you start. You’ll notice that you split the sugar and vanilla to use at separate stages. If you cook like me, you’re likely to dump it all in at once and then it’s too late! Also, the recipe calls for gum-free cream cheese. We didn’t use this in our class (just plain old Philadelphia), so I used that at home as well.
Since it’s a basic recipe, it can definitely be modified to make a lot of different flavors. For instance, in our class our chef-instructor swirled some dollops of raspberry preserves on top of the cake to make a berry version. So plain or with some special additions like chocolate sauce or fresh sliced strawberries, this is my new go-to recipe for cheesecake.
New York Cheesecake
From Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, as adapted by the Central Market Cooking School
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 6 ounces)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, preferably without gum, at room temperature
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
Grated zest of one lemon
2 c. sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the graham crackers with 1/4 c. sugar and the melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch ungreased spring-form pan. Chill while preparing filling.
Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 c. sugar, eggs, 2 tsp. of the vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Pour into chilled crust and bake for approximately 50 minutes to an hour, or until the cheese is set and starting to turn golden in spots. Remove from the oven (leave oven on) and cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack.
Stir together sour cream, remaining 1/4 c. of sugar, remaining 1 tsp. of vanilla, and spread over cooled cake. Return to the oven for 12 minutes until glossy and set.
Cool completely, cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Serves 8.
