Book 4 of 52: Big Sur Bakery Cookbook

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Today is one of those days when I wish I was independently wealthy and didn’t have a job.  If I were – I would purchase a ticket to the closest airport to Big Sur I could possibly find, maybe even tomorrow, and dine at the Big Sur Bakery along the Californian Coast.  Honestly, I wouldn’t go today – because its January and they may or may not be open – but maybe the first week of June.

The Big Sur Bakery was recommended to me by Jenna or Eat Live Run who lives in the area of the Bakery now and loves this cookbook as well.  I really was skeptical of how good a cookbook could really be.  This sets the bar.  A new plumb line for cookbooks.

Honest.  Ingredients.  Journal-type writing.  Amazing breathtaking, simply want to make you run to whole foods and make everything recipes, and beautiful mouth-watering pictures – the type I only dream to one-day take. 

They care about their friends and family, their local ingredients, and specializing in their craft.  And don’t let the term “bakery” in the restaurant’s name fool you.  They are about craftful baking, but they love their meat and potatoes as well.  They even have a pork and beer night once a year, complete with fake pig snouts.  Vegans not apply (that’s why I can’t go for  eleven months).

So…do you need a good read by a fire-place?  Pick this up.  I may not have a fire going at this moment, but this has been an amazing 3 hour journey into the lives of the owners and lovers of the Big Sur Bakery.

Tax return money, pleae come quickly, so I can buy my own copy.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream

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Buttercream can’t exist in my house too long, or none of my clothes will fit! I have found the easiest way to do cupcakes is mostly to make a box mix (I used Devil’s Food for this one) and make my own buttercream.

I used this girl’s buttercream and then added some peppermint flavoring.

Here is the recipe for the buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 T milk
1 T peppermint extract

Cream butter for about 5 minutes. Add in sugar 1 cup at a time and keep beating for about 5 total minutes. Add in milk and extract. Beat a little more till light and fluffy.

Put on the top of the cupcakes and enjoy. Oh, if you want more peppermint flavor, I added a junior mint to each cupcake. I put a spoon of the dough in the cupcake wrapper and then dropped a junior mint (my Mom’s fave) and then finished filling the cupcake.

Enjoy!