Anna Sultana’s Butterbeer Cupcakes, Folklorama and The Full Sturgeon Moon

During the past two weeks Winnipeg has been celebrating Folklorama.

Back in 1975, when we moved to Winnipeg, we went to all of the Folklorama pavilions.

Back then all of the fun - and I’m talking 40 pavilions - took place in one week.

Well, we were 25 then, and seeing everything seemed like a good idea at the time.

Now, older and wiser, (and less energetic) we just focused on going to three pavilions.

We didn’t go to our old favourites, such as the Greek pavilion.

Nothing personal - I’m sure they put on their usual fantastic shows and that the food was excellent.

We just decided to take it easy and go to three other pavilions.

First we went to the Punjab Pavilion at the Punjab Cultural Centre.

The Centre opened a few years ago and is near where we now live.

We had an ulterior motive: we have new neighbours and we wanted to know a bit more about their culture, without subjecting them to a bunch of questions.

Mission accomplished - we learned a bit, and enjoyed the food and show.

Next we visited the Scandinavian Pavilion at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre, which is in our old neighbourhood.

This was a four-fer, as we were able to see exhibits from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Actually the folks there were calling it the Nordic Pavilion, since they had included a display about Finland, which is not a Scandinavian country.

Just because they were former vikings doesn’t mean they aren’t politically correct.

Speaking about politics... the folks in the United States are quite excited about having a woman as a presidential candidate.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Manitoba and Canada had a woman Prime Minister a few years ago.

Nordic women have had the vote for 1000 years and have elected women leaders.

So, once again we learned a bit, and enjoyed the food and show.

A week later we returned to the Punjab Cultural Centre to see what was happening at the United Kingdom Pavilion.

Back in the 70s there was an English Pavilion at the University of Manitoba.

It was a bit of a trip for folks in the north end of Winnipeg, but it was an extremely popular show and there were always long lineups.

Then the English Pavilion was discontinued, probably due to a lack of volunteers.

The new United Kingdom Pavilion was another four-fer.

We were able to learn about and see crafts and art work from England, Northern ireland, Scotland and Wales.

There were informative exhibits, and the food and drinks were excellent.

But, there was a little something extra in their pavilion.

I guess they’d been inspired by how England hosted the Olympic Games.

Ah… the Mary Poppins gently swooping down, Mr. Bean playing in the orchestra… 

It was great fun seeing the many popular cultural icons Britain has gifted to the world over the years.

And how could anyone forget Queen Elizabeth joining James Bond in a parachute jump at the start of the games?

Well, not to be outdone, this United Kingdom Pavilion had theme nights: James Bond, Monty Python, British television shows and Mary Poppins each had a night.

We arrived on Slytherin Saturday.

That’s right - a celebration of Harry Potter, complete with butterbeer!

The Sorting Hat was there to sort us into our proper houses.
We saw Harry studying for his OWLs, as well as a few professors, as well as Bellatrix and Dolores Umbridge.

The butterbeer (a mixture of cream soda and butterscotch syrup) was a bit sweet, but it was fun, as was the show we enjoyed there.

The butterbeer reminded me of a recipe for Butterbeer Cupcakes which Ma had sent when Harry Potter was first becoming popular.

She had clipped the recipe from a newspaper, and, as she always did, had noted that she’d made a few changes.

Well, that’s what Ma did.

Hints:

The recipe called for 

club soda or cream soda

1/2 Cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon butter flavour each in the cupcakes and buttercream

1/3 to 1/4 Cup butterscotch ganache

Ma used 

cream soda

dark brown sugar

no butter flavour

1/3 Cup butterscotch ganache

Don’t try to use melted butter as it ruins the batter.

Butter flavour can't be replaced. You'll still get a good flavour if you skip it.

Don’t have butterscotch chips? 

In a pinch you can use some butterscotch topping instead of the ganache.

If you freeze the unfrosted cooled cupcakes in an airtight container, they can keep for 6 weeks. Thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you need them and continue preparing after they are thawed. 

Store iced cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.

They will keep in the refrigerator frosted, but no longer than overnight. 

Serve them at room temperature. 

                        Butterbeer Cupcakes 

Makes 18 cupcakes

Butterbeer Cupcakes 

Place paper cupcake liners in tins.

Place in a large bowl 

2 Cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine together and set aside.

Have on hand

1/2 Cup buttermilk

1/2 Cup cream soda

Place in a large mixer bowl 

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened

1 Cup dark brown sugar, packed

Cream together until light and fluffy. 

Add, one at a time

3 large eggs

Scrape the bowl with a spatula between each addition. 

Add 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Fold a third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Add half of the buttermilk and half of the club soda.

Make another dry, then another liquid, then a third dry addition until all is added.

Heat oven to 350° F 

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden and spring back when touched. 

Remove from tin and cool completely.

While the cupcakes are baking prepare

Butterscotch Ganache

Place in a small saucepan

1 (11 ounce) package of butterscotch chips

1 Cup heavy cream

Stir over over low heat to melt the butterscotch chips in the heavy cream. 

Mix until smooth. 

Let cool to room temperature. The ganache does thicken while cooling.

Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache.

Butterscotch Buttercream

Place in a medium mixer bowl

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened

Cream until light and fluffy.

Beat in

1/3 Cup butterscotch ganache

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Cups confectioners’ sugar

1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Beat until smooth

1/2 - 2 Cups confectioners’ sugar

After the cupcakes have cooled

Make a small hole with an apple corer in the centre of the top of each cupcake.

Insert the nozzle of the ganache container into the centre of each cupcake.

Squeeze until filling comes to top.

Top each cupcake with buttercream frosting.

Drizzle with butterscotch topping (optional)

I hope you were able to enjoy The Perseids Meteor Shower.

A bit of meteor trivia…

These showers are named for the constellation Perseus but are bits and pieces of the Comet Swift-Tuttle which visited the inner part of the Solar System in 1992. These meteors, no bigger than grains of sand, enter the Earth’s atmosphere about 80 miles above its surface.

About the sky this week, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

August 16: Look to see “the Evening Star,” Venus, hovering just above the western horizon right after the Sun has gone down. Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun today. Try to catch a view of it right after sunset in the western horizon before it disappears along with the Sun!

August 18 –  August's Full Sturgeon Moon at 5:27 a.m.  Learn about its various names in the short Farmers’ Almanac video.

August 21 – The bright, waning gibbous Moon will be at perigee, meaning it’s at its closest point to the Earth, which happens each month. An easy way to remember: Apogee has an “A” = Away, so Perigee = closest

August 24 –  Last Quarter Moon, 11:41 p.m. Look to the southwest to see Mars pass in between Saturn and the ruddy star Antares, creating a straight line. Antares is the so-called “rival of Mars,” because it shares the same reddish hue. 

August 27 – This will be the year’s closest conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Look to the west, approximate 40 minutes after the sun sets. 

BONUS: See if you can spot Mercury as well!

August 29 – Set your alarm clock for around 5:15 a.m. to enjoy Orion, the Hunter ascending the sky. About two-thirds of the way up from the eastern horizon to the point directly overhead (the zenith), is the brilliant yellowish star, Capella. About halfway between Capella and the eastern horizon are the two bright stars marking the heads of Gemini, the Twins, Pollux and Castor. Straight out to the right of Capella is the fuzzy patch of light marking the famous Pleiades star cluster, also known as the “Seven Sisters.” Using Orion’s belt, drop an imaginary line almost straight down to the southeast horizon and you’ll find the brightest of all stars, Sirius.

August 30 – This is a great time to spot the Zodiacal Light, a hazy pyramid of light also known as “False Dawn.” It looks like dawn coming over the horizon but it’s fooled many a sky watcher.

Anna Sultana's Lava Cakes / Links for Romantic Dinners for Two

Good gosh, we’re almost through January.

It’ll be February in a couple of days.

We go from one holiday to the next.

I mean, wasn’t Christmas a week ago?

Valentine’s Day is staring us in the face.

What is there about giving and enjoying chocolate on Valentine’s Day?

I don’t know, and with Valentine’s Day about two weeks away, there isn’t any time to waste doing any research or worrying about it.

What there is time for is to make a nice ‘For Two’ dessert.

Like Lava Cakes.

Want some ideas for romantic dinners for two?
Here are a few great recipes from Adriana La Cerva's chapter Cibo D'Amore in The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

• Risotto with Truffles and Champagne
• Linguine with Homemade Pesto Sauce - Linguine al Pesto
• Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce
• Shrimp Scampi - Shrimp in Garlic Butter Sauce
• Veal Scaloppine Marsala with Risotto / Chicken Scaloppine
• Zabaglione - Marsala Wine Dessert

Hints:

I don’t know about you, but I’m nervous about trying a new recipe on a special day.

Why not make a trial run of this recipe this week?

You can present the practice cakes with a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

For the special day pull out all the stops.

Serve them with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries.

Strawberries or raspberries would be very nice.

A drizzling of raspberry and/or chocolate sauce would add a special touch.

You can sift the flour and confectioners' sugar by using a small strainer.

For Valentine’s Day you can make the batter ahead of time, pour it into the prepared ramekins, and then bake it when you’re ready for dessert. 

Don’t have ramekins?  

Custard cups will do.

Prefer unsweetened, milk or white chocolate?

Why not?  It’s your Valentine’s Day, too.

                        Lava Cakes

Generously butter 2 6-oz ramekins, dust them with cocoa powder, and set aside.

Place in a small pot

2 Tablespoons butter

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Melt together over low heat, stirring until completely smooth. 

Take the pot off the heat.

Stir in 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400º F

Place in a small mixer bowl

1 large egg

Beat at medium speed until foamy.

Slowly add 

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat on high for 10 minutes, until the mixture is very thick and pale yellow.

Pour the egg mixture into the melted chocolate and butter.

Sift directly over the mixture

1 Tablespoon flour

Using a spatula, gently fold everything together.

Divide the batter between the two prepared ramekins.

Smooth the tops with the spatula. 

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes.

The cakes should have puffed slightly and jiggle a bit in the centre when gently shaken.

Remove the ramekins from the oven.

Immediately run a knife around the edges of each cake. 

Invert each ramekin onto its own individual dessert plate.

Let them sit for about a minute, then lift the ramekins off the cakes. 

Dust with 

Confectioners’ sugar

Garnish with whipped cream, fresh berries and sauce.

Serve immediately.

Lady Baltimore Cake or Cupcakes (with and without rum) - Margaret Ullrich

This time of year makes people yearn for tastes from the past.

I got an e mail from a reader asking for the frosting for a Lady Baltimore Cake.

Happy to help.

If you've never tried it, it's basically a 2-layer white cake with a fancy frosting.
It's similar to Lane Cake.

If you're in a rush, a cake mix will be fine, too.

Nobody will notice the cake with this frosting on it.

I've got two recipes.

One is a fruity frosting with a dash of rum flavouring.

The other frosting has macaroons, without the kick.

You know your family and friends, so choose accordingly.

Both recipes make enough frosting for a 2 layer 8-inch cake 

or a 13 by 9 1/2 inch cake.

If you combine the nuts, fruit etc. with the total bowl of frosting instead of 

with a 1/3 of the recipe, there's enough for 24 cupcakes.

For a garnish on each cupcake:

Sprinkle a bit of the 1/3 Cup chopped walnuts

Cut the 8 maraschino cherries into thirds and place a piece on each cupcake.

Lady Baltimore Frosting with rum flavouring

Place in a large bowl

1/2 Cup chopped raisins

1/2 Cup chopped figs

2 Tablespoons rum flavouring

Set aside for 30 minutes.

Place in a 1 quart saucepan

1/2 Cup water

2 Cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Bring to boiling.

Boil without stirring to 242º F on a candy thermometer (medium ball stage).

In a large bowl whip to soft peaks

2 large egg whites

dash salt

While beating steadily,  pour syrup in a steady stream on egg whites.

Add 

1 teaspoon vanilla

a few drops of red food colouring - enough to turn it pink (optional)

Continue beating until frosting stands in firm peaks.

Put 1/3 of the frosting in a small bowl

Stir in the prepared chopped raisins and figs.

Add

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Spread on a cake layer.

Top with the second layer.

Spread remaining frosting over the cake top and sides.

Garnish in a decorative border pattern the top of the cake with

8 Maraschino cherries

1/3 Cup chopped walnuts

Lady Baltimore Frosting minus rum flavouring

Place in a saucepan

1 2/3 Cups sugar

1/2 Cup water

1/3 Cup golden corn syrup

Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Bring to boiling.

Cover and boil 3 minutes.

Remove cover.

Boil without stirring to 240º F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage).

With dampened cheesecloth wipe any crystals from saucepan during cooking.

Remove syrup from heat.

In a large bowl whip until foamy

2 large egg whites

Add 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whip whites until stiff.

While beating steadily, pour syrup in a steady stream on egg whites.

Add 

1 teaspoon vanilla

a few drops of red food colouring - enough to turn it pink

Continue beating until frosting stands in peaks.

Put 1/3 of the frosting in a small bowl

Stir in

1/4 Cup fine dry macaroon crumbs

1/4 Cup chopped walnuts

8 Maraschino cherries, chopped

Spread on a cake layer.

Top with the second layer.

Spread remaining frosting over the cake top and sides.

Garnish in a decorative border pattern the top of the cake with

8 Maraschino cherries

1/3 Cup chopped walnuts

Kids' Favourites - Healthy Style

Make a big difference by making small changes. By simply switching one ingredient for another, you can reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar. Here’s how to makeover your kids favourite foods so they can become heart healthier.

Mac ‘n’ cheese
Try our recipe for homemade macaroni ‘n’ cheese. When using boxed kinds, add frozen peas and carrots while boiling the noodles and use low-fat milk. You can also skip the addition of margarine or butter.  

Hot dogs
Choose chicken or turkey varieties. Limit serving sizes. Serve hot dogs with a colourful veggie platter. Limit salty condiments like ketchup and mustard. Serve with whole-wheat buns.

Chicken fingers
Make homemade ones using whole-wheat bread crumbs and bake them. Try our recipe for baked chicken nuggets.

French fries
Bake your own using sweet potatoes, which contain loads of vitamin C. Slice thinly, drizzle with olive oil and bake them for 30 minutes at 200º C (400º F) or until crispy. Add seasonings such as paprika, rosemary or garlic.

Hamburgers
Make with ground chicken or turkey or extra-lean beef. Or look for pre-made varieties that contain 10% or less fat. Try meat alternatives like soy burgers. Serve with whole-wheat buns.

Pizza
Make your own - go easy on the cheese and load up on the vegetables: sweet red pepper, fresh tomatoes, broccoli. Try vegetarian pepperoni made from soy. When consuming frozen varieties or ordering fast-food types, go vegetarian to avoid high-fat meat toppings. Choose whole-grain crusts.

Ice cream
Use plain low-fat frozen yogurt and load up on the fresh fruit toppings instead of sugary ones. Keep portion sizes small (125 mL or 1/2 cup) and serve with sliced, frozen red and green grapes. 

Cookies and cupcakes
Make a big batch of whole-grain cookies and freeze. Watch portion sizes and set guidelines for when they are to be eaten.  Serve with fresh fruit, such as slices of apples. Try our recipe for chocolate carrot cupcakes with yogurt icing.

By Alyssa Rolnick RD., MHSC.