this week in food

so this Sunday I made an AMAZING Cheddar Ale soup with Irish Soda Bread....but I totally forgot to take pictures....I know sorry.  But I included the recipe at the end...because I did remember to take photos of some other foods I ate and made this week!

seriously...how can you resist locally grown perfectly ripe strawberries in February!!! 

 I went to the wet market on Wednesday and visited a fruit stand that I often go to, and the proprietor offered me a strawberry.  It was heaven.  The best strawberry I have had since I did U-Pick when I was thirteen years old.  I bought not a few, and took them home to serve to my friends Domé and Susie(and Susie's boy Jared) that came over that evening to visit me.  I whipped up some slightly sweetened cream and added some Belgian caramelized biscuits to the fray. MMMmm!

Pomelos are like fortresses

At the market I also bought two Pomelos.  Pomelos seem to be in season because they are crazy cheap and sweet right now.  I took my beauties home and began to hack away at the rind and pith of one.  I think I understand what it is like to try and lay siege to a U-Boat now.  Getting to the fruit in these tanks is no easy task, and then you are confronted by the worlds biggest pips! The pith and skin in Pomelos cannot be eaten or tolerated like in an orange, it is far more bitter, so you have to extract the citrus from within the membrane area, it's a lot of work - but such a lovely reward.

So Today I invited some friends over to play Wii and relax.  I decided that, like all my guests I wanted to treat them.  So I scanned the internet for inspiration.  I have to admit...I'm not an amazing baker.  But I did want to see what the big fuss back home was all about.  So I dipped my toe into the swimming pool of Cupcake-dom.
Cherry Coke Cupcakes

The Players

 So I used the core of my recipe from here, but inspiration and ideas from a few different recipes.  One recipe recommended using Kool Kola extract, I wish I could get my hands on some easily, but I couldn't. So I used vanilla extract instead.
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 granulated sugar
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 buttermilk
3/4 cup coke(not diet)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(if you can substitute Kool Kola extract, you can find it online)
3 cups of coke
one can of cherry pie filling
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
maraschino cherries for garnish
Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together, set aside.
combine the buttermilk, coke and vanilla - set aside - don't worry if it looks curdled
cream butter and sugar, add the egg
alternately add the flour mixture and coke mixture - in four turns.
scoop into cupcake liners - bake 18-20min at 350F or 175C.
take out and cool
While the cupcakes are baking take 3 cups of coke and slowly reduce it to 1 cup of coke.
after the cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut cone shaped holes in the tops of the cup cakes
then prick the tops with a toothpick around their edges
gently spoon some of the boiled down coke into the holes tilting and pouring a little at a time(note, don't soak the cupcakes, just moisten and give them more of a coke flavor, then with a tiny spoon fit 1-3 cherries in the wells that you cut with the paring knife, however many will fit
make a glaze by taking 2 Tablespoons of the remaining reduced coke mixture and add it to 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, let it sit to thicken a few minutes - then drizzle on top of the cupcakes.
add the 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the whipping cream and whip with an electric mixer until stiff
count out how many maraschino cherries are needed and rinse them well with clean water(otherwise they will drizzle red all over your whipped cream)
with a piping bag or a plastic bag with a hole cut in the corner pipe the whipped cream onto the cupcakes, top with a lovely maraschino cherry and enjoy.
They were moist, and kinda crazy delicious.  I would have liked a stronger coke flavor, but I didn't have that lovely Kola extract.  These are pretty, but a lot of work.  I think I will stick to dinners, and sloppy desserts.

Cheddar Ale Soup
I modified this recipe, with ideas and inspiration I gathered from the internet, Food Network and my own tastes.  I found that the bitey richness of the soup was complimented extremely well with the light sweetness of the soda bread.  This is a great winter meal, and let me say, that if by some miracle you have leftovers, both taste even better the next day!

6 slices of thick cut bacon cut small and cooked till crispy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large leeks, halved sliced thin
1 large fat carrot, or two normal ones, diced
2 healthy sized celery stalks, diced
3 cloves of garlic smashed and roughly chopped
2 large par-boiled potatoes
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups of pale ale
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
375g shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese - I used Beqa Strong&Bitey(a lovely Australian brand)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

retain a few tablespoons of the bacon to cook the veggies, melt the butter with the bacon fat and toss in the leeks, carrot, and celery; cook until tender
add the garlic, cook for another minute or so
add the flour, make a creamy roux
add one cup of the ale, reduce out the alcohol
when the roux begins to thicken add the other cup of ale
reduce just enough to see the base thicken a tiny bit
add the chicken stock
heat through until it begins to simmer
add the milk and cream, heat through until simmering
add the potatoes
one handful at a time add the cheddar, otherwise it will clump
once all the cheese is incorporated I added the remaining 1/2 cup of ale at the bottom of the bottle
season with salt and pepper
serve with the bacon sprinkled on top, and Irish Soda Bread on the side

I am sorry but in my late Sunday hunger I completely forgot to photograph this meal.  Next time I guess.
But it was seriously a beautiful meal, very photogenic.