Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I haven't seen my best friend, Cherish, in quite a while. Though a drive lasting only a few good songs is the only thing that separates us, we both have completely overwhelming schedules that has dwindled our time together to mere phone tag and sometimes, if we are lucky, 10 minute conversations. This weekend, I'd thought I'd spend an early Valentine's day with my other lover! And my sister! And maybe a handful of these deliciously sweet cupcakes! A day well spent indeed.

These earl grey cupcakes were light and delicately sweet. Although I halved the recipe, I used the full amount of tea leaves in the original recipe because I wanted a full tea flavor, and I definitely got it. The earl grey was so fragrant! I don't like oozes of frosting so I layered a thin base layer to cover the tops and then a little dollop for extra sweetness. I would suggest to eat these little beauties with a nice, steaming hot cup of tea but well, it's a two for one. The lemon buttercream also paired wonderfully with the bergamot notes within the tea itself.  

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Yields: 12 - 15, I halved the original recipe

Original Recipe can be found at Desert Candy

For the cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of flour

2 tbsn. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2  bags of earl grey tea

For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups of powdered sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tbsn. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill a cupcake pan with liners. Beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure that they are incorporated thoroughly. In a bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients, including the tea leaves. Next, add half of the dry mixture. Add the milk then the remaining flour, stir until combined. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, rotating halfway to ensure even baking. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, cream the butter until nice and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Next, add the lemon zest and lemon juice, making sure it is well incorporated. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

* You can also add some loose tea leaves into the frosting for a stronger earl grey flavor. 

To frost my cupcakes, I  flattened the cupcakes by shaving off the tops. Then spread a thin, smooth layer of the frosting over the cupcake and dip them in a bowl full of clear sprinkles. Using a piping bag, fitted with any desired tip, pipe a small rosette in the center of the cupcake and you are done. Enjoy!

FFF (Friday Flickr Favorites)

A friday of cupcakes from stefHope. Enjoy!

Poladroid

Something I am totally obsessed with is an application called Poladroid. It's absolutely free and absolutely ingenious! I was definitely saddened by the news a while back of the discontinuance of Polaroids. Although we might never get it back, the creators of Poladroid have given us some joy back. As of now I think the program is only Apple compatible, but basically by dragging and dropping your pictures into the "polaroid camera" it spits out a polaroid look-a-like, complete with wait time to develop. It even operates on "cartridges" and "runs out" after every 10 photos you drop into it. Here are some sample photos of my favorite foods and random items:  

P. S. You can find the application here. All recipes for the food below can be found by clicking the hyperlink.

A chandelier from B's house.

My sister's famous Chocolate Chunk & Banana bread pudding. 

Blueberries and Blackberries for an Almond & Mixed Berry Cobbler.

The best and easiest Almond Croissants ever!

A bee doing its job.

My mom's Tofu with Ground Pork and Shrimp, my favorite!

Cinematic Photography

Noah Kalina beautifully captures a mood in these photographs.

It's like a snapshot of an intense moment in a film.

The intensity of Sean Penn's glance,

and that still stare in Kate Winslet's eyes just torture me.

All photos by Noah Kalina

Fleet Foxes

I think Fleet Foxes might possibly be one of my favorite bands. CC introduced them to me a long while ago and my love for them has just continued to grow immensely. It's the kind of music that pairs perfectly with this dark sky, rainy day kind of weather. How a song has the ability to transport you to a place you've never been nor even dreamed of amazes me. It's pure pleasure. 

I absolutely love the new video for their single, Mykonos, by Sean Pecknold. It's a paper mystery world filled with magical paper creatures, paper valleys, and paper enchantment. A literal translation of the dreamworld I was speaking of above:

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

FFF (Friday Flickr Favorites)

Completely smitten with smitten kitchen. It had me at hello, what can I say?

Her photostream here. Her recipes here.

Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Noodles

One reason I like keeping a blog is merely for that fact that my brain retains memory like an elephant. A bad quality indeed for a future medical student! But it's also bad when I have to recall recipes, such as which ones that I like, what I should change next time, and so on. And you can imagine it's even worse when my mother recites her from-memory-authentic-Vietnamese-recipes to me. Since I always, always have my beloved Macbook with me (it's like my conjoined twin), blogging has made it easier for me to record, store, and organize things I've made, enjoy looking at, or plan to make in the future. It makes me happy that when access to my mom at all times ceases, I will have her heart and her recipes buried deep within the archives of the internet. 

This grilled pork dish is one of my favorites. Whenever we have large family gatherings (and they are very, very large), we often cook this dish. It's simple, easy, healthy, and delicious. The charred grilled pork is balanced nicely with the refreshing and crisp lettuce and mint while the sauce (Nuoc Cham) is slightly sweet, spicy, salty, and pungent (and trust me, in a good way). 

Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Noodles and Nuoc Cham

Yields: Enough for 4

For the pork:

2 lbs. of pork shoulder, thinly sliced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsn. sugar

5 tbsn. fish sauce

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the sauce (also known as Nuoc Cham):

1/4 cup sugar

the juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/2 cup water

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 carrot, thinly sliced or julienned (depending on your preference)

1 -2 tsp. chili paste, I used Sambal Oelek (pictured below)

1 package of rice vermicelli, also titled "Bean Thread"

1 head of butter lettuce

1 bunch of mint

olive oil

Mix the thinly sliced pork with the rest of the ingredients. Let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you let it marinate for longer than 1 hour, set the meat in the refrigerator. Before cooking the meat, allow it to come to room temperature. When ready, heat up your grill to medium-high and place the meat on it. Cook until the pork is cooked through and charred well on both sides, about 5 - 10 minutes. 

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the vermicelli noodles and cook until tender, about 2-4 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, set aside.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well. Keep in mind that this sauce can vary from family to family so use my recipe as a starter, and adjust to your liking by adding more of less of each ingredient. Add the carrots and allow them to soak within the mixture. If there is extra you can jar it and keep it in the refrigerator for several days, it is great with eggrolls! (Don't be afraid by the strong smell, it's VERY delicious!)

To assemble, find a plate or bowl and place the noodles in the bottom. Top with the grilled pork and tear a bunch of lettuce and mint on top. Drizzle with the sauce and enjoy!

Jason Nocito Photography

One photographer I really enjoy is Jason Nocito. His photography is unique and extremely refreshing. He photographs a wide array of subjects that vary from fashion to people to lots of random things (which I love the most). You can find his portfolio here. Or you can buy his newly released book, Loads, here. Here are some of his portraits:

Mary Kate Olsen

Cat Power

Emile Hirsch

Bat for Lashes

My favorite images of his come from his other website, The Ego Has Landed. On this website, he takes his photographs and juxtaposes them in order to suggest new, and often very playful meanings, as quirkily demonstrated by their titles. He takes something so banal out of our ordinary, everyday lives and makes it seem absurd, interesting, and contemplative. 

L.A., Lay.

Plastic Tree.

5:55

Elevate me later.

And my personal favorite (that I also used as my header), FLowerRock. 

Turkey & Cilantro Chutney Pressed Pita

B is always hungry, and I mean always. I have to feed that boy at least 5 - 6 times a day. Crazy huh? It's a wonder to watch him scarf down so much food without gaining a single ounce. So for one of his late night cringes of hunger, I had to dig deep. And I mean deep! There was absolutely nothing in my refrigerator, so I took some random ingredients and was extremely surprised with my result. He loved it, I loved it, what more could you ask for? 

I actually got my fresh cilantro chutney at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in San Francisco, but I've heard that Trader Joe's actually carries some (another reason to love it eh?). But if you can't find it there, a recipe can be found here. Sounds simple enough and trust me, it's good on everything, and boy do I mean everything!

Turkey & Cilantro Chutney Pressed Pita

Yields: Enough for one

2 Pita Breads

4-6 Slices of Turkey

3-4 slices of smoked cheddar cheese

3-4 tbsn. cilantro chutney

garlic powder

freshly ground pepper

salsa or pico de gallo

Tapatio

Note: I have ranges on mostly all of the ingredients because it really depends on your preference to how spicy, how garlicky, or how cheesy you want it. 

Lay one pita slice on your counter and spread the cilantro chutney over it. Next layer half of your cheese, then your turkey, then the other half of your cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder. Grill (preferably by a panini press or a George Foreman). Cut into fourths and serve alongside some salsa. I like to mix Tapatio in my salsa for some extra kick! Enjoy!

My best sous chef.

My love, companion, and helper. It has always been there for me.