...Occasional Cooking Too

I was raised a California girl. But something I will always associate with East Coast summers are soft shell crabs. Love them!


Yes. Even though they are vulnerable prehistoric, sea-dwelling arthropods with impotent killer pinchers...soft shell crabs are also crunchy yet juicy with a distinctive taste of I-don't-know-what-but-it-reminds-me-of-the-Eastern-Shore. Best of all, they are incredibly easy to cook up. (The hardest part may be finding where you can buy them--I bought mine at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market).

I got mine already cleaned and dressed and on ice. The vendor had live ones too, but I couldn't bear the thought of having to kill them (by cutting off their eyes) and cleaning them (by pulling off unedible appendages, etc.) myself.

First I let them take a soak in milk, seasoned with salt and pepper. About 10 or 15 minutes is long enough.



Then I dredge them in a bit of flour that I seasoned up with Old Bay.



Meanwhile, I heat up about a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. When it gets hot, I flip the crabs in, topside down first. After a few minutes, I flip them over to the other side.



And that's it!

I made a meal of them by serving with some simple fried rice and garlic sauteed "rau muong." A throwback to my childhood and a favorite of my father's, these greens are sometimes called water spinach. But taxonomically, they are related to morning glories and sweet potatoes. Gastronomically, they are in a class of their own. They readily soak up the flavor of whatever seasonings you use. I used garlic, a dash of salt, a splash of sesame oil and a bit of oyster sauce.


It ended up being a perfect night to eat outdoors (al fresco dining!) with a slight breeze and fireflies.

Cupcakes cupcakes everywhere!

Thank you to everyone who came out to see (and buy) the Wonderfully Made Jewelry! It was so much fun to get to try on the different pieces and watch others do the same and really having a great time (all the while knowing what a worthy cause this was). A big round of applause also to our hostess Anne, who opened up her home and muslin-draped patio for the party and had her most successful jewelry show yet! There is Anne setting up one of the display tables.

I was able to get all the baking and icing done in time: three kinds of cupcakes with three different icings.

Dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh strawberry buttercream.

Yellowcake with a lemon-lime glaze and a subtle lavender-infused buttercream.

And also the specially-requested french toast with bacon and maple syrup buttercream.

While it was somewhat of a close call, the bacon was the most popular flavor!

Oops! Slight Misadventure....

It's been a whirlwind week in preparation for the Wonderfully Made Jewelry show (which went incredibly well, but more on that soon!) I've been baking up a storm, as you can see:


I started the baking marathon with a batch of grown-up, dark chocolate cupcakes, which are not too sweet with a very rich chocolate taste due to the melted bittersweet chocolate plus cocoa in the recipe. They actually turned out beautifully and had a picture perfect shape. Then I went to bed... after I cleaned up and stored them in the oven until I could continue icing them the next morning.

The next morning, I preheat the oven to make the french toast with bacon cupcakes. I start thinking to myself, "Wow, it smells so good...and I haven't even put them in the...oh my goodness!" I throw open the oven and there are the chocolate cupcakes. Still as gorgeous as ever:

You can LOL; I won't take it personally. I'm just sad about all the chocolate that went to waste....

CupKates and a Cause: Wonderfully Made Jewelry

I am so excited to announce that I will be getting to combine my love of baking with a really great philanthropic cause. My friend Anne occasionally organizes jewelry parties on behalf of Wonderfully Made Jewelry and recently asked if I would be interested in featuring some of my cupKates there. Would I ever!


A little about Wonderfully Made Jewelry: in conjunction with its foundation, the company provides training and sustainable jobs for rescued victims of human trafficking overseas through artisanal jewelry craftsmanship. The pieces look timeless yet also trendy; I can't wait to check them out in person.


I'm also looking forward to getting to bake up a storm of cakes in fancy flavors as well as one or two of my tried and true. I've had requests for lavender flavored cupcakes; a repeat of the french toast with bacon; and everyone loves a really good red velvet cake.


I just hope we get an awesome turn out for this worthy cause and that people like the jewelry. If my cupKates get a little boost too...well, that's just icing on the cake! (Insert groan here.)

**Picture of Japanese Garden Necklace courtesy of www.wonderfullymadejewelry.com.**

Update: Coconut with Mango Mousse

Finished and delivered the coconut cake with mango mousse. It turned out like a little pastel yellow drum!

Coconut with Mango Mousse

My biggest fan Angela (God bless her!) has commissioned me for a new cake. I originally was going to make a coconut cake with passionfruit filling (sort of like this one). But when I made the filling, it really turned out unappetizing. The problem, I think, was the quality of the ingredients I was able to obtain. Often times, passionfruit juice is sold in cans--unless it is mixed with another kind of juice like Welch's makes. And the can imparts a very strong, very unpleasant metallic taste to the juice, which intensified in the cooking process.

So I dumped the whole thing and had to tell Angela, it was a no-go. I suggested mango instead, and she graciously agreed.

Then I got to scheming. Rather than a curd-type filling thickened with cornstarch, I wanted to make it lighter and less sweet. The cake was going to be made with cream of coconut not coconut milk, which makes it more moist, and with low-gluten cake flour, which gives it a lighter texture than regular flour. Knowing this, I decided to fill the fluffy coconut cake with an equally ethereal mousse made from real mangos.