Cupcake Crazy

Smores cupcake from More Cupcakes in Chicago

Maybe it's just me (Ray) that doesn't get this whole cupcake craze. Sure it's cute that you get creative with the flavors, design, and gobs of artery clogging frosting. But let's be honest, it's like 3 bites of cake for $3, $4, even $5.

And there are so many of them now coming out of the woodwork and invading strip malls, mall malls, trucks, and stands. And then there are TV shows dedicated to this cupcake phenomenon showing how bush league some of these cupcakeries are operated.

Call me old fashioned, but I want some real cake. Multiple layers of cake.

I don't want a tiramisu cupcake*—I want some real rum and espresso soaked lady fingers with marscapone tiramisu dusted with cocoa powder.


* I did have a CupKates' tiramisu cupcake from a work celebration earlier in the week. And damn it, it was delicious.

Sumie Nouvelle - Japanese Fine Dining in Taipei

Our third day in Taipei, we were a little tired of Chinese banquet dinners (we had two 10-course meals with family the two previous nights. So after a day of checking out the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and shopping in Ximen Ding, we decided to have dinner at the nice Japanese restaurant inside our hotel, San Want Hotel, called Sumie Nouvelle Cuisine Japonaise.

We went for the chef's tasting menu, a seven course dinner.

First course was this beautfully plated guava, crab, soy gelee, cucumber, and tomato salad with miso dressing.

 Second up was Sashimi on the Rocks—snapper, hamachi, salmon, grilled white fish, and blanched shrimp. It was served with a white-fish ceviche.

The sashimi was very fresh and tasty, and the ceviche knocked it out of the park. The only thing that really didn't work for me was the shrimp. Anytime I've had shrimp with sashimi it's been fully cooked. This one was was reddish, but still translucent, and the texture in the mouth reflected that. But I manned up and swallowed it.

Third course was a play on tempura. Puffed rice crusted prawn, fried kabocha squash, fried fish.

Fourth course was a filet that was still cooking on a bed of hot rocks. Mine was delicious, but ended up a bit more done then I would've preferred. But that's the price I pay for taking too long to snap photos of all the food.

Steak is really expensive in Taiwan, because there isn't much that is locally raised on the island. So it must be imported from Japan, Australia, or the U.S.

Fifth course was a small collection of sushi (not pictured) and an amuse-bouche of hamachi.

Sixth course was a ginger lobster soup. The soup was extra gingery but delicious because it stayed piping hot the entire time. The soup was served in a bowl but lined with a water-resistant paper; inside the bowl, underneath the paper was a hot tile of granite to keep the soup hot.

Finally, for dessert we had mochi and cantaloupe. But this was no ordinary mochi, for inside this beautifully shaped mochi pillow topped with cocoa powder was a tiramisu filling. A wonderful little surprise to end the night.

In fact we were so inspired by the tiramisu mochi, that when we came back to the states, we had a holiday party where we took part in a dessert competition. We took the idea, and made a pumpkin pie mochi, which wasn't as beautiful (my first time making mochi), but a winning dessert none-the-less.

Waffle Tree near Sun Moon Lake - Taiwan

While on our tour in Taiwan, we went to a small aboriginal village in Sun Moon Lake in Central Taiwan. Strolling down the street towards the lake, I came across a random stand selling waffle trees. A waffle, shaped like a skinny Christmas tree, drizzled with a choice of sauce. I chose a coffee sauce which was delicious. I was a little bit concerned because a lady came out of the back with foil in her hair (getting her hair dyed)—when in Rome.

So it was a nice little treat after a long day of sightseeing. I was a little sad when I finished it in a few bites.

Banana Bread

I bought a big bag of bananas from Costco, and for some reason they got ripe really quick. Tracy, our primary banana eater, likes her bananas on the green side. I don't mind a yellow banana, but I don't eat a lot of bananas, and certainly couldn't put down 7 extra bananas, especially when they start getting those brown spots. So when you're in such a situation where you've got more bananas than you can eat, try making some banana bread. Its an easy and delicious way to put them to use.

I used a modified version of Aunt Holly's Banana Bread from Epicurious. A relatively simple recipe that uses minimal ingredients.

• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Chocolate chips (as many as you want!)
• Mixed Raw Nuts**

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.

* I used self-rising flour in lieu of regular flour and baking soda. My baking soda has been in my fridge absorbing odors for the last several months, so i thought it unwise to use it. And my alternatives were in the freezer and shoe closet doing the same.

** Walnuts would probably be recommended for a more traditional banana bread, but given what I had available in my pantry, mixed raw nuts is what I used. I think some crushed or sliced almonds would be great, as would a handful of any trail mix.

Brown Sugar Gingersnap Ice Cream from Ici

After a long and uphill bike ride up to Tilden Park in Berkeley, I rewarded myself with a scenic and fast ride down the hill that made me feel like I was on my motorcycle again. I stopped by to watch a little Cal football practice at the stadium, rode through campus, and rewarded myself with a hotlink from Top Dog on Durant, and then this wonderful Brown Sugar and Gingersnap ice cream from Ici on College Avenue.

This delectable delight hit the spot, with just the right creaminess and sweetness and the gingersnap cookies provided a nice chunky surprise and burst of flavor. The cone is unique too. Its not a waffle cone, so much as a crepe-cone.

Ici Ice Cream
2948 College Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
http://www.ici-icecream.com/

Melona Ice Cream Bars

I was visiting my parents over the Independence Weekend and my mom handed me this frozen treat. Melon flavored ice bar. I've since also had it in strawberry flavor as well the original melon; mango, banana, red bean, and lime are also available, but I have not had them yet. It has a unique creamy texture rather than the iciness of a Popsicle, though it doesn't melt and drip nearly as quickly as a true ice cream bar.

According to Wikipedia, Melona is a South Korean product that launched in 1992 by Binggrae. It quickly became a top seller in the "Popsicle" category in South Korea.

Melona bars are available at 99 Ranch Markets and possibly other Asian specialty markets. If you can find them, I give them a very high "buy' rating. They come in boxes of 8, though they may be sold separately as well.

Just this evening I bought a box of Strawberry Melona and froze it for a little late night dessert. I was a bit disappointed though when I pulled one out of the box, that apparently it may have melted and refroze, leaving me with a chubby short bar (as it molded to the end of the wrapper). Perhaps there are still some shipping/logistical kinks they need to work out shipping them from Korea, or else someone at 99 Ranch forgot to freeze them right away. No worries, it still tasted great and had the same ultra-smooth texture. I may update this in the morning if I feel any ... repercussions.