I was going to comment on Kim’s post about the strawberry champagne cupcakes, but when it got this long I thought it was time for a new post. I made them, too, about a week ago. Here is some trivia about the recipe and the comedy of errors that is cooking in the Bronx (n.b. we do not have things like ’supermarkets’ or ’stores open past 6 pm’ here.):
1. Apparently, muffin papers are a “seasonal” product at your local K-Mart. That season is “about two weeks before Valentine’s day, but not one,” in case you were wondering.
2. But if you grease and flour a nonstick pan this works fine, too. I think it may have made the cupcakes dry out a bit faster, but if yours are all getting eaten in one fell swoop this shouldn’t be a problem.
3. As the recipe will tell you, the glaze does not taste very champagne-y once it cools. I splashed in a bit more champagne than the recommended 1/4 cup – because let’s face it, you bought a whole (or half, whatevs) bottle of champagne for this thing; you have some leftover.
4. The recipe doesn’t note this but it’s good to glaze the half-strawberries for the top separately, dipping them in by the green bit or a toothpick, if you are me and cut off the leaves because they were getting wilted. Makes them stick better and makes them look prettier; everyone wins.
5. My glaze, alas, did not come out as pretty as Karen’s – I have a feeling this may be because I ran out of sugar. Terrible, right? Also out of my neighbor’s sugar. So I substituted some powdered sugar – I think this did not turn as clear when simmered, and thus the cupcakes looked sort of frosted with delicious rather than encased in clear, shiny delicious. Not as pretty! Thought it may also just be that I’m an idiot when it comes to anything like candy-making – if there is boiling sugar involved, I should probably be elsewhere.
6. These taste like approximately the most delicious thing in the world if you eat them while drinking the aforementioned the leftover champagne.
That’s it! These get an amazing reception, also, because they are just so pretty. They’re one of those foods that magically look like a whole lot more work than they are.