Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

I had quite a few avocados that were turning to mush and I had run out of ideas on what to do with them so I decided to use the trusted google and source for some online ideas. Which led me to this recipe of making something unhealthy into an healthy treat, well at least part of it was healthy.

Since the avocado frosting was going to be the star of this recipe I decided that a plain vanilla flavoured cupcake would compliment it. I chose this recipe of the crabapple cupcake recipe book I had.

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Ingredients:2 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Method:Preheat oven to 170. Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes are each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add eggs one at a time, beating fr 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of the flour to the cream mixture and beat on a low speed until combined. Add half of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

Chocolate Avocado Frosting

1/2 cup mashed avocado (this was 1 small avocado for me)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup honey (use agave for a vegan version)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

Add avocado to food processor and process until completely smooth with no clumps. Add all remaining ingredients. Process until a smooth and creamy texture is achieved. Frosting should be thick enough that you can hold it on a knife upside down without it falling off and silky smooth. Transfer into desired container and store in fridge until using time. Use as you would normal frosting. Recipe yields about 1 1/4 cups.

I'm surprised at how good the frosting tasted, it did not have a hint of avocado and blended really well with the dark cocoa and chocolate. I was also expecting the frosting to be runny but it set pretty well on the cupcakes. I'm definitely going to be using this frosting a lot more than the usual butter or cream cheese.

Pistachio Cupcakes

I had some of this delectable cupcakes from a cupcake shop in the city not too long ago and I absolutely loved it. I started looking for recipes online so that I can bake some of my own at home as it's a lot cheaper to make them on your own then paying an average $4 each for a single cupcake. I found this easy recipe and decided to give it a try. The composition of the recipe relied mainly on the nut component therefore you get a very rich dense cake.



The batter

Ingredients:

• 180gm butter
• 375gm caster sugar (I'll half this qty as the ones I make were really sweet especially since I had icing on it)
• 6 eggs
• 300gm ground pistachios
• 300gm ground almonds
• 75gm plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• zest of 1 lemon

Method:

• Preheat oven to 170 deg
• In a cake mixer beat the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy, then add one egg at a time and mix till incorporated.
• Get the bowl off the mixer and gently fold in all the dry ingredients, be careful not to knock the air out.
• Once all the ingredients are combined, scoop into cupcake moulds.
• Bake for 20 mins, to test if the cupcake is ready insert a skewer in the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean it is ready.

Icing:

• 200gm butter
• 8 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Beat butter and icing sugar in a mixer till pale, then add the milk and lemon juice. Spread or pipe onto the cool cupcakes.

MeatMother - Richmond

I was walking past Swan st one day when I discovered this new american joint that was about to open. Me and my colleague had a sticky beak has we peered into the window as the renovations were going on. It look like a promising place, so as soon as I got back to the office I google it and was impress at the menu and knew that was my husband's kind of a place. 

Two weeks after it's opening my hubby made me call to make reservations and was politely declined as seating is first in best dress, so I check their business hours on their website and arrive 15 mins before the opening time. There was a couple of staff inside organising stuff waiting for service to start and they did not let us in even though we were standing in clear view of them they did not let us in until the precise opening time of 6pm. As soon as it strike 6, the doors were open and we were warmly welcome in. They asked if wanted seats upstairs which we fully accepted. 

Their menu boast of an all american fare and as the name of their business suggest it's a meat place so if you are a vegetarian then this joint is not for you. We kind of knew what we wanted even before we got there as we studied the menu like our lives depended on it. 

Beef ribs on thick texas toast with slaw

Basically you order a meat and add a side to it and they all come with a texas toast, I had the pulled pork with mac & cheese and hubby had the beef spare ribs with coleslaw. I also ordered the mash with gravy as a additional side dish. The service was really good and the wait staff carried out their duties with a smile as if it was their hobby and not a job.


Pulled pork on thick texas toast with mac & cheese

And service was really prompt it did not take more than 10 mins before our food arrive. When our plates were place before us I must say even though it was an american joint the portion was not american at all, they were pretty small, fine for a lady but hubby was disappointed when he saw his small stack of ribs. We decided to overlook the portions and tuck right into it, I must say the pulled pork was melt in your mouth, moist and tender. The toast that was serve alongside it was just awesome. And the mac & cheese had a good amount of crispy breadcrumbs sprinkled and baked to golden brown perfection.

Mash with gravy

Hubby's beef ribs fell off the bone it did not require and effort to get the pieces of meat off the bone, he was enjoying every part of it. He had the coleslaw with it and it had big crunchy shredded vegetables with a nice blend of mayo mix into it. We shared the mash and gravy which was nice. Hubby was still hungry and ask for the menu again the wait staff was happy to obliged. 

He decided that he would have the beef brisket, the wait staff explain that he could have that as a add on option instead of ordering it as a main and he was happy with the suggestion. While waiting for his brisket he started picking on my pulled pork and was enjoying it and mention that he would have that the next time he was back. 

The brisket arrive again the portion was a let down it was 2 measly slices, again taste triumph over the size. At the end of the meal we were both happy at the authenticity of the american taste. Only big negative was the meal size which was a huge disappointment and it was'nt exactly price to suit the portions. When hubby went to the cashier to pay and was asked how was the meal, he feedback that they needed to increase the portion size, well we'll see if they would take that on board cause it will be a waste to let this one go just on that basis.

Location:

167 Swan St

Richmond

The Graham - Port Melbourne

This post is a little late as we went to this restaurant for Mother's day in May but that was a crazy month for me with so many things happening at the same time so I had to put blogging to the end of my to do list, well as they say better late than never. 

I love the ambiance of this place, the moment I walk in it had a charming feel to it with a modern twist. As soon as we walk in we were brought to our tables, sat down and had our napkins strewn over our laps. My dear daughter was a little amuse at the attention given as we do not go to such fancy restaurants very often and this all seems strange to her but she enjoyed the attention nonetheless. 

We were handed the menus and was given a rundown of the specials for the day. I ordered the spanner crab  salad as a shared entree between me and hubby to share. For mains I went for the pan-fried rock flathead and no guesses for what hubby went for, the usual 250g scotch fillet the only difference this time mushroom sauce was not an option. 

Only drawback about this place is it did not have a kid's menu maybe there was a reason for that it's a no kids zone but I must pride myself in saying that my child is the most well behave kid you can find unlike other ruly uncontrollable kids. So instead of paying more than $40 for a main for her we decided that she could  share my meal with me. 



Spanner Crab Salad

The spanner crab salad was such a great dish it was an explosion of flavors in your mouth from the crab, the pear and crunch bits of salmon crackling such a beautiful dish executed perfectly. I wish I ordered the entree all for myself as I could eat 2 servings of that delectable dish all on my own.

It was a great start and could not wait for mains to arrive which took quite a bit of time so while waiting we ate complimentary bread that was served. When mains finally arrived it was a welcome sight as by that time we were practically starving only to be crestfallen at the small measly piece of fish siting in the centre on a huge plate, this was a dish that I was suppose to be sharing with my daughter. 



Pan fried rock flathead

Not wanting to wait another 30 mins to order another main, I offered her the fish which she gladly took and scoffed down in a few bites I was glad that she enjoyed every morsel of it. So I was left with the grilled bug tail again another little morsel of it, a piece of scallop and the smoked eel sausage with the shellfish sauce. I cannot fault the dish though everything on that plate tasted absolutely divine.



250gm Scotch Fillet

Hubby on the other hand thought the fillet was a little tough and chewy, in his words he has tasted better steaks elsewhere. After mains we were still a little hungry or should I say I was hungrier so I decided that we would have dessert and hubby and kiddo was happy for me to choose since it was after all a night to celebrate me. 



Dark Chocolate ice cream bar

Chocolate & Peanut butter

 

Greena apple pistachio Meringue

The 3 dessert I chose were the dark chocolate ice cream bar, the peanut butter and chocolate and the green apple pistachio meringue. Thankfully dessert was a reasonable size it was enough to share among the 3 of us, kiddo had the first pick and she instinctively went for the ice cream bar. I decided that you cannot go wrong when peanut butter and chocolate is paired together. And looks like hubby got the meringue. But we all had a taste of each others dessert and they all tasted heavenly, a great way to end a meal. 

On a final note overall this is a nice place to go to for a special celebration as hubby paid an hefty bill for it, not an everyday go to place to have a meal. 

Location:

97 Graham St,

Port Melbourne 

Coconut Salmon Wrapped in Banana Leaves

A colleague brought this dish to work recently and it tasted really good so I asked her for the recipe since I'm always on the lookout to try out something new.

Ingredients:

4 x 150gm salmon fillets

4 pieces fresh banana leaves

Marinade:

2 large garlic cloves

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

2 large spring onions

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp cardamon seeds

2 small red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped

Juice of 1 large lime 

1/4 cup coriander finely chopped 

1 kaffir lime leaf finely chopped

1 cup coconut cream

1. Place salmon with marinade ingredients in a snap-lock bag, then squeeze out air. Seal bag and squish around to coat fish. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 200 deg celcius
3. To soften banana leaves, pass them over an open flame, or place in a bowl of boiling water for 5 mins.
4. Lay a leave, shiny side down on the work surface. Place a fillet in the centre and top with quarter of the marinade. Fold leaf to make a parcel and secure with think wooden toothpicks. 
5. Repeat for remaining parcels, then place toothpick side up, on  a lined baking sheet.
6. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through. 
7. Transfer fish and sauce to a plate, serve with rice and lime wedge. 

This was a very simple dish to make the only thing that you had to do was to get all the ingredients organised beforehand. Unfortunately this time I had forgotten to take pictures of the end result, that was how good this dish was that as soon as it came out of the oven we could not resist sinking our forks into it. 

Encore Restaurant - Hotel Grand Chancellor

So what brought us to Encore, well like any over zealous voucher buyer I had purchased another one of those deal vouchers for a 3 course meal. I make reservations for dinner on a Sunday night and Encore was a hotel restaurant located right smack in the city. We got there half an hour late due to the difficulty in finding carpark and I was panicking that they had given my table away but when I got there the restaurant was not full at all with only a few tables occupied. The wait staff seem to be use to people being late and was not really bothered by our tardiness. She showed us to our table and handed us our menus.

For entrees I had the pork tasting platter which was presented beautifully, it comprise of dumplings, pork belly and spring roll with a chilli dipping sauce. The description on the menu was really good and knew I had to try it. But the taste test did not fare very well. The dumplings were a little bland, pork belly was too fatty and the spring roll ordinary. Hubby had the soft shell crab tacos and boy they were awesome I was a little jealous and upset I did not go for that entree instead. The crab was generous in size and the salad went very well with it. 



Top: Soft shell crab tacos
Bottom: Pork tasting plate

For mains I had the herb crumbed chicken which again was ordinary nothing to rave about. And hubby had his usual steak with a mushroom jus and chips. Again hubby enjoyed his steak saying it was melt in the mouth and cooked just how he liked it. I was not doing well with meal choices and hope that dessert would save the night. 

Top: Herb crumbed chicken
Bottom: 300gm Scotch fillet

Both of us were really full by this stage and I did not even finish my main I had half of it still left on my plate. I had the banana tart, again another disappointment, the portion was huge but that was about it. The pastry was too thick and still tasted a little raw not baked long enough. The bananas were a little burnt and could have been better it was a little more ripe. The only thing that was good on that plate was the rum and raisin ice cream. Hubby had the chocolate tart again his choice came out the winner, the tart was light and the chocolate filling not too sweet but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it. 

Banana tart with rum & raisin ice cream

Overall one of those restaurants that I would not be in a hurry to make a return anytime soon. But in all fairness I must add the service was excellent and the ambience was fantastic. 

Location:

131 Lonsdale St 

Melbourne 

VIC 3000 

Railway Pub Hotel - South Melbourne

It was hubby's birthday and I was left to decide on a place to go, but unfortunately due to lots going on at the moment I got the place I wanted to go mix up. I make reservations at the Railway Pub hotel in Sth Melb when I actually wanted to go to the Railway Club hotel, I hate it when places sounds alike. When I realise my mistake and try to book it at the railway club it was fully booked out and so was everywhere else that fateful night. So not wanting to end up not having a place we decided to still go ahead with the railway pub.

We were greeted by someone working behind the bar that showed us to our table that we make reservations for. The common dining area was small and only had a few tables that fit in that tiny space.  And it was really dim as you could see from the pictures I took, I could hardly read what was on the menu, no idea if they wanted to create a romantic feel or just could not afford proper light fixtures.

We ordered the garlic bread and wings to start with, garlic bread was warm and it was garlic infused instead of the usual garlic spread that most places just spread on. The wings was described as "salt roasted crispy skin chicken wings" but what we got was more barbecue than crispy skin but the sesame soy aoli it came serve with was delish.

Garlic Bread

Wings with Aoli

I had the char grilled lamb with mash and baby fennel & dill salad. The lamb was a little dry since there was no accompaniment of sauce although I enjoyed the fennel and dill salad which was refreshing and light. Hubby had the 300gm scotch fillet with mash and garlic butter. The steak was cooked right and he enjoyed it. This time we skipped dinner as we were full from the entree and main. 



300gm Scotch Fillet

Char grilled lamb

Overall dinner was pleasant and not too bad. Although I still must go to the other hotel I initially wanted to go to and will blog about it another time.

Location:

Railway Hotel
280 Ferrars Street
South Melbourne
Vic 3205