Just ’cause they’re pretty – Vanilla cupcakes

Posted on June 13, 2012 by petitedecadence

Ok I’ll be honest. I hate cupcakes. Let me correct that. I love cupcakes, they just always happen to be spoiled by ludicrous amounts of frosting. And I seriously don’t get why people love frosting……it’s so freaking sweet and excessive! And that, coming from me, is saying something, because I literally eat sugar cubes. But I just don’t understand how this cupcake frenzy we’re in is the perfect excuse to order a huge dollop of butter and sugar on top of a miserable bit of cake.

That being said though….cupcakes are incredibly cute and fun to make…they’re basically a pastry canvas in which you can go totally crazy decorating, and it’s not the serious undertaking of making say, a wedding cake…it’s just a teeny tiny cake which you can mess up without any serious consequences. The color, shape and flavor of the toppings are endless! So I guess in that part I can understand and get on board the cupcake mania. But since I didn’t want to go all out and make a huge mess of my kitchen (because everyone who decorates cakes know how many freaking utensils and surfaces get covered in sticky sugary stuff) I made a simple vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting recipe! They actually took about an hour and a half all in all to make! Read more for the recipe.

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ñam ñam ñam – Tilapia ceviche with clementine juice

Posted on April 25, 2012 by petitedecadence

I could write this post by telling you about how much I love ceviche. About how it’s incredibly light, delicious, and healthy. About how there’s no type of ceviche I won’t eat (ok…if it’s got bellpeppers I won’t, but shhh), and about how I’ve been making tons of different ones due to the endless possibilities when it comes to ingredient mixing. But I won’t do that. Instead, I’ll tell you about how I find incredibly soothing and satisfying the process of actually making the ceviche. My sister and I have this saying “anguish, anxiety, desperation” which we use to describe that feeling when you need to be doing something different, you just don’t know what. You know the feeling, the one that usually strikes on sunday? (happens to everyone ….right?) Anyway, I’ve found that the best cure for that feeling, in my case, is making ceviche. There’s just something about the dicing and chopping and waiting for it to be ready that’s mysteriously relaxing. It’s a way of making a great dish without stressing over anything. I don’t know…it’s just zen. Maybe that’s the way sushi chefs feel all the time! If that’s true…then I certainly need to look into that. But back to the actual ceviche recipe, this one is the result of a lonely leftover clementine (from me making clementine pound cakes almost every day this week) and a present from my sister; a lovely unidentified chile plant, which I suspect is a type of habanero. Feel free to substitute with any other available kind, such as serrano or de arbol. Just be sparing, if it’s too spicy it’ll overpower the fish and citrus. Read more for the recipe.

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The classics – whole wheat banana and cream crumble

Posted on April 19, 2012 by petitedecadence

After an eon of not posting anything (and I do have stuff to post! like pan seared artichokes and honey mustard glazed salmon with a wilted spinach and goat cheese salad…I just haven’t had the time to get to the actual posting part) I’m coming back with one of the absolute classics in my sweet stuff repertoire. And it’s just as good as it sounds in the title….. Yep. Just what you read. Bananas in sweet caramelised cream with a topping of crumble that melts in your mouth and golden sliced almonds. And no, I am not talking about something you can only try in heaven. Oh no…this dessert (or breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or snack) is as easy to make as it is to commit sin. You’ll bake it in 5 minutes and watch as it disappears in 2.

I’m not exaggerating. In fact, I even doubted posting this recipe for the sake of everyone’s health. But hey, when have I ever concerned myself with that? (ok…..I have…but this is whole wheat, and brown sugar! I know…I know) But enough with singing it praises, go make it!

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Work for it – Key lime pie

Posted on March 30, 2012 by petitedecadence

I’ve always been exceedingly good at procrastination. Really, nothing gets done better than when you leave it for 20 minutes before it’s deadline. Particularly if its something you don’t actually want to do, like balance your account or cleaning out your closet. But I don’t stop at that…oh no. It can take me quite a while to start even on the things that I love doing, and that, I can tell you, is a terrible habit, because if one of those things happens to involve oven and chilling times and quite possibly an exact time to be served….well, really…you shouldn’t postpone getting started. Because you might just end up running around the kitchen with sticky meringue hands looking for the torch and leaving sugary fingerprints all over your house, encouraging your creamy tart filling to set with only 5 minutes time of fridge rest, and ruining your pajamas with flour and syrup because you also put off taking a shower before starting.
Which is so not what happened to me as I made these pies. So not. Really. Ok, it totally was. But in my defense, I did make two of them, and in spite of all the rushing, they turned out absolutely delicious (can key lime pie ever not be?) and gorgeous looking. I used Deb’s at Smitten Kitchen version of the filling, with my own shell recipe and a regular italian meringue topping. You can find both links after the jump.

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Simple pleasures – Rustic mini baguettes

Posted on March 12, 2012 by petitedecadence

Those who enjoy life know that the true spirit of it is found in simple pleasures; waking up to birds and trees outside your window, having a good talk over coffee with a close friend, sunny afternoons on a terrace, silly jokes that make your stomach hurt from laughing, ceviche on hot days, feeling the sea breeze on sunset, going out for a walk after its rained, flowering bushes…you name it. It’s the simple things that keep us content and give meaning to our day to day lives. And one of those excruciatingly delicious simple pleasures is bread. I think very few people can deny it, unless you’re allergic or on a diet…bread, particularly when warm from the oven, will never fail to give you a satisfied smile, even if its just from smelling it and thinking…yuuuum, that looks delicious, and then letting your mind wander with all the possibilities of toppings or accompanying goodness that can go with it. At least I can’t deny it. And for me one of the simplest, but most enjoyable of breads, is rustic bread. There’s just something about the soft and perfect butter-absorbing interior, full of flour flavors and smells, and the crunchy crust combination. There’s no way to eat it that’s not delicious. With butter. With butter and jam. With butter and ham. With mustard. With soup. With nutella. With cheese. With sugar. With olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And the sandwich-ing possibilities are endless..there are no ingredients that can taste bad in between two slices of it right? And if you happen to have a roast turkey breast laying around (because that’s what normal people do) then your life might almost be complete. (Read more for the recipe)

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