"Old-Fashioned" Cupcakes

My friend Martin, in honor of this 27th birthday, decided to host a St. Patrick's Day brunch this past Saturday. It was a potluck brunch so everyone brought a whole slew of delicious fare, both sweet and savory. Brunch is a somewhat regular event among our friends, but since this one was a special celebration, I thought I should make cupcakes.

I was debating about what type of cupcake I should make, and I knew classic chocolate or vanilla was not going to cut it. Martin makes a mean old-fashioned and I thought it only appropriate to celebrate his birthday with an interpretation of his favorite cocktail. Plus, it was St. Patrick's day, so why wouldn't I include in my cooking that most Irish of elixir, Whiskey?

The classic old-fashioned gets its flavor from maraschino cherries and oranges muddled with whiskey. This is mixed with a bit of simple syrup, bitters, and served on the rocks. When I make an old-fashioned I usually use maple syrup instead of the simple syrup; I find the earthy flavors of the maple syrup really mesh well with the oak flavors in the whiskey. Thus, I ended up making a vanilla-maple cake, which I then drizzled with maraschino-whiskey syrup. I topped all of this with more maraschino-maple-whiskey-flavored frosting and garnished with a slice of orange and a cherry on top.

Spring Pea, Leek and White Bean Soup

Spring is finally here! Yes, I know that we never really had a winter, but I still get excited when I see the first buds on the trees appear and the first daffodils start to tentatively bloom even if I never had to chip ice of my car.

I have been on a soup kick recently and the appearance of fresh peas delicately green peas in the grocery store gave me a flash of inspiration. Pea and leek soup is a classic spring combination, one that I come back to each year around this time. For this version I wanted to make this light soup into a proper meal so I gave it more body by adding white beans and caramelized onion, and made it sing with a generous portion of lemon zest and tons of herbs added at the last minute. This simple and elegant bowl of soup was topped with grated Parmesan more herbs and served with a thick slice of bread for the best spring kickoff meal imaginable.