Chocolate Tiramisu-Chocolate with Francois-Triple T Week

I should have titled this Triple T-Tiramisu, Tears and Taxes.  It's been that kind of week-and I've been gone from my blog for too long.  Time this week has been spent making the tiramisu, getting my taxes together (yes I always wait until the last minute) and getting ready for my last day at Victoria Clipper. 

Well as you can see I finished the Tiramisu and it's delicious.  I was a little hesitant since it doesn't contain the addition of any type of alcohol like most tiramisu does. But I found I didn't miss the alcohol, and the espresso  enhanced the ganache and chocolate cake even more. I'm always hesitant in starting out with Francois Payard's recipes-a lot of them tend to be multiple steps (as this one is) and a little complicated.  I knew I didn't want to make a quart size dish of Tiramisu so I made individual portions in muffin tins-kind of like cupcakes but not exactly.

 The mousse in this is to die for-really-it is one of those things that you taste, then taste again and again and decide you better quit tasting or there won't be any left for the recipe itself.  It is definitely a mousse recipe I will keep with my "favorite recipes".

Instead of making a 10 x 15" cake I scooped equal portions of the cake batter into greased and floured 12 regular size muffin tins. I had some batter left over so I filled 12 regular size cupcake papers half way with the rest of the batter. I'll tell you why I did that in a bit. I watched the baking time carefully and in my oven it took 10 minutes to get to the "top springs back when touched" doneness.

After cooling I took the individual "muffin" cakes and cut them in half horizontally. I then took a dozen of the giant muffin paper cup liners and filled them with a scoop of mousse .  I took the bottom half of the "muffin" cakes and pressed it into the mousse.  Next I soaked each piece of cake with espresso using a pastry brush. After that was done I carefully spread the ganache over the cake about 1/4 inch thick (this is where I think I erred-ganache too thick for the size of the cake-still yummy though). Then another scoop of mousse over the ganache, pressed the top cut half of the "muffin" cake into that,again soaked it with espresso,and topped it with ganache.

 Remember those half filled cupcake holders of cake batter-they made the perfect topping for what I already had put together. I set one on top of each cake and sprinkled everything with cocoa powder. Yes I know Chef Payard's recipes have more than enough steps in them, why add to it?  Because I wanted individual servings that I could take to work ! And they loved them at work. It was my little goodbye gift to my friends.

So the tiramisu was  a hit, my taxes are done and I don't owe money. That's always a plus and the final T in my Triple T week was saying good bye to friends that I have made over the last 2 years.  It was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated when today came.  I knew I would be sad to say good bye but I didn't know it would be such an overwhelming experience.  I've been so excited over my new venture that I really thought it wouldn't be difficult to leave. Yes it was great fun doing what I did and I loved it and I thought because I was leaving to do something that has been a passion for me that saying goodbye wouldn't be so hard. I was so wrong, saying goodbye to people who made me laugh, who shared their hearts with me, who made me feel so special was so much more difficult than I thought it would be.  I will miss them and  I know we will stay in touch and I hope to see their smiling faces when the bakery opens in May. It still doesn't take away the sadness, so tonight I'll sit quietly and reminisce over my friendships and be grateful for what they have brought to my life and hope in some way I too have brought something to theirs.

So if you want to make something special here is the recipe for the Chocolate Tiramisu.  All of my fellow bloggers will be posting their results with this recipe over at Chocolate with Francois , so stop by and see their results-Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Mascarpone Ganache
9 ounces (250 grams) 64% chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons (100 grams) mascarpone at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 grams) heavy cream

Chocolate Cake
1 cup (100 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (32 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder
6 large egg yolks
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
6 large egg whites

Mascarpone Mousse
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130grams) sugar
3 large egg whites
2 cups ( 500 grams) mascarpone, at room temperature
1 tablespoon ( 12 grams ) heavy cream

Assembly
3/4 cup (180 grams) strong coffee
3 tablespoons (18grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder

Make the Ganache:
Put the chocolate and mascarpone in a medium bowl and set aside.
Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.    Remove from the heat, and pour it over the chocolate and mascarpone.  Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Transfer the ganache to a bowl, and refrigerate until it thickens to an icing like consistency, 30-60 minutes.  Stir it every 15 minutes to speed up the process.  You can make the ganache 1 day ahead, but you will have to warm it slightly in a microwave or over a double boiler before using so that it has a pipe able consistency.
Make the Cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F.  Line a 10x15 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together over a bowl or a piece of wax paper.  Set aside.
Combine the egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the mixture turns a very pale yellow and doubles in volume.  (If you own two electric mixer bowls, you can whip the yolks in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment)
Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed.  Once the whites start holding soft peaks, gradually sprinkle the remaining  1/2 cup ( 100 grams ) sugar over them, and continue beating until they hold peaks.
With a silicone spatula, fold the whipped yolks into the meringue, and then fold in the dry ingredients.  Spread the batter in the prepared sheet, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cake springs back when you gently press the palm of your hand on it.  Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the baking sheet.
Make the mascarpone mousse: Fill a medium pot one-third full with water and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Put the egg yolks and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 grams) sugar in a bowl that will fit snugly on top of the pot but not touch the water.  Reduce the heat to low and place the bowl over the pot.  Whisk until the mixture is very hot and starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and continue whisking until the mixture cools.
Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on medium-high speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup ( 50 grams ) sugar, until the whites hold stiff peaks.
Put the mascarpone in a large bowl, and whisk in the cream to soften it.  With a silicone spatula, fold half of the yolk mixture into the mascarpone, and then fold in the second half.  Fold the meringue into the mixture.
Assemble the dessert: You will need a 1 quart or 1 1/2 quart bowl or dish.  With a knife, cut 2 rounds out of the cake; one a little smaller than the base of the bowl, the other a little smaller than the widest part of the bowl.
Spoon about 1 cup of the mousse into the bowl, then place the smallest of the cake rounds over the mousse and press it down gently so that it spreads the mousse.  Spoon one third of the coffee evenly over the cake.
Spoon a 1/4 inch thick layer of ganache over the cake, then a 1/2 inch thick layer of mousse over the ganache.  Press the larger cake round over the mousse, pressing it down slightly to even out all the layers below it.
Spoon the remaining coffee evenly over the cake.
Spoon another 1/4 inch thick layer of ganache over the cake, and then spoon the remaining mousse over it.  With a silicone spatula, slightly smooth the top of the mousse to make it even and flat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve or for up to 2 days.
Remove the tiramisu from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving, to bring it to room temperature.  This will prevent the ganache from being too firm.  Sift the cocoa powder directly over the top of the tiramisu.

Croissants ala Tartine

Have I ever told you how much I love croissants ?  How just biting into one with crumbs flying puts me in the middle of Paris outside at a little cafe.  I can close my eyes and smell the hot steaming espresso sitting in that little white cup at my table. The tabletop is a beautiful worn wood, it's a light chestnut color, worn lighter in some areas from years of usage. It causes me to wonder how many lovers have shared a croissant and espresso while sitting in this very spot.  It's a little chilly to sit outside the cafe today, a slight Spring breeze blows through occasionally dusting me with more croissant crumbs, but I love sitting outside. 

Taking in the smells of the city, you can smell the green from Spring in the air, the melting  Gruyere cheese from the croque-monsieur at the table next to me.  That mild acrid smell of the french cigarette from the oh so charming young Frenchman at the table to my left. I love watching everyone walk by, the grand mama scolding her 2 little grandchildren-just a few quiet words puts them in their place and they walk quietly and politely along side her. She looks so elegant in her grey wool coat with her black beret placed just so on that gorgeous silver white hair.The young couple wrapped in each others arms nipping gentle little kisses at each others faces, the way young horses nip at each other in the Spring-heads back, manes flying in the wind. The blossoms from the trees are falling and scattering everywhere they walk-little flowers dancing around them-happy to be whirling around two lovers. Because Paris after all is for lovers.  And croissants . And lovers of croissants. 

I am striving for that perfect Parisian croissant, flaky,buttery and crisp-the kind I've had at that outdoor cafe, the kind I've had at Cafe Besalu in Seattle and the kind I've read about in Tartine. I've made the pain au chocolate with the croissant recipe and those turned out pretty close to the perfection I strive for,  so I have high expectations for the croissants.  They are in the refrigerator this morning after being removed from the freezer, I will roll them and let them rise when I get home tonight.

I rolled my little beauties for the last time after work last night, set them in the cold oven with a pan of hot water to proof.  I'm thinking these are going to be giant croissants.  I followed the instructions so that the dough was 12" wide and cut the croissants so that they had a 4 inch base-I ended up with 10 croissants ,8 sized according to directions and 2 made up from the scraps.  Once I rolled them into the beautiful croissant shape I knew they were going to be the croissants that ate Seattle-oh well, such is life. They at least looked like they would be the most delicious tasting giant croissants!  The Tartine recipe calls for immediately lowering the oven to 400F once you place them inside and not opening the oven for at least 10minutes, which I did. But when I did open the oven to do the first pan turn (so they bake evenly) I lowered the oven to 375 and baked them at that temperature for the duration.  After another 10 minutes I turned the pan again. It took a total of 30 minutes to complete baking with a total of 3 pan turns but I think they came out beautifully.  It was a challenge to watch them sitting on the rack and not tear into them.  But I was patient and watched the steam escape as they set up on the counter. That first bite-there I was back at the table in Paris, hmm, these were delicious.  They had a slight buttery taste along with that mid yeast taste that comes with good bread.  And oh so flaky and caramelized on the outside.  I have a few other recipes to try and compare to these but it's going to be hard to find one that will match these. I'll let you know, but in the mean time Bon Appetit.

This is another book you really should have in your kitchen library

Until you buy the book you can find the croissant recipe here . And some really good instructions along with a review of the book here.

Black Beauty Cupcakes and Perfection

Have you watched this season of Top Chef ?  I hope I'm not spoiling it for you by saying how happy I am that Richard Blais won.  I think he is so creative and whimsical and such a perfectionist.  Some day I will have dinner at one of his restaurants.  It was interesting to watch him all season, but especially when it came down to the wire.  He constantly questioned himself, or hated his food, or thought he could have done something better.  I can commiserate. Are you like that? 

You make something absolutely gorgeous and everyone ohs and ahs over it but as you look at it you are picking it apart with your "should have could have would have" ideas. With some things in life I don't think that is a good way  to be, but in the food industry when what you are creating is someones meal or dessert I personally think it's a good way to be. Striving for perfection, striving to improve something you've done. Striving to present the absolute best you can create is a good thing.  I hope I never loose that desire to strive for excellence.  There are times though that no matter how hard we try nothing is going to improve what we produced other than just starting over. 

That's what I should have done the other  night.  I made the Black Beauty Cupcakes from the cookbook Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours.  First of all , let me say this an outlandishly excellent cookbook-one that makes you want to eat the pages as you read through. One that makes you want to run home and start baking. If it's not in your library it should be. It's been nominated in 2011 by the James Beard Foundation in the  cookbook category.  Okay,so returning to the cupcakes.  The photo in the cookbook shows them with this lovely indention into which Sarabeth has piped ganache.  Nothing in the instructions indicated how she got that indentation so I tweeted her and she graciously tweeted back that to form that little ridge -don't flour the sides-so I didn't.  Well my little babies puffed up like hot air balloons in Albuquerque.  They were stunningly beautiful when I removed them from the oven but the didn't have the little crater in the center.

 Now I should have been happy with their gorgeousness but I was going for a certain look.  So I took my 2 1/2 inch ice cream scoop and made my own indentations, by , pressing down on the beautiful pouf that had formed(quelle horreur)..  It worked so I was happy , still wondering why it didn't happen naturally though.

I made the ganache and by now it was 715pm.  Currently I have a job that requires I rise in the morning at 445am and I was just setting my ganache out to thicken.  You know ganache doesn't thicken in 15 minutes so I thought I would hasten the process by popping it in the freezer for a few minutes.  Well, I got sidetracked and those few minutes turned into 20 so that by the time I removed the ganache it was like fudge. My choice, let it soften to room temperature or whip it.  By this time I was exhausted and wanted to crawl into bed so I opted for the whipping.  I should have known-history has taught me not make decisions when I am tired,but I ignored that little baker voice and whipped it anyway.  I got my pastry bags and piping tips set up and ready to go .  I didn't like the consistency of the whipped ganache-I never have cared for it. But I scooped it into my pastry bag and started to pipe.  My piping sucked-and I mean it sucked.  I need practice at piping anyway but when tired and working with a product I don't like , well you know , it's all bad vibes going into it. I hate to sound cliche but garbage in garbage out.  This is no reflection on Sarabeth's beautiful ganache recipe-it's a huge reflection on my laziness and unwillingness to recognize I should have stopped.  When I finish something and my immediate reaction is to lop off the top I should listen to my inner baker voice. I felt like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland-that voice screaming off with their heads, off with their heads.  Did I scrape off the poorly piped whipped ganache,nope, I was too tired.  I simply placed some little white pearl sprinkles over it to cover up my transgressions.  The good news is everyone at work loved them. 

The cupcakes are delicious, moist from the mayonnaise addition and a beautiful dark dark chocolate color-definitely a keeper.  The ganache wasn't so bad either-I got more compliments on it than on the cupcakes !  Sometimes we are just way too hard on ourselves-like Richard was-but look what it got him-Top Chef ! And look what it got Sarabeth with her beautiful cookbook.  Ahh well, back to the drawing board.  These cupcakes with the perfectly piped ganache will definitely be an addition to Taya Parker Pastry, where I will be the pastry chef, but only  after much more piping practice ! Don't have Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours yet ? Head over to her blog she has a couple of recipes and wonderful tips and pointers on it.  And you can find the recipe for the Black Beauty Cupcakes here-but again buy the book it is absolutely stunning. I'm off to have a tall glass of cold milk with the last cupcake standing ! Bon Appetit.

Charlies Chocolate Pudding Cake-Chocolate with Francois

I can't believe I almost didn't bake this cake this month.  I really would have missed an outlandish recipe and one of the most delicious and amazing chocolate cakes ever.  I'm so glad that little baker voice cheered me on to try this recipe.  And thank you to Peggy at Pantry Revisited who selected this month's recipe for our Chocolate with Francois baking group.  After coming off the complicated and marathon baking session with the Malted Crispie Tart I wanted something simple and Francois Payard's recipes are usually not so simple. But I read the recipe anyway and discovered how quickly I could make it.

  The most time consuming part is chilling it in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.  The only mistake I made was that I didn't pay attention to my ganache and it wasn't as warm as it should have been when I added the butter to it so  I had a few little bubbles of butter when I poured the ganache over the cake. Shame on me-but that's how we learn.  Head over to Peggy's blog to get the recipe and make this cake. Strangers will pledge their love to you once they taste it; neighbors will not stop knocking at your door for another slice and co-workers will be asking daily when are you going to make that chocolate pudding cake again ?

Head over to Chocolate with Francois and see what everyone else did. And really, bake this cake it's crazy incredible. It's rich and smooth and creamy and decadent.  I used bittersweet chocolate for the cake and the ganache and I'm glad I did-it took that "too sweet" edge off of it and gave it an elegant taste.  It's especially good with a little dollop of whipped cream on the side. Bon Appetit.

Malted Crisp Tart-Baked Sunday Mornings

Have you ever had one of those weeks ? No matter how hard you tried to remain positive, lurking around each corner was something waiting to trip you up ? I've been under the weather for a couple of days now and it feels like I have fallen 2 weeks behind instead of 2 days behind. I feel cloudy, like the weather in Seattle. You know that feeling when you aren't 100 percent and feel like you are 10 steps behind everyone else? I'm starting to shake it and so very grateful for that. Hot tea and chicken noodle soup helps. I made this tart last week, or rather I started it. This is not a recipe you can make overnight. After I made the tart shell, which is a brown sugar dough and so good I'm thinking of how to make a cookie out of it, I re-read the directions and then re-read them again .

I thought okay so I've wasted a perfectly good pastry shell because there was no way I was going to caramelize rice crispies, make malted chocolate ganache,crush malted milk balls, make a malted milk pastry cream and combine that with whipped cream to make a diplomat cream. Whew, I was exhausted-maybe putting this marathon tart together weakened my immune system ! But I'm not a quitter and I knew I could do this.

So I made the shell on Wednesday, the pastry cream on Thursday, and then assembled it with the ganache on Friday. You really need to be prepared for all the steps in this recipe but the rewards are well worth it. It has a wonderful caramel crust from the brown sugar, the sweet milk chocolate ganache layered with the crushed malted milk balls and the caramelized rice crispies give it a slight sweet/salty taste. The diplomat cream is something I could eat by the spoonful.

I made my crust a little too thick but it's so tasty I really don't mind the thickness. This is something you eat in small tiny slices, unless you happen to love a sugar overload. Will I make it again ? Only if J asks for it-it's too complicated to be on my bake again list but I encourage you to at least try it once-it's perfect with a hot espresso to offset the sweetness. Bon Appetit.

See how everyone else did over at the Baked Sunday Mornings website. Buy the book Baked Explorations and join us !

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Change

J and I went out to breakfast last Friday  morning. For as long as we have lived in Seattle we haven't ever made the trek to Cafe Besalu and after eating there this morning I can't believe we have missed this place. I have read people's ravings over their croissants and everything else that Chef James Miller bakes. He was nominated in 2008 and 2010 by the James Beard Foundation for Best Pastry Chef. After tasting his pastries this morning he should have won both times. I don't have enough adjectives to describe the lightness, the butteryness, the crunch and the absolutely incredible flavor of his pastries. It's probably a good thing that I don't live in Ballard or else I would be eating croissants and pain au chocolate all day every day from Cafe Besalu.

Hazelnut Twist from Cafe Besalu

I've been working on my croissant and pain au chocolate recipes and techniques for some time now and if I can create a pastry half as good as Chef Miller's I will count myself successful. Are you wondering why I've been working on my techniques ? No ? Yes ? Well remember back on Valentine's Day I posted this horoscope:
Creative projects that you may have been working on for a while could prove especially ego boosting, Cancer. You're doing a great job. A change of employment and increase in income may be in the works. If you don't feel passionate about what you're doing, expect the chance to become involved in an enterprise that you do feel strongly about. New ideas and opportunities could change your life.

It's time for that change of employment and time to feel passionate about what I am doing. I have given my notice at the reservation office and sometime mid-May I will be the pastry chef for Taya Parker Pastries in Issaquah , WA.  It's a brand new bakery with a target opening date of May 16th. Do you know how excited I am ? You can't even imagine-I'm still pinching myself. I wake up in the middle of the night with recipes running through my head along with a zillion other things. Jennifer the owner who has hired me is going to be a wonderful boss. The most positive person I have ever met with nothing but success on her mind and a fabulous can do attitude. I'm honored that she has the faith in me to make her business a success. So stay tuned for our menu and opening date.

Needless to say besides croissants and pain Au chocolate I have been testing and working on recipes for all kinds of goodies.  I've been experimenting with my chocolate chip cookie recipe and stumbled across an old post on Smitten Kitchen regarding favorite chocolate chip cookies.  I cannot believe I have not tried this recipe.  They are crisp on the outside, all caramel flavored around the edges and all soft and chewy in the center-the best way for a chocolate chip cookie to be.  I had to send the platter in to J's office or else I would have sat there and finished off every single cookie.

Both of us kept sneaking into the kitchen and taking another cookie off the platter,telling each other that it was the last one but we couldn't stop.  They are addictive and I will never use another recipe for chocolate chip cookies. David Lebovitz you are my hero-thank you for The Great Book of Chocolate and thank you for this delectable cookie.

 Chocolate Chip Cookies
from The Great Book of Chocolate
by David Lebovitz

Makes 20 cookies, or more if you use a small cookie scoop. I doubled the recipe and got about 3 -4 doz medium size cookies.

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt or 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (Deb option)
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped


***Refrigerate the completed dough for 24-48hrs before baking. It allows the flavors to develop and results in an even more delicious cookie. I lined a cake pan with parchment paper, scooped and leveled out the dough into the pan and covered everything tightly with plastic wrap.  It was easy to dip and scoop from the pan when I was ready to bake the cookies.

Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.
Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days-trust me they won't last 3 days.

Strawberry & Cream Muffins

Spring is this Sunday, March 20th and I am anxious to say good bye to Winter.  It's been cold, grey and wet in Seattle-yes I know, what else is new when you live in Seattle ?  I think just being able to say it's Spring takes some of the chill out of the air.  A chilly Spring day evokes thoughts of  bright yellow daffodils and  purple crocus in bloom with deep blue skies and huge puffy clouds. A chilly Winter day evokes thoughts  of dark skies and winds blowing and the ground brown and frozen .  So this Saturday, it's Winter and this Sunday, it's Spring. It's truly amazing the difference a day can make in our minds isn't it ?

I love Spring in Seattle-there are flowers everywhere. There's the the pale pink blossoms on the Japanese Plum trees,  the bright pink tulips, and the yellow and cream daffodils.  And don't forget the cherry pinks and lavender of the rhododendrons.  Walking around Seattle in the Springtime is like getting surprise presents. Every corner you turn has something else in bloom that surprises you and takes your breath away. 

I've been in a Spring state of mind and watching for the first rhubarb of the season and got distracted by the wonderful odor of strawberries at my local market.  Don't you just love that smell ?  I close my eyes and can taste that juicy sweet berry, then I start thinking of whipped cream and shortcake and before I know it I'm buying 2 pounds of gorgeous strawberries.  I love to eat them plain in all their beautiful sweetness. But these begged for something.  Then I remembered seeing some delicious strawberry muffins months ago on someone's blog.  When I Googled I found it-Jane's Sweets And Baking Journal.  She does such a beautiful blog and her photos are stunning. I used her recipe with just a few minor tweaks.  These combine the best of all worlds- a moist morning muffin with the hint of a cheesecake center .  One bite and you think you are eating strawberry shortcake.  I think these would be wonderful with any fruit but they are especially luscious with fresh juicy strawberries. 

What a perfect way to welcome Spring.

 

Strawberries & Cream Muffins
Adapted from Janes Sweets and Baking Journal ( make sure you visit her blog)
Makes about 12 to 14 regular size muffins, or about 6 jumbo muffins.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Muffin
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. almond extract
2 large eggs
2 cups All purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh ripe strawberries chopped into very small pieces

Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz. cream cheese, very soft (don't use the fat free or light version)
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. of egg liquid (so beat one egg lightly and measaure off the 1 1/2 Tbsp)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Put paper liners in the cups of your muffin pan, or use nonstick baking spray
Cut up your berries into small pieces and set them aside.

In a small bowl, use a spoon to mix together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. beaten egg, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix until almost all the lumps are gone. Set this aside (don't refrigerate it-you want the consistency of cheesecake batter).

Melt the butter slowly in a sauce pan on low heat. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the milk into the butter, stirring to combine. Cool until the mixture is just warm, then whisk in the eggs.

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix it altogether with a whisk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour all of the butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients, blending gently just until combined. Don't overmix.

Using a portion scoop, fill each muffin cup 1/3 full.

Scatter  4-6 pieces, of strawberry on top of each one, gently and barely pressing the strawberries into the batter.

Using a  teaspoon, dab a generous teaspoonful or so of the cream cheese mixture on top of the berries.

On top of that, add on another tablespoon or two so of the muffin batter until the cream cheese portion is covered.

On top of that, add a few more pieces of strawberry. Push them in just slightly-you want them visible after baking.

Sprinkle the tops of the unbaked muffins very generously with coarse sugar.

Bake the muffins for about 15 to 18 minutes, until they're light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The middle of the cupcake should be kind of firm when lightly pressed with a finger. Check on the muffins early, and if they're browning too fast, lightly cover the pan with a sheet of foil.

Let the muffins cool in the pan, on a rack, for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan to cool on the rack.

(The original recipe was created by Jane of Jane's Sweets)

These are still delicious the next day-pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to refresh them and mmm yummy and warm.