"culinary in the desert" news and stories

I have been wondering how well silicone muffin cups work since they first appeared on the market. Designed as a reusable alternative to paper muffin/baking cups, their main advantage is that no muffin or cupcake crumbs will stick to them, so not a single delicious morsel of your favorite baked good will be lost. Not only did I doubt this claim, I found it to be ridiculous. Who cares if a small bit of cake is stuck on your wrapper? Better yet, why don't you simply grease the pan and put your batter directly into the muffin tin?

My friend Joe, at Culinary in the Desert, tested out his set of silicone muffin cups this week. As you can see from the photo above of his Whole Grain Raisin Muffin, they turned out very well. The muffins held their shape and popped easily out of the silicone liners. Joe liked them enough to order a second set, and while I'm glad to know that they work, I still don't see the need to use them. I also find the little ridges on the muffin a bit disconcerting; it's just not natural.

Angel food cakes are considered by some to be diet food. They are, after all, fat free. On the other hand, they're loaded with sugar, which keeps the cakes moist and fluffy after baking. Sugar and fat always seem to be a tradeoff when it comes to "healthier" desserts, and I , for one, will take the sugar every time.

A good angel food cake should be moist, not overly sweet and very tender, not to mention that it must have a good flavor. Culinary in the Desert's Mocha Angel Food Cake has all these properties,  in addition to being a beautiful chocolate color and having both cocoa and coffee in the cake.

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 If you're looking for something lighter than the usual holiday fare, Culinary in the Desert's Peppermint Kisses are sure to spark your fancy. These lighter-than-air meringues have a peppermint twist to their taste and a great holiday look. By piping the meringues onto the baking sheet and decorating them with festive sprinkles and multi-colored dragées, Joe dressed up these relatively plain treats into something worthy of Santa himself. Personally, I'm still a bit jealous that he is able to find the elusive dragées - and multi-colored ones, no less -  because they look like the perfect way to top off a kiss.

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