Easy Cream Sauce & Strawberry Cupcakes

Having one of those days when everything irritates me. Feeling a little burnt out from writing/reading and vacillating between supreme confidence that some publisher will fall in love with my work and terror at the prospect of being rejected by every publisher on this planet. So I spent 3 hours cleaning the house, which is nothing compared to the 8 hours of cooking Lissa and I did on Saturday. Need a break from writing, reading and cooking. Maybe I'll go for a walk to clear my head. Meantime, here's a simple cream recipe for steaks, pan-friend chicken breast, pork chops, any sort of meat really, and a lovely strawberry cupcake with cream cheese icing recipe.

Enjoy.

Mustard and White Wine Sauce

serve 4

One packet double cream

1 shallot or a quarter of a spanish onion, finely diced

splash of chicken stock

glug of white wine

teaspoon of Dijon mustard

pepper

Saute diced shallots in olive oil until translucent. Turn heat down, add wine and cook off alcohol. Add stock, cream, mustard and pepper and bring to simmer. Serve immediately with meat.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 1 dozen

• 160gm whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (192gm)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113gm)
• 1 cup sugar (225gm)
• 2 eggs

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 (175) degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Hull and dice strawberries
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar, then fold in beaten eggs, vanilla and strawberries.
5. Combine flour mixture with butter and sugar mixture.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until skewer inserted into muffin comes out clean, about 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese

100 gm icing sugar

125 gm butter

vanillin