Red Currant Meringue Cupcakes

Red currants are usually not everybody's favorite berry. A lot of people probably find them too sour. I am not a big fan of eating them raw myself, but they are very versatile for baking and desserts. You should try making a sorbet, or sprinkle a few of them over your müsli. I also like to make red currant curd and jelly. The black variety has a stronger almost bitter taste and is best known to make Cassis.

These cupcakes I made here have just a slight tartness to them. The meringue topping balances the sweet and sour delicately. A hint of ginger added an interesting taste. Everyone who tried them did not even think it was ginger; they were just wondering why it tasted so good.

Daring Bakers: Honey Panna Cotta and Ginger Florentines

Creamy and crunchy was this month's theme of the Daring Bakers. We were asked to make Panna Cotta and Florentines. I made panna cotta many times before, and really like it for its creamy consistency and easy preparation. As I usually make the original vanilla version, I was looking for something new. I found inspiration at Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert, which has three different versions of panna cotta. I thought the version with honey would go well the florentines, which also consist of honey.

I always wanted to make florentines. I went with the original version with sliced almonds instead of the ones with rolled oats from the challenge recipe. I added crystallized ginger instead of the typical candied orange or lemon. They tasted amazing, especially after dipped in dark chocolate. I will definitely make them again.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.