Treats for a Fish Fry

I think all I did this weekend was cook. Whenever the kids are coming I like to have things for them to take home. Sourdough rolls, banana nut bread, turkey...yep, that's right turkey and fixins! (Thanks to Amy, I realized turkey isn't just for the holidays). It was a surprise to everybody that came for supper Saturday night. We decided that it was stomach training for the upcoming holiday/eating season - you know...a stretching exercises. Jessi and Blake were here for the weekend; Tyson and Kimberly came for dinner as did Mary and Alberto. Oh what fun to have the house full like that again!

Where was I...oh yes, back to what I cooked this weekend. Well, we are having a fish fry at work on Monday and I offered to bring something. JR said bring dessert. Hmm, what goes with a fish fry...well cupcakes of course! Beth wants something lemony, Derek wants banana cream, and CJ wants sugar cookies.

I made Paula Deen's banana cream cake as cupcakes, iced them with buttercream frosting and then Jessi put blue sprinkles and the little fish on them. Home from college to help me make fish cupcakes...man I miss her!

For Beth's lemony treat, I made lemon curd. I had never made lemon curd before, but it turned out great. I put this in vanilla cupcakes (Magnolia Bakery's recipe). They were also iced with blue buttercream and blue sprinkles with fish on top. These are really good! I debated on making a lemon flavored cupcake to fill...but the vanilla cake with the lemon filling is really just the right blend of sweet and tart. These cupcakes need a name though. Any suggestions?

The last thing I made was fish sugar cookies. I had planned to put these on top of the lemon cupcakes, but the only fish cookie cutter I found was too big for the cupcakes. So, I just decorated them and put them on a platter.


RECIPES

Paula Deen's Banana Cream Cake (as made for cupcakes - makes about 24 cupcakes)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (~4-5)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp bakng powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermild
1 (3.4 oz) box banana cream instant pudding mix
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350.
* In large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at med speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, betaing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
* In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I just sift together). Add to butter mixutre alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. fold in bananas. Pour batter into paper lined muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
* Once cupcakes are completely cool, make a hole in the center for the pudding. I used a melon baller. Prepare the pudding with the milk. Fill the holes with the pudding. I fill a freezer bag with the pudding and then cut a small hole in the corner to fill the cupcakes. Ice and decorate.

Lemon Curd - from Fine Cooking
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest

* In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes. slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
* In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickes, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170 F on a thermometer. Very important to stir constantly. You don't want it to boil or to burn on the bottom.
* Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest. Transfer to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator. It will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

NOTE: It says you can substitute fresh lime juice and zest for the lemon to make lime curd.