Caroline County ~ A Perspective

clean or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.

Remove the mini cup cakes from the oven and place on a rack to cool a bit. Make the frosting while you bake enough batches to use up the batter.

To make the frosting: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl or onto a piece of wax paper; set it aside.

Melt the butter in a mediumsized saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring, until the sugar starts to melt and the mixture becomes fairly smooth. While you may still notice a bit of grittiness, you shouldn’t see any melted butter pooled atop the sugar. Add the milk, and bring to a boil.

Remove the syrup from the heat and pour into a medium-sized mixing bowl (large enough to accommodate the confectioners’ sugar). Let the syrup cool in the bowl for 10 minutes.

Pour the confectioners’ sugar into the warm syrup in the bowl, then add the vanilla extract or desired flavoring. Whisk until everything is thoroughly combined. You need to work fast here; the frosting stiffens up quickly as it cools.

Pour the warm frosting onto the mini cupcakes, spreading it over the entire surface.

Store the mini cupcakes, covered, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

DARK CHOCOLATE BARK

7 oz. very good semisweet chocolate, chopped 7 oz. very good bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1/4 cup dried crystallized ginger, diced small 1/2 cup dried cherries 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced small 1/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a pencil, draw a 9 x 10-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper placed on a sheet pan, then turn the parchment paper over.

Over a double boiler, stir the chocolates together until they melt. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly into the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly with the raisins, ginger, apricots and cherries. When the bark hardens, cut it into 18 to 20 pieces and serve at room temperature.

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, has taught both adult and children’s cooking classes on the south shore of Massachusetts.

For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.