You Were Mint for Me

A few weeks back, I ran a "Name this Cupcake" contest on Facebook. It was for a white chocolate chunk cupcake with peppermint buttercream, and if you missed the contest, well, you missed out on winning 1 dozen of theses suckers. You might want to go sign up as a fan on my Facebook page to be sure you don't miss out on any future give-aways. Go ahead, I'll wait for you....

Anyway, the winner of the contest, Aimee, owns a local tea salon here in Paris. For any of you who follow my blog, you know I have been looking for a partner to distribute my cupcakes for a while and well, a tea salon would certainly fit the bill. So I rigged the contest to get on Aimee's good side.

Joke!

Seriously, though, Aimee's name was the first one submitted and I fell in love with it right away: You Were Mint for Me. I've been singing it in my head (not the Jewel version, silly!) for over a month now. Singing in the Rain happens to be one of my favorite classic films and I loved the reference. In fact I played it incessantly the year my son was 2 because we spent a lot of time at home, I figured it was innocent enough for him to watch, and he just loved the music. IMHO, Gene Kelly is a one-of-a-kind; they just don't make actors like that anymore, and I can watch him over and over again serenading Debbie Reynolds in this scene. And don't even get me started on the title song-- what a performance!



I hope Aimee enjoys her cupcakes, which her husband should be picking up any minute now. As for the rest of you, You Were Mint for Me cupcakes are available on my menu now, along with two other new flavors I've whipped up for the holidays, The Movie Star (The Professor & Marianne....) and Some Like It Hot.

You'll notice the Peppermint Bark topping Aimee's cupcakes. Have you ever made it? It's so super simple and makes a great gift on its own for your neighbor, the other gals in your bookclub, Tommy's teacher, etc. I happen to like how it looks on a cupcake. Get your baking sheets ready....here goes:


Peppermint Bark
(from Elizabeth LaBau, About.com Guide)

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:

* 8 ounces (about 1-1/3 cup) dark chocolate, chopped
* 8 ounces (about 1-1/3 cup) white chocolate, chopped
* 6 peppermint candy canes

Preparation:

1. Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a food processor. Pulse on/off several times, until the canes have been chopped into small pieces. Alternately, place the candy canes in a large Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire.

2. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil.

3. Melt and temper the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet use an offset spatula to spread it to a unform 1/8” thickness. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. Place the tray in the refrigerator to firm up for 15 minutes.

4. While the dark chocolate hardens, temper the white chocolate.

5. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.

6. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the chopped candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick. Place the tray back in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes.

7. Once bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.