Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Goat Cheese Frosting

While dining out with friends on evening in May 2012, for dessert, I ordered "Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese".  That dessert stood out to me on the menu like a neon sign.  In fact, my eyes bulged when I spotted it.  Whatever else was included on that dessert menu did not matter; I set the menu down, shared my joy with a friend equally as enthusiastic about carrot cake and goat cheese, and waited anxiously for our server to return.

Carrot cake is among my favorite cakes, and the list is short.  Goat cheese is for me what chocolate is for some.  If goat cheese is on, in, or served along with something, there's a terrifically high chance I'll be interested in consuming the dish.

Hands down, it was the most delectable and memorable dessert I've ever eaten. Moist and uncomplicated carrot cake topped with a goat cheese frosting.

After making some guesses as to how the frosting was made, I asked our server to inquire with the chef about his willingness to divulge what ingredients were used to make it.  The server returned and shared the following: cream cheese, goat cheese and confectioners sugar.  My guess is that there was more to it than that, but felt armed with enough information to try and recreate the frosting at home.  The recipe below is my best attempt to duplicate what topped that amazing dessert.

Goat Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. goat cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 tsp Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

Using an electric mixer, blend the cheeses together.  Then, with the mixer on low, add the confectioners sugar in small batches at a time.  Once the sugar is incorporated, add the stick of softened butter and vanilla bean paste and mix well until the frosting is light and fluffy.  Keep cool in the refrigerator until you're ready to use the frosting.

You'll find the recipe for the carrot cake cupcakes at the Smitten Kitchen food blog.  The cupcakes are delicious!  Their recipe calls for making the cupcakes with a maple cream cheese frosting, which sounds fantastic, but I had a bee in my bonnet about making goat cheese frosting. I plan to make these cupcakes again and do so according to the full Smitten Kitchen recipe.  For now, it's all about the goat cheese frosting!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

The idea of stuffed bell peppers always appealed to me... until I would eat one.  The unimaginative white rice and ground beef stuffing is so dull, not to mention practically flavorless.  The use of white rice is almost always criminal, as far as I'm concerned.

With very few exceptions, after years of being disappointed by what could be a taste sensation, I dedicated myself to creating a stuffing that would compliment the flavor of the bell pepper and be a feast for the eyes.  The idea that the stuffing should look like confetti stayed in my mind throughout the process.

In a large bowl add and mix the following:

1 cup basmati rice (measured raw)
1 cup cooked wild rice (measured raw)
1/2 cup cooked couscous (measured raw)
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
28 ounce can diced tomatoes, without juice
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coriander
S&P to taste

Once the above ingredients are blended, add two large, lightly beaten eggs to the bowl.  Mix to incorporate the eggs evenly with the other components.

You're now ready to stuff your peppers.  Hopefully, you've been adventurous and purchased a combination of green, red, orange and yellow peppers.  Cut away an opening from the top of the pepper, reserving the cap.  Scoop out any seeds or thick membrane from the interior of the pepper.

This mixture will fill 12-14 bell peppers, depending on their individual size.  Go ahead and make this many!  Whatever you don't plan to consume immediately can be frozen in pairs or fours for future meals.

To my baking dish I add a couple heaping ladlefuls of marinara sauce, then stand the peppers in the dish and fill them one by one.  The filling should be comfortably full, not tightly packed. Once full, add a tad more marinara on top of each pepper and then replace the pepper cap. Cover the baking dish with foil and place into a 375˚ F oven.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.  Serve with marinara on the side.  Delicious.