• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup Blue Moon beer
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Line 24 cupcake trays with liners. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a large bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar a little bit at a time, beating well. Once it’s all added beat for 2 more minutes.
3. Add eggs, beating after each.
4. Add vanilla, orange zest, and nutmeg and beat.
5. Mix beer and milk in a measuring cup. Alternatively add beer/milk mixture and flour mixture to butter mixture in the large bowl, beating after each.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees F until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting

• 12 oz cream cheese, cold
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined. Mix in ginger. Beat until smooth for about 2 minutes.

Ganache

• 9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup light cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinammon

Place chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Warm cream with rosemary and cardamom in small saucepan over low heat. Bring just to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate. Cover bowl tightly with foil; let sit about 5 minutes. Stir to melt all chocolate.

To assemble, dip cooled cupcakes into warm ganache. Let cool. Then pipe/spread frosting on top of cooled ganache.

Okay, you’re probably wondering what naga means. Several things actually. I can never just do food. There’s always some element of history, science, or perhaps even humor (as it should be). Today it’s history.

Nāga is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or being, taking the form of a very great snake—specifically the King Cobra, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. The use of the term nāga is often ambiguous, as the word may also refer, in similar contexts, to one of several human tribes known as or nicknamed “Nāgas”; to elephants; and to ordinary snakes, particularly the King Cobra and the Indian Cobra, the latter of which is still called nāg in Hindi and other languages of India. So what does this have to do with food? Some people think a certain chili pepper might be named after the Nāga .

The Bhut Jolokia, as it is commonly known, is a chili pepper previously recognized by Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in the world. It is also called the Naga Jolokia and is believed to have originated from the hills of Nagaland. An alternative source for Naga jolokia claims that the name originates from the ferocious Nāga warriors who once inhabited Nagaland. Spicy—warlike. Sure, why not. This pepper’s scoville rating is insane.

They include more than 20 tribes of mixed origin, varying cultures, and very different physiques and appearances. The numerous Nāga languages (sometimes classified as dialects) belong to the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Almost every village has its own dialect; different groups of Nāgas communicate in broken Assamese (Nāgamese), or sometimes in English and Hindi.

So, I named this cupcake after it’s Indo-Nagan, Sino-Tibetan heritage of flavors. Don’t worry, the heat is what I’d consider mild and somewhat sneaky. It’ll warm up your mouth after you finish your first bite. On to the recipe.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup Guinness (seriously, it’s required. The rest is for the chef.)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp curry powder (coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, red pepper, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

For the filling:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (can substitute more coconut milk or another liquid)
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinammon
• 1/2 tsp curry

For the frosting

• 4 cups confections’ sugar
• 1 lb cream cheese
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• fresh shredded coconut

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring 1/2 cup stout, 1/2 cup coconut milk, and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

In a separate large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and rest of dry spices. Using an electric mixer, blend in eggs and sour cream. Then slowly add stout-chocolate mixture just until combined. Slowly mix or fold batter until completely combined.

Taste time. Tweak spices as desired.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake 15-20 minutes until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Rotate them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

While your cupcakes cool, go ahead and make the filling. Chop the chocolate into coarse but roughly even pieces, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the coconut milk and bailey’s until it is simmering (but not boiling) and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler or give it 20 seconds in the microwave to help the chocolate get sufficiently melty). Add the butter and spices and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes. Use a pastry filling injector or pastry bag with fine tip to squeeze ganache filling into center of cupcake. Just insert the tip about 1/3 of the way and squeeze. It’s okay to allow it overflow across top of cupcake. I always do when filling. If you’re worried about drippage, stick the cupcakes into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set quickly. You can use a baster in a pinch if you have neither an injector nor pastry bag.

Make the frosting. In an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese on medium speed. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, starting with a few tablespoons at a time of your sugar until the frosting looks thick enough to spread (for me, this was about 2 cups). At this point, add in the coconut milk, vanilla, and Irish Cream. Whip it until combined. Beat in as much or as little of the remaining confectioners’ sugar until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Frost your cupcakes. If you want to get fancy, pipe the frosting on top in swirls or whirls—but if you just want to eat the cupcakes, frost using a spatula—and garnish with the shredded coconut.

Although dried figs are available throughout the year, there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs. They are lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds. California figs are available from June through September; some European varieties are available through autumn.

Figs grow on the Ficus tree (Ficus carica), which is a member of the Mulberry family. Figs range dramatically in color and subtly in texture depending upon the variety. The majority of figs are dried, either by exposure to sunlight or through an artificial process, creating a sweet and nutritious dried fruit that can be enjoyed throughout the year.

According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs contain many antioxidants. They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols including gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, etc. In one study, a 40-gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity.

On to the meringue recipe. Meringue is simply a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar that is used in confections and desserts. The invention of meringue in 1720 is attributed to a Swiss pastry cook named Gasparini. Meringues are eaten as small “kisses” or as cases and toppings for fruits, ice cream, puddings, and the like.

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cider or white vinegar
• 1 + 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4-6 dried figs, stalks removed, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fig spread/jam (or pulped fresh figs)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Beat until the whites form soft peaks. Add vinegar and slowly add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, and mixture becomes glossy. Beat in fig spread.
3. Fold in cocoa, figs, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
4. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes ~ 4 dozen.

Lamellar on Ronin and Parseltongue whispers,
bright copper scales and sharp spiny whiskers,
Jedi mind tricks;  force-sensitive younglings,
these are a few of my favorite things.

Pearlescent unicorns and caffeine by the kilo,
dwarf beards and elf ears and marathons of Willow,
Griffons that fly with the wind in their wings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in cosplay that leaves little to imagine,
creatures fantastic; did I mention dragons?
winter is coming; prepare for a Clash of Kings,
these are a few of my favorite things.

When vampires bite, when the siren sings,
when we’re geeking out,
I simply remember my favorite things,
and then I don’t feel any doubt.

Lamellar on Ronin and Parseltongue whispers,
bright copper scales and sharp spiny whiskers,
Jedi mind tricks;  force-sensitive younglings,
these are a few of my favorite things.

Pearlescent unicorns and caffeine by the kilo,
dwarf beards and elf ears and marathons of Willow,
Griffons that fly with the wind in their wings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in cosplay that leaves little to imagine,
creatures fantastic; did I mention dragons?
winter is coming; prepare for a Clash of Kings,
these are a few of my favorite things.

When vampires bite, when the siren sings,
when we’re geeking out,
I simply remember my favorite things,
and then I don’t feel any doubt.

Blueberry Puree

Bring 2 pints of blueberries (fresh or frozen) to a boil over low-medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick (about 1/2 hour). Cool the mixture slightly, and then blend in a food processor until smooth. For an extra smooth puree pass through a fine sieve.

Blueberry Cupcakes

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberry puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinammon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Blueberry cupcakes pictured above before going into oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line muffin tin with paper cups.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating just until incorporated. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinammon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, mix the milk, blueberry puree, and vanilla.

Add wet and dry ingredients alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated after each addition. Do not overbeat!

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 paper cups. Fill each halfway, and then spoon 1 teaspoon of blueberry puree into the center and mix in slightly with a wooden skewer or small spoon. Top with more batter so that tin/cup is nearly full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire
rack and cool completely before frosting.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup blueberry puree
2 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
drop or two of vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the blueberry puree and vanilla extract just until combined. Add the icing sugar gradually and beat until smooth and spreadable.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as you wish. Store in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Yields 12-14 cupcakes.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

Directions

Artists understand that nothing is original. It says it right there in the Bible; Ecclesiastes:

“That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” Yes sir, every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of previous ideas. “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”

The above quote is attributed to Picasso. What it references is the difference between aping and assimilating; between copying and internalizing; between being unoriginal and being innovative. An artist is a collector, not a hoarder. There’s a difference: hoarders collect indiscriminately, the artist collects selectively. We really only collect things that we love. Just think, garbage-in, garbage-out. You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. Your job is to collect good ideas. The best way to collect ideas is to read, read, read. Read the newspaper. Read books. Read the signs on the road. Read the faces of strangers. The more you read, the more you can choose your influences. It’s all about active cognition.

Artists of every stripe build on that which was done by their predecessors. It’s only the great artists who manage to take things to new heights, in new directions.

Sometimes a vague or even bad one. How does that spark of creativity find its way to the canvas, the page, the dinner plate, or the movie screen? How is inspiration refined into the forms that delight or provoke us? The Atlantic enlisted some of America’s foremost artists to discuss the sometimes messy, frequently maddening, and almost always mysterious process of creating something new.

It reads like a who’s who of creativity:

• painter Chuck Close
• writer T.C. Boyle
• director Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• musician Paul Simon
• playwright and set designer team Sarah Ruhl and Scott Bradley
• director Tim Burton
• auto designer J Mays
• architect Frank Gehry
• graphic designer Michael Bierut
• chef Grant Achatz
• fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy
• musician Lupe Fiasco
• graphic novelist Ben Katchor
• architects Bonnie Fisher and Boris Dramov

The technology is here. The time is now. Virtual computing for all. Join Dilbert and the 3,900 other people who want to run all their existing Windows business apps, desktops and data on their iPad. Buying an iPad doesn’t mean you have to give up all the powerful Windows apps and data you use every day at work. For example, Citrix can help you and your IT department make it possible. Everyone loves GotoMyPC, GoToMeeting, or GoToWebinar. You can use these on an iPad for presentations and remote access. And now an iPad wireless HD mirroring hack makes for better presentations. The iPad also supports excellent file-sharing/cloud apps like Dropbox. I use Dropbox myself for quick, reliable, and real-time file sharing with clients.

The iPad has exploded onto the scene. Who could have imagined that a tablet would capture the imagination of employees and IT alike? But it did, and it’s kicked off an arms race for smart mobile devices. Every day, a new tablet appears: Cisco Cius, Google Chrome OS tablet, Dell Streak, Samsung Galaxy Tab, RIM PlayBook, HP “PalmPad,” the list goes on. These post-PC devices will find a place in your company, but where? I see them replacing conference kiosks and sign-up sheets. They make for excellent presentation tools (more on that later). And they are perfect devices for on-the-go employees who need to share information and collaborate while away from the office. Yes, laptops can do all these. But tablets are simply more mobile. Their tactile nature makes them easier to whip out and just get the job done.

Ars Technica recently reported on a new wireless HDMI hack for the iPad that shows immense potential in the education and training fields. Teachers and corporate presenters alike begged Apple for video mirroring capabilities for the iPad, and the company delivered the feature in the iPad 2. Apple’s solution still leaves users tied to a cord, however, so two employees at networking service provider Straight Up Technologies developed a simple hack to give their client wireless HDMI output and freedom of movement while sharing the iPad’s screen.

The iPad 2 can mirror its display in 1080p HDMI video over the new Digital AV Adapter, which plugs into a Dock connector and has an HDMI port on the other side. For some presenters, being chained to a cable isn’t much of an issue, but teachers in particular have told Ars that one important advantage of using iPads in the classroom over laptops is the ability to walk around the classroom and interact more directly with all the students in the room.

Other applications, such as the virtual kiosk I mentioned earlier, are clearly supported in the tech community by innovators like MailChimp. Their Chimpadeedoo app collects email addresses and stores them locally on your iPad–even when you’re not online. And then, the next time you connect, Chimpadeedoo automatically pushes the addresses to your MailChimp list. If you’re using any other ESP, stop. Seriously. MailChimp is the best, and this isn’t just my monkey fetish talking.

A survey conducted by Zogby International for Sybase found that work ranked just ahead of playing games and watching videos as reasons for buying the iPad. “Study findings reveal that consumers are increasingly demanding mobile devices that blend consumer and enterprise functionality, exposing an unexpected emphasis on the iPad’s suitability for work-related activities, and demonstrating the iPad’s potential value to information workers,” Sybase said in a news release.

Hell, even restaurants are getting in on the action according to USA Today. When the new chain, Stacked: Food Well Built, opens its first of three Southern California units in Ma—this one in Torrance—sitting atop each of the fast-casual chain’s 60 tables will be an iPad that folks will use to design and order their meals.

The iPad and iPhone are also apparently a hot commodity in the health care industry. Doctors and nurses are using the electronic gadgets for the coolest kind of medical technology. Examples include: a plastic surgeon who uses the iPad to demonstrate to patients what they might look like after reconstructive surgery; an emergency room doctor showing patients radiographs of their injuries; and Loyola University Medical Center which has given iPads to all of its orthopedic residents as part of a pilot program.

Still, I will admit to drawbacks.

Tablets will bring many new benefits, but they also bring new problems that IT must deal with. The security of post-PC devices is probably not the worst of your concerns, however. It will be controlled chaos, but the modern architectures of these devices reduce the “attack surface” for bad guys. Theft or loss is probably your biggest challenge. And, of course, you need to partner with your colleagues in other IT roles to solve issues like:

• Educating employees on where tablets work and where they don’t. No, Microsoft Office won’t work on tablets today
• Prioritizing applications. Start with basic applications that every employee needs — email, collaboration, productivity, and communications — and then layer on dedicated applications depending on the scenario.
• Dealing with the platform proliferation that threatens to clog the market with choices. iOS, Android, QNX, Windows Phone, WebOS, Symbian, Chrome OS, oh my!
• Overhauling the support and reimbursement model for employee-provisioned devices.
• Amping up the device management and security models. Tablets use the same security models as smartphones.

What every iPad user needs to know

• Prepare yourself to talk to IT
• Discover how organizations are putting the iPad to work at work
• Collaborate with co-workers on your iPad

What every IT manager needs to know

• Use this IT cheat sheet for Citrix on iPad work place integration
• Watch this four part series on enabling the iPad for business
• Learn how the BYO model fits into your workplace with this solution brief

Ingredients

• 5 ounces dark chocolate
• 7 egg yolks*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• You might want to add a little zing with a shot of your favorite liqueur.

Directions

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Melt chocolate over hot water bath or in microwave. Leave to cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar using electric mixer until the mixture is frothy and pale in color. Add melted chocolate, beating constantly. Add cream while continuing to beat the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the individual ramekins and bake for about 30 minutes. The mixture should appear firm at the edges but not set (jiggly) in the center.

Remove ramekins from oven and let cool. Chill in refrigerator for a couple hours.

Before serving, if  you don’t have a kitchen torch, set oven to broil, sprinkle ramekins with brown sugar, and caramelize them under the broiler to melt the sugar, watching carefully and adjusting the position frequently to help the sugars caramelize evenly. Otherwise break out the torch and start caramelizing. (I’m a sucker for all things involving blow torches! Fire, Mwahahahahahaaa!) Allow ramekins to cool before serving.

*You’ll have a lot of egg whites left over from this recipe. Use them for something delicious like mousse, macaroons, or meringue.