Dessert was definitely the most interesting course of the night because we all had to be extremely creative to be able to come up with a dish that incorporated asparagus but also tasted like dessert. Here’s what we came up with:

Team Spargel went with a light and fresh dessert: Asparagus Mint Fruit Cups. The dessert was definitely a refreshing end to their delicious Italian themed meal.

Team Asparagus stole the dessert round with their sweet and rich Asparagus Panna Cotta with a Raspberry Reduction Sauce. It was amazing that a that tasted dessert so good could have asparagus as a main ingredient!

Team LAM Chop was deemed by the judges as “taking the biggest risk” with their Asparagus Berry Crisp and Asparagus Pistachio Ice Cream. The ice cream was garnished with Candied Asparagus.

After an intense deliberation, the judges finally settled on a winner our competition: Team Asparagus. Their dessert helped put them over the edge, but throughout the competition Team Asparagus made some truly delicious dishes that expertly highlighted the secret ingredient.

All teams did a fantastic job and we all left the party feeling pleasantly sated and happy. Stay tuned for the next competition, scheduled for December 12th!

Recipe:

(adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook by Martha Stewart)

Makes 18 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Mocha Frosting

Instructions:

Tiramisu cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Mocha Frosting:

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (bot not touching) simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely. Set bowl on counter-top and let chocolate cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder, instant espresso, and boiling water in a small bowl and stir until cocoa and espresso powder are dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioner’s sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

If the frosting seems thin, allow it to harden in the refrigerator for an hour. Frost cupcakes when they are completely cool. Decorate with Mini Merengues, if desired.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 254

Fat: 15.1g

Saturated Fat: 8.0 g

Carbohydrates: 27.9 g

Protein: 3.2 g