Spaghetti with Miso Cream Sauce (vegan alt included)

Spaghetti in a creamy white sauce rolled into a tunnel on a white plate with a few microgreens as garnish.

I eat pasta way too much. I know this, and I’ve come to accept it. This is a recipe I stumbled across one late night and have made so many times its very different from the original. I took it down to bare bones and built it up back again. The sauce takes the same amount of time that it takes the spaghetti to cook. Sub heavy cream for cashew cream to make this vegan. This is an umami bomb and I make it at least twice a month.

White plate with creamy spaghetti twirled into a tunnel like shape. Topped with microgreens.

Spaghetti with Miso Cream Sauce (vegan alt included)

Umami Bomb Spaghetti. The use of miso gives the flavor of parmesan cheese with a little funk. If you use the vegan alternative, you'll never miss dairy Alfredo again. Enjoy on its own or serve as a side to chicken, mushrooms, or shrimp.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound dried spaghetti (or whatever pasta is your favorite)
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • minced garlic (measure this one with your heart)
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 1 tablespoon mushroom powder (optional but highly recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 cup heavy cream (Vegan Alt – 3/4 cup cashew cream + 1/4 cup pasta water)
  • 1/2 cup pasta water
  • finishing salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Method:

  • cook your pasta according to package instructions or until your desired doneness
    1 pound dried spaghetti
  • while pasta is cooking (remember to check your pasta frequently, reserve pasta water, and drain pasta when desired doneness is reached), heat your oil in a stainless steel pan over medium heat
    2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • sauté minced garlic for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. add in the white miso and mushroom powder and stir to combine.
    minced garlic, 2 tablespoons white miso, 1 tablespoon mushroom powder
  • at this point your pan should have built up a little bit of fond (the brown yumminess that sticks to the bottom of the pan when sautéing things) deglaze that with the rice vinegar and scrape that fond back into your sauce.
    1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • turn off the heat to the sauce and add in the cream. you may need a whisk to emulsify the sauce at this stage.
    1 cup heavy cream
  • add in your reserved pasta water, then add pasta to pan and stir to coat.
    1/2 cup pasta water, finishing salt and black pepper to taste
  • enjoy!
Keyword Fusion, Miso, Spaghetti

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

Three yellow cupcakes with pink swirly buttercream, raspberries, and silver sprinkles.

Up until this point, I had not formally written and tested a recipe for these cupcakes. These are the cupcakes so many fell in love with when I made them on Season 9, Episode 11 of MasterChef.

After a tough team challenge, my team was sent into a pressure test. We had 75 minutes to bake and decorate 12 perfect cupcakes. I decided to keep it easy by sticking to one flavor. My risk of simplicity paid off. The judges were impressed and I “won” that pressure test (if you can win a pressure test).

These cupcakes were my culinary introduction to guest judge Christina Tosi and gave me a foot in the door when I went to work for her at Milk Bar.

When I made them on the show I did not follow a recipe, I had to make them up. I had a basic ratio of ingredients memorized. While this is not the exact recipe I used, it will get you nearly the same results and is a definite crowd-pleaser. Enjoy.

Three yellow cupcakes d with pink swirly buttercream, raspberries, and silver sprinkles.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a delightful balance of sweet and tart. Show up with these and you're sure to impress.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 24 Cupcakes

Equipment

  • 2 Muffin/Cupcake Tins
  • 24 Cupcake Liners
  • Food Processor
  • Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment (optional – hand mixer can work too)
  • 2 oz Disher (optional – you can use a quarter cup measure as well)
  • Quarter/Half Sheet Pan
  • Silicone Baking Mat (optional – sub plastic wrap)
  • 3 qt Saucepan
  • Pairing Knife
  • Pastry Bag
  • Piping Tip (I used a 3M)

Ingredients
  

For the Cupcakes:

  • 400 g granulated sugar
  • 4 lemons zest only
  • 426 g all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 340 g unsalted butter melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

For the Lemon Curd

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • pinch salt
  • 4 Tbsp butter cut into 3 slices

For the Raspberry Buttercream

  • 3 sticks of unsalted butter softened
  • 1 clamshell of raspberries
  • optional 3 Tbsp freeze dried raspberries ground into a fine powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

Cupcakes Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 350F. line 2 cupcake pans with liners.
  • In a food processor, process the sugar and lemon zest until sugar takes on a pale yellow hue.
    400 g granulated sugar, 4 lemons
  • Mix sugar with the remaining dry ingredients until smooth.
    426 g all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
  • Mix the wet ingredients together one at a time, keeping the mixture as homogeneous as possible.
    340 g unsalted butter, 4 eggs, 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup half and half, 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • Combine the dry and wet ingredients until they just come together.
  • Quickly portion cupcakes into liners (I used a 2 oz disher)
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (trust your instincts you know how to bake cupcakes)

Lemon Curd Method:

  • Prepare a small sheet pan by lining it with plastic wrap or a silpat.
  • In a 3 qt saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the butter.
    3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 lemon, pinch salt
  • Heat over medium heat, consistently stirring with a heat safe spatula until thickens. This will take a while and your cupcakes will be ready to come out of the oven before then. You can stop stirring, lower the heat and step away while you take the cupcakes out of the oven. Quickly get back to stirring.
  • Take cooked curd off the heat and stir in the butter.
    4 Tbsp butter
  • Transfer finished curd to your prepared sheet pan and cover with more plastic or another silpat.
  • When cooled, put curd in an uncut pastry bag and set aside for assembly.

Raspberry Buttercream Method:

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip butter until light and fluffy.
    3 sticks of unsalted butter
  • Add raspberries, raspberry powder, and salt. Continue to whip until incorporated.
    1 clamshell of raspberries, optional 3 Tbsp freeze dried raspberries ground into a fine powder
  • Add powder sugar, a half cup at a time. Add salt in your last half cup addition.
    2 cups powdered sugar, pinch salt
  • Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1M tip and set aside for assembly.

To Assemble:

  • Take a pairing knife and cut out the some of the center of the COOLED cupcakes (I usually cut an inverted cone, just don’t go to the bottom or else they will be very messy to eat)
  • Fill the hole made with lemon curd
  • Top with buttercream
  • Decorate to your liking and enjoy 🙂
Keyword Cake, Cupcakes, Dessert