Good Company
Hidden Baby and some more s’mores
Food tastes better when you share. True story.
three’s company
I was lucky enough to share my Sunday morning with Courtney and Kelsey over at HiddenBaby.com downing a couple drunk s’mores (breakfast of champions, I know, but it’s okay, my lunch included birthday tequila shots with my college housemates).
I met Kelsey at my first 100+ person catering gig at a gallery – she was showing some of her amazing artwork and I was probably looking like I was going to throw up on my shoes from anxiety but somehow she still wanted to talk to me about working on making delicious things together.
and playing with butane torches
And yeah, we were sitting around a coffee table and not a campfire, but these definitely tasted sweeter with a few good stories poured on top.
sticky situation
Hopefully this is the first of many inspiring collaborations with these super talented sisters. Check out their blog and beautiful designs with an even more beautiful cause behind it.
ready for the next round
Please sir, can I have s’more?
Americanization, late nights at the office and knowing better but still making the same mistakes. Oh, yeah, and alcoholic s’mores
Last couple months have been busy – busy days at work/school means I don’t really feel like baking/blogging and eschew it for things like spending time with friends. (We drink cocktails together so…research? Yeah, lets call it R&D).
Hi folks, the Boozy Bakeshop has been in an intense period of R&D. Apologies for the lack of recipe updates. But we’ve entered some exciting Phase 2 studies that hold promise for future product development. We’re still beta testing but have some paradigm-shifting, thought-starters that with the right creative force can refocus out of the box strategy.
And by that I mean I made marshmallows. Various flavors, including bourbon b/c well, why not? Oh yeah, and I have this darling friend who’s never eaten a s’more before because she grew up in the land of crepes and cream puffs and wasn’t forced into girl scout camp or consumption of Hershey bars.
The bourbon marshmallows didn’t fluff up proper because SCIENCE!! I didn’t add the extra gelatin necessary to counteract the alcohol. I knew this would fail, but did it anyway cause I’m just a hopeless romantic hoping that counter-intuitive bonds will somehow fuse beyond laws of chemistry and work out like a romantic comedy producing saccharine delight. But that flies in the face of reality.
So while my friend sadly got an imperfect alcoholic s’more, below is the perfect alcoholic s’more. Since I’m older and wiser now than I was yesterday, it’s based on a 3 wise men.
Wise men (and women) eat s’mores. True story.
Drunk S’more (3 Wise Men Sammich)
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil for pan
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup whiskey (Jack)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/8 teas salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teas nutmeg
- Confectioners’ sugar, for cutting/coating
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 2 Tbs bourbon (Jim)
- 1/2 c Boozy Bakeshop ButterScotch (Johnnie)
- 8 store-bought graham crackers, split in half
Coat a 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil, ; line with
parchment, coat parchment with vegetable oil. Sprinkle gelatin over
1/3 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and let sit for 5 minutes.
Heat granulated sugar, corn syrup, 1/3 cup Jack, and
1/8 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally,
until syrup reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
Whisk gelatin in mixer on high speed for a minute, reduce speed to low and slowly pour in syrup in a steady stream down side of bowl. Gradually increase speed to high, and whisk for about 8 minutes or until almost tripled in volume. Whisk in vanilla, nutmeg. Transfer to baking pan and smooth evenly. Let stand least 3 hours at room temp until set (unless your apt is really hot, and then the fridge can be a good idea). Cut into 2 inch squares using a knife dipped in confectioner’s sugar. Coat marshmallows in more confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking
Before serving, melt your favorite semi sweet chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, (don’t seize!), with Jim Beam, or other bourbon. On a non flammable plate, pack one half of a graham cracker sheet, (a two cookie square). Place marshmallow on top and cautiously flame with a creme brulee/kitchen torch, (it’s easy to go overkill, but you want ti warm and melty, not super charred, low and slow heat is better). drizzle with chocolate and butterScotch. Top with remaining half cracker. Devour.
Straight Up Cupcake
Being a child of the 80′s, third wave feminism with it’s girl power anthems and roots of sex positivity (see: Madonna), didn’t really have an effect until post-wave radio replay of the early 90′s. I vaguely recall women scoffing at my stay at home mom while they raced off each morning in shoulder pads, Easy Spirits, and the Mercedes their dual income household afforded them the privilege of driving. I was 5 in 1988. Mandatory modern/hip hop/jazz dance class at my grade school introduced Patti LaBelle moves and “you go girl” into my vocabulary. One beat of “Straight Up” and the whole song gets full cranial replay with a few of the elementary dance moves twitching through my muscle memory.
Ms. Abdul, in her post structuralist interpretation of the classic boy-girl relationship asks for honesty. She’s not a Disney princess, waiting in hopes for some needy ego-maniacal somnophiliac. She’s demanding the hard, but straight talk of low expectations. Whether Ms. Abdul’s lover provides her with said straight up answers, and whether she chooses to believe them, remains to be seen. (The chorus repetition suggests she is dubious at best, requiring multiple confirmations). I get the sensation that it was a two steps forward, two steps back kind of deal, leaving her alone with a [MC Skat] cat.
In any case, while we’ve certainly entered fourth wave feminism, where we reclaim the domestic by selling aprons on Etsy and canning things, I’m not sure if Gotye is really the anthem of our times. Then again, I get little broad spectrum pop in my world of new wave 80′s synth/indie rock/grand ole opry. In one such testament to fourth wave feminism, I took a day off of my career to cater a gallery opening hosted by the ever amazing and beautiful Streetwater for Straight Up, a collection by the devastatingly talented Cameron R Neilson. Since the project started in Manhattan, we served manhattans, straight up. Which of course, I turned into a bite sized cupcake. Or rather, 324 bite sized cupcakes.
this cupcake was not photographed at a perfect 90 degree angle, therefore it is not infringing on IP rights of the initial Straight Up concept. Nor is it in anyway a parody. I was simply sitting on the floor, looking up.
Manhattan Cupcakes
Ingredients
Makes 3 dozen minis (or 1 dozen standard)
- 3/4 cups unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder (I prefer King Arthur’s Double Dutch Dark Cocoa, your chocolate cake comes out close to black in color and tastes fudgy rich. This is not some weak Hershey’s mess. This is real cocoa for the chocolate lover.)
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teas espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For the ganache
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbs confectioners sugar
- 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 teas vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs bourbon
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs red cherry jam (Hero or Bon Maman preferred)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini cupcake tins with cupcake papers. Place cocoa, flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until really good and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing with each addition one. Add vanilla and bourbon. Reduce mixer speed to low. Spoon in the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake tins 3/4 full. Bake 17-19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
Meanwhile, Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring cream and confectioners sugar to a low boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Add in vanilla, bourbon, and jam, whisking after each addition. Feel free to add more jam to taste if you like your ganache more sweet, but it does make the frosting softer. Refrigerate until completely cool. Using an electric mixer, beat until fluffy. Frost and eat!
Man Pudding
If food is love, (and I believe it is), and if cookies are made with butter plus love, (exhibit A), then this recipe of heavy cream bourbon soaked butterscotch buttery goodness is like that smokin’ hot bearded guy saying “hey baby, let’s head down to the Rockaways on my motorcycle and get tacos”.
Stop judging me. I live in Brooklyn.
I made this recipe for the Art=Mixx event this evening, because if I wanted to meet a a metaphorical date at an art auction, this dessert would be it: a square of plaid shirt wearing, free wheeling, entrepreneurial, un-ironic trucker hat wearing*, urban woodsman. With candied bacon garnish.
*can also be a beanie or jaunty cap
Bourbon Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Candied Bacon Garnish
Ingredients
For the butterscotch sauce
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 light corn syrup
- 1/2 teas salt
- 3 Tbs unsalted butter
- 1 Tbs bourbon
- 1 teas vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the Bread Pudding
- 1 lb bread, rustic white or challah, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teas ground nutmeg
- 2 teas vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs bourbon
- 4 cups heavy cream
- Candied Bacon (optional)
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter. Whisk until mixture comes to a boil. Boil until mixture is syrupy or about 3-4 minutes. Remove fro heat. Slowly whisk in cream. Add bourbon and vanilla and mix until smooth. Can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Rewarm before serving.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″x13″ glass baking dish. Set aside. Melt butter and toss with bread cubes and place bread in an even layer in baking dish. In a medium bowl beat together eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add spices, vanilla and bourbon. Beat in cream. Pour cream mixture over bread crumbs. Drizzle in half of the butterscotch sauce. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from over and let cool. Serve with a drizzle of remaining butterscotch sauce. Garnish with candied bacon. Delightful hot or cold.
How to Make Good Bacon Better
Alternate title: Grey Meat Area
I’m making candied bacon. Why? Because I can. And because I can’t think of anything better to use as a swizzle stick in a bourbonbacontini.
And because this is a prime example of the fact that there are no bad decisions. Just decisions, and we roll with the results of our choices, like how I might feel if I really make and drink a bourbonbacontini. Otherwise we get paralyzed by the good vs bad and do nothing until we lash out and eat all the bacon. Raw. Which is decision with terrible results.
Candied Bacon
- 1 pack of bacon (real bacon, non of this turkey nonsense)
- brown sugar (approx 1/2 cup)
- 1 teas cinnamon (optional, but encouraged)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. (Do a really good job with this. You do not want to ruin your cookie sheets with charred bacon goo.) In a small bowl, mix cinnamon if using and brown sugar. Coat bacon strips and lay out on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until carmalized and crispy. Remove from foil. Eat.
Cuddle Puddle
frosting masks the chocolatey surprise lurking underneath...
Once, in another lifetime, I spent one night lying on the floor with 31 other similarly minded people. It was one of those times when crying, hugging, and declarations of never ending love are normal modes of expression. The rest of the world doesn’t function like that: unbridled expression of comaraderie, brotherhood, family. Only small children lie in a puddle of bodies, taking comfort in the closeness of the many, just breathing next to them. It was the end of three months of theater school, and the intensity of the experience left us all, I think, trying to cling to the magic just a little bit longer. One set of arms is not long enough to hug 31 other people. Instead, we lay on a floor in a haphazard pile. I have a photograph of this, taken from a balcony above, and looking at it recently, I am shocked at the stories it tells in a multicolor blur of scarves and leg warmers and collegiate hoodies and ancient sweatpants, through a filter of fuzz from 35mm color fast film taken flashless in low lighting. Somehow, it does not smack of poor photography, only of joy, and love, and family.
At the time, we were eating bourbon balls, brought straight from Kentucky by someone’s parent. My friend turned 30 this weekend. I promised to bring cupcakes to the bar we were to surprise him at. I had one of those weeks where I just wanted to stretch my arms around my New York family and take comfort in their nearness. But, my arms aren’t long enough. And only theater nerds think it is normal to lie on the floor in a puddle of people. So I made some bourbon ball cupcakes, my typical food-as-feelings way of saying you are my joy, you are my love, and you are my family.
Bourbon Ball Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbs all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 teas baking powder
- 1/8 teas salt
- 1/2 teas ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teas ground nutmeg
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup pecans, chopped medium-fine
For the filling:
- 2 oz semi sweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 teas vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 12 Tbs (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 cups confections sugar
- 2 Tbs vanilla extract
- 1/4 c bourbon
- 1 Tbs heavy cream
- chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup standard size cupcake tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium high until fluffy about 3 minutes. Add sugar and mix for about 5 minutes more. Mix in eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternate add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in pecans. Divide batter evenly among the cupcake tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before coring out centers or frosting.
Meanwhile, heat the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and add chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes until mixture is cool and slightly firm. Beat with an electric hand mixer until fluffy and color lightens.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in 1 cup confectioners sugar. Add vanilla and bourbon. Mix. Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time. When combined, beat in cream. If the frosting seems a little soft, add more sugar as desired.
When cupcakes are cool, core them using a cupcake corer (an apple corer works okay too). Using a frosting bag with a plain tip fill centers with chocolate filling. Frost with butter cream. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles (optional).
Volcano Love
spicy chocolate love
If you are ever in El Castillo, Costa Rica, near Arenal, follow the hand painted road signs to Pizza John’s. Down a gravel road and through a a garden hedge you will stumble upon some of the best pizza anywhere, ever. (Including New York, Chicago, and Italy.)
We wandered in from the road like strangers through a saloon door in an old western movie, but once the delightfully eccentric host passed out pies and shots and really delicious Missouri style BBQ to the communal table, the Colonel, the multiple Robertos, the Earp brothers, the lawman, and Taco the Dog, “todos éramos hermanos”.
Like the volcano itself, that night took my breath away. An amazing moment of conviviality, sharing a love of, and love through, good food. The only thing lacking was a singalong. But sadly, no one knew how to play the guitar.
These chocolate covered jellies are an experiment in bringing together an assortment of seemingly unrelated flavors and turning it into a party in your mouth. Plus, with the dark chocolate outside and the bright sriracha inside, they sort of look like a volcano.
Volcanos (Bourbon Sriracha Honey Jellies)
Because the jellies need time to gel, I like to make them a day ahead of time. Makes 2-3 dozen depending on size.
Ingredients:
- vegetable oil
- 5 (1/4 oz.) packets unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cup bourbon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 cup honey
- 6 oz dark chocolate
- 2 Tbs vegetable shortening
Rub a silicon chocolate mold (or ice cube tray) with a light coating of oil. Set aside. Place gelatin in a small bowl with 1 cup cold water. Set aside. In a small heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine bourbon, sriracha, and honey over low heat. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Add gelatin mixture. Bring to a low boil, remove from heat and pour into prepared mold. Refrigerate overnight or until firm, about 2 hours.
Remove jellies from mold. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and mix in shortening. Let chocolate cool for about 15 minutes to avoid melting jellies. Coat jellies and place on a sheet of parchment or silicon mat until chocolate hardens. Enjoy!
Single Serve
I’m the kind of girl who likes to have my proverbial cake and eat it too. Dance all night but get up for early morning yoga. Settle in but not settle down. Free fall with a safety harness on. I’m also the kind of girl who does not buy into the whole single-girl-woe-is-me-I’ll-get-a-cat-instead mentality. I actually like a certain amount of time on my own. But cooking on my own is hard. I’ll happily whip up a four-course meal for a friend or bake two dozen cupcakes for coworkers, but home alone, I’m more apt to nibble on whatever happens to be in my fridge, which usually just contains condiments.
When I saw the title of this recipe in the February issue of Sunset, my first instinct was to mock it, but then I decided to try it. For a quick and super delightful chocolate fix for one, this is Shangri-la. It comes from Joy the Baker Cookbook (Hyperion, 2012; $20) by Joy Wilson and suggests adding peanut butter OR bourbon. I suggest BOTH by topping it with bourbon ice cream. This easy version of bourbon ice cream is less luxurious than ones made with egg yolks, but it does not need to be made ahead of time to cool properly.
Single-Girl Melty Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Easy Bourbon Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the ice cream (makes just under 2 cups):
- 2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
- 1/3 cup whole milk, cold
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teas vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs Bourbon
Place all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
Pour into a conventional ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instruction (about 20-25 minutes in my Cusinart). Serve right away or place in an air tight container and freeze for 2 hours to increase firmness.
For the cake (makes 1):
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- About 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa (or use flour or sugar)
- 1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 large egg
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter or 1 tbsp. bourbon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon flour
Preheat oven to 375° and set a baking sheet on rack in center of oven. Grease a 3/4-cup ramekin with 1/2 tsp. butter, then dust with unsweetened cocoa. Set aside.
Put 1 tbsp. butter and the chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl set over a small pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring, until chocolate melts; let cool a few minutes.
Whisk egg, sugar, and peanut butter in a small bowl to blend. Whisk in chocolate mixture until well incorporated, then stir in salt and flour just until combined. Pour batter into ramekin. Set on baking sheet and bake until as done as you like, 7 to 10 minutes for a molten center (a 3/4-in. ring around the edge will look dull) or 10 to 12 minutes for a soft center (cake edge will puff slightly).
Let cake cool 2 minutes. Protecting hands, invert onto a plate. Eat right away.
Joy Wilson, Joy the Baker Cookbook, Sunset FEBRUARY 2012
Elvis Presley Blues
I’ve had the blues lately – those long road ahead, full tank of gas, guitar player in the passenger seat kind of blues – the I’m itchin’ to run, return the prodigal son, guided by the Texaco star blues. Makes you think about Elvis. And songs about Elvis. And marshmallow fluff?
A take on the famous peanut butter and ‘nanner sandwiches, influenced by the oddly delightful “Elvis” at Custom Wine Bar. After all, all that wandering makes you hungry.
Bourbon-Marshmallow-Fluff-Banana-Bacon-Peanut-Butter-Sandwich
Fluff and 'Wich
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter
- 1 large banana, sliced in coins
- two slices of bread, toasted
- Bourbon Marshmallow Fluff (see recipe below)
- Candied bacon (see recipe below)
For the Fluff
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 4 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 3 strips bacon (or however many you feel like eating)
- 2 Tbs brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Lay bacon strips on a foil covered cookie sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Place in warm oven and bake until crispy, about 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup bourbon in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and simmer syrup without stirring until the thermometer reads 240°, occasionally stirring.
Meanwhile, place egg whites, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high until frothy. Slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until medium peaks form. Reduce speed to medium, then pour hot syrup into meringue in a slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high and continue whipping until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool.
Assemble sandwich. spread peanut butter on one slice of toast. Crumble bacon onto peanut butter. Top with banana slices. Spread a layer of fluff and cover with remaining slice of toast. Enjoy. That ache in your arteries is just the call of the open road.
I don’t give a fig
Its been a long week. (I know, it’s Monday.) I’m tired. I have a grumpy. So even though it is still only October, its officially holiday baking time! Okay, technically, nothing holiday-y about it, but I tend to associate figs with winter and snow and holidays and Christmas Club. My momma was telling me about figs stuffed with chocolate she saw at a farmer’s market, but they were too expensive to pique her curiosity enough to actually buy one, but her description got me thinking and I made a batch of chocolate stuffed figs last Christmas, but I gave them all away before I ever tried one. Sadness!
This time I made them and ate them all myself. Truths.
Also, if you coat them in orange colored chocolate, they look like pumpkins! So its the right holiday after all.
Chocolate Stuffed Bourbon Figs
Makes 1 dozen
gettin' figgy with it
- 1 cup bourbon (cheap stuff will do)
- 12 dried turkish/brown/calamyrna figs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz ark chocolate
- 4 oz white chocolate
Soak figs in 1 cup bourbon, for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Remove figs from bourbon and place on a paper towel to dry. Reserve bourbon.
Heat one cup heavy cream until just boiling and pour over 4 oz dark chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts and is smooth. Add 2 oz reserve bourbon. Drink remainder. (Or save covered in the fridge for your next bourbon related endeavor.)
Let chocolate cool to room temperature. Beat with hand mixer for a few minutes until chocolate lightens in color. If ganache is still liquidy, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes until it hardens just a little more. Plump figs with fingers and fill with chocolate mixture. I use a long, narrow frosting tip to inject it into the bottom of the fig. Chill.
Meanwhile, melt white chocolate over a double boiler. Coat figs in white chocolate and place on a piece of wax paper to dry or in mini cupcake or candy papers.
Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
