My friend Missy and I had an abundance of frozen sausage from the summer farm share. We decided to go Iron Chef and create our holiday party around this secret ingredient. And because it's fun to be silly and immature when you are an adult, we decided that all non-sausage items had to be ball shape. Yes, my parents would disapprove. Hopefully they won't read this post. Just as they feared, here is proof that I was corrupted by our high school basketball t-shirts. I was in high school in the early nineties - you know when those "Big Johnson" and "Co-Ed Naked" t-shirts were popular. (Perhaps the Big Johnson T-shirts were only a hick, backwoods Maine popularity?) So along the same lines, one of our team moms thought printing "Lady Cougars Know How To Handle Balls" on t-shirts was appropriate for 16 to 18 year old girls to wear. Thus began my downfall into immaturity and inappropriateness.
I took a cantaloupe, a melon, and a papaya and used a melon baller to create fruit balls for my salad. Unfortunately the snow put a damper on the party and not too many people were able to part take in Tipsy Melonballs. I find the original recipe (below) a little ridiculous - why would one actually measure out fruit for a fruit salad? I think it's best to get 1 to 2 of each fruit you like and then cut it up and throw it in the bowl - don't worry about measuring, that is crazy! I used raspberry preserves for the sauce because that is what I had. It tasted great, but it turned the sauce a brownish color which was a little off putting. I also think you can cut back (or exclude) the confectioners' sugar, especially if your fruit is ripe. Now that sounds like the beginning of a good t-shirt.....
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3 Tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
2 Tablespoons apricot jam (I used raspberry preserves)
Fruit of your Choice, such as
1 cup mandarin orange sections, drained if canned
1 cup seedless grapes
1 cup hulled strawberries, cut in half
1 cup blueberries
1 mango, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
1 cup peeled diced apple
1 cup peeled diced pears
1 cup miniature marshmallows, optional
Directions
Place lime juice, sugar, Grand Marnier, and jam in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Set aside.
Place your fruit (and marshmellow) into a large bowl. Drizzle on the Grand Marnier dressing and gently toss to coat all of the fruit.
***************************************
Check out these post ballin' photos. I love these two colors together and I wish I was a little more artistic and had a better camera to create a cooler photo. The texture, shadows and shininess in the remaining fruit was a great contrast.
For those of you who are looking for some healthy eating, this one's for you. Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, the good kind of fat. And if you are calorie counting, here are the nutrition facts: 315 calories (44 percent from fat ), 15 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat ), 8 grams carbohydrates, 35 grams protein, 360 mg sodium, 96 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fiber .
I've made salmon this way a few times and it always turns out well. The flavors are smokey and sweet. I recommend using individual fillets as the recipe suggests (instead of a whole piece of fish as shown in my photos below). Using smaller fillets allows for the glaze to coat the side of each fillet serving, ultimately giving you more flavor with every bite. Fillets will also cook faster than a whole piece of fish.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
4 (about 6 ounces each) salmon fillets with skin on
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Rinse the fillets under cold water and pat dry.
In a small bowl combine the oil, Dijon, maple syrup and bourbon. Set aside half the glaze.
Place the salmon fillets in a shallow dish and brush with half the glaze. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 3 hours before broiling.
Preheat the broiler to low. Coat a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon fillets on the pan, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper. Broil for about 8 minutes. Brush with the reserved glaze and continue broiling, another 4-5 minutes* depending on the thickness, until the salmon is just cooked through. Remove the salmon by sliding a spatula between the flesh and skin, leaving the skin on the broiler pan.
* I had to broil about 3 to 4 minutes longer when using this larger piece of fish.
Deck the halls with balls of rum, fa la la la laaa, la la la laaaa. It's the time of year for parties and sharing of favorite treats. These rum balls are easy to make and will be a hit at any party. I have found that anything that contains alcohol is a hit at a party.
This recipe brings up two kitchen questions:
1) How do I crush things in the kitchen? You'll need crushed Nilla wafers and pecans for these rum balls.
You could use a food processor, or a blender, or a nut chopper or, here is a combo nut and spice grinder. Or you could use this recipe as an excuse to buy the Slap Chop and you can finally stop having a boring life.
(Those of you with weak stomachs, please skip this paragraph)
I highly recommend avoiding the KitchenAid Immersible Blender for crushing things. I don't know why I thought this was a good idea when I first tried to use it to chop up pecans - but I ended up in the emergency room needing a few stitches. Some of you out there are probably bright enough to avoid using your fingers to clean pecans from the blades while the blender is still plugged in. I blame this accident on being an immersion blender novice and on the early time of day - most of you know that 10am or earlier is not my best time of day. All in all, it was quite an embarrassing attempt at expressing myself for a Valentine's gift one year. I'm now quite meticulous about unplugging the blender unless I'm in the immediate act of blending. Thank you for taking me to the ER that day Emily!
Since my mini food processor died and my dog ate the rubber ring for the blender, I chose to kick it old school and used a rolling pin and a zip-lock bag. This method requires a little more brawn but is not as expensive as the other options.
2) Do I really need a double boiler (or insert other random kitchen tool)?
This recipe advises to melt the chocolate in a double boiler. A double boiler helps to melt chocolate slowly by heating the bottom of the inset pan with hot water. Much better than finding yourself with burnt chocolate - a disappointment to all since it's not edible in any salvageable way. Many pots and pan sets contain a double-boiler, but some require you to buy an extra pot to inset into a bigger pot. Some sets don't even offer this feature. So, the question is "Do I need this?" Well, if you work with chocolate and sauces, then yes it's probably a good thing to get your hands on. But I'm not sure if I would run out and get one. Instead, I would check out Goodwill, yardsales, Craigslist, or maybe rummage through married friends' basements looking for those wedding gifts they never use. You can take this same approach for other kitchen tools - microplanes, crockpots, ice cream makers, etc. Once you know that you will use them a lot, you can then upgrade and spend some dollars on a better model. My dad actually found my double boiler for me at Goodwill in West Lafayette when I was in college. At first I was skeptical and denied that I needed such a thing "Where am I going to put it?" Yet, it has come in useful, and is another situation where my dad can claim he knows best. It's a little on the large side and made of some aluminum mix making a potholder sometimes necessary, but I haven't had a need to upgrade yet.
Rum Balls
Ingredients
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/3 cup rum - spiced or flavored, I used orange*
2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 3/4 of a 12 ounce box)
1 cup finely crushed pecans
Instructions
Crush up vanilla wafers and pecans and mix in a bowl. Melt chocolate chips in a pot over boiling water (i.e. in a double boiler). Remove from heat and stir in sugar and corn syrup. Add rum and mix until well blended. Add vanilla wafer and pecans to chocolate mixture. Put in the fridge for a while to harden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Roll into balls, then roll balls in sugar or more crushed pecans.** Sometimes, I even sprinkle more rum over balls for good measure.
*If you only have white rum available, you can use this and experiment with your own flavorings -add vanilla or almond extract (probably about 1 to 2 teaspoons), or add a teaspoon cinnamon to spice it up.
**I think it's really difficult to make the pecans stick. Rolling them is sugar is by far the easier technique, and you can never go wrong with more sugar in anything :)
My current business trip to Vegas has been somewhat of a bomb, but not the good kind that the Gap Band is singing about. I've been here less than 24 hours and have suffered the following:
1) The lobby of the hotel smelled like one of those taxi cabs that never throws away old air fresheners - the driver just hangs one after another making a cardboard bouquet hanging from the rear view mirror
2) There were only smoking optional rooms left when I checked in. The term "smoking optional" made me think - "eh, maybe it won't be that bad." I was very very very wrong. The room was disgusting, I think they pumped smoke into the room as one of the amenities. The ceiling was cover in yellow stains. not all over yellow in color, but splotches of yellow, greasy cigarette remnants. On the bright side, the hotel let me change to a non-smoking rooms the next morning. Unfortunately the damage had been done, and all my clothes and luggage smelled. Yeah, they should not be able to false advertise as smoking optional. Bah, nothing is real in Vegas.
3) There is no mini-bar in my room. Normally this isn't a big deal, but after a 5 hour plane ride I really wanted to head straight to my room have a cold drink...maybe a refreshing gingerale. I did not want wander the Habitrail of the casino floor looking for a bar or an overpriced convenience shop. I wanted to overpay from the convenience of my room.
4) I woke up groggy with bloodshot nicotine stained eyes and NEEDED coffee. There is no coffeemaker in my room. Now this is a BIG DEAL.
5) There were no lanyards left when I got to the registration booth. I had to clip my name badge to my collar all cockeyed. How was any high rolling gambler going to be able to flirt with me by name? The free conference tote bag that I picked up had the logo printed upside down.
6) The one block to the convention center was more like 5 blocks weaving in and out of people offering things I wasn't interested in. Again, not a big deal, until I had to walk back in the rain this afternoon, no umbrella.
7) and finally, I'm back in my hotel and change into my comfy clothes and realize that the pant hem on my new suit pants has begun to unravel.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was near tears after 2 minutes in my smokey room. But all in all, my mood is still pretty good considering all the bad things that have happened....but I realize that I'm just not feeling Las Vegas right now. I'd rather be home making cupcakes. Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes to be specific.
These cupcakes contain three kinds of alcohol and are the bomb, for real. The cake part of the cupcake is made with stoudt. A center piece is of cupcake is hollowed out, removed, and replaced with whiskey chocolate ganache. The frosting top is made with Irish Cream. My friend Emily directed me to this recipe and gave a fist pump when I told her I would need her help to make them for Thanksgiving festivities. I shared them at a Thanksgiving Eve party and already have a request for a repeat appearance.
Some thoughts about this recipe:
I highly recommend investing in tools to decorate cupcakes. It's one of the reason why making cupcakes get me all excited. This pastry bag kit provides several decorating tips and disposable plastic pastry bags. I'm still learning different techniques about how to use the pastry bag. Emily taught me that you should fold over the top of the bag when you are trying to fill it as she demonstrates in this photo. Although I'll never complain about having to lick frosting off my fingers, this technique makes things a little neater and sanitary. If the frosting or ganache warms up from handling the bag, stick the bag in the refrigerator to cool it down. The Wilton website has some good pastry bag instructions and decorating tips. But, it's just as easy to jump head first into the frosting (wouldn't that be heavenly?) and just figure it out as you go.
I'm more of a towering frosting kind of girl, but the frosting was delegated (and unsupervised) to Emily. This recipe makes a small amount of very sweet frosting. It was plenty to cover the cupcakes, so I'm grateful for her agreeing to frost the cupcakes so that I could change and get ready for the party. But, if you like to be more liberal with your frosting, you should double the recipe.
This recipe prompted me to buy another cupcake pan so I could make all 24 at once the next time I make cupcakes. Makes it easier to pace yourself and evenly distribute the batter. Since I plan on making oodles of more cupcakes in the future, this investment was worth it.
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes Ingredients For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness or a chocolate stoudt)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)
Baileys Frosting (double recipe if you like frosting towers!)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Creme (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer (or a sharp knife and a steady hand will work) and a piping bag (a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)
Instructions Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, hollow out the center of the cupcake. You can use a 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer to cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. Or you can just use a knife. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. These center pieces are yummy, so taste away. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. If the ganache isn't cool enough, it will dribble out of the bottom of the pastry bag, making quite a mess, but a tasty mess! Be sure the ganache has cooled enough to avoid a mess, especially if you have a dog that likes to help clean up.
Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Adding the powdered sugar slowly helps prevent the frosting from being grainy.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin, add in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar and beat. Ice and decorate the cupcakes. You can use a star tip and dot the cupcake with frosting stars. To add your own touch - sprinkled the cupcakes with various colors of sanding sugar or shaved dark and white chocolates would look and taste fantastic as well.
Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)
My friend Missy and I had an abundance of frozen sausage from the summer farm share. We decided to go Iron Chef and create our holiday party around this secret ingredient. And because it's fun to be silly and immature when you are an adult, we decided that all non-sausage items had to be ball shape. Yes, my parents would disapprove. Hopefully they won't read this post. Just as they feared, here is proof that I was corrupted by our high school basketball t-shirts. I was in high school in the early nineties - you know when those "Big Johnson" and "Co-Ed Naked" t-shirts were popular. (Perhaps the Big Johnson T-shirts were only a hick, backwoods Maine popularity?) So along the same lines, one of our team moms thought printing "Lady Cougars Know How To Handle Balls" on t-shirts was appropriate for 16 to 18 year old girls to wear. Thus began my downfall into immaturity and inappropriateness.
