Holla World, Holla Whiskey Bread

About 2 years ago, I came up with the idea of writing a cookbook that contained recipes that used alcohol, any kind of alcohol as one of the ingredients. With fervor, I started collecting recipes and experimenting with ways to add alcohol to some of my favorite recipes. Well, time has passed and there is no cookbook, just lots of notes, and a 15 pound weight gain which I blame on all the desserts I made in those first few months of trying out recipes!

I recently bought some pears from the Greensgrow Farm up in Kensington. As they sat uneaten and quickly ripening on my table, I was motivated to return to the alcohol cookbook project. This Hooten Holla Whiskey Bread was one of the first recipes I worked up. It originally called for raisins, but I substituted pears. This recipe is added to my banana bread, pumpkin bread recipes and completes my dessert bread trifecta. The molasses and nutmeg give it a good spicy taste to offset the sweetness. If you like gingersnaps or whiskey, you'll like this bread.

Pear Whiskey Bread

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup bourbon, plus more for you (I used scotch whiskey because that's what we had in our cupboard)

1 cup pears, peeled

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. First, take the bourbon or whiskey out of the cupboard and pour yourself a shot. I like mine on ice.

2. Now, pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 1/2 -by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan.

3. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the beaten eggs, a little at a time.

4. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, and add to the batter. Then beat in the milk.

5. Combine the molasses and baking soda and mix into to the batter. To help prevent the pears and pecans/walnuts from sinking, dust them with flour, shaking off the excess. Mix them, along with the bourbon, into the batter until combined.

6. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes up clean, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Yes, it really is that long, maybe even longer. Makes 1 loaf.

NOTE: According to the original recipe, whiskey cake keeps practically forever, wrapped in aluminum foil, in your refrigerator. It gets better and better too, if you juice it up once in a while by using an eyedropper to add a little more whiskey. Unfortunately, I have lost the copy of the original recipe which I blame on the second shot of whiskey. I'm sorry I can't give credit to the original author of this recipe.