Irish Tea Cake – Was this Barmbrack Wack?

Every year I try to post at least one Irish recipe, and this time around I decided to do something a little out of the ordinary, and try my hand at Barmbrack. I love corned beef and cabbage as much as the next guy, but you can only film it so many different ways. Anyway, the thought of a nice, moist, dense, fruity tea cake for breakfast, with a cup of hot, black tea, sounded just about perfect, and so I started researching this ancient loaf…and researching…and researching, until I had seen and read so many recipes that I didn’t know which direction to go.

There are a huge variety of styles, from light, yeast-raised versions, to super-dense ones, similar to the often-maligned holiday fruitcake. So, I decided to just wing it, and use the force, which usually works out well, but this time, not so much. This is traditionally a Halloween treat, and my experience was equal parts trick and treat.

I’m hearing from my Irish friends on YouTube that I should have probably used baking soda, plus more tea to get a little more rise. They also say that using half wholegrain flour will inhibit the verticality as well. Notwithstanding my results, at the very least, I’ve hopefully made some of you aware of barmbrack, and maybe you’ll give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9” x 5” loaf pan:

2 cups warm black tea

1⁄2 cup golden raisins

1⁄2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup dried currants

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole grain flour (I’m told this makes the loaf a lot heavier, so maybe use all regular flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I’m told I should’ve probably added a teaspoon of baking soda)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1⁄4 cup milk

2 tablespoons reserved black tea

1 tablespoon Irish whiskey or any whiskey

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons melted butter

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Kouign-Amann – Yas Queen!

The fact that Kouign-Amann (Pronounced “Queen-a-mahn”) have become a popular item in bakeries across America is quite a tribute to just how incredible they really are, since to stock something that no one can spell or pronounce is generally considered a retail sales no-no. As you may know, I pride myself on mispronouncing things, but even I don’t like to be corrected by a salesperson, and their judgmental, I can’t believe you just said “kooeegan-aman” look.

Yet, despite the difficult name, they’ve thrived for the very simple reason that this is one of the world’s great pastries. Maybe thegreatest. I guess that depends on who you talk to, but the irresistible combination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender, is hard to beat.

I guess you could just buy some frozen puff pasty, or croissant dough, and skip to the last step, but unlike many of those, the base here is a fairly lean bread dough, which I think is one of the secrets. A richer milk-based dough, which already contains lots of butter and sugar, won’t necessarily provide the same contrast.

Speaking of secrets, I think the real magic of these is the salt. Apparently the authentic ones are fairly salty, and just as savory, as they are sweet, but you don’t want to over do it. I suggest starting with less than I call for in your seasoned sugar mix, and then tasting on a wet finger to see where you’re at. Then, add more until you think it’s right.

Part of me hopes you have a bakery that does these nearby, so you can easily taste them for yourself, but another part of me hopes you don’t, so you’ll try to make them. Either way, you’re in for a huge treat. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Kouign-Amann:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the seasoned sugar (mix, taste, and adjust):

2/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons of sea salt or kosher salt (less if you’re using a fine table salt)

For the rest:

8 ounces ice cold unsalted butter (2 sticks) for the pastry

1 tablespoon melted butter for the muffin pan

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“Burnt” Basque Cheesecake - Yes, On Purpose

This “burnt” Basque cheesecake is one of the rare trendy recipes that I’m actually posting while it’s still trendy. I usually wait like three or four years, and by that time people have lost interest, and it seems like I’m doing it to be ironic. Well, this time the hype got to me, and now I understand why all the fuss.

By cooking the cheesecake in a very hot oven, we get a beautiful, dark exterior, which not only looks great, but the bittersweet notes it provides makes the light, creamy cheesecake inside seem even more rich, and flavorful. Besides the taste and texture, this method is just plain easier, as long as you can find some parchment paper.

Depending on the size of the roll or sheet you buy, you may have to overlap it, but as long as the pan is covered, and it comes up a few inches past the top, you’re fine. I assumed this technique was adapted from some ancient Basque recipes, but as it turns out, it was actually developed at a café in San Sebastian, called La Vina in the 70’s. That probably explains the Philly cream cheese.

Anyway, if you haven’t had the best luck with traditional cheesecake methods, you should stop trying, and just make this exclusively. Just make sure you tell you’re guests it’s supposed to be “burnt,” although if they’re on social media, they probably already know. Either way, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9-inch cake pan (8-10 Portions):

24 ounces soft cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine salt (or 3/4 to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 extra large eggs (you can use 5 large eggs)

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

- Bake at 400 F. for 50 to 55 minutes, or until puffed and well browned. For a little more color, you can crank the oven up to 425 or 450 F. for the last 10 minutes or so.

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Cheesecake Flan – False Advertising Has Never Tasted So Good

I tried to create a flan that tastes like cheesecake, but ended up with a cheesecake that tastes like flan, and yet I wasn’t disappointed in the least. While this may not have lived up to its enticing name, it was still one of the most delicious flans I’ve ever had.

Based on a cream cheese flan, I thought the addition of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and some graham cracker crumbs, would create the perfect hybrid, but our caramelized sugar had other ideas. It’s amazing how such a thin layer of caramel can dominate the other flavors, but that’s exactly what happened here, and if we really wanted a “cheesecake flan,” we’d need to omit that from the recipe.

Except if we did that it wouldn’t be a flan, and we’d have to call it “cheesecake custard.” So, let’s move past the name, and simply focus on what a great dessert this really was. I’ll probably skip the crumbs next time, since they didn’t add much, and annoyingly soaked up the pool of caramel on the plate. But, regardless of whether you include the crust, or what you decide to call it, I really do hope you give this gorgeous recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 Cheesecake Flans:

Please Note: I used four 5.5 ounce ramekins, and had a little custard mixture leftover, so you can probably get 5 out of this recipe if you use a slightly smaller ramekin, or fill them with less batter.

For the ramekins:

1 teaspoon melted butter or vegetable oil to grease ramekins

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar, caramelized to an amber color over medium heat

For the custard:

1/2 cup room temp cream cheese

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

3 large eggs, beaten

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

For the crumb crust:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons melted butter

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Beer Floats – Fizzy Insult or Carbonated Classic?

Depending on whom you talk to, making ice cream floats with beer is either a genius idea, or a horrible mistake. In fact, I remember hearing one food writer describe a local beer float tasting as “fizzy insults,” which is a clever phrase, but not necessarily true, if the pairing is done properly.

The key is to choose a beer that’s on the toasty, malty, sweeter side, and stay away from beers that are too hoppy, dry, and bitter. But fair warning, even using a sweet, mellow brew, this is quite a different experience, which is why I suggested having some regular root beer around, just in case.

As far as the ice cream goes, there are as many flavors as there are choices of beers, but the safest, and probably most effective option would be plain, old vanilla, especially if using a fruit-infused brew. The exception to that would be if you were pouring a dark beer that features chocolate and coffee notes. In that case, a chocolate or coffee ice cream might be just the thing.

But no matter what beer you decide to pair with which ice cream, I’d make a small test glass first, to make sure it works for you and your palette. And if it doesn’t, don’t feel bad, since you’re still going to be eating ice cream and drinking beer, just not together. Either way, I really do hope you give these beer floats a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for an Ice Cream Beer Float:

1 cup of appropriate beer (something sweet and/or fruity, but not too bitter, dry, or sour)

1/3 cup vanilla ice cream

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Chocolate Yule Log – This Bûche de Noël Only Looks Difficult

If you’ve never made a Yule Log because you thought it would take a lot of time and effort, then you probably made the right decision, since it does. But, if you haven’t tried this classic holiday dessert because you thought it required advanced baking and pastry skill, then get ready to bûche, since the techniques required are actually quite simple.

This classic holiday dessert is a showstopper, but it’s often better looking, than it is tasting, which is not the case here, thanks to a simple-to-make, rich chocolate sponge cake, and mocha buttercream filling. Having said that, if you have a favorite frosting or filling, literally anything you can spread will work here. As long as you can slice it later, pretty much anything goes.

I forgot to add the vanilla extract, and I’ve made that correction in the ingredients below, but above and beyond what you add to the batter, you can also drizzle the baked sponge with many delicious, possibly adult beverages. Coffee liqueur is a great choice, as is dark rum, Kirsch, and Framboise, just to name a few. This practice probably started to cover up dry, overcooked cake, which of course would never be a problem for us, but even a perfectly cooked sponge can benefit if you’re so inclined.

As far as the decorations go, just a dusted and frosted Yule log makes for a great presentation, but half the fun is creating a scene around your log, and an image search should give you plenty of ideas. I may try to sneak in a video for how to do the meringue mushrooms, but not sure exactly when. Regardless of how you decorate it, or what you flavor it with, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one Chocolate Yule Log (8 portions):
NOTE: This was for a 13 X 18" sheet pan)

2 tablespoons melted butter for greasing pan

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

5 large room temperature eggs (do not use cold eggs)

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Bake at 400 F. for 8 to 10 minutes

For the filling:
NOTE: I thought mine had too much buttercream, so I'd probably use 2/3 rd for this and save the rest for cupcakes)

1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup room temp butter

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons coffee liquor, and or any other flavoring or extract, or a splash of milk to achieve a light, fluffy buttercream

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

Ganache frosting:

1 cup hot heavy cream

8 ounces dark chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate

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Lemon Gingersnap Posset – A Lemon Pudding to Die For

This lemon posset seems too good to be true. Not only does it feature a rich, thick, luxurious texture, and intense, clean citrus taste, but it’s also egg-free, starch-free, and gelatin-free. As if that wasn’t enough, it only takes three ingredients, and could not be easier to make. Notwithstanding its calorie count, this may be the perfect special occasion dessert.

Like I said in the video, I used lemon since my posset was being paired with gingersnap crumbs, but the first time I ever had this it was done with lime and graham cracker crumbs, and was equally stellar. Next time I think I’ll try it with both, since once you experience this magical mixture, there’s always going to be a next time.  

This reminds me a lot of lemon curd, especially with how perfectly it pairs with fresh seasonal fruit, but the lemon flavor is even more intense, despite actually using less juice. It’s also significantly faster and easier to make. So yes, this does seem too good to be true, and yet somehow it is, which is why I really do hope you give this lemon posset a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 Portions of Lemon Gingersnap Posset:

2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup white sugar

1 generous tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps, or other crunchy cookie

4 or 5 teaspoons melted butter, or enough to moisten crumbs

whipped cream and seasonal fruit to garnish

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Portuguese Custard Tarts – The Hieronymites Got This Right

I’ve made custard tarts before, but never the world-famous Portuguese custard tarts, and I’m thrilled to report the results were shockingly good. This really was one of the best pastries I’ve ever enjoyed, custard or otherwise. 

Which is a good thing, since they do require a bit of effort to produce. The recipe itself is simple, using just a few basic ingredients, but there are numerous steps, and a certain amount of finesse is required, but the results are so worth it. After watching a few dozen videos on the technique, I decided to try the short cut version first, which uses frozen store-bought puff pastry. The results were not good. Since puff pastry is leavened with yeast, and contains so many more layers of butter and dough, my crust turned out too thick, and gummy, and wasn’t nearly as thin and crispy as it should’ve been. It may have been my technique, but officially I’m blaming the dough.

So then I attempted an “authentic” dough recipe from scratch, which was infinitely better. It’s a little tricky to work with, since the dough is very sticky, but I think that’s one of the keys here. Seems like the extra moisture in the dough, which is activated by the very hot oven, is what creates the signature flaky, crispy texture.

As far as the custard goes, it’s a relatively simple procedure, and we even streamlined one of the steps. You’ll have to decide whether you’re going to include lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla, which are apparently considered optional ingredients in Portugal, but I really enjoy the flavor, and wouldn’t change a thing. Regardless of what you decide to add, or not add to yours, like I said in the video, these should be on everyone’s baking bucket list. So, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup cold water

Note: adjust with more flour or water to achieve what’s shown in the video

1 stick (4 ounces) very soft, high-quality unsalted butter

For the sugar syrup:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)

zest from 1 lemon

For the custard base:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups milk

6 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Bake tarts at 550 F. for 12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and bubbly, and the tops start to blister and caramelize.

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Sweet Potato Soufflés – Even Easier Than Easy

Soufflés have always had the reputation for being a difficult, and temperamental thing to make, which I’ve never really understood. As long as you can manage to whip some egg whites, and fold them into your batter without knocking all the air out, there’s really not much that can go wrong. 

And that’s with the traditional method, which requires making a saucy base first. These soufflés are even easier than that, since mashed sweet potato is the base. I like to microwave my sweet potatoes, mostly because it’s faster, but you can certainly roast them in a 375 F. oven instead. Just prick them as shown, and bake for as long as it takes to get them very soft. I’d love to give you a time, but that depends on the size.

I kept these very plain, so as not to distract you, but you can add all sorts of things. Cheese, bacon, and herbs, just to name a few. And that’s for savory applications, since these will also shine as a dessert. Just add some maple syrup or brown sugar to the mashed potatoes, to taste, along with appropriate spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and you'll be in for quite the seasonal treat. But, no matter how you flavor these, or which course you serve them, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 to 6 Sweet Potato Soufflés:

2 teaspoon room temp butter to grease ramekins (mine were 5 oz. size)

4 large room temperature eggs, separated

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

pinch of cayenne

1/4 cup milk                                                 

crispy fried sage leaves to garnish, optional

Cream Puff "Crack Buns"(Choux au Craquelin) – Chef John Goes Hollywood

These gorgeous cream puff "crack buns” were inspired by the Great British Baking Show, which is not only my favorite cooking show, but currently my favorite thing on television. Maybe it's the accent, or because the contestants are all so nice, and actually try to help each other. Or, it could be the fact that when the time is up, and they try to work for a few more seconds, the hosts just politely scold them, instead of immediate disqualification, which is what would happen on our much more uptight American culinary competitions.

It's probably all of the above, plus the fact I always get so many wonderful ideas for videos, with these Choux au Crackelinbeing a prime example. Like I said in the video, these would be great filled with all kinds of things, but it's hard to beat vanilla bean pastry cream. I'm pretty proud of the recipe we posted a few years ago, and while I enjoy it straight, traditionally it would have some whipped cream folded in to lighten the mixture.

Speaking of favorite things, Boston cream pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this was basically an individually portioned, probably superior version of that. The only thing that would have made this experience any more enjoyable would have been getting that coveted Paul Hollywood handshake. Maybe one day. In the meantime, I really do hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 to 8 Crack Buns:

For the “crack” crust:

3 tablespoons soft butter

1/4 light brown sugar (1 1/2 ounces)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (47 grams)

pinch salt

For the choux pastry:

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch salt

1/2 cup flour

2 large room temperature eggs

melted dark chocolate, optional

- Put into 450 F. oven, reduce to 350 F., and bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned and fully puffed.

- Get the vanilla pastry cream recipe here.

Apple Butter – Everything Apple Sauce Wishes It Could Be

Sure this apple butter recipe takes many hours to cook, but the recipe is quite easy (after you slice 5 pounds of apples), and once done, you have what is basically a spreadable apple pie filling, only better. Buttered toast sold separately. And, that’s just the beginning of what you can do with this miraculous mixture.

It’s perfect used as a garnish for cheese plates, especially alongside some nice sharp cheddar, or spread on some cheesy biscuits, which I believe we posted a recipe for last year. Other approved uses include spreading between the layers of a spice cake, filling seasonably appropriate thumbprint cookies, or even as a condiment for pork chops. Sorry, apple sauce.

This is quite a simple procedure using a slow cooker as seen herein, but if you don’t have one you can certainly do it on top of the stove over low heat, as long as you use a nice thick-bottomed pot, and stir often. Another option would be to place the mixture in a large roasting pan, and cook it in a slow oven, stirring occasionally until dark and thick.

No matter what method used to cook this, your house will smell amazing, as in they wish they could make scented candles that smell even close to this good. So, for those reasons and more I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 cups of Apple Butter:

5 pounds Granny Smith, cored, sliced

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
splash of water, about 1/2 cup

Pouding Chômeur – This Unemployed Man’s Pudding Isn’t Cheap

This Pouding Chômeur, which translates to “unemployed man’s pudding,” is one of your more ironically named recipes, since the main ingredients aren’t cheap. The good news is you probably don’t want to eat this more than a few times a year anyway, so it shouldn’t break the budget.

If you use a bigger baking dish than I did, and pour over all the maple cream syrup, your cake should float over a pool of what will eventually be your sauce. If you just use a deep pie dish like me, then you’ll have to serve the extra sauce later, which may work out even better anyway.

Be sure to stop between 1/2 and 1-inch from the top of your dish, because this will soufflé up, and the molten syrup will run all over. Which reminds me, be sure to use a sheet pan underneath, as neither maple syrup nor heavy cream is recommended for the bottom of your oven.

This is the perfect dessert to pair with summer fruit, and I hear that a scoop of vanilla ice cream only improves things further. So, thanks to my French-Canadian friends who suggested this recipe to follow the Poutine, and to all of you, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Portions:

For the syrup:

2 cups maple syrup

2 cups heavy cream

Note: I had plenty extra, so you may be able to reduce these amounts

For the batter:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs (use room temperature for best results)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 425 F. for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons – What a Difference an “O” Makes

I’ve always found it amusing that macaroons, which are one of the easiest cookies ever, has the same name, give or take an “o,” as the famously difficult macaron. 

Even though they have the same origin, which the Italian word maccarone (also where we get macaroni), they couldn’t be more different in texture, as well as the skill they require.

Since we did (and totally nailed) the hard one, I figured I should do the easy one, especially since I just got back from vacation, and something simple seemed like a really good idea. Speaking of easy, using sweetened condensed milk streamlines the operation, and produces a very nice texture, but if you can’t find it, there are many macaroon recipes that use white, or powdered sugar, so don’t let that slow you down.

Regarding the chocolate dip, you can just melt, and use any kind you like, but for that extra professional touch, I suggest tempering the chocolate before you dip.  There are many complicated demos online, which involve heating and cooling the chocolates using very specific temperatures, and they work great, but I generally don’t have the patience. 

Instead, I use a shortcut method that involves chopping up some dark chocolate into the size of peas, melting 75% of it, and then stirring in the other 25%, until it melts. That should get you pretty close, and at the very least you’ll have a firmer, snappier texture than if you just melted all the chocolate at once, and started dipping. Either way, I hope you give these easy coconut macaroons a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 24 Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons:

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 large egg white

3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

- Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes, or until golden.