I spent St. Patrick’s Day my junior year of college in Dublin. I drank whiskey for the first time while hiding behind trees in St. Stephen's Green, then walked buzzed down Grafton street and spent the evening getting Guinness and Irish kisses in the Temple Bar area. While I can’t say I fit all of that into these cupcakes, they come pretty damn close. Guinness in the cake, whiskey in the filling, Baileys in the frosting. I put on some Corrs for added ambience. And the kisses came from my husband, who was very supportive of this recipe. “Do you mind drinking up the Guinness I don’t use and then later eating it in a cupcake?” “Uh, ok.” These cupcakes have lots of parts, so in that way they are complicated, but it’s hard to go wrong, so it’s worth it. In fact, if you took all of the ingredients, dumped them in a bowl, and stirred, you could probably just eat that with a spoon and be reasonably satisfied. But if you follow the recipe, you end up with spongy chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache filling and buttercream frosting. Make a little Irish coffee on the side, sit back, and be thankful for St. Patrick. And whiskey, of course. Sláinte!
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It's no secret that chocolate and whiskey go together, but a friend actually came across a dark chocolate bar made with whiskey. Yes, please. It’s by Butlers with a tag line that says “Purveyors of Happiness.” Not going to argue with that. So, on the nose, the package gives off a definite whiff of whiskey. On the tongue, it is actually quite well balanced. Like spiked chocolate frosting – deep, rich chocolate with notes of whiskey around the edges. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, with just a hint of orange. It has a long finish – the taste definitely lingers on the tongue. I wouldn’t say it replaces having chocolate in one hand and whiskey in the other, but it’s a good mid-day, work-appropriate alternative. And it takes care of two cravings at once…although I have to admit, it still makes me want a little dram on the side. To that age-old question of whether bacon belongs in chocolate chip cookies, I say yes. Yes it does. For a food pairing to go with Whistle Pig rye, I was – naturally – trying to find a recipe for bacon cookies. I came across one that was oatmeal, raisin, and bacon from Bon Appétit. But why would one use raisins when chocolate exists? Once you start looking, there are a surprising amount of bacon chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but most require a half cup of bacon fat. If that makes you go “yum,” well that’s interesting. I only like to see my baking fat in certain forms, like butter. And I liked the oatmeal idea. So I went with the first recipe, substituted chocolate for the raisins, and substituted 3 tablespoons of bourbon for the vanilla. The result? Bacon bourbon oatmeal chocolate cookies. A nice pairing with Whistle Pig. A nice pairing with life. Not everyone likes their whiskey straight. But few can resist it when mixed with chocolate, coffee and cream. So when looking for a way to share my favorite spirit with coworkers and neighbors this holiday season, Irish cream seemed the way to go. It's good in coffee, over ice cream, or with a couple of ice cubes. My favorite is a shot of it topped with a layer of cream on top. The Irish cream goes in the glass first, then turn a spoon scoop side down over the top of the glass and pour the cream over it, so it settles as a nice layer on top. You know it’s a going to be fun cooking when you have to buy bourbon, Scotch, and Irish whiskey for the recipes. This Thanksgiving, I am still thankful for whiskey and have kept some of my favorite whiskey recipes from last year – bourbon cranberries, butterscotch pumpkin pie, and Scotch whipped cream (recipes available In the Kitchen). I will also be welcoming guests to my apartment with a mug of whiskey cider (recipe available In a Cocktail). But there’s always room for some new traditions. This year, my whiskey additions to the menu are: baked sweet potatoes with a bourbon and maple sauce and a whiskey chocolate tart for dessert. |
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