Glibertarians.com 2017 Archive

Tag: baking

  • Best Damn Fruitcake Recipe on the Interwebs

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    I love fruitcake. My grandmother was quite a remarkable baker, so I never had the horrible commercial fruitcake that many of my friends grew up with.

    This recipe is a compilation, but is the absolute best I’ve ever had, mainly due to the long maceration of the dried fruits and the ripening. Theoretically, it would have been better to start this right after Halloween for Christmas consumption, but it’s still possible to make it for New Year’s Day, if you don’t dawdle, but longer ripening is better. Oh, and the first step takes a week. Hop to it!

    This makes about 4 standard loaf pans, but you can adapt it to any baking vessel. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and don’t over bake.

    Properly attended to, fruitcake can be stored safely for literally years. We recently finished eating the last fruitcake of my batch from last Christmas. I store my fruitcakes in the wine cellar and bathe them with alcohol throughout the year.

    Best Damn Fruitcake Recipe on the Interwebs

    Give up on all other versions. This is the one you need.

    • 2 cups pitted dates
    • 2 cups candied lemon rind
    • 2 cups candied orange rind
    • 1.5 cups dried apricots
    • 1.5 cups dried figs
    • 1.5 cups candied cherries
    • 1.5 cups candied pineapple
    • 1.5 cups candied citron
    • 1 cup crystallized ginger
    • 3 cups raisins
    • 3 cups dried currants
    • 2.5 cups Grand Marnier
    • 3 cups Cognac
    • 2.5 cups flour
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp. ground cloves
    • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 1 tsp. ground mace
    • 3 tsp. powdered instant espresso
    • 1 lb. butter
    • 2.25 cups dark brown sugar
    • 9 eggs
    • 1.25 cups molasses
    • 6 cups pecan halves
    • 6 cups walnut halves

    1. Using a large knife, chop the dates, lemon rind, orange rind, apricots, figs, cherries, citron, and ginger. Place in a large bowl and add the raisins and currants. Pour 1/2 cup Grand Marnier and 1 cup cognac over the ingredients in the bowl and stir to mix well. Allow to rest in the refrigerate for a week.

    2. Preheat oven to 225. Grease 4 or 5 standard loaf pans. Line with parchment baking paper. Grease the parchment paper.

    3. Sift the flour, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and espresso powder to combine.

    4. Cream butter and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. One at a time, beat in eggs, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.

    5. Add dry ingredients and molasses a bit at a time, mixing well. Don’t worry if the mixture seems to curdle. It’s fine. Transfer batter to a very large bowl.

    6. Stir in marinated fruit mixture with the marinade, and nuts.

    7. Distribute batter into prepared pans. Press down to eliminate any air pockets. 

    8. Bake about 5 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

    9. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto racks. Cool completely before proceeding.

    10. Brush the tops of cakes with 1 tbsp each of Grand Marnier and cognac. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to ripen at room temperature for one week. Each day, unwrap and brush the cakes with 1 tbsp of each of the remaining liquors.

    11. After the week is up, wrap tightly in new plastic, wrap in foil and refrigerate for several weeks before serving.

    To increase the absorption of the liquor by the cakes, poke holes in the top with a toothpick before brushing on liquor.

    Other orange-flavored liquors can be used in place of the Grand Marnier.

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  • Thanksgiving Recipes from the Glibs

    Various contributors came together to make this submission happen. Thanks, guys!

    From R C Dean

    Not sure what the name of this one is, but the maple syrup makes it very autumnal.

    3 oz. Rye (or bourbon – I prefer rye for just about any cocktail)
    3/4 oz. Orange Juice
    1/3 oz. Lemon Juice
    3/4 oz Dark Maple Syrup
    4 – 6 dashes bitters (Angostura works, but I also like Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrel)
    Seltzer (couple ounces)
    Orange garnish (optional)

    I originally saw this “stirred, not shaken”.  In my experience, you may not get the maple syrup to fully dissolve by stirring, so I prefer to make this one in my trusty shaker (also, drinks with citrus are classically shaken).  The RC Dean method is to put everything but the seltzer and garnish in a shaker, pour over ice, top with seltzer and garnish.  Protip:  if you add the seltzer to the shaker, you will get a spectacular mess, so don’t do that.

    From Nephilium

    So here’s a recipe (modified from an issue of BeerAdvocate) I’ll be doing for a dessert this year:

    Pumpkin Imperial Stout Tiramisu

    Ingredients

    1 pint heavy whipping cream
    ½ tsp cinnamon
    ¼ tsp nutmeg
    1/8 tsp clove
    ¼ cup Dry Malt Extract
    1 cup pumpkin puree
    2 cup mascarpone cheese
    24 oz Rasputin Imperial Stout (or any other good Russian Imperial Stout)
    3 packages ladyfinger cookies
    1 cup Simpsons Special Dark Roast Malt, ground to a powder
    cinnamon, ground
    powdered sugar

    Notes: DME and Simpsons Special Dark Roast can be acquired at your local homebrew store.  Otherwise you can substitute ovaltine for the DME, and cocoa powder for the Special Dark Roast

    Directions

    In a medium bowl, add cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and DME.  Mix this until soft peaks form, then set aside.  In a different bowl, mix together the pumpkin and the mascarpone until fully combined.  Fold the pumpkin mixture into the spiced whipped cream until blended (some streaks are fine), and then set aside.

    Pour the stout into a shallow bowl or a pie plate.  Select your serving container (I usually use a 13 x 9 pan, but you can use whatever size you wish).  Then you begin the assembly of the tiramisu.  Dip ladyfingers into the stout for 10 seconds, then flip them, and let them sit for 10 seconds again.  Then place the ladyfingers into your serving container until you have a single layer.  Then take a third of the pumpkin cream filling and distribute it over the ladyfingers.  Dust with malt powder, then add another layer of soaked ladyfingers.  Top the second layer with pumpkin cream and then garnish with malt powder, some cinnamon, and powdered sugar.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

    If you use a smaller container, you can go to three layers of each, or even four.  Do what you want, it’s your dessert.

    From DblEagle

    AGED EGGNOG

    Dozen egg yolks (reserve the whites for something else)
    1 lb sugar
    1 pint half and half
    1 pint heavy cream
    1 pint whole milk
    1 cup rum
    1 cup cognac
    1 cup bourbon
    1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
    1/4 teaspoon (((kosher))) salt

    -Beat egg yolks, sugar and nutmeg until falls off a whisk in a smooth ribbon
    -Combine the dairy, booze and salt in different container
    – Slowly beat the booze mixture into the egg mixture
    -Store in glass container(s) for 2 weeks to 2 months* in refrigerator

    Serve in glasses with nutmeg (fresh is best) garnish
    * You can (and I have) drink immediately but the aging time enables the tastes to smoothly combine

    How to Roast a Whole Turkey with Playa Manhattan:

    Don’t.     White meat is well done at 165F.     Dark meat is well done at 185F.    Whenever possible, roast the crown separately from the legs and thighs, otherwise, part of your turkey is going to be overcooked.

    For presentation purposes, if you feel that you must serve the bird whole, there is a workaround:   plumping.     Inject the breasts with enough flavorful liquid to slow down the temperature rise in the white meat.       In addition to a 3 day soak in my brown sugar orange/lemon brine, I inject about 6 ounces into each breast before cooking.   If you like a more natural, plain turkey flavor, I suggest using an injectable called “Make it Meaty”; it’s quite possibly the most perfect plumping solution I’ve ever come across.      As an added bonus, it contains sodium phosphates, which will cause the meat proteins to absorb even more liquid than if you just used a plain salt/sugar brine.    You can find the mix on Amazon here.  There’s nothing worse than dry turkey, so do what needs to be done, even if you consider it cheating.     Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

    From Old Man With Candy: What We’ll Be Drinking:

    SP and I regard Thanksgiving as an excuse for gluttony. At the same time, we realize that vegetarian gluttony may not suit everyone, but in our defense, “vegetarian” does not mean “healthy” or “low fat” or “devoid of flavor.” In recognition of this, rather than spilling our vegetarian recipes (which will be made by exactly zero people here), we’ll talk about the bottles that can grace the tables and lure you into a delightful sense of drunkenness. These may be a bit of a splurge, but hey, holidays deserve better than Beringer White Zinfandel.

    I admit that I’ve never eaten turkey, but I am told that rosé pairs well. In which case, you owe it to yourself to scarf up a bottle of Francois Cotat Sancerre Rosé, made from Pinot Noir grown in the Loire Valley. Current vintage is 2016, and you can’t go wrong. Unlike most other rosés, the Cotat is actually ageable, so if you find an older specimen, it will be very much worth buying. For a red, I like to be patriotic and drink domestic on T-day, and one of the very few California wineries that has avoided the blowtorch oak-bomb style of Zinfandel is Dashe. Their “L’Enfant Terrible” series (or variously, Les Enfants Terribles, depending on the bottling), made from various vineyards, is a don’t-miss. Natural winemaking: native yeast, no enzyme or flavoring packages, restrained oaking. Pure essence of fruit and soil. For whites, we can actually go cheap and grab some Seyval Blance from New York’s Finger Lakes- we have some Bully Hill in stock, which is very good, very inexpensive, and very reliable. If you want to get fancy, grab some Riesling from Michigan, like the wonderful Chateau Grand Traverse Block 12. And while you’re buying it, grab a bottle of their Late Harvest Riesling for dessert. Not “with dessert,” mind you, FOR dessert, preferably served with a fine quality Wisconsin cheddar. If you are having a chocolate dessert, run, do not walk, to a good wine shop to snarf a bottle of Dr. Parce Banyuls. You’re welcome.

    Wherein SP cheerfully ignores OMWC’s comment above about not sharing our recipes

    SP’s Easy Dinner Rolls – Vegan (or Not) – serves 8-12 (or SP & OMWC)

    (Use the ingredients in the parentheses for Not Vegan)

    2 tbsp white sugar (or honey)
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 2-1/4 tsp packet rapid-rise yeast
    2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, give or take – divided
    1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or regular milk)
    1/4 cup water
    2 tbsp margarine, and a bit more for finishing (or butter)

    With a small whisk, combine the sugar, salt, yeast and 1 cup of flour in a small bowl.

    In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, heat milk, water, and margarine or butter to about 105F (41C). If it’s too hot, let it cool a bit before using.

    Place the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer. With the machine running, pour in the liquid ingredients. Process or mix for 2 minutes or so. Scrape the bowl sides, add 1/2 cup more flour and beat or process until a soft dough forms, about 2 more minutes. The dough will be sticky, but should loosely hold its shape.

    If the dough is too soft, mix in the rest of the flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is still soft but holds shape. Turn the dough out and let it rest on a floured surface, covered, for 10-15 minutes.

    Meanwhile, grease an 8-inch round cake pan. An actual 8-inch pan, not man “8-inches.”

    Divide the dough into 8-12 pieces and shape into rounds. (I am a little compulsive, so I weigh the dough to have rolls of the same size at the end.) Place the shaped rolls in the greased cake pan, cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

    While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375F.

    Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. If you wish, brush the top of the rolls with a little melted margarine or butter. Serve pretty close to immediately.

    And you thought you couldn’t bake yeast breads from scratch!

    From jesse.in.mb

    My family found out I wouldn’t be showing up to Thanksgiving with artichoke dip* and fresh baked bread this year and an aunt has dropped her normal provisioning in favor of hanger-management an appetizer. *A chef friend asked me not to share her recipe, this is will get you close enough though. For the past two years I’ve been making extra batches for the BF’s family’s Thanksgiving which I was invited to and it has been strongly hinted that I should continue the tradition and perhaps bring my Aunt Sheryl’s (PBUH) apple pie. I know everyone has their favorite apple pie recipe, but this one is better and I’ll consider disagreement an act of aggression.

    Aunt Sheryl’s Dutch Apple Pie

    Filling:
    2/3 cup sugar
    2Tbsp all purpose flour
    ¾tsp cinnamon
    ½ fresh lemon
    6-8 tart (Granny Smith) apples pared, cored, and sliced (equaling 6 cups)
    Combine first three ingredients. Put apples in crust, sprinkle dry mix over apples then squeeze ½ lemon over them (can be left for up to 24 hours in the fridge for more flavor).

    Crumb Topping
    ½ cup flour
    ¼ cup sugar
    ¼ cup butter
    Combine flour and sugar, cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples.
    Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes

     

  • Three Boozy Desserts

    Today I present three delicious alcohol-laced desserts. An easy one for bakers, an impressively showy one for stove-top cooks who love heat, and one that requires no talent or ability whatsoever!

    Torta al Vino

    No frosting required.This recipe is by famed Italian chef Lidia Bastianich (although I’ve changed the narrative). Don’t be fooled by the ease and simplicity of this cake. The final result is unexpectedly delicious. It’s also perfect for anyone afraid of decorating a cake, as it finishes to a beautiful golden brown that needs no ornamentation.

    Have all your ingredients at room temperature before starting (unless your a/c is broken and you live someplace like Phoenix!), as it will make it come together much more easily. And don’t skimp on the citrus zest. It really makes a huge difference.

    Either seedless grapes or blueberries or raspberries can be used as the fruit. I used blueberries since they are in season here now and very inexpensive.

    I use a 9-inch springform pan. Springform pans are available pretty much everywhere now, very inexpensively, even at Walmart and equivalent. It will make the final presentation much easier, and this cake does rise in the oven more than a standard 9-inch cake pan can happily accommodate. Splurge on the springform pan. You might even decide to start baking cheesecakes.

    As is the case with many things, this is even more delicious the next day. You’re a grown-up; yes, you can eat cake for breakfast!

    Serves 8-12

    For the pan:

    1 tbsp unsalted butter
    1 tbsp all-purpose flour

    For the cake:

    1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tsp for fruit
    1-1/2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1/8 tsp salt
    6 tbsp unsalted butter
    3/4 cup white sugar
    2 eggs
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tbsp orange or lemon zest (I use lemon if using grapes, orange if blueberries are the fruit)
    3/4 cup dry white wine (nearly any kind will work)
    2 cups seedless grapes, stemmed, rinsed and patted dry OR 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries

    For the topping:

    2 tbsp butter, diced
    1 tbsp white sugar

    1. Preheat oven to 375F.

    2. Rub the entire inside of the cake pan with butter. Sprinkle with flour and shake to coat the entire surface. Dump out any extra flour.

    3. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

    4. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. When blended together, beat at high speed to smooth and lighten. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and – one at a time – add eggs, beating after each one until fully incorporated. Add olive oil, vanilla extract, and citrus zest. Beat on high for a couple minutes until very smooth.

    5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the wine, beating as thoroughly as you would your “orphan.” Continue alternating the flour mixture with wine, beating completely until all dry ingredients and wine are fully incorporated. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and beat on high to finish smoothing the batter.

    Sprinkle and swirl, baby!6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle 1 tsp flour on the fruit and shake to coat evenly. Sprinkle the fruit over the cake batter, then lightly swirl the fruit into the batter. It doesn’t need to be fully submerged.

    7. Pour yourself a glass of white wine. Bake cake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes, drinking wine while you clean up the kitchen. After 25 minutes, the top of the cake will be set and starting to brown, but the inside of the cake will still shake. Carefully pull the rack out until you can reach the cake. Sprinkle the surface of the cake with the diced butter, then sprinkle the sugar on top. Don’t burn yourself – you’ve been drinking, after all!

    8. Return cake to oven and bake until the cake is set and the top is golden brown, about 15 more wine-drinking minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake. It should be clean with no cake clinging to the toothpick when done.

    9. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Release the springform side and remove. Allow the cake to completely cool before serving. Continue drinking wine while you wait.

    10. Slice into wedges and serve as is or add a little whipped cream (try whipping with some orange liqueur for a nice touch).



    Spicy Rum Pineapple

    NOT INTENDED FOR DOOM'S PIZZA I must emphasize that this dish can be made as spicy or as mild as your taste dictates. Make sure you use a smoked pepper powder, or add some smoked paprika to the mix. We like it so spicy (mmmmm habaneros!) that most of our guests don’t even dare try it. Those who do, generally curse us while performing their morning rituals the next day.

    Fresh pineapple is a must here, but you can save yourself some work by purchasing it already cored, sliced and cut into chunks. We serve this with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. (You are definitely going to want that ice cream if you make this right.)

    UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS BE ANYWHERE NEAR A PIZZA. (I’m looking at you, Doom!)

    Serves 4-6

    1 pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced, and chunked (chunks should be about 1/2-3/4 inch thick)
    3 tbsp butter
    3 tbsp white sugar
    1/3 – 1/2 cup dark rum
    Smoked, fruity hot pepper powder (to taste)

    1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pineapple and saute until caramelized, making sure to turn the pineapple so both sides are caramelized.

    2. Add sugar and cook until the sugar melts.

    3. While keeping your face and all small children back from the pan, pour in the rum all at once.

    4. After the flames have died down, cook until the liquid has cooked down into a thick syrup. Remove from heat and sprinkle with smoked hot pepper powder.

    5. Divide onto dessert plates and serve a scoop of good vanilla ice cream right alongside.



    Spiked Melon

    Mmmmm melon!Fruit, sugar, sparkling wine, fresh herbs. Can it get any easier? No, it can’t. Don’t bring a boring, uninspired carton of Ben & Jerry’s next time you’re asked to contribute a summer dessert to a dinner party. Really, don’t be that guy.

    A couple great combinations to try: cantaloupe and mint; honeydew and basil.

    Serves 4

    1 cup Prosecco or Cava
    1/8-1/4 cup superfine sugar (adjust for taste and/or how sweet the melon is)
    4 cups melon balls (oh, grow up!)
    1/4 cup packed fresh herb leaves

    1. Pour the sparkling wine into a large bowl. Add the superfine sugar and stir until dissolved.

    2. Add the melon and stir to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (I like to prepare this first thing in the morning for an evening event.)

    3. Right before you serve, roll up the herb leaves and chiffonade (slice into thin ribbons).

    4. Divide melon and liquid evenly into 4 pretty dessert glasses, garnishing each with 1 tbsp of herb ribbons.