Butter Me Up - Hot Buttered Rum

'Tis the season... Or at least it WILL be very shortly.

My final post regarding the Dunkelweizen has been postponed till Saturday or Sunday.  Which is kind of depressing, cause I thought I had timed everything fairly well.  Alas, the yeastie beasties aren't reading any of my blog posts, thus there were not quite with the program.  (sigh)

In keeping with the spirit (no pun intended, then again, maybe it was) of things laced with good cheer, I decided it was time to release my Sister-in-Law's recipe for Hot Buttered Rum.  OH my, but is this is some seriously GOOD stuff!  I have seen a lot of recipes out on the net and they all seem to use ice cream. Which I find a little odd; not that they are not tasty, cause I have had them, but there is always something not quite "right".   Granted, when using ice cream the eggs are not raw, but you will be using it in an alcoholic beverage that requires boiling water, so I am pretty sure that salmonella is not really an issue. 

I remember my first hot buttered rum, down at a cafe called The Metro on Broadway in Portland, many, many, many, many moons ago...  Did I mention there were MANY moons?  I don't think that the Metro even exists anymore; which is a shame, because they also served some phenomenal mulled wine during the winter season.  It wasn't just the Metro though, there use to be a Trader Vics in Downtown Portland back then as well.  They served a pretty great Hot Buttered Rum too.  Ah, so many a cold night was kept warm via Hot Buttered Rum.  I even remember being able to buy "Trader Vics" Hot Buttered Rum mix in the store.  Sadly I have not seen it in a long time, but I am digressing.

One of the things that I remember (one of the few thing) from those Hot Buttered Rum nights was the Molasses, Spices and Butter.... No vanilla and No "milkiness", which is what you get when using Vanilla Ice cream to make your mix.  Thus, when my sister-in-law showed me this recipe I was really excited.  No Vanilla Ice Cream...  Simply Eggs, Butter, Sugar and Spices.... AWESOME!   Granted I tweaked it, cause I have this insane need to do such things, but it was more of a... "Hey, ya know... I like those flavors, so I should add this too"  kind of thing.   LOL

One thing I will say is that the Brown sugars are interchangeable.  It really depends on what rum your using.  For White Rum, I would suggest a 50/50 split (1 lb Golden and 1 lb Dark).  If you use Golden Rum like I do, then the 75/25 is good, which is how I wrote the recipe.  If you are using Dark Rum, I would suggest ALL golden brown sugar...   Just a suggestion, you are the only one who knows what your molasses threshold is.  ;)  Cheers!! 

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 lb Light Brown Sugar
1/2 lb Dark Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp All-Spice
1/2 tsp Clove
1/4 tsp Mace
optional 1/4 tsp Orange oil

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.

Add both Brown Sugars and cream until light.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until emulsified before adding the next.

Add the spices and continue beating.

Add the Orange oil and continue beating.

Continue beating... And beating.... And beating... Cause the longer you beat it, the better it will be.

Store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use (it can be frozen as well)

Boil some water on the stove.

Place about 1 - 2 TB of the mix in a coffee mug.

A pinch of Salt (Seriously, it sounds odd, but you really need something to balance all the sweetness;  Besides, It's good luck, so throw some over your shoulder while your at it)

Add hot water (about 5 oz) and stir until the mix melts.

Add 2 ponies (2 oz) Rum and stir again. (or just eye-ball it like I do)

Serve with a cinnamon stick.

Cin Cin!!
~~

Paul Bunyan's Breakfast Makeover - Mapled Galette Flambé

For those not familiar with the Paul Bunyan myths, he was a ubber garmongous logger dude with a big blue ox named Babe, for a side kick. The point, for the purposes of this post, is that he always ate buckwheat flapjacks for breakfast...

This is my French spin on a logger's breakfast. It's actually my favorite thing to do with buckwheat crêpes. Cause I get to play with fire. Allow me a maniacal laugh.

Muah ha ha ha!

eh, hem.... Thank you... ;)

Lemme tell ya, Paul Bunyan never had it this good! I have never tested it myself, but this may even be a good hangover cure. You know, the "hair of the dog that bit ya". Although in this case, it may be the hair of the ox.

Mapled Galette Flambé

16 Galettes de Sarrasin (Buckwheat Crêpes)
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (grade B has better flavor when mixing with rum)
pinch of salt (yes, believe it or not)
2 TB Water
3 TB Meyers Dark Rum
3 TB Bacardi 151
Lemon Peel to garnish
optional - Broken Pecans or Walnuts

In a large skillet, heat Maple syrup, pinch of Salt, Water and Dark Rum until warm.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat crêpe 1 by 1, just until heated through.

Fold into a triangle and arrange carefully in the warm syrup, making sure to dip both sides in the syrup.

Once all the crepes have been added to the syrup, increase the flame and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for 2 -3 minutes.
Add 151 and as soon as the sauce comes back to a simmer.

Turn off the lights and ignite!!!!

It takes about 20 seconds for the flames to die down... OK, Turn the lights back on, the show's over.

Serve about 3-4 crêpes per person, drizzled with a little of the sauce and garnish simply with Lemon Peel or add some broken pecans or walnuts if you wish.

Mangia!!
~~

In the "Spirit" of German's Chocolate Cake

Normally I am not into sweet drinks, I tend towards raw liquors such as Crown rocks or Scotch and Soda, even Gin and Tonic (as long as there are no black lights around to cause the tonic water to glow). I have my sour moments filled with Grey Hounds, Salty Dogs, Amaretto Sour, Gin Fizz or any such concoction smacking of Lemon or Grapefruit. But for the most part, I avoid the "Tequila Sunrise", the "Sex on the Beach" shudder when anything ending in "-tini" goes by me, and run screaming from the "Fuzzy Navel" to hide behind an Aviation or Martini (you know, the real thing? with Gin & Vermouth not Vodka and Apple Pucker)

My philosophy has always been, "If you don't like the taste of alcohol, then you should be drinking a Shirley Temple" not a Cosmo that has been hit with several shots of grenadine to "sweeten" it up.

That may have changed... I was at Bev Mo a few days and found something I had never seen before.... Praline. A delightful, though sweet liqueur rendition of those lovely brown sugar coated pecan morsels from New Orleans. AWESOME!

More importantly was what it made me think of, since I had a pint of Godiva Liqueur at home, a cocktail that tastes like my favorite cake... German's Chocolate... YUM....!!!!

So here we go.

German Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 oz (jigger) Meyers Dark Rum (although I was out by the time I finished "testing" and had to use Bacardi Select Dark - Meyers was better)
1 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
3/4 oz Praline
1/2 oz Coconut Jack or Malibu
1 TB light Whipping Cream (This gives the cocktail more body and a creamier mouth feel, more like the frosting)
Shred or slice of Coconut for garnish (I thought I had some in my freezer, but I was out - Darn it!!)
optional - Grated Chocolate for the rim
optional - Pecan to drip in the bottom of glass

Place your Cocktail glass in the freezer.
Fill your shaker with ice.

Add all the liquor.

Shake

and Strain into the chilled glass.

Float 1 TB Light Whipping Cream and stir lightly to swirl together.

I was bummed that I was out of Chocolate and Pecans too, cause I really wanted to garnish the cocktail nicely. But honestly, it still tasted like German Chocolate Cake which was the whole point, the rest it just fluff.. ;)

Cin Cin!!
~~

Fire and Ice… Cream that is! - Bananas Foster Split

I love Bananas Foster, but I hate it when the ice cream turns into soup about half way through my delicious dessert. So I have come up with, what I think, is a sound solution to the problem.
Serving Fried Ice Cream with the Bananas Foster; the crispy corn flake coating should insulate the ice cream from the hot rum syrup of the Bananas Foster; sort of the same idea as a Bakes Alaska...


Fried Ice Cream is something that can be made ahead and kept frozen until ready for frying. This really is a 2 night dessert, as you will need a whole evening of freezing, dredging, re-freezing, dredging and finally freezing over night before they are ready to fry up. I prefer to use Coconut oil for frying because it’s one of the few safe deep frying oils, peanut being one of the others.

Now, now.... Before everyone goes screaming for the hills thinkin I am insane… Hear me out… Cause Coconut oil has gotten a REALLY bad rap over the years…..

All Polyunsaturated oils (Canola, Soy, Corn, Safflower and Cottonseed) begin to polymerize (or become plastic like) when subject to temperatures above 200 degrees. This is due to their high Polyunsaturated fat content. Olive oil and Macadamia nut oil, while higher in Monounsaturated fats, have lower smoke points and are not good for deep frying. On the other hand, Coconut oil is composed primarily of Saturated fat making it fairly stable at higher temperatures… This is supposedly bad for you, however, after sifting through all the hype and big business propaganda started by the rapeseed (canola) and soy industry -- Coconut oil in particular is composed of medium chained saturated fatty acids. These shorter fat molecules are broken down by the liver and do not necessarily contribute to high blood cholesterol. A a matter of fact, they have been shown to create a healthier HDL/LDL ratio in the body. Caprylic, Capric (found in Goat Milk) and Lauric (an essential fatty acid for building and maintaining the immune system) are just a couple of these types of fatty acids making up coconut oil… These are the types of fats used in baby formula because they are easily digested.

OK, Science part is over. Now, let's get to makin' this Banana Split with attitude starting with the Fried Ice Cream.......

Fried Ice Cream

1 Pint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
2 1/2 cup Crushed Cornflakes (Kellogg's but Not Tony the Tiger)
1 tsp Cinnamon
Optional 1/4 tsp Chili powder or Cayenne
1 egg
1 TB Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Coconut oil, or Peanut oil for frying

With an ice cream scoop, form 4 balls of ice cream.

I like to twist mine up in plastic wrap to hold a, more or less, round shape, but you can also simply place the scoops on a plastic lined baking sheet, and cover them with plastic wrap.

Freeze for at least 3 hours.
Roll your cornflakes to create crumbs.

You want them about this size, not fine crumbs like a cheese cake crust, but more of a medium.

In a bowl, combine the Cornflake crumbs with Cinnamon and cayenne/chili powder, if using, and toss together in a shallow dish.

Dip the ice cream balls in the crumb mixture until fairly well coated (but it doesn't have to be perfect, cause your gonna do this again to build up layers)

and return to the freezer for 1 hour on an aluminum foil lines baking sheet. (wax paper will work, but aluminum foil works better - it pulls the heat from the ice cream and chills faster)

In a bowl, beat the egg, sugar and vanilla.

Dip the coated ice cream balls into the egg,

then roll in the crumb mixture, coating completely.

Freeze for 1 more hour.

Repeat – Dip & Roll

but this time freeze them overnight, wrapped in a couple layers of plastic wrap to prevent burn.


Through the magick of Blog technology, we are going to take a quantum leap to the future and complete our deep fried Ice Cream. ;)

Queue Time Travel Music…. <<---------- Like the beginning of Dream Weaver by Gary Wright…..

The Next day …..

Heat the oil in a large pot or fryer to 400 degrees F.
One at a time, lower the ice cream balls into the oil

and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Remove from the oil

and place on paper towel to drain for 30 seconds,

then move to a dessert bowl and serve.
Repeat with the remaining ice cream.

If you are preparing an accompaniment, like I will be… Once fried. these can be stored in the freezer wrapped tightly in several layers of plastic wrap for up to 30 minutes while you complete any accoutrement.......

Bananas Foster

A simple dish that goes great over Deep Fried Ice Cream, Crepes, Waffles, etc... Flambé always looks impressive to your guests. Please be advised of 2 things:

• Please have a pan lid and a fire extinguisher or baking soda handy before attempting this recipe. I use to think it was not a big deal, and people were just overly cautious, that is until the “Saganaki Project” when I caught my stove top on fire and almost lost my eyebrows as well as the sleeve of my shirt.
• Most, but not all, of the alcohol burns off during the flambé, if you can’t indulge in alcohol, you may want to make some other dessert.

4 TB unsalted butter
1/4 Cup + 2 TB Dark Brown Sugar Packed
3/4 tsp Mace
1/2 tsp All-Spice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
3 TB 99 bananas liqueur
4 Bananas (slightly green), sliced in half, then split lengthwise yielding 8 pieces
1/4 Cup Meyers Dark Rum

I peel my bananas from the bottom when I do this, I just think is works better.

Cut them in half and then slice in half, lengthwise. (if you try do slice the whole banana, it has a tendency to break)

Melt butter in a 10 to 12 inch heavy skillet over low heat.

Add Brown Sugar, Allspice, Cinnamon and Mace;

Stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Add 99 bananas and bring sauce to a simmer.

Place the banana slices in the skillet keeping them evenly spaced in the pan.

Cook for 1 minute on each side while spooning the sauce over bananas as they are cooking. (You are poaching the bananas in syrup.)

Bring sauce back to a simmer and add rum.


BEWARE: The sauce will flame on its own if it’s hot enough; this is especially true if you are working on a gas range.
If not, once it begins to steam, there will be alcohol vapor, use a stick lighter or fireplace match to ignite the sauce.

QUICK---TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!!

Continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
OK, shows over.... Turn the lights back on.
Remove bananas from pan to serving dishes.

If the sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer until slightly thickened, like pancake syrup.
Immediately spoon the sauce over the bananas.


And now, the Bananas Foster Split------

Add a scoop of the Fried Ice Cream.

Spoon more caramel sauce over the top.

Add some Gran Marnier whipped cream.

NO Maraschino cherries need apply, thank you; just hand me a spoon already!!!! AWESOME!!!


Mangia!!
~~