Guinness Chocolate Pudding

There's nothing like a nice tall glass of Guinness on St. Patrick's Day. A nice tall glass of Guinness chocolate pudding that is! This delicious treat is made up of a dark and decadent chocolate pudding made with the Irish stout, topped with a "head" of softly whipped Guinness flavored cream. I've made Guinness flavored desserts in the past, but for the most part I've found that the flavor of the stout doesn't really shine through. That's not to say its super strong in this dessert either, but the dark chocolate and Guinness combination brings the stout flavor to the front a little more, as does adding Guinness that's been reduced to a thick syrup to the whipped cream topping. It's just the perfect amount of flavoring. Not so strong that it turns off those that are not a fan of stout, but a big enough presence that those who love stout will be able to appreciate it.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Hi there! It's Fall! Were you all aware of this? Because it sure did sneak up on me. I guess I should have had some warning considering all the pumpkin recipes that are floating around the internet. It seems like pumpkin is everywhere out there in the blogosphere! From breads, muffins and cakes, to flans, puddings and pies, to stews and curries, it's out there in all forms possible.
For my first pumpkin recipe of the season I wanted to make something I never had before. Something that was still full of pumpkin flavor but was more unique than the usual pumpkin quick breads and muffins. And if it could marry together that perfect combination of pumpkin and cream cheese, well then I would be a happy woman. So that's how these totally amazing pumpkin whoopie pies came to be.

Piesignment #2 - Allison's Three Berry Pie

I have something I need to say about pies. They don't scare me. Never have, never will. I know this may sound a little cocky, or maybe a little silly to those of you who are also unafraid of pies, but I just had to put that out there. See, I hear all the time about the fear that pie crust instills in people, and I just don't get it. I guess I can see how it would be daunting; all that talk about keeping things super cold you think you'd have to live in Alaska to make an ok crust. Or how about the very specific instruction that the butter must be pea-sized before mixing in the liquid? I still don't know if I've ever achieved the perfect pea-sized piece of butter. And then there's the rolling out, and the horror stories of pie crust sticking and tearing, and ok this does sound a little terrifying.
But here's the thing, the most important thing about pie crust: homemade pie crust always taste better than store-bought, always! At least, that's what has been my experience. And so even if you mess something up, or it looks a little funky, you're still way ahead of the game in the taste department. When I began to bake about ten years ago, one of the very first things I ever made was pie, and since then I have continued to bake pies probably more than any other dessert. There usually is a pie of mine at every family gathering, every summer BBQ, and don’t get me started on Thanksgiving when the baking starts two days before the event and usually ends in 5 or 6 different pies.

Why so much pie? Part of it I think is because pie is just so darn simple to make, and anything that’s simple appeals to the lazy side of me. That’s right, pie is simple! Especially fruit pies. Because most pie crust recipes use the same method (cut cold fats into flour until it looks like coarsemeal, drizzle with a cold liquid and mix until it just comes together), the only part you really have to memorize are the ingredients. So once you’ve got the method down, and the ingredient portions memorized, you will never need a recipe again! Trust me, you'll love the feeling of having a pie crust recipe under your belt; it's like having a secret dessert weapon in your arsenal at all times.

Lemon Meringue Cake

A few weekends ago we celebrated my Mom's Birthday with a surprise party. I'm not going to tell you which birthday we were celebrating, because I know better than that, but I will let you know that it was a big one, one that required some fanfare and attention. My Mom however, is the kind of person who hates attention. She loathes the idea of all eyes being on her, and she would rather someone else be in the center of it all. These were all things that she told me explicitly about a month before her birthday, when she expressly said that we were not allowed to have a surprise birthday party for her. She swore to me that she would never forgive us if we threw her one. I tried to reason with her, but she would not budge in her thinking.

So when my father approached me asking me to help him plan a surprise party for her, I very adamantly told him everything that my mother had said. I explained that she would be mortified if we had one, and that she would be very upset with us. To which he quickly replied, "I don't care." Apparently my Dad can be just as stubborn as my Mom.And wouldn't you know, but my Dad was right to not care? The party was a huge success, and my Mom had the time of her life. It truly was one of those magical evenings where everyone seemed to have a great experience. I'm just happy that the guest of honor didn't pass out or start swearing at us, because either reaction might have put a damper on the whole event.

We held the party at my place, and it was the perfect day for it.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and clear, with just enough warmth for dining outside on the deck.

Pastel de Tres Leches

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Hopefully your day today is filled with margaritas, chips and salsa, and possibly a slice of muy delicioso tres leches cake. The tres leches cake has become one of my all-time favorite cakes over the past few years. The first time I tried one was also the first time I made one, and I stared in disbelief as the recipe called for me to pour what seemed like an endless amount of a milk mixture over the top of the cake. So much that I thought “There’s no way this cake is going to be anything other than a big pile of mush.” But I took that first bite, and I was hooked. This was no mush; this was a big ol’ bite of heaven.
Moister than any cake you could ever imagine, cool and creamy with delicious hints of cinnamon; a tres leches is no ordinary cake. The name comes from the fact that the cake uses three different milks, usually condensed, evaporated, and good old fashioned whole milk. The cake itself is traditionally a sponge cake, which gets holes poked all along the top of it, and a milk mixture is poured over the top, saturating every crumb. It’s usually topped with some sort of whipped cream frosting. There's a whole lot of dairy going on in this cake, and it's all a good thing.
When I’ve made tres leches cake in the past I've always used the same recipe, which follows the more traditional version of a tres leches. There’s one twist in that the three milks that get poured over the top of the cake get heated up so that they become rich and intense, with flavors similar to that of dulce de leche. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that recipe, but when I decided to bake a cake for Cinco de Mayo this year, I wanted to try something a little different.

Roasted Salsa

If it were up to me, every restaurant would serve complimentary chips and salsa. That’s right, from Asian to Italian to French cuisine, I would be thrilled to sit down at a table and find a bowl of chips and some type of freshly made salsa. It’s my favorite part of going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and usually the reason why I’m already stuffed by the time my meal arrives. And ok maybe it wouldn't be the perfect compliment to a plate of sushi, and maybe I would get sick of salsa if I ate it at every meal, but only just maybe, because I really do love the stuff.
Back in January I gave you my favorite salsa to enjoy during the winter months when tomatoes are really at their most lackluster. And even though the peak of tomato season is still a few months away, I just had to share with you my favorite type of tomato salsa when using fresh tomatoes. It would be the perfect addition to any Cinco de Mayo bash, as you don’t want to disappoint those who love salsa as much as I do. We’re a hungry bunch.

My cousin-in-law John makes a killer salsa that is the basis for this recipe that I’m sharing with you. He’s a lot more attentive than I am when it comes to salsa making though, and you can tell in the final result. I have a tendency to just sort of throw in everything I’ve got and hope it comes out good. I envy the care that he takes with his salsa, when I think about the haphazard approach that I use.
This is really less of a recipe than a basic idea behind a roasted salsa. As in any salsa, the amounts can be tweaked until it fits your liking. For example, it’s fun to experiment with roasting all or only some of the ingredients. Sometimes I like to roast the onions alongside the rest of the veggies, which makes them soft and sweet, adding a hint of sugar to the salsa. Sometimes I want a little more punch to the garlic flavor, rather than the mellowness that comes from roasting them, so I leave them raw. The important thing to remember with salsa, is that there's no absolutely right way to do it. So go ahead and experiment to your heart's content.

Corn Tortillas

Photo courtesy James Lopez

Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to take a trip to Mexico with my friend Lori and her family. We visited her Dad's side of the family who live in Hidalgo, a state in southeastern Mexico. The town in which we stayed was about a 6 hour car ride from the airport, on single lane dirt roads, through winding mountainsides. The small rural town was miles and miles away from any other cities, perched way up in the hills.

Photo courtesy James Lopez

The landscape was much more lush and green than I had imagined it would be in the middle of summer, creating spectacular views. We stayed there for several days, and slept in the family's house. The occasion for our visit was the birthday of my friend's Grandmother and her entire family and practically the whole town, was there for the celebration.

Photo courtesy of James Lopez

The birthday party was a blast and included two different mariachi bands, that had everyone dancing well into the late hours of the night.

Photo courtesy of James Lopez

The food was a specialty, made especially for the party. They prepared a kind of goat stew, and the goat was cooked underground, wrapped in large leaves. The meat went underground the night before the party and cooked there, until the middle of the next day.

Photo courtesy of James Lopez

Flour Tortillas

Today at Butter + Cream it’s going to be all about tortillas, and frankly I couldn’t be any happier, because they just happen to be one of my favorite foods. Whether used as a vehicle for meats and veggies, filled with cheese for a quesadilla, or simply eaten on their own, tortilla's are something that I will never say no to. I have had a long-time love affair with their round, chewy goodness.

Tacos are eaten on the regular at my house, usually at least once a week. From chipotle steak, mushroom and chorizo, to jalapeno shrimp, no taco is safe. Given our love of tacos, it was not a surprise that at some point I'd have to try my hand at making my own tortillas. And ever since that first fateful attempt, and exclaiming to myself "where have you been all my life?" I've been making them from scratch ever since.

Tortillas are one of those foods that just taste so much better when fresh. There’s nothing like a still warm, freshly made tortilla to elevate any Mexican meal. Flour tortillas are traditionally found in the northwestern Mexican states, such as Sonora where they are well known for their enormous, membrane-thin, flour tortillas. They are sometimes vulgarly called tortillas de sobaco, which means armpit in Spanish, since they are flung with amazing dexterity from one arm to the other, reaching the armpits.

This version is a little different than the armpit tortillas. These are thicker and fluffier, which makes them perfect for eating plain, straight from the griddle. And that just happens to be my favorite way to enjoy them. What can I say, I'm a simple person. A simple person who loves tortillas.

Churros

My friend Miguel is an interesting guy. He has an enormous amount of knowledge about sharks and dinosaurs, is an amazing artist, and collects bugs, reptiles, and other creepy crawlies for fun. And sometimes Miguel likes to buy things on impulse, such as a giant industrial sized churro gun. Also known as a churrera, the gun is basically a giant extruder, meant to handle large batches of churros at one time. Just the sort of thing that every home kitchen needs, right?
I agreed to help him with his first batch of churros, even though neither one of us had ever made them before. Luckily the batter was a cinch to whip up, and in no time we were pumping out the delicious fried treats. Here we are making churros like pros:
And man were those first churros tasty. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and sprinkled with the perfect amount of cinnamon sugar. I think we could hardly believe we had created something so good. We made that first batch of churros about a year ago, and unfortunately I don’t think the churro gun has been in use ever since. In all honesty it was a bit cumbersome, and not exactly practical for the smaller batches of churros that we were churning out. Luckily churros are just as easily prepared with a piping bag and piping tip.

Colcannon

I believe that Colcannon is a great way to enjoy cabbage, whether you're a fan of it or not. Because what could be better than folding the vegetable into buttery, rich and creamy mashed potatoes? So if you’re looking for a potato dish to enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day, or really on any day of the week, look no further.

Irish Brown Bread

For the past few years when St. Patrick’s Day comes around, I have tried my hand at cooking the traditional Irish-American meal. Corned beef and cabbage, Colcannon, plenty of Guinness, and of course, Irish Soda Bread. But soda bread and I have had a cantankerous relationship, and I’m beginning to think that it’s not all my fault. I have tried over a dozen different recipes (including four this year), and the same problem always seems to occur. The bread is delicious if eaten soon after it’s cooked, but left to sit for any amount of time and it becomes dense and dry.

Part of the problem is in the name of the bread itself. Soda bread gets its name from the fact that it uses baking soda as a leavener instead of yeast. This makes the bread very simple to prepare, no waiting or kneading is necessary, but if overmixed it can become thick and heavy. Without the yeast there is not as much lift and lightness to the crumb.

After throwing away yet another batch of soda bread, I decided that this year, I needed to go in a slightly different direction. So I went looking for Irish Brown Bread recipes instead. The first brown bread recipe I tried was pretty decent, but after a half day it was already becoming too dry for my liking. Then I stumbled on a recipe that used yogurt instead of the traditional buttermilk as the liquid in the recipe. I knew that this recipe was probably anything but traditional Irish (even though it was in the title of the recipe), but I was desperate to find a bread that I could actually enjoy.
And enjoy I did. The yogurt helped keep this bread nice and moist, yet it is still a thick and hearty bread. And it appears to be passing the day-old test, which means it won’t be seeing garbage can action any time soon.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I don’t think I fully understood that my family was Irish until we took a trip to Ireland when I was 18. I don't think I even realized that our last name Hackett was Irish, until we came upon a castle in the Ireland countryside with the same name. It was on that trip that I started thinking about heritage, tradition and my family namesake. It was also on that trip that I had my first taste of Guinness, and it was love at first sip. Unlike anything I had ever tasted; dark and rich, yet smoother than expected. After a pint of it, I felt full, like I had just eaten a large meal. And being underage for drinking back home, it made the whole experience seem slightly illicit. It was not until years later however, that I had my first Irish Car Bomb; which let’s just say was love at first chug.

If you are unfamiliar with what an Irish Car Bomb is; I will do my best to describe it. First, Guinness is poured about ¾ of the way into a pint glass. Then a shot glass filled with half whiskey, half Bailey’s Irish cream is dropped in to the pint glass and the mixture must be chugged quickly. If not drank quickly, it can start to curdle; not the most pleasant drink experience.
Something about the way all three ingredients combine creates a wonderful tasting mixture that I would best describe as a beer milkshake. This beer milkshake was love at first chug for my father as well. I will forever remember my college graduation dinner as the time we went to Cheesecake Factory and my Dad insisted on ordering an Irish Car Bomb, even though it was not on the menu. He had to order each ingredient separately, assemble the drink himself, and after spending a ridiculous $18 later he was happy. So happy that he ended up ordering two of them.

And somehow over the years, the Irish Car Bomb has become a Hackett family tradition. I guess you could call it our signature drink. At least a few times throughout the year, on holidays, birthdays and special occasions, we inevitably will have a round of car bombs. I know this may make us seem like a family with a drinking problem, but I swear it’s just our Irish roots, or something like that. Here we are at Christmas, chugging away. Classy, right?Classy or not, I loved the idea of turning this drink in to a dessert for St. Patrick’s Day. I had seen several interpretations of it on the Internet, typically a Guinness chocolate cupcake with some sort of Irish Cream or Whiskey frosting. But I loved the idea I saw on Smitten Kitchen, which was to fill the cupcakes with a whiskey chocolate ganache, and then top with an Irish Cream frosting.

Foolproof Fudge

The holidays are winding down, and I'm reflecting on the fact that I ate 45 lbs of fudge between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. Fudge is such a quintessential holiday food. Eat a fistful in May and your friends will whisper behind your back. Eat that much in December and you're just one of the gang.

My mom's fudge has been consistent and delicious since I was in braces. Her recipe comes from a Diamond Walnut ad that she ripped out of the December issue of Family Circle Magazine... 13 years ago. The ad says, "This season, try standing next to luscious Foolproof Fudge instead of mistletoe. Good things are bound to happen." 90's ads make me laugh.

My mom's old magazine page probably wouldn't survive a trip through the photocopier, so I'm saving it here. The name Foolproof Fudge couldn't be more apt. This recipe is easy.

Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Pretzel Rods

Ho Ho Ho! It's Christmas Eve, and I am literally wearing pants with an elastic waistband as I type this. The jeans and I are done until 2010, but I'm headed home to my mom's kitchen, where this cooking madness all began for me.

I wanted to share a couple of really quick, really easy recipes in case the last-minute baking bug bites. Peppermint bark has been a favorite in my family for years, and it couldn't be simpler. The trick is getting good quality white chocolate. I prefer getting a block of white chocolate from my favorite cooking store, but if you're shopping at the grocery store, white chocolate chips are fine too.

Melt your chocolate (about two bags of chips) on a double boiler. If it's not melting smoothly, add a couple tablespoons of butter (it's ok, butter is fat free during the holidays).

Chocolate Decadence Cookies

While I have to admit that I haven't been as festive as I could be this season (our Christmas decorations consist of red dish towels with reindeer on them), I wasn't going to let the season pass without a good day of holiday baking. For this day, I enlisted the help of John's sister Jill...


And his sister-in-law Nicole...
These two make me warm and fuzzy and happy inside. If the boyfriend leaves me, I'm keeping them.

There's nothing better than spending a day in the kitchen with girlfriends... Except when your day in the kitchen is preceded by a night like this... (Caveat- there were also two boys helping with red wine consumption)

That continues here...

And ends in the evacuation of this splendid seafood platter that we enjoyed earlier...
But all's well that ends well, and this story ends with Sunset Magazine's chocolate decadence cookies. These cookies are delicious little morsels, and I'm happy to report that I managed to make them successfully, even with a hangover that would have killed a small animal.