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Bourbon Flank Steak

This recipe comes from my cooking light cookbook. I have several to go recipes in this, which I’ve deconstructed most of the time to not be so light. Oh well. This one I’ve bumped up a notch by using brown sugar bourbon instead of regular bourbon. The steak comes out as, well, basically meat candy. It’s delicious. I’ve tried it with New York strip and it’s just not the same. There’s something about flank steak that lends itself to this marinade. I also added a little crushed red chili flake to it that offsets the sweetness just a bit. I marinaded mine overnight but you could do it for less time. I don’t know how much that will affect the flavor. Enjoy!

 

Bourbon Flank Steak

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 chopped green onion
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar bourbon
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 flank steak

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag. Massage until they are all well combined and the steak well coated. Refrigerate overnight for best results. I sous vide mine at 120° for an hour. I then heated a grill pan on high, added a little oil, and seared each side for 1 minute. Let rest for a couple of minutes, carve into slices, and enjoy.

If you don’t have a sous vide, grill for 3 to 5 minutes on each side; depending on how well you like your steak done.

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Bourbon Eggnog Cake

Sometimes you come across a recipe that sounds amazing but when you go to make it, it falls short of your expectations. This is one of those recipes for me. The original had 4 layers, and nice Bourbon custard filling, and an eggnog buttercream frosting.

First, there was no way it could ever make 4 layers. I barely got 3 out of the original recipe. The custard came out so thick I had a hard time spreading it on the cake without tearing the layers to pieces. And I’m not a fan of buttercream so I went with a cream cheese frosting instead. So I turned to Google, looked up a couple of other eggnog cake recipes, and cobbled this one together. Had to make it a couple of times until it came out the way I wanted. Enjoy!

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Bourbon Eggnog Cake

Bourbon Custard:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 4 large egg yolks (keep the whites)
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp. Bourbon

Bourbon Eggnog Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1 tsp real vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 6 egg whites (4 from the custard)
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup eggnog
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp. Bourbon
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Eggnog Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 lbs cream cheese (16 oz), at room temp
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 3 tbsp. eggnog
  • 3 tbsp. bourbon
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a medium pot, I like to use my Le Creuset Dutch oven, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add in the half-and-half and egg yokes. Whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat (whisking constantly) until it starts to bubble, about 7 or 8 minutes. Cook for another minute or two. It will get thick but keep cooking until it seem impossibly thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tbsp. at a time until melted and smooth. Whisk in the Bourbon. Transfer to a medium bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard. This will prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray 3 round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well.*

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the sour cream and beat until light and fluffy again.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.

Combine the eggnog, milk, Bourbon, and vanilla in a measuring cup.

On medium-low, add in the egg whites one at a time. Beat until combined and the batter is smooth. Add in half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add in half the eggnog mixture and beat until just combined. Repeat.

Divide the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Allow to cool completely.

In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Turn down the mixer to low and slowly add in the eggnog and bourbon, beat until well combined. Add in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat until smooth and all of the powdered sugar is well incorporated. Then turn up to high and beat until smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assemble the cake. Take 1 cake and put it on a cake plate. Evenly smear the top with 1/2 the Bourbon custard. This is easier if you take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before had to allow it to warm up slightly. Place the 2nd cake on top and smear it with the rest of the custard. Now frost it with the cream cheese frosting. I grated some fresh nutmeg on top of mine to make it look nice. Eat it.

*I have always had issues with my cakes being domed, meaning the middle of the cake was always higher than the sides. A total pain when frosting as the top was never even. Then it came to my attention that you can actually prevent this by using bake-even strips. They’re basically oven proof strips of material that you soak in water before using and then they wrap around the outside of the cake pan. Works like a charm! You can find them on Amazon, of course: Wilton Bake-Even cake strips.

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Maple Shortbread Cookies

It’s definitely fall here in Seattle. It’s cooler, rainy, the leaves are changing color, and it’s getting dark earlier. Therefore it’s been inspiring me to make fall like things. Such as the Bourbon pumpkin cake I posted earlier and the soon to be posted pumpkin bars, which to be honest are almost the same as the cake only without the Bourbon. And this recipe. Apparently there are Canadian cookies similar to this that I’ve never had. I’ve upped this slightly by added a Bourbon maple frosting to it, which I used some Bourbon barrel aged maple syrup and some Bourbon. I’ve got to use up that Bourbon somehow (other than drinking it)! These cookies are pretty delicate and crumbly because of all the butter so be warned. I may try modifying it in the future to see if I can cut down on this. Enjoy!

Maple Shortbread Cookies

Cookies

  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp maple flavoring
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp. Bourbon

Directions:

I used a food processor but you can use a bowl and beater. Combine the butter, sugar, and cornstarch. Add in the maple flavoring. Gradually add in the flour and combine until smooth. Roll out into a lightly floured board and shape into a log, I make mine somewhat rectangle as that’s how I like my cookies. Note: You could make this into a disk and roll out to use a cookie cutter after it chills if you wanted. You’d need to re-refrigerate the dough again if you wanted to roll it out again after making the cut outs with the cookie cutter. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1/4 in slices if not using a cookie cutter.

Pre-heat your oven to 325°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange the cookie 1″ apart from each other. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges a light brown. Cool.

In a small bowl beat together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and Bourbon. Spread over the cookies and let set until the glaze dries. Eat.

Posted on by Opie · 3 Comments

Bourbon Pumpkin cake

A few years ago I got a cookbook called Booze Cakes and this recipe is based off one from that book with a few modifications, of course. It’s perfect for the fall. It’s like a pumpkin pie, super moist. I was lucky enough to find a great Bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup at Costco. It enhanced the subtle Bourbon flavor. Enjoy!

Bourbon Pumpkin Cake

Cake:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 2 tbsp Grand Marnier

Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup good maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin butter
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup Bourbon
  • 2 tbsp Grand Marnier

Frosting:

  • 16 oz cream cheese, at room temp
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp Bourbon

Direction:

Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray 2 round cake pans or 1 rectangle 9″x13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. I line mine with parchment paper and spray the paper. It really makes getting the cake(s) out super easy.

In a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 mins. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined.

In a medium bowl; sift together the flour, baking powder & soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add to the butter mixture with the milk in alternating additions until well combined. Add in the pumpkin, vanilla, bourbon and Grand Marnier. Pour into your cake pan(s) and cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

For the glaze; bring the maple syrup, butter, pumpkin butter, and salt to a boil. Lower and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add in the bourbon and Grand Marnier and simmer for 1 more minute. Allow to cool.

One the cake(s) have cooled slightly, take a skewer and poke a ton of holes in the top. Pour the glaze over the cake and allow it to soak in. Finish cooling the cake all the way.

For the frosting, in a medium bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add in the bourbon and beat until combined and smooth. Frost your cake and eat.

Posted on by Opie · 2 Comments

Bourbon Caramel Mascarpone Dip

So I was thinking to myself the other day, what am I going to do with the left-over mascarpone cheese I had from making my tiramisu? If you read my previous post, you’ll remember that I picked up a 5 lbs bucket from Smart Foodservice Warehouse. Then it hit me, I like cream cheese dip so why not try something similar with the mascarpone? So talking to my friend Google, I came across a whole bunch of ideas. But somehow a recipe for bourbon caramel popped up. I had an Ah Ha! moment and this dip was born. Enjoy!

Bourbon Caramel Mascarpone Dip

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp corn syrup
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 Tbsp bourbon, divided 2 Tbsp & 1 Tbsp
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 16 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temp
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 4 apples, sliced

Directions

In a heavy pot, I like my Le Creuset Dutch oven, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and pinch of salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cook until it starts to turn golden brown, swirling occasionally. Watch it closes as it can burn pretty quickly. As soon as it’s a nice golden brown, pull it off the heat. Which in the cream and bourbon, watch out as it’ll steam violently. Once it’s calmed down, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Allow it to cool.

In a medium bowl, cream together the mascarpone cheese with the powdered sugar. Add in the remaining Tbsp of bourbon and almost all of the bourbon caramel sauce. I like to leave just a little so I can drizzle it over the top of the dip. Use the sliced apples as you spoon and enjoy!