Showing posts with label dessert topping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert topping. Show all posts

Friday, February 26, 2021

Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce

This post contains affiliate links.

My traditional dessert for St. Patrick’s Day dinner is Chocolate Stout Cake, made with Guinness. The late Mr. O-P had a specialty of his own in Bread & Butter Pudding, that was out of this world (Family members are still talking about it.). This year, I decided to do something different and focus on Irish whiskey rather than stout. I came across this recipe while attempting to thin out my collection of Gourmet Magazines (Yet another futile 2021 attempt at organization.), and decided to give it a try. It is so easy to make, and incredibly good! When drizzled on top of coffee ice cream and topped with a couple chocolate covered espresso beans, it is definitely a dessert to remember.

Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. water
6 T. Jameson Irish whiskey
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 t. kosher salt
Coffee Ice Cream

Melissa’s Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring, but washing down any sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water, until syrup begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is a deep golden caramel.

Remove pan from heat and carefully add whiskey, cream, and salt (mixture will bubble up and steam and caramel will harden). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Cool to warm.
Serve sauce over scoops of coffee ice cream and top with chocolate espresso beans. 


 

Monday, May 23, 2016

Candied Pecans


It's going to be heating up this week, so, cold soups, crisp salads, and frosty drinks and desserts will be on the menu. I have a different salad planned for every night this week in honor of National Salad Month. I found this recipe on epicurious.com as a component of another salad, but decided to do my own thing with the salad (that you will see later in the week), and just use the nuts. They were amazing! Not only are they the perfect addition to a salad, but they're also wonderful atop ice cream, bread pudding, on their own, or broken and served on top of oatmeal whether you eat it warm or cold. You must try this simple recipe, and then try to stop eating these nuts.
Candied Pecans

 Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup pecan halves

Spray sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Stir sugar, oil, and vinegar together to blend in heavy medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes. Mix in pecans. Stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats nuts evenly, about 7 minutes. Turn nuts out onto prepared foil. Using fork, separate nuts and cool completely (coating will harden).

 This post is linked to:

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Microwave Fudge Sauce

This recipe was like the answer to a prayer. It was posted in a cookbook chat group to which I belong, as the result of a request from a member who recalled how good it was, years ago, when Barbara Kafka was publishing the definitive books on microwave cooking. 

The thought of having a delicious homemade fudge sauce in hand within five minutes had me curious enough to try it. Whoa!  Amazing!  Truly delicious and shockingly fast.  Imagine being able to dazzle a drop-in guest with something this decadent served over ice cream, pound cake, or as a dip for fresh fruits like strawberries or bananas.

Because this recipe was designed for lower wattage microwave ovens (600-675), I decreased the cooking time by a minute (reflected below).  I also used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips instead of squares of semi-sweet chocolate. The substitution was strictly based upon what I had, and even with this substitution, the sauce was still delicious. There is no taste of either coffee or rum, so if you're not a particular fan of either, don't let the inclusions of these ingredients stop you. Every ingredient simply enhances the other to yield a wonderfully rich result. My guess is that you could make an Aztec version by adding cinnamon and cayenne pepper, or experiment with vanilla, orange, or almond flavorings.  It is quick and easy, so go crazy!  I added a spoonful to a cup of coffee for an exceptionally good cafe mocha. Versatile!

Microwave Fudge Sauce
From Barbara Kafka's Microwave Gourmet

4 oz. semisweet chocolate broken into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup strong coffee
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons dark rum

1.  Place all ingredients in an 8-cup glass measure. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and cook at 100% for 4 minutes.

2.  Remove from oven. Uncover and whisk sauce until smooth.


 This post is linked to: