Malted Milk Ball Chocolate Vodka

I've made Cherry and Apricot Liqueur and I drink Martinis.
Our favorite restaurant in Grapevine, Texas created the Terry Tini for me years ago for my birthday.
This year I'm experimenting with Chocolate Vodka.
About 5 days ago I put 2 (141g.) boxes of Hershey's Whoppers, in a 1 quart bottle. Fill with Vodka.

Put the lid on it and shake vigorously.
Shake the bottle every day. (so far it's been 7 days)
The Whoppers will start to dissolve.
I'm not sure yet if they will dissolve completely, but I'll update the process on the blog.


I have some recipes for cocktails made with the chocolate vodka that I'll post as soon as I'm happy with the results.
At the end I'll edit this post with the results and the recipes.

More to come!

I left the bottle sitting for 10 days. I shook it every day. After ten days it was complete. I strained it and placed it back in the bottle. I keep it in the refrigerator.
It's delicious.
I'll post recipes later.

Mint Chocolate Martini:
3 oz. Chocolate Vodka
1.5 oz. Creme de Menthe
1.5 oz. Creme de Cocoa
Pour over ice in a cocktail shaker , shake and strain into a Martini glass.

White Chocolate Martini:
1 oz. Chocolate Vodka
1 oz. Vanilla Vodka
1/2 oz. White Creme de Cocoa
1 oz. Half and Half
Pour over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a Martini glass.

Chocolate Espresso Martini:
2 oz. Chocolate Vodka
1 oz. Cold Espresso Coffee
1/2 tsp Orange Juice
1 strip of Orange Peel
Pour over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a Martini glass.

Chocolate Hazelnut Martini:
1.5 oz. Chocolate Vodka
1.5 oz. Creme de Cacao
2.5 oz. Hazelnut non dairy Coffee Creamer
Pour over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a Martini glass.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

This is the finished product!

Jalapeño Jelly, a Best of the Best Recipe

I live in Texas, we love Jalapeños. This is incredible. It makes a great gift for your Foodie Friends at Christmas.
This is definitely the best Jalapeño Jelly I have ever tasted.



Jalapeno Jelly

Ingredients:
2 C  minced Jalapeno Peppers  (I start with 1 Pound)
1 1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
6 1/2 C Granulated Sugar
6 oz LIQUID Pectin
6-8 Drops Green Food Coloring

Instructions:
Combine Peppers, Vinegar and Sugar in a non-aluminum Saucepan and bring to a Boil over High Heat. Reduce Heat and Boil gently for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Stir in the Food Coloring and Pectin, pour into Sterilized Jars. Seal immediately. Makes about 9 cups.

This is the beginning step.

This is beginning to boil.

Canning the Jelly.

Love the color!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Baked Artichoke Bruschetta from Brooklyn's Flatbush Farm & Bar (N)

Baked Artichoke Bruschetta:

After I made this, I made some notes with the photographs below. I really need to re write the recipe.
I've adapted it slightly, not changing the integrity of the original recipe.
I love recipes from Cafes, Bistros and Bars.
I recently discovered recipes from Brooklyn's Flatbush Farm & Bar (N).
They use fresh and organic products.
I also posted their recipe for Rhubarb Rice Pudding.


2 large jalapeños, small dice
4 (9oz.) boxes of frozen artichokes, thawed, drained, finely chopped.
After making this I realized that the artichokes need to be well chopped. The pieces were too large to enjoy as a spread. I ended up pulsing them in a food processor. You won't have to do this if you chop them well in the beginning. I also felt that the taste was a bit bland. I would add more spice in some way. I tasted a lot of lemon. I may increase the Tabasco the next time and maybe try adding some Adobo Seasoning and a can of Diced Green Chiles. After all, I live in Texas!

3/4 C mayonnaise
3/4 C fresh grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
1 C shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
Slices of Toasted French Baguette

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl:
Artichokes
Jalapeno
Mayonnaise
3/4 C Parmesan Cheese
Garlic
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Salt
Tabasco Sauce
Mix Well

Pour into a 1 quart Gratin Dish
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
1C White Cheddar Cheese and broil for 2 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Serve on toasted slices of French Baguette Bread.

This is before it's baked, I'll post a picture of the final dish when I finish it.
We served this and then I realized that it needed something different, based on texture and taste.
The bottom photograph is the final appetizer after I re did it.

This is after I re made it. I pulsed it in a food processor, re baked it.
I added more Cheese to the top and broiled it again.
When I'm ready to serve this dip, I will fold in a can of Diced Green Chiles.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Rhubarb Rice Pudding from Flatbush Farm & Bar (N) - Brooklyn, New York

I recently discovered Flatbush Farm & Bar (N) in New York City.
I love recipes from Pubs , Bistros and Bars!
If you haven't seen my recipe for Union Square's Cafe Bar Nuts, check it out. It's another great Bistro, Pub recipe.
I love their concept of farm fresh and organic foods. They have some amazing items on their menu. The first recipe that I discovered was their Baked Artichoke Dip, and then I found this one for Rhubarb Rice Pudding. This recipe has two of my favorite things.... Rice Pudding and Rhubarb!
When I have a chance I'll post the Baked Artichoke Dip.

Chef Stephen Browning of Flatbush Farm – Brooklyn, New York

INGREDIENTS Rhubarb Base: 1 pound rhubarb, chopped ¼ cup sugar 1 cup red wine Pudding: 236 grams rice 2 quarts milk, plus more as needed 225 grams sugar 3 vanilla beans, split and scraped 4 egg yolks To Assemble and Serve: Vanilla sugar METHOD For the Rhubarb Base: Heat a rondeau pan over medium heat. Add the rhubarb, sugar, and wine, and cook down until almost dry. Allow the rhubarb mixture to cool and refrigerate. When the mixture has chilled, spread evenly in the base of each ramekin. For the Pudding: In a large pot, cook the rice, milk, sugar, and vanilla beans until the rice is cooked through and creamy. Temper the eggs with warm milk and fold into the rice pudding. To Assemble and Serve:Pour the rice pudding into the prepared ramekins over the rhubarb mixture. Generously sprinkle each ramekin with vanilla sugar and bake at 350°F until warm. Remove from the oven and use a chef’s torch to brown the sugar on top. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy! Peace in the Kitchen!

Old Fashioned Baked Custard from I Love Texas Recipes

I happen to love home made custard and I recently saw this recipes on a blog that I follow:
Here's an adaptation of the recipe.
The recipe has not changed, only the format and text.

 2-1/2 cups very hot, whole milk 
1/3 cup of sweetened coconut, toasted and divided,
 4 large eggs
 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
 Pinch of salt
 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 Whole nutmeg

 Instructions:
 Preheat oven to 325 degrees 
 Butter six small ramekins; set aside.
 Heat up enough water to fill a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish halfway.
 Heat milk to near boiling in the microwave or on the stovetop; set aside.
Toast the coconut in a skillet; set aside to cool.
 Reserve one tablespoon of the coconut for garnish.

 Whisk the eggs;
 Beat in the sugar a little at a time.
 Add salt and slowly beat in the hot milk, a little at a time.
 Add vanilla and all but one tablespoon of coconut.
 Pour evenly into six small ramekins.
 Sprinkle tops of each ramekin with a fresh grated nutmeg.
 Set the ramekins in the baking dish.
 Slowly pour the hot water around them, up to just under the rims.
 Bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
 Remove from the oven slowly to avoid splashing water into the ramekins, use an oven mitt to carefully remove each ramekin from the water.
 Sprinkle coconut over the top.
 Let cool, can be served warm or cold

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Crispy, Spice Brined Pecans from Food 52 ............. and other favorite's !

These are so interesting and different than most spiced nuts.
They're not sweet and hot, they're not sugary and cinnamony, they're not sweet and made with egg whites.....they're amazing!
I've posted recipes for other roasted and spiced nuts that I also love.
Check out all of them and decide for yourself.
I just liked the fact that these are so different than all of the others.

The process is long, but the results are worth it.
I began soaking them at 10pm.
They were done soaking at 6am.
I put them in the oven and roasted them until 6pm.

I doubled the original recipe and this is my adaptation.

8 C pecan halves
8 tsp sea salt
12 - 1" pieces of cinnamon sticks
2 tsp nutmeg
12 whole cloves
8 pieces of 1"X3" orange peel
6 C boiling water

Place water in a large bowl ( it will eventually accommodate the pecans too).
Add all ingredients except the pecans.

Cool to luke warm.
Stir well.

Add pecans and soak for 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
With a slotted spoon, remove only the pecans and spread them out onto 2 full sized baking sheet pans lined with parchment paper.

Roast the pecans for 12 hours.
Store in sealed jars.

Here are some of my other recipes for spiced nuts:

Texas Pecans:

2 TBS butter

1/4 C Worcestershire Sauce ( I use a vegetarian version)

1 TBS Ketchup

2 dashes of Tabasco Sauce

4 C pecan halves

salt

in a saucepan, melt butter and add:

Worcestershire Sauce

Ketchup

Tabasco

Stir in pecans

Pour into a glass baking dish in a single layer

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Stir often

Pour onto Paper Towels

Sprinkle with salt.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Crock Pot Cinnamon Almonds

1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 C. Water

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg white and vanilla until it’s a little frothy. Add almonds. Make sure the almonds are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture. Add cinnamon mixture to the almonds and toss until coated.

Thoroughly spray with the stoneware of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray and add the mixture of almonds and sugars.

Cook on low ( with the lid on) 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. In the last hour, add the 1/4 C. of water and stir well. This ensures a crunchy yummy coating. (*make sure after you’ve added the water that you continue to cook the nuts for another 45 minutes to an hour.)

You have to stir really well, especially as it gets later in the cooking process.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the almonds flat to cool. The almonds will be sticky at this point, so make sure you separate them a little and have no large mounds.

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This recipe comes from the Dallas Morning News Taste Section. I previously posted a recipe for Union Square's Cafe Bar Nuts and I re posted it at the end of this recipe for Dechutes Brewery's Beer Nuts.

These are from the Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House in Oregon. They shared the recipe in the Dallas Morning News.

Deschutes Brewery's Beer Nuts:

1 1/4 pounds of Almonds

1/4 C Molasses

1 TBS Sea Salt

1/2 Pound Brown Sugar ( divided in half)

1 1/4 pounds of Roasted Salted Cashews

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine Almonds with Molasses, Sea Salt and half of the Brown Sugar.

Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir the hot Almonds into the remaining Brown Sugar in the bowl.

Spread the nuts out on the baking sheet and set them aside to cool.

Toss the cooled Almonds with the Cashews into the bowl.

Store covered in a cool dry place in a plastic or glass container.

Makes about 10 cups

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Union Square's Cafe Bar Nuts:

2 1/4 C mixed Nuts, no peanuts ( or... peanuts if you want)  I've done only Pecans because.... I live in Texas!

2 TBS coarsely chopped fresh Rosemary

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper ( I use 1/4C Heirloom Chimayo Chile Powder and 1/4C Cayenne Pepper Seasoning.

2 tsp Brown Sugar

2 tsp Sea Salt

1 TBS butter, melted

Toss nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet

Roast them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and toss the nuts in the mixture

Store them in a jar and........

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Dallas Morning News Taste Section 12/04/13

Pretzels!
It's all about Pretzels.
"Pretzel Mania has taken over"

Cathy Barber writes a great story about Pretzels!
I've always loved recipes that include pretzels.
I recently posted the recipe for No Bake Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Squares. It has become the #1 viewed recipe on my Blog.

Here's my take away from the paper today.

Pretzel add-ins:

Sprinkle pretzels on peanut butter for a peanut butter and pretzel sandwich.

Add 1 1/2 C broken pretzel pieces to your favorite brownie recipe by folding them into the batter right before baking.

Add 1 C of broken pretzel pieces to your chocolate chip cookie recipe by folding them in to your chocolate chips.

Add 1 C crushed pretzels pieces to your peanut butter cookie recipe by rolling raw cookie dough in crushed pretzels before flattening with a fork.

Top iced cupcakes with crushed pretzel pieces.

Add to popcorn with M&M's.

Top scalloped potatoes with pretzel bread crumbs before baking.

Substitute the onions on your green bean casserole with pretzel bread crumbs.

Coat chicken breasts with pretzel bread crumbs instead of plain.


There were too many recipes to mention.
Here's two of my favorites:

White Chocolate Pretzel Bark with Pecans and Cranberries:

1 pound of finely chopped white chocolate
1 1/2 tsp nut oil
1 1/2 C dried cranberries
1 1/4 C toasted pecans
1 1/2 C broken pretzel pieces

Spray a 13"X18" sheet pan with non-stick spray
Pour 2 - 3 inches of water into the bottom half of a double boiler and heat over medium-low heat to just below simmer.
(this is a slow and low melt.)
Put chocolate in the top half of the doubler boiler and set over the hot water. Slowly melt the chocolate , stirring constantly.
Remove bowl just before all of the chocolate melts.
Stir until it melts completely.
Stir in oil until evenly blended.
Immediately fold in the fruit and nuts.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared pan, about 1/2" thick.
Immediately spread broken pretzel pieces over the chocolate and press into the mixture.
Set bark aside at room temperature until it hardens.
Break into pieces.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
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Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust:

8 TBS butter
1 1/4 C coarsely crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C flour
1 large egg
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate , melted
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 pound chocolate, chopped fine
Additional crushed pretzels for garnish

Spray the bottom and sides of a 10" removable bottom tart pan with nonstick spray.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter pretzels and sugar until creamy smooth.
Beat in flour and egg.
Flatten dough and roll into a 12" circle.
Place dough in the tart pan and fit as needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the tart pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until firm.

Line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or rice and blind bake for 30 minutes.
Remove weights and paper and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Allow to cool completely.

Brush the tart shell with melted chocolate and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set.

In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer.
Remove the pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate.
Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Whisk until smooth and allow to cool for 30 - 45 minutes.
Pour the filling into the shell.
Sprinkle with additional crushed pretzels and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

This is the cover photograph for a Holiday version
of the Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust