Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

To Make the Guinness Cupcakes:  Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

To Make the Jameson Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate.

Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down.

Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated.

Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

YUM!

Source:  http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/03/14/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes/

Bruschetta Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomato dressing
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Place dressing in a shallow bowl and dip chicken in dressing. Place flour into a large ziploc bag.  Drop chicken into the bag and shake until chicken is well coated.  Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.

Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over chicken.

Loosely cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until top is browned.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over chicken. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7228336

Chocolate Ravioli

I ended up making this dessert as I was looking for something to make with the remaining puff pastry I had.    It ended up being one of my favorite things I have ever made.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
All-purpose flour
Puff Pastry
Confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.

Heat the heavy cream in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil.  Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate in the bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a whisk, stir until the mixture is smooth.

Freeze for 15 minutes.  Stir the chocolate mixture.  Freeze for 15 minutes or until the chocolate mixture is firm.  Beat the egg yolk and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold 1 pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 16-inch square.

Brush the pastry with the egg mixture to within 1/2 inch of the edge.  Drop the chocolate mixture by 24 teaspoonfuls onto the pastry sheet, making 4 rows, with 6 evenly-spaced spoonfuls in each row.

Unfold the remaining pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 16-inch square. Place the pastry sheet over the filling, pressing firmly between the rows and around the edges to seal.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut between the 4 rows to make 4 strips.  Cut each strip into 6 rectangles.  Place the pastries onto 2 baking sheets.  Freeze for 15 minutes or until the pastries are firm.

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar.

Source:  http://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/24128/chocolate-ravioli

Apple Tart

Since I was already making puff pastry for beef wellington, I looked for a dessert recipe I could make using the pastry I would have left over.  In my search I came across a recipe for Gordon Ramsay's apple tart fine.  I had to make due without an apple corer and a slicer, so my tart was not as "fine" as it should have been.  However, it still tasted pretty dang good.  But I do now have a few items on my baking wish list.

Ingredients:

1 large Braeburn apple, or 2 small

1-2 tbs butter, softened

2-3 tbs raw sugar

1 tbs powdered sugar

Puff Pastry

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Roll out the puff pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface to a 2mm thickness. Using a 3 1/2 - 4 inch plate or saucer or a plastic container as a guide, cut out rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheets.  

Prick the pastry all over with a fork to stop it from puffing up.

Add a sprinkle of raw sugar to the pastry. 

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.  Arrange the apple slices in a circle on top of the pastry discs, overlapping them slightly.  Place a few pieces of apple rings in the middle to finish. Brush them with softened butter and sprinkle with a layer of raw sugar.  

Bake the tarts for 10 -15 minutes until the pastry is cooked. Check so as not to burn. Add another sprinkle of raw sugar and place under broiler for a few minutes... or, heat to 500F and place sheet on top rack. Watch carefully! Dust with icing sugar. Serve the tarts warm, with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington

Dennis requested that I make Gordon Ramsay's beef wellington quite a while ago but I finally got a chance to make it today.  I found the recipe online, but it was in metric measurements.  D'OH!  But after some looking, I was able to find a page where someone had converted the recipe into US measurements.  It is a quite involved recipe, especially as I decided to make my own puff pastry.  So I started out cooking early today.

Ingredients

.88 lbs beef fillet

.88 lbs mushrooms

4 slices  Prosciutto ham

English mustard for brushing meat

.44 lbs puff pastry (half of the puff pastry recipe linked above)

2 egg yolks

8 new potatoes

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 large baby gem lettuce

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Mustard vinaigrette, optional

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Heat olive oil in a large pan and sear the meat on all sides (just brown each side). 

*Tip, try to get one large fillet.  Unfortunately, I was not able to get a large enough single fillet from the grocery store butcher.  :\

Let it cool and then brush it with the mustard.  

Chop the mushrooms in a food processor to make a puree. 

Throw the puree in a hot pan with no oil and sweat out all of the liquid. Let the water evaporate and then set it aside to cool.  

*Note, the mushroom puree will shrink considerably and will smell horrible as it cooks.

Lay four slices of prosciutto ham down on a large piece of cling film, slightly overlapping.

Then brush with mushroom mixture.  

Put the beef in the middle of the ham and roll the ham around the beef using the cling film. Twist the ends of the cling film to tighten the roll, then refrigerate it for 15 minutes to let it set.  

Roll your puff pastry and then brush the edges with an egg wash (1 egg beat with 2 tbsp water). Roll the pastry over the beef completely covering it. Cut off any excess pieces. 

Egg wash the top. Put your roll back in the fridge for 5 minutes. Egg wash again, score the top and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. 

Par boil the potatoes in salted water. Quarter them and leave the skin on. Sauté in olive oil and butter with the garlic and thyme, until browned and cooked through. Season. Remove the thyme and garlic before serving.

Separate the outside leaves of the baby gem (leaving the smaller inner ones for salads) and very quickly saute them in a pan of olive oil with a little salt and pepper – just enough to wilt them.

Serve hearty slices of the Wellington alongside the sauteed potatoes and wilted baby gems. A classic mustard vinaigrette makes a great dressing.

Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

1-7/8 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup ice water

Instructions:

Combine the flour and the salt in a large, chilled stainless-steel bowl.  Slice the butter into paper-thin pieces.

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas, about 1/2 inch in diameter.  

Using a fork, stir in the water gradually, pressing the dough together with your hands as it becomes damp.  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a rough rectangle with a short side facing you. 

Fold the dough into thirds, and turn it a quarter turn to the right. Roll the folded dough into a large rectangle, 9 X 16 inches, and fold into thirds again. This completes the first double turn. Brush away any excess flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 

Repeat rolling and folding 2 more times, chilling for 30 minutes after each double turn.

The dough can be stored, wrapped well in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.  To thaw place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.