bourbon – Melodrama

Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream Recipe

Published on September 9, 2014September 9, 2014 by Krys3 Comments

Fall is almost here and that means one thing: PUMPKIN. Pumpkin flavored food has become an American tradition and our appetite for it only seems to be growing. Forget the leaves. Forget the sweaters. We want our pumpkin flavored foods and we want them now! Bring on the cookies, pies, and bread puddings.

I usually like to wait until summer is officially over before I indulge in autumnal themed foods, but this ice cream is the perfect recipe to transition you into fall. It’s a cool treat but with all the warm flavors of the season: pumpkin, spice, and bourbon.

It took a couple of tries but I think we nailed it with this recipe. The texture is light and creamy and all of the flavors harmoniously hit your palate. You can taste the pumpkin, spices, and bourbon without one outshining the others.

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup bourbon

In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, nutmeg, 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and sugar is dissolved.

Then, in a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and remaining 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until little bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Then, pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly at a low simmer for about 5 minutes and it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is run through it. Do not boil! Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled.

Note: You can cool the mixture in an ice bath by placing the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. This will cool the custard faster. Otherwise, place plastic wrap directly over the custard (to avoid a skin from forming) and let cool on countertop, before refrigerating.

Whisk the pumpkin mixture and the bourbon into the chilled custard. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to your machine’s instructions. For firmer ice cream, transfer to freezer safe container and freeze for an additional 2-3 hours.

Makes about 1.5 quarts

Serve with crumbled graham crackers or speculoos cookies for added delight.

Special thanks to Cuisinart®.

Bourbon Date Shake Boozesicles

Published on June 12, 2014June 12, 2014 by KrysLeave a comment

After making my last batch of boozesicles I was feeling creative and took to the bar cart to see what other concoctions I could get into. I picked up the bourbon because it’s my husband’s fave and because he not so subtly requested it. We have a few pounds of dates left over from our trip to the date farm and I thought those would probably taste really good with bourbon. In fact when ever I mention making a recipe with dates he’s all “…with bourbon?”. He loves date shakes so, BOURBON DATE SHAKE…POPSICLE.These turned out just as I’d hoped. They’re creamy and they have little chunks of dates, just like a date shake spiked with bourbon.

Ingredients (4 standard sized popsicles)

5 large medjool dates
1/4 cup bourbon
1 1/2 cups almond milk (I used Silk Original)
4 tbsp simple syrup

In a small sauce pan, warm bourbon over a low flame. Roughly chop the dates and toss them in to the bourbon. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand to cool. The dates plump up and the bourbon gets all syrupy and delicious.
Next, blend the almond milk, the dates, 4 tbsp of the infused bourbon, and 4 tbsp simple syrup in a blender (or with an immersion blender). Pour into molds and freeze for at least 5 hours or until solid.

Beignets and Buttered Bourbon Sauce

Published on March 2, 2014March 2, 2014 by KrysLeave a comment

Happy Mardi Gras y’all! To celebrate Fat Tuesday we hit the kitchen and got balls deep in frying oil and powdered sugar, because what says New Orleans better than beignets and bourbon?

Beignets and Buttered Bourbon Sauce

2/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg
Canola for deep-frying
Confectioners’ sugar

Combine the water, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt. Let stand until frothy (about 10 minutes).

Put flour into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. While the mixer is running, slowly add the yeast mixture, processing until thoroughly incorporated. Add the cream and egg and mix to form a soft dough ball. Add more flour, 1 Tbs. at a time until the dough is no longer sticky and the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading in the machine for 1 minute. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate over night.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and punch it down.

Roll out the dough out to about 3/4 inch thick.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares or triangles.

Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet and let them rise again (about 45 minutes).

Pour about 5 inches of oil into a heavy pan or deep fryer and heat to 375°F.

Add the beignets, a few at a time and deep fry for about 1 minute, until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Pile on the powdered sugar and serve HOT.

If you want to get really crazy you can serve them with Buttered Bourbon dipping sauce:

1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir brown sugar and heavy cream until sugar is melted. Pour in bourbon, and simmer, stirring until the sauce is smooth, thickened, and reduced. Stir in butter until melted.

Now go impress your guests with your dough frying and sauce making skills.

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