Roasted Peach Frozen Yogurt With Granola Crumble

I've been wanted to try my hand at frozen yogurt for a while. My mother has recently been making her own yogurt at home, from a culture she procured at a local Greek restaurant. Ever since I dipped my spoon into the homemade yogurt I've been itching to try so many things with it! I cannot describe how rich and tangy hers is compared to store bought versions. She recently got me a mini slow cooker so I can making the yogurt myself...1 cup at a time.

But back to the frozen yogurt. I toyed with starting by making a classic vanilla yogurt, but the ripe peaches I came across quickly changed my mind. Bringing in one of my other favorite peach desserts I opted to add a touch of cinnamon and bourbon to the mix. The granola crumble on top lets me enjoy the best of both

the recipe is my own

yields about 5 cups frozen yogurt and about 3/4 cup granola

The Ingredients:

for the Frozen Yogurt
3 ripe peaches, sliced in half and pit removed
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp Bourbon
pinch of salt
1 cup plain yogurt, NOT fat free

for the Granola Crumble
The Process:
1/2  cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp pecans, chopped
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 brown sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg


The Process:
for the frozen yogurt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the peach halves on a foil lined baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with honey.

Roast peaches for 20-25 minutes, or until peaches are tender. Allow to cool.

Once peaches are cool, transfer the fruit along with any pan juices to a blender or food processor. Process on high until puréed. Add the sugar, salt,cinnamon,  bourbon and yogurt and mix on low until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cover and refridgerate over night.

Using an ice cream maker, freeze the chilled base according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately for a soft serve yogurt, or chill in the freezer for 2-3 hours for a firmer frozen yogurt.

for the granola crumble:
preheat oven to 350

Combine the oats, pecans, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and using your fingers combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Spread the mixture into an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown. 

Allow to cool slightly. Serve a top the frozen yogurt

Bourbon Soaked Bundt Cake

With nearly a cup of bourbon and three sticks of butter, this is a cake to reserve for special occasions. Happy birthday, Love!

adapted from Bake it with Booze and the Brown Eyed Baker

yields 1 cake

The Ingredients

for the cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups cake flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/3 cup bourbon

Bourbon Soaking Sauce

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

The Process

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously oil a 10 cup bundt pan and set aside. 

In the large bowl, cream together the butter with the granulated and brown sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 5 minutes on medium high using a stand mixer or hand held beaters). Scrap done sides of bowl as needed. 

Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, incorporating fully after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

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

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the bourbon and buttermilk. 

Alternately add the flour mixture and bourbon mixture to the butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the last addition by hand, folding until flour is just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake, uncovered for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven to a wire rack and allow to cool in the bundt pan for about 10 minutes.

While the cake cools prepare the bourbon soak by Melting the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the bourbon. Whisk until fully combined.

Using a long skewer, poke several holes throughout the cake. Slowly pour about 3/4 of the bourbon soak onto the cake, allowing to soak in. Reserve the remaining bourbon soak.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the bundt pan, about 2 hours. Once completely cool, invert the cake onto a serving platter and remove from pan. Rewarm the remaining bourbon soak and brush onto the surface of the cake to glaze. 

Slice and enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon

I made these beauties a while back, during a fit of madness in the kitchen. Unfortunately the madness hit the same time I was in the midst of a long lapse in blogging. But the recipe lives on!

the recipe is my own

yields 16-20 cupcakes and a lot of extra frosting

The Ingredients
Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes:
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp bourbon

Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting: 
8 oz cream cheese, room temp 
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp 
1/8 tsp salt (or use salted butter) 
3-3 1/2 cup powder sugar, sifted 
1- 2 Tbsp bourbon 
1-2 Tbsp milk

Candied bacon: 
5 stripes of bacon 
2/3 cup brown sugar 

The Process
for the cupcakes
Preheat oven to 375 and line 16-20 cupcake tins

Whisk together boiling water and cocoa powder, set aside. Combine flour, salt and baking powder, set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and bourbon. Add flour mixture, alternating with chocolate mixture, until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. I had enough for about 18...they did puff up quite a bit.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting
cream together cream cheese, butter and salt until fluffy. Add sugar, a cup at a time, alternating with 1 Tbsp liquid. I started with 2 Tbsp bourbon and found I did not need the milk to further beat it to a spreadable consistency. 2 Tbsp Bourbon was enough with that amount of powdered sugar.

Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

for the bacon
preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut bacon into quarters and press each piece, both sides, into the brown sugar, coating as evenly as possible. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake 10-20 minutes. This largely depends on the thickness of the bacon. The most recent bacon I used was a Patrick Cudhay which seemed sliced incredibly thin...8 minutes tops. But I've had thick cut bacon take nearly half and hour before. You want to cook the bacon until the sugar has caramelized the bacon is still slightly pliable.

Transfer to a plate or wire rack to cool...it will crisp up more as it cools. Do NOT place the bacon on paper towel to drain. The sugar coating will cause stick.

Allow to cool completely and then use as garnish on the cupcakes.
Enjoy!

Caramelized Bourbon Butternut Squash

Dessert or vegetable? You decide. If glazed carrots or sweet potatoes make frequent appearances at holiday gatherings, this is a great substitute. Mix things up a bit without raising too much suspicion that you may be attempting to usurp a family tradition.

A note on cooking with booze, as you may have noticed I do A LOT:

In most recipes where beer or liquor is exposed to prolonged heat, the alcohol will mostly cook off. That being said, ALWAYS disclose when you use alcohol in a recipe out of respect for your guests. Some religious practices forbid imbibing any alcohol. Recovering alcohols may be more sensitive to the flavors. And kids...well most kids will find the booze on their own soon enough. Best be honest up front.

the recipe is my own

serves 6

The Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, about 3 lbs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp bourbon

The Process:
Preheath the oven to 350


Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut into 1 1/2" cubes. Layer the squash in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, chili powder, salt and bourbon. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar is just dissolved.

Pour the bourbon mixture over the squash. Gently toss to coat. Bake, covered, about one hour or until the squash is tender. Increase the oven temp to 450. Uncover the squash and roast an additional 15-20 or until the glaze begins to caramelize.