Monthly Archives: October 2010

Sazerac Cocktail Cake

Last week was Andrew Rausch‘s birthday, and my friend Katie and I set about coming up with an irresistible cake that would be appropriately celebratory. No time for funfetti or any of that nonsense–it was time to get serious.

Now, in my house, it’s become tradition to celebrate birthdays with what we’ve affectionately deemed a “shot cake,” which means any old cake with shot glasses on top with a bit of high proof liquor floated on top of something more palatable which are lit and extinguished in lieu of candles.

Then it hit us: why not use the shot cake as inspiration and create a cake that ITSELF was a cocktail? Indeed, there was no reason not to try, and the Sazerac cake was born. The goal in the cake was to create a dessert that would be close to the spirit of a Sazerac cocktail without simply being a cake soaked in liquor.

The resulting cake is evocative of a Sazerac, but is still unmistakably a dessert. (Personally, I think it could stand a bit more absinthe and Peychaud’s to make the flavors more pronounced, even.) If you’re looking for a twist on the usual type of dessert, give it a try — or try cakifiying another classic cocktail and get back to me — I’d love to try a Negroni cake.

Cake ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, warmed up to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup rye (or bourbon)
  • 1/2 oz Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1 tablespoon absinthe
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 extra orange, for twisting + garnish

Icing ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 oz Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1/4 cup rye (or bourbon)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and butter two shallow 9″ cake pans.

Beat the sugar, butter, and orange zest with an electric mixer (or just a lot of stirring) until it’s smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing continuously so the mixture keeps a creamy texture throughout. Still mixing, beat in the rye, bitters, and absinthe. Add in the flour slowly and continue to mix until the batter is battery-seeming enough, then distribute it intwo the two cake pans. Put them in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

In another bowl — the frosting bowl —  mix the butter and shortening, then add in the booze and bitters while continuing to mix. Add the confectioners’ sugar while mixing until the frosting is frosting-y enough. Place the bowl in the fridge while the cake bakes.

After the cake is done, let it cool in the pans for about half an hour at room temperature. Remove one of the cake halves (the less attractive one, preferably), and place it on the bottom. Top it with frosting, then stack the second half on top and frost it as well.

Garnish with an orange twist and serve. Optional: make a shot-glass sized Sazerac on top. Instead of rinsing with absinthe, float it on top and ignite it in place of candles. It’s birthday time!

Spicy Beety Cabbagey Salad

This summer, my roommates and I have been doing a produce CSA, which has meant we’ve had a ton of veggies around that we might not otherwise have.

My favorite discovery amongst those abundant and diverse vegetables has been beets. I’d never really paid all that much attention to beets before this year — I’d have the occasionally, but never looked to them for a delicious meal. Meaty, sweet, and colorful, beets make for a solid backbone of a meal.

I invented this cole slaw-ish recipe while trying to come up with a savory, spicy take on the ordinary beet salad, and I’d say it worked out pretty well. The vinegary, smoky spiciness of Mexican Valentina hot sauce is the defining note, backed up by the savory sweetness of honey, the depth of ginger, and the tang of mustard and vinegar.

If you’re looking for an alternative to the same old leafy salad, please to give it a try — you won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients:

  • 4 large (~3.5″ diameter) beets, quartered
  • 1/2 head of cabbage
  • 1/4 cup Valentina hot sauce (acceptable substitution: Chipotle Tabasco sauce)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • one large piece of ginger, diced
  • 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • salt and pepper

Place the beets in a large saucepan and fill with enough water to submerge. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and allow the beets to cook for about 20 minutes, or until they’re tender. Remove the beets from the water and wait for them to cool.

Mix hot sauce, ginger, olive oil, mustard, honey, and vinegar and whisk to combine.

Cut the cabbage into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add a few pinches of salt for flavor and to draw out the moisture a bit. Peel and cut the beets, which have hopefully cooled to a temperature that won’t terribly burn you at this point, and add those to the bowl. Add pepper to taste (be generous — this makes it extra tasty!), then pour the dressing mixture over the salad and toss thoroughly.

Allow it to sit for a bit in the fridge to cool down and to let the flavors (and colors!) combine. That’s a damn tasty salad.