Whisky Pairing

Aberlour a'bunadh

Our choice scotch whisky companion for this recipe is Aberlour a'bunadh.  

The Spicy Mayan Chocolate souffle should also pair well with any malt in the orange-sherry flavor collection.

Spicy Maya Chocolate Souffle with Orange Sauce

Adapted from Gourmet December 1998 recipe at epicurious.com.

Ingredients

Makes 6 1-cup ramekins

Butter and sugar to coat six ramekins

3 Signature Chuao Spicy Maya Chocolate Bars

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

7 eggs separated:  Use 4 yolks and 7 whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1-2 Large sweet ripe oranges to make 3/4 cup juice

Preserve rind for orange zest strips

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease each ramekin with butter and coat lightly with granulated sugar. 

Break chocolate into fine pieces.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan then add cream. Mix until well combined. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chocolate pieces until melted and very smooth.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the 4 egg yolks.  Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, beat 7 egg whites with cream of tartar and pinch of salt.  When they begin to form stiff peaks, gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar, beating until just combined.  Stir a small portion of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.  Gently fold in remaining whites to combine.  Pour mixture evenly into ramekins.  Run tip of a knife around the edges to aid in the rising of the souffles.  At this point ramekins can be baked or loosely covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for the next day.  Souffles will be more dense and cake-like if not baked immediately, but still delicious and showy even using this "make-ahead" method.  Add 5-10 extra minutes to baking time if refrigerated.

Bake in the bottom third of your oven with a roasting pan filled halfway with water on the shelf beneath your ramekins. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until souffles are puffed up and cracked at the surface.

Orange sauce may also be made a day ahead or while the souffles are baking.  Remove the skin from 1 to 2 large oranges.  Trim away as much pith as possible and cut skinny, even strips of zest for garnish. Squeeze the juice through a strainer until you have the equivalent of 3/4 cup. 

Place 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat and leave undisturbed until it begins to melt. Stir occasionally until sugar turns a deep gold color. Add orange zest stirring the mixture until fragrant.  Remove from heat tilting the pan away from you as you carefully pour a portion of the juice into the pan.  Stir vigorously as sugar will want to harden.  Pour more juice and keep stirring vigorously, until you reach a thick smooth sauce consistency (may not need 3/4 cup).   Serve warm or at room temperature.

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We recommend that you experiment with an unpeated malt.

Slightly "Soused" Bread Pudding

Traditional bread pudding is commonly topped with a Whiskey (bourbon) Sauce.  We went a little topsy turvy with our recipe by putting a Speyside single malt right into the mixture.  Scotch adds a richness and depth to the flavors.  Paired with the caramel sauce the result is just delicious.

Ingredients

10 slices of Hawaiian bread cut into small pieces

Egg Mixture or use your favorite bread pudding recipe

3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbl. Scotch (recommend an unpeated variety)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

Butter

Your favorite caramel sauce

You may also want to experiment by adding raisins, dates, nuts, or crystalized ginger to the mixture.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f).  Butter 6 ramekins, or a tart dish or other baking dish.  If you are using individual ramekins, do not fill to top, as pudding will puff up during cooking.

Cut bread into 1 inch pieces and set aside. 

Whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, scotch and spices.

Soak bread in egg mixture turning carefully to absorb all the liquid, then fill each prepared ramekin.

Cook in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until mixture has puffed and top is nicely browned.  (You may also broil top for nice finish).

While the pudding is baking, you may want to make your caramel sauce recipe.

Serve warm in or out of the ramekins and drizzled with caramel. 

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Please contact us if you wish to reprint or use this recipe.

Whisky

Pairing:

Enjoy with 

single malts 

in the

Nutty/Oaky, 

Cocoa/Java, 

Smoky or 

Spicy flavor palates.

Better With Bacon Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

1 Chuao Todasana 74% Cacao Chocolate Bar

8 oz. Package of Applegate Farms organic uncured Sunday Bacon or other fine brand of bacon

4 Tbl. of Light Brown Sugar

1-1/2 Tbl. Chili Powder

3/4 to 1 Tsp. Cayenne pepper depending on desired spiciness

Lightly toasted Pecan pieces

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. 

To make the spicy bacon:  Blend together well the brown sugar, chili powder & cayenne pepper.  Once thoroughly mixed, empty out onto a flat dish and dredge each piece of bacon being sure to coat each side.  Place sugared bacon on the bacon sheet making sure that pieces do not overlap.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes watching carefully to ensure that bacon does not burn.  When crisp, remove from oven and drain carefully on paper towels to remove excess fat.  Cool before using then break up into pieces.  There will be extra bacon, so just enjoy as is.

Lightly toast the pecan pieces in a 450 degree oven making sure they do not burn.  Cool before using.

Clean and wrap your baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Break Chocolate bar into small pieces to hasten melting.  I used the simple microwave method of cooking in 1 minute increments until chocolate was completely melted.  When ready, pour the chocolate onto the baking sheet and spread to about 1/4" thick.  Work quickly to sprinkle the top with bacon and pecans.  Refrigerate until hardened 20 - 30 minutes.  Break into uneven bark pieces and serve. 

Mine never lasts long enough to store but it should last for some time in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

All rights reserved by Sip Smoke Savor, Inc.  We welcome you to link to this article or reprint our recipe with proper credit to our website:  www.SipSmokeSavor.com

Whisky Pairing:

Enjoy with any single malts in our Nutty/Oaky, Honey/Vanilla, Caramel or Cocoa/Java flavor palates.

Better With Bacon Brittle

Ingredients

1 Chuao Todasana 74% Cacao Chocolate Bar

Approximately 6 pieces of bacon from Package of Applegate Farms organic uncured Sunday Bacon or other fine brands of bacon

4-5 oz. Lightly Toasted raw unsalted cashews

2 Cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

Sprinkling of sea salt

In place of the sugar water, you may use your favorite brittle recipe.  I like this one because it is simple and produces a very clear and vibrant brittle to contrast with the dark chocolate.

Preparation

Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil overlapping all sides or foil turned up to contain the liquid brittle as it sets.  Set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp.  Drain well to remove all residual fat.  Cool and crumble.  Be careful not to make pieces too small.  I used a bacon that does not have a predominate smokiness.

Lightly toast cashews in a 450 degree oven making sure they do not burn.  Cool before using and break into pieces if they are whole.  I used raw and unsalted nuts to control the saltiness of the finished product.

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat until sugar has completely dissolved (2-3 minutes).  Turn the heat down slightly and cook for about 15 minutes.  Swirl occasionally but do not stir.  Remove the pan from the heat when mixture is a deep amber and registers 350 degrees farenheit on a candy thermometer.  Carefully add cashews and bacon bits stirring to combine ingredients.  Pour mixture into center of your baking sheet and very, very lightly sprinkle the sea salt over the top.  Let  brittle sit undisturbed at room tempeature until set (about 30 minutes), then break into large shards before coating with the chocolate.

Note:  If you are using a very salty bacon, you may want to skip the sprinkle of salt on the top.

Cover a second baking sheet in aluminum foil.  Break the Chocolate bar into small pieces to hasten melting.  I use the simple microwave method of cooking in 1 minute increments until chocolate has just barely melted.  Then quickly coat each shard on all sides except for a small portion of exposed brittle.  This gives you a little handle and lets the brittle show through.  Carefully lay each piece on the baking sheet and refrigerate until chocolate has set.

All rights reserved by Sip Smoke Savor, Inc.  We welcome you to link to this article or reprint our recipe with proper credits to our website:  www.SipSmokeSavor.com.

Bread Pudding with Chocolate Bits

(Two Versions)

A great comfort food, bread pudding was originally created as a clever and delicious way to keep stale bread from going to waste.  The recipe has morphed to become a popular winter dessert now using top shelf ingredients, making it fun to experiment with many different combinations of breads, spices and other ingredients.  So of course, we decided to add chocolate.

Our first version is meant to mimic the great flavors of a Parisian Chocolate Croissant, and the other version heads in a different direction, with the zippiness of Chuao's Spicy Maya chocolate paired with cinammon bread. 

Ingredients

Try either the Chuao Coffee & Anise bar (2.8 oz) or other quality dark chocolate for Version 1 (with Croissants)
 

or

Chuao Spicy Maya bar (2.8 oz) for Version 2 (with cinnamon bread)

6 Croissants cut into 1 inch pieces or 8-9 large slices cinnamon bread cut into 1 inch pieces

Egg Mixture or use your favorite bread pudding recipe

3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

3/4 cup heavy cream

5 Tablespoons of sugar

Butter

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f).  Butter tart dish or other baking dish.  Cut bread into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, cream and sugar.  If you want to experiment with spices, add them here.

Smash chocolate bar into small pieces (to be sure they will melt), or melt bar with a little cream to make it "pourable".

Layer one half the bread in a baking dish and dot with half the pieces of chocolate, or drizzle with half the melted chocolate.  Pour half the egg mixture and press bread slightly to help it absorb the liquid.  Repeat with second half of bread, chocolate and egg mixture.  Dot the top of the mixture liberally with butter.

If you have a quirky oven like mine, put your baking dish in a shallow roasting pan with water coming up to the middle of your dish.  This will help the custard bake more evenly and keep the top bread from drying out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until egg custard has fully set and pudding top has pleasantly browned.  Serve warm with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.

All rights reserved by Sip Smoke Savor, Inc. 

If you would like to use or reprint this recipe, please contact us.