Cookies and Pudding

When I get food products to sample and review, I don't really like to talk about the product straight up because I feel like it reads too much like a commercial. And unless the Super Bowl is on, most people don't like commercials. What I prefer to do is concoct some sort of recipe with the product in question and then post that. I feel like I have accomplished something by developing a new recipe, and I can talk about the product, too. But sometimes the products do speak for themselves, especially when they're cookies. Good cookies, that is.

I had this grandiose idea of inventing some sort of new banana pudding, only not using bananas, and with a different flavor of pudding. The La Mere Poulard cookies I was sampling would be the base of the not-banana-pudding, the vanilla wafer replacement. Only they were so tasty, I didn't want to cover them up with other flavors. All three types of cookie I received--sables, shortbread, and caramel biscuits--are buttery and crispy and smell simply wonderful, particularly the caramel ones. Two or three with a cup of tea is a perfect midday pick-me-up.

The cookies come from France--Mont Saint-Michel, to be precise. The story is that Annette Poulard, the local baker's wife, opened an inn on Mont Saint-Michel in 1888. Tourists flocked there for Poulard's cooking and especially her butter biscuits, which she baked for more than 50 years. Today, they're available in the US at stores like Whole Foods (and on the Internet).

Although I no longer wanted to use the cookies in a recipe, I still wanted to make something to go with them. Since I had pudding stuck in my head, I went with it. This recipe is based on the classic Hershey's chocolate pudding recipe, and is so fast and easy I don't know why anyone would ever buy instant pudding. I added peanut butter and rum, just to be different. The result was rich and chocolaty, with a distinct peanut flavor. Eating it with a couple of crispy cookies (the ones in the top photo are the sables) adds a bit of extra texture. You could, if you'd like, crumble some cookies on top of the pudding and pretend you've invented a new dish. Or just skip the pudding and have some of the cookies with a cup of tea.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Splash dark rum
Handful dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Sea salt
La Mere Poulard cookies

Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and kosher salt in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the milk, first making a paste of the milk + dry ingredients, then adding the rest of the milk. Cook over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, stirring regularly. Boil for 1 minute, until thickened.

Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and butter until combined. Add the vanilla and a healthy splash of dark rum (a few tablespoons worth) and stir until combined. If the mixture seems too thick while it's still warm, thin out with a few tablespoons of milk. Stir in the peanuts, leaving a few for garnish.

Store in the fridge in a covered container until ready to eat. If you're not a fan of pudding skin, then press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the pudding.

Spoon into bowls and garnish with peanuts and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve with cookies.

4-6 servings.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Blue Chair Bay Rum

Country singer Kenny Chesney has a brand spankin' new line of rums inspired by his island life. Yeah, the man's got it hard! Barbados-made Blue Chair Bay Rum comes in five flavors, including coconut spiced rum, which is the one we've tried so far. It's gooood. Mr Minx isn't even a fan of rum and he finds it to be a quite tasty sipping spirit. Me, I'm a sucker for coconut rum, so this was right up my alley.

Chesney will be at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 27th for his Big Revival tour, so in honor of his visit to Maryland, we've concocted a special drink in his honor.

Presenting the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Chai.

Blue Chair Bay coconut spice rum has the flavors of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in addition to coconut, and it put us in mind of a cup of chai tea. So we blended it with some strong black tea and a wee bit of creamy horchata-flavored rum and a dash of cardamom to make this easy-drinking creamy beverage.

Blue Chair Bay Coconut Chai

2 parts Blue Chair Coconut Spiced Rum
1 part horchata-flavored rum
3 parts cold strong black tea
1/2 part agave nectar
Dash ground cardamom

Combine both rums, black tea, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a low-ball glass, then spoon over some of the foam from the shaker. Dust with ground cardamom.

Now I want to make a rhum baba with the stuff. Or maybe with the banana rum, which also has a whiff of coconut to it.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Woody's Rum Bar & Island Grill

Woody's Rum Bar & Island Grill occupies the top floor and roof deck of a building on the northeast corner of the intersection of Thames and Broadway, making it a perfect spot to soak up both the atmosphere of Fells Point and a few rum-based libations. You want to sit in the sun? Go up on the roof. If you prefer breezy shade, the third floor is the place to be. The place is small, so you won't ever be too far away from the bar.

A recent facelift has added some lively new artwork by Charles Lawrance. The menu of island-inflected dishes has been updated as well, adding new items to a selection of favorites. At a recent VIP tasting celebrating the restaurant's opening weekend, we sampled the entire menu. Ev-ry-thing. Oh, that's the food menu, not the drinks menu (otherwise, we might not be here right now.) We started with rum punches, which were sweet and fruity and oh so easy-to-drink. Thankfully there was plenty of tasty food coming to help absorb some of the alcohol we'd be imbibing that evening.

Rum Punch

You can check out Woody's menu here.

Among our favorites were the spicy Caesar salad. I'm a sucker for grilled romaine, and loved the piquant dressing, which was spicy but not overly so.

Spicy Caesar Salad
grilled Romaine hearts, queso fresco, spicy Caesar dressing, radish, corn strips

We also enjoyed the nachos. Despite looking like merely chips and cheese, the grilled pineapple salsa and chipotle jerk crema added a myriad of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavors.

Woody’s Nachos
corn chips, house made cheese sauce, grilled pineapple salsa,
pico de gallo, scallions, chipotle jerk crema

Mr Minx also really enjoyed the Jamaican hot pepper shrimp, served with a hunk of baguette to dip in the flavorful juices.

Jamaican Hot Pepper Shrimp
spiced scotch bonnet pepper butter, red stripe, baguette

Calamari
corn flour fried, Woody spice, mango chile sauce

Island Wings
spicy pineapple BBQ sauce

Also notable were the calamari and wings.

We also tasted all of the sandwiches on the menu, particularly enjoying the Cubano. Out of the four varieties of tacos available (fish, shrimp, black bean falafel, and jerk chicken) we perhaps enjoyed the fish tacos most of all, although the falafels were pretty delicious as well.

Woody’s World Famous Fish Tacos
marinated mahi, Baja slaw, lime crema, pico de gallo, cheddar jack cheese

If you've got a hankering for the islands but can't afford to leave the mainland, head over to Woody's for Caribbean-inspired food and drinks. Watch the Os, grab a mai tai, and have a good time.





Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday - December 7, 2012

This post was originally published on 1/11/2010. Seems like a good post to make a reappearance in December. Especially considering the cute Christmas-theme mugs in the photo.
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Hot Buttered Rum

In the late 80s, my family started a new tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve (possibly because Mom never could wait to hand out gifts). Because our house was so big, we set up the tree in the hallway near the front door to make sure everyone could gaze upon its Santa-festooned glory and mountain of gaily-wrapped packages on a frequent basis. The hallway was always drafty (as was the whole house) so I came up with the brilliant idea of drinking hot buttered rum as we tore through the wrappings.

We all enjoyed the warm, creamy libation - particularly my Cocker Spaniel. I had set my mug on the floor behind me and didn't notice that he had consumed several ounces of rummy goodness. Within minutes, he became a mean little drunk, snarling at the family and eventually hiding under a chair in the living room, far from the rest of us. (He apparently liked a good stiff drink on occasion and had once helped himself to a Pimm's Cup during a croquet party held on the front lawn.)

While not recommended for your canine friends, I do recommend that grownups partake of a nice steaming mug-full of hot buttered rum on a cold day. I like to keep a tub of "mix" ready in the freezer - just add rum and boiling water.

Hot Buttered Rum Mix

1 lb room-temperature butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 lb brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 quart room-temperature vanilla ice cream

Cream all ingredients together and store in a covered container in the freezer.

For each drink

1 1/2 ounces rum
boiling water
freshly grated nutmeg

Add rum and 2 tablespoons of batter to a mug (more if your mug is large) and top with boiling water. Stir together and garnish with nutmeg.


Posted on Minxeats.com.

Shellback Caribbean Rum

When I was offered the opportunity to sample Shellback rum, I jumped at the chance. Rum has long been one of my favorite spirits, and the closer we get to Christmas, the more spirits come in handy. If you catch my drift.

You might be wondering what a "shellback" is, exactly. No, it's not a turtle. A shellback is "an experienced sailor, revered for his nautical progression and courage, who has achieved the landmark triumph of crossing the equator." I am far from a shellback myself, having never been remotely close to the equator. However, I have been to the Caribbean, and I likes me rum. Aaarrr!

There are two Shellback rums: Silver, a lovely smooth spirit with a delightful vanilla nose; and Spiced, which is flavored with cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, cassia, allspice, and vanilla. The spicing is subtle, but there's also a bite that I like quite a bit. They're both nice with a bit of cola, but even better with ginger ale. And of course there are several yummy-sounding recipes for both Shellback rums on the Shellback Web site, like Hot Buttered Cider and the Bloody Money.

Shellback Spiced Rum and Ginger Ale

Shellback has recently become available in Maryland, and can be purchased at a liquor store near you (call for availability) including Beltway Fine Wines. Personally, I think they'd make a terrific holiday gift for friends and family members who enjoy a tipple now and again (as I do), and I'm sure they'd be amazing used to booze up a fruitcake.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Cantaloupe Daiquiri

I found myself the custodian of a ripe cantaloupe and no prosciutto. Rather than eat it plain, I decided to make a refreshing cocktail. With half of it. The other half we....ate plain. :)

Cantaloupe Daiquiri

1/2 ripe cantaloupe
2 jiggers spiced rum
1 jigger melon liqueur
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon agave nectar

Place all in a blender container and blend until frothy. Makes 2 drinks.

Hot Buttered Rum

In the late 80s, my family started a new tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve (possibly because Mom never could wait to hand out gifts). Because our house was so big, we set up the tree in the hallway near the front door to make sure everyone could gaze upon its Santa-festooned glory and mountain of gaily-wrapped packages on a frequent basis. The hallway was always drafty (as was the whole house) so I came up with the brilliant idea of drinking hot buttered rum as we tore through the wrappings. We all enjoyed the warm, creamy libation - particularly my Cocker Spaniel. I had set my mug on the floor behind me and didn't notice that he had consumed several ounces of rummy goodness. Within minutes, he became a mean little drunk, snarling at the family and eventually hiding under a chair in the living room, far from the rest of us. (He apparently liked a good stiff drink on occasion and had once helped himself to a Pimm's Cup during a croquet party held on the front lawn.) While not recommended for your canine friends, I do recommend that grownups partake of a nice steaming mug-full of hot buttered rum on a cold day. I like to keep a tub of "mix" ready in the freezer - just add rum and boiling water. Hot Buttered Rum  

For each drink 

1 1/2 ounces rum

2 tablespoons hot buttered rum mix (recipe below)

boiling water

freshly grated nutmeg

Add rum and rum mix to a standard 10-ounce mug and top with boiling water. Stir together and garnish with nutmeg.

Hot Buttered Rum Mix

1 lb softened butter

1 lb powdered sugar

1 lb brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 quart softened vanilla ice cream

Cream all ingredients together and store in a covered container in the freezer.