Honey-Bourbon Glaze

So, now that I bought a bottle of bourbon to make a batch of cupcakes, I'm using it for other things.  Because it is delicious.  One of the first things I tried was a glaze.  Simple, uses about 5 ingredients, took about 2 minutes to make, plus cook time for the chicken: a good weeknight meal with lots of flavor.  The recipe that follows makes enough glaze for 1 generously flavored chicken breast.

Honey-Bourbon Glazed Chicken Breast
1 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 Tbsp Bourbon
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 chicken breast
1 Tbsp oil for cooking

Combine the honey, bourbon, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  It should form a liquid with a viscosity similar to oil; fluid, but a little thicker than water.  Spoon a little of the glaze over the chicken breast.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and place the chicken, glaze-side down, in the pan.  Spoon most of the remaining glaze on the upper side of the chicken (it will flow down into the pan and thicken as the chicken cooks).  After the bottom half of the chicken is cooked, flip the chicken over, and pour the remaining glaze onto the cooked side of the chicken.  Be sure to periodically stir the chicken and glaze around the pan to prevent burning of the glaze.  Cook until the chicken is done, plate it, and pour the thickened glaze over.

As you can see in the photo below, I served this simply with potatoes.  I sliced them thin and cooked them in oil in the same pan I had just used for the chicken (without rinsing-- if there was any more glaze in there, the potatoes were going to get it), and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  The simplicity of the potatoes (and fresh veggies on the side) allowed the glazed chicken to really stand out.

As for the chicken: WONDERFUL flavor.  I was really pleased with how this turned out.  I used a little bit more pepper than I probably meant to, but that actually gave it a nice kick.  It had a sweet and savory balance, and I found myself wanting to wipe every last bit off my plate.  I would like to try marinading with the bourbon next time; it gives an additional tenderness that you don't get with a glaze.

Beginning of Bourbon Blogs (CUPCAKES!)

 

      For my 21st birthday, I was given Booze Cakes, by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone (ISBN: 9781594744235). It features a fantastic selection of cakes baked with alcohols, ranging from traditionally spiked cakes (Lane Cake), to traditional cakes spiked for kicks, to traditional cocktails reinvented as cakes. I decided to make myself Mint Julep Cupcakes for my birthday this year; I happen to think mint julep is a fantastic drink. Bourbon has a sweet, almost syrupy quality that is balanced by the addition of ice and/or water. The mint makes it even more refreshing and summery. I adapted Castella and Stone's recipe a little bit to better suit my needs. My version follows:

Mint Julep Cupcakes
1/2 C butter or margarine
1 C sugar
4 eggs
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 C flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp mint extract*
1 Tbsp bourbon

     Begin by melting the chocolate, preheating the oven to 350˚ F, and prepping the baking pan. Put the in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it on about 50%power for 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly between intervals until all chocolate is melted. Grease and flour a 12-cup cupcake pan.
     Cream together the butter/margarine and sugar until light and fluffy (see my 1st blog for a picture of what that should look like). Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the chocolate, flour, and extracts. Once those are well-combined, stir in the bourbon. Spoon the batter into the cupcake tins and bake about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let it cool completely.

Whipped Bourbon-Cream Frosting
1 1/2 packages of cream cheese (12 oz. total)
1/2 C confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 C heavy cream
1 tsp mint extract
1 Tbsp bourbon

     Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and cream, and stir together until the sugar is mostly moist. Switch to egg beaters and mix everything to a uniform, fluffy consistency. Add in the mint extract and bourbon, and adjust to taste.

     Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, slice the top and bottom halves apart.  Spread the frosting between the halves and on top.  I recommend using a piping bag-- it allows a thicker layer and looks prettier-- but you don't need one.  Top it off with a mint leaf.


     *I was unable to find mint extract at the grocery store I went to.  So I improvised and made some myself.  It was not the same as what you would get from the bottle, but it worked for this recipe.  Basically, I made a simple syrup by boiling a quarter cup of water and dissolving the better part of 1/8th cup of sugar in it.  I poured this over 2 or 3 sprigs of mint, mashed them a bit with the back of a spoon, and let it sit for about an hour or so (I went grocery shopping).  It gives a nice minty flavor, and works well in drinks, too.  I don't know how long it will last-- I used it up in 1 day, mostly in the recipe.  Because I don't know how it compares, strength-wise, to mint extract that you purchase, I sort of tasted everything I put it in and added more as I felt was necessary.

     I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet baking chips for the recipe, which I thought melted VERY nicely.  Chocolate can be quite tricky, especially (in my experience) darker chocolate.  These not only melted beautifully, they taste excellent.  I happily noshed on the remaining 3/4 of the bag.

     I liked the cupcakes a lot; my roommate was a fan of them as well.  They weren't too boozy; actually, I wouldn't have minded more bourbon flavor in the cupcake.  The frosting I was able to adjust as I made it.  The cupcakes were quite dry, but that's probably because I baked them about half an hour (double the recommended time.)  I thought they looked underdone, and figured my oven must've been running cold (it was the first time I used it).  After a while, I noticed they didn't look that much different, and had the bright idea to actually TEST them.  (Whoa!!)  Buy then, alas, they were quite dry, but fortunately not burnt.  
     I thought the frosting recipe yielded an awful lot-- I ended up eating about half of it on waffles.  Next time I'll probably try leaving the cream cheese at a single (8 oz.) block, which I hope will give it a more whipped cream taste/texture and slightly decrease the yield.  
      I'll make these cupcakes again sometime, for sure.