Author Archives: Crumbs In My Beard

Baked Chicken Wings w/ Chocolate BBQ Sauce

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Makes 3 dozen wings and 2 cups (aprx) sauce

Ingredients

Wings

  • 3 dozen chicken pieces- mix of flats and drums
  • 2 Tablespoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

Sauce

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup brewed coffee
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 1/2 oz dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped

Method

Wings

  1. Prehaet oven to 450 F Convection setting
  2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with non-stick spray
  3. Use paper towels to pat the wings dry and place them in a large bowl
  4. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Then sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.
  5. Arrange wings, skin side up, in single layer on prepared wire rack
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, at which point the turn wings over. reduce the temperature to 425F Convection setting and bake for a further 20 minutes until browned and crispy. Check the internal temperature of pieces for doneness
  7. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer wings to bowl and toss with sauce

Sauce

  1. Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat
  2. Reduce the heat to medium low so that the sauce is simmering. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened
  3. Remove from heat and toss to coat your prepared wings. The quantity here make about 2 cups of sauce so there’s plenty for coating and surplus for dipping. Any remaining sauce can be left to cool and transferred to a glass container or squeeze bottle for use later

Super Easy Red Velvet Cookies

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Makes 16

Ingredients

  • 15 oz box Red Velvet cake mix (or White Cake mix)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Red food coloring gel (if using white cake mix)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside until needed
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Mix until well combined and uniform in color.The batter will be quite stiff.
  3. Stir in both types of chocolate chips
  4. Lightly spray a 1.5 – 2 Tbsp cookie scoop with cooking spray. Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart- they will spread out
  5. Bake 11-12 minutes. Cookies will look soft and be slightly underdone in the center when you take them out- they’ll keep cooking while on the baking sheet
  6. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely

Chocolate Budino w/ Amarena Cherries

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Makes 4

Ingredients

Pudding

  • 6oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2oz milk chocolate
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 6 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon cocoa
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup heavy, or whipping, cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • I Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Amarena cherries (incl. syrup)

Vanilla Cream Topping

  • 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cocoa powder to dust
  • Additional Amarena cherries to top (optional)

Method

Pudding

  1. In a large bowl combine the semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate and butter. Set aside until needed
  2. In a pan combine the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder and salt, whisking to combine. Over a low heat add the cream and milk, whisking to combine and cook for 8-9 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Take care not to overheat the mixture
  3. Remove the egg yolk mixture from the heat and pour over the chocolates/ butter, passing it through a strainer, or sieve, as you do. Let the combined mixture sit for 5 minutes
  4. Once the chocolate has fully melted add the olive oil and vanilla extract, stirring to combine until smooth and glossy. Set aside
  5. Divide the Amarena cherries between 4 small bowls, ramekins or glasses and portion each with some of the chocolate budino mixture (in the region of 1/2 cup each). Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 90 minutes
  6. Towards the end of this time you can make the vanilla cream topping. In a small bowl combine the powdered gelatin and water, heat for a few seconds in a microwave to dissolve the gelatin and then set aside to cool to room temperature
  7. While the gelatin mixture is cooling, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract in a bowl and whip to soft peak stage
  8. Reduce whisking speed to slow and add in the cooled gelatin solution to the soft whipped cream, pouring in steady stream as you continue to whisk. Once all the gelatin solution has been added increase the speed and whisk until stiff peaks, taking care not to over beat
  9. Pipe or spread the vanilla cream over the tops of your set chocolate, dust with cocoa powder, top with an Amarena cherry (optional). Serve and enjoy

Baileys Irish Cream Deep ‘n’ Delicious Cake

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Makes 1, 9inch x 13inch sheet cake

Ingredients

Cake Layer

Swiss Meringue Buttercream topping

  • 6 egg whites, large, at room temp.
  • 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ Cups + 4 Tablespoons butter cubed, room temperature
  • 6-10 Tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream, or similar, to your taste

Method

  1. Make the chocolate vinegar cake as per the recipe, omitting the ganache topping. Set aside and leave to cool while you make the swiss meringue buttercream
  2. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan with some water (making sure the bowl does not touch the water) combine the sugar and egg whites and heat, whisking until the mixture reaches about 150F or the sugar has dissolved and the texture has slightly thickened and its foamy. If you rub the mixture between your fingers you should not feel the sugar granules. This should take about 3-5 minutes depending on how warm your stove is
  3. Add the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until the mixture has cooled. It will look thick and glossy
  4. Add the butter chunks gradually while running the whisk at medium speed. Wait until previous batch has been incorprated before adding the next. During the course of adding the butter the mixture may look curdled and look like it’s split. Fear no, it all part of the process! Continue to whisk and it will come back together, becoming a lush smooth texture. (*If the butter looks like is separating and looks greasy- it could be because its too warm so place the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes then start mixing again)
  5. Swap your paddle attachment for the whisk attachment and add in the Irish cream liqueur, to your taste preference. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated
  6. Once fully cooled you can piping or spread the butter cream onto the chocolate layer cake. Dust with cocoa powder, slice and serve. *I pipe it on using an open star tip for that “authentic” look

Galette Des Rois

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Makes 1 x 9″ galette

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 1 portion rough puff pastry as per my Saskatoon Berry Pie recipe

Filling

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons cherry brandy liqueur
  • 1 Tablespoon amaretto liqueur
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
  • 3 Tablespoons warmed orange marmalade, sieved to remove the peel

To Finish

  • 1 egg beaten with
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F
  2. With the pastry divided into 2 as per original Saskatoon Berry Pie, roll to thickness 4mm thick. Using a 9″ plate or cake pan bottom, cut a disc shape from the pastry and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill, and repeat with the second portion of pastry on a separate lined baking sheet. You should now have 2 discs of pasty chilling in the refrigerator while you move on to making the filling
  3. In a medium bowl combine the sugar and softened butter. Beat with an electric whisk until pale and well combined
  4. Add the eggs, cherry brandy, amaretto, almond extract, cornstarch and whisk until well combined
  5. Add in the ground almonds and fold to combine well
  6. Once combined, cover and chill in the refrigerator
  7. Remove one disc of chilled pastry (still on lined baking tray) from the refrigerator and brush on the warmed marmalade, leaving a 1″ border to the pastry disc
  8. Transfer your almond mixture into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe the filling mixture on top of the marmalade, keeping the 1″ border. Using a palette knife or spatula smooth the top of the filling for any major dips or bumps
  9. Liberally wet the border area with water
  10. Remove second disc of chilled pastry from your refrigerator and careful place on top of the first filled disc (I invert the second disc whilst on it’s baking parchment baking and then peel to remove the parchment). Press the edges over the wet area to seal the edge of the pastries
  11. Using a knife (or a chopstick) push into the galette edge to crimp/ scallop it
  12. Brush the top of the galette with the finishing egg mixture until fully covered and golden. Avoid brushing the side of the galette
  13. Using a sharp knife or bakers lame, cut a decorative pattern into the top of the pasty, careful not to go the full way through
  14. Transfer to your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown (There may be some leakage of butter form the filling)
  15. Once baked remove from the oven and transfer to cooling rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing