Celebrate An Irish Saint’s Holiday With Bomb-Themed Cupcakes [It’s Like A Pot O’ Gold In Your Mouth]

Posted Mar 17, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 17, 2012 at 03:10 PM

One of the benefits of working in a professional, climate-controlled, artificially illuminated environment is that occasionally your colleagues will bring in food to share.

Yesterday was just such a day.

Mary Beth Thompson, an avid cook who’s official title is Newsroom Human Tornado Of Efficiency, brought in a recipe she’s talked about for several weeks: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.

Mary Beth found the recipe at Brown Eyed Baker and decided to bestow some baked goods on the office in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day.

If you know anything about America, you know that the Irish Car Bomb became a popular alcoholic adult beverage among college students 20 years ago.

As my very derrivative crowd-sourced friends at Wikipedia put it:

An Irish Car Bomb is a beer cocktail that is drunk as a bomb shot, similar to a boilermaker. It is made with Irish stout, Irish cream, and Irish whiskey.

The whiskey is floated on top of the Irish Cream in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. Once mixed, it must be drunk quickly because it will curdle. While Kahlúa was part of the original recipe, it is often excluded from the drink today. Some refer to that original recipe as a Belfast Car Bomb.

The “Irish” in the name refers to the drink’s Irish ingredients; typically Guiness [SIC] stout, Baileys Irish Cream, and Jameson Irish Whiskey. The “Car Bomb” refers to the fact that the drink is a “bomb shot” and also to the many car bombings that took place during the Troubles in Ireland. For this reason, the name is sometimes deemed offensive and some bartenders refuse to serve it. The drink is virtually unknown in Ireland and ordering it there is likely to cause confusion or offense.

And if there’s one thing you want to do, it’s anger an Irishman whose country has a history of automotive violence.

But, hey, we’re talking cupcakes. Cupcakes with beer. Cupcakes with beer and Irish cream. How offended could a person of Irishness (such as myself) possibly be?

Considering all that, here’s the recipe:

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

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Weekend Eats Goes Big-Time [Photograph Your Food, Win VIP Tickets to Bourdain/Ripert Show]

Posted Mar 16, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 16, 2012 at 04:15 PM

So, every week, we do a little thing called Weekend Eats. You may have heard about it.

People cook, bake or order food during their weekend leisure time. They take red, hot, sexy photos of said food. They send in photos of that food.

And then on Monday morning, I ask everyone to send me their most droolworthy stuff.

Each week I give away a prize, usually something non-alcoholic, non-firearms related in the shape of a cookbook. It’s my token way of saying, “Thank you for your effort and thank you for understanding our small meager non-existent prize budget.

Well, not this weekend, friends.

The good folks at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts are giving me a chance to give away two VIP tickets to see Anthony Bourdain and chef Eric Ripert on March 25 at the Straz’s Carol Morsani Hall. (Click here to see the site.)

This prize package includes:

* Two tickets to see the show.

* A post-show chance to meet Bourdain and Ripert at Maestro’s, the restaurant inside the Straz.

* Food pairings with wine from Clearwater’s Aspiration Winery and beer from the Florida Brewers Guild.

How do you win said prize?

By eating your favorite food, taking a photo and .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) it to me before 5 p.m. Monday EST.

It’s that simple.

Yes, you can send more than one photo.

No, that doesn’t improve your chances, but it does mean you ate enough good food that maybe something will win you the Big Grand Prize.

Yes, you can send me a photo if you work for The Tribune/TBO.com/WFLA/Centro/Hernando Today/Media General/CEC/Related Properties.

No, you can’t win if you work for those people.

I’ll announce a winner on Tuesday. Then, if you win, you can spend the next five days squirming in your chair, looking forward to going to the show.

Gentlemen and ladies, start your cameras.

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Tampa’s James Beard Semifinalists Talk Food, Part 1 [Greg Baker, Richard Gonzmart, Chad Johnson]

Posted Mar 16, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 16, 2012 at 04:34 PM

Life has been a blur for Greg Baker, Chad Johnson and Richard Gonzmart since late-February, when all three were named semifinalists for prestigious James Beard Foundation culinary awards.

For Baker, chef and co-owner at The Refinery in Tampa, the recognition for Best Chef in the South brought a surge in business and elbow-rubbing with visiting celebrity chef Mario Batali.

For Johnson, who is up for the same award, the past month saw a boom in reservations at SideBern’s in Tampa, where he is executive chef. The Beard honor also propelled him into the unfamiliar act of greeting customers who now clamor to meet him.

Gonzmart, up for Outstanding Restaurateur, has been busy planning a new restaurant at the former Tampa Water Works along the Hillsborough River while serving 15 percent more diners at his family’s venerable Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City.

The semifinal nod is Baker’s second in two years and the first for Johnson and Gonzmart. It is the first time the Tampa area has received such heavy Beard recognition.

On Monday, the Beard Foundation is scheduled to name which honorees will proceed to the finals. The awards will be given out May 7 in New York City.

On the eve of the finals, we invited Baker, Gonzmart and Johnson to talk about Tampa’s development as a food destination and what it all means for the area’s culinary industry.

How significant a moment is this on Tampa’s culinary radar?

Gonzmart: Our family business has been here 107 years. I didn’t think that James Beard would recognize me, even though it’s as a restaurateur. To see these two young men [Baker and Johnson] bringing new culinary cuisines to the area it makes a huge statement. Miami is usually the city that usually you think of [when it comes to food.] Tampa is on the radar now.

Greg, this is the second time in two years you’ve been recognized by Beard. Do you get a sense that people outside Tampa are paying attention?

Baker: Absolutely. I can’t really put my finger on why. I think the food culture here has been a long time in emerging. I’m glad that it’s being recognized for what it is now.

Why has Tampa been ignored for so long?

Gonzmart: It’s the stepchild. [laughter] It’s just not looked on as a big city. They look at restaurants in the big cities. Culinary cities like New York. I think Tampa’s growing up. The city as a whole is a bigger city. It used to be a small city. As it has grown, it’s brought in new talent like these guys.

When did you start to notice the change?

Gonzmart: I would say 1995. That’s when I noticed the city growing up, when my business started going off the charts. We started refining what we did, going back to the old recipes, cutting out the short cuts, looking at new trends as well. Trying to maintain some relevance was important to us. Our sales have quadrupled since 1995, as crazy as that sounds.

It used to be just Bern’s [Steak House] and The Columbia. Then Mise en Place came along. Then other restaurants came popping up. You see SideBern’s. I don’t get to go out much. I like to stay home and cook. I tried to go to the Refinery last year when they were nominated. Made me really happy to see them so busy.

I see Seminole Heights and how that’s grown. It’s fantastic. It’s not just [happening in] Hyde Park or Ybor City.

Maybe I’m wrong about 1995, but it was when more of the bigger chains started coming to town. That brought bigger talent to their restaurants. Tampa has a reputation as the home of the chains, but people forget people leave chains and go start their own restaurants.

Chad, have you seen any bump in business yet from the announcement?

Johnson: Yeah, the last two weeks have been pretty feisty.

Baker: That’s a nice word.

What are customers coming in expecting to get now?

Johnson: The thing I told my staff is that it’s a big honor for all of us. What it means for the business is we get new people who haven’t been there before or people who haven’t been there in six or seven years visiting again. The weekend was crazy. From always being cautious about stuff, one of my concerns is what I tell my kitchen guys; every time we get an award or any press, it ups the expectations. We’re just cooking food. People see best chef or best restaurant nominations and they expect it to be a life-changing experience. At the end of the day it’s still meat and potatoes.

It’s been good. I’ve had a lot of people ask for me to come out to the table, which is really weird. I’m the most socially awkward person you’ll ever meet outside of the kitchen. You get me in a bar full of cooks drinking beer and I’m the biggest loudmouth there. You put me in the dining room in front of people I don’t know and I clam up.

There have been a lot of nervous moments for me in that regard, but it’s been good. We’re always the little-sister restaurant. We can be around forever, but the association with Bern’s is always there, which has more benefits than not. But it has given us maybe a little more credibility to stand on our own, which for being the little stepsister is pretty good.

For a long time in Tampa, people have spoken separately of Bern’s and SideBern’s. This isn’t just the place you go to when you can’t get into Bern’s or “that place with the wine store.” It has its own identity. I’m wondering how you, when you took the job, carved out an identity for SideBern’s?

Johnson: Well, I was competing against the history of Bern’s. SideBern’s started out as a dessert offshoot from the Harry Waugh Dessert Room [at Bern’s]. We still occasionally get calls from people asking, “You’re not a dessert restaurant, are you?” Obviously, Jeannie [Pierola] started transitioning it to being a full-on restaurant and evolving into a more modern menu. She at the time was one of the most popular chefs around town. I was kind of the new kid on the block, the redneck kid from Paducah. No one knew who the hell I was. You get chefs anywhere. If you put Greg in the SideBern’s kitchen or me in the Refinery kitchen, we’re going to change. Every chef is going to do what they want. All of a sudden, there’s this new kid taking away their favorite dish. And it isn’t that it wasn’t a good dish, it just wasn’t me.

I love offal and organ meats. I’ve always gotten a kick out of that. Overnight, the rack of lamb is replaced by sweetbreads and kidneys. I’ll be honest. A little bit of it was ego in trying to get my name out there and established. Over the years, it has evolved. People ask what our signature dish is. We don’t have one. The only thing that hasn’t left the menu is head cheese. I just keep it on there for my own… joy.

Baker: It’s the one thing I always get when I go there.

Without a signature dish, does that give you more freedom?

Johnson: Yeah. People ask, “What kind of food do you serve?” [He points at Baker] What kind of food do you serve? I can’t really answer the question. You don’t want to say high-end or fancy or gourmet. I hate that. The best thing to say is it’s chef-driven and market-driven.

At first people come in and want to put an identity and a tag on it but it doesn’t need to have one. No one would as Daneil [Boulud] what kind of food he serves because he’s… Daniel. People already know. Obviously I don’t have the name of Daniel, but even the podunk chef in the middle of nowhere is doing the food they want. At the end of the day, I cook whatever I want to eat, and hopefully they like it.
Maybe it’s time to drop the Podunk? Part of it is the mindset of Tampa. It has been denigrated for so long, people have had lower expectations. Maybe this is a moment where this changes. Is it possible?

Baker: I think it’s entirely possible. I think some smart decisions have to be made for growth to continue and continue in a manageable form. This kind of roll along from independent business people and local governmental leaders are doing to grow Tampa as its own brand. We’re standing on the brink. It could go either way.

Gonzmart: People ask me what the theme for the Water Works restaurant is going to be. It’s a restaurant. How do you pinpoint? It’s your cuisine, it’s how you prepare.

Johnson: How often do you hear, “I can’t believe this is in Tampa? I’ve only had this in New York.” I hear it all the time. It’s meant as a compliment, but it’s a back-handed compliment. I’ve been in Tampa almost 8 years now. I can tell you that stuff we sell now – and not just stuff that’s on there for my own pleasure – things I couldn’t have dreamed of doing 8 years ago. I couldn’t keep foie gras in the house last Saturday night. I’ve never been so happy to 86 a dish. Basically I did the break down; 10 percent of our guests came in and got foie gras that night. That’s obscene. That would have never happened 8 years ago in this market.

Baker: I’m about on the same percentage with lamb brains right now.

Johnson: Yeah, it’s crazy.

What does that signify?

Johnson: As much as I hate to give credit to it, a lot of it is Food Network. Fifteen years ago, chipotle pepper was totally obscure. It’s in McDonald’s now. People see “Iron Chef”. Maybe they don’t know they’re coming in to get lamb brains. They don’t know what it is and they’ve never had it but they’re fascinated by it and they have the guts to order it.

I think people are more food savvy now. Everything isn’t completely a foreign ingredient to them now. Even if they haven’t had it, they at least saw Anthony Bourdain scarfing it down in Vietnam one time. I think they do know you can actually eat those. They’re a little more brave these days.

Baker: Coming back here 23 years ago, mescalun mix was this weird thing. There’s no iceberg or romaine in my lettuce. What is this? That’s what the market was supporting back then.

Richard, you have a different challenge in that your restaurant has been established for a century. How do you evolve within that brand?

Gonzmart: I had someone comment once, “How can they call themselves a Spanish restaurant. They don’t have a Spanish omelet.” Well, we’ll make one if you want it. We had a whole page of the menu for omelets back in the ‘40s. I take it so personally I’m putting it on the menu, much to the chagrin of my chefs.

Really, the Columbia is its own brand. Many of the dishes are creations over the years. My creations, my mother’s, my grandfather’s going back to 1935. It was just going back to the roots and changing with the trends. I took an item off the menu for five years because the public wouldn’t accept just having a roux with crab meat and shrimp. I brought it back with artichoke, crab meat and shrimp. My mother almost fired me for doing that. Then we had a showdown with the chef’s meeting.

Is there a sense as a restaurateur that your money is safer now if you’re backing a restaurant with a more challenging menu?

Gonzmart: The new concept I’m going to do won’t be cutting edge, but will be Tampa-based. It will be a different style restaurant than anyone else, but just plenty of good food.

Is there enough good local product to do that?

Gonzmart: Sure there is. I’m basing it on a culture that lived here 400 years ago. Those foods are available. The restaurant business is difficult for independents. Eight out of 10 go broke and they have to have the capitalization to do it.

People want to go out for all different types of food. They’re not going to eat at the Columbia every day, The Refinery every day or SideBern’s every day. Meeting expectations are tough. You’re going to have a bad experience at a restaurant. Without a doubt. We’re going to have those days. But this is an opportunity. This gets them back in the door to try new stuff.

Have you seen a bump from Beard?

Gonzmart: Oh gosh, it’s been crazy. I can’t even tell you. We’re up 15.8 percent for the first 14 days in March. It’s just crazy.

Tell me what the nomination did for your staffs.

Johnson: The cooks in my kitchen, the average age is 24 to 27. They’re not cooking for the paycheck. They’re cooking because this is the stepping stone for their career. They’re going to work for me for a year and then work somewhere else for a year and then another and then hopefully get their own shot. In Tampa, people know SideBern’s. In L.A., they don’t know SideBern’s. But if they put “James Beard-nominated” on their resume, it will catch the eyes of someone. They can go anywhere. They may not know the restaurant but they know the James Beard Foundation. It’s a feather in their cap to be part of a nomination. It’s exciting for them. Most of the service staff have been there for a while. When I took over, it was around the time the economy started to tank. It was a perfect storm with the tough summers, for them, it’s good to see business back ramping up again.

Tomorrow: Dealing with criticism and Tampa’s next steps to culinary excellence.

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Fried Cadbury Eggs, Taqueria Mussels And A Bloody Mary With A Rib [This Week’s Weekend Eats]

Posted Mar 12, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 12, 2012 at 01:21 PM

If you’ve been to Ella’s Folk Art Cafe, you’ve no doubt run into the amazing desserts by pastry artist Melisa Taylor.

Well, Melisa has been known to throw a few objects at the Weekend Eats wall that have been downright droolworthy. This week is no exception.

Which is why here Guinness Cheesecake with Guinness Surpy and Bailey’s Irish Whipped cream takes this week’s top prize in a week full of sturdy contenders.

For her efforts, Melisa takes away a triple-play of cookbooks for her enjoyment:

* My Baking Journal

* “Sticky Fingers’ Sweets; 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes” by Doron Petersan.

* “United States of Pie,” by Adrienne Kane

Like I said, the reward is an indication of the competition this week, which was like a bowl full of meringue with perfectly whipped stiff peaks.

Other contributions included:

@LynnATL - Chicken and Waffles from @EarlyBirdDiner - southern yum. Their fried green tomatoes and biscuits are also FAB

@4Ayes - Fried FL feast: frog legs, gator bites & conch fritters. Side of smoked fish spread & heart bypass.

@otmdish - Local, all-natural pork chops in spicy tomatoes w black beans. Drinking almond water & Mama Chia.

See what I mean?

For further proof, dig this week’s Gallery of Noms. Click on each individual photo to get a description:

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I’ll Take Marilyn Hagerty And Bread Sticks Over Food Snobs Any Day [Welcome To Olive Garden]

Posted Mar 9, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 9, 2012 at 06:01 PM

I don’t know Marilyn Hagerty, but I’ve known lots of Marilyn Hagertys.

Let me explain.

Recently, 84-year-old food reviewer Marilyn Hagerty filed her take on the new Olive Garden that opened in Grand Forks, N.D.

Check that. The headline on the review said it was the “long-awaited” Olive Garden.

I stand corrected.

In the review which ran earlier this month, Marilyn declared that, “The place is impressive. It’s fashioned in Tuscan farmhouse style with a welcoming entryway. There is seating for those who are waiting.” She went on to describe the generously portioned chicken Alfredo as “warm and comforting on a cold day.”

Then she did what any good food writer does. She noticed the vases and planters with permanent flower displays on the ledges. She mentioned the arched doorways leading to dining areas and the fireplace that gave the interior a touch of warmth. She said the bar was attractive. She included the restaurant’s full liquor and wine selection.

“All in all, it is the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks,” she wrote. “It attracts visitors from out of town as well as people who live here.”

Marilyn Hagerty has been writing her EatBeat column for four decades. If she says it’s the most beautiful restaurant in Grand Forks, you can mark it down as fact.

But that wasn’t enough for some people.

Some smart aleck thought it was a hoot that Olive Garden not only got a review but that it earned a favorable write-up. Shooting it through the 50,000-resident prism of Grand Forks only made it more hilarious. Grand Forks is so unhip, people in Fargo make fun of it.

Which is why the review got picked on online by snark bullies at Gawker and Boing Boing and Eater. Fueled by sarcasm, food snobs passed it along like a note for their Burn Book of secrets, turning it into a viral sensation. To them, her earnest review was the equivalent of Kenneth the rube NBC page on “30 Rock” sitting down for fine dining with plastic utensils and a lobster bib.

I got angry when I heard about the self-righteous food snobs taking shots. Like I said before, I’ve bumped into lots of Marilyn Hagertys, columnists who wouldn’t fit well in a big-city newsroom but who do just fine in their small-town surroundings.

Like Corinne Carson Blair.

When I worked in Anchorage 20 years ago, I was introduced by other reporters to Corinne’s Life in the Slow Lane column in the Anchorage Times.

Back then, folksy writers like Andy Rooney, Ann Landers and Erma Bombeck were newspaper staples. Corinne’s column of random thoughts ran a couple times a week on the metro page. It was an odd fit among the usual crime, politics and moose-trampling stories.

A colleague handed me a book of her clips once, snickering to me, “Pace yourself. She’s not easy to digest.”

Some typical Corinne-isms:

“Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up some cranberry juice,” she wrote. “It’s supposed to be good for you.”

Another: “I have a friend who thinks preppy means having something to do with a baby.”

More: “Small talk sounds simple, but it is not.”

One more: “Sometimes I think I take better care of my feet than I do my face.”

Still more: “Taxi cabs parked in front of someone’s home have always excited me.”

Okay, one last one: “No, I have never been to Europe.”

I can’t stop: “A cat’s a cat and that’s a fact.”

See what I mean? Reading her one-liners puts me in a Zen-like calm, transporting me to a different place. Which is what Marilyn Hagerty’s review did for me the first time I read her column.

I remembered the first time I went to Olive Garden – before it wasn’t cool to do so. I remembered how much my son used think that the idea of unlimited salad, soup and breadsticks was some sort of food Christmas. I remembered that there was a time when eating at “Ollie” Garden was a big expenditure for my family. I recalled all of the Grand Forks-sized places I’ve lived and how a little thing like a new restaurant can change your view of the place you call home.

Which is a lot more than reading the too-cool Gawker, Boing Boing and Eater do for me.

Chew on that, food snobs. And while you’re at it, pass the bread sticks.

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