chocolate Guinness cake

this wednesday is one of our favorite food holidays - after thanksgiving, easter, christmas . . . ok, i guess most holidays are a great excuse to make something special and we really don't have a favorite! last year we celebrated st. patrick's day with colcannon and it will definitely be on our plates again this year with some corned beef, cabbage and a few pints of Guinness. this lovely chocolate cake combines stout and prunes for an extra moist and rich result. it's perfect with a little vanilla ice cream while sipping some irish whiskey after dinner! check back this week for a few more st. paddy's day recipes, including something to do with all that leftover corned beef.

Chocolate Stout Cake

serves 6

(adapted from gourmet.com)

1/2 cup stout such as Guinness

1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter, chopped

3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. bring beer to a boil in a small saucepan and add prunes. remove from heat and let stand. melt chocolate and butter a little at a time in the microwave, stirring often, or in a heavy saucepan over low heat. sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick. add chocolate and beat until combined. reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. stir in prune mixture until well combined. divide batter between 6 greased 10-cm spring form pans, an 8x3-inch ringmold or a 6 cup capacity bundt pan. bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. cool cake 15 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan and cool completely. enjoy!

spicy mustard

as promised, here is that spicy stout mustard that goes perfectly with all your fall comfort food - sausages & sauerkraut, homemade pretzels, warm toasty sandwiches, etc. who knew mustard was so easy to make? when we moved, we got to start fresh with a fridge empty of all condiments and thought it would be fun to try making most of the typical sauces from scratch. this is a nice grainy mustard with some kick but the flavor will mellow out the longer it sits in your fridge. enjoy!

Spicy Stout Mustard

makes 3 1/2 cups

1 12 oz bottle Guinness Extra Stout

10 oz brown mustard seeds

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbs honey

1 tbs salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp turmeric

combine all ingredients in a nonreactive mixing bowl. cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days. transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and puree, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. process until most of the seeds are coarsely ground and mixture thickens. transfer to jars and refrigerate for up to six months.

guinness is good for you

in need of a winter stew that takes just about as much effort as drinking a guinness itself?  step right up.  a cure for all those busy winter days is a trusty crock pot.  we probably only bust it out 4-5 times a winter, but when we do we always enjoy the ease and wonderful result.  and when any dish has the words guinness, beef and puff pastry in the ingredients, you know your in for a good one.  enjoy this irish inspired winter treat.

Beef & Guinness Pie

2 lbs boneless beef chuck, fat trimmed & cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbs flour

olive oil (for browning beef)

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic, smashed

3 carrots, peeled & chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

3 parsnips, peeled & chopped

8 fingerling potatoes, chopped

1 beef bullion cube

3 sprigs fresh thyme

6 leaves sage, chopped

20 oz stout, 2 bottles or 1 1/2 cans Guinness

1-2 tbs cornstarch (optional)

2 sheets puff pastry

1 large egg + 1 tbs water

Combine beef and flour in a large ziploc bag and shake to coat. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Shake excess flour from meat and cook beef until nicely browned on all edges. Add tomato paste, mustard and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes and set aside. Combine all vegetables, beef bullion, herbs and reserved meat in a crock pot. Cover with beer and a little water if needed. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If broth has not reached desired thickness, take about 1/2 cup broth and whisk with 1 tbs cornstarch. Stir into crock pot and let thicken, repeat if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spoon stew into ovenproof bowls and top with squares of puff pastry, pressing down to seal. Brush with egg wash and bake 14-18 minutes, until pastry is puffed and golden.