Category Archives: Party Time!

Schofferhofer Grapefruit Brie Apple Crisp

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “Beer, grapefruit, brie and grandma’s apple crisp? What the what?” Welcome to the delicious world of craft beers! This Schofferhofer Grapefruit Brie Apple Crisp will conjure up some of those wonderful grandma’s cooking memories, but it will also bring you into the new (ish) & exciting world of craft beer, and all the fabtastic foods you can create. Alone, this Schofferhofer Grapefruit hefeweizen is refreshing to the taste buds and nose, worthy of any spring fling or summer pool party. With some fresh fruit and brie, it becomes Oscar worthy. Because of the brie, this dish can be used as either an appetizer or dessert. I personally tried some for breakfast, and it was incredible. Because I run on the hedonistic side, I also tried equal parts of Schofferhofer Grapefruit and champagne. Move over mimosa, there’s a new sheriff in town! YUM!!! I hope that you get as much enjoyment out of this recipe as I have!

Ingredients

5 lbs Apples, peeled, cored & cut into wedges
12 oz brie, cut into very small cubes
1/2 cup Schofferhofer Grapefruit
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs tapioca
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into very small cubes

Combine apples and next 6 ingredients. Pour into greased 9×12 baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in food processor by pulsing and just until combined. Drop over apple mixture. Bake at 350 until topping is browned and filling is bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. It’ll be VERY hot! Enjoy!

Brie, Prosciutto & Balsamic Caramelized Onions Flatbread

Brie, Prosciutto and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Flatbread

I was hungry. That’s how this happened. I was simply hungry. I looked in the fridge and noticed there was brie that was at the “need to be consumed or else” phase. I just happened to pick up pizza dough at the deli yesterday. I recalled there was prosciutto in the “spare” fridge on the back patio. The final piece was sweetness. How do I add sweetness without ruining the savory of the flatbread? Glancing around the kitchen and in the cupboards, I noticed red onions and balsamic vinegar. BOOM! The final piece fell into place. 20140306_150211

I’ll warn you: this flatbread borders on insanely good. The brie isn’t overwhelming. The onions aren’t overwhelming. It is over the top with flavors that work together like a symphony. Ridiculous, I say! Shhhh, don’t tell anyone how simple it is. Be prepared. It’ll knock your socks off. Feed people a salad first so they don’t eat it all!

Ingredients

1/2 prepared pizza dough (from the bakery or deli)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 lb Brie, rind removed and chopped
6 oz Prosciutto, coarsely chopped

Roll out or stretch pizza dough until very thin. Place on baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, and dust lightly with kosher salt. In sauté pan, heat butter and the 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat, until butter is melted. Add onions and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Be careful with adding the vinegar; the fumes can be powerful if you breathe them in. Combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, and reduce for about 10 minutes. Assemble the flatbread: layer brie pieces, then prosciutto (it should cover the flatbread almost entirely), and finally the caramelized onions. Bake in 400 degree over for 18 to 20 minutes.

New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer Lobster Ravioli

Ahhh, February. Visions of hearts, Cupid, chocolate, champagne and beer dance before your eyes. Wait! Beer? No, you aren’t seeing things. I DID say beer. No matter if you love, or despise, Valentine’s Day (I personally host a “Cupid is Stupid” party each year!), this vision of New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer Lobster Ravioli with a New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer Browned Butter Cream Sauce will create a love affair with your taste buds that will last a lifetime. New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer has hints of coriander and grains of paradise (great name for a spice around Valentine’s Day! It’s actually a ground pepper.) that go fabtastic with the luxurious lobster without over-powering the delicate flavor. Impress your heart’s desire, or make yourself happy, this recipe is right on target for this Valentine’s Day!

New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer Lobster Ravioli

24 oz lobster tail meat, divided
3 bottles New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer
32 oz seafood stock
32 oz chicken stock

4 Tbs butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs finely chopped shallots
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
2 oz brandy
3 Tbs New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer
7 oz ricotta cheese
Salt
Pepper
Your favorite fresh pasta recipe or wonton wrappers to form ravioli
4 Tbs butter

In large stock pot, bring the 3 bottles of New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer and stocks to a boil. Add lobster tails. Allow to poach for about 10 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from stock (save stock); cool. Remove

Henriettibles Lobster Ravioli

meat from tail, chop lobster into small pieces. Place butter in large skillet. Add garlic & shallots; cook until soft. Add 20 oz of lobster , chives and parsley and sauté for 2 minutes. Add brandy and 3 Tbs New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer; reduce for several minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Combine with ricotta, salt & pepper to taste. Place ½ tsp on each ravioli, fold and seal with egg wash. Boil reserved stock to poach the ravioli for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to drain. Heat remaining butter in skillet and sauté ravioli until lightly browned.

New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer Browned Butter Cream Sauce
4 Tbs butter
2 Tbs finely chopped shallots
4 oz of reserved lobster
4 Tbs New Belgium Brewing Snapshot Wheat Beer
3 oz tomato sauce
10 oz heavy cream

Melt butter in skillet. Add shallots. Sauté until soft. Add lobster. Sauté 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; reduce over med low heat for several minutes, until thickened. Serve with ravioli.

Henriettibles Super-Spectacular Best Eggnog EVAH

I worked on this eggnog recipe for several weeks (it was a tough gig!). I remember when I was 13 or so, I made fresh eggnog for the first time. I fell in love with it. I have no idea what that recipe actually was, but this (minus the booze!) is the taste that I remember - or close to it. I know it didn’t have cloves or cardamom, but I think they add some nice warmth to the recipe. This recipe is the best I’ve ever had!!! Or made!! I have used the store bought to make the Peppermint Eggnog martini, and it’s passable, but that’s only available seasonably. THIS, you can make any time you have a “Hank”ering.

Ingredients

5 whole eggs
3 egg yolks (you can reserve the whites to fold into the eggnog if you wish. Just beat to a soft peak and fold in at the end. Do not get any yolk in the whites. The yolks can tolerate the mixing with the whites, but the whites will not become peaks of any sort if the yolk is mixed in.)
½ cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cardamom
4 oz bourbon
2 oz dark or spiced rum
Garnish with fresh ground nutmeg

In large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks until they look light yellow. Add the sugar and beat until all the sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients (except garnish) and mix until combined. Pour into festive glasses and garnish with the fresh ground nutmeg.

A couple notes:

You can reduce the amount of bourbon and/or rum to taste.
RAW EGG WARNING!!!!! If you don’t get pasteurized eggs, be sure to properly test the eggs before using to avoid salmonella poisoning. The FDA suggests avoiding contact between the egg white/yolk and the exterior shell. If your immune system is compromised, you should avoid consuming foods that contain raw eggs.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale Bars with White Chocolate Pumpkin Ale Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s October. It’s not the ghosts and goblins that remind us, it’s the pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin coffees that remind our taste buds that it’s October. This is a recipe that I started making about 15 years ago. I’ve altered it over the years, a beautiful and decided to make a tasty addition of Post Road Pumpkin Ale to make a grown up and more sophisticated version. If you’ve got mini loaf pans, that would be a great way to make some fabtastic gifts for the holidaze. Just fill the pans at half you would for bread. I promise you, not only will your kitchen smell heavenly, these mouth watering pumpkin bars will be all treat, no tricks!

Post Road Pumpkin Ale Bars with White Chocolate Pumpkin Ale Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (preferably clear)
1 Tbs Post Road Pumpkin Ale
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
8 oz chopped white chocolate (small but not fine)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet/jelly roll pan (approximately 15 x 10). Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until mixture is creamy. Add pumpkin, vanilla and Post Road Pumpkin Ale until combined. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices and gradually beat into butter mixture. Fold in white chocolate and walnuts. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan.

Frosting

11 oz white chocolate (good quality), melted
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tbs Post Road Pumpkin Ale
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (preferably clear)
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 Tbs powdered sugar

In medium bowl, cream together melted white chocolate and cream cheese. Add cinnamon and cloves. Stir in pumpkin beer and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until lump free. Spread on baked pumpkin bars. Allow to set and serve.

Henriettibles Mini Derby Down Hot Browns

I love the Kentucky and all the pageantry. I love roses. I love turkey. I love Hot Browns. Heck, I love brie (or any cheese!). Taking all this into account, this is the Henriettibles take on the Kentucky Derby tradition of Hot Browns. Rather than the traditional toasted white bread, opened faced sandwich with a cheddar cheese sauce, I’ve made it with toasted sourdough rounds with a brie sauce. Fabulous appetizer for any Derby party, or any party! Horseshoes and roses not included.

Ingredients
One 2 lb boneless turkey breast
3 Tbs grapeseed oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
4 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
½ cup Brie
½ cup grated parmesan
Loaf sourdough bread
Roma or plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
¼ cup grated parmesan
10 slices bacon, crumble half
White pepper
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

Drizzle turkey breast with oil. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven proof baking dish and roast uncovered at 325 until skin browns, about 60 to 70 minutes. Cool and cut into thin slices.

While turkey is cooling, melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat. Add flour. Heat for 5 minutes, whisking continuously. Add milk. Continue to heat and whisk until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the brie (either shredded or chopped into small pieces) and the ½ cup of parmesan.

Toast slices of bread. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut bread into circles. Place onto cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Cover each with a slice of tomato. Add pieces of bacon, then slice of turkey. Pour three tablespoons of cheese sauce over each round. Sprinkle the white pepper, salt and the ¼ cup of parmesan cheese evenly over rounds. Heat for about 5 minutes under broiler, until sauce begins to brown a little. Remove from oven and sprinkle each with the crumbled bacon and parsley. Enjoy!

Butter Pecan Bourbon Cake

Bourbon. You know it. You love it. Now you’ll really, really want it! Two great tastes combined in one luscious cake, our Butter Pecan Bourbon Cake by Henriettibles.

What’s not to love? This cake is as easy to make as it is good to eat. Every party I take this cake to, it disappears in the blink of an eye. If you’re taking it to a party, you might want to make two so you have some for yourself!

Cake Ingredients:

1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 pkg vanilla pudding - the type you cook, not instant
4 eggs - when baking, eggs should be at room temperature
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Jesse James Bourbon Whiskey

Directions:

Beat all with electric mixer until combined. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes.*

*If you really like pecans, put some in the bottom of the Bundt pan before adding batter.

Syrup Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Melt all in saucepan, bring just to a boil. Pour over cake as soon as it comes out of oven. Allow to cool slightly (be sure to allow the syrup to all absorb into the cake) in pan before turning out on to a serving plate.