New Orleans "King Cake" Cronuts with a Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling, Toasted Pecan Sugar, Bourbon Glaze, + Festive Mardi Gras Sprinkles

As many of y'all know, my Mountain Man and I made a trip recently to New Orleans for New Years Eve. And although it was the greatest trip... you know the part where I fractured my foot about 30 minutes after leaving our hotel room. Yeah that part sucked, so did the crutches, and being cooped up in our hotel room for three days, but I still was able to explore the city for one day. And that one day drew a bunch of inspiration for future recipes. I know I want to make some beignets, a fried green tomato + shrimp remoulade po'boy, bacon pecan pralines, and a king cake. Well I took all of that food to heart and used it as inspiration for some upcoming recipes. So today we're taking a glance at King Cake, with a delightful twist. For the last year, I think the country has been enamored with the new pastry concoction that marries a croissant with a doughnut. You might know them by name, the infamous "Cronut". I've made about 5 versions at home and featured two recipes on this blog. So what do you get when a Cronut and King Cake come together? A KING CAKE CRONUT. And it's just about as good as it gets when it comes to pastry confections. I started off by making the Cronut dough, which involves making a yeast based dough that is laminated with some sticks of softened butter. I began this process about two days before because I wanted to take my time and not rush any of the components. After all that tedious folding, I used a doughnut cutter to make them into the specific doughnut shape, and then I moved onto everything else. Most King Cake recipes involve the following ingredients... the cake itself, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and bourbon (if you're lucky). So, a filling of a Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Pastry Cream seemed to be a necessity. It is thick, luscious, smooth, and perfectly oozes in between the flaky layers of the croissant. After frying the Cronuts to a crisp, golden brown, I let them cool before I filled them with the pastry cream. Meanwhile, I toasted some pecans in a  pan and pulsed them with some sugar to make a Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar. Then it was time to fill the insides of the Cronuts with the chilled pastry cream, followed by rolling the entire thing in the pecan sugar. By far the best part of this whole recipe is decorating the King Cake Cronut. I whipped up a thick bourbon-infused glaze to squeeze on top of the Cronut before finishing it with Mardi Gras-inspired purple, green, and yellow sparkling sugars. Not only do they look amazing, but they taste even better!! Just for some advice, two regular ole squeeze bottles with me needed to complete the recipe... one to inject the filling into the Cronut and one for the bourbon glaze on top. Now since I live in Georgia, I went on quite the escapade to find some miniature babies to top the King Cake Cronuts with, but to no such luck. So instead, we did tiny pigs, which seemed fitting considering that we are bacon-fanactics and we were slightly depressed that we couldn't incorporate any pork products into this pastry. Oh well, the pig is there as a stand-in, and might I add, I think they are adorable :) Now I completely understand that this project seems daunting, but every now + then I love to completely challenge myself culinarily, so I really enjoyed the whole process of it all. And hey, getting a real Cronut from NYC is harder than making them at home. Once you finish, just stand back and enjoy the creation you have completed... before eating everything single one!! Enjoy :)

some cronut frying action

the perks of frying cronuts... eating the holes right away :)

a cronut after being injected with the pastry cream

all tossed in some toasted pecan rolling sugar

hereeeeee piggy piggy pig

oink oink

oh yes those layers + pastry cream oozing

For the Cronuts:

¾C Milk, Warmed

1T Active Dry Yeast

1/3C Sugar

2 Large eggs

1t Vanilla Extract

3 ½C AP Flour (divided)

1t Kosher Salt

1 Cup of Butter (or two sticks), at least room temperature  

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling:

1 ½C Whole Milk

¾C Brown Sugar

¼C Cake Flour

½t Sea Salt

1T Cinnamon

4 Large Egg Yolks

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

2t Vanilla Extract 

½t Butter Extract

¼t Almond Extract    

For the Toasted Pecan Sugar:

1C Toasted Pecans

1C Granulated Sugar

For the Bourbon Glaze:

2C Confectioners’ Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2T Whole Milk

1T Bourbon

¼t Vanilla Extract

 

For the King Cake Cronuts:

Prepared Cronut Dough, Cut into Doughnut Rounds

Chilled Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling (put into a squeeze bottle)

Prepared Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar

Prepared Bourbon Glaze (put into a squeeze bottle)

Purple, Green, & Yellow Sparkling Sugar Sprinkles, For Decorating

Directions: 

1. Prepping the Cronuts: In the bowl of a standing mixer, stir together the warmed milk and yeast. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add a cup of flour and the salt, and then gradually add another 2 ¼C of flour, stirring and then kneading for a few minutes, until it’s smooth, elastic, and still a little bit tacky. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, beat the butter and remaining ¼C of AP Flour with an electric mixer for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of a bowl, until smooth. When the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is about ¼inch thick. Spread the butter evenly over the dough, and then fold it as you would a letter, in thirds. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge for another 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Laminating the Dough: Pull the dough back out and put it back onto the floured surface, with the open sides facing the left and right. Roll it out into another rectangle that is ¼inch thick. Fold the left third over the middle, and then the right third over the middle (this is referred to a “turn”). Chill the dough for another 30 minutes to an hour. Roll, fold, and refrigerate the dough two more times, so that is had been “turned” for a total of four times. Cover and refrigerate it for at least an hour or preferably overnight.

3. For the Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles just start to form around the edges but milk is not yet boiling. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and vanilla bean seeds until well combined; slowly whisk in flour mixture until thick and pasty. Remove milk from heat and slowly add to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer egg mixture to saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Boil, whisking, for 10 seconds, and immediately remove from heat. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl; stir in vanilla extract, butter extract, and almond extract. Strain into a plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

4. For the Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar: Toast 1C of Pecans in a sauté pan over medium heat. Continuously move the nuts around, so that they will not get burned. Once they have reached a nutty fragrance and slightly browned, they are done! This should only take a few minutes. Place the toasted (make sure to cool first) pecans into a food processor and pulse until small grind has been achieved. Add in the cup of sugar and continue to process until you have a finely ground pecan sugar. Pour into a bowl and set aside until you are ready to use.

5. Frying the Cronuts: Cut the dough, using a doughnut cutter, into rounds (it should make about 12 Cronuts total). In a heavy pot, heat a couple inches of oil to 350 degrees and a scrap of the dough sizzles when you dip it in. Cook the Cronuts in batches, without crowding the pot (because that can cool down the oil), flipping as necessary until they reach a golden brown color. Transfer to a baking sheet, lined with paper towels, and let them sit until excess oil is completely soaked up. Next, move them to a cooling rack.

6. For the Bourbon Glaze: Add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together until a smooth, cohesive glaze has been made. Pour this white glaze into a squeeze bottle and set aside until you are ready to use it.

7. Assembling the Cronuts: It is now time to start filling the fried Cronuts. I did this “Twinkie-style” by using the squeeze bottle that is filled with the brown sugar-cinnamon pastry cream. Gently poke holes into the bottom of a Cronut and fill them all the way through with cream. Repeat this process until you have about 5-6 cream filling holes in each Cronut. Scrape off any excess cream that begins to ooze out. Now that they have all been filled, roll them in the toasted pecan sugar before placing them back onto the cooling rack (make sure the poke holes are facing up) and squeeze some of the prepared bourbon glaze in a circle around the top of the Cronut.

8. Finishing the Cronuts: Garnish the top of the glazed Cronuts with the purple, green, and yellow colored sparkling sugars, making sure to alternate colors, that way you form bands. Let them cool and enjoy!!

Sweet + Salty Pie with Black Himalayan Salt + Maple-Bourbon Whoop

Sweet + Salty Pie with Black Himalayan Salt + Maple-Bourbon Whoop

To me, pie is the ultimate food group of the Thanksgiving meal. I can safely say that every year I way over-do it with how many pies I make. The number of them grow to the point that we have more pies than side dishes. Typically there is a bourbon-chocolate chip-pecan pie, buttermilk pie, salted caramel apple pie, crack pie, and either a sweet potato or pumpkin pie. In other words, we have a veritable array  of a pie pupu platter. So, my goal this year was to get started on making up a new dessert to add into the mix. We all know that I am mildly obsessed with the combination of sweet + salty... I top my cookies and coffee with salt and it is practically a scientific fact that salt makes all desserts better. You bet your sweet ass it does. And this pie, well, it hits that note perfectly. The base of this pie is primarily made up of brown sugar, brown butter, eggs, cream, and bourbon. Isn't that music to y'all's ears? After I whip up the custard-like base, I pour it into my go-to vanilla bean crust and bake it until it just has the slightest jiggle in the center. What is so glorious about this pie is the different textures that come about... you have the flaky crust, the smooth center, and the perfect crackly crust on top. It reminds me of a damn-good brownie where it is gooey underneath and slightly crisp above that. After you let the pie set and chill, it's time to brush the top of it with something sticky... you can use light or dark corn syrup, a little bit of brown butter, honey, or maple syrup. Just a little dab will do ya because you only need it as a way for the black himalayan salt to stick to it while you slice + eat it. Now any fancy/flaky/rock salt will work. The first time I made this recipe, I opted to use flaky smoked fleur de sel and it tasted great, but it blended in with the color of the pie and I wanted a contrast of color because we all eat with our eyes first. When I made it a second time, I decided that the black himalayan salt would be the perfect garnish (and it was). Now you might think that having such big pieces of salt would make the pie overly savory, but it doesn't... it only balances it more! Finally when we got around to eating the finished product, I topped it with my Maple-Bourbon Whoop, which is just a fancy whipped cream that is spiked with maple syrup + bourbon. From the different textures to its flavor profile, this pie is an overall winner, and it would make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table!! Enjoy :)

rolling out my vanilla bean pastry crust

and pouring in the luscious custard base 

look at that crackly crust :)

For the Homemade Crust:

1 ¼C AP Flour (plus extra for rolling)

½t Salt

1 ½t Sugar

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Very Cold

3-4T Ice Water

For the Sweet + Salty Pie:

1lb Dark Brown Sugar

4 Large Eggs

¼C Heavy Cream

½t Vanilla Extract

1t Bourbon

¼t Kosher Salt

4T Brown Butter (melted and cooled some)

Light or Dark Corn Syrup, Honey, Brown Butter, or Maple Syrup (for brushing)

Black Himalayan Salt (or any fancy salt), For Sprinkling (the topping)

For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop:

1C Heavy Cream

¼C Grade B Maple Syrup

2-3T Bourbon

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Crust: Start by cutting the sticks of butter into ½inch cubes and placing in the freezer bag, along with the flour, salt, and sugar. Place the bag of flour into the freezer and chill for at least 1-2 hours. In a food processor, pour the frozen flour bag in and pulse 6-8 times until the mixture resembles a course meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1T at a time, pulsing until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch of some of the crumbly dough and it holds together then it’s ready. Remove the dough from the machine and place on a clean surface. Shape the dough into a disc. Do not over knead the dough. You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Cut the dough into 4 small balls and sprinkle the discs with a little flour on all sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. Remove the discs from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disc. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12inch circle (1/8inch thick). Place rolled out disc on to a deep dish spring form pan, lining up the fold with the center of the pan, trimming the excess and crimping the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. For the Pie Filling: In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, blend together the dark brown sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, bourbon, and kosher salt until completely blended and smooth. With the machine running, slowly stream in the melted brown butter until it is all completely incorporated.

4. Baking the Pie: Pour the custard into the prepared pie shell and bake for convection for 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven), or until the pie is puffed and golden brown, if shaken, it will jiggle a little bit but will not be liquid at all.

5. For the Maple-Bourbon Whoop: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and maple syrup together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in the whiskey 1T at a time. With the mixer on high speed, continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting. Once it has cooled, brush the top with one of the sticky substances (corn syrup, honey, butter, or maple syrup) and sprinkle the top with the black Himalayan salt. Serve a slice of pie with some maple-bourbon whipped cream.

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Swirls + Praline Bits in PRETZEL CONES

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Swirls + Praline Bits in PRETZEL CONES

I feel like I have been so busy lately. Wedding planning has taken over my life... and to top all of that, I found out that I have Shingles again. I have literally had it twice in less than 10 months. Kill me now. What 25 year old has something that 60 year old's get? Me. That's who. But you know what cheers me up when I don't feel good? Ice cream. Cool, creamy, dreamy ice cream. And one of my favorite flavors has to be salted caramel. Matter of fact, triple the salted caramel ice cream. It starts off with a salted butter caramel custard base, and then cluttered with even more caramel-y goodness. I mean, who doesn't like praline? It's like crunchy caramel. It's perfection. The praline bits give the ice cream some crunch + texture, which I adore. And then there's the bourbon caramel sauce that is swirled in as well, which makes it even more luscious. I can't even tell you all the millions of reasons as to why you need to make this right-friggin'-now. Summer is coming to an end in about a month and you can't miss out on this treat before it starts to get cold. My favorite element of the whole dessert though... are these fabulous Pretzel Ice Cream Cones. You have to order them online, but trust me, they are so worth the purchase! Head over to Pennsylvania General Store to get you some gurrrllllll (or guys). When you open the packaging, the most intoxicating maple-like smell wafts through your nose. But then when you bite into it tastes like a LEGIT PRETZEL. No joking here. This has to be the most ingenious idea ever. So go buy some now because I'm pretty sure it would pair beautifully with any ice cream you have in your freezer!! Enjoy :)

For the Praline Bits:

½C Sugar

¾t Smoked Sea Salt (I prefer Maldon)

For the Bourbon Caramel Swirls:

1C Sugar + ¼C Water

½C Heavy Cream

1T Bourbon

Heavy Pinch of Smoked Sea Salt 

For the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream Custard:

2C Whole Milk, Divided

1 ½C Sugar

4t Salted Butter

½t Smoked Sea Salt

1C Heavy Cream

5 Large Egg Yolks

1t Vanilla

1T Bourbon

Directions:

1. For the Praline Bits: Spread the sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy saucepan; I use a 6-quart pan. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Heat the sugar over medium heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved (or most of it-there may be some lumps, which will melt later). Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long. Without hesitation, sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring (don’t even pause to scratch your nose), then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

2. For the Bourbon Caramel Sauce: Simmer sugar and ¼ cup water on medium heat, swirling pan (NOT stirring) for about 15 minutes, or until a deep amber color is reached. Then turn off burner, remove from heat and slowly add in cream while stirring. Add pinch of salt and bourbon and place back on still-warm burner for another minute while stirring. Transfer to a heat-safe dish or bottle and let cool. Store covered in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature or heat in a warm water bath before using (if needed).

3. For the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream: Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts) over the ice, pour 1 cup of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it. Spread 1½ cups sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in the praline bit process. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

4. Assembling the Ice Cream: While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti (about ½-inch). As soon as the mixture is done churning, pour or scoop in one-third of the ice cream into a large container, and then spoon some of the bourbon caramel sauce on top of the ice cream. Using the spoon, smooth it out into any even layer and swirl it some for a pretty marbling effect. Scatter in more of the crushed praline during this layering process. Repeat this process until all of the ice cream and caramel sauce (and as much praline bits as you want) have been used. Once it has been assembled, store in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

5. Enjoying your Masterpiece: To take the dessert to a’whole’nother level, scoop your salted butter caramel ice cream into a Pretzel Ice Cream Cone (by The Cone Guys) and enjoy this ultimate salty + sweet treat!

source: salted butter caramel ice cream.

Honeysuckle Infused Mint Juleps

Honeysuckle Infused Mint Juleps

Okay, let's get down to the nitty-gritty people... there are are quite a few things that embrace the essence of the South. Fried chicken, gravy, peaches, biscuits, cobbler, grits, liquor... well, lots of liquor. And the quintessential drink is the mint julep. It's our go-to for parties, derby days, or even while we are just grilling out. So when I made such a big batch of honeysuckle syrup (the recipe I posted yesterday), my mind kept racing with all the possibilities it could be used in. Of course, making a honeysuckle mint julep was first on my list. I mean rose flavored lemonade is fabulous, as well as hibiscus margaritas, why wouldn't a honeysuckle mint julep be just as good? It was sweet with subtle floral notes that balanced perfectly against the fragrant muddled mint + strong-ass bourbon. All you have to do is serve it in a mint julep cup (if you have one) with a lot of crushed ice and sprig of mint, or hey, throw a blossom of honeysuckle just for presentation. Your guests will love it and it would be absolutely perfect for your derby parties... or just a hot, summer afternoon!! Enjoy :)

For the Honeysuckle Simple Syrup:

8C Honeysuckle Flowers (whole, stems + leaves removed)

3C Water

2C Sugar

1C Honey

Pinch of Salt

For the Mint Juleps:

6-8 Fresh Mint Leaves (plus mint springs for garnish)

1-2oz Prepared Honeysuckle Simple Syrup, Chilled

3oz High Quality Bourbon

Crushed Ice

Fresh Sprigs of Mint or Honeysuckle Flowers, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Honey Simple Syrup: Pick through your eight cups of honeysuckle flowers, making sure to remove any stems or leaves that remain…we just want the flower and its’ sweet honey nectar. Place the honey into a large bowl and make the simple syrup. Place the honey, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, and simmer until the honey is completely dissolved. Pour in the syrup into the bowl of prepare honeysuckles and let it cool completely on the counter overnight (covered with plastic wrap) until the flower flavor as steeped into the simple syrup liquid. Strain the honeysuckle flowers out of the infused simple syrup through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a big bottle. Chill the honeysuckle syrup until cold.

2. For the Mint Juleps: Lightly muddle the mint leaves with the prepared honeysuckle simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add in the bourbon and shake to combine. Fill a julep cup or glass with crushed ice. Pour the liquid over the ice. Stir until a frost forms on the outside of the cup. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint springs (or honeysuckles), and then serve with a straw.