Gourmet Beergarita's with Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix, Beer Simple Syrup, Mixed Citrus Sea Salt, & a Splash of Beer

Gourmet Beergarita's with Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix, Beer Simple Syrup,
Mixed Citrus Sea Salt, & a Splash of Beer

Hey hey everyone. It's officially the weekend in our house, and hopefully y'all are getting there too! Oh and by the way, did y'all know today is National Margarita Day? When I found that out, I knew I had to feature a margarita recipe, butofcourse. What I have always loved about margaritas are the infinite possibilities for flavor combinations. You really could drink a different type every day of the year and never repeat. Well, one of our favorites is Beergarita's. Between the tequila and the beer, you get double the alcohol in one drink... and that is our kinda drink people. I knew I had to gussy it up a bit, so I started off by making a homemade margarita mix because I didn't want any of that store-bought crap that is overly sweet and sour. Yuck, I was craving fresh squeezed juice from limes, lemons, and oranges, along with their ever-so-fragrant and flavorful grated zest. This makes a big ole' pitcher, so make sure you're throwin' a party! Along with the mix, I also made a Beer Simple Syrup that would sweeten the drink, but also lend a lot of beer flavor to the entire margarita. But don't you worry, at the end, it will all be topped off with even more beer. So, you put some of the mix, syrup, tequila, grand marnier, and crushed ice into a mixer, and shake it up until its ice cold. Next, you gotta rim a glass with some of this Mixed Citrus Sea Salt. It's salt that is loaded with a bunch of zest, and then baked until it has all dehydrated a bit. These beergarita's would be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo party... or any day of the week really!! Enjoy :)

Mixed Citrus Sea Salt Rim

See the layers of beer simple syrup, margarita mix, and beer?

Oh and just for fun, we made some Blood Orange Beergarita's!!

I mean, how amazing is that color?

For the Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix:
4C Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2C Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1C Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1T Lime Zest, Freshly Grated

1T Lemon Zest, Freshly Grated

1T Orange Zest, Freshly Grated

4C Cold Water

1C Sugar

Green Food Coloring, Optional (if you want it to be a bright green color instead of yellow)

For the Beer Simple Syrup:

6 Budweiser Cans

2C Sugar

1 Cinnamon Stick

For the Gourmet Beergarita’s:

3oz Prepared Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix, Chilled

2oz Silver Tequila

1oz Grand Marnier

2oz Prepared Beer Simple Syrup, Chilled

Crushed Ice

Corona Beer, For Topping

Mixed Citrus Sea Salt, For Rimming

Lime Wedges, For Rimming & For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix: Combine all of the fresh citrus juice and zest into a pitcher until they are completely combined. Chill the margarita fruit juice mix in the refrigerator until cold.

2. For the Beer Simple Syrup: Add all of the ingredients into a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture has reduced by almost half. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour. Pour the simple syrup into a bottle and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, chill the syrup in the refrigerator until cold.

3. Assembling the Gourmet Beergarita’s: Fill a cocktail shaker with a little bit of crushed ice, and then pour in 4oz of the Homemade Triple Citrus Margarita Mix, 2oz Silver Tequila and Grand Marnier, and Beer Simple Syrup (we used our large jigger at home to make our drinks, so we followed a ratio of 4 shots of juice to 2 shots of tequila and triple sec to 1 shot of simple syrup… not exactly specific ounces, so keep that in mind). Shake hard to combine the cocktail. Next, rub a lime wedge along the rim of a tall glass and dip it into the Mixed Citrus Sea Salt. Add in a little bit of crushed ice into the bottom of the glass. Pour the strained liquid over the ice and fill the glass up to the rim with some Corona Beer. Stir until a frost forms on the outside of the cup. 

4. Enjoy immediately!!

**If you want to make the recipe for the Mixed Citrus Sea Salt, please look at this recipe!!**

Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie with Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée

Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie with Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée

Fast Forward: This. is. the. best. pie. I've. ever. made. in. my. life. 

Got it? Okay... now rewind. 

I have loved cooking since I was a kid. Granted, I wasn't always good at it, but I loved holiday meals and baking with friends, and I knew that if I kept working on it that I would eventually pick up the skill. However, through each year, there was one recipe that I could NOT make. I'm still not sure why or how or what was going on in the world, but I was sure of it that this simple pie would be the death of me. Ironically, my blog revolves around the idea of hand-making each component in a dish (almost to an obsessive manner) and also making classic comfort food recipes with a gourmet or playful twist. So, you would think that a pie with originally FIVE ingredients (yeah, just that little) would be something I could make in my sleep. Nope, definitely not. Every year at Thanksgiving or Christmas, my family's buttermilk pie was on the checklist of stuff to make. I just wasn't the person to make it because it was too important to be messed up. Yet, I could make 3 side dishes, 2 other pies, and help with the turkey. So, to say that this was on my bucket list to eventually conquer, is an understatement. Have y'all ever had a buttermilk pie? Well, if you haven't, you are truly missing out because it is just divine. It has the texture of a perfectly silky custard, but with the delightful tang from the buttermilk. Trust me on this, you need to make one. The other day, I got an itchin' for this classic Southern pie, so much so, that I decided it was time to own this recipe, once and for all. The task was daunting and the future was dark + gloomy, but I had faith. I started out by making my go to all-butter pie crust that is scented with vanilla beans. Then, all of a sudden, while knee deep in butter and covered in flour, a light bulb went off... I should make this pie into a Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie. Why had I never thought of this before? I mean, it has the same sultry texture as a Crème Brûlée and it would be perfect with a torched sugar topping. So, with this new idea, I went immediately to tweaking my mother's recipe. With the addition of vanilla bean to the filling, I happened to lose some of the tang from the buttermilk that is crucial in really calling this a buttermilk pie. As a solution, I sifted some buttermilk powder in with the flour to get back some of that tang without messing up the texture. Also, I felt like the pie needed just the slightest bit of salt to balance between the filling and soon-to-be sugar topping. Now, here is where I always messed up, incorrectly baking the pie. From year to year, it was split between being under baked and over baked. It is crucial that you watch the pie in the oven because it can go from jiggly to a curdled mess. And people, we do not want that. We want a creamy custard that is heavenly smooth, yet firm enough to be sliced easily. This depends heavily on your oven at home because my oven is a lot weaker in heat compared to the oven at home. For instance, my mom bakes this pie for about 30-45 minutes, where my pie required almost an hour of cook time. So, I suggest that you set oven timer to smaller baking intervals and check it regularly throughout the process. That way, you can ensure that it will not over bake. Buttermilk pie needs to be firm all around the edges and have the slightest, tiniest jiggle in the center. Once you get there, take it out of the oven, place it on a cooling rack, and cool completely to room temperature. Afterwards, chill in the refrigerator for a few hours to make sure it is quite cold before you start torching the top. Now, the fun part. If y'all don't have a kitchen torch... get one. They are so much fun and well, they are a necessity to pull off this pie. You also have one last decision to make, you can either sprinkle sugar all over the pie and caramelize it, then cut into it. Or you can cut it into slices and do everything when serving it to people. We personally like the idea of doing each individual slice because the presentation is much prettier AND every person gets the euphoric joy of personally cracking that caramelized crust. That's honestly the reason why we all love Crème Brûlée to begin with, right? Okay, so y'all have all heard my spiel about this pie. Y'all know from the beginning, that this was the best pie I have ever made. No doubt about it. So, I hope that is enough to get some people to take a crack at this recipe because it is totally worth every bite!! Enjoy :)

I mean, how delish does this all look?

For the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée:

3 ¾C AP Flour (plus extra for rolling)

3 Sticks of butter, Cut into ½inch Cubes & Chilled

1 ½t Salt

1T + 1 ½t Sugar

12-18T Ice Water, Very Cold

3 Vanilla Beans, Sliced & Scraped for Beans

For the Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie:

2T AP Flour + 2T Buttermilk Powder, Sifted

1 ½C Sugar

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

3 Eggs

½C Buttermilk

¼t Salt (or to taste)

1-2 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds (we used two vanilla beans)

Turbinado Sugar, For Caramelizing the Top of the Pie

Directions:

1. To Make the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée: 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, as well as the scraped vanilla beans, 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. Carefully split the dough into three equal pieces and shape into discs (save the other two rounds of pie dough in plastic wrap and freeze them for a rainy day). Do not over knead the dough. You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Sprinkle the discs with a little flour on all sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. Remove one of the discs from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12inch circle (1/8inch thick). Place the rolled out disc on to a pie dish, 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 and place the prepared pie dish onto a baking sheet.

3. For the Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour and buttermilk powder, sugar, and butter until combined. Add in one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly until each one is incorporated before adding the next. Next, whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla beans seeds, and a pinch of salt. I find that an immersion blender can help make this pie filling a smoother and creamier texture. I have also made this pie filling in a standing mixer by first beating together the butter and sugar, and then adding in the sifted flour and buttermilk powder, along with the vanilla bean seeds. The mixture was beat on high speed to break up any clumps and to distribute the vanilla bean evenly. I then reduced the speed to low and beat in one egg at a time, making sure that each one was fully incorporated before adding the next. After the eggs have been mixed in, I slowly poured the buttermilk in a steady stream until the batter was creamy and smooth. Season with a pinch or two of salt until it has reached your desired taste. Once it is thoroughly blended, pour the filling into the frozen piecrust.

4. Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, and then reduce the oven to 325 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour or until just slightly firm in the middle, but still has the slightest jiggle (do not over bake the pie, but make sure it is cooked enough to firm up when it cools).

5. Once the pie is done baking, place the pie dish onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely to room temperature, and then place into the refrigerator until it’s completely chilled, roughly 4 hours.

6. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the buttermilk pie evenly with some sugar, and then using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy top (being careful not to burn it). Allow the Crème Brûléed Buttermilk Pie sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. However, you could also slice the pieces of pie, sprinkle on the sugar, and torch each slice before serving (this is our favorite option because it is easier to cut and prettier in presentation).

7. Use your fork to crack up the sugar topping and enjoy!

Fried Goat Cheese Crusted-Pickled Green Tomato Napoleon with Candied Bacon, Brussel Sprouts Salad, & Boursin Cheese, Drizzled with Homemade Pepper Jelly + Balsamic Reduction

Fried Goat Cheese Crusted-Pickled Green Tomato Napoleon with Candied Bacon, Brussel Sprouts Salad,

& Boursin Cheese, Drizzled with Homemade Pepper Jelly + Balsamic Reduction

Yeah, I know what you're thinking... why does this girl continually post recipes that have titles as long as paragraphs. I'm sorry, I apologize, but I guess it's my thing. I want all of y'all to know, up front, what the dish is. Yes it can be overly descriptive and unnecessary, but whatever, it's necessary (minus the -un). This "salad" is so completely decadent that it is not even allowed to be called a salad. So, in my book, it's now a stack or a napoleon. I got some pickled green tomato slices and coated them with some goat cheese, and then crusted them in panko breadcrumbs... then they went straight into the skillet to get extra crispy. During that time I made some candied bacon and my favorite brussels sprouts slaw to put in between the fried green tomatoes. Because one creamy cheese isn't enough, I sprinkled some boursin cheese on the napoleon layers... we gotta do it up big here, y'all. I had also made some homemade pepper jelly a while back, and I love fried green tomatoes with the spicy, sweet jelly so I drizzled that around the plate, along with a balsamic reduction for acidity. There are so many components, yet they all fit together in such harmony. And I know there are a couple of you na'sayer's out there, not believing that I would have all of these ingredients just laying around... BUT, I did. This was literally a last minute dinner, roughly made at 8:30PM, for my Mountain Man who was starving. I don't know if that means I just have a well-stocked fridge or if I am just good with what I got... well, maybe a little bit of both (deal?). Who knew that you could make a dish that's so gourmet and delicious with stuff just lying around in the kitchen? I think I'm onto something here... maybe I need to do this once a week, just to challenge myself. I definitely think so!! Enjoy :)

Ain't nothin' wrong about that, y'all. 

For the Fried Goat Cheese Crusted-Pickled Green Tomatoes:

4 Slices of Pickled Green Tomatoes, Dried of Excess Moisture (we used a paper towel)

4oz Goat Cheese, Cut into 1oz Slices

1C AP Flour

1 Egg + ½C Buttermilk

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

Vegetable Oil, For Frying

Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling

For the Napoleon Stacks:

Prepared Fried Goat Cheese Crusted-Pickled Green Tomatoes, Hot & Crispy

Slices of Candied Bacon

Homemade Shaved Brussel Sprout Slaw

Crumbled Boursin Cheese

Homemade Pepper Jelly, For Drizzling

Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

Directions:

1. To Make the Fried Goat Cheese Crusted-Pickled Green Tomatoes: Remove the pickled green tomato slices from their jar and place the slices on a paper towel. Let the tomatoes drain for 15-30 minutes. After they have drained, dry the tomatoes a little more with some paper towels, removing any excess moisture. Pinch off or cut off about 1oz of softened goat cheese, and then using your hands, pat the cheese to form a disc roughly the same size as the tomatoes (just work with the cheese until it is pliable enough to make the compact shape). Then, press the cheese into one side of the green tomato... you want to make sure that it is completely adhered to the tomato, so the two will remain together throughout the breading process (there is no right or wrong way to do this, just kind of play around with it in your hands until the cheese has filled in the gaps in the green tomato).  Next, you have to set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins. For the first station, I used plain flour. For the second station, I whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. For the third station, I used Panko breadcrumbs. Now, place the slices of dried green tomato pickles into the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, and finally the panko (making sure they are completely covered). Put the breaded slices onto a plate and then put it into the refrigerator and let the slices rest & chill for about 15-30 minutes (this helps the cheese to get firm again, ensuring that the cheese won't leak out of the breading during frying).
2. Frying the Tomatoes:Heat your deep sauté pan to medium heat with vegetable oil. Once the oil has heated, pull the chilled slices out of the refrigerator. Fry the slices for 2-3 minutes each (depending on the size of your fryer, mine is pretty small, so I do 2 at a time). The green tomatoes should be golden brown on the outside, but cooked, yet still firm on the inside (with no goat cheese seeping out of the crust, so don’t overcook them). Once they are done frying, place them onto a paper towel to drain, and sprinkle them with salt & pepper immediately. Once all of the tomatoes are fried, you can begin stacking your napoleon.

3. Assembling the Napoleon: Place a slice of a fried green tomato pickle onto the plate, and then begin stacking with the candied bacon, brussel sprout slaw, and crumbled Boursin cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until the napoleon stack has been finished. Garnish the stack with a drizzle of homemade pepper jelly and balsamic drizzle.

Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits with Southern Chocolate Gravy + Whipped Cream Cheese Butter

Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits with Southern Chocolate Gravy + Whipped Cream Cheese Butter

I hope all of y'all had a wonderful Valentine's Day... and I'm sorry it has taken this long to post a new Red Velvet inspired recipe!! As I mentioned in my last post, my Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls were the perfect breakfast-in-bed-with-your-honey meal, and I just had to come up with another one for this year. I racked my brain for breakfast ideas that could be turned into a red velvet recipe, but I didn't want to do one that had already been done... a lot of people have done waffles, pancakes, & crepes. And then it hit me, RED VELVET BISCUITS. Why had I never thought of that before?! Who knows. Well, I started building from there, and immediately remembered enjoying Southern Chocolate Gravy with Buttermilk Biscuits as a child. What kid doesn't want chocolate for breakfast? This kid over here does! So along with the Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits, that brings in the red and buttermilk component of this cake classic, the chocolate gravy would sub in for the cocoa powder element, and lastly, the Whipped Cream Cheese Butter mimics the ever-popular cream cheese frosting. So, this dish is practically Red Velvet Cake... deconstructed... in breakfast form... with some Southern lovin' added in for good measure as well. There aren't many things that are as comforting as biscuits + gravy, especially if chocolate and sugar are thrown into the mix also. The biscuits turned out to be a gorgeous "God Bless 'merica" red and were utterly + effortlessly fluffy. As for the chocolate gravy, I called my mom asking if she remembered her recipe and she couldn't find it in the millions of recipe cards shoved into the drawers in our kitchen. So, I found a recipe online that had gotten a lot of great reviews, and it certainly didn't disappoint. If you're like me then you'll want to split the biscuits in half and spread on some of that cream cheese butter until it melts into the hot bread, and drown them in the chocolate gravy until they are completely covered. And just for presentation, I sprinkled on some toasted pecan bits over the top. Honestly, I don't know if there is more in my belly... or more on my face and hands because I got knee deep in this meal. But, that's half the joy of it all, isn't it? Finger lickin' good gravy always cheers this girl up. What an awesome meal this was on Valentine's Day with my Mountain Man. Oh and P.S., I need to be officially dubbed the "Queen of Red Velvet", o'tay? Good, glad y'all agree with me because having this many red velvet inspired recipes is just plain unhealthy!! Enjoy :)

Chocolate Gravy Waterfall  

biscuits + gravy... red velvet-style 

Homemade Whipped Cream Cheese Butter 

Garnish with some Toasted Pecans!

For the Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits:

2 ¼C Cake Flour, Sifted

1T Baking Powder

1T + 1t Sugar

1t Salt

6T Unsalted Butter, Cut into Cubes & Frozen

¾C Buttermilk, Well-Shaken

Red Food Coloring (to your liking)

2T Melted Butter, For Brushing

For the Southern Chocolate Gravy:

4T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2T AP Flour

1C Sugar

1 ½C Whole Milk

4T Unsalted Butter

1t Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Butter:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Softened

4oz Cream Cheese

¼C Sugar

½t Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. For the Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add in the frozen and cut the fat in using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, but pea-sized pieces of butter still remain. In a measuring cup, pour in some red food coloring, and then fill up the measuring cup to ¾C of the liquid mixture (this will make sure that you don’t add too much extra liquid to your biscuits). Whisk together the food coloring and buttermilk until it is red. Pour in the red buttermilk and use a fork to mix it until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead with floured hands, and pat into a thick square. Using a large, floured biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits from the dough and place them about 1-2inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet (I made about 6-8 biscuits). Brush the tops of the biscuits with some melted butter and bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on their side, or until the tops are golden brown. Just before serving, brush the tops of the biscuits with more melted butter.

2. For the Southern Chocolate Gravy: In a medium sauce a whisk together the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk and whisk vigorously to combine. Heat over medium-high until the mixture bubbles. Turn heat down to medium and stir until mixture has thickened to a gravy consistency. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool slightly then transfer to a gravy boat. Serve warm over buttermilk biscuits.   

3. For the Whipped Cream Cheese Butter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth & creamed together, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer on high, add in the sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until light & fluffy like a whipped frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use.   

4. For Serving: Place some Red Velvet Buttermilk Biscuits onto a plate and pour the Chocolate Gravy over the top. Garnish the top of the gravy with some toasted pecans and serve the biscuits with the Whipped Cream Cheese Butter.   

source: southern chocolate gravy.

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt

So, Valentine's Day is in a couple days... that means you need to spend some quality time with your honey. Last year, I came up with the first + original recipe for Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. You may have seen them on Pinterest because they blew up on there, and probably a few other recipes around the internet that got the idea from here, and if you haven't tried them, you should. Especially for the extra special lover's day. This year, my Mountain Man & I are kind of busy, so we have to push our celebration off until Friday. And for every holiday, we always have our own thing that we plan. He always takes us out for dinner, dessert, and a little surprise, while I always cook us a fancy dinner or a cute picnic lunch for the park. This time around, I thought about how I wanted to do a movie night with a bunch of gourmet snacks to enjoy while snuggling up together. This was one of my ideas and I know I will be recreating it for our special dinner + a movie. I mean, you always have to have popcorn while watching a film, ya know?!? Why not spice it up a bit with some caramel corn, and not just any kind of caramel corn... Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn. That's right, popcorn that is perfectly covered in a caramel sauce that is made with truffle honey and truffle butter, and then sprinkled with truffle salt! We love truffle-anything around this house. My Mountain Man is always sniffing the can of white truffle oil while I'm cooking, he's addicted. But, I do know, truffle isn't for everyone, so I urge those who aren't truffle fans to steer clear because it is DEFINITELY truffled. This is the perfect little snack to pop in your mouth while watching rom-com's or scary movies (whatever floats your boat)! Oh, and P.S., check back on Valentine's Day for a new, super awesome red velvet recipe... maybe it could top the cinnamon rolls? Debatable!! Enjoy :)

For the Gourmet Popcorn:

1/3C Corn Kernels

1T White Truffle Oil

½t Salt

2T Truffle Butter, Melted (for tossing the popcorn)

For the Truffle Honey Caramel:

½C Gourmet Truffle Honey

¼C Heavy Whipping Cream

2T Unsalted Butter or Truffle Butter (depending on how much truffle you want)

1t Vanilla

Truffle Salt or Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling    

Directions:

1. Lightly coat a heatproof rubber spatula, a very large mixing bowl and line a large baking sheet with a silpat. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the 1T of white truffle oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and salt, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5-10 minutes (depending on the heat level). Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any un-popped kernels. Pour over the melted truffle butter and toss to coat all of the popcorn (this will add even more truffle flavor, but can be omitted if wanted). Set the buttered popcorn aside.

3. For the Truffle Honey Caramel: In a medium pot, add in the truffle honey, whipping cream, butter, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat until it is bubbly and caramel in color, reaching 240 degrees. Make sure to stir continuously. Once it has reached the desired temperature, pour the honey caramel over the popcorn and toss it with the prepared rubber spatula until the popcorn is completely tossed and covered. Quickly pour & spread the caramel popcorn onto the prepared silpat. Sprinkle the hot popcorn with either truffle salt or vanilla bean fleur de sel until you have reached your desired saltiness (depending on how much truffle or sweetness you want, you can also use sea salt).

4. Place the popcorn pan into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the popcorn has reached an even darker caramel color. Let the popcorn cool & harden completely before enjoying.

source: honey caramel corn.

"Everything" Brioche Burger Buns

"Everything" Brioche Burger Buns

I can't stop thinkin' about that stinkin' burger we made yesterday. It was so good. And one of the biggest reasons why is because it was all stacked on a homemade bun. Not any ole' burger bun y'all, a brioche bun. If you've researched making some buns for your burger at home, then you have obviously come across this recipe. It was featured on blogs, such as Smitten Kitchen and Annie's Eats, and well, countless others. Each of them ranted and raved about these "light brioche burger buns", and when you keep hearing about 'em, well you eventually have to make them! I finally gave in this last week for the Jimmy Buffett concert and it was sooooooo worth it. They are buttery, soft, yet sturdy enough to hold a juicy burger. All are important qualifications, trust me. These buns would be just as good plain, so don't worry about the extra touch I put on them. But, if you're gonna make them, why not go all out?! Instead of just topping them with boring sesame seeds or poppy seeds... I heavily sprinkled the golden buns with an "everything" bagel topping. Who doesn't love "everything" bagels? Well, okay probably all of your friends who have to smell your breath for the rest of the day, but that's why they are your friends, right? Right. Everyone's reassured... good. Between the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper, you have got one seriously-flavored bun. And for a burger purist like me, who likes to only season a patty with just some good salt + fresh pepper, these buns add a lot of flavor while still keepin' everything classic. In other ways, the way it was intended to be. I can't rave about these enough, and you can certainly add me on to the list of bloggers who will be making these for years to come!! Enjoy :)

Amazing "Everything" Burger Topping

Aren't they just so gorgeous?

For the Brioche Buns:

3T Whole Milk, Warmed

1C Water, Warmed

2t Instant Yeast

2 ½T Sugar

1 ½t Salt

1 Large Egg

3C Bread Flour

1/3C AP Flour

2 ½T Unsalted Butter, Softened

For the “Everything” Topping:

1 Large Egg

1T Water

4t Poppy Seeds

4t Sesame Seeds

4t Dried Garlic (minced or flaked)

4t Dried Onion (minced or chopped)

2t Sea Salt

1t Fresh Cracked Pepper

Directions:

1. Making the Dough:In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the bread and AP flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated.  Mix in the butter.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour, which will create tough buns. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

2. Prepping for the Buns:Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat (I prefer Silpats).  Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the two baking sheets, 2-3 inches apart (I put 5-6 dough balls on each baking sheet, which ensures that they won’t touch). Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

3. For the “Everything” Topping:In a bowl, mix together the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, salt, and pepper until completely incorporated. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Set these both up in a station, along with a pastry brush, for quick assembly. Just a side note, you will not have to use all of the topping, just save the rest for another batch of buns or homemade bagels.

4. Baking the Buns:Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚F with a rack in the center. Place one of the baking sheets in the oven and bake the buns for 7 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and then brush them completely with the egg wash and heavily sprinkle the tops with the “everything” seasoning topping. Rotate the pan halfway and return the seasoned buns to the oven and to cook for another 8-10 minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown on top and thoroughly cooked through in the center.

5. Once they are done, remove the buns to a cooling rack to cool completely. After they have cooled, gently slice the buns in half and store them until you are ready to use them.

source: light brioche burger buns.