BRANDY ALEXANDER BROWNIES & COCKTAIL: National Brandy Alexander Day

Today is National Brandy Alexander Day. A Brandy Alexander is a sweet, brandy-based cocktail that became popular during the early 20th century. It was supposedly created for the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, in London, in 1922. The Brandy Alexander is based on an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an “Alexander.”

From the Brandyalexander website comes the history that Movie Stars have consumed Brandy Alexanders on sets of movies and TV shows and during celebratory events over the last century.  Among the famous calls are by Jack Lemon in Days of Wine and Roses. In one scene Lee Remick receives a Brandy Alexander and is impressed with the chocolate flavor, yet smooth taste of the drink. In the pilot of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary calls for a Brandy Alexander when asked if she would like a drink at her job interview and Peggy on a blind date in an episode of Mad Men, Indian Summer orders for a Brandy Alexander. Over time other movies made reference to Brandy Alexanders.

So with this exciting alcoholic Food Holiday, break out the Brandy and Creme de Cacao!

Brandy Alexander

1 1/2 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
1 oz half-and-half
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the brandy, creme de cacao, and half-and-half. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the nutmeg

I'm not sure where I found the original recipe for Brandy Alexander Brownies, but I found a similar recipe at The Pioneer Woman that includes a recipe for Brandy Alexander Icing. My original recipe below includes optional walnuts, and I don't usually frost brownies. They're plenty rich the way they are, but I do use more chocolate, but then I'm always Dying for Chocolate.

Brandy Alexander Brownies

Ingredients
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 Tbsp creme de cacao
2 Tbsp brandy
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
In mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar till fluffy.
Add eggs; beat well.
Blend in cooled chocolate, creme de cacao, and brandy.
Stir together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Stir into creamed mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips and chopped nuts (optional)
Spread in a greased 9x9x2 inch baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool. Cut into bars.

Optional: Frost with Brandy Alexander Frosting before cutting into bars!

Brandy Alexander Frosting
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Creme De Cacao
1 Tbsp Brandy

Mix all together!

BRANDY ALEXANDER CHEESECAKE: Brandy Alexander Day!

Brideshead Revisited: Brandy Alexander

Today is Brandy Alexander Day. A Brandy Alexander is a cocktail made with brandy, chocolate liqueur, and cream. 

There are many rumors about its origins. Some sources say it was created at the time of the London wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922. Drama critic and Algonquin Round Table member Alexander Woollcott claimed that it was named after him. Other sources say it was named after the Russian Tsar Alexander. According to historian Barry Popik, Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector's, a New York City restaurant, created the drink in order to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow, a character in a popular advertising campaign in the early 20th century.

I've posted many recipes for Brandy Alexanders - - cocktails, brownies and Brandy Alexander Pie, but today I'm posting a recipe for Brandy Alexander Cheesecake. Be sure to scroll down. And for the TV addicts out there, here's a list of the Brandy Alexander as it appeared on different TV series. This list is a bit dated, so I'd appreciate any updates!

The Brandy Alexander on Television 

The character Raj Koothrappali orders a brandy Alexander in "The Hofstadter Isotope" episode of The Big Bang Theory, after being mocked for ordering first a grasshopper and then a chocolate Martini.
In season one episode nine of Cheers, while Carla is in charge of the bar, she is asked to make a brandy Alexander.
In the Fantasy Island episode entitled "Anniversary," Cap Truman (Jim Backus) rushes outside with his butler to greet Tom (Ronny Cox) and Toni Elgin (Lucie Arnaz) with brandy Alexanders, just as he had done eight years before, the day before their wedding.
In season one episode eleven of Mad Men, Peggy Olson expresses disappointment with her Brandy Alexander while on a blind date.
The drink was included as the Cocktail Moment on the 29 March 2013 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show.
Lance White's hypnotist friend in "Nice Guys Finish Dead", an episode of The Rockford Files, is named after the drink.
In the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary Richards asks for a Brandy Alexander at her first job interview.
In season four episode twenty-three of Chuck, "Big Mike" orders a Brandy Alexander at a wedding rehearsal dinner.
In episode one of Brideshead Revisited, Anthony Blanche orders four Brandy Alexanders in a bar: two for himself and two for Charles Ryder.
In season one episode three of Dilbert, Lena Olsen asks Dilbert to make a "Triple Brandy Alexander with an Easter Island sunset chaser" as a way of keeping him occupied while she searches his house.
In season three, episode 16 of Three's Company, a woman orders a brandy Alexander from Mr Roper. He responds, "You don't want to drink that junk. Try some bourbon. It's fresh."
In season four, episode five of American Horror Story, the Strongman Del (Michael Chiklis) orders two Brandy Alexanders at a gay bar for his paramour Andy (played by Matt Bomer).
In the Season 2 episode of Lou Grant, called "Schools," Lou asks the bartender for a "malt." When the bartender admits to not knowing how to make a malt, Lou asks, "Do you know how to make a brandy Alexander? Just leave out the brandy and give us the Alexander!"
In the TV movies "A Town Without Christmas" and "When Angels Come to Town," the Brandy Alexander is the preferred drink of the angel Max (Peter Falk).

Brandy Alexander Cheesecake
recipe adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) box chocolate graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/4 cups)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 Tbsp Brandy, divided 4 tablespoons Kahlua, divided (you can use Creme de Cacao instead)
1 (16 ounces) container sour cream

Optional: Garnishes: blackberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together crushed graham crackers, butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Press mixture on bottom and halfway up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, 1- 1/4 cups sugar, and cornstarch at medium speed with electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add 3 Tbsp brandy and 3 Tbsp Kahlua, and beat just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour or just until center is almost set.
During last 2 minutes of baking, stir together sour cream and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp brandy, and 1 Tbsp Kahlua (or crème de cacao).
Spread sour cream mixture over cheesecake. Bake at 325° for 8 more minutes.
Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife along outer edge of cheesecake, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).
Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
Remove sides of springform pan, and place cheesecake on serving plate.
Garnish, if desired.

CHOCOLATE HOT TODDY: Hot Toddy Day

Today is the perfect day for a Chocolate Hot Toddy. Northern California's weather has been a rollercoaster of Atmospheric Rivers, Bomb Cyclones, Thunder, Lightning, Pineapple Express, Rain, and High Winds. It's the perfect time to stay in and have a Hot Toddy, and it's National Hot Toddy Day. There's also the medicinal value of a Hot Toddy. Although there's no real cure for the flu or cold and don't get me started on covid, a Hot Toddy will do the trick to make you feel better, even if only temporarily--a traditional Hot Toddy, that is. See the Retro Ad on this page. So because today is Hot Toddy Day, I'm offering up a recipe with a chocolate spin.

Hot Toddy might be an old fashioned name, but the Hot Toddy has served for centuries as a therapeutic drink. If you add chocolate, you get all those chocolate benefits, too. Alcohol and chocolate: a great combination.

What exactly is a Hot Toddy?
A toddy is a drink made typically with a spirit base, water, some type of sugar, and spices. A hot toddy is usually a mixture of whiskey, cinnamon, hot water, honey, and lemon. A Hot Toddy may have tea as the spice (or in addition to the spice). 

Where did it come from?
The word “toddy” itself stretches back to the British colonial era and is taken from the Hindi word tārī, which was a drink made from the fermented sap of toddy palm, hence the name. The British Toddy was served cool and, for awhile this was the tradition. The toddy eventually made its way across the ocean to the American South where plantation owners would drink their own version of a toddy with rum, spices, and locally-available sugar. This mixture was cooked, then cooled and consumed. While derived from the British colonial toddy, this drink was called a bombo or bimbo. That’s great and all, but you said you’d be talking about hot toddies. 

The hot toddy that we know now found its roots in Scottish tradition. No surprise there. This Hot Toddy was made with whisky, hot water, honey, and spices such as nutmeg or clove, and was touted as a cold cure. The Scots claim that the name toddy came from the origin of the water used for the drink: Tod’s Well in Edinburgh. Legend states that during the Revolutionary War, colonists would use toddies as liquid courage, drinking round after round to get up the nerve to fight. The biggest difference in the American toddy from the Scottish was the use of rum or brandy in comparison to whiskey. The colonists were working with what they had — which was more often the brandy they were making at home or the rum that was being imported from the Caribbean. The presentation of the toddy was also different. The drink was typically made in a punch bowl in large amounts to accommodate the crowds that would gather at local taverns and then served in a specific type of stemmed glassware, which was itself at some point named a toddy. So there you have it, the hot toddy, which wasn’t all that hot at first.

But this is a Chocolate Blog, so here's a recipe from Sunset for Brandied Hot Chocolate, a great Hot Toddy to drink today!

Chocolate Hot Toddy!

Ingredients
1- 1/2 cups grated dark chocolate (65-75% organic, your favorite)
1/2 cup dry milk powder (not something I have on hand except for this)
4 cups whole milk
4 Tbsp Armagnac
Whipped cream or marshmallows, for garnish

Directions
In medium bowl, mix grated chocolate and dry milk powder.
In medium saucepan, heat whole milk over medium heat. Once heated, stir in chocolate mixture and whisk until chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and hot.
Pour 1 Tbsp Armagnac into each mug (four mugs total), then fill each mug with smooth, hot chocolate mixture.
Serve hot, garnished with fresh whipped cream or fresh marshmallows.

BRANDY ALEXANDER PIE: National Brandy Alexander Day

Today is National Brandy Alexander Day. A Brandy Alexander is a sweet, brandy-based cocktail that became very popular in the early 20th century. It was supposedly created for the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, in London, in 1922.  The Brandy Alexander is based on an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an “Alexander.”

From the Brandyalexander website comes the history that Movie Stars have consumed Brandy Alexanders on sets of movies and TV shows and during celebratory events throughout  the last century.  Among the famous drink calls are by Jack Lemon in Days of Wine and Roses. In one scene Lee Remick receives a Brandy Alexander and is impressed with the chocolate flavor, yet smooth taste of the drink. In the pilot of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary asks for a Brandy Alexander when asked if she would like a drink at her job interview, and Peggy on a blind date in an episode of Mad Men, Indian Summer orders a Brandy Alexander. 

So for this exciting alcoholic Food Holiday, break out the Brandy and Creme de Cacao! 

Check out my 2011 post for a recipe for the Brandy Alexander and for Brandy Alexander Brownies

.

Brandy Alexander Pie
from the New York Times Magazine, January 18, 1970

Ingredients
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cognac
1/4 cup creme de cacao
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
Pie Crust: I substitute a 10 inch chocolate wafer crust for the graham cracker crust in the original recipe, but that's your choice
Chocolate curls for garnish

Directions
1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in saucepan. Add 1/3 cup of sugar, salt and egg yolks. Stir to blend.
2. Heat over low heat while stirring until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens. Do not boil.
3. Remove from heat, and stir in cognac and creme de cacao. Chill until mixture starts to mound slightly.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and fold into thickened mixture. Fold in 1 cup of whipped cream. Turn into crust. Chill several hours or over night.
5. Garnish with remaining cream and chocolate curls.

BRANDIED CHERRIES CHOCOLATE CAKE: National Brandied Fruit Day!

Today is Brandied Fruit Day, so I thought I'd post my favorite recipe for Brandied Cherries Chocolate Cake. This recipe appeared in the Washington Post several years ago. You can buy brandied cherries -- or you can make your own. It's so easy, and so good!!!

Brandied Cherries

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds dark, sweet cherries, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 cup good brandy

Directions
Combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Add cherries and simmer for five minutes.
Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick. Stir in brandy.
Cool completely before placing in jar.

BRANDIED CHERRIES CHOCOLATE CAKE

Tip: When processing nuts and chocolate, be careful not to make chocolate almond butter. Chill both ingredients -- and even the flour, if you want to be careful.

Ingredients
6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, chilled (about 1-1/3 cups)
6 ounces (1-1/2 cups) chopped almonds, chilled
6 1/2 Tbsp flour
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
16 ounces drained brandied cherries
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch cake pan with nonstick oil-and-flour spray and line bottom with circle of parchment paper.
Pulse chocolate, almonds, and flour in a food processor to grind them into fine meal, being careful not to turn into paste.
Beat butter and sugar together at high speed in bowl of stand mixer or held-held electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, then vanilla and almond extracts, and beat well to combine. Add chocolate-nut mixture and beat until incorporated.
Beat egg whites in separate, clean bowl of stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Use flexible spatula to fold them into chocolate-sugar mixture.
Spread half of batter in bottom of prepared pan. Top with brandied cherries, which should fit evenly in 1 layer. Spread remaining batter over cherries, using flexible spatula to lightly level top.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until cake is puffed and set.
Cool on rack and turn out of pan.
Dust top generously with confectioners' sugar.
Serve warm or cool.

Original recipe adapted from Peter Brett, pastry chef at Blue Duck Tavern, Washington, D.C.

BRANDY ALEXANDER CHEESECAKE: National Brandy Alexander Day!

Brideshead Revisited: Brandy Alexander

Today is Brandy Alexander Day. A Brandy Alexander is a cocktail made with brandy, chocolate liqueur, and cream. 

There are many rumors about its origins. Some sources say it was created at the time of the London wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922. Drama critic and Algonquin Round Table member Alexander Woollcott claimed that it was named after him. Other sources say it was named after the Russian Tsar Alexander. According to historian Barry Popik, Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector's, a New York City restaurant, created the drink in order to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow, a character in a popular advertising campaign in the early 20th century.

I've posted many recipes for Brandy Alexanders--cocktails, brownies and Brandy Alexander Pie, but today I'm posting a recipe for Brandy Alexander Cheesecake. Be sure to scroll down. And for the TV addicts out there, here's a list of the Brandy Alexander as it appeared on different TV series.

The Brandy Alexander on Television (from Wikipedia)

The character Raj Koothrappali orders a brandy Alexander in "The Hofstadter Isotope" episode of The Big Bang Theory, after being mocked for ordering first a grasshopper and then a chocolate Martini.
In season one episode nine of Cheers, while Carla is in charge of the bar, she is asked to make a brandy Alexander.
In the Fantasy Island episode entitled "Anniversary," Cap Truman (Jim Backus) rushes outside with his butler to greet Tom (Ronny Cox) and Toni Elgin (Lucie Arnaz) with brandy Alexanders, just as he had done eight years before, the day before their wedding.
In season one episode eleven of Mad Men, Peggy Olson expresses disappointment with her Brandy Alexander while on a blind date.
The drink was included as the Cocktail Moment on the 29 March 2013 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show.
Lance White's hypnotist friend in "Nice Guys Finish Dead", an episode of The Rockford Files, is named after the drink.
In the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary Richards asks for a brandy Alexander at her first job interview.
In season four episode twenty-three of Chuck, "Big Mike" orders a Brandy Alexander at a wedding rehearsal dinner.
In episode one of Brideshead Revisited, Anthony Blanche orders four Brandy Alexanders in a bar: two for himself and two for Charles Ryder.
In season one episode three of Dilbert, Lena Olsen asks Dilbert to make a "Triple Brandy Alexander with an Easter Island sunset chaser" as a way of keeping him occupied while she searches his house.
In season three, episode 16 of Three's Company, a woman orders a brandy Alexander from Mr Roper. He responds, "You don't want to drink that junk. Try some bourbon. It's fresh."
In season four, episode five of American Horror Story, the Strongman Del (Michael Chiklis) orders two Brandy Alexanders at a gay bar for his paramour Andy (played by Matt Bomer).
In the Season 2 episode of Lou Grant, called "Schools", Lou asks the bartender for a "malt." When the bartender admits to not knowing how to make a malt, Lou asks, "Do you know how to make a brandy Alexander? Just leave out the brandy and give us the Alexander!"
In the TV movies "A Town Without Christmas" and "When Angels Come to Town", the Brandy Alexander is the preferred drink of the angel Max (Peter Falk).

Brandy Alexander Cheesecake
recipe adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) box chocolate graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/4 cups)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 Tbsp Brandy, divided 4 tablespoons Kahlua, divided (you can use Creme de Cacao instead)
1 (16 ounces) container sour cream
Optional: Garnishes: blackberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together crushed graham crackers, butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Press mixture on bottom and halfway up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cornstarch at medium speed with electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add 3 Tbsp brandy and 3 Tbsp Kahlua, and beat just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour or just until center is almost set.
During last 2 minutes of baking, stir together sour cream and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp brandy, and 1 Tbsp Kahlua (or crème de cacao).
Spread sour cream mixture over cheesecake. Bake at 325° for 8 more minutes.
Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife along outer edge of cheesecake, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).
Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
Remove sides of springform pan, and place cheesecake on serving plate.
Garnish, if desired.

Brandy Alexander Brownies & Drinks: Brandy Alexander Day!

Today is National Brandy Alexander Day. A Brandy Alexander is a sweet, brandy-based cocktail that became popular during the early 20th century. It was supposedly created for the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, in London, in 1922. The Brandy Alexander is based on an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an “Alexander.”

From the Brandyalexander website comes the history that Movie Stars have consumed Brandy Alexanders on sets of movies and TV shows and during celebratory events over the last century.  Among the famous calls are by Jack Lemon in Days of Wine and Roses. In one scene Lee Remick receives a Brandy Alexander and is impressed with the chocolate flavor, yet smooth taste of the drink. In the pilot of the Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary calls for a Brandy Alexander when asked if she would like a drink at her job interview and Peggy on a blind date in an episode of Mad Men, Indian Summer orders for a Brandy Alexander. Over time other movies made reference to Brandy Alexanders.

So with this exciting alcoholic Food Holiday, break out the Brandy and Creme de Cacao!

Brandy Alexander

1 1/2 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
1 oz half-and-half
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the brandy, creme de cacao, and half-and-half. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the nutmeg

I'm not sure where I found the original recipe for Brandy Alexander Brownies, but I found a similar recipe at The Pioneer Woman that includes a recipe for Brandy Alexander Icing. My original recipe below includes optional walnuts, and I don't usually frost brownies. They're plenty rich the way they are, but I do use more chocolate, but then I'm always Dying for Chocolate.

Brandy Alexander Brownies

Ingredients
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 Tbsp creme de cacao
2 Tbsp brandy
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
In mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar till fluffy.
Add eggs; beat well.
Blend in cooled chocolate, creme de cacao, and brandy.
Stir together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Stir into creamed mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips and chopped nuts (optional)
Spread in a greased 9x9x2 inch baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool. Cut into bars.

Optional: Frost with Brandy Alexander Frosting before cutting into bars!

Brandy Alexander Frosting
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Creme De Cacao
1 Tbsp Brandy

Mix all together!

Brandied Cherry Chocolate Cake: Brandied Fruit Day

Tomorrow is Brandied Fruit Day, so I thought I'd post my favorite recipe for Brandied Cherry Chocolate Cake. This recipe appeared in the Washington Post several years ago. You can buy brandied cherries -- or you can make your own. It's so easy, and soooo good!!!

Brandied Cherries

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds dark, sweet cherries, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 cup good brandy

Directions
Combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Add cherries and simmer for five minutes.
Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick. Stir in brandy.
Cool completely before placing in jar.

BRANDIED CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Tip: When processing nuts and chocolate, be careful not to make chocolate almond butter. Chill both ingredients -- and even the flour, if you want to be careful.

Ingredients
6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, chilled (about 1-1/3 cups)
6 ounces (1-1/2 cups) chopped almonds, chilled
6 1/2 Tbsp flour
12 Tbsp sweet butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
16 ounces drained brandied cherries
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch cake pan with nonstick oil-and-flour spray and line bottom with circle of parchment paper.
Pulse chocolate, almonds, and flour in a food processor to grind them into fine meal, being careful not to turn them into a paste.
Beat butter and sugar together at high speed in bowl of stand mixer or held-held electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, then vanilla and almond extracts, and beat well to combine. Add chocolate-nut mixture and beat until incorporated.
Beat egg whites in separate, clean bowl of stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Use flexible spatula to fold them into chocolate-sugar mixture.
Spread half of batter in bottom of prepared pan. Top with brandied cherries, which should fit evenly in 1 layer. Spread remaining batter over cherries, using flexible spatula to lightly level top.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until cake is puffed and set.
Cool on rack and turn out of pan.
Dust top generously with confectioners' sugar.
Serve warm or cool.

Original recipe adapted from Peter Brett, pastry chef at Blue Duck Tavern, Washington, D.C.

Cognac Truffles - Cognac Day

Today is National Cognac Day! Cognac goes so well with Chocolate, especially in Cognac Truffles.

Cognac is a brandy that comes from the Cognac region in France. Distilled for a long time, it's this aging process that gives Cognac a very distinctive taste. Only brandy that is produced in Cognac can be labeled Cognac. 

I always opt for easy truffle recipes. I've posted two of these great recipes in the past, but I've added a third which includes orange zest! The second recipe includes raw eggs (although they heat up a bit in the chocolate),  so if that's a problem for you, make the first or third recipe. I have tried many different types of chocolate (brands and amounts of cacao), and as always the flavors will change with the chocolate. These recipes are basically ganache truffles, so no tempering needed. You can roll them in cocoa or chopped nuts. How easy is that?

1. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp sweet butter. softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Cognac
unsweetened cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Put chopped chocolate in bowl. On low heat warm cream and butter until nearly boiling. Pour cream and butter over chocolate and mix gently and thoroughly until chocolate is melted. You can always just melt all ingredients together in the top of a double boiler, if you're careful.
Cool and add cognac, mixing into chocolate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or more.
Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop chocolate into balls. Then roll in hands to smooth out the ball.
Roll balls in cocoa or nuts and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup sweet butter
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cognac
cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Melt chocolate.
Combine sugar and butter in bowl then cream together.
Add egg yolks 1 at a time then stir in melted chocolate and cognac.
Chill mixture at least one hour then scoop out and form into balls.
Roll in coating of your choice and dry for 1 hour.

3. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients 
6 ounces DARK chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy cream
1 Tbsp cognac
1-1/2 Tbsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
Bring cream to simmer in saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Add cognac and orange zest and stir well. Cover and chill it refrigerator for 4 hours until stiff.
With scoop or teaspoon, make small balls.
Put cocoa powder in bowl and roll truffles in it.
Chill for half an hour and serve.

No time to make these today? Coco Delice has great Cognac Truffles!

BRANDIED HOT CHOCOLATE

This recipe for Hot Brandied Chocolate is for all my friends who are caught in freezing weather and blizzard conditions. Stay warm!

BRANDIED HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients
4 cups milk
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
5 Tbsp brandy
6 Tbsp whipped cream
4 tsp unsweetened  DARK cocoa powder, sifted

Directions
In saucepan, bring milk just to boil. Remove from heat.
Put chocolate in small saucepan and add 2 Tbsp hot milk. Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted, then stir chocolate mixture back into hot milk. Add and stir in sugar.
Stir in brandy and pour into four heatproof glasses.
Top each with whipped cream and sprinkle with sifted cocoa.