granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on mediumhigh until the sugars are well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the crème fraîche and vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the sifted dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Use a spatula to give the batter a few good folds to make sure everything is incorporated.
DIVIDE THE BATTER equally among the muffin cups. Bake on the middle rack until the edges are puffed and set and the center looks slightly undercooked (but not raw), 20 to 25 minutes.
TO MAKE THE COFFEE SYRUP: In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
WHILE THE BROWNIES ARE STILL HOT , brush them with the coffee syrup. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
AS THEY COOL , the brownies will fall a bit in the middle, which makes the perfect vessel for a dollop of the ganache (about 1 tablespoon). The brownies are at their best when they’re still warm and the chocolate is ooey-gooey.
BEFORE SERVING: Drizzle each brownie with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
TIP
•
Whenever I have leftover cupcakes or brownies at the cart, I give them a second life as Chocolate-Chocolate Bread Pudding. I just break them up, put them in a baking dish, add some bittersweet chocolate chips, cover it all in the custard I use for the Sweet Strata , and bake until puffed and no longer wet in the middle. A garnish of Nutella Whoop turns the dish into a true chocogasm.
Molasses-Buttermilk Corn Bread
MOLASSES-BUTTERMILK
Corn Bread
WITH MAPLE–WHITE DOG WHOOP AND CANDIED BACON
For Southerners, corn bread is a starch. It’s dry and savory, and great for sopping up all those dinner juices. But when you grow up on the sweet, tender muffins from the Jiffy box, like most other Northerners I know, it’s no stretch to turn corn bread into dessert. I make a super-moist version with browned butter and baking spices, then top it with sweet, smoky, candied bacon and a dollop of whipped cream spiked with maple syrup and unaged “white dog” whiskey from House Spirits, one of Portland’s best small-batch distillers. Now, don’t go thinking moonshine and rotgut when you see the words “unaged whiskey.” When properly distilled, unaged whiskey is smooth, with a creamy, sweet, cereal-like flavor that’s not masked by the oaky vanilla notes you get from aging it in a barrel. It’s definitely worth adding to your bar cart, but if you don’t want to spend out, just swap it for a bourbon or whiskey you already have on hand, or omit the booze completely and add 1 / 4 teaspoon vanilla to round out the flavor. MAKES 8 SERVINGS
ingredients
corn bread
Bacon grease, lard, or butter for greasing the pan
1 / 4 vanilla bean
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 / 2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 / 3 cup full-fat sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt
1 / 4 cup granulated sugar
1 / 4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 / 2 cup medium-fine yellow cornmeal
3 / 4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon (see tip in Giddyup Cookies )
1 / 4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 / 2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 / 2 teaspoon sea salt
maple–white dog whoop
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 / 4 cup grade B maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons plus 1 1 / 2 teaspoons White Dog whiskey (optional; see tip, following )
Candied bacon crunch (recipe follows)
instructions
TO MAKE THE CORN BREAD: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or cake pan with bacon grease. Set aside. Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife and add to a small sauté pan. (Make sure the pan is shiny metal, not dark nonstick or cast iron, or you won’t be
DIVIDE THE BATTER equally among the muffin cups. Bake on the middle rack until the edges are puffed and set and the center looks slightly undercooked (but not raw), 20 to 25 minutes.
TO MAKE THE COFFEE SYRUP: In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
WHILE THE BROWNIES ARE STILL HOT , brush them with the coffee syrup. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
AS THEY COOL , the brownies will fall a bit in the middle, which makes the perfect vessel for a dollop of the ganache (about 1 tablespoon). The brownies are at their best when they’re still warm and the chocolate is ooey-gooey.
BEFORE SERVING: Drizzle each brownie with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
TIP
•
Whenever I have leftover cupcakes or brownies at the cart, I give them a second life as Chocolate-Chocolate Bread Pudding. I just break them up, put them in a baking dish, add some bittersweet chocolate chips, cover it all in the custard I use for the Sweet Strata , and bake until puffed and no longer wet in the middle. A garnish of Nutella Whoop turns the dish into a true chocogasm.
Molasses-Buttermilk Corn Bread
MOLASSES-BUTTERMILK
Corn Bread
WITH MAPLE–WHITE DOG WHOOP AND CANDIED BACON
For Southerners, corn bread is a starch. It’s dry and savory, and great for sopping up all those dinner juices. But when you grow up on the sweet, tender muffins from the Jiffy box, like most other Northerners I know, it’s no stretch to turn corn bread into dessert. I make a super-moist version with browned butter and baking spices, then top it with sweet, smoky, candied bacon and a dollop of whipped cream spiked with maple syrup and unaged “white dog” whiskey from House Spirits, one of Portland’s best small-batch distillers. Now, don’t go thinking moonshine and rotgut when you see the words “unaged whiskey.” When properly distilled, unaged whiskey is smooth, with a creamy, sweet, cereal-like flavor that’s not masked by the oaky vanilla notes you get from aging it in a barrel. It’s definitely worth adding to your bar cart, but if you don’t want to spend out, just swap it for a bourbon or whiskey you already have on hand, or omit the booze completely and add 1 / 4 teaspoon vanilla to round out the flavor. MAKES 8 SERVINGS
ingredients
corn bread
Bacon grease, lard, or butter for greasing the pan
1 / 4 vanilla bean
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 / 2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 / 3 cup full-fat sour cream or full-fat greek yogurt
1 / 4 cup granulated sugar
1 / 4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 / 2 cup medium-fine yellow cornmeal
3 / 4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon (see tip in Giddyup Cookies )
1 / 4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 / 2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 / 2 teaspoon sea salt
maple–white dog whoop
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 / 4 cup grade B maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons plus 1 1 / 2 teaspoons White Dog whiskey (optional; see tip, following )
Candied bacon crunch (recipe follows)
instructions
TO MAKE THE CORN BREAD: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or cake pan with bacon grease. Set aside. Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife and add to a small sauté pan. (Make sure the pan is shiny metal, not dark nonstick or cast iron, or you won’t be
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