All Things Irish: Stout Cupcakes, Guinness Gingerbread, and Corned Beef

My husband is all high on the Irish. For the record? He's Polish with a smattering of Irish, generations back. He did marry me, a Murphy girl, so Irish must be contagious.

This viral Irishman? He's made a several course menu tonight (after I convinced him to drop several dishes) including THREE desserts.

Shopping today, he told the grocery clerk his last name was Murphy. He told me this laughing his arse off. Oh really?? Really? I don't recall him hyphenating his name as I did.

Me thinks someone has touched the Blarney Stone, or drank one too many Guinnesses...my money's on the stout.



Speaking of stout, two of three desserts have that ingredient. The third was supposed to have Bailey's Irish cream, but it turns out we were out. I refused to go to the archaic Washington state run liquor store 15 minutes away. So now it's just going to be a Whisky ice cream to go with the Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Stout Gingerbread with Creme Anglaise.



Yes, three desserts to go with out corned beef and Colcannon (Mashed Potatoes, kale, leeks, and cabbage warm salad).

Stout Gingerbread (With Spiced Creme Anglaise Not Shown)

Source: Emerill Lagasse/Food Network

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup turbinado sugar (recommended: Sugar in the Raw)

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup molasses

1 cup Guinness, or other dark beer

Spiced Creme Anglaise, recipe follows

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. In a third bowl, combine the molasses and beer and stir to dissolve. Add the dry ingredients and beer mixture alternately to the egg mixture, beating after the addition of each.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Spoon the Creme Anglaise onto the middle of 12 dessert plates. Cut the gingerbread into 12 equal portions and place on plates. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Spiced Creme Anglaise

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar

Combine the cream, the zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the hot cream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to warm milk and stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm. (Or, to serve chilled, place in an ice bath to cool, then cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.)

Yield: 2 cups Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 6 minutes Inactive Prep Time: if chilled, 2 hours

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Source: Dave Lieberman/Food Network

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To make the icing

In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.

Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.

Mmm...not sure what I am looking forward to more--those wonderful desserts-- or this:

Sigh...I'll keep him!

What's for your St. Pat's dinner tonight?

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 5:01 PM