Irish Coffee Cheesecake Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These cheesecake bars were one of two kitchen surprises this holiday season. They, along with the Poteca cake, proved to be delicious and what began as an attempt to find something different for holiday meals, ended up with the addition of two new recipes to my holiday repertoire. These bars are simply wonderful and I recommend them to you without reservation. They were inspired by a recipe I found in an old issue of Bon Appetit magazine, and, to be honest, I decided to make the bars only because I had whiskey left from the provisions for Irish coffee that we served at get-together earlier in the week. I closely followed the original recipe, but I added whiskey to the ingredient list and decided to "frost" the bars with whipped cream rather than dollop it over them. I also decided to freeze the cheesecake prior to cutting it into bars. This makes for neat slices which help improve their appearance. Once cut, I returned the bars the freezer where they could be extracted in any quantity needed for a specific occasion. I cannot be trusted when there is a ready-to-eat cheesecake in the house, so the freezing step is an absolute necessity in our house. The bars can be thawed in the refrigerator in an hour or so, but when pressed for time, they can be thawed at room temperature in about 20 minutes. This is not an overly sweet dessert and if you enjoy coffee flavored desserts, you will love these bars. They are truly espresso flavored, and, it goes without saying, that more whiskey can be added should you feel it's needed. Here is how the bars are made.

Frozen Whiskey Cream - A Frozen Custard

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I hate to see the holidays come to an end, I must admit that the finery that comes with them is starting to look worn and tired, a bit like an old woman whose makeup is too thickly applied.  The poinsettias seem glaringly bright, while the ivy garlands, no longer quite so jolly, are fading to a  khaki green, and destroying any sense of the yin and yang that greeted their arrival. I spent some time this morning removing the worst offenders, but even though I should,  I'm not quite ready to erase all traces of the season. The same thing is happening in my kitchen. Fortunately, the cookies are finally gone, and while there is still some fruit cake, the holiday cupboard is looking mighty bare. I still, however,  need some quick and easy desserts to see the season out, and I've found this one will do nicely. I think you'll also enjoy this whiskey flavored frozen custard. While it needs at least six hours to chill, it is simple to make and it is a stressless way to end a meal.  This is a very rich dessert, so you'll want to keep serving sizes small.  The custard will keep for several days in the freezer, so it is a perfect make ahead for New Year's Eve celebration. Do try it.  Here is how it is made.

Frozen Whiskey Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Southern Living magazine

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup whiskey or brandy
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamont
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, freshly grated nutmeg, chopped candied nuts

Directions:
1. Pour water to depth of 1 inch into bottom of a double boiler over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer. Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and next 4 ingredients in top of double boiler over simmering water, and cook, stirring constantly, 8 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; cool completely, stirring often.

2. Meanwhile, beat cream at high speed with an electric mixer 3 minutes or until soft peaks form. Stir one-third whipped cream into cooled egg mixture until blended. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon mixture into 8 (8-oz.) cups or glasses, filling half full; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze 6 hours to 2 days.

                    

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Hot Buttered Rum Punch and Wassail

If Lil - my darling Lily - were here, she'd walk you through the finer points of wassailing and you'd belly up to the bar, completely charmed, before the night was through. Lily was director of nursing at a teaching hospital in Chicago; she was also instrumental in establishing hospice centers throughout the city. Lily belonged to a community I've come to call the gatekeepers - a special group of people whose training and disposition place them with those about to take the first or last breaths of their lives. It's holy work - they are the faces we see at the beginning and end of life's journey.

Lily was my friend and neighbor and, for a period of time, a gatekeeper for my almost 3 pound baby daughter. She walked and talked me through sleepless nights and miles of worry, but our story had a happy ending - one that was atypical for preemies born all those years ago. Then came another baby girl - this one delivered by 747. She was frightened, malnourished and in braces; one of the first people she'd let hold her was Lil. Unfortunately, Lil never got to see the beautiful and accomplished women "her" babies became. Her pride would measure mine and I must tell you these young women still take my breath away. I can't believe they're mine.

Lily knew how to make Christmas merry. She loved caroling (wassailing) and she wasn't above having a nip now and then. She was very familiar with the tradition of wassailing. As she explained it, wassailers went from door to door, singing and drinking to the health of their neighbors. In pre-Christian times villagers traveled through fields and orchards in the middle of winter, singing and shouting to drive away any spirits that might prevent or slow the growth of future crops. As part of this, they poured wine and cider on the ground to encourage fertility in the crops. Lily thought this was a terrible waste of spirits. During the Victorian era this evolved into the idea of Christmas caroling. Carolers would return home after a night of singing and warm themselves by the fire with a pot of spiced wassail or hot buttered rum. I suspect they slept well. Today's recipes are for a hot buttered rum concentrate that will quench the thirst of the entire neighborhood; the other is for wassail - an elixer for those who are really, really cold or really, really thirsty. They are both very good. I hope you'll give them a try this holiday season. Slainte Mhath, a Mhari!

Hot Buttered Rum Concentrate

Ingredients:
1 pound golden brown sugar
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/2 pound softened, unsalted butter
1 quart French vanilla ice cream
Pick your poison - rum, Irish whiskey etc.
Grated nutmeg for garnish

Directions:
1) Place brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, butter and ice cream in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix, using paddle attachment, to combine. Freeze.
2) When ready to serve, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of frozen mixture into a mug. Add a jigger of rum or whiskey and fill mug with boiling water. Sprinkle top with nutmeg. Yield: 24 to 32 servings.

Lily's Wassail Bowl

Ingredients:
4 small oranges, unpeeled
Whole cloves
3 (12-ounce each) bottles ale
3 cups dark rum
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Stud oranges, at 1/2-inch intervals, with cloves. Place in a shallow pan and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.
3) Place ale, rum, sugar and ginger in a 5 to 6-quart saucepan. Bring just to boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
4) Place hot oranges in a punch bowl. Slowly cover with hot liquid. Ladle into cups. Serve hot. Yield: 15 servings.

Lily's Scottish Toast

The toast is Slainte Mhath! (pronounced Slanjey-va, meaning "Good Health"). The response is Slainte Mhor! (pronounced Slanjey-voe, meaning "Great Health").