Bourbon Mascarpone Mousse

My blessed husband braved the two inches of snow Louisville got today and returned with arms full of produce and cheese.  He's now in our kitchen whipping up this creamy, deceptively simple dessert.

8 oz mascarpone cheese
scant 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a sprinkle of nutmeg to taste
1/2-3/4 shot of your good stuff (you'll really taste the bourbon in this recipe)

Put all ingredients in your food processor and pulse once to combine.  Scrape down the sides and pulse again.  Scraping makes sure the mixture doesn't separate. Make sure not to overbeat the mixture.  It breaks.  Delicious, but clumpy.

If it needs additional creaminess, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.  (NB: this won't resolve the clumping.)  Spoon into dessert dishes and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes and serve with fresh strawberries, chocolate dessert wafers, or just a spoon!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon and Spices

I love sweet potatoes.  It's like having dessert with dinner.  I made these to go with a bison flank steak, with plenty of leftovers for tonight!  The bourbon enhances the cinnamon and nutmeg, without being overpowering.

Five sweet potatoes
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 c. milk
1/2 shot (.75 oz.) bourbon

Rinse sweet potatoes and brush potatoes liberally with olive oil.  Pierce each side with fork.  Place on a cookie sheet, in 350 degree oven.  Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes.  Potatoes are done when pierced easily with a fork.  Remove potatoes from oven and cool.

When cooled, peel potatoes and place in large mixing bowl.  Add other ingredients and beat until well-incorporated.  Mix in bourbon.

***My potatoes were particularly stringy, so hitting them with an immersion blender took most of the stringiness out.

Grilled Late Summer Peaches with Bourbon Spice Caramel

Okay, before any of my pickier readers start showering abuse, this is not a true caramel sauce.  It's a caramel-ish sauce, but that title just didn't have the same zip.

Four peaches, pitted, peeled, and split in half.
1.5 c. bourbon - I used Weller's because of its strong cherry and vanilla notes.  It's a bear to drink, but perfect for cooking.
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
vanilla ice cream

Sprinkle the peaches with sugar and let stand for 15-20 minutes.  Place them flat-side down over coals until peaches are a light caramel cover on the grilled side.  (Thanks to my hubs for the grilling instructions.)

While the peaches are cooling, heat bourbon over medium-high heat.  Don't forget, alcohol boils twice as quickly as water, so keep an eye on it.  It'll boil over quickly if not watched.  Dissolve the sugar in the bourbon and add the spices.  Reduce by roughly one third, until slightly thickened. 

Remove from the heat and cool slightly. 

Spoon over the peaches and ice cream and enjoy!

Bourbon-Laced Cinnamon Strawberries with Bourbon Whipped Cream

So, so easy and elegant.  This can be thrown together just before dinner and served as a great mid-summer dessert! (I'm a little late on this, but I'll repost next summer, too!)

Ingredients:
Serves ~6
One pound of strawberries, topped and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
One shot (1.5 fl oz) good quality bourbon

Mix first four ingredients in medium sized bowl. When incorporated, pour bourbon over strawberries and put in fridge for 45 minutes.

Whipped cream:
1 c. heavy whipping cream (Hey, I never said it was low-fat.)
Sugar to taste - Extra fine if you've got it, but I usually only have granulated which also works.
1/2 shot (.75 fl oz.) good quality bourbon.

Pour cream in stand mixer and turn on medium.  When cream starts to thicken slightly and hold its shape, gradually add sugar (I usually add about a Tbs.)  When cream forms soft peaks, drizzle in bourbon.  Mix until cream forms stiff peaks.  DO NOT OVERMIX, or you'll make bourbon butter.  We'll save that for another week!

For plating, I like to use white dessert dishes and dust the bottoms with cinnamon and freshly-grated nutmeg.  The white makes a nice palate for the colors and smelling the spices really enhances the experience.  Spoon the strawberries into the dishes and add a generous dollop of whipped cream!