FOR ADULTS ONLY: CHOCOLATE-IRISH CREAM PUDDING

I've done two classic, general patronage pudding recipes:  Raisin Pudding and Banana Raisin Pudding.  This time, I'm keeping the recipe simple but more adult because I added Irish Cream, a sweet and creamy liquer with an Irish Whiskey base.

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf    White bread, cubed
3 cups   Fresh milk
1 cup     semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup  Irish Cream (Bailey's)
1/2 cup  Cocoa powder (sweetened)1/2 cup  Muscovado sugar
1/4 cup  All-purpose cream
1 tbsp    Vanilla extract2 tsps    Almond extract
6 pcs     Eggs

TO MAKE

You need 4 bowls to get things started:

In your 1st bowl place the sliced bread (1-inch cubes). You can take out the sides if you want to but I use them since I don't like wasting anything.

In the 2nd bowl, lightly whisk the milk, cream, and liqueur. 

In the 3rd bowl, mix the sugar and and cocoa powder.  Add the sugar/cocoa mixture to the milk/cream/liquer mixture. Make sure to remove lumps.

In the 4th bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the vanilla and almond extract.  Pour this egg mixture to the milk/cream/liquer/sugar/cocoa mixture. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit (162.778 Celsius). Grease a your pan (13 x 9 is recommended).  Place the bread cubes in the pan and pour the mixture over the cubed bread. Gently mix in places where you want the liquid to seep into the bread.  Let it stand for 15 minutes to let the bread absorb the mixture.

Put the pan inside the oven for an hour. 

To check if it's ready, stick a toothpick (or a knife) through the middle. If it comes out clean, then it;s ready. If stuff sticks, then put it back in the oven and check after 3-5 minutes.

I like to serve this pudding warm with a scoop of cold Vanilla ice cream. But if you're preparing this in advance,  you can refrigerate it and serve it cold with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

FOUND: Jack Daniel's Fudge

Here's something I found at the supermarket recently.

If like me, you like to drink your whisky (or whiskey, if you're Irish)with a little cola, you might like this.  It's sweet, soft caramel fudge laced with lots of Jack Daniel's. A whisky purist will probably gag on it. A recovering alcoholic may want to stay away from it.

These days, when I do drink socially, whisky is my poison of choice.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Thompson

This distilled alcoholic beverage is made from fermented mixed milled grain (commonly barley with sorghum, rye or wheat) that is aged in oak casks. It only ages in the cask, where the chemical reaction between the ingredients and the wood mellows the whisky. Most whiskies have 40% alc/vol  which is why a first timer may be overwhelmed by it. 

Here's  some tips how to enjoy your first (or next) glass:

IT'S A GLASS ACT.  Whisky needs room to breathe. Use a wide, tall glass.  Swirl your whisky in the glass or blow gently into the drink. This allows the alcohol to evaporate and the woody scent to surface.

KEEP IT SMALL. The alcohol in the whisky can burn you so it's best to take it in small slow sips so you can savor it and feel the warmth of the alcohol in your tongue. 

SIMPLE PLEASURE. Though these days I drink my whiskey with a bit of cola, the best way to detect the different tones of your whisky is to drink it straight. Coming from a tropical country where it's usually served with ice it's weird to know that the cold can lessen the bite as it mutes some of the flavors.