Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

What happens when you take this recipe and add this recipe and add some rum? You get a darn good drink. Horchata is rice and almonds soaked overnight, blenderized, and then chilled. Why not add a little rum - what could possibly go wrong? They did it in this  month's issue of Cooking Light. I can definitely see this as a cocktails on the veranda sort of drink come summer. I did add the cinnamon stick to the soaking session. I'm not sure that it was needed since I added the burnt cinnamon simple syrup. Rum Horchata (Adapted from Martha Stewart ) 6T long grain rice, buzzed in a blender 1 1/4 c blanched almonds 1 cinnamon stick 4 1/2 cup water, divided 3/4 c sugar (or to taste) 1/4 c burnt cinnamon simple syrup In a bowl mix rice, almonds, cinnamon stick and 2 1/2 c of warm water. Let sit overnight. Discard cinnamon stick and add mixture to the blender.  Blend until smooth and no longer gritty. Mix in 3/4 c sugar into 2 c warm water. You might want to microwav...

Well it's getting to be ice cream season (at least the weekend was). It's hard to believe after all that cold weather this winter that I would ever be interested in eating anything cold ever again. But then....I made the burnt cinnamon simple syrup and it got me to thinking... Burnt Cinnamon Ice Cream 2 c heavy cream 2 c milk 1 vanilla bean 3 egg yolks 1/4 c sugar 1/4 c brown sugar 1/4 c burnt cinnamon simple syrup * Split vanilla bean down the middle with a sharp knife. Heat heavy cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a saucepan until boiling - not a rolling boil - just bubbles at the edge.  Remove from heat. Mix 3 egg yolks with sugars in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the heated cream into the yolk mixture to temper the yolks. Add egg yolks mixture to the cream and heat to 160. Remove from heat. Place saucepan in ice bath to cool mixture quickly. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and mix into ice cream mixture.  Pour mixture into cont...

The NY Times Magazine section did a piece on cocktails about two weeks ago and one was calling me- Rhum Agricole Daiquiri . What attracted me here (well besides the cocktail aspect) was the Burnt Cinnamon Simple Syrup. It was easy enough to make, as are most simple syrups, but it was the potential uses.  I started thinking not only daiquiris but why not with Applejack? Apples, burnt cinnamon sounds like a winner to me. Or how about a nice hot cider, with a little rum, and the simple syrup (Guess I'll have to wait until the fall for the cider). On the non-alcohol side-why not use it to moisten a sponge cake - wouldn't that give it an interesting flavor? Or what about a burnt cinnamon ice cream? Now first for the burning of the cinnamon - it felt a little like I was doing a cleanse to ward off evil spirits. I think that is usually done with sage but if cinnamon works too - so be it. The recipe recommended using a small creme brulee torch to burn the cinnamon sticks - like you d...