Guinness Cake

Here is a recipe to start off our St. Patrick's Day preparations:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs - beaten
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup raisins - soaked in Guinness
1 1/3 cup golden raisins - soaked in Guinness
1/4 cup dried cherries - soaked in Guinness
8+ fluid ounces of Guinness - you need a little more to soak the dried fruit.

- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a deep 8 inch cake pan
- Cream the butter and the sugar until the sugar dissolves; beat in the eggs.
- Mix in the flour, salt, apple pie spice and the soaked dried fruit.Stir in the Guinness.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake for approximately 2 hours until firm in the center.

Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie

- From Cook's Illustrated Nov & Dec 2008 issue -

Filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs (3 entire eggs plus 2 yolks)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon table salt

- Whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl.

- Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.

- Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl, using back of ladle or spoon to press solids through strainer (This is a very important step -- do not skip it. It does take time).

- Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven (400 degrees) and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set, 20 to 30 minutes longer (instant thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees). Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

Barack Rolled

So this isn't really a recipe, but edible Obama deserves a link. Stay patriotic, y'all!