On Sunday it’s Easter. But later in the day Mad Men returns with the final episodes of the series. Woot woot! I’m excited to see where the show will go with these final episodes. I can easily see it ending simply with Don Draper sitting in a chair smoking (like in the opening credits) or I can see it going down totally dramatically with big reveals, deaths, and jail. Who knows! Anyway, today’s recipe celebrates the drama, the style, and the boozing of this wonderful show with a twist on Don Draper’s favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned. 

I think Don Draper is an incredible character. He is charismatic, mysterious, and suave. He’s sexy, smart, and he does whatever the hell he wants. But at the same time, he is such a jerk. He’s sometimes selfish, a drunk, a cheater, and he’s tormented by his past. With all of those traits put together, I’m mesmerized by him. I like him, I hate him, I root for him, and I just can’t stop watching him. I need to know what happens next.

However, before getting to the recipe, I have to say Mad Men is not all about Don. The show is full of memorable moments and the cast has some incredible characters – and the women especially are the best. Betty, while not always likable, is one of my fashion favorites. I love her fit and flare dresses and pearl earrings. I aspire to her style. I especially love that she dressed like a sweet, ladylike housewife when in reality she can be cold and ruthless. Peggy’s transformation over the course of the show has been amazing. She starts off all bright eyed with her bouncy ponytail and now she owns a building, has clawed her way up the corporate ladder, and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way. But my favorite bad ass is Joan. She has curves for days, clear opinions on everything, and doesn’t stand for people’s nonsense. All of them smart and awesome in their own way. I want to be a little bit like all of them and I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the final episodes.

Photo from the Gloss

Anyway, you can’t talk about Mad Men without talking about cocktails. There has been all kinds of noteworthy drinks throughout Mad Men, but Don Draper’s favorite cocktail is an Old Fashioned. This is where liquor aficionados are going to disagree with me, but here’s what I know about an Old Fashioned: it has bourbon or whiskey, bitters, a bit of sugar, an orange slice, a maraschino cherry, and a lemon peel or slice. I decided to take those flavors and turn them into a boozy dark chocolate Old Fashioned Cocktail truffle. For me, this is the perfect way to channel my inner Don Draper while enjoying the show.

In preparing this recipe, I did some research about the differences between bourbon and whiskey – and then which one would most be used in an Old Fashioned, and then on top of that what brand would Don Draper drink. I came up with no conclusive results. I found out Don Draper’s favorite whiskey is Canadian Club – but that it’s not necessarily in an Old Fashioned. I found people saying to use Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Maker’s Mark – but then I also found people arguing against each of these liquors. So I asked myself, what would Don Draper do? The answer: whatever he wanted. So I like Jack Daniel’s (because Ryan and I once went to the distillery), so I bought Jack Daniel’s. I’m sorry if that makes you gasp with horror. When you make these, use the type of whiskey or bourbon that you like best.

Fair warning, these truffles are fruitier than an Old Fashioned would be. They taste largely of dark chocolate and orange, with just a hint of cherry flavor, and a finishing kick from the liquor. I used minimal lemon zest in the actual recipe. I just sprinkled a bit in the mix and then put some on my fingers before I rolled the chocolate into balls. This gave it a little bit of a lemony hint without being too much lemon. If you like more lemon then substitute it for some of the orange zest. Like regular cocktails, you can alter this a bit to suit your taste.

So, on Sunday, comb your hair back, put on your 1960’s best, and enjoy the final episodes of Mad Men with this chocolaty treat.

Messy level: Surprisingly messy recipe. Mostly this is easy and straightforward, but when you make the chocolate balls, the chocolate melts in your hand and you will be absolutely covered. There are worse problems than having chocolate covered hands, but it does make it hard to turn on the sink when you want to wash up.

Old Fashioned Cocktail Truffles

 

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Prep time

8 hours 30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

8 hours 45 mins

 

A boozy dark chocolate truffle inspired by the Old Fashioned Cocktail

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 4oz/100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¼ cup/50 g butter, cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons cherry juice (I used juice from the maraschino cherry jar)
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• sprinkle lemon zest
• 2-3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey of your choice
• cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.
2. Place the chocolate and heavy cream into a heat proof bowl. Pop the bowl on top of the pan with simmering water. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl.
3. Heat the chocolate until melted. Mix until everything is smooth and melted.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until it is smooth, shiny, and the butter is melted.
5. Now whisk in the orange zest, cherry juice, liquor and lemon zest. Don't worry about a ton of lemon zest, just grate the lemon a few times over the bowl. Whisk until everything is combined.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a food storage container with a lid. Pop that into the fridge and chill overnight.
7. Once chilled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Remove the chocolate from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, scoop out bits of chocolate. Use your hands to roll the chocolate into balls. (If you want more lemon flavor, zest some more lemons and rub your hands in it before rolling the chocolate. The lemon oils will get on your hands then onto the chocolate)
9. Place the chocolate balls on the lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
10. Sift a bit of cocoa powder into a bowl. Sifting is important to remove big clumps. Roll the chocolate balls into the cocoa.
11. Serve on a plate with napkins in front of the television. Eat - but not too much or you'll be tipsy

3.2.2925

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The reason it’s perfect is because of the balance of tart and sweet. I think it mirrors the opposite ways people feel about this holiday. Some people are very anti-Valentine’s Day and some people love all the decorations, chocolates, and flowers. I’m lucky that Ryan is so accommodating because I both dislike and want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, all at the same time. Yes, I think going out to a fancy dinner is an important thing for couples to do, but why do I have to go out when it’s going to be crowded with an over priced prix fixe menu? So he took me out last week to a place I really really wanted to go, even though it was in Bethesda. And he buys me flowers because even though I don’t want fancy plans, I want pretty red roses that make me feel girly. So, I want it both ways and that’s why citrus squares are perfect.

This dessert isn’t heart shaped, but it is a little pink. It’s sweet, but it’s not chocolate. And it’s tart enough to fly in the face of a traditional Valentine’s Day. Use two forks to make it a romantic treat.

This recipe is adapted from Sweetly Serendipity. You want 1 cup total of citrus juice. You might not get exactly 1/2 cup from 3 blood oranges, or 1/4 cup from one lime, but use a combination of lemons, limes, and oranges and you’ll get enough a juice.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

6 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar (you can add up to 1 cup more if you like it really sweet)
3-4 blood oranges (zest from 3 oranges, and squeeze 1/2 cup of juice)
1 lemon (zest and 1/4 cup of juice)
1-2 lime (zest from 1 lime and 1/4 cup of juice)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Start with the crust. Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. I like to do it for about 2 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then slowly add the flour mixture to the butter. Combine until just mixed.

4. Flour your hands and gather the dough into a rough ball. Place in the center of a 9×13″ baking pan. Use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of the hand. Keep flouring your hands as the dough begins to stick to you.

5. Put in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Use these 20 minutes to zest and juice your oranges, lemon, and limes. You’ll end up with tri-color zest and some gorgeous dark pink juice.

6. Bake the crust for 15-20 minuets, until it is very lightly browned. Take out and let cool for 5 minutes before adding the filling.

7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, and flour. Whisk until it is fully combined.

8. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. My oven runs hot so the filling was set in 25 minutes.

9. Let cool to room temperature and then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Messy level: The messiest part of this recipe is preparing the zest and the juice. I had zest, juice, and seeds everywhere. Part of the reason was that I didn’t give myself enough space to work and I knocked something over, which then hit my little juice, which then spilled everywhere. But it’s also dirty because my hands were covered in sticky juice and the fruit oils. My hands also turned orange from working with so much citrus. The good part though, was the whole apartment ended up smelling like fruit.

The post Citrus Squares appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I found this recipe for orange cranberry muffins on food.com, but I decided to take a risk and change it a bit. First, I used dried cranberries instead of fresh. Second, I decided to put in some fresh orange bits in the muffin. I got this idea from a blood orange cake recipe I made once from Smitten Kitchen. I liked the warm and juiciness of the cooked oranges so I thought I’d try it. But, I was nervous because baking is a science and I was wondering if the juice from the orange ruining the muffin. It all worked out well and it tastes good, so yay for experimenting! I only put in about 3/4 of an orange, because I kept eating pieces, so I think a full orange could work.

Anyway, making this recipe is pretty easy and it’s so quick! The only prep work is chopping the cranberries and zesting the orange. I realized that my mandoline slicer has a grating blade, which makes it so easy to zest! Also, for as much as I bake, flour is NOT my friend. Every time I use flour it gets all over everything in my kitchen, as evidenced by the picture below which shows flour all over the sink and the pots and pains that were drying.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (I used orange flavored ones)

1 egg

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 orange, chopped into tiny pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda

3. In a small bowl beat egg, orange juice, oil, and zest

4. Add cranberries and liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients

5. Stir until just moistened

6. Put mixture into greased muffin cups (or use paper liners). Fill about 3/4 full

7. Bake 15-20 minutes until browned on top

Messy Level: I’ll give this two spoons because I find it hard to neatly get the batter into the muffin pans. Also, because of flour. I always get flour everywhere.

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