Nuts and Buried (27 page)

Makes 4 6-ounce cakes.

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter plus more for buttering ramekins

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 whole eggs plus one tsp. Garrison's Bourbon—for a taste of Texas

2 large egg yolks

¼ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

3 tbsps. all-purpose flour

Chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Butter and lightly flour four 6-oz. ramekins. Tap out excess flour. Set ramekins on a baking sheet.

In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt butter with the chocolate.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, bourbon, brown sugar, and salt at high speed until thick and pale.

Add melted chocolate mixture and flour to egg mixture and fold together.

Spoon batter evenly into ramekins and bake for 10 minutes until cakes are set and puffed over the edges of ramekins.

Let the cakes set a minute or two. Hold hot ramekins with dishtowel over a dessert plate. If they don't come right out run a knife around the edges.

Serve with sweet whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Don't forget the chopped pecans on top.

The girls call this “A cake to make the gruffest cowboy howl at the moon.”

Makes 10 servings.

3½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1¾ cups Garrison's Bourbon

¾ cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups butter

1 lb. dark brown sugar

6 eggs

2 lbs. chopped pecans

7 oz. pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an angel food cake pan.

Sift flour, baking powder, and nutmeg together in bowl.

In a small bowl, mix ¾ cup bourbon milk and vanilla together.

In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter until smooth and creamy.

Beat in brown sugar until mix is fluffed up.

Add eggs to the mix, beating one in at a time.

Beat flour mix and milk/bourbon mix into the large bowl, small amounts at a time.

With wooden spoon, stir chopped pecans into batter. Transfer batter to angel food cake pan.

Cover pan with foil and bake 1 hour 40 minutes.

Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.

Let cake cool before removing from pan. Pierce the cake with a fork and pour 1 cup bourbon over the cake.

Decorate with pecan halves and
serve.

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