Thank the Fucking Force—2017 is over!

After seeing Star Wars The Last Jedi twice over the holiday season, we’ve decided to take a lesson from our beloved Carrie Fisher and not give a fuck what people think and just say what’s on our minds. We’ve loved Carrie since we were kids but it’s only been in the last 12 months since her death that we’ve discovered what a bad ass she really was.

2017 has been a year of sticking our heads in the sand. No blog posts. No tweets. A few instagrams. And a lot of alcohol. The 2016 election sucked ass (and not in a good way). Then with the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds we just couldn’t face the world. Our funk went deeper and deeper. Even with three trips to Hawaii we still couldn’t bring ourselves out of being depressed. It seemed like nothing would get better and the world would end in a giant nuclear war.

It wasn’t as bad as we were expecting. The stock market didn’t crash, North Korea didn’t launch any missles at the U.S. (directly), and women (and men) we’re finally given a platform to discuss the rampant problem of sexual harassment and abuse without being brushed to the side by the same men that are the problem. Of course, we still have the predator in chief in the White House and a bunch of white privileged men controlling congress, but as 2017 ends there seems to be a light of hope with the coming of 2018.

As for food—since this is a food blog—our food habits have changed for the better since starting this blog. We turned vegan last September in 2017 and then gave up alcohol in November, which our bodies have thanked us for doing, especially our livers. We started with a 30-day vegan challenge and found after a week that the challenge turned out to be not only easy but enjoyable and cheap. Food tastes better. Intestinal issues are all cleared up. We have more energy and we’re exercising more. It’s amazing what a little positive change in one’s life can do to create a snowball effect. In 2018 we plan to reduce the amount of sugar and caffenine we consume and exercise even more than we do now. Maybe they’re the same resolutions as everyone else, but when you start with just one, it’s easy to add another one after a month or two.

We’ll do our best to write more posts and recipes. At least one a week. We’ll also try to include humor in our posts, the occasional political rant, and maybe a reference or two to a movie we love. We’ll also be tweeting and instagraming a lot more but we left facebook last year with no regrets. That shit takes too much time anyway. We’ll leave FB to our mothers to enjoy. [Note: our mothers have never read one of our blogs.]

For our first recipe of 2018 we turn back to Star Wars The Last Jedi. Spoiler: there’s a scene where Luke milks some creature and then drinks the green liquid, most of which goes down his beard, as Rey looks at him in disgust. We’re not attempting to make any green milk product here, although hemp seed milk does sound interesting. Instead here’s our version of cashew milk. Better tasting than store bought nut milk and regular cow’s milk. If Luke only had cashews on his island he wouldn’t have to drink that green stuff.

So, Cheers and May the Force Kick Some Ass in 2018!

Cashew Milk

A high speed blender like Vitamix makes the job easy, but any blender will work if you blend it long enough, I think.

3/4 cup cashews (soaked overnight covered with water and a pinch of salt)

3 1/2 cups filtered water

Optional: 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Drain the soaked cashews. Add them to the blender along with 2 cups of water. Blend for a minute or two until smooth. Add the rest of the water and maple syrup if using. Blend until combined, just a few seconds. If the milk isn’t smooth enough for you, strain through a fine mesh stained. Use as you normally would regular milk. Keeps for at least 3-4 days or longer in the back of the fridge where it’s coldest.

Double Rye Brownies

Brownies are omni-season treats, perfect for the lunch box as well as the holiday desert buffet. Chocolatey and usually dense and chewy, the brownie comes in as many varieties as there are enthusiasts who bake them. For the originalists, the genesis brownie likely hailed from Chicago and consisted of butter, semisweet chocolate, cake flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, and crushed walnuts. They were finished with apricot glaze and refrigerated. The brownie was allegedly created at the request of one Mrs. Bertha Palmer who asked the chef of the Palmer House Hotel to make a cake-like treat she and other ladies visiting the Colombian Exhibition could cary with them without getting messy. Considering the time (we’re talking 1890s), Mrs. Palmer and her lady friends likely wore gloves. So it’s hard to imagine a hand-held chocolate brownie with sticky glaze fitting the bill, but who are we to judge?

Our take on the brownie packs a big bold wallop of rye flavor from whisky and flour. We start by soaking cocoa nibs in Bulleit Rye whisky for about a week. The softened cocoa nibs are strained out and used to top off the batter where they retain the delicious, boozy flavor of the rye in spite of the heat of the oven. Rye flour add complexity and deepens the flavor of the dark roasted chocolate. And to guild the lily, we top the brownies with a cocoa crumble before they go into the oven, so every bite has a little crunch.

We use brown sugar and granulated sugar to deepen the brownies’ flavor as they cook and their edges caramelize. Baking brownies individually in mini-muffin or cupcake tins ensures every bite includes both the soft, chewy center of a rich brownie and the crunchy edge that brownies in the center of the pan never develop. They’re also much easier to pick up and eat then those Mrs. Palmer and her lady friends ate.

We served the bites along with Bourbon Apple Blondies (post to come soon) at the 2016 Whiskeyfest in San Francisco at the Bulliet Bourbon Booth. They’re the perfect brownie bite! Or at least we think so.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Double Rye Brownies with Crumb topping
yield 24

Cacao Nibs and Rye
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tablespoons Bulleit Rye

Crumb Topping
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup rye flour
1/8 cup cacao nibs, (drained from the cacao nib and rye concoction)
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Brownies
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons or less Bulleit Rye, (from cacao nib and Rye concoction)
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), chopped
3/4 cups rye flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cocoa Nib Rye:
Soak cacao nibs in rye for at least a day and up to a week.

Crumble:
Whisk granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, rye flour, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Work in butter with your fingers to form large clumps.there should be no dry spots. Cover and chill.
Do ahead: Crumble can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Brownies:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and sift cocoa over small muffin tins.

Using a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a saucepan containing an inch of simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch the water), melt the butter and chocolate, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula. Add the rye whisky and sea salt. Let cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk together rye flour, cocoa, and baking powder.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Beat in flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared mini pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with crumb top and bake until brownies are mostly firm, but with a very slight wobble in the center, about 13-15 minutes. (Note that a tester inserted in the center will not come out clean.) Let cool in pan 3 minutes before removing.

Allow the brownies to cool completely before devouring.