Recently, I kept seeing and hearing about people roasting chickens in a beer can. Somewhat skeptical, I finally decided we needed to try it out for ourselves. Why not combine two of my favorite things! I designed my menu around the roasted chicken but I’d say the overall theme is Southern comfort (not the liquor you one-track minders) food with a twist. Hope you guys enjoy!
Heather - I was really excited to try out the famous beer-can chicken but we had a couple of technical difficulties in the cooking process. First, propping up the chicken so the wings were tucked back was easier said than done. Once I placed the chicken on top of the beer can, it was nearly impossible getting it to stand up straight and some of the beer mixture spilled out into the roasting pan. Finally, the roasting times were slightly skewed and we had to cook it 20 minutes longer than the recipe stated. All in all, it turned out good, very moist, but I was disappointed with the lack of beer flavor. I would try this again, perhaps with a different recipe.
K: Thumbs down… next time I want a whole chicken I’ll buy it pre-made at the grocery store. Too much effort for me.
N: Thumbs sideways – moist chicken, but the process was a bit tricky. Maybe we need to use a bigger beer can?
R: Thumbs sideways - I think our issue with the chicken spilling over at the beginning may have made a difference here. I’ll try it again!
H: Thumbs sideways – I would try a different recipe.
Creamed Spinach Casserole (Courtesy of Lowcarbeating.com)
Nicole - I love spinach, and since I had never prepared it any other way than in salads or sautéeing I was looking forward to this recipe. It did not disappointment, and I would definitely make this again.
K: Thumbs up, but I think this would be better as a dip than a side (a delicious one at that)
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up – Yummy but made me want to dip bread in it. Maybe a little less cream cheese next time to make it creamier?
H: Thumbs up – This was really creamy and would be perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish.
Triple Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole (Courtesy of Good Housekeeping)
Heather - This recipe sounded like it would be really decadent but it just didn’t do it for me. For whatever reason, even with the three cheeses, the dish lacked something. Plus, it was overly salty even for my tastes. I would have preferred some good ol’ garlic mashed potatoes over these.
K: Thumbs sideways, slightly salty…but who doesn’t enjoy any type of mashed potato!
N: Thumbs sideways
R: Thumbs down - Even with three cheeses, I need more!
H: Thumbs down
Cornbread bites (Courtesy of Cooking Light)
Heather - I was really excited to try out the famous beer-can chicken but we had a couple of technical difficulties in the cooking process. First, propping up the chicken so the wings were tucked back was easier said than done. Once I placed the chicken on top of the beer can, it was nearly impossible getting it to stand up straight and some of the beer mixture spilled out into the roasting pan. Finally, the roasting times were slightly skewed and we had to cook it 20 minutes longer than the recipe stated. All in all, it turned out good, very moist, but I was disappointed with the lack of beer flavor. I would try this again, perhaps with a different recipe.
K: Thumbs down… next time I want a whole chicken I’ll buy it pre-made at the grocery store. Too much effort for me.
N: Thumbs sideways – moist chicken, but the process was a bit tricky. Maybe we need to use a bigger beer can?
R: Thumbs sideways - I think our issue with the chicken spilling over at the beginning may have made a difference here. I’ll try it again!
H: Thumbs sideways – I would try a different recipe.
Creamed Spinach Casserole (Courtesy of Lowcarbeating.com)
Nicole - I love spinach, and since I had never prepared it any other way than in salads or sautéeing I was looking forward to this recipe. It did not disappointment, and I would definitely make this again.
K: Thumbs up, but I think this would be better as a dip than a side (a delicious one at that)
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up – Yummy but made me want to dip bread in it. Maybe a little less cream cheese next time to make it creamier?
H: Thumbs up – This was really creamy and would be perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish.
Triple Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole (Courtesy of Good Housekeeping)
Heather - This recipe sounded like it would be really decadent but it just didn’t do it for me. For whatever reason, even with the three cheeses, the dish lacked something. Plus, it was overly salty even for my tastes. I would have preferred some good ol’ garlic mashed potatoes over these.K: Thumbs sideways, slightly salty…but who doesn’t enjoy any type of mashed potato!
N: Thumbs sideways
R: Thumbs down - Even with three cheeses, I need more!
H: Thumbs down
Cornbread bites (Courtesy of Cooking Light)
Kristin - I was skeptical to begin with since I don’t normally do cornbread. The consistency of the recipe was off…slightly runny…but the flavor was good. There was even some kick to it! I would make again.
K: Thumbs up
N: Thumbs up – Good flavor and texture once cooked longer.
R: Thumbs down - The bites seemed undercooked but the idea was good.
H: Thumbs down – These were soggy even after cooking them for extra time.
Basil Vinaigrette (Courtesy of Allrecipes.com)
Kristin – This sounds delicious from the title. If I were to make again I would add a lot more vinegar and less oil.
K: Thumbs down
N: Thumbs sideways – I agree with the Heather, and more vinegar would make it better.
R: Thumbs down - We did a lot of improvising to this one, and it still came out oily.
H: Thumbs down – This dressing was super oily. I like my vinaigrettes to be pretty acidic so this just didn’t do it for me.
Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting (Courtesy of Williams Sonoma Entertaining )
K: Thumbs up
N: Thumbs up – Good flavor and texture once cooked longer.
R: Thumbs down - The bites seemed undercooked but the idea was good.
H: Thumbs down – These were soggy even after cooking them for extra time.
Basil Vinaigrette (Courtesy of Allrecipes.com)
Kristin – This sounds delicious from the title. If I were to make again I would add a lot more vinegar and less oil.
K: Thumbs down
N: Thumbs sideways – I agree with the Heather, and more vinegar would make it better.
R: Thumbs down - We did a lot of improvising to this one, and it still came out oily.
H: Thumbs down – This dressing was super oily. I like my vinaigrettes to be pretty acidic so this just didn’t do it for me.
Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting (Courtesy of Williams Sonoma Entertaining )
Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sweetened shredded dried coconut
Frosting
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 lb cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups sweetened shredded dried coconut
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13 inch pan with parchment paper. Lightly butter the parchment and the sides of the pan. Dust with flour.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the milk and coconut and vanilla extracts. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the coconut. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan, about one hour.
Meanwhile, make the frosting:
In a bowl, using the mixer on medium-high speed, whip together the cream and 1/2 cup of the confectioners sugar until stiff peaks form, about two minutes. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, fold the cream cheese mixture into the whip cream. Fold in the coconut extract. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
To assemble, run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the pan, then invert it onto a work surface. Lift off the pan and parchment. Cut the cake in half lengthwise. Transfer one half to a serving platter. Spread one third of the frosting over the top and sprinkle with one-third of the coconut. Carefully place the second rectangle on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Press the remaining coconut evenly over the top and sides f the cake, covering completely. Cut into thick slices to serve.
Rissa - Up until this year, I thought I wasn’t a fan of coconut, but I’ve definitely taken a liking to it lately. This dessert topped it off. The cake part was nice and fluffy and the frosting was just great. Not too much coconut, which I was concerned about. Heck - I might add even more in the cake if I wanted next time! And the frosting was just right as well. Took a few minutes to whip the cream of course, but it’s worth it. It’s a classic recipe that I would definitely make again. Next time I’ll do the double layer thing to make it look like a big snowball. J
K: Thumbs up
N: Thumbs up – delish! We ate it hot because we didn’t have time to let it cool, and I thought that made it taste even better.
R: Thumbs up.
H: Thumbs up – This was one of the best coconut cakes I’ve ever tried. I brought the leftovers to work and they were devoured!
Posts
