Have you ever been to a casino? As you walk in on the soft carpeted flooring with flashing slot machines and dizzying roulette tables beckoning you seductively to come sit by them and pop in coins and bet the night away, you succumb to the mysterious charms of the ‘big win’ and either walk away with empty pockets or a smug wad of notes. Now imagine if you had unlimited amount of cash on you and you were allowed to walk-in and walk-out at any given time without anybody questioning or stopping you, what would you do?
Well for starters, I am sure you would not bother to come out of there and get sucked into the dangerous world of free money and more free money – a win-win situation.
Life is one big casino and – wait for it – with unlimited amounts of cash at your disposal. You step into this world of one big gamble and play along relentlessly, winning some, losing except for a lull once in a while, but in life the game goes on and on. When I say life is one big gamble, I don’t mean the intricacies of betting all and sundry in one shot (that would be suicide, literally). No. I mean that with every part of your life since you were born that is from the time you take your first step (yes, the very same ‘hold onto the coffee table edge, daring to let go and flump onto your sorry ass’. And you would do it again and again till your gangly baby steps in the arms of a proud mother would be your first smart move to ‘stand up’ and face the world) to awaiting with bated breath your final grad year results to the countless choices you need to make to choose your path of career and finally selecting one (only to realize you have taken a different path altogether), to the countless (ok, maybe few tens) choices in the opposite sex and finally settling with ‘the one’. All in all, don’t you think is one BIG gamble?
Observe closely into life and span it over the years, it has and always will be one big test in which your constant endeavour is to beat all odds and strive to excel in everything you do. You sometimes lose it all, but if you are strong enough you continue playing different odds till you end up victorious. This is what precedes success.
There are many who (and will) fail in the gamble of life. I still don’t understand why people give up so easily? It is very clear that when you enter this realm you have unlimited cash (read: talent, gumption, drive, desire etc. and not the materialistic kind, mind you) and it’s been bestowed upon you to stick in there and play on till you land up winning. So wouldn’t you agree that this simple formula is all out there for you to achieve only one thing – a win?
Many well wishers suggested in my professional years to take up food in any way possible. Open up a restaurant, become a chef, work in the hospitality world and so on. The odd thing was I pursued a completely different career path which resulted in a corporate job, dabbling in a typical 9 to 5 (or wait 9 to 9) and kept food on the back burner. One fine day I just gave up my career with a kick in the rear and focused my energies on food. It did not come easy, but the desire to trudge in a world which was familiar to me but not vice versa got me to where I am today. This was a gamble well worth the shot (of course, it would not have been possible without the influences of certain people), and today I get to do and keep what I call my first love and it’s a win-win all the way.
I have grown not only as a person but in my talents too, I tend to absorb other peoples enthusiasm and expertise whenever I meet someone of calibre. Over the years I have met countless talents in the food world and all they do is allow me to feed off their enthusiasm and hand over expensive tokens which I get to play around with (for free). I have learnt to be innovative and experiment with boundless energy when it comes to my kitchen. This time I beat all odds by tweaking a typically delicate and much loved delight – the cupcake. Tired and bored of mushy cupcakes with pretty, lacy and colourful adornments, I needed to get sleazy with the recipe and man it up a bit. This little experiment of mine gets the cupcake drunk with beer in the batter and bourbon to saddle up. I urge most men to try this out for their better halves this valentine and give your love an extra something to think about.
Beer Cupcakes with Caramel Bourbon Glaze
Ingredients
For Beer Cupcakes
- 1 cup Butter (and an extra spoon for greasing)
- 2½ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup pilsner beer
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
Cupcake Moulds
For Caramel Bourbon Glaze
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Butter
- 14 cup Cream
- ¼ cup Bourbon
- Water
For the beer cupcake batter
Preheat the oven to 180C and proceed to butter a about a dozen cupcake moulds. Dust with flour and keep aside.
In a medium bowl sieve and combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a small saucepan heat butter and add beer over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the sugar and using a wire whisk, beat until fluffy and soft peaks form. Gently pour in the butter-beer mix with the buttermilk and continue whisking briefly. Gradually mix in flour and beat lightly. At this stage, ensure you do not over beat.
Pour batter into prepared moulds and bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool 30 minutes and then peel off from the moulds onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Caramel Bourbon Glaze
Place the sugar in the middle of a heavy bottomed pan shaped like a mound. Pour water around the mound just to cover the base of the sugar mound and start up the heat to a medium high. Heat without stirring till the sugar starts melting, turn up the heat and wait till the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble.
Turn down the heat to a medium and now stir till the sugar starts turning a golden brown. Immediately add the butter, the mix will start smoking but instantly cool down. Swirl and mix well till well incorporated. Continue cooking till it turns a nice shade of brown and remove from heat. Finally add the cream while the mix is still hot, again it will start bubbling but settle down to a final sizzle. Mix well to get a beautiful caramel color, stir in the bourbon. And keep aside
To proceed, spoon and brush over the caramel bourbon glaze on the cooled cupcakes. Serve up.
Nonchalant Note:
Experiment with different beers like wheat beers to get that burst of earthiness into the cupcakes. Add pieces of candied rinds of citrus fruits or grate some nutmeg to give it a festive feel.
The next time life throws lemons at you… just keep in mind the fruit machine and hope that those lemons line up and give you the jackpot of your dreams.
