Q. Now that Christmas is approaching, I’m looking for a recipe for Irish whiskey cake.
— Mary McErlean, Elk Grove Village
A. This recipe, which appeared in the Tribune in 1985, credited Robert “Butch” McQuire’s family recipe baked by Newman Bakery in Addison. Although the recipe calls for Irish whiskey, any whiskey can be used.
Irish whiskey cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
6 tablespoons each: Irish whiskey, milk
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Whiskey syrup:
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
6 to 8 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. For the cake, heat whiskey and milk in a medium saucepan to boil. Remove from heat; stir in raisins, brown sugar, butter and oil until butter melts. Transfer to large bowl; cool until warm.
2. Stir in eggs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg. Stir in flour and pecans just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Poke holes in top of cake with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, for syrup, combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in whiskey. Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still warm; let stand until cool. Wrap well in plastic wrap. Cake tastes best if allowed to mellow a day or more.
Nutrition information:
289 calories, 43% of calories from fat, 11 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 279 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
Q. What can I do with pecan meal? I have six cups of it.
–Pinkie Christensen, Glenview
A. Sometimes referred to as pecan flour, pecan meal can be used as a dessert topping, or breading in crusts and cookies. Suzanne Towers, owner of Delta Pecan Orchard, a pecan farm in Tutwiler, Miss., recommends using pecan meal as a breading for chicken or fish. She also suggests sprinkling pecan meal over ice cream desserts.
In the test kitchen we replaced flour with pecan meal for a simple crust for sweet potato pie by combining 2 cups of pecan meal, 4 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. After pressing the mixture into tart pans (a 9-inch pie pan also would work), the crust was chilled 30 minutes before filling. The result was a delicious soft crust with a bonus for those with health concerns: It’s gluten free. Look for more recipes at deltapecan.com.
Because nut meal can quickly become rancid, unused pecan meal is best stored in the freezer in airtight bags.
Q. When purchasing eggs, there is sometimes a “sell by” date, an expiration date and a “use by” date. How are these different? Please tell me how to judge the freshness of eggs in a carton.
–Theresia Klos, Chicago
A. Laws vary by state regarding egg safety standards. Suzanne Moss, egg program manager with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said that “sell by” and expiration dates are the same in Illinois. Both refer to the final date–30 days after being graded, sized and packed–that eggs can be sold in stores.
Look for a three-digit number (known as the Julian date) on all USDA-graded eggs; this number indicates the numeric day of the year that the eggs were packed in the carton. So, for example, cartons packed on Jan. 1 will be marked 001; the numbering continues to 365 for those packed on Dec. 31.
Thus, eggs packed and graded on Dec. 12 will be marked 346 and will reach expiration and sell-by dates after 30 days, or on Jan. 11.
Rose Acre Farms, an egg farm based in Seymour, Ind., provides a Julian chart on its Web site, roseacre.com, where the company explains its new policy of stamping each egg with a “use by” date. The use-by date figures 15 additional days for eggs after they have been sold–so 45 days after the eggs are graded, sized and packed. This is several weeks sooner than guidelines specified by the American Egg Board.
“We’re the only people in the Midwest stamping eggs directly,” said Victor Rigterink, executive vice president of egg processing at Rose Acre. “Consumers think it’s a great idea.”
Elisa Maloberti, consumer information coordinator with the American Egg Board, says there’s no physical way for a consumer to tell if an egg has spoiled. Because expiration dates are determined by retailers and distributors, she says it’s best to refer to the carton’s Julian date.
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Got a question for the test kitchen? Send it to: Test Kitchen Connection, Chicago Tribune Good Eating section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, or send an e-mail to ctc-goodeating@tribune.com or fax a letter to 312-755-0212. Please include your name and a daytime phone number. We cannot answer questions individually, but will research selected requests.
