Each year Valentine’s Day seems to come more quickly than the last. This year is no exception!

You know how I love to share my newest favorite recipes for special occasions, so I’m excited about sharing some “gifts from the heart” with you. That means special homemade edibles, and it all starts with a salted caramel sauce flavored with bourbon whiskey.

Truth be told, I’m always up to try something new in my world, and when the folks at Wyoming Whiskey offered to send me a bottle of their small batch bourbon whiskey from their family owned distillery in Kirby, Wyoming, it was a yes for me. Do check out their site – it’s a heart-warming, historic place to discover “Wyoming, family, and whiskey”. You’ll find doable, delicious recipes and some unique foodie and other products, as well.

I took one of my favorite salted caramel sauces and switched out maple syrup for the bourbon whiskey, and added a split vanilla bean to the sauce as it cooked.

Oh my gosh, the whiskey lent a complexity to the sauce with just a hint of spice, and the vanilla bean smoothed it all out.

Well, I couldn’t wait to share that recipe with you, coupled with 2 fabulous “go withs” for a sweet finale to a Valentine’s Day dinner: Pressed chocolate cake in a pool of this caramel sauce, and my white chocolate macadamia nut bread pudding. Serve that warm from the oven with a drizzle of the caramel sauce.

Now if what you want to do is give the salted whiskey flavored caramel sauce as a jarred gift, that’s OK, too. Gussy the jar up with a red ribbon alongside a gift certificate for a container of gourmet ice cream.

If your Valentine is a fan of bread pudding, this golden caramel with its subtle hint of vanilla and whiskey is just the ticket for drizzling on top of white chocolate macadamia nut bread pudding.

SALTED BOURBON WHISKEY CARAMEL SAUCE 

If you need to sub in vanilla extract for the vanilla bean, add it when you add the bourbon.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup whipping cream, unwhipped

1 vanilla bean, sliced in half 

1/3 cup Wyoming Whiskey

Flaky salt to taste 

Instructions

Put butter in 2 quart nonstick saucepan over medium heat and cook until melted.

Pour in brown sugar slowly, whisking constantly until well mixed and melty. It will look grainy. That’s OK.

Pour in cream, whisking constantly. 

Add vanilla bean.
Bring to gentle boil and cook, whisking occasionally, for several minutes, until it’s to your liking, thickness wise. This took about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in whiskey.

Remove vanilla bean but don’t toss out. Rinse well, let dry and then put in a jar of granulated sugar to flavor the sugar!

Stir in salt to taste.

Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 weeks, and warm before using if sauce is too thick. 

Yield: 1 generous cup

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT BREAD PUDDING

Oh this is so good, warm, room temperature or chilled. 

Ingredients

5-6 oz. (about 4 cups) quality bread, cut into 1/2” cubes – about 4 cups

4 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups half & half or whole milk

1/2 cup salted macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.  

Coat a shallow or 2 quart casserole with nonstick spray. Place bread in casserole.  

Beat together eggs, vanilla, sugar, and half & half.  Pour over bread.  

Sprinkle nuts and chips on top.  Push with spoon to coat with custard. Let sit about 15 minutes for bread to absorb custard.  

Bake 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden.  

Serves 8.

PRESSED CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM CAPRI

Ingredients

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 eggs, separated

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray, line bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the base of the bowl. Let cool a bit. 

Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. 

Add sugar and cocoa powder and blend well. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. 

Fold into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake approximately 30 minutes, or until cake has risen like a soufflé and is slightly set. 

Remove from oven and place on top a plate that fits exactly inside the pan, press down firmly, and weight it. (I use a 14.5 oz can tomatoes).

Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then unmold by removing the plate and turning the cake out upside down on a cooling rack. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

Disclosure: The recipes, opinions and comments are my own.