HOT BUTTERED RUM

Hot Buttered Rum Baked Apples, Serves 6

6 medium apples 12 tablespoons brown sugar Dash of VE apple pie spice Dash of VE ginger (optional) 3 tbsp butter 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped 1 cup raisins 2 or more cups water, boiling 1 tbsp VE Hot Buttered Rum mix

Wash and core apples; place apples in baking dish. Cover bottom of baking dish with boiling water; fill each apple cavity with 2 tablespoons sugar, dash of apple pie spice and ginger and 1/2 Tbs butter. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 375 degrees or until apples are soft. Baste occasionally with liquid in pan. When apples are done, remove them; pour remaining liquid into a saucepan; add raisins and nuts and hot buttered rum mix. Gently boil until syrup thickens. Pour over apples. Serve hot or cold with whipped cream.

Struesel Pumpkin Pie,

2/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp VE Cinnamon 1/4 tsp VE Sea Salt 1/2 tsp VE Ginger 1/4 tsp VE Nutmeg 1 tsp VE Orange Extract 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup milk 1/4 tsp VE Vanilla

Mix together brown sugar & spices. Blend in Eggs. Stir in Pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Fill a 9 inch pie shell or tart shells. Top with Struesel Topping made from 1/3 cup flour, and 1/2 jar of VE Hot Buttered Rum Mix, and 1/2 tsp VE Cinnamon. Blend together with pastry blender until fine pellets and sprinkle over pie or tarts. Bake for 20-25 mins. at 375 degrees. Cool and serve.

General Ideas,
Sticky Buns - Use Hot Butter Rum Mix when making sticky buns Use it for struesel topping for apple pie, Apple Crumble Topping - mix flour and rum (oatmeal optional) Ice Cream Topping - Melt hot rum mix to drizzle on ice cream or pie. Make apple muffins and crumble hot rum mix on top for a sticky glazed muffin Tapioca or Rice Pudding Sauce Heat equal parts Rum Mix with water in the microwave Toss pecans or nuts of your choice with melted Hot Buttered Rum Mix and bake in oven for 5 mins or so. Watch so they dont burn. Top baked squash with Hot Buttered Rum Mix.

Carmel corn,
6 cups unsalted popcorn 3 Tbsp Hot Buttered Rum 1 Tbs. Butter Melt rum mixture with butter. Toss in your popcorn and wait for the raves. This would be great to have on hand over the holidays. (I like to bake it a few minutes to crunch it up)

Raisin Tart, , Serves 6 to 8

1 cup raisins 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum 3 cups half-and-half Pinch of salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 to 2 VE vanilla beans, slit lengthwise 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Basic Tart Crust (recipe follows) 1 large egg, blended with a fork 1 large egg, blended with a fork Hot Buttered Rum Sauce (recipe follows)

Soak the raisins in the rum overnight. Place the half-and-half, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the mixture, add the beans, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, and let the vanilla beans steep for at least 1 hour or until the mixture cools to room temperature. Beat the yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar using an electric mixer until thick and pale lemon in color. Mix in the flour. Reheat the half-and-half mixture, and discard the vanilla beans. Gradually beat the mixture into the yolks. Stir in the rum-soaked raisins. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and becomes very lumpy. Reduce heat to medium low, and whisk mixture until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Heat oven to 400. Fill the prebaked tart with the custard, and smooth the top with a spatula. Brush with the egg. Transfer to oven, and bake until the custard is well browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the tart pan on a rack for 3 to 4 hours. To serve, remove the outer ring of the tart pan. Cut 6 to 8 wedges, and transfer them to dessert plates. Reheat the rum sauce, stirring over medium-high heat. Ladle over tart slices. Serve immediately.

Hot Buttered Rum Sauce, Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup light-brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup dark rum 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped Stir the brown sugar and heavy cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is melted. Pour in the rum and simmer, stirring until the sauce is smooth, thickened, and reduced. Stir in the butter until melted. (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered, and set aside at room temperature for several hours or refrigerated overnight.)

Hot Buttered Rum whip cream

3Tbsp Hot buttered rum 1 tub cool whip at room temp