Justin Chapple, the test kitchen pro behind Food & Wine's Mad Genius Tips, shares four St. Patrick's Day food and drink hacks.
1. Egg in a Clover
You've heard of Egg in a Hole. This is Egg in a Clover! Make this festive egg breakfast to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Ingredients
1 green bell pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 eggs
Radish sprouts, for garnish
Directions: Cut a green bell pepper crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and discard any seeds. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add 3 to 4 green bell pepper "clovers" to the skillet and, one at a time, crack eggs and add them to the center of each; season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until the egg whites are firm but the yolks are runny, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer them to plates. Garnish with radish sprouts and serve.
2. Pot O'Gold Cake Pops
Store-bought cake and frosting can be transformed into adorable pots of gold by shaping them into balls, then decorating them with melted chocolate and sprinkles.
Ingredients
One 12-ounce chocolate cake, crumbled
1 container store-bought chocolate frosting
Bittersweet-sweet chocolate, chopped
White chocolate, chopped
Gold-colored sprinkles or sugar
Directions:
In a food processor, pulse one crumbled 12-ounce chocolate cake until it forms coarse crumbs. Add store-bought chocolate frosting 1/4 cup at a time and pulse until the mixture holds its shape when you squeeze it together.
Form the mixture into 1-inch balls and transfer them to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Stick 4-inch lollipop sticks in the top of each, then refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 30 minutes.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chopped bittersweet-sweet chocolate in 20-second intervals; stir until smooth. Dip the cake pops in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
In another microwave-safe bowl, melt chopped white chocolate in 20-second intervals; stir until smooth. Using a small offset spatula, frost the ends of the cake pops with the white chocolate and then dip or sprinkle with gold-colored sprinkles or sugar. Let set, then serve.
3. Clover-Shaped Cupcakes
Tiny balls of foil are the trick to making clover-shaped cupcakes. Just roll small pieces of foil into tiny balls and then put them between the filled liners and the cupcake tin before baking to shape them into clovers. Use 3 foil balls per cupcake. To make the recipe even easier, you can use store-bought cake mix and frosting. Be sure to test one cupcake first to ensure you use the correct amount of batter for each cupcake.
4. St. Paddy's Shake
Skip the stout and enjoy a festive boozy milkshake instead that's loaded with delicious minty flavor and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.
