evoque

A comment by flakesobran on the New York Times article "With No Jobs, Plenty of Time for Tea Party."

I can understand it a little. Most of us who read this paper might say "Why would someone who depends on government assistance join a group advocating against it?"

And yet let's hypothetically say that a typical Tea Party member -- actually not just the Tea Party, but most Americans really -- has a lot of pride, and deep down considers receiving any kind of welfare to be deeply shameful. It is after all part of the American dream to be self-reliant.

Now you have this really normal person, they've just lost their job, they've just lost their home. But looking across the United States, they can see that it is not just individuals who are now jobless/homeless but that this condition stretches across industries, classes and territories.

And so the blame gets shifted. I did not loose my job/my house because of anything I did, there are after all a lot of people who are in exactly the same situation as me. I did not loose my job/my home/my savings because of anything the company I worked for did, because there are a lot of companies/industries going through exactly the same problems. The same goes for local government, because there are having the same problems everywhere.

So who is to blame... obviously the Federal Government. Why? Because they didn't do anything to help? Well... maybe's a part of it. But as they go to get that social security check there is that deep down shame in getting a "hand out." And so instead of thinking that, what if the federal government had helped out a little more, I wouldn't be in such a terrible situation, the paradigm shifts and you get "I'm an American, I don't need any help. If I hadn't been taxed to death I could have held out a little bit longer and pulled through this."

In my opinion, and I admit that I could be wrong about this, but what the Democrats are battling isn't necessarily a dislike of the program itself, but a kind of denial that people do fall, and they occasionally need help getting up.

Irish Triplets cupcakes

Because it is politically incorrect to call them Irish car-bomb cupcakes, and saying "Irish automotive IED cupcakes" is taking it too far, I'm taking a page from the Washington City Paper and calling them Irish Triplets cupcakes instead.

Irish Triplets Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup stout (Guinness is a popular choice, but I find that chocolate stouts work especially well)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs (if you can get some duck eggs, use them!)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Line cupcake pans with liners.
3. Bring stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Drink the rest of the bottle/can of stout.
4. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Take off heat and let cool slightly.
5. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl.
6. Beat eggs and sour cream in a separate bowl.
7. Add stout mix to egg mix, and beat until combined.
8. Add flour mix and beat until completely combined.
9. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.
10. Bake about 17 minutes, rotating pans if oven heats unevenly, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
11. Cool cupcakes completely.

For the filling

The whiskey is optional, but why leave it out?

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (get the best quality you can; I use 9 oz. and slather a little extra on top of the cupcakes)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Irish whiskey (taste-test often; I add as much as I think I can get away with)

1. Break chocolate into 1/4-inch pieces and place in heat-proof bowl.
2. Heat heavy cream until simmering, then pour over the chocolate.
3. Let chocolate and cream sit for a minute, then stir until smooth.
4. Add butter and whiskey, then stir until smooth.

If the chocolate has not melted uniformly, return half a cup of the mix to heat until just simmering, then pour it over the remaining mix, stirring to incorporate.

Repair a broken or grainy ganache by putting half of the mix into a separate bowl and stirring that over ice. When the cold mix has emulsified, add the remaining mix a few tablespoons at a time and stir to combine.

For the frosting

I’ve made two versions of this frosting, so pick and choose accordingly. The Bailey’s is also optional, and you can use heavy cream or buttermilk as a substitute, but again, why leave out the good stuff?

• 3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 4 to 6 tablespoons Baileys (or as boozy as you want it to be)

1. Whip butter for several minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Add sugar a few tablespoons at a time, whipping well, until desired sweetness is achieved. You may use less than 3 cups of sugar, depending on how sweet you want the frosting to be.
3. Add Bailey’s (or milk/cream) to taste, and whip until combined. Add more tablespoonfuls of sugar as needed to thicken.

OR

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or unsalted butter, softened
• 4 to 6 tablespoons Bailey’s (or as boozy as you want it to be)

1. Whip cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Add sugar a few tablespoons at a time, whipping well. 
3. Add heavy cream or butter, whipping well.
4. Add Baileys (or additional milk/cream) to taste and whip until combined. Add more tablespoonfuls of sugar as needed to thicken.

To assemble

1. Using a 1” cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the center out of each cupcake, going approximately 2/3 of the way deep. A small spoon will help you get the centers out. If you have been clever and made the filling and icing while waiting for them to cool, put a little dab of icing and filling on each cupcake center and snack away.
2. Using a piping bag or small spoon, fill each cupcake hole to the top with the chocolate-whiskey ganache. If you have extra ganache, you can either eat the rest or spread a thin layer on the top of each cupcake.
3. Ice the cupcakes with the frosting of your choice. Optionally, you can decorate them, but if you’ve been drinking while baking, you may want a steadier hand to do it for you.

I don't make them very often, mainly because it takes a ridiculous amount of assembly work, so I've also turned it into a layer cake recipe by doing the following:

Irish Triplets Cake
Serves 12 to 14

1.  
   1. Divide batter evenly between two 9" springform pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
   2. Spread chocolate ganache filling between cakes and sandwich together.
   3. Spread frosting across the top of the assembled cake.

the long walk home