SPIRITED SHRIMP COCKTAIL and POTATO CHEESE MUFFINS WITH PORK AND CINNAMON PLUM CHUTNEY and WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKES WITH PATRON XO CAFE CARAMEL SAUCE and BACON TEQUILA TRUFFLES

I had a lot of fun cooking for the Arkansas game this past weekend. Being from New Zealand, I don't know much about Football, but I know I love the Tailgating!! I have recently discovered Patron XO Cafe - absolutely divine - and wanted to incorporate it into my recipes, along with the time-honored Patron Silver. The inclusion of these definitely added depth and deliciousness to the fare.
I easily could have removed the shrimp from the SPIRITED SHRIMP COCKTAIL, added a little more Patron Silver, and been left with a very respectable and tasty Bloody Mary - and I loved, loved, loved the BACON PATRON XO CAFE TRUFFLES - the clever combination of bacon and chocolate with a hint of coffee - perfect any time of day, but they seemed especially fitting for a morning gathering.
In the words of a wonderful friend of mine, after trying these treats at a recent Social Media social my husband and I hosted, "I will now want all my party foods to have Patron in them!". Thanks Whitney, I couldn't have said it better myself!

SPIRITED SHRIMP COCKTAIL

FOR THE SHRIMP
24 shrimp
1 heaping tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
FOR THE SAUCE
1/4 cup Patron Silver
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
zest of 1 orange
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups ketchup
1 serrano chili, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
FOR THE GARNISH
1 avocado
1 cup popped popcorn
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

FOR THE SHRIMP
Add seasoning to a pot of boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add shrimp and cook until they just begin to turn pink, 30 to 45 seconds.
Cool shrimp in refrigerator, peel and devein.
FOR THE SAUCE
Mix all ingredients together, chill until needed.
FOR THE GARNISH
To serve, mix cooked shrimp with sauce. Place shrimp in a glass, spoon extra sauce over, then top with a little avocado, popcorn and cilantro if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Wall Street Journal, June 2012
online.wsj.com/.../SB1000142405270230367400457743455074201...

POTATO CHEESE MUFFINS WITH PORK AND CINNAMON PLUM CHUTNEY

FOR THE MUFFINS
3/4 cup peeled, cooked and mashed potatoes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
2/3 cup grated Asiago cheese

Heat oven to 375F.
Place paper liners into 24 cups of a mini muffin pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with buttermilk, egg, salt and sugar. Add the flour and baking soda, and mix just until combined. Fold in butter, Herbs de Provence and cheese.
Fill each paper cup 3/4 full of batter. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

FOR THE PORK
3 pound pork tenderloin
18 ounce bottle barbecue sauce
12 ounce can Dr Pepper

Place tenderloin in a lightly greased slow cooker, pour barbecue sauce and Dr Pepper over the top. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender. Transfer pork to a cutting board, shred or slice.

FOR THE CINNAMON PLUM CHUTNEY
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 pounds ripe plums, pitted and diced
1 cup golden brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 onion, diced
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons Patron

Stir mustard seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until seeds darken slightly and begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to a saucepan. Add plums, brown sugar, vinegar, onion, cinnamon sticks and salt. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until liquid is thick and syrupy and mixture is reduced, stirring frequently, about 55 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Mix in Patron.

TO ASSEMBLE
Split the muffins horizontally, spread with plum chutney and fill with pork.
Enjoy!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKES WITH PATRON XO CAFE CARAMEL SAUCE

300 grams brown sugar
200 grams butter
225 ml cream
4 tablespoons Patron Cafe xo
Filo pastry cases
360 grams white chocolate
250 grams cream cheese
250 grams creme fraiche or sour cream
200 grams Russian fudge, diced

To make caramel sauce, simmer together the sugar, 150 grams of the butter and the cream in a saucepan for 5 minutes, then cool. Add Patron Cafe xo and stir well.
Break up chocolate and put into an oiled microwave dish, microwave for 2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals, until just melted. Process the cream cheese and creme fraiche in a food processor. When smooth add the melted chocolate, until just combined. Transfer to a bowl, add the fudge and mix.
Place a teaspoonful of the cheesecake mixture into the pastry cases. Drizzle with a teaspoonful of the caramel sauce.
Enjoy!

BACON TEQUILA TRUFFLES

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts
6 thick bacon slices, cooked
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons Patron xo cafe
8 ounces chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon shortening

Process sugar, salt, peanuts and bacon in a food processor 20 to 30 seconds, or until finely ground. Stir together bacon mixture, peanut butter and Patron cafe xo in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Shape teaspoonfuls of bacon mixture into balls. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, chill for 1 hour.
Microwave chocolate and shortening for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals. Dip truffles into chocolate mixture then place on a cooking rack. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, March 2011
www.southernliving.com › Food › Entertaining