DAY 94: Twinkie Tribute

Earlier this week I was graced with the news that Twinkies, the embodiment of the American diet, turned 80 years old. I've never been a big Twinkie fan.  It's not that I don't like them.  To the contrary, I think they're VERY tasty... and that's a problem.  It's a danger to keep them around. 

In recognition of the Twinkie's big day, here's some twinkie fun for you:

Twinkie Trivia

Source : http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/05/twinkies-fun-facts/

• Twinkies once had banana creme filling.  During WWII, bananas were rationed, forcing the creation of the vanilla cream filling we know today.
  
• Twinkies were first sold in packs of two for 5 cents.
  
• "There are 17 Hostess bakeries across the countries cranking out 500 million Twinkies every year. It takes 40,000 miles of plastic wrap a year to package them. At 150 Calorie a piece, all those Twinkies have the energy equivalent to nearly 51,500 barrels of crude oil. If you want to know, that comes out to be about 1,000 Twinkies a minute or 16 a second."
  
• It takes 45 seconds for a Twinkie to explode in the microwave.
  
• In 2005, Americans spent $47,000,000 on Twinkies.
  
• Chicago is considered the Twinkie capital of the world, as its citizens consume more Twinkies per capita than other place on the planet. (Another source listed New Orleans as the Twinkie capital... so I guess this is up for debate...)
  
• There is a Twinkie in the White House millennium time capsule.
  
• Though rumored to last forever, the shelf life of Twinkies is 25 days.

But of more interest to me in the concept of cooking with Twinkies.  While good on their own, twinkie recipes are all over the internet.  There is even a Twinkie Cookbook with an entire chapter dedicated to meat (ew).  Check out some of these websites for recipe ideas:

• http://www.hostesscakes.com/recipes/twinkies/
  
• http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?categ=novelty&q=twinkie

...AND, of course, a recipe for deep fried twinkies: http://www.deep-fry.com/recipes2.html

Here's an actual recipe I'm going to have to try: 

Twinkie Tiramisu

(click for link to recipe)

Ingredients

• 10 Hostess Twinkies (1 box)
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 2 ounces dark rum
• 6 ounces Kahlua
• 1 hershey chocolate bar (milk or dark chocolate)
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Directions

1. 
   
   Line a 9x13 pan (or similar size) with Twinkies.
2. 
   
   Distribute for even coverage.
3. 
   
   Drizzle Twinkies with Kahlua and let them soak.
4. 
   
   Combine ricotta and mascarpone with a large spoon until smooth.
5. 
   
   Slowly begin to add powdered sugar (reserve 1/8th package of sugar for garnish) and whisk until mixture is smooth but heavy.
6. 
   
   Add dark rum and continue to whisk until fully combined and mixture is fuller and lighter.
7. 
   
   Taste mixture for desired sweetness (do not add more rum or tiramisu will not set properly).
8. 
   
   Pour cheese mixture evenly over twinkies in pan, use a soft spatula to smooth mixture and distribute in between twinkies and into corners.
9. 
   
   Cover and place pan in refrigerator for four hours to set.
10. 
    
    To finish, sprinkle cocoa powder liberally over top of tiramisu.
11. 
    
    Then grate chocolate bar and sprinkle shavings over the top as well.
12. 
    
    To serve, cut into pieces and dust with powdered sugar.
13. 
    
    Enjoy!
14. 
    
    For something different, try Frozen Twinkie Tiramisu by freezing overnight (just remember to cut pieces out with a hot, butter knife), it's decadent!
15. 
    
    Cooking time is refrigeration time.

Stay tuned for reviews!