A Cranberry Liqueur. Booze to make your Guests Smooze

So, my mom is cooler than me. I’m sure I’ve stated it before, and I’ll probably state it again. For the last few falls shes been making me peach liqueur, and blueberry liqueur. Both of which last me a few weeks, and then I have to go over and make one of the the worlds most distraught face, as I tell her that I couldn’t help myself, and I drank it. ( I really did lose it this time I swear!!) So now, in order to get as many cool points as my dear mom, I’ve been trying my hand at making liqueurs this holiday season. For Thanksgiving it was pumpkin spice, now that we’ve hit Christmas I made a delightful cranberry. They make easy gifts for drinkers, and can act as a fantastic liquid lubricant for any slow party, especially if you use everclear!

 

12 oz fresh cranberries

Juice and zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 gallon Vodka or Everclear

1 cup more sugar for later

In a medium sized pot, add orange juice, zest and sugar. Turn the heat to medium low, and let the sugar disolve into the orange juice. Throw in a light splash of water, and add in the cranberries, Stew them down to where they’ve burst, and are becoming almost like homemade cranberry sauce. Set them aside to cool for 30 minutes. Separate your cranberry into 4 different containers, (I use mason jars) and add in the vodka. Store it in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks. When your time is up, strain the cranberries out, and add in 1/4 cup of sugar into each jar, and let is sit for one to two more weeks, giving it the occasional shake as you go. When the time comes, break it out, give it one last shake for good measure, and pour over ice, or mix it with 7 up for a tasty treat!

Not Your Basic Bitch Pumpkin Spice Liqueur

I am tardy to the fall party. As a female living in Seattle I should have probably made up this post at least 8 weeks ago, preferably before the autumnal equinox, and ideally on the day that Starbucks released its tasty fall beverages. It was still well over 80 degrees here. I have all of the excuses.

In order to make this liqueur a little more special, I used fresh pumpkin, and whole spices. And set the cure time from 2 weeks to 6. It really allows all of the flavors from the spices and pumpkin to leach out into the vodka, and give you a much better flavor.

1 pumpkin, grated or finely chopped with the rinds removed

1 nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

2 cardamon pods

2 cloves

1 knuckle of finely sliced ginger

1/2 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for cooking

I used 4 small jars for this, but you can also use a large jug, or even the vodka bottle itself, as long as it is about 3/4 of the way full. Saute the pumpkin with a tablespoon of brown sugar to soften them, don’t let it brown. Add the pumpkin to the jug, (along with any juices that may have come out of them while they cooked) and the spices, and set it in a cool dark place for 4 weeks. I use my phone calender to let me know when I’m supposed to add things, or strain, or to tell me when its done. At the 4 week mark, strain the spices and pumpkin, and add in the 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the liqueur, give it a good shake, and put it back in the cupboard for another two weeks, occasionally giving it a little shake.

Once you hit 6 weeks feel free to start drinking it, you can put it in a little shot glass, or mix it with ginger ale to make a magical fall drink.

Caramel Apple Pear Tart to Stick in Your Pie Hole

Its Pie time bitches. I took a month and a half off, sorda. I wanted to blog, but for reasons only known to me, the letter A is no longer on my laptop. I don’t want to talk about it, but I will say, karma might actually have foresight. I blogged like 15 posts about halfway and then would move on to what ever shiny object attracted my attention. Now I’m finishing them, at least some… So,  I made this salted caramel apple pear tart crumble. Yes the title is wordy, how else are you going to truly understand why you want to eat it so bad.

So I found this recipe in fine cooking magazine, no, the idea is not my own, but this is my bastardization of it. Its pretty much the same. I decided not to do a lattice. Caramel will stick to the top of the crumble better. And the amounts differ, because at some point I got too excited to pay attention.

I apologize for the quality of this photo. To avoid burn edges do what granny says, and line the edges of your pie with tinfoil.

For the crust

1 cup butter

1 1/2  cups+ flour

3/4 cups ground hazelnuts

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

Mix the flour, hazelnuts, salt, sugar and butter together until crumbles begin to form. Add a tablespoon of cold water, and kneed it only until the water is mixed in, and form it into two balls. Roll out one of the balls on a floured surface, and flip it into a tart pan. Reform the second ball into more crumbles by adding 1/4 cup more flour, and set it aside for the filling.

For the filling

2 pears

2 apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cardamom

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

Thinly slice up the apples and pears, and add in the sugar, flour, cardamom and and lemon juice and zest. Mix them up and set them aside while you make the caramel. I know I can add more spices, but simplicity makes this pies flavors come out.

For the Caramel

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3/4 cups heavy cream

Making your own caramel is not as big of a pain in the ass as you would think. It just feels harried and it can be scary. So, In a sauce pan on medium melt the butter, add in the sugar and salt, and stir it until the sugar has melted into the butter. Stir it every minute or two, until your sugar butter mix begins to lightly brown and caramelize. Once things feel like they are about to get out of hand with the browning,  and you are getting what looks like tiny chunks of melted wherthers candies (or hard caramels) quickly remove it from the heat, (I would suggest putting on an apron and some gloves for this) pour in the heavy cream, and whisk whisk whisk until the caramelized sugar has softened back into the the cream. If when you pour it in, a sudden freak burst of steam pops up. Just step back for a second until the heavy cream calms the F down, and go back to whisking. Once everything has combined into a lovely sauce, let it cool for a bit while you assemble your pie. (Pro tip: double the recipe and save half for your coffee. YAY!!!!)

Pie assembly

Yes, this does seem like a lot of work. It only takes like 30 minutes to get to this point once you make it twice. I’m sorry. Sometimes delicious isn’t easy. Preheat your oven to 375. Toss your pears and apples into the pie pan, and add a large potion of your caramel evenly over the top, then sprinkle the crumble over the top. Pop that in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top has crisped, and the juices of the pie have began to bubble. That bubble is so important. Remove it, and once your pie has cooled enough to serve (because you won’t want to wait) drizzle the remains of the caramel over the top of the crumble.

 

Limoncello, Start now, and have a bottle by summer!!

So I have been doing the opposite of blogging. Which is… not blogging. I deleted the app from my phone and took a short break to…. get the creative culinary juices flowing? (be lazy) It is February, and in appoximately 3 months it will be closing in on summer, and the sun will once again grace us with its presence. It is time to prepare!!

A few months ago my mom and I got together and made a batch of limoncello for her winter reserves. I’ll have you know, as my mother has gotten older, she has actually proved time and time again, that she is far cooler than me. That being said, we started our first batch (together) of limoncello, and in the early throws of winter she provided me with a small bottle of deliciousness to get me through the cold months. In order to get that delicious flavor that I have come to love, there is a waiting period of almost 3 months.  Yes my dears, MONTHS. It does not take days to make, nor does it take weeks. Its a labor of love, patience, and self control that takes about 80 to 100 days to create, puting us into mid may. Perfect timing to uncork, unseal and enjoy the fruits of our patience.

There are specifics that you must know. First of all, you use the rind only. None of the white pith. That will create a slightly bitter taste. Second, its time to go organic. I like the idea of organic food, and I’m certain I should be eating more of it, but for this purpose I’m using the outer layer only and its exposed to every spray and toxin they use to spare it from the critters that prey on citrus fruits.

On to the goods!

(First 40 days)

20 organic lemons

2 liters of vodka

(Second 40 days)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Zest your 20 lemons removing just the rind. Add them to a bottle that you can seal, and pour in the vodka, leaving enough room to add in your simple syrup in 40 days. Store your limoncello in a cool dark place until you’re ready to add in your simple syrup. About halfway through your zesting process you’ll realize that you need to use 20 lemons in a short period of time. Fret not my friend! Juice your 20 lemons and make lemon ice cubes. You can store them in baggies to avoid freezer flavoring, and add them to your drink for an extra splash of amazing.

For the simple syrup

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Bring your water to a boil, and slowly add in the sugar until it dissolves. Remove it from the heat, and allow it to cool. While the syrup is cooling, strain your vodka, removing the rinds. Add the simple syrup to your vodka and reseal it. Place it back in your hiding place, returning every once in a while to give it a little shake to stop the sugar from accumulating on the bottom.  After 40 days you are ready to bottle/drink it. It feels like forever, but it is well worth the patience and effort. Enjoy!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate, Channeling Montezuma… but not his revenge

On weekends like this when its too cold and dry to frost, and going outside results in chapped lips and frostbitten earlobes, nothing beats a mug of hot chocolate. I used to reach for the Nesquik, until I had Mexican hot chocolate. There’s something to be said for super old recipes that stand the test of time. I’m certain that I’m bastardizing it, as there is no Aztec emperor to make it for me. However, this is my recipe for it!

Mexican hot chocolate for two!

Two mug fulls of milk (approx 3 cups)

2 tablespoons of unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp  cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

Heat up your milk until it is just steaming. Add the unsweetened chocolate powder, and whisk it in. Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon cayenne pepper and chili powder. Whisk in the rest of your ingredients, and serve it up.