Posts from the ‘Alcoholic Beverages’ Category

Jul 3

Coconut Lime Slushy Happy 4th Of July

This is one of my favorite summer drinks, I posted it a few years ago and decided to resurrect it for the 4th of July Holiday as part of my frozen treat series. This drink is reminiscent of a pina colada but it’s not one exactly. I make it with more lime than pineapple and use unsweetened coconut milk and lime simple syrup so that I can control the sweetness. Rather than use crushed ice which I feel waters the drink down, I freeze the coconut lime mixture in an ice cube tray. The cubes are solid but easy to break up in the blender. You can add as much rum as you like or make it virgin, it’s equally as delicious. One other cool thing about this drink is that because the drink base is frozen into cubes you can make 1 or more and leave the rest in the freezer for use later on. Remove the cubes place in freezer bag and store in the freezer. I love making multiple batches so I always have some of the cubes on hand. I double and triple this recipe so I always have some of the drink base on hand. It’s so easy to make and very convenient to have on hand.

This recipe won a whole foods recipe contest, as a matter of fact it was the last contest sponsored by Whole Foods. I miss them, it was a lot of fun. I am celebrating the 4th of July, Independance Day with my good friends at a backyard BBQ! Have a wonderful Day Everyone.

Coconut Lime Slushy

Lime Simple Syrup:

1 Lime peel removed (Use the peeled lime for the drink base)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water
In saucepan add sugar and water, bring to a boil let boil for approximately 2 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved take off heat, add lime peel. Cover and let sit until cool. Remove the lime peel. Store in jar in refrigerator. You can easily double this to make more simple syrup.

Remove all the pith

The Drink Base:

1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 Lime peeled and all of the pith removed and quartered (Use the lime you used for the simple syrup)

4-6 tablespoons lime simple syrup (Make it as sweet as you like)

2 -3 ounces Pineapple juice (unsweetened) Start with two and if you need a little more liquid to break up cubes in blender add another ounce.

1 ounce Rum (Add more if you like it stronger)

To your food processor add the quartered lime and coconut milk. Process until lime is pulverized. Strain into measuring cup. Add 4-6 tbs of the lime simple syrup. (Adjust the sweetness to suite your taste. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze.
When the coconut lime is frozen, remove from ice cube tray, place in blender, add pineapple juice and rum and blend until the cubes are broken up and it’s a slushy consistency. Pour and serve. Garnish with lime and pineapple.

Creamy thick and ice cold

Image from Google Happy 4th of July

Jul 1

84 Comments

Boozy Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Pops

I am dedicating the next few posts to frozen treats, ice cream. sorbet and popsicles. These popsicles are so simple to make and sort of nutritionally sound because they contain very little sugar and if you omit the booze it’s like a frozen breakfast popsicle. A few posts back I told you I made a rhubarb cordial, I used it in the Pavlova and now in these popsicles. They are so easy to make, all you need is a popsicle mold and a few ingredients, no cooking required. You don’t need to use any alcohol in your pops, honestly there is so little in this it’s almost not there, but for a family friendly popsicle simply omit. I didn’t really use a recipe for this, eyeballed and the measurements below are approximate, it just happens that it made pretty much the right amount to fill the molds. I added and tasted so bear in mind that this is not exact.

I just got a great popsicle mold made my onyx, it’s stainless steel, freezes quickly and the popsicles come out like a dream. I am very happy with it because it also has a feature that ensures the stick remains in place and can be inserted when you first place it in the freezer, genius.

I’ve got my ice packs and insulated carrier ready because I’m bringing these beauties to Fiesta Friday #126 . This is a holiday weekend and Angie’s co hosts are all of us. It is up to us to vote on our favorite recipes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Popsicles

Makes 8

measurements are approximate

Strawberries

2 cups strawberries cleaned and sliced

2 tbs sugar (use if you like and sweeten to taste)

1/4 cup rhubarb cordial

Yogurt

2 cups whole milk greek yogurt (approximately 14 oz)

sugar to taste

2 tbs rhubarb cordial

1 tsp vanilla

Mash the macerated strawberries with a fork. Mix the yogurt with the sugar, rhubarb cordial and vanilla. The cordial thins the very thick greek yogurt slightly, if using greek yogurt you will want to thin it a bit with either the cordial or a liquor, water, milk or cream or fruit juice, your choice. Layer the strawberries first, then the yogurt and end with the yogurt. Place in freezer and enjoy in 4+ hours. See how easy this is.

Jun 19

80 Comments

The Garden, Pretty In Pink A DIY Rhubarb Cordial And A Smoothie

This post is just for fun, nothing earth shattering but I have to say I am so proud that my tomato plant is doing so well, as is my basil, the zucchini is questionable but it’s living. As I have mentioned before I am not a gardener, I am pretty much the opposite, I dislike working in the backyard in dirt, I don’t like the heat or the sun beating down on me so working in my garden except on cool overcast days is out of the question. It’s torture watering in the blazing hot sun for me. Now that I got that out of my system, I am so happy that my tomatoes are doing so well. I even have cute little tomatoes. This morning I staked them because they are getting so tall. I can’t wait until they ripen, I am just hoping the squirrels don’t abscond with the fruit of the vine. If anyone has suggestions for some sort of protective device that will keep the pesky rodents out let me know and I will buy it forthwith.

My zucchini is a disaster waiting to happen I’m afraid. I planned on planting it in the ground but never got around to it and it has been somewhat comfy in the large pot don’t know what will happen and the jury is out as to whether or not I actually get a squash.

The leaves are drying and I am not sure whether or not thats supposed to happen, I think I need to do some research, but no sooner than one leaf dries new ones pop up.

My basil which I figured would never grow and looked awful is huge now. Even my Thai basil came back from the dead, I named it Lazarus.

Big basil

This rose bush I bought at the supermarket to put in my air bnb room for a Valentines Day guest. This summer it was planted in a pot outside and has tripled in size and has multiple blooms.

Grocery store rose bush

When Nando passed a kind and thoughtful neighbor brought me a red geranium which didn’t last the winter so now it is a ritual for me to plant a red geranium to honor my sweet Nando and Izzy. Maybe I will try bringing it in this winter and see if it survives.

Izzy and Nando’s geranium need to dead head that wilted stem.

Almost a month ago I got almost 2 pounds of rhubarb in a CSA box, I decided to try this Rhubarb Cordial that I saw eon’s ago on Food 52, I thought that it would be a great addition to summer cocktails. All you need is rhubarb, sugar and vodka, put into a clean glass jar, give it a good stir and aside from shaking it periodically to make sure the sugar dissolves it’s something you can make and forget about until the sitting time is up. I am short on patience and couldn’t wait to try it so I strained and bottled it about a week early. It is really delicious and I plan on making some cocktails and also incorporating in some dessert recipes which will be posted once I figure out what I will make. My bartending skills are about equal to my gardening skills, pretty much non existent but I will try to come up with something nice and refreshing.

rhubarb cordial

In the photo you can see in the corner a sweet little pink cake stand and some peaches which are from frog hollow farm, all from the Food52 shop. I feel like I am esconced in pink kind of like George Costanza was in velvet (If you watched Seinfeld you may get it).

I can’t forget Fiesta Friday #124 and this ice cold rhubarb cordial will be a great addition to the festivities. This weeks party is going to be great Angie’s co hosts are Lindy @ Love in the Kitchen and Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons. Along with the cordial I will bring some club soda and a few bottles of prosecco some strawberries and peaches!!

Since I was thinking pink I had some farm fresh strawberries I needed to use and some buttermilk so I made a smoothie, summer is a great time for smoothies, light, refreshing, healthful and delicious. I like to use coconut water in smoothies an easy and convenient way to store your coconut water is to pour it in ice cube trays and freeze, once frozen simply remove the cubes and store in zip lock bags and you have coconut water ice cubes whenever you need them. I added a little bit of stevia to the drink because it was a bit sour, the strawberries were not super sweet.

strawberry buttermilk smoothie

I quickly wanted to mention what fun I have on the new Food52 app, #notrecipe or #norecipe the app is free in the app store and is available for iphone and iPad. It’s the way so many of us cook and it’s a wonderful platform for homecooks to hone their creativity in the kitchen without the confines of a recipe. I have submitted photo’s of a number of dishes, here are a few. Top left to right, zoodles in garlic and oil with shrimp and scallops in butter/garlic/parsley sauce) Seared scallops with a persillade (thanks Mimi) individual skillet with micro potato, avocado, kale, tomato and sunnyside up egg with gruyere, smoothie with kale, avocado, pineapple, banana, coconut water, ginger no added sugar.

I would be remiss if I didn’t wish all the Dad’s a Happy Fathers Day, I hope you have a wonderful day today!!

Jul 11

89 Comments

Classic Nicoise-An American/French Pairing For #Wine PW

We are in the throes of summer and July is the month that at least for me is the quintessential summer month, it’s also the month that America celebrates it’s Independance on July 4th and the French celebrate Bastille day on July 14th. What better way to mark both holidays than with an American/ French food and wine pairing. Michelle@Rockin Red Blog invited me to participate, I was thrilled but a little scared, I’ve done plenty of posts utilizing the expertise of the wine experts but have never actually done this myself. There can be any number of combinations, American food French wine, American food and wine etc….. I chose a classic French dish that is light and IMHO perfect summer fare, Salade Nicoise, and I thought it would be fun to pair with both an American and French wine.

Salade Nicoise is a delicious combination of assorted vegetables, olives, hard boiled eggs and tuna or anchovies, the salad is dressed with a vinaigrette and I will serve with a fresh baguette and wine of course. Really no recipe is needed but I will give you the breakdown of what my salad consists of:
Salad Nicoise

3 thick tuna steaks

1/2 lb haricot vert with only the stem end removed

4 hard boiled eggs

2 beets roasted

1/2 lb small new potatoes cleaned and roasted

cherry tomatoes

olives- nicoise olives preferably or kalamaata works also

young french radishes

Preparation:

Coat the potatoes in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. At the same time roast the beets, clean well, drizzle with olive oil add a sprig of thyme and wrap in foil. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Clean and trim the haricot vert, place a saucepan filled with water on high heat to boil, add a tbs of salt to the water. When it comes to a rolling boil add the green beans and boil for 8 minutes. Immediately drain and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and the beans will retain their lovely green color. Make the hard boiled eggs. Clean the radishes and tomatoes. Prepare the tuna last, mind you all of this can be done ahead of time and assembled the day you are going to serve the salad.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dijon mustard

scant tsp of honey

Place everything in a lidded jar and shake to combine.

Assembly:

Heat fry pan with a little olive oil on Medium high heat (make sure it’s sizzling hot). Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper (be generous with the pepper) Sear the tuna 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness mine were about 1 1/2 inches thick) and immediately remove from the fry pan. Let sit 10 minutes and slice.

Arrange the vegetables and egg artistially on a platter, add the tuna slices and serve the vinaigrette on the side.

The wine:

reisling

American Wine- Finger Lakes region of New York State

Dr Konstantin Frank – 2013 Dry Reisling,

Rose champagne

French Wine- NV Montaudon Grande Rosé Champagne – Reims, France

50% Chardonnay, 35% pinot noir, 15% pinot noir (red)

Why I chose these wines:

I love wine and enjoy with my food but I am not a professional at wine pairings. I thought about what I was serving and what I would like to have with it, both the dry Reisling and Rosé Champagne came to mind. I did a little research and found that my instincts were pretty good. I thought the Reisling, especially this particular one from upstate New York is clean, crisp, and it would be a great match with the tuna.

When considering the Rosé Champagne one usually thinks in terms of desserts or something sweet but Rosé and specifically Rosé Champagne is excellent with many and varied savory dishes from grilled meats to a Nicoise Salade. The Champagne also has a lively acidity and I felt that would be important when considering what to pair with this dish.

The Pairing

Both wines were amazing and they were the perfect compliment to the salad. I first tasted the Reisling which is nicely dry, just the slightest hint of sweetness almost undetectable. It is a very distinct wine that was delicious with the meal. It’s very well balanced in both acidity and mineral content.

The Rosé Champagne is I think one of the best I have had. It’s a delicate champagne, a gorgeous deep pink, effervescant, crisp, fruity, slightly sweet and beautifully balanced. It went so well with the salad. I served ice cold. This Champagne would be fantastic with anything including dessert.

If I had to pick one that was my favorite (and thats a tough one) I would have to say the Rosé Champagne wins my vote. I already ordered 2 more bottles.

It was an honor to be invited to participate in this with so many great bloggers most of whom are experts and really know their stuff when it comes to the intricacies of wine. Please check out their posts by clicking on the links below:

A Day in the Life on the Farm: “An American Feast for #WinePW”
Confessions of a Culinary Diva: “Provence Style Pan Roasted Chicken with Rose”
Cooking Chat: “Gruyere Cheeseburgers with a Bordeaux”
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Tapenade-Topped Sablefish + Cave de Saint-Roch-les-Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé”
Curious Cuisiniere: “Cherry Clafoutis paired with a Cremant Rosé”
Dracaena Wines: “Discovering the Truth About Bastille Day with #WinePW”
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog: “Independence Day at Ridge Vineyards Zins and Blends #winePW”
Food Wine Click: “All American Menu: Farmer & Winery Friends”
Grape Experiences: “Wine and Dine: Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc Cotes du Roussillon and Salade Niçoise”
Pull That Cork: “Domaine de Bila-Haut and Cobb Salad for #winePW”
Rockin Red Blog: “Celebrating America & France with July #WinePW”
Tasting Pour: “Steak with Mushroom Cognac Sauce, Patriotic Potatoes, and Bell Wine Cellars Cab Sauv #winepw”
Vino Travels: The Alchemy of Hunt Country Vineyards Paired with Braised Beef Short Ribs
Please join us this morning at 10 am CST on Twitter for a fun and lively discussion on our American and French food and wine pairings at #WinePW. Also, join us Saturday, August 15 as we explore Portugal, a land of delicious food and outstanding wines!

Jun 7

98 Comments

Peach,Raspberry Rose’ Sorbet For Fiesta Friday #71

Sorbet

It has been a while since I have participated in Fiesta Friday, It’s about time I join the party again. Angie has been great, checking in on me and I so appreciate it. We are but a few short weeks away from the start of Summer and I thought I would bring a cooling, refreshing sorbet to the party. Now this is sorbet with a kick, it’s made with Rose’ and some fruit. It’s great on it’s own or made into an ice cold spritzer with some sparkling water or even add a scoop to some prosecco!! This week’s party is hosted by sweet Angie@The Novice Gardener and the lovely co hosts are Laurie @ ten.times.tea and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook. Welcome Laurie, this is her first time hosting!!!

About a week ago Aleksandra a regular on Food52, a friend and author of the gorgeous (James Beard nominated) blog Three Little Halves posted a question on the Hotline asking for ideas on what to do with a bottle of Rose’ wine that she was not in love with to drink but wanted to use so as not to waste. We went back and forth she eventually decided on a jelly, I had suggested a sorbet. Inspired by our conversation I decided to make sorbet out of rose’. I used the great recipe by David Lebovitz for Rasberry Rose sorbet and changed it a bit using juicy ripe peaches along with the raspberry and a hint of orange (2 small pieces of tangerine skin).

Blended, strained and ready to chill

Peach,Raspberry Rose’ Sorbet

Adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz

Serves 6-8 depending on serving size

2 cups rose’

2/3 cup sugar

3 cups raspberries and peaches

small piece of orange or tangerine peel

Pour the rose’ and sugar in a non reactive saucepan, bring to a boil and immediately removed from the heat. Add the raspberries, peaches and orange peel. Let sit until it reaches room temperature then blend until smooth. Pour through a sieve into a bowl or container and refrigerate until very cold.

Process using manufacturers directions in your ice cream maker.

Serve on it’s own as a palette cleansing sorbet or add a couple of scoops to sparkling water for a delicious and refreshing drink.

A great way to enjoy wine!!

Sep 4

96 Comments

Hot Buttered Spiced Hard Cider

hot buttered spiced hard cider

This is a twist on my own recipe for Brown Butter Spiced Ale. The challenge is to create a winter or cold weather cocktail by the totally lovely or should I say loverly website Lover.ly., I am not getting married but browsing through their site made me wish I were, the photo’s, the advice, planning, literally everything you need to know or need to do to put together a wonderful and seamless wedding. I was asked if I would submit a recipe for a cold weather cocktail suitable for a wedding or a soiree. Every Friday they share a drink and I am hoping they like my submission.

About 2 years ago I created this drink for a recipe challenge on Food52. I wanted to create another drink along the same lines that reflects Fall and Winter, and what reflects fall and winter better than apples, the drink is warming and would be suitable for a special occasion. I used Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Apple/Ginger instead of the Ale. This drink is rich and sweet, buttery and spicy, has a kick from the ginger in the cider and the cognac and is so warming. Note: If you don’t have or like Cognac you can substitute brandy, bourbon or whiskey.

First apples of the season

Hot Buttered Spiced Hard Cider

Serves 2

12 ounces hard cider ( I used Angry Orchard Apple/Ginger)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powdered either is fine)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tbs cognac per glass (2 tbs cognac)
1 Cinnamon stick and slice of apple to garnish

Add butter to small saucepan and melt on medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add brown sugar and spices, cook until brown sugar is dissolved and the mixture is paste-like. Scrape into small bowl or ramekin and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the cider to the same saucepan and heat on medium until hot (don’t bring to a boil). Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the spiced butter mixture in serving glass, pour hot cider into glass add the cognac and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick and apple.

Jun 26

66 Comments

Coco Lime Slushy – I’m A Whole Foods Finalist!!

Cubes

Sorry I am doing this twice, wordpress totally messed up this post back dating it and when I tried to correct it, I kept getting error messages so I am doing it again, sorry for the redundancy!!

This is one of my favorite summer drinks, I posted it a few years ago and it’s such a great drink I decided to resurrect it. It’s cold and refreshing, creamy and delicious. I make it with more lime than pineapple and use unsweetened coconut milk and lime simple syrup so that I can control the sweetness. I also do not use crushed ice I find it waters it down so instead I freeze the coconut lime mixture in an ice cube tray. The cubes are solid but easy to break up in the blender. You can add as much rum as you like or make it virgin, it’s equally as delicious. One other cool thing about this drink is that because the drink base is frozen in ice cube trays you can make 1 or more and leave the rest in the freezer for use later on. Remove the cubes place in freezer bag and store in the freezer. I love making multiple batches so I always have some of the cubes on hand.

I entered this recipe in a whole foods contest for Best Drink for a Crowd and I was lucky enough to be picked as a finalist. If you don’t mind voting for my recipe I would be very grateful!! Thank you everyone. http://boulder.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/contests

Lime Simple Syrup:

1 Lime peel removed (Use the peeled lime for the drink base)

1/2 cup sugar

Remove all the pith

Pour into ice cube tray, makes exactly 16 cubes

The Drink Base:

1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 Lime peeled and all of the pith removed and quartered (Use the lime you used for the simple syrup)

4-6 tablespoons lime simple syrup (Make it as sweet as you like)

2 -3 ounces Pineapple juice (unsweetened) Start with two and if you need a little more liquid to break up cubes in blender add another ounce.

1 ounce Rum (Add more if you like it stronger)

To your food processor add the quartered lime and coconut milk. Process until lime is pulverized. Strain into measuring cup. Add 4-6 tbs of the lime simple syrup. (Adjust the sweetness to suite your taste. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze.
When coconut lime is frozen remove from ice cube tray, place in blender (depending on the proficiency of your blender you may want to break up the cubes) add pineapple juice and rum and blend until the cubes are broken up and it’s a slushy consistency. Pour and serve. Garnish with lime and pineapple.

Coco-Lime Slushy

Jun 18

70 Comments

Campari,Lemon,Lime Sorbet

Lemon Lime Campari sorbet

It’s hot in NYC, and I felt compelled to offer another frozen confection for an adult audience. Campari and soda with lime is one of my favorite drinks, I like it ice cold. The campari is a little bitter with herbal undertones and when mixed with sparkling water and lime it’s such a refreshing and delicious drink. While enjoying one I thought that it would make a fantastic sorbet and the sorbet would make a great drink, a very adult float. I posted this recipe about 2 years ago, it’s wonderful and perfect for hot summer weather so I thought I would share it with you again.

You can make it however you like it, all limes, all lemons, mix them, sweeten to your taste. There is no real recipe here but the one thing you have to be careful of is how much Campari you add, because it’s alcohol it doesn’t freeze hard, I found that 1/2 cup will freeze but it takes longer than regular ice cream or sorbet, so be patient. Make sure you get the base really cold. I put it in the freezer about an hour before I am going to put in the ice cream maker. Hey, if you don’t have an ice cream maker make it into a granita. Anyway you have it, it’s delicious!! Unless you don’t like Campari of course.

The Base

Serves 6 or more depending on serving size

1 1/4 cup Juice from freshly sqeezed lemons and limes you can decide the ratio as long as it equals 1 1/4 cups I used 4 limes 3 lemons

1 cup water

1 1/2 cup super fine sugar

1/2 cup Campari
Combine the juice of the lemons and limes, super fine sugar, water and campari mix until the sugar is disolved. Place in the refrigerator to chill, should be very cold. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn away.When the sorbet is thick and the consitency of a slurpee pour into a freezer container. Its best to freeze over night or until it is scoopable. Note: You can also use simple syrup, for this batch I used lime simple syrup adding a little super fine sugar to taste.

If you want to make a float simply add two or three scoops to icy cold sparkling water. Refreshing!!

Campari sorbet and soda

Dec 17

49 Comments

Eggnog- The Quintessential Holiday Beverage

Eggnog

Creamy, sweet, delicious eggnog, I love it and it’s been a part of my holiday repertoire for as long as I can remember. I make it with and without alcohol. I also use a cooked custard because there are children drinking this and don’t want to take any chances with raw egg. The recipe I started out with is Martha Stewarts from quite a few years ago. She did not cook the eggs. The recipe calls for separating the yolks from the whites, using the yolks in the base and whipping the egg whites with some sugar and folding it into the base. It’s frothy and creamy and sweet and really delicious. I have changed it over the years and no longer fold egg whites into my custard, I’ll save those for something else like angel food cake. After cooling the custard before serving I add a pint of vanilla ice cream or Haagen Daz makes an egg nog ice cream which is delicious. This is not a diet drink and it’s loaded with cream and sugar and is very rich. The final presentation is with lightly sweetened whipped cream on top and a generous grating of nutmeg. I usually make a very large batch using a dozen eggs, divide and add the alcohol to half and leave the other virgin. I like to use rum and cognac or brandy and in the non alcoholic version I add pure rum flavoring which I make myself by simply boiling some rum for 15 minutes to remove almost all of the alcohol. The recipe below makes a quart of egg nog base, add or deduct you really don’t need a recipe.

Makes 1 quart eggnog base

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

6-8 egg yolks (I use 8)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixing bowl and either whisk or use electric mixer to combine the yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Place milk and cream on stove and heat until scalding (not boiling) add half the hot milk/cream to egg yolks whisking constantly. Pour back into pan with the remaining milk, cook on medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. You are making a custard, check frequently when the custard starts to thicken by dipping the spoon in the custard, swipe a line on the back of the spoon and if it stays intact the custard is done. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and transfer to a heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, it should sit directly on the custard and refrigerate at least 4 hours preferably overnight.

custard is done

Making the eggnog

1 quart egg nog base

1 pint vanilla or eggnog ice cream (optional)

1 cup heavy cream whipped

fresh nutmeg grated

rum extract to taste

To make boozy egg nog omit rum extract and add rum or I like to add rum and cognac or brandy. You decide how much, I like to add 1/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup brandy.

Pour the eggnog base into serving container, whip the cream adding just a little sugar. Soften your ice cream and add in scoops to the eggnog, let it melt, it’s ok. Top with whipped cream and generous grating of nutmeg. If you don’t use ice cream divide the whipped cream and fold half into the eggnog base and top with the other half.

Christmas in a bottle

Dec 13

54 Comments

Decorating For The Holidays And Some Brown Butter Spiced Ale

Decorated Fireplace Mantle

I am running behind this year, too much happening on many fronts but I decided I better start decorating. I keep it pretty simple, easily put up and taken down. Icicle lights in the windows with antique beaded wreaths, greenery and some lights and decorations on my mantles. No tree, too much for one person to deal with, putting up and taking down, needles everywhere it’s not for me. There is nothing like sitting in your home, admiring the beautiful lights and having a hot holiday beverage preferably with some alcohol to soothe the frayed nerves.

I plan on featuring some drinks both alcoholic and not that can be enjoyed during this festive time of year. I love opening a bottle of wine or champagne but sometimes you want something a bit different. I love hot toddy’s and hot buttered rum. This drink is my take on a hot buttered rum using ale, I entered this drink in a food 52 contest a while back and it was picked as a CP (community pick) It’s a bit sweet, a bit bitter (from the ale) and spicy and buttery, really different and delicious.

My next post will be eggnog, my absolute favorite holiday drink!!

Photo by James Ransom for Food52

Brown Butter Spiced Ale

Serves 2

12 ounces ale of your choice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
splashes brandy (about 1 tablespoon) per glass
1 Cinnamon stick for garnish

Add butter to small saucepan and melt on medium heat. Cook until butter becomes a light brown and has a slightly nutty smell (approximately 3 minutes). Reduce heat to low and add brown sugar and spices — cook until brown sugar is dissolved and the mixture is paste-like. Scrape into small bowl or ramekin and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the ale to the same saucepan and heat on medium until hot. Spoon two tablespoonds of the spiced butter mixture in serving glass, pour hot ale into glass and add a splash of brandy (about 1 or 2 tablespoons) and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

good food with simple ingredients

Posts from the ‘Alcoholic Beverages’ Category

Coconut Lime Slushy Happy 4th Of July

Boozy Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Pops

The Garden, Pretty In Pink A DIY Rhubarb Cordial And A Smoothie

Classic Nicoise-An American/French Pairing For #Wine PW

Peach,Raspberry Rose’ Sorbet For Fiesta Friday #71

Hot Buttered Spiced Hard Cider

Coco Lime Slushy – I’m A Whole Foods Finalist!!

Campari,Lemon,Lime Sorbet

Eggnog- The Quintessential Holiday Beverage

Decorating For The Holidays And Some Brown Butter Spiced Ale

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