Booze of the day: Crème de Fraise Liqueur (Strawberry “cream”)

It is not well for a man to pray cream and live skim milk. – Henry Ward Beecher 

The end result is very "creamy." Regular strawberry liqueur is quite clear.

There is no cream in this recipe. This is my second foray into the world of “whey” infused liqueurs. It is certainly something I am going to continue.

After 4 weeks. The one on the right is foamy because
I had just shaken the jar.

My first attempt was for Peanut Cream liqueur (here). What I assumed was that the whey would add a creaminess to the finished product that normal sugar syrup wouldn’t impart. I was right.

Since I had lots of leftover whey from making goat cheese (see posts here and here) I had to figure out ways to use this valuable stuff.

Whey is the residue remaining from the first separation of curds from milk. Often it is re-separated to render ricotta, or used for many purposes in the kitchen and more. For example it can be used to start bread or to water plants, to name but two. It is full of vitamins, probiotics and minerals.

I have made strawberry liqueur successfully many times, so I thought that would be a good candidate to try as a “crème.” I knew what a proper result was supposed to be.

The result is not as clear as the original. One would expect that as whey is translucent. The whey adds a fantastic “mouth appeal” that isn’t in the original. I strongly suggest you add this one to your repertoire, as well as the original.

If you don’t want to make cheese per se, buy a 1 L container of plain yogurt and drain it through a cloth lined strainer overnight. The resulting liquid is whey, and you also get a tasty thick yogurt that can be used as a spread much like cream cheese.

Crème de Fraise Liqueur

Highly unappetizing looking but exactly correct.

Approx. 1.25 L   |  15% alc. vol.

454-500 g frozen sliced strawberries

2-1/2 cups vodka

1 cup whey (from making cheese)

1 cup sugar

2 1 L Mason jars

Thaw the strawberries and keep any collected juice with the berries. Divide the berries and juice and place in Mason jars. If it’s not exact that’s OK. You mix it all together after steeping.

Add 1-1/4 cup of vodka to each jar.

Bring the whey and sugar to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes to make a simple syrup.

Pour half of the syrup into each jar with the vodka, cover and shake well.

Let steep for 4 weeks. During that time the berries will leech almost all their colour and turn pale. Don’t worry. This is what is supposed to happen. Shake the jars fairly often during the four weeks infusion.

After steeping, strain out the berries. Squeeze the fruit slightly to extract some juice. Restrain through a double layer of fine cloth to remove residual sediment. Do NOT squeeze the liquid in this step.

Makes 3 x 305 ml bottles plus a good sized glass to enjoy.

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Canning Recipe: Grand Marnier® Clementines

A man is not an orange. You can't eat the fruit and throw the peel away. – Arthur Miller

Six small jars of slightly boozy clementines.

T’is the season – for discount clementines!

If you’ve been reading your local grocery flyers lately you probably have noticed that boxes of clementines are on sale. If they aren’t they soon will be. 

Interest in them seems to drop off just before and after Christmas for some reason…overexposure? Currently in Halifax they’re going for $2.88/5 lbs. That’s about half the pre-sale price. Canning (or “putting up” as the old folks used to say) fruit is a fantastic way to preserve the height of the harvest for times when fruit is not so affordable.

Photo: Romaryka, Flickr ccl

Oranges (and clementines) have been a special Christmas treat for decades in rural Nova Scotia. Although they’re available all year round that wasn’t always the case. 

During the Great Depression they were a rarity. I remember my mother telling me of the excitement generated when they arrived at the local dry goods store. They were special. The village was small so everyone knew when they arrived.

Even when I was young (decades later) I always received an orange in the toe of my Christmas stocking. I’m sure it was a hangover from those bygone days. My parents would have had vivid memories of those earlier years because that was when they were children.

What are clementines?

Clementines are a variety of mandarin orange that are small, smooth skinned and very easy to peel. They are almost always seedless, which makes them ideal candidates for canning.

The origin of the clementine is a little murky. One story says the clementine was the result of a hybrid discovered by Father Clément Rodier in the garden of his orphanage in Algeria. Some studies state that the clementine is possibly a variant of the Canton mandarin that grows in China.

Clementines are at their peak from November through January so have become known as the Christmas Orange. They are usually shipped in cardboard or wooden crates.

I suggest the 250 ml jars because I’m notorious for opening a can of fruit and then never finishing it. The smaller jars yield two small servings – just enough for my family. Of course larger jars can be used if your brood numbers in the dozens. Just increase quantities accordingly.

More detailed directions for canning foods than I outline below can be found at: http://food.unl.edu/web/preservation/canning

Grand Marnier® Clementines

6 250 ml jars (or 3 500 ml)

18 clementines (approximately)

6 tbsp Grand Marnier® liqueur (or other orange liqueur*)

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups water

Wash and dry the jars, lids and rings. There is no need to sterilize the jars. The processing time raises the temperature enough to kill any bacteria that may be present.

Peel the clementines and remove as much of the white membrane as you can from the segments.

Pack the jars with the fruit segments. Depending on the size of the clementines you’ll average about 2.5 fruits per 250 ml jar.

Bring the sugar and water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour 1 tbsp of liqueur in each of the jars (for 250 ml) and top with the boiling syrup. Place the covers and rings on each jar and tighten.

Place the jars in a large pot of boiling water with enough water to cover the jar tops well. Process in the boiling water for 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool until the tops pop down. Check the tightness of your jar rings.

Note: If the centres of the tops don't pop down as the jars cool they are NOT sealed. Re-process for a further 10 minutes and try again. I had two that didn't seal the first time. Second processing did the trick.

Well sealed canned clementines will last unopened on your shelf for at least 12 months.

* Triple Sec®, Cointreau® or my homemade Grand Orange liqueur can be substituted. For my liqueur recipe, click here.

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Booze of the week: Cinnamon Liqueur

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. – Proverbs 7:17

Golden yellow cinnamon-y goodness...

Cinnamon sweetness – that’s what this liqueur is. Not nearly as hot as cinnamon hearts but a tasty substitute, especially with the vodka. This liqueur is totally naturally coloured. After 2 weeks the vodka turns a very mellow gold colour from the cinnamon.

True cinnamon is at left. Photo: Wiki CC

Cinnamon versus Cassia

Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of several members of the family Cinnamonium, an evergreen tree. Wild cinnamons can grow about 60 feet (20 m) tall but commercially they are stunted to produce more of the bark-yielding growth called "tillering."

There are several different “cinnamons.” Cinnamomum verum ("true cinnamon", Sri Lanka or Ceylon cinnamon) is the highest grade harvested. It is distinctly different in taste than what we purchase at the store and is more difficult to find.

Why, you may ask? Because of the massive commercial use of cinnamon the bark of other close relatives is also harvested. These relations are the usual ground cinnamon we find in our grocery stores. C. aromaticum (Chinese cinnamon or Cassia) from Southeast Asia is the most common.

Why is cinnamon hot?

From Wikipedia

[Cinnamon's] flavour is due to an aromatic essential oil that makes up 0.5% to 1% of its composition. The pungent taste and scent come from cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde (about 60 % of the bark oil) and, by the absorption of oxygen as it ages, it darkens in colour and develops resinous compounds.

True cinnamon is less harsh than cassia and has a noticeably different taste. If anyone has ever been tricked into trying to swallow a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (cassia) you will know what I mean by harsh. But don't be fooled; cinnamon is still hot, just less so than its more common cousin.

Cassia has a greater “hot” taste that can take one’s breath away (by the spoonful) as easily as wasabi. Think of cinnamon hearts – they're pretty spicy. They use cassia distilled oil.

If you purchase cinnamon sticks you are almost certainly buying cassia. That’s OK, because in this liqueur you want strong cinnamon flavour. Don’t worry, the syrup moderates it in a wonderful way.

Health effects

Cinnamon has many documented and folkloric health benefits. Among them are the possibility of assisting to regulate blood sugar in diabetics, various uses in cancer treatments and significant antibacterial properties.

Studies have shown that 1/2 tsp per day can lower LDL cholesterol levels and is also a great source of manganese, iron and calcium. Interestingly one study found that smelling cinnamon actually boosted cognitive function and memory.

For the first week or so of steeping I thought this would be a completely white infusion. As the second week got underway it miraculously started to take the colour from the bark. The Calvados (apple brandy) adds some colour as well. Other brandy can be substituted, but always remember: "garbage in, garbage out."

I would hazard a guess that if you steeped the bark for a month you would achieve an even stronger infusion. You could also double up the cinnamon used to hurry it along.

One final word. By my calculation (3 cups 40% alc. vol. + 1 cup syrup) this liqueur is about 30%. I felt the one little glass you see in the picture. So handle this with respect.

Cinnamon Liqueur

Makes 4 cups  |  about 30% alc. vol

2 cinnamon stick, about 4-5” long each

4 cloves

2 cup vodka

1/2 cup Calvados (or other brandy)

3/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

Don’t substitute ground cinnamon in this recipe. You’ll never get it all filtered out.

Steep the sticks and cloves in the vodka and calvados for 2 weeks in a Mason jar. After infusing strain and filter through cloth until clear. This may take several times.

Boil the sugar and water together for 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly and then add the sugar syrup to the infused vodka. Stir well.

Decant into bottles. This will fill 2 x 375 ml, plus a good sized glass for you.

The liqueur can be used right away, but will be better after 1 week.

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Recipe: Scarborough Fair Roulade

What is Paradise but a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure and nothing there but delights. – William Lawson (1618)

Wasn’t that relaxing…

This rolled delight takes its name from the Simon & Garfunkel song of the same name. The herbs used are those from the lyrics of the song – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Bacon is woven like a lattice and encases the other fillings. Fancy…

I am serious. If you ever want to elevate hamburger and bacon into a company-worthy meal this is it.

If you’ve ever had Beef Wellington you’ll know what I mean when I say the pâté adds a depth of richness that is hard to describe. Describable or not, it’s delicious.

This dish is a complete fabrication on my part, and one that worked out extremely well, thank you very much. I had 1-1/2 lbs of thawed ground round that needed dealing with, and I had seen the bacon weave from another blogger’s efforts with sausage and barbecue sauce.

Would I do anything differently? Maybe… The bacon was cooked, but not “crisped.” Another time I think I would start the roulade in an oven proof deep skillet, and partially cook the bacon on the outside of the roulade before putting it into the oven. That way it would have a head start.

Remember to use a meat thermometer. 170° internal is it. No more. If you do you run the risk of drying out the hamburger. Always use a meat thermometer when roasting any meat. For a small investment it’s a life saver.

Since the oven is on anyway, consider roasting vegetables as side dishes. We had potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Roasted parsnips are quite a treat.

Scarborough Fair Roulade

Prep: 20 min  |  Bake: 1 hour 15 min  |  Serves 6

14 pieces bacon (almost a full 1 lb package)

1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1-1/2 tsp each ground sage, rosemary & ground thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

250g liver pâté with onion and garlic

2 medium portobello mushroom caps

2 tsp cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Take 2 pieces of bacon and lay them atop each other like a cross on your impeccably clean work surface. Then begin to weave the other pieces like you would a mat or lattice crust for a pie, the only difference is leave no gaps between the strips. 

The end result is a beautiful square of woven bacon about 12” x12”.

The beef filling atop the woven bacon.

Combine the ground beef, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and 1tsp each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Knead well with your hands until incorporated.

Chop the portobello caps into fairly fine dice and mix with the pâté and 2 tsp pepper in another bowl.

The pâté layer.

Take the beef mixture and spread evenly over the bacon. Then spread on the pâté.

Rolled and ready for the oven. You may want to do it in a skillet to brown the bacon before roasting.

Roll the bacon up over the filling. Continue to roll until sealed. Place in a roasting pan “seam side down” (where the bacon edges are).

Sprinkle with some more pepper if desired.

Let rest for about 10 minutes before trying to slice.

Roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 170°F on a meat thermometer. This should take between 1 hour and 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

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Recipe: Homemade “Cappuccino” Mix

I believe humans get a lot done, not because we're smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee. – Flash Rosenberg

A real cappuccino. They are often decorated with patterns in the foam. It's a real art.
Photo: pocius, Flickr ccl

This is a guilty pleasure of mine – fake cappuccino. It's almost additive. 

I classify fake cappuccino powder in the same class as dried potato flakes. They don’t taste like potato when they’re reconstituted. They taste like something “other.” If you like it, good. If you don’t that’s OK too. You don’t have to eat them.

I don’t really know why powdered cappuccino mix was called by that name. It most certainly doesn’t taste like a real cappuccino, except for the cinnamon and chocolate, but those are ADDITIONS on top, not part of the coffee.

Oh well, who really cares. You either like this or you don’t. I do. I’m having one now. If someone likes the mix, this is an easy homemade gift.

So what’s the real stuff?

From Wikipedia (abridged)

A cappuccino is an Italian coffee drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam. In the 17th century, Viennese monks in Austria, who found Turkish coffee too strong for their taste, mixed it with cream and honey. This made the colour of the coffee turn brown, resembling the colour of the robes worn by the Capuchin monastic order. Which gave rise to the “cappuccino” name so famous today.

And the fake?

Also from Wikipedia (abridged)

The widespread acceptance of the cappuccino led to many establishments, such as convenience stores, offering a product labeled as "cappuccino" to their patrons. However, that product is usually produced by machines similar to those that mix cocoa drinks, and made with either a manufactured mix or double-brewed coffee. The resulting beverage is unlike regular cappuccino. 

Additionally, store-bought mixes intended for home use are also produced. These powders are intended to be mixed with hot water or milk, an attempt to produce a beverage comparable to that found in convenience stores; these are often advertised as "frothed coffee."

Regardless of what it is “trying” to be, this cappuccino mix is every bit as good as the powdered mixes sold in our local grocery stores, for considerably less cost than in those establishments.

Homemade “Cappuccino” Mix

Makes 3-1/4 cups of powdered mix

1 cup powdered instant non-dairy creamer (like Coffee-Mate)

1/2 to 3/4 cup instant hot chocolate* (no marshmallows!!)

1 cup instant coffee (caffeinated or decaf)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (just a pinch)

Combine all and mix well. Crush the instant coffee granules so they don't "float" to the top of the mix in the jar.

* the more chocolate you add the more mochaccino it becomes.

To make "cappuccino":

2 heaping tablespoons cappuccino mix

1-1/2 cups boiling water 

whipped cream 

grated chocolate

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Recipe: Palm Sugar Butter Cookies – Flavour them as you want!

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap. – Barbara Jordan 

Mmmm... Butter cookies.... no added flavourings. Still delicious.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve been fairly busy at work and haven’t found the time. But I’m back now.

“The Season” is nearly upon us. Because of that fact it behooves me to grace my blog with a cookie recipe. Cookies are a mainstay of the post-buffet table. This is a great one to add to your Christmas repertoire, or any time of the year for that matter.

This is the sugar I used. Product of Thailand.

This is a “basic” sugar butter cookie – about as basic as you can get, actually. It relies on the palm sugar for flavour, but if you add flavouring the possibilities are endless. 

If you wish you can divide the dough and make different cookies from one recipe. I have several listed below, such as vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or grated citrus peel. I think peel would be wonderful, but so would the others. Use your imagination!

Palm sugar is all the rage now as a healthier sweetner alternative to agave. It also is finding its way into many commercial baked goods because it has a low melting point and a high burning point. Those are two desirable characteristics for commercial (or home) baking.

Palm sugar is often used in Thai cuisine so if you can’t find it in your local grocery look in a good Asian market. It will be there. Make sure you buy 100% palm sugar – not a blend. It will probably be in small round cakes, so prepare to get your grater out. 

What is Palm Sugar?

Palm sugar is made from the sap of select palm trees. Palm sugar tastes sort of like brown sugar, but sort of not. It has a gentle caramel/butterscotch flavour.

Palm sugar is nutrient rich and low-glycemic. This means it is absorbed into the blood stream at a slower rate than refined sugars. It is completely natural with no refining therefore it keeps all of the nutrients present from the palm. Even powdered stevia cannot boast this claim. Palm sugar contains many key vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6.

Harvesting of palm sugar is accomplished by sugar tappers climbing to the top of palm trees (often palmyra palms, but also date, sago and coconut palms) to collect the sap from the flowers. The collected liquid is then cooked down and allowed to harden, much like maple syrup and maple sugar in Canada. You could substitute maple sugar quite easily in this recipe.

Palm sugar is sometimes referred to as a "green" sweetener. It affords local people employment in areas of the world where clear cutting of tropical forests is becoming an environmental issue.

Palm sugar has such a nice flavour there’s really no need for additional flavouring in these cookies if you’re like me and enjoy a good, homey basic cookie. These are a really nice little cookie. I was impressed. Two of us ate all 36 cookies in one night. Yeah, yeah, I know... but it's not like it happens every night.

After baking let them cool for a few minutes on a rack so they firm up. They’re great cooled but I prefer my cookies a touch warm with a glass of milk!

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 min, or
refrigerate overnight. Can also be frozen for extended periods.

Basic Palm Sugar Butter Cookies

Mix & form: 20  |  Chill: 30 min  |  Bake: 18 min  |  Yield: 36

1 cup butter (227 g / 8 oz)

3/4 cup palm sugar (or light brown sugar or even maple sugar)

1 large egg

2 cups white flour

* Options: seeds from 1 vanilla bean; 1 tbsp grated orange, lemon or lime peel, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg...

If you buy “pucks” of palm sugar you need to grate them. You will find the sugar is very “moist” for lack of a better word. Grate until you have 3/4 of a cup lightly packed. For me that was 3 “pucks.”

Beat the sugar and butter together with a mixer (use your KitchenAid!) until they are well combined. Then beat in the egg. The mixture will not be smooth.

Slowly add in the flour until just combined. The dough will still not all together.

Bring the dough together with your hands. Knead gently for a few seconds. The dough will be very soft.

Roll, flatten, prick with a fork. Done.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let cool in a freezer for about 30 minutes to help it set. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator overnight to chill or frozen for later use.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment. 

Flour your hands well. Roll pieces of the dough into 1” sized balls. Keep flouring your hands as you roll. Place each ball on the parchment about 3 inches apart. Flatten with a well floured water glass bottom. 

Note: if using only one sheet refrigerate the dough wile the first batch bakes. It keeps the dough easy to handle.

Prick the centre of each cookie twice in the centre with a fork or use something else to decorate the top. I sometimes use a meat tenderizing mallet. It makes a nice pattern. If you wish, sprinkle with decorative sugar.

Bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until just browning at the edges. Remove to a rack and let cool.

* If adding a flavouring mix it in just before adding the flour. If using multiple flavourings, divide the dough and knead it in last. If you do so work quickly. The warmth of your hands will melt the butter.

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