Spirited Cooking!

 

 

 

 

This month’s Recipe Redux theme is using spirits in food preparation.  Who doesn’t LOVE that!  I was thinking of all of the ways to use wine and alcohol—and how it added another layer of flavor to things I prepared!  My first thought went to homemade vanilla.

I’m not talking about your $1.00 bottle of vanilla flavored extract—I’m talking REAL vanilla.  The kind you pay $9 for a small bottle of.  It makes heavenly dishes, and even makes every day oatmeal taste like a million dollar treat!  There are many recipes for homemade vanilla—involving vodka or bourbon.  I like to use rum!  All will work.  The “recipe” states using 3 vanilla beans for every 2 cups of alcohol.  I purchased my beans from Penzey’s Spices—and they were HUGE!  So I determined that they would equal 4 cups of rum!  I sterilized a quart jar, and mise en place all of my materials.  I cut the vanilla beans down the middle, and then cut them in half so they would fit in my jar.  I decided half way through to change jars to a wider mouth lidded jar (even though it has Halloween decorations on it—it works!).  I poured rum over the beans in the jar until it was full (just happens to hold 4 cups!).

Once it is prepared, it has to sit until totally cured—it is recommended two months.  At that time you can pour it into a decorative jar to use.  I like to place it in a jar that pours well so I do not drip any of the precious liquid!  Give it a try—you’ll really taste the difference and become a vanilla snob just like me!

Another quick idea with wine is to deglaze the bottom of a pan with a small amount of wine.  I like to do this with my pot roasts.  It adds a level of flavor to the juices that cannot be beat.  A wise wine professional told me to only use wine I would drink to do this.  I agree.  I love sweet wines—and they work very well with meat and even a splash in seafood dishes!  Enjoy!

Check out the following blogs for more healthy ideas!