Homemade liqueur (woohoo...eventually)

We are an apartment of projects. We don't own a house, so we can't try and construct furniture in our workshop or dedicate a room to that floor loom I've wanted to have magically appear since that fiber arts class in college or construct an entire second story to our house (Julie's sister Stacy and her husband Chris are in the midst of doing this right now). So, instead, Julie makes felt dolls and I write my dissertation and we both pick out recipes to try. Mostly these recipes are the sort that we eat in one night or, if it's a dessert, hopefully over at least a couple days. Others, like jam, are about putting something away for later, and for creating resonably priced presents, so that we can be seen as cheap but thoughtful come gift-giving times.

Two years ago, inspired by a friend's efforts at homemade limoncello, we decided to give it a try ourselves. This led to further experimentation with other variations on the citrus zest front (first orange, then lemon-lime, then orange-grapfruit) all of which were tasty in their way. Then last year, after a summer of picking fruit for jam and left with more cherries than we knew waht to do with, I started looking up other liqueur recipes online and took out some books from the library. We produced a fabulous cherry liqueur, then some quite tasty apple jack, then some good smooth blueberry liqueur, and finally the amazing toasted walnut and honey liqueur you see above. I made a triple batch using half and half vodka and brandy, added a stick of cinnamon and a whole clove for the initial steeping period and used a local honey from the farmers' market for part of the sweetener. After just three months of steeping and aging it's smooth and delicious with complex nut and honey flavors, as well as little bits of spice that slip in.

The ingredients aren't cheap, though they're propotionally much less expensive than buying such liqueurs commercially, and you'll need to buy both aging and bottling containers, but the biggest thing required for making these liqueurs is patience. Most will be ready to drink in two months, but some, like the cherry deserve more like six and all of them will become smoother if they're put down for a while. The strawberry liqueur pictured above was just separated from its fruit (which went into a delicious but boozy bundt cake) and will need to age for at least another month in order to loose that harsh liquor taste and have the fruit come to the front (it smells great though, so I have high hopes.

Below are the three liqueurs we have steeping right now: raspberry, yellow cherry, and a big batch of sour cherry. The raspberry should be ready to strain in a couple weeks and will need to age for about a month after that. The cherries will hopefully be ready for gifts around Christmas.

Cherry picking in Door County, WI

Holy buckets! My parents and I had a great time picking cherries in Wisconsin. It was outrageous--cherries like bunches of grapes that would just fall into your hands. We must have eaten a million cherries---I actually had a stomachache when we left the orchard. Eight giant pails later (about 11 ice cream buckets worth), we pitted and cleaned and processed. My folks froze all of theirs. Jeremy and I made three batches of liqueur, three batches of jam, a crazy boozy strawberry/cherry/chocolate bundt cake and froze two quarts.

Maybe next year I'll have a chest freezer and I can get double the cherries!!!
YUM!!

Biggest cilantro EVER!!!!

Other winning recipes, losing ones too

The good ones:
Fresh mint ice cream
Whole wheat blueberry muffins
Zucchini bread (from my mom's cookbook)

The so-so (won't try again) ones:
Blueberry lemon pancakes (from the Ladies' Home Journal, Sept. 2002...can't find the recipe online)

The bad ones:
Spring pea tarts (Cold pastry, cold peas, cold cheese--nauseating)

Boiled new potatoes, stuffed mushrooms and Macon Village Chardonnay

Stuffed mushrooms used to be holiday fare in this house, until one day I looked up and we were making it some random weeknight, with no recipe, in under 30 minutes. If anyone tells you that stuffed mushrooms are complicated, kick them because they dont know what they are talking about.
Start with mushrooms (I find that mini-portabellos work much better than white mushrooms). Break off the stems and mince. Mince one onion and two cloves garlic. Sautee with olive oil until soft. Throw in some fresh herbs (sage, parsley, basil, tarragon all work just fine..maybe 1 T). Remove from heat. Put a piece of bread in the food processor until finely crumbed. (Is that a word?) Mix it all together with some salt and pepper and about 1/4 c finely grated parmesian cheese. Using spoons or your hands, fill up the mushrooms with as much stuffing as possible. Place mushrooms on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350-375 degree oven. Bake about 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown and mushrooms are tender (but not mushy.) These suckers are best hot (with salad and new potatoes in rosemary butter in this photo), but they also make great party food (hot or cold.) Plus, they retain their shape well to reheat the next day for lunch.
I don't remember where we bought the Macon Village Chardonnay....I'm thinking Trader Joes...which means that we paid less than $5. Again, much like most cheap wine we drink in this house, it's not going to blow your socks off, but it's decent and satisfying with dinner.
Not too dry, not too fruity, not too oaky. This chardonnay leaned more toward the buttery edge of the spectrum (without being buttery) with a fuller body.

Tomato avocado salad and Picpoul de Pinet

I know this looks totally crapola, but I swear to you it was sooooo good.
A bed of lettuce covered in a mixture of chopped tomatoes, fresh avocadoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt.
The wine was also tasty. The Picpoul was this delicious, crisp, tart treat. Good with dinner, good the next day, and the next. Very good bargain for under $10 and fabulous on a hot summer day.

Strawberry jam and hot pepper jelly

In case you haven't noticed, it's jam season. Damn! I love jam.
Last month I tried this recipe for Double Hot Pepper Jelly. I have complaints. Most recipes call for sweet peppers, which I tried to avoid, but in hindsight, I would totally use bell peppers instead of all of the damn sugar.
I doubled the amount of chiles, but it still wasnt enough...there were just a sprinkling of chilies among this vast sea of sugar.
Plus, the recipe called for two pouches of pectin. Huge mistake! The jelly morphed into this hard ectoplasm, instead of delicious, slightly soft jelly.
It's not bad, especially on egg sandwiches and I've heard that it's good when eaten the Minnesotan way (crackers covered in cream cheese with hot pepper jelly dropped on top....makes me want to cry and puke at the same time when I think about it.)
Next time = more peppers, less sugar, less pectin.

Cilantro chutney

Green chutney (from the City Pages, about four years ago)
1 large handful cilantro leaves (or two, or three)
1 handful fresh mint leaves, stemmed
1/2 inch fresh ginger root
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 medium tomato (although you can skip this in a pinch)
1 or 2 chiles (Thai preferably)
salt to taste, and about 1/3 c water
Start by rinsing the leaves and putting them in the salad spinner, one of the greatest inventions of all time. Roughly chop everything and throw into a food processor or blender. It will look really full, and you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to get it going.
Blend the hell out of it until it is green and smooth and beautiful. Add salt. (Add about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, tasting it as you go. The saltiness will increase over time, so less is better.)
The recipe says you can store in the frig in an airtight container for up to two days, but I've found that if you skip the tomato entirely, you can keep a tub of this stuff in the frig for a good month or two.
Great on frozen samosas, spread on pita, eaten with Indian food, added to stirfrys, or scrambled eggs or salads.

Farmer's Markets last week June/first week July

Banana Cornmeal Pancakes

These Banana Cornmeal Pancakes were damn good. The batter puffs up like crazy, nearly doubling as it rests.
But the pancakes are delicious and not too heavy.

(Good with ginger preserves, strawberry jam or maple syrup.)

Wild rice, grilled mushrooms and Spatburgunder

Really more of a fall or winter dish, we sometimes make Wild Rice with Shitakes & Toasted Almonds when we're feeling picnic-y. We substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth, cut down on the scallions and add fresh oregano, sage and wilted spinach. Great with asparagus and grilled portabello mushrooms. (Marinate in a ziploc with 3 T soy sauce, minced garlic, 1-2 T balsamic vinegar, 1 chili and black pepper. Throw in a frying pan with olive oil on medium high heat, until the mushrooms are tender and start to release their juices.)


The Spatburgunder (sort of like a Rose') was nice, light and fruity. Not too sweet, not too dry. Perfect for summer. Highly recommended.

Szechuan green beans and spring rolls

One of my absolute favorite meals is this dish. In fact we've made it three times in the past month and now that I look at this photo, I want to make it again.

I mean, my god, look at this spring roll. It's BEAUTIFUL!!!

We first starting making spring rolls when we lived in Atlanta. I was working at Noodle, and it looked pretty easy. They used a different version--with just lettuce, steamed shrimp, basil and noodles--no marinade.

One of the best features of Atlanta is Buford Highway, this diverse stretch of road combining Asian, Hispanic and other ethic stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Many a Saturday we enjoyed Buford Highway, particulary the big Farmer's Market (not really a Farmer's Market) near 285, this great tea shop that has since closed down and Morninglory, a Korean stationary store.
Anyway, due to the plethora of Asian grocery stores and recipes online, we gave it a try. Daunting and nervewracking the first time, but not so complicated. The most time consuming part is the rolling of them, and once you find some reliable rice paper wrappers that dont break in your hands, you're good to to.
Boil water in a pot and add the thinnest rice vermicelli you can find. It cooks fast (2-3 minutes) so be sure to check it regularly. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine shredded lettuce (I like really bitter stuff like mesclun mix or arugula), shredded carrots, mint, basil, cilantro, and the noodles. In a small bowl, mix two minced cloves of garlic, 2 chopped chilis, 2-3 T of rice vinegar, 1 t sugar, the juice of 1/2 a lime and a splash of soy sauce. Pour over noodle mixture and toss well with your hands. Set aside.
In another small bowl, mix 1 minced clove of garlic, 2 chopped chilis, 1/4 c hoisin sauce, 1-3 T rice vinegar, the juice of the other half of the lime. Top with roasted peanuts. This is your dipping sauce.
Cut the ends off the green beans and cut on half. Chop 3-4 cloves garlic and 1-3 chilis. (You can substitute dried chili flakes). Heat sesame or olive oil in a wok on high for a minute or two, then add beans. Toss frequently, adding a sprinkle of salt. After 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and chilis and cook a few minutes more, until the beans are to your liking.
If you're like us, you will inhale this meal, making loud, orgasmic grunting noises and smiling at the nice burn on your lips.

Lasagna and brownies

Ah, lasagna. Seemingly so complicated but really so easy. How I love thee.
Saute chopped onions over medium heat until almost clear, then add chopped garlic (maybe one onion and about 4-8 cloves of garlic). Add 2-3 cups of chopped mushrooms. Feel free to add a splash of wine or balsamic vinegar.
Empty the pan and saute spinach in olive oil until dark green and wilted. You can also saute sliced zuccini, eggplant, or whatever veggies you like.
Put veggies in bowls, along with ricotta cheese, shreded mozzerella cheese, fresh basil and boiled lasagna noodles. Splash tomato sauce down on a 9 x 13 pan, and start with a layer of noodles. Add more sauce, then 1/3rd of the veggies, 1/3 rd of the ricotta and a few good handfuls of cheese. Add more noodles, and repeat. Add more noodles and repeat. Top with noodles, a tiny bit of sauce and the rest of the cheese, along with some parmesian. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour, or more if you have made this ahead of time and refrigerated it. When a knife inserted in the middle is hot, it's ready. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
What goes really well with lasagna?
Brownies!
This is a recipe from Nink, who was a student of Jeremy's mom's housemate's back in Chicago in the 1970's. We like it because it's rich and dense and tasty.
1 c butter or margerine
2 c sugar (I usually cut this by 1/2 c)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate (although I recently made this with bittersweet chocolate by mistake. It was very sweet, but not the horrible disaster I thought it would be)
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 c flour
1/2 to 1 c nuts (pecans or walnuts)
Preheat oven to 325. Melt butter and chocolate over low/medium heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure you stir the hell out of it each time so the eggs are combined completely. Add vanilla, then flour. Fold in the nuts. Pour into a sprayed 8 x 8 pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Rhubarb scones

Aren't these beautiful?

We the previously posted scone recipe but added pecans and rhubarb (coated in sugar). It got a bit sloppy from the juice, and was challenging to fold it all in, but damn, these were tasty.

Piper's salad recipe thing

Yes, I know it looks disgusting, but this salad tasted so damn good.
The base is lettuce and shredded carrots, with garlic, green onions, tomatoes, mock duck, mint stir fried in chilis, vinager, sugar and a little bit of sweet chili sauce.
(For a fast topping for salads or rice, you can also cube tofu and throw in a wok with minced garlic and a few good dollops of sweet chili sauce. It cooks up nicely.)

Farmer's Market bounty

This beautiful photo displays the farmer's market selections from early June. The strawberries were the first local ones of the season, and they were so sweet they tasted like jam. Great tomatoes too.


When cleaning the cherries, I found not one, but EIGHT siamese twin cherry bunches. Isn't that strange? (Especially considering I've never seen even one before then...)

Wafernusse and Don Juan Tempranillo

There are some folks out there who hate Aldi's. (ALbrecht DIscount, a discount supermarket chain from Germany.) They think that if you're paying 25 cents for canned goods, there's got to be something wrong with it. Now I know that most Aldi's seem to crop up in the less than wealthy parts of town, and that the produce is usually pathetic and sad looking (even though it's dirt cheap), but within the aisles of Aldi's you can find several treasures.
First up are these fine Chocolate Wafernusse. Delicious crispy wafers with hazelnut and chocolate layers. So, so good.
They have excellent prices on pure vanilla, brown sugar and marachino cherries, as well as comparable prices on flour, sugar and other baked goods.
Like Trader Joe's, owned by Aldi's, they have cheap nuts, dried fruits and cereals.
When I went last week, the fruit looked great and man, what a deal! $2.99 for a whole seedless watermelon, 50 cents for a cantelope, cheap cherries and strawberries (neither of which we needed) and Mama Tia's frozen cheese pizza for $1.99 (which actually became my new preferred pizza, as long as you add sauteed veggies on top.)
Speaking of Trader Joe's, I believe we purchased Don Juan tempranillo from there for $3.99. It tastes just like a tempranillo--sort of dry, a little acidic. Not bad, especially for that price. Not a superstar, but come on, it's less than $4!

Pizza, Blue Bunny ice cream and Rex Shiraz

We love pizza, and even though we'll eat frozen pizza when we're lazy, we prefer to make our own. Jeremy uses a great recipe for a whole wheat pizza crust and we include whatever veggies are in the frig.
The usual suspects: sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms and spinach, sometimes asparagus, sometimes artichokes and olives, sometimes hot peppers. YUM.

I'm a sucker for cheap ice cream. When looking for no sugar added versions after my dad found out about the diabetes, I found Blue Bunny's vanilla, a tasty, non-chemically alternative to "real" ice cream. The Bourdeaux Cherry Chocolate was also good, with giant chunks of cherries and chocolate. (Not diabetic friendly, I'm afraid.)

With dinner we drank some Rex Goliath Shiraz. As I said before when reviewing the Chardonnay, I like Rex and have never been
disappointed by their wines. They are cheap (usually $7 or 8),

last a good while and go with just about anything.
Hooray for cheap tasty wine!

Vegetarianism's little secret

I don't remember farting much growing up. Seriously. I was born into a good, hard-working, German family, with lots of meat and potatoes and milk. (I don't remember being constipated either, but I should have been with all of that starch and dairy...but I digress.)
Since becoming a vegetarian, however, I seem to produce enough gas to fuel the world. It's ridiculous. No one told me. It appears that flatulence is a common complaint among vegetarians and vegans.
Here's a good explanation from www.thestraightdope.com:
"The problem is the body's inability to fully digest the complex carbohydrates so abundant in the vegetarian diet and the consequent excessive production of gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane.
Vegetarian nutritionists claim this phenomenon abates once the intestinal flora adapt to the new menu. However, I suspect high gas production is inherent in any diet consisting predominantly of plant products. Cows and sheep, for example, are marvelously adapted to all-veggie fare, yet they generate such prodigious quantities of methane-laden flatulence that some authorities regard them as major contributors to the greenhouse effect and thus to global warming.
A matter avoided studiously in most discussions of this subject, and to which I now must delicately turn, is odor. While it seems inarguable that a vegetarian diet eventuates in increased flatulence, the gases produced in greatest volume--the aforementioned hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane--are odorless. The noxious fragrance of which you complain is produced by minute amounts of other digestive by-products, typically containing sulfur, such as hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, and dimethyl sulfide.
I pass no judgments, observing only that foul smells are likely to be associated with particular high-sulfur foods rather than with a vegetarian diet in general. I have it on solid authority, for instance, that if you pack in the garlic you will stink like a son of a bitch. Broccoli and cauliflower are also notable in this regard. Willpower and muscle control won't save you--if you don't shed the noisome molecules in the form of flatus, they'll be absorbed into your bloodstream and later waft from your breath or pores."
I thought I would try an over-the-counter gas reducing pill. After taking the first pill (which worked quite well), I read the list of ingredients. Besides including gelatin (made from bones, teeth and other animal bits), it contains "cod, flounder and redfish."
WTF???!! Why do I need fish to stop gas? Needless to say, Jeremy won't touch the stuff, and I'll only use it if I'm desperate (going out with friends after eating black bean soup, or something.)
I don't regret being a vegetarian, but damn, I sure hate the gas.
If anyone knows of a vegan remedy (other than fennel, which doesn't do squat for me), let me know.