Time to talk of other things ...

Home-made orange liqueur Triple sec ornge liqueur Orange liqueur is a sweetened neutral alcoholic spirit (typically vodka), around 60-80% proof, with an orange flavouring. It is great either as an after-dinner sipper (served chilled straight up, on the rocks or topped with light soda) or to make cocktails (including Cosmopolitan, Long Island Iced Tea, Mai Tai, Margarita and Mimosa).  Orange liqueurs are also used in cooking recipes to add a sweet citrus flavour to cakes, create syrups for fruits, or as a marinade or glaze for meats. Curaçao Orange liqueur is made either in the curaçao (pronounced kurra-sow ) tradition with a darker amber-gold colour and a spicier taste, or straight-up as a lighter-coloured triple sec. Historically, curaçao as the name suggests originated in the Caribbean island of Curaçao, and is made by mixing cognac or brandy with vodka and flavouring with the dried bitter orange peels. For added sophistication, a hint of clove and cinnamon is used. Triple sec on t

Homemade Raspberry Liqueur Introduction: To make raspberry liqueur, you'll need to macerate the raspberries in vodka, then strain out the berries. It's a simple process of fermentation where the vodka transforms the sugars (including those naturally in the berries) to create a beautiful red liqueur with the taste of sweet raspberries. The flavor is further enhanced by adding the zest of an orange and a few tablespoons of orange liqueur. I replaced the red wine with Sangria and the resulting concoction was wicked good. Ingredients: 24 oz (700g) of fresh garden raspberries (two small baskets) 1/2 cup Vodka 1/2 cup Sangria wine 75g brown sugar Zest of 1 tree ripened orange 3 Tbsp orange liqueur Instructions 1. Freeze raspberries for 2 hours then mash gently  in a glass container. Freezing helps break the tissues to release the juices. 2. Add the Vodka.  3. Add the zest of the orange and mix well.  4. Cover with a lid and let it macerate for 3 days in the fridge. 5. Strain through

  Blackberry liqueur Crème de mûre aka Blackberry liqueur This summer was especially good for blackberries. It made perfect sense to try something new and exciting - Crème de mûre aka Blackberry liqueur. It's a pretty straightforward recipe which I'd like to share with you. À votre santé! Summary: Makes about 1 litre Preparation:20 mins Cooking:10 mins 2 days macerating Ingredients 600g blackberries, fresh of course! 750ml bottle of good-quality red wine 300g white granulated sugar (add more if you like it sweeter) 300ml vodka (or gin) Method STEP 1 Pick over the blackberries and remove any stalks or leaves. Tip into a large ceramic or glass bowl and pour over the wine. Use a potato masher to crush the fruit into the wine. Cover with a tea towel and leave to macerate in a cool place for 2 days, mashing occasionally. STEP 2 Pour the mixture through a plastic sieve, then pass again through the sieve or a colander lined with a square of muslin to remove any bits.  STEP 3  Tip the

 Old fashioned Fig Preserve  Shout out to my friend and gardener nonpareil Rajiv who has a Nagronne Fig ( Ficus carica 'Negronne' ) tree that had a bountiful harvest.  Unsurprisingly fig recipes were the highlight this summer, allowing us to relive many favourite recipes we first encountered in the late 80s when we lived on the Island of Cyprus. This old fashioned fig preserve containing chunks of tree-ripened Nagronne figs.  Figs have a natural, honey-like sweetness, so lemon adds a nice bit of acidity and brightness.  Truly a h eavenly treat, no fig-ure of speech!! Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious. ~ Ruth Reichl This fig preserve is very versatile - limited only by your imagination. I found this blog that lists 15 ways to use fig preserves.  Ingredients: 3 pounds tree ripened figs (approximately 9 cups) 3 pounds sugar (approximately 6 and 1/2 cups) 2 lemons, sliced, remove seeds Method: 1. Wash the tree ripened figs in cold water,

  Palouzes - Dessert made from Red Grape Juice Cypriot Palouzes, called Moustalevria in Greece, is made from the juice of freshly pressed tree-ripened red grapes. Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life. ~ Maya Angelou I have reproduced a recipe I found on this website Ingredients: 10 cups of Grape Juice ( mousto ) 10 tbsp of whole wheat flour or cornstarch 4-5 leaves of kiouli (arbaroriza aka Pelargonium or 'Citronella'  or Scented Geranium) for the aroma 1 branch of basil 1/5 tsp of mastic crushed powder 2 tbsp of rose water Roughly crushed almonds or walnuts as garnish Method: In three cups of mousto, dilute the flour and pour it through a fine strainer to collect whatever is not diluted. In a large pot pour the remaining mousto. Wash the basil and kiouli leaves well under running water. Add the kiouli leaves and the basil. Place it on the stove to heat up. W

  Home-brew American Ale A rite of passage when one retires it to dabble in hobbies. What better way to take a plunge in the deep end than home brewed Ale, especially when one has delightful friends who grow their own Cascade Hops (talking about you, Bill Z), have the brewing kit and caboodle (shout out to Rajiv S) and are generous with advice (take a bow, Jarl N). Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.  ~ Dave Berry Ingredients for ~5 gallon (19L) American Ale Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/homebrewing-pale-ale-for-beginners-extract   6 gallons of reverse osmosis water.  6 pounds Briess Golden Light GBW dry malt extract (DME) 1/2 pound Viking Malt Caramel 50 (20L), crushed 1/2 pound Carapils Malt, crushed 1 ounce Cascade hops after 30 minutes 3 ounce Cascade hops after flame out for dry hopping 11.5 gram package Safale US-05 dry ale yeast