Beverages « (y)our food choices™

We’re doing our part to perpetuate the craziness of pumpkin spiced anything by bringing you this adult version of a Pumpkin Spiced Latte. And because all good cocktails begin with tasty ingredients, we wanted to create the best homemade liqueurs possible. These recipes are open to interpretations and as such, offer endless possibilities in creating your own style or flavor.

While homemade liqueurs are simple, they require patience and a bit of faith that the techniques we share actually work. Remember, the first time experimenting with a new anything in the kitchen is its own brand of fun. So gather the stuff you need, take a deep breath and go for it! If you start today you’ll be able to enjoy a cocktail on New Year’s Eve!

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Homemade Milk Liqueur
from The Kitchn
adapted from The New Portuguese Table by David Leite

Makes about 1 quart of liqueur
Start today, enjoy in 3 months

2 cups vodka
2 cups whole or 2% milk (non-UHT pasteurized for best results*)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 ounces of dark chocolate
1/2 (or more) of lemon or other citrus, juice and rind**

Mix everything together in a clean glass container with a tight-sealing lid. Shake vigorously and store in a cool, dark place for 10 days. Give the container a few shakes every day.

After 10 days, the liqueur is ready. Strain through a double-layer of cheese cloth or a coffee filter to catch the milk solids and clarify the liqueur. More rounds of straining will result in a cleaner, clearer liqueur.

Transfer to a clean container and store for up to several months.

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Coffee Liqueur
from America’s Test Kitchen DIY

Makes about 1 quart of liqueur
Start today, enjoy in 1 to 2 months

1 1⁄3 cups sugar
1 1⁄4 cups water
1⁄4 cup instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 1⁄3 cups vodka
2⁄3 cup brandy
2 vanilla beans

Heat sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in espresso powder and cocoa, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil. Off heat, stir in vodka and brandy.

Slice vanilla beans in half lengthwise and place in 1-quart glass jar or bottle with tight-fitting lid. Pour liqueur mixture into jar with beans. Let mixture steep in cool, dark place until mellowed, 1 to 2 months, shaking jar to redistribute mixture once a week. Coffee liqueur can be stored at room temperature for at least 6 months. It will continue to mellow with age.

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Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
recipe from Chowhound

Makes about 1 quart of liqueur
Start today, enjoy in 1 to 2 months

2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
6 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
2 cups bourbon

Place the water and sugars in a medium saucepan, whisk to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and vanilla beans, whisk to combine, and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is infused with flavor, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a medium fine-mesh strainer with a 13-by-15-inch piece of ultrafine cheesecloth and place it over a large heatproof bowl.

Pour the pumpkin mixture through the cheesecloth and let it drain undisturbed until most of the liquid has passed through and only a thick paste remains. Gently press on the paste with a rubber spatula to release any remaining liquid, then discard the contents of the strainer. (You should have about 2 cups of infused syrup.)

Add the rum and stir to combine. Transfer to a 1-quart container and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Seal the container tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for at least 2 days and up to 3 months before serving.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cocktail
makes two

1 1/2 ounces Bourbon
1/2 ounce Milk Liqueur
1/2 ounce Coffee Liqueur
1/2 ounce Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
1 tablespoon raw egg white
Freshly grated nutmeg

Add bourbon all liqueurs, and egg white to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses and add freshly grated nutmeg. Cheers!

The carrot: full of vitamins, delightfully crunchy and, when picked at its best, oh so sweet. It can also be incredibly boring. Those pre-peeled and perfectly shaped “baby” carrots we find in the grocery store, for example, make for a miserable snack. Volumes could be written about this ubiquitous veggie, but we’ll cut to the chase here with our take on a root that seems to have limitless culinary applications.

Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A, and several other vitamins and minerals as well as dietary fiber. However, our bodies have a tough time getting at those vitamins when we eat a raw carrot in its unprocessed form. The vitamins and minerals are locked up in tough, fibrous mass. We can get at more of those vitamins by breaking the carrots down through shredding, grinding or juicing. And cooking carrot makes the beta-carotene more readily available to our bodies.

We now find carrots of many colors on the stands of our local farmers markets – orange, red, white and purple. While generally a cool weather veggie, their year-round availability makes it easy to cook them at peak freshness throughout the year. And the greens? They’re edible! Sure, they’re a little bitter, but they offer a nice foil to the root’s sweetness when added to a dish or salad in small amounts. The greens make a great substitute for parsley in a pinch.

An essential member of the mirepoix trinity (with onion and celery), carrot is used as a sweet/savory flavoring agent in countless recipes for soups, sauces, stocks, sweets, pastries, and more. They’re delicious on their own, glazed in stock, butter and sugar. As a substitute for mashed potatoes, they can’t be beat. They make a comforting blended soup when accented with curry spices. And what self-respecting pot roast would be caught without an accompanying roasted carrot smothered in all those pan juices? And when the meal is complete, there’s always carrot cake for dessert.

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Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Juice

Makes 2-3 servings

2-3 medium to large organic carrots, scrubbed well and tops removed
2-4 medium to large organic apples
1/2 – 1 inch fresh ginger peeled (Hawaiian ginger, preferably)

To clean the carrots and apples: In a large bowl filled with fresh cool water add the carrots and apples with a couple tablespoons of white distilled vinegar. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then scrub the carrots and apples.

Cut the apples and carrots to fit the feed shoot of your high powered juicer. Juice all of the carrots first and set the carrot pulp aside. Add the ginger, and then add the apples. Drink Immediately.

Carrot Almond Salad

2-3 medium to large organic carrots, scrubbed well and tops removed
Alternately, use the carrot pulp from the carrot, apple and ginger juice from the recipe above
2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons almond oil
1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
salt and pepper

Grate the carrots using a food processor or a box grater, or use the carrot pulp from the juice recipe. Add the carrots to a large mixing bowl. If using the grated carrots, add 2 tablespoons of the rice vinegar, olive and almond oils to the carrots (use 4 tablespoons of the rice vinegar and olive oil if using the carrot pulp). Add the chopped raw almonds, and salt and pepper to taste. Add more rice vinegar and olive oil if needed.

Pickled Carrots and Radishes

Adapted from Kelly Geary’s “Tart and Sweet”

Original recipe can be found at Whole Living

1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/4 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper, such as habanero
1 small cinnamon stick
1 fresh bay leaf
1 tablespoon fenugreek seed
1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound thin organic carrots, tops removed and scrubbed well
1/2 pound whole radishes, scrubbed well

Directions:

Bring the vinegar, 3/4 cup water, salt, and coconut sugar or brown sugar to a boil in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Stir, dissolving the salt and sugar.

Heat a 1-quart jar: Fill it with hot water and let it sit a couple minutes before pouring out. (The heat will prevent shattering when you pour in the boiling brine.) Add garlic, hot pepper, and spices.

Pack the jars tightly with carrots and radishes. Pour in hot brine. Cover and let cool overnight before eating. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.