Category Archives: wine, beer & liquor

Vin de Pamplemousse

20 January 2012 by local kitchen

Pamplemousse: on my list of the top 10 best words in any language (along with codswallop, yoboseyo and schnell!). Pamplemousse is “grapefruit” in French; sounds so much more exotic doesn’t it? (And incidentally, how did we ever end up with “grapefruit” in English? I mean, it is pomelo in Spanish, pompelmo in Italian, citrus paradisi in Latin. It doesn’t look or taste anything like a grape. But I guess it is better than “shattuck.”) But, enough etymology for today: let’s […]

Categories: citrus, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: citrus, cooking, food, preserving, recipes, wine

Pear & Pumpkin Ale Preserves

9 October 2011 by local kitchen

At long last, the infamous pear & pumpkin ale preserves experiment! Pear & pumpkin seem to go together naturally (and not just because of the awesome alliteration): their growing seasons overlap by at least a month; they are both sweet, yet with their own distinct notes, pears more floral and delicate, pumpkins an earthy, rich, root-vegetable sweetness; the classic autumnal spices, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg & cloves, go nicely with both; even the colors work well together (if my wedding had any kind […]

Categories: canning, fall, pears, preserves, preserving, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: beer, booze, canning, cooking, fall, food, local, pears, preserving, pumpkin, recipes

Apple Bourbon Butter

5 October 2011 by local kitchen

I love apple butter. It’s tasty, of course, but it’s not so much that I love to eat it, as I love to cook with it: I toss it into various muffins & quickbreads, Tai’s granola, the occasional meat glaze or braising sauce. In addition to its usefulness in the kitchen, butter is the easiest way to preserve a whole bunch of apples without a lot of effort: no peeling, no coring, no prep of added ingredients. It’s perfect for […]

Categories: apples, canning, fall, preserving, spreads, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: apples, booze, canning, cooking, fall, food, local, preserving, recipes

Maple Bourbon Blackberries

4 September 2011 by local kitchen

Are blackberries still available in New York? I don’t know, but it seems doubtful, especially after Irene. What I do know is that nearly a week without internet access didn’t do much for the backlog of preserving recipes I’ve been meaning to share with you. I either need to post every day for a couple of weeks or save some of them for next year. Given the backlog of fruit & vegetables cluttering up my kitchen counters, waiting for their own spot in […]

Categories: berries, canning, preserves, preserving, summer, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: canning, cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes

Blueberry Vodka

22 July 2011 by local kitchen

Another beat-the-heat recipe, this one in the fruit + booze category (always a winner): blueberry vodka. Ice, ice (baby) cold blueberry vodka. This one couldn’t be easier and is a perfect way to preserve those blueberries you picked last weekend but haven’t been able to bear turning on the stove to jam. Easy-peasy: dump them in some vodka and call it a day. Some of the quickest, and tastiest, preserving you’ll ever do. My “recipe” was inspired by Sean of Punk […]

Categories: berries, drink, preserving, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: berries, booze, food, infusions, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes

Cranberry Orange Rhubarb Popsicles

7 June 2011 by local kitchen

The weather forecast is calling for back-to-back 95+ degree days here in New York: a perfect time to use up my leftover rhubarb pulp to make a frosty treat. With some frozen Cape Cod cranberries, a bit of orange juice and sugar for sweetener and a touch of tequila (because, why not?) to keep everything toothsomely delicious, I have to say that these are pretty darn good. I don’t have popsicle molds, nor Dixie cups, nor a craft-cabinet stocked with […]

Categories: citrus, cranberries, rhubarb, snack, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes, snacks, summer

Rhubarbaritas

27 May 2011 by local kitchen

From me to you: an easy-peasy preserving recipe, a fancy cocktail for holiday-weekend fun, and a way to enjoy rhubarb long after it has disappeared from the market and the garden. It’s been a busy, busy time here in the last few weeks. Tai has been working overtime, trying to make up for all the lost outdoor time during our incredibly rainy April, and I’ve been drowning in a particularly knotty data analysis with a deadline of earlier this week. Yesterday, […]

Categories: canning, condiments, preserving, rhubarb, spring, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: canning, cocktails, cooking, drinks, food, local, preserving, recipes, rhubarb

Strawberry Pinot Noir Preserves

16 May 2011 by local kitchen

The Great Freezer Clean-Out 2011 continues: this time with a Ferber-esque strawberry preserve, made with Pennsylvania pinot noir from Sand Castle Winery. I unearthed a giant bag full of strawberries from last June in my freezer assessment of last week. Half the bag went to one of my favorite strawberry recipes, strawberry rhubarb & caramelized onion jam; for the remaining 2 pounds, I wanted to do something new. I poked through Mes Confitures to see what she may have in […]

Categories: berries, canning, preserves, preserving, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: canning, cooking, dessert, food, jam, local, preserving, recipes, spring, strawberries

Creamy Goat’s Milk Spaghetti with Wild Garlic Chives

28 April 2011 by local kitchen

Pasta is one of those things: quick & easy “fast food” for a weeknight dinner, a great base for showcasing your summer preserving efforts, but, unless it’s homemade, I rarely consider it spectacular. Tasty, filling, comforting, yes; but impressive enough to convince dinner guests of my kitchen prowess (she says, oh-so modestly)? Not so much. Until now. Add to my list of picky-eaterisms cream sauces, or heavy cream in general, unless it is whipped, baked or frozen. I’m not a fan of cream-based […]

Categories: chives, citrus, garlic, grains & legumes, herbs, main course, milk, pasta, quick & easy, side dish, spinach, spring, vegetarian, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: cooking, food, garlic chives, local, pasta, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian, wild foods

Bourbon-Glazed Cinnamon Buns

24 February 2011 by local kitchen

As promised, Bourbon-Glazed Cinnamon Buns! (Or, you know, cinnamon buns. Whether or not you dress them up with a boozy, sugary topping is entirely up to you. But I’ll never tell.) The bourbon glaze on these buns was entirely serendipitous: a friend of Tai’s has been visiting for a couple of days, so they could spend some quality time climbing frozen waterfalls in the Catskills before the dreaded Spring thaw. Last night, just as I was taking the buns out […]

Categories: baking, breads, breakfast, whole wheat flour, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: baking, bread, breakfast, cooking, food, local, recipes, whole grain breads

Easy Cranberry Sauce

20 February 2011 by local kitchen

I know, I know – Thanksgiving was months ago. But I don’t need a holiday to enjoy cranberry sauce slathered on a turkey sandwich, dolloped onto mashed potatoes, or glazed over a roasted chicken. I also don’t need a holiday to enjoy this cranberry walnut galette, which I brought to a party a couple of weeks ago. What I do need, apparently, is a way to keep track of what is in my own fridge. Specifically – cranberries. Thawing. Waiting to be used in […]

Categories: condiments, cranberries, holiday, preserving, sauces, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: condiments, cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes, winter

Cara Cara Chile Marmalada

9 February 2011 by local kitchen

After my last orange marmalade candy-in-a-jar experience, I did quite a bit of research before starting this one. I had some beautiful organic oranges from my local whole foods market and I knew which recipe I wanted to use as a base: an orange chile marmalade from the Ball book. That recipe, however, specifies nine (9!!) cups of sugar, which I knew was never going to work for me. So, I looked at traditional marmalade recipes in Gourmet Preserves, The Glass […]

Categories: canning, citrus, condiments, hot chile peppers, preserves, preserving, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: canning, cara cara, chiles, condiments, cooking, food, local, marmalade, preserves, preserving, recipes

Can Jam: Raisin D’Être Mustard

6 December 2010 by local kitchen

Well, here it is, the last Tigress’ Can Jam post of 2010. How the year has flown! It seems only yesterday that I was mulling citrus options, looking forward to hundreds of new recipes, and meeting all sorts of new friends. Before we dive into the details of this month’s ingredient, dried fruit (selected by the Tigress herself), let’s take a little walk down Memory Lane, shall we? Januray, citrus: Lime Curd for Water Bath Canning and Blackberry Lime Jam February, carrots: […]

Categories: Can Jam, canning, condiments, mustard, raisins, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: beer, canning, condiments, cooking, food, local, mustard, quick & easy, raisins, recipes

Use it or Lose it! Drunken Cherry Pie

30 November 2010 by local kitchen

Hands up – who still has turkey? Yep, I’m with you, sista. Even though we got a small bird (11.5 lbs), and we’ve been eating turkey steadily since Thursday, there is a lot left. We don’t eat a lot of meat in general, so at 3 to 4 ounces at a time… well, it’s going to take a while. I’m going to have to make a turkey soup, or chili, or pot pie, or something (I know – shocking revelations at […]

Categories: baking, cherries, dessert, fall, pastry, pie, Use it or Lose it!, vegetarian, whole wheat flour, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: baking, cherries, cooking, dessert, drunken, food, leaf lattice, local, pie, recipes, vegetarian

Habanero Lime Chipotle Mustard

11 November 2010 by local kitchen

It’s that time of year again: while preserving the bounty of Fall continues (apples, quince, and pumpkins galore), the urgency has ramped down a notch and I have time to focus on replenishing Tai’s mustard supply. This batch started out as my standard habanero recipe, except I swapped tequila for vodka. As I was reducing it in the saucepan, that tequila must have been on my mind, because at the last minue I tossed in some lime juice and a […]

Categories: canning, fall, hot chile peppers, mustard, vegetarian, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: canning, chipotle, condiments, cooking, food, food gifts, habanero, local, mustard, preserving, recipes, vegetarian