Alcohol: October 2007 Archives
With Thanksgiving a little under two months away, I need to
start prepping. I have menu's to formulate and vodka to steep! I'm a big fan of Limoncello. I've make a batch or two a year. It's quite easy to make, cheaper then buying
it off the shelf, and good for gifts. There
are many recipes out there. Many call
for two bottles of alcohol. I think that thins out the lemon flavor too much.
It has 4 ingredients. This is the recipe I use. Go to Target and get a large glass jar with a rubber-gasket sealed top.
1 Liter vodka - I look for the 100 proof
15 lemons
3 1/2 cups of water
2 ½ cups of sugar
It's quite simple to do - wash and zest your lemons. I really hate the little ring zesters, they tend to dig in too deep, and waste so much of the rind. A regular vegetable peeler will do a fine job removing the top layer of the lemon. Don't dig down too deep - you don't want any of the white pith, the pith will turn the flavor to the bitter side.If you see some, scrape it off with a paring knife.
Take all the lemon zest and place it in a jar. Add the vodka and seal the jar.Keep this at room temperature in a cool and shady place.Shake the jar lightly every day.When you are at your halfway point (3 to 4 weeks) make a 'simple syrup' with the remaining ingredients.When it has cooled to room temperature, add the syrup to the mixture and return it to it's resting place.
A few days before you want to serve the limoncello, strain the mixture through cheesecloth once or twice. The lemon peels will be close to white in color. Transfer the limoncello to a serving container (old vodka bottles work well).You need something that will freeze without breaking.Freeze the mixture for a few days, it will not solidify, but thicken and pale in color.Serve it right from the freezer in cordial glasses.
If you want to give away the limoncello as gifts, look for small glass bottles that can be corked or have sealed lids. Pier One has some, and so does Bed Bath and Beyond. Just remember to wash them first.
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Last year I made my dad some honey-lavender biscotti. I've been trying to come up with other cooking uses for all the lavender in my back yard. Lavender goes very well with lemons, I think I will drop a few sprigs into the seeping lemons. It will also give me an excuse to harvest and dry the flowers. When the limoncello is halfway done, you can sample the flavor. It will blend more with age, but the halfway point is a good place to adjust flavors. If it needs more lemon, toss in some fresh zest, more sugar, add more syrup, etc.
I've tried using orange zest, the flavor is there, but it is too mellow. One of the great things about the lemons is the punch. The flavors are very strong. I suspect limes, or possibly grapefruit would infuse well, but the oranges just didn't do it for me.
It has 4 ingredients. This is the recipe I use. Go to Target and get a large glass jar with a rubber-gasket sealed top.
1 Liter vodka - I look for the 100 proof
15 lemons
3 1/2 cups of water
2 ½ cups of sugar
It's quite simple to do - wash and zest your lemons. I really hate the little ring zesters, they tend to dig in too deep, and waste so much of the rind. A regular vegetable peeler will do a fine job removing the top layer of the lemon. Don't dig down too deep - you don't want any of the white pith, the pith will turn the flavor to the bitter side.If you see some, scrape it off with a paring knife.
Take all the lemon zest and place it in a jar. Add the vodka and seal the jar.Keep this at room temperature in a cool and shady place.Shake the jar lightly every day.When you are at your halfway point (3 to 4 weeks) make a 'simple syrup' with the remaining ingredients.When it has cooled to room temperature, add the syrup to the mixture and return it to it's resting place.
A few days before you want to serve the limoncello, strain the mixture through cheesecloth once or twice. The lemon peels will be close to white in color. Transfer the limoncello to a serving container (old vodka bottles work well).You need something that will freeze without breaking.Freeze the mixture for a few days, it will not solidify, but thicken and pale in color.Serve it right from the freezer in cordial glasses.
If you want to give away the limoncello as gifts, look for small glass bottles that can be corked or have sealed lids. Pier One has some, and so does Bed Bath and Beyond. Just remember to wash them first.
--------------
Last year I made my dad some honey-lavender biscotti. I've been trying to come up with other cooking uses for all the lavender in my back yard. Lavender goes very well with lemons, I think I will drop a few sprigs into the seeping lemons. It will also give me an excuse to harvest and dry the flowers. When the limoncello is halfway done, you can sample the flavor. It will blend more with age, but the halfway point is a good place to adjust flavors. If it needs more lemon, toss in some fresh zest, more sugar, add more syrup, etc.
I've tried using orange zest, the flavor is there, but it is too mellow. One of the great things about the lemons is the punch. The flavors are very strong. I suspect limes, or possibly grapefruit would infuse well, but the oranges just didn't do it for me.
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