Raspberry Liqueur
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups raspberries
rinsed
2 cups brandy — approximately
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon zest — grated
1/2 teaspoon glycerine; optional
thickener
Lightly crush 2 cups of the berries with a fork; place in a quart-size
glass canning jar or any other that has an enamel-lined lid. Pour in
enough brandy to cover the berries. Add equal portions of the remaining
berries and brandy to reach the top of the jar’s lip; make sure that all
the berries are covered by the brandy. Pour in just enough brandy to begin
a small overflow, then tightly cap the jar and wipe the outside clean.
Allow to steep in a cool, dark place for 2 months. Or, tape a piece of
black construction paper around the jar. Every 2 weeks, gently shake the
jar to distribute the flavors. After 2 months, gently pour the jar’s
contents through a regular strainer or sieve; discard the residue. Follow
this by 2 strainings through slightly dampened cheesecloth or through a
large clean coffee filter placed inside a funnel; loosely cover the
contents with plastic wrap, since the process may take several hours. In
a small pan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil
over moderate-high heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Let cool to room
temperature. Add the optional glycerine, if desired. Funnel into a glass
bottle, then funnel in the sugar syrup through a strainer, to remove the
zest. Cover tightly; shake to blend. Let mature at room temperature, or
slightly cooler, for at least 1 month. Can use vodka instead of brandy.
Orange Liqueur
3 md oranges
3 cup brandy
1 cup honey
Peel oranges, leaving inner white skin on fruit. Cut orange rind into
2×1/4-inch strips. Reserve orange pulp for other uses. Combine brandy and
orange rind in a jar. Cover tightly, and let stand at room temperature 3
weeks. Remove orange rind; stir in honey. Let stand 3 days. Strain off
clear portion, and store in airtight containers; reserve cloudy portion
for cooking.
Yield: about 3 cups.
Hazelnut Liqueur
1/2 pound hazelnuts — finely chopped
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a glass bottle or jar, steep the chopped hazelnuts in the vodka for
about 2 weeks in a cool, dark place, gently shaking the bottle every day.
Gently pour the contents through a strainer or sieve, pressing hard on the
nuts to release all the flavor. Follow this by 2 strainings through
slightly dampened cheesecloth or large coffee filter; loosely cover the
contents with plastic wrap, since the process may take several hours. In a
very small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over
moderate-high heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Let cool to room
temperature. Stir in the vanilla. Funnel into a glass bottle, the funnel
in the sugar syrup. Cover tightly; shake to blend. Let mature at room
temperature, or slightly cooler, for at least 3 weeks.
Coffee Liqueur
3 cup sugar
3 cup water
3 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 quart vodka
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine sugar, water, and coffee granules in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a
boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and
cool. Stir in vodka and vanilla; pour into bottles, and cover with plastic
wrap. Punch holes in plastic wrap, and store in a cool, dark place 4
weeks. For later use, store in airtight containers.
Yield: 6 1/2 cups.
Berry Liqueur
10 ounces raspberries — or any other
berry
1 1/2 cups vodka — or 1 cup vodka and
1/2 c brandy
1/4 cup sugar syrup *
* Sugar syrup. 1 cup sugar boiled with 1/2 cup water till sugar is
thoroughly dissolved. Be sure mixture is cooled before using.
Add juice and berries to alcohol. Stir and steep one week. Strain. Crush
berries through strainer and filter. Taste. Add sugar syrup as necessary.
Many frozen fruits are already heavily pre-sugared. If using unsugared
fruits without syrup, treat them as fresh fruit but reduce the amount of
water when making the sugar syrup because of the water content in the
frozen fruit.
Yield. About 2 cups.
Neapolitan Anchovy Sauce
Ingredients: Anchovies, fennel, flour, spices, parsley, marjoram,
garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, cream.
Wash three anchovies in vinegar, bone and pound them in a mortar
with a teaspoonful of chopped fennel and a pinch of cinnamon. Then
mix in a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and marjoram, a squeeze of
lemon juice, a teaspoonful of flour, half a gill of boiled cream
and the bones of the fish for which you will use this sauce. Pass
through a sieve, add a clove of garlic with a cut in it, and boil.
If the fish you are using is cooked in the oven, add a little of
the liquor in which it has been cooked to the sauce. Take out the
garlic before serving. Instead of anchovies you may use caviar,
pickled tunny, or any other pickled fish.
Genoese Sauce
Ingredients: Onion, butter, Burgundy, mushrooms, truffles,
parsley, bay leaf, Espagnole sauce, blond of veal, essence
of fish, anchovy butter, crayfish or lobster butter.
Cut up a small onion and fry it in butter, add a glass of Burgundy,
some cuttings of mushrooms and truffles, a pinch of chopped parsley
and half a bay leaf. Reduce half. In another saucepan put two
cups of Espagnole sauce, one cup of veal stock, and a tablespoonful
of essence of fish, reduce one-third and add it to the other
saucepan, skim off all the grease, boil for a few minutes, and pass
through a sieve. Then stir it over the fire, and add half a
teaspoonful of crayfish and half of anchovy butter.
Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients: Butter, ham, veal, carrots, shallot, celery bay leaf,
cloves, thyme, peppercorns, potato flour, cream, fowl stock.
Prepare a mirepoix by mixing two ounces of butter, trimmings of
lean veal and ham, a carrot, a shallot, a little celery, all cut
into dice, a bay leaf, two cloves, four peppercorns, and a little
thyme. Put this on a moderate fire so as not to let it colour, and
when all the moisture is absorbed add a tablespoonful of potato
flour. Mix well, and gradually add equal quantities of cream and
fowl stock, and stir till it boils. Then let it simmer gently.
Stir occasionally, and if it gets too thick, add more cream and
white stock. After two hours pass it twice slowly through a tamis
so as to get the sauce very smooth.