When Ryan and I were in Edinburgh we bought a bottle of whisky. Because, you know, that’s one of the things you do (according to the guide books) when you go to Scotland. We picked out a cute shop along the Royal Mile and browsed around. I asked a woman who worked there what she recommended for people who wanted to have some whisky but aren’t regular whisky drinkers. After giving us some helpful advice she showed us a few bottles. We chose the one that she said was light, had a nice flavor, had no burn, and wasn’t too expensive. It was exactly what I wanted. 

Since then, we’ve had some – but not much because in general we aren’t big drinkers. At least, we’re not at the level of having Scotch on the rocks to unwind after a long day at the office (à la Mad Men). So we have this beautiful bottle and I wanted you use it. Mainly, I wanted to see if I could cook with it. I looked up some recipes, found some things, but everyone said don’t cook with single malt whisky because you’re just wasting it. Ugh, fine. 

Finally I stumbled onto a Scottish recipe called cranachan, which is a dessert that uses whisky but doesn’t cook it. Ideal, right? Even better, it’s so easy to make. It’s cream, oats, raspberries, whisky and just a few other ingredients. Blended all together the whisky flavor is smooth and harmonious alongside some honey and vanilla. It was so good that from now on the only way I want to have whisky is with whipped cream and sugar.

In the photos I assembled the cranachan in these cute glass espresso cups – but I also made some in regular disposable clear plastic cups. And if you did that, I think this dessert would be perfect for a barbecue. Simply assemble the cranachan ahead of time, pop them in the fridge, and then whip them out when it’s time have dessert. A sweet boozy treat for your guests, it’s simple and cooling for eating outside, and it looks cute and fun too.

This recipe is adapted from Harper’s Bazaar. The only adaptation is this: they said whip the cream until it comes to soft peaks and I didn’t do that. I totally intended to do that, but I walked away from the mixer for a minute and when I returned it was proper thick whipped cream. I didn’t have another pot of cream, so I went with it. And actually, I’m glad I did. Because after you beat the cream you’ll need to add liquid ingredients to it, which will soften the cream up a bit anyway. If the cream had been soft already, I think adding the liquid would have made everything too drippy. Making the cream thick also means that you can be a little less careful when folding in the other ingredients. All in all, I was pretty pleased that my inattention led to such great results.

Messy level: Pleasingly quick and mess free. Very few dishes are needed, nothing is sticky, and that’s just wonderful.

Cranachan

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Serves: about 6 depending on size of cup

Ingredients

• 60g/3/4 cup of oatmeal
• 200g/about 1½ cups of raspberries, divided (can be more than this amount)
• 1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 600ml/ 2½ cups of double cream
• 4 tablespoons of clear runny honey
• 3 tablespoons of malt whisky
• ½ vanilla pod

Instructions

1. Heat a medium sized skilled over medium heat. Toast the oats for about 5 minutes, or until they start to smell toasty and are a little bit brownish.
2. Measure out 2 tablespoons of oats to use for garnish. Set all the oats to the side to cool while you prepare everything else.
3. Put the raspberries, confectioner's sugar, and a little bit of pepper together in a small bowl. Using a fork, or a potato masher, mash up the fruit until you have a fairly smooth puree. Taste and add a little more sugar or pepper depending on your preferences. Once to your liking, set aside.
4. Put the cream in a large bowl and using a mixer (or your arm!) mix over medium speed until the cream is thick, set, and looks like whipped cream.
5. Cut open the vanilla pod. [Need help? See how to do it here} Using your knife scrape out the insides and dump them into the cream. Gently fold the vanilla into the cream.
6. Add the honey and whisky and gently fold them into the cream.
7. Add the oats to the cream and gently mix them throughout.
8. Finally, add the reserved raspberry puree. Mix it into the cream so you can a gorgeous pink ripple. Don't mix it all the way otherwise the whole thing will be pink.
9. Line the bottom of a clear cup or ramekin with the whole raspberries you set aside at the beginning. Top with your cream mixture. Alternate layers of cream and raspberries until you cup is full. Make sure the top layer has at least 1 or 2 raspberries.
10. Using the 2 tablespoons of oats you set aside at the beginning, sprinkle the oats on top of your cranachan for garnish.
11. Serve and be delighted.

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I’ve become obsessed with these apple and elderflower gummies from Candy Kittens that are shaped like cats (update as of March 2016 they don’t make this flavor anymore but everything else they make is amazing!). They are delicious and juicy, but slightly too expensive and the bag is slightly too big for me to be eating on my own. Regardless, they are delicious and I’ve been eating a ton. I’ve become so enamored with this flavor combination that I had to see what else was out there that I could make at home.

The choices seemed to be either drinks or desserts. I’ve been making a lot o beverages recently and I have a crazy sweet tooth so I chose dessert. I decide to throw in strawberries too after Tesco made a substitution in my grocery delivery and gave me a large container of strawberries than I had order. It was perfection, and the apples, strawberry and elderflower cobbler was born. It might not be beautiful to look at, but it’s so darn good. 

I wasn’t familiar with elderflower before I moved here, but it’s a flavor I see on drink menus at restaurants and in the juice or tea aisles of the super market. Specifically, what’s being used is elderflower cordial, which is made from the elderberry. This plant is native to Europe and parts of northwest Africa and southwest Asia. So, since it’s not from the Americas it might be why I’m not familiar with it. Anyway, the cordial is made from the flowers of the elderberry, water, sugar, and a bit of lemon. It’s sweet and just a bit tart and floral. All in all, it’s very nice.

Something else I wasn’t so familiar with before I moved here is cordial. Also called squash. Basically it’s concentrated syrup – usually fruit juice though sometimes herbal or floral. It’s everywhere here and you buy squash/cordial and then dilute it with water. I like it because then I feel like I’m getting more beverage for my money because one bottle of squash is about the size of one bottle of juice. The closest thing I ever had to it in the U.S., was when I was a kid we sometimes had frozen juice concentrate and I always liked to make pink lemonade. But I digress.

The cordial is lovely and as it simmers together with the apples and strawberries it is delightfully sweet and bright. Apple pie is my absolute favorite food, but this version is like summer time apple pie. I like the addition of strawberries because it makes everything a gorgeous blush pink. The strawberries then lose their color a bit, but it’s ok because it makes the juice have a jammy flavor. I was worried that this is a little too liquidy and juicy – and maybe it is as I haven’t made cobbler before – but I like it because it helps moisten the biscuit on top. Everything becomes appropriately soft and chewy.

The vanilla cream on top is also really gorgeous. I was tempted to forgo making it, but it’s worth it. I’ve never used a vanilla pod before and the flavor the comes through is the most luscious vanilla I’ve ever tasted. It’s better than store bought, better than extract. It was so good, I’m tempted to try and make my own extract. Finally one of the ingredients is for a cheese! I thought it would be so weird but the flavor is mild and once it cooks it’s just creamy. Don’t ever let cheese throw you off because it only makes things better.

Adapted from BBC Food Recipes

Messy level: I am sure a person can do this and not make a gigantic mess, but that person isn’t me. Basically you’re making three small recipes for this one whole recipe – which means lots of dishes and lots of spills and mess.

Apple, Strawberry and Elderflower Cobbler

 

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Ingredients

Filling

• 5 medium Pink Lady apples, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 cups quartered strawberries
• 1 cup elderflower cordial
• ¾ cup granulated sugar

Topping

• 1 cup flour
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
• 100g/3½oz/7 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• less than ½ cup crumbled wensleydale cheese

Cream

• 1¼ cup milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
• 4 free-range egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup double cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. In a large sauce pan, mix together the apples, cordial and sugar. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer cook for 4 minutes. Then add the strawberries and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the apples and strawberries are just beginning to soften, but are still holding their shape.
3. Pour the apple-strawberry mixture into an oven proof dish. I used one that is 10x10".
4. Now start on the topping. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter into a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Add the buttermilk to the food processor. Pulse the mixture, until it comes together as a thick batter/dough.
6. Spoon the batter over the apple-strawberry mixture. I used my fingers to spread it evenly, but you can leave gaps if you'd like the fruit to bubble through.
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the dough.
8. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is a bit puffed and golden.
9. While the cobbler is baking, start on the custard. In a medium saucepan, place the milk, vanilla pod, and seeds. Heat to scalding point (when it's starting to show steam and is just about to boil). Remove from the heat and set aside for two minutes. This is to infuse the vanilla flavor.
10. Place the eggs and sugar into a clean bowl and whisk together to make a thick paste.
11. Gradually pour the vanilla milk onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
12. Once it's all mixed return the custard to the saucepan. Place the pan over a low heat. Simmer and stir until the custard thickens.
13. Once it's thick stir in the cream.
14. Spoon cobbler into bowls and then pour cream over the top.

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Coquito is basically a Puerto Rican version of egg nog, although the recipe I use, and many others I’ve found, don’t include eggs. What makes the recipe Puerto Rican is the coconut and the rum. It’s great because coquito is creamy and flavored with cinnamon, like many holiday treats, but it also evokes the memories of warm weather and summer cocktails.

My memories of coquito are closely tied with my Uncle José and Titi Lisa because they always bring it with them for Christmas. Yesterday, my aunt posted a photo from my parents house of her preparing to make coquito (my own prep picture is below). For me, that’s a clear sign it is almost Christmas – family is getting together and treats are being prepared.

Coquito is such an important part of Latino Christmas that El Museo del Barrio in New York City has an annual coquito tasting contest every year. How cool is that?! What have I been doing with my life that I’ve never tried to go to this?! One day I will have to remedy this oversight.

Coquito is a recipe, that for me, you don’t have to get crazy about the exact proportions of the ingredients. I found tons of recipes with different amounts of cinnamon, that use a double boiler, or use coconut milk instead of coconut cream. I suggest try it out my way, then play with the recipe until you find the flavor combination you like.

Even though, I think it’s totally fine to play with the recipe, I do have a few tasting notes. Straight out of the blender coquito is frothy and light, but room temperature. Feel free to chill it, but then the ingredients will separate and you’ll need to give it a good shake before serving again. In the future, I want to experiment with using egg whites and xanthan gum (I know not very traditional but it’s what Starbucks uses in frappuccinos) to see if I can make the perfect coquito that doesn’t separate – and then maybe I’ll be ready for the taste-testing competition. Also, you don’t have to add rum but I recommend it because it cuts back some of the sweetness – and also during the hoildays you should totally celebrate with a cocktail. If you’re definitely going to make a non-alcholic batch I suggest cutting back on the sweetened condensed milk and then you’ll have a subtler flavor.

Interested in other Puerto Rican foods for the holiday season? I’ve got a few suggestions including recipes for arepas, flan, and arroz con gandules.

Messy level: One spoon. There is nothing easier than opening can and blending it all in the blender.

Coquito (Puerto Rican Egg Nog)

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can coconut cream
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk
• 1 13 oz can evaporated milk
• 1 13 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• pinch of salt
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to your taste)
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• white rum (optional, but highly recommended)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, except the rum, to a blender.
2. Mix until frothy and you can see the cinnamon is dotted throughout and not concentrated into any one area.
3. Add the rum a little bit at a time, blend, taste, then adjust until it is too your liking. I would start with ¾ cup then work your way up from there.
4. Chill if you like. Then serve garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.

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Do you know what a sugar plum is? And if you do know what it is, have you ever had one? My knowledge of sugar plums totals two things. First, from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, I know that children have “visions of sugar plums dance in their heads,” when they go to sleep. And second, in the Nutcracker ballet there is a dance called The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I know literally nothing else about sugar plums, but then last week Ryan and I received a jar of sugar plum jam as a Christmas present and I decided to do some research. I also decided to use that jam to make thumbprint cookies. 

First, I went to Wikipedia and the article was a little confusing.  Then I found this article from The Atlantic. And what I gathered is that traditionally sugar plums have no actual plums in them! Sugar plums where a type of candy – and possibly difficult to make, special, and expensive. The article speculates on reasons why it’s called a sugar “plum” but comes to no definitive conclusion. Alas. But, my jam does have real plums in it so obviously time changes things. The jam also has orange and lemon juices and “spices.” The ingredients list doesn’t specify the spices, but it tastes like your usual holiday suspects – cinnamon and nutmeg.

If you haven’t tried sugar plum jam, I recommend it. It’s sweet and just the slightest bit tart in a way that reminds me of cranberry sauce. It’s lovely. I wouldn’t put it on a pb&j, but I’d use the jam on toast or baked on top of a wheel of brie. It also goes really well on this very buttery thumbprint cookie. The heavier rich flavor of the jam is a good complement to the soft and flaky cookie. It’s so nice – but feel free to use whatever jam you have. We also used some raspberry jam and that was really good too.

I think these are good sharing cookies. They are easy to make, look nice even when a little bit messy, and they taste delightful. Plus it’s so easy, make the dough, make a ball, flatten with your thumb, plop some jam on, and bake.

The recipe for the cookies comes from FoodNetwork.com

Messy level: Two spoons. This is your basic drop cookies where you need just two bowls and a baking sheet to complete this recipe. If you get crazy with the jam you might get some drips and spills, but in this case I think it adds to the cookies’ charm and can’t be counted as a real mess.

Thumbprint Cookies

 

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Serves: 2.5 dozen

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups/ 224 grams all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup/ 171 grams unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup/ 134 grams caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• sugar plum jam, or jam of your choice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350/180°.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Using a stand mixer, or a handheld mixer with a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 5 minutes.
5. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until mostly incorporated. Then add the second half of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
6. Using your hands, or an ice cream scoop, make 1 inches balls of dough.
7. Place the balls of dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. These cookies spread A LOT!!
8. Use your thumb, or the back of a spoon, to make an indentation in the center of the cookies.
9. Spoon a dollop of jam into the indentation you just made. I didn't measure the amount of jam I used but think somewhere between ½-3/4 teaspoon.
10. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Turn the baking sheet halfway through baking to ensure the cookies come out baked evenly.
11. Let them cool then eat with a cup of tea.

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I love today’s job. I’ve been there for over a year and a half, and I started as an intern. I’ve had such fun, I’ve gotten great learning opportunities, and I’ve made wonderful friends. So I decided to do something nice for my coworkers on my last day and make Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake. I don’t know how the historical record proves this was his favorite cake, but the gift shop says it was his favorite so I’m rolling with it. They sell this recipe on a really cute kitchen towel. I was eager to try it, but also a bit daunted. There are a lot of steps, a lot of egg whites, and I needed an angel food pan. I did some searching and I found some angel food pans for $25-30. I love kitchen gadgets, but I didn’t want to spend $20+ on something I wouldn’t use that much. I reached out to friends and no one had an angel food pan. I looked on Craig’s List and Freecycle, And then I thought about eBay, and there are some great prices but  nothing would arrive before my last day. Yesterday I went to Giant to look for a disposable pan, and I found a real one for $9.20. Awesome deal, so I bought it.

I know I’m talking a lot about angel food pans, but I was a little intimidated. It’s two pieces because angel food is apparently really light and sticky and so having the bottom pop out makes it easier to remove the cake. I found this great Martha Stewart video about how to use an angel food pan. I thought it was helpful because before watching I didn’t know you’re supposed to let the pan cool while it’s inverted. Crazy, right? Anyway, I don’t even know if this cake is even technically angel food cake. It didn’t rise as much as Martha’s cake and it came out really easily without inverting it. Seriously, it was the cleanest cake removal I’ve ever done. I was so impressed by how clean the lines of the cake are, and you can see a picture in a little bit.

Ryan and I really liked the cake, and I hope my coworkers will too when I bring it to them in a few hours. The cake was moist, with a little crunch from the almonds. And also, the frosting is delicious! It hardens a bit as it sits, but when it’s freshly made and still warm, it is just like marshmallow fluff. It was so good. I kept “accidentally” getting it on spoons and my hands and then I just had to eat it to clean everything up. What a hardship.

Again, I thought this cake was really good but what would take it up a notch would be to drizzle on some strawberry or raspberry sauce.  I think it would really brighten the flavor. The original gift-shop-towel recipe does call for optional fruits but I didn’t use them because I really didn’t know where I’d find candied pineapple and crystallized cherries. Anyway, here’s to you Abraham Lincoln and to my coworkers. This is my adaptation of Lincoln’s cake. Thank you for a wonderful year and a half.

Ingredients:

Cake-

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

1 tsbp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 cup almonds finely chopped (you can buy this or just throw a bunch of whole almonds into a food processor)

6 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting – 

2 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Cake – 

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Grease and flour the angel food pan. First I greased it all up with butter. Then I poured  few tsps of flour into the pan. I shook it all around to coat the pan. I also used a silicon basting brush to get the flour into ever nook and cranny. Once it’s well floured, knock out excess flour into the sink or trash can.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times.

I took this picture because I almost never use my sifter and I was excited

5. Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix. Add 1/3 of the milk to the mixture. Mix. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.

6. Add the almonds.

7. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold them gently into the batter.

8. Add extract and mix.

9. Pour into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and if you insert a toothpick it should come out clean.

You can see my oven thermometer in the back left

10. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

11. Remove from pan and let it cool until you are ready to put on the frosting.

Doesn’t this cake have the smoothest edges?! It’s amazing.

Frosting – 

1. Beat egg whites until very stiff.

2. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Boil until it spins a thread 5″ long. That means when you put a spoon in it, and then take it out, there’s a fine thin thread between the spoon and pan. This happens at about 240-245°.

4. Remove from heat, and add 1 tbsp of egg whites. Mix.

5. Slowly pour the sugar-water mixture into the rest of the egg whites.

6. Beat until icing forms peaks.

7. Fold in extract.

8. Ice your cake!

Messy Level: Medium-high.

Expert bakers probably have a more efficient use of materials. But for me, the home cook, I felt like I used a ton of dishes! I was going for ease of cooking, rather than ease of clean up. I used two bowls for the flour so I could sift back and forth three times. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for the majority of the cake batter, but I also used a handheld electric mixer and bowl to beat all the egg whites. And, I needed a pot for the frosting. And of course, there’s all the measuring cups and spoons too. This cake takes a lot of work! But, just imagine how difficult it would have been for Mary Todd 150 years ago!

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