Meyer Limoncello {Recipe}

Seasonal foods are hot and heavy in the spring, summer, and fall as we eat our way through herbs and asparagus to peas and beans to tomatoes and squash.

What about winter? Hot houses do produce fresh food in Ohio but there are only so many ways to eat greenhouse-grown lettuces and greens. Even homegrown squashes and potatoes are starting to scream "get me out of storage and eat me now!"

I expand my local circle a little south and look for seasonal foods elsewhere. 500 miles to the south are pecan farms sending up buttery fabulous-fresh nuts. Travel a little further and citrus orchards are ripe with fruit.

While one can buy an orange any day of the year in a grocery store, fresh seasonal citrus has a flavor of its own. Oranges are floral and grapefruits more sweet during the winter when they are shipped fresh from the orchard.

The gem of the citrus season crown is the Meyer Lemon. These small, thin fleshed lemons were originally brought to America from China by an agricultural explorer in 1908. They grow on dwarf trees and are available as indoor plants for those who live in Northern climates. One of my very first Hounds in the Kitchen entries tells about our Meyer Lemon tree. It produced beautifully last winter but we have no fruits ripening yet this year.

Fortunately, Green B.E.A.N. delivery currently offers organic Meyer lemons for subscribers. I nabbed a half dozen to enjoy two weeks ago and ordered another batch this week. I spied them today while shopping at Whole Foods and Andersons for $2.99/pound. Though I have never bought them directly from a farmer, a quick internet search reveals that Naples Orchard and Four Winds offer Meyers for purchase. The Meyer lemon season ends in early February, so shop soon.

Meyer lemons have an enchanting floral scent and mild lemon flavor. With little bitter pith, whole slices of Meyers can be incorporated into baked goods. They are excellent candied and I imagine they would make a very fine marmalade. Our favorite way to preserve Meyer lemons is by transforming them into limoncello.

Homemade limoncello takes little more than half an hour of preparation and the patience to wait three or more weeks as the limoncello ages. Those who wait are justly rewarded with a tart but mellow, bright and fresh liqueur. Keep it in the freezer and nip it directly from there or mix with club soda for a refreshing drink.

Meyer Limoncello Makes 1 quart Time: 15 minutes preparation plus three months aging

1 quart quality vodka 1 cup simple syrup (1/2 cup sugar dissolved in ½ cup water) juice and peel of 5 meyer lemons juice and peel of 1 orange 1 star anise 1-inch piece of cinnamon 3 whole cloves

1. Mix all ingredients in a clean glass jar. 2. Age in a cool dark location for up to three months, tasting as you go. 3. When the flavor is as you wish, strain the solids from the liquid. 4. Keep limoncello in the freezer and nip it directly from there or mix with club soda for a refreshing drink.

Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries {Recipe}

I love a good cocktail but I despise maraschino cherries. The rubbery red-flavored spheres resemble the natural fruit in name alone.

I decided to tackle creating cocktail cherries at home when faced with an extra quart of fresh local sour cherries after making sour cherry preserves.

While searching for a recipe, I discovered a bit of history. Apparently cocktail cherries used to be pitted cherries soaked in maraschino liqueur, hence the name.

During prohibition, one of America's cultural mistakes, cocktail cherries had to be remade without the alcohol. The sickeningly sweet, artificial maraschino cherry was born.

Most recipes for DIY cocktail cherries either fall in the camp of the traditional (soak in maraschino liqueur) or modern (can in sweet, flavored syrup).

All recipes recommended pitting the cherries but I came across a suggestion that the pits themselves could make a liqueur.

I combined all these ideas into my sour boozy cocktail cherries. They are boiled in vanilla syrup and canned with pits and bourbon. The result is a flavorful hybrid with balanced sweetness that begs to be made into an old fashioned.

My hope is that the pits will age and flavor the syrup so that when the cherries are gone, the syrup will be an enticing liqueur of its own.

[print_this]

Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries

makes 4 half pints

1 1/2 cups demara sugar

1 cup water

4 allspice berries, crushed

1 vanilla pod, sliced open

4 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted with pits reserved (approximately 1 quart)

2 cups bourbon (we like Bulleit)

1. Mix sugar, water, allspice, and vanilla in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat over medium high until boiling.

2. Add the sour cherries and pits. Boil for 5 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Pour in bourbon.

4. Ladle cherries into sterilized jars. Cover with some of the steeping liquid and pits to quarter inch head space.

5. Top with a new lid and finger tighten a ring. At this point, cherries may be stored in the fridge for up to one month. If you desire to preserve them longer, can using the following directions.

6. Boil in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove to a level surface and allow to cool completely. Remove rings and wipe off jars.

7. If excess syrup remains, strain and use for cocktails or dessert topping. Store in refrigerator.

[/print_this]

Added to Hearth and Soul 55.

How to Make Fruit Liqueur

Homemade flavored liqueur is one of the simplest ways to preserve the flavor of fresh fruit.  I posted a recipe for cranberry liqueur last year, but one can make liqueur with any fruit with the following simple method.

Local, in season fruits make the best liqueurs because they have the strongest fresh flavor.  Choose clean washed fruit.  Smash berries, chop stone fruits, or juice citrus and place in a clean large glass container, like a half gallon ball jar.  This series of photos uses some local concord grades from our fruit CSA.

Add an equal volume of cooled sugar syrup or honey. (Make sugar syrup by boiling an equal amount of sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved.)

Top that off with an equal amount of full strength (80 proof) or higher vodka.

Add the lid and give the mix a swirl.  Find a spot for the jar to rest at room temperature.  Swirl once a day, tasting each day. At first the taste will be very alcohol forward, but the flavors mellow the alcohol over time.

When the taste is to your liking, usually in five to seven days, strain out the fruit.  Strain through cheesecloth for the most clear result.

Bottle in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  You can reuse jars or buy new Swing Top or Flask Bottles online.  Add a personalized label, perhaps with a suggested cocktail recipe, for a special gift.

The color may mute over time but the flavor will remain fresh for years.  Serve in a cordial glass or mix into a cocktail.

Homemade Fruit Liqueur

1 part crushed fresh fruit

1 part sugar syrup or honey

1 part 80+ proof neutral tasting vodka

1. Mix all ingredients in a clean glass container.

2. Keep at room temperature, swirling and tasting once a day.

3. When the flavor develops as you like, strain out the fruit through cheesecloth.

4. Adjust alcohol content or sweetness by adding vodka (to strengthen), water (to weaken), or sugar syrup.

5. Store in a closed bottle in a cool dark location for best results.

Post added to Hearth and Soul.

Make it Yourself: Cranberry Liqueur

I have made it no secret that I love cranberries.  Raw cranberries, snowy sugared cranberries, cranberry bread...  Transformed into an alcoholic additive is another delicious way to enjoy these little pearls of antioxidant goodness!

The cranberry liqueur recipe I use is adapted from Cooking Light, December 2003.  It makes a lovely gift packaged in a decorative bottle.  The Container Store has a wide selection of bottles.  Be sure to keep some for yourself!

2 cups honey 1 cup water 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries 3 cups vodka

Place cranberries in a food processor; process 2 minutes or until finely chopped. Combine honey, water, and cranberries in a half gallon jar; stir in vodka.

Secure the jar with a lid. Let stand for 1 - 2 weeks in a cool, dark place, shaking every other day.

Discard solids by straining through a sieve into a large bowl. Then pour liqueur into clean jars through a cheesecloth-lined funnel.  Add a decorative tag or label to identify this potent potable.

My favorite way to enjoy cranberry liqueur is to pour an ounce into a champagne class and top with bubbly.  You could also use it for a cosmopolitan, cranberry martini, or for sipping on its on.  Enjoy!