Maryland spirits

Spirited Recipes

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Alcohol can add nuance to the same old same old

By Jennifer Cohen-Katz

Cooking is an art and adding a splash of flavor with wine, beer or spirits is like adding a splash of color to the canvas. It’s also an often used culinary secret to step up your cooking style with only a little effort. Alcohol enhances both the flavor and aroma of your dishes. A few tablespoons added to a marinade or sauce, or even swirled right into a batter will take your dish to the next level.

What quality should you look for in a cooking spirit? Any selection you would want to drink (unlike the stuff you use for that spiked watermelon recipe). And never use the cooking wines from the grocery store. They contain salt and aren’t anywhere near the quality we are talking about here.

Are you worried your family might get tipsy after enjoying that steak you marinated in red wine? How much alcohol remains in a dish depends on the cooking method and cooking time. Alcohol simmered or baked as part of dish for 15 minutes will retain 40 percent of its alcohol content. After one hour of cooking, 25 percent will remain. This is good to know.

Tap into your sense of adventure in the kitchen and swap a few tablespoons of the water in a recipe for a fancy craft beer. Change the personality of a bland fish fillet with a pan sauce spiked with sauvignon blanc. Dinner guests will be stunned after tasting your classic desserts now kicked up a notch with the addition of a little bourbon.

Fresh Dill Bread

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Flounder with Lemon Wine Pan Sauce

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Lemon Cashew Bourbon Pie

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Jennifer Cohen-Katz RD LDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Fresh Balance Nutrition, helps clients identify their personal nutrition style to become their healthiest self. In addition to nutrition for hormonal balance, she offers cooking sessions and VIP personal nutrition services. Find out more at FreshBalanceNutrition.com.

Fresh Dill Bread

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Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

  • 3 cups spelt flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces porter beer (I used DuClaw Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter.)
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard seed
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, minced
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seed

Method

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch-by-4-inch loaf pan.
  2. Mix all the ingredients until just combined and transfer to pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

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Flounder with Lemon Wine Pan Sauce

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2 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons flour or gluten free flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 ounces flounder, sole or other white fish fillets
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • ½ cup sauvignon blanc or other dry white wine  (I used Boordy Seyval Chardonnay Vidal.)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons fresh
    lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper.
  2. In a large pan, heat olive oil. Working in batches, dredge the fish in the flour mixture and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to plates and place in the oven to keep warm.
  3. Sauté shallots in same pan for 30 seconds, add the wine. Scrape up browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, piece by piece. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  4. Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with parsley.

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Lemon Cashew Bourbon Pie

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16 servings

Ingredients

FOR CRUST:
  • 1 ⅔ cups pecans and almonds
  • 1 cup medjool dates, about 15
  • ¾ cup shredded or flaked coconut
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
FOR PIE FILLING:
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked two hours or overnight, drained
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (I used Sagamore Spirit Rye.)
  • 10 whole strawberries, sliced for topping

Method

  1. For crust: Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse into small bits that stick together when pinched.
  2. Grease an 8 inch by 8 inch pan with coconut oil and press crust evenly into the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. For filling: In a blender combine cashews, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, honey and bourbon. Blend until smooth.
  4. Pour the filling over the crust and freeze for 1-2 hours.
  5. Arrange sliced strawberries on top of pie.

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