Jun 08

Homemade Marmalady Tasting Orange Gin

In December last year, our friend Deborah delivered about 50lbs of oranges from her father’s orange grove in East Texas to us, after we had been talking about making fruit liqueurs. Little did I know how much we were going to get. Unlike other fruit such as apples, peaches or berries, there is only so much you can make with that much oranges. About half of them were shipped to Bill to make marmalade, which still left me with more oranges than I needed, but the pints of freshly made orange juice were most welcome.

OranagesThere are lots of commercial orange liqueurs on the market such as Curaçao, Grand Marnier and Triple Sec, but making your own is a lot cheaper and more satisfying in that you can enjoy the fruits of your labour. As with most home-made fruit liqueurs, the process is very simple, fruit, liquor (spirit), sugar and time. The method for my orange gin liqueur is slightly different, in that I only use the orange peel and not the fruit. With time, this produces a wonderful dark orange coloured liqueur, with a strong aroma of orange oil and a great ‘marmalady’ taste. Since there is no fruit in this liqueur, then there is no juice being added to the mix via osmosis, which could end up making a very strong finished product. Hence I add some water to the mix to compensate for this.

You could substitute gin in this recipe for some other spirit, such as vodka, but I prefer the aromatic botanicals that gin brings to the party. Whatever spirit you end up using, you don’t have to choose an expensive one. Just make sure that it is something you would drink on its own, or you might end up with something more akin to rocket fuel.

Marmalady Orange GinIngredients

  • 10 medium oranges, peeled
  • 300g (10oz) of cane sugar
  • 700ml (24 fl oz) of good, but not too cheap gin
  • 300ml (10 fl oz) water

Method

First find a clean, large, wide mouthed preserving jar with a tight fitting lid, that is at least able to hold 1 litre (34 fl oz) of liquid, sterilise it and the lid. Ensure that the oranges are clean, but be careful not to scrub the peel too hard, as you don’t want to lose the orange oils. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, carefully peel the oranges without removing too much pith. Place the peel from 10 oranges into a large wide mouthed preserving jar with a tight fitting lid. Add the gin, sugar and the water, then gently mix to ensure that the sugar is dissolved. Secure the lid, and store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 months. Even longer is better. For a little more ‘wintery’ flavour you could add 3 or 4 cloves to the jar. Enjoy as an after dinner drink, an aperitif with soda before dinner, in cocktails or even a little poured over ice-cream.

Removing the peel from an orange

Removing the peel from an orange

Jun 08

What’s for dinner? I need inspiration

Sometimes you haven’t planned dinner in advance or you may have some ingredients in the fridge but you don’t know what to make. It’s hard to come up with inspiration. I find it easier to look at photos of food rather than looking at recipes. If I see something I like the look of, then that’s half the battle solved.

One trick I use, is to type in a couple of ingredients into Google Image Search and then just scroll through the photos until I see something I like, and then click through to the recipe. For example, say I had some chicken and fresh ginger. I would type into Google Images chicken ginger recipe and Here is how this page would look

Especially with old recipe books, without photos, you need a little help to know what it is you are cooking, or at least how it is supposed to look when you are finished. Say I had a recipe for Chicken Kiev that sounded interesting, but I had never seen or eaten it before. I would go-to Google Image Search, type in Chicken Kiev and browse through looking for the best one and click on it if I needed the recipe or technique.

Another great place to find recipes using photos is Pinterest. Just type your search query as before and here is how this page would look for chicken ginger recipe

Something else to try is My Fridge Food. Just select what you already have in your fridge and it will suggest recipes for you.

 

What tips do you have for finding inspiration for cooking dinner?

 

Jun 08

I Cannot Say No to Bagel Toppers from Hampton Inn Hotels

Breakfast Bagel Toppers with Picante Sauce

Hampton Inn Bagel Topper with Picante Sauce

I am a “road warrior” (such a cheesy term), living the majority of my work week on the road; sleeping in hotel rooms, traveling to and from home via an airplane and driving rental cars each week. In the 15 years I have traveled for work, I have my opinions on the best airlines, rental car companies, hotel providers and in turn the breakfast options that are served.

For the most part, hotels like Hampton Inn offer a mix of breakfast bar options that are both hot and cold. Very little of what is offered can be considered good and far from being called gourmet. Most mornings I will opt for some poorly brewed coffee and maybe a bowl of raisin bran and a banana if available.

The exception to my standard selection at a hotel breakfast bar is when I am staying at a Hampton Inn and they are serving their Bagel Toppers. I love them, never tire of them and eat more of them then I should. I would never consider purchasing a similar product in the frozen section of the grocery store to eat at home, but when on the road, I am sadly addicted to them.

So what is a Hampton Inn Bagel Topper? It is a half of a fake bagel topped with precooked scrambled eggs, cooked diced bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. The staff at the hotel heat these frozen breakfast delicacies and then serve them in warming pans at breakfast. Usually there are packets of mild picante (salsa) sauce available and I slather a packet or two of picante on top of each Bagel Topper. As mentioned, I eat more of them then I should and in the picture embedded in this post, there is evidence that I ate at least three that morning.

An on-line search using the combined phrases “hampton inn” “bagel toppers” generated 144 results. Based upon what I read, they are distributed by Sysco, but manufactured by Better Foods Baked Inc.. If you are not staying at a Hampton Inn that is serving Bagel Toppers that morning, you may be able to find them in the frozen section of the grocery store.

 

Jun 07

Steamed Salmon with salad and avocado dressing

Now that summer if official here, gone are the heavy stodgy foods of winter and out comes the salads and bbq. This salad of steamed salmon with an avocado dressing is light, flavourful and a perfect dish to enjoy outside at the end of a day with a cold glass of white wine. Though I steam the salmon in the oven, you could use this method for cooking on the side of a bbq while preparing other food ,or use it to cook other fish, or vegetables. Since the foil is the cooking dish, there is very little to clean up afterwards.

This avocado dressing is another example of a vinaigrette, but it doesn’t look like it at first glance. There doesn’t seem to be enough oil to create a classic vinaigrette emulsion, but I suppose the oil in the avocado helps to create the creaminess of the dressing which has the consistency of mayonnaise. This dressing would do well with bitter salad leaves, which would make an excellent contrast to its creaminess.

Avocado Salad Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 big handful of cilantro (fresh coriander)
  • Half a clove of garlic
  • Half a jalapeño
  • a small chunk of a red onion
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1.5 tbsp of olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Using a food processor or blender, start the vinaigrette by mixing together the lime juice and olive oil to start an emulsion. I use a hand blender to do this. Add the cilantro, jalapeño and garlic and liquidise until smooth. Then do the same with the avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over fish, salad or even just just chips.

For another twist on this dressing, you could replace the cilantro and jalapeño, with basil leaves to create a very fragrant dressing.

Steamed Salmon with salad and avocado dressing

Steamed Salmon with salad and avocado dressing

Oven Steamed Salmon

Ingredients

  • Fillets of salmon
  • Bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander)
  • Juice of one lime
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salmon in its foil steam packet

Salmon in its foil steam packet

Method

Place a sheet of foil onto a baking tray and slightly turn up the edges. Place the salmon fillets onto the foil, cover with lime juice, season and place the cilantro on top. Take the edges of the foil together to create a packet and seal tightly, leaving some room above the fish. Place into 355F (180C) for 20 to 25mins. Remove the salmon from the foil and serve.

Oven Steamed Salmon

Oven Steamed Salmon