Limoncello
An intensely lemony liqueur that can be served before as a cocktail or
after dinner as an digestif.
Prep time: 15 mins. plus 1 month infusing
Makes just over a litre
Ingredients
- 150 ml water
- 200g caster (super fine) sugar
- zest and juice of 6 unwaxed lemons*
- 700 ml vodka, 40-80% proof
1. Over medium heat, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. Allow to cool.
2. While the syrup is still slightly warm, add the lemon zest and juice. Then in a container large enough to hold everything, combine the vodka and the lemon syrup, mix well.
3. Pour into sterile bottles or jars and seal. Leave in a cool, dark place for about a month. In the first week, turn the jars every other day.
After a month the lemon liqueur will be ready to drink. Strain into clean bottles. (It can actually be drunk right after making but it does improve with age.)
The liqueur is best served as cold as possible so put the limoncello and the shot glasses in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
* An alternative – rather than zesting the lemons, they can be peeled with a vegetable peeler and then the peel cut into thin matchsticks. If using this method, be sure to cut away all white pith before using.
Cook the lemon peel matchsticks in the water/sugar mixture until the syrup thickens slightly then add the lemon juice. Continue as above from number 3 onwards.
Limoncello Drink – Lemons And Alcohol – Vodka – Gwbert Lady
Christmassy Mincemeat & Oat Bars
Preparation and cooking time : 35 mins.
Makes: 16 bars
Ingredients
300g oatmeal (rolled oats)
250g soft brown sugar
115g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250g melted butter
500g mincemeat (homemade, if possible – see recipe for Walnut & Apricot Mincemeat with Rum) or store bought
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°F or Gas4)
1. In a large bowl mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and bicarbonate, stir in the butter, mix until combined.
2. Put half of the oat mixture into a 12″x8″x1″ pan and press down firmly. Spread the mincemeat over the oat mixture. Sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the mincemeat and gently press down.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely then slice into 1”x 4” bars.
Walnut & Apricot Mincemeat With Rum
Makes approx. 4 lbs (1.75kg)
Preparation and cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients
12 oz (350g) cooking apples, peeled & chopped
Zest and juice of 1 large orange, zest finely chopped or grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground gloves
6 oz (175g) grated vegetarian suet or melted butter
4 oz (100g) candied orange peel, chopped
16 oz (450g) dried apricots, chopped
16 oz (450g) golden raisins
4 oz (100g) walnuts, chopped
6 Tbsp. dark rum
Directions
1. Combine the chopped apples with the zest and juice of the orange, over a medium heat cook the apples until they’re mushy, stirring occasionally.
2. In a large bowl combine all the other ingredients, then add the cooked apples, mix well.
3. Spoon into clean sterilized jars, seal tightly and place in a cool, dark place for at least 2-3 weeks (it will store happily for a year).
Great Flavour on a Budget – Curried Lamb Shoulder
- Trim as much fat as you can from the lamb shoulder, discard fat but leave shoulder whole.
- For the marinade, mix together the paprika, almonds and yogurt. Coat the lamb shoulder with the mixture, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2, or up to 24, hours.
- Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C/140°C fan/gas3
- Shake marinade off lamb. In a large oven-proof casserole, heat 4 tbsp olive oil over medium–high, add lamb shoulder and brown on all sides, add more oil if necessary. Set aside and wipe out pan.
- In a food processor, blitz the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste. Put remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in casserole and cook onion paste over low heat for several minutes. Add the curry paste, increase heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, stir thoroughly, add the lamb shoulder, pour the stock in and bring to a boil.
- Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone and very tender.
- Carefully remove the lamb from the casserole, put on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Put casserole on the stove, add ½ tsp. each salt and pepper and cook sauce until thickened, using a potato masher, mash tomato pieces.
- Cut meat off the bone and into manageable sized pieces. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning, stir in caramelised onion relish. Add lamb to sauce, and sprinkle over the chopped coriander.
Divinity Candy
Divinity is a holiday tradition in many households. Not so difficult to make, divinity should not be made on a rainy day, which is said to be an old wives tale but I’ve seen it fail so I’m lending credence to those old wives tales just for the record.
* 4 c sugar
* 1 c white corn syrup
* 3/4 cup cold water
* 3 egg whites
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 c pecans Read the rest of this entry »
Looking For The Secret To Recording?
You want to record, mix, and produce quality music. You want to be good at it. Maybe you have the software, but you lack the time and patience to sift through manuals or enroll in a recording college. It’s easy to get distracted, get lost, or just never really get any better.
What you need is a personal trainer for your audio recording and music production skills.
Videos and books are fine, but you know that the best way to learn is to work with your own real, live teacher, who can answer your questions about audio recording, MIDI, music production, and mixing. You need to be able to ask questions–and live classes allow you to do just that.
These audio production classes meet several times a week. They are interactive webcasts–streaming audio and video right to your desktop. You ask a question, you get an answer immediately–just like in a real classroom. No special software is required, and it works on both Mac and PC. I’ll even send you a streaming video recording of each class afterwards.
They also give a full refund if not completely satisfied.
