Cooking Class: Hard Cider

I had the recent pleasure of attending a class at Urban Farm & Feed / Wasatch Front Farmers Market on how to make hard cider at home.  The basics are a fermenting kit, a juicer, and a bunch of apples.  It's pretty darn neat!  Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more upcoming classes.  The fermenting kit can be used for all sorts of other things too, like beer and fruit wine.  This makes me look longingly at the still-dormant tiny grape vines and fruit trees and dream of summer.
Finding local cooking classes can be super fun - it's a good way to try something new, meet interesting people, and ask questions you've always wondered about (such as exactly how to get bottle caps on bottles).  Think about what kind of class you like and learn best at and start looking for them.  There are hands-on classes, like this one, or classes where the students watch the chef and take notes.  Some are for specific recipes, some are for techniques.  Many offer samples of the recipes that were cooked or even include a take-home of the product being made.  The lucky students here went home with a bucket of future hard cider to enjoy and the equipment to make plenty more. 

Here are some shots of the cider making!


First, the stars of our show, apples. 
















To ferment things, you need a fermenting kit.  Sterilize everything! 












Then, slice a bunch of apples.  Maybe some extra for eating.  They are pretty tasty. 













Run them through a juicer.  I might be the only person in the country who's never used one (at least as far as I can tell from Pinterest) and they totally fascinate me.  They separate the juice from the pulp and seeds.  Apparently chickens love pulp and seeds.   










Then it's off to the fermentation bucket with special yeast monsters and a thingamawhatsit to allow gas to escape.  When the monsters are done, the right yeast is added.

This bottle held cider for the next photo, and can now be washed, sterilized, and re-used for more cider!







Results! Okay it wasn't *quite* that fast, as the cider does need many weeks to ferment.  Our awesome teacher Paige had made some beforehand that was ready to pop open for the class.  Thanks Paige, see you for the next class! 

Beer Shakes and Chocolate Ice Cream

Beer... shakes?  That's the response that this phrase usually gets.  YES is the answer.  It isn't complicated.  It's a milkshake, with beer and ice cream.  The art is in the pairing.  Dark beers go perfectly with a rich chocolate ice cream.  Strawberry ice cream with a cherry beer?  I think so, yes.  Making a beer shake is as easy as putting both in a blender, or putting both in a cup and stirring vigorously (careful, beer gets pretty excited and likes to make a mess!).  Our chocolate ice cream below went well with a Uinta Hoodoo Kolsch-style ale. 

Hooray for iPhone cameras!  This beer shake didn't last long.

If you have one of your own wonderful ice-cream making contraptions this is an even more pleasing dish, as this chocolate ice cream is amazing.  Yes, Alton Brown with Food Network again!  Almost 150 reviews, all five stars?  That's the one!

After cooking the mixture, there may be some clumps at the bottom - you can strain these or pretend they don't exist and get out a spoon because they are a delicious taste of things to come.


Chocolate Ice Cream
From the Food Network
Special equipment: Ice cream maker.  A candy thermometer is also helpful.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium or medium-large saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

2. In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added (this cooks the eggs without having cooked eggs).  Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture uncovered into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours.

4. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

5. Mix with a beer of your choice and enjoy!

Apple Pie Martini

I set out New Year's Eve with grand plans to make all sorts of amazing martinis.  It didn't quite turn out that way, but it was fun and I did end up with one successful drink recipe and got some practice making the glasses pretty. 

How to decorate the rim of a martini glass:

Part of the coolness of martinis is the fancy decorated rim.  For the candy cane martini, this involved (as one would expect) crushed candy canes.  I had picked up some broken candy canes on a clearance rack for super cheap and what a great use for them!  Crush them into as fine a powder as possible - I suggest a very strong ziplock bag between a marble rolling pin and a cutting board.  Make sure no plastic bits get mixed in with the candy.  The candy itself didn't stick so I mixed in a spoonful of white sugar and that did the trick.  Prepare the candy first, you'll want it in a shallow dish.  Moisten the edges of the glass: use a fruit wedge that matches the drink or a paper towel dipped in one of the alcohols used in the drink (I used the paper towel method).  Gently but quickly dip the edge just a bit at a time in the candy/sugar until the whole edge is done.  It seems like dipping the whole glass upside-down at once would save time, but it doesn't pick up as much of the candy/sugar.  Chill the glass until it's time for serving.



Alas, the candy cane martini tasted exactly like cough syrup.  By next New Years Eve I plan to have a recipe for one that looks like this and tastes good.  Next!

Apple Pie Martini

The apple pie martini idea came from Pinterest, although it was just a photo with general ingredient ideas so I don't have a link. I mixed together the vodka and apple juice and a couple dashes of cinnamon (totally not scientific there), then chilled it in the fridge since I didn't have ice on hand.  Once cold, I poured it into the serving glass and topped with a lovely swirl of whipped cream and more cinnamon.  The sweet whipped cream was a great offset to the alcohol.  It melted almost instantly but was oh so delicious. 



Apple Pie Martini

INGREDIENTS
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
4 oz Apple Juice
Cinnamon (1/4 tsp-ish)
Whipped Cream

DIRECTIONS
Mix together vodka, juice, and cinnamon.  Pour over ice (or chill before serving).  Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Eggnog

Homemade eggnog is thick and creamy and rich, scented with nutmeg and with a custard-like flavor. 

Sure, store-bought is easier, but it is also very different.  This is what eggnog is supposed to taste like.  One of the healthy things I did for myself this year included avoiding high fructose corn syrup whenever possible.  This is the reason I read the labels on every brand of eggnog at the store... then left without purchasing any of them, disappointed that I would be going without this year.  Not so!  No corn syrup or GMO-related anything in the homemade version!  Now I'm not saying that eggnog is healthy but it is amazing and goes perfectly with everything holiday-ish.

Thanks to Martha Stewart for the recipe, no adjustments needed.  It doubles and quadruples well too if you want tons of eggnog.  A double recipe makes almost half a gallon.

Some tips:
- Use a stirring spoon to alternate with the whisk to make it easier to tell when the sugar is dissolved.
- Adding the milk to the eggs prevents the eggs from cooking - pouring the eggs into hot milk would basically poach the eggs instead of mixing them together smoothly.
- Mine took about 30 minutes to get to the right thickness.  It happens pretty quickly, the mixture is thin like milk during most of the cooking time then suddenly it's eggnog.  Take it off the heat as soon as the shift happens or it will overcook.
- You will need a fine-mesh strainer, preferably one that can latch onto a large bowl to make it easy to strain the hot eggnog.  Straining separates out any bits of egg that separated from the milk, to keep the consistency smooth.

Local highlights:
Eggs from Clifford Farm
Milk and cream from Winder Farms


Homemade Eggnog

INGREDIENTS
        4 cups milk
        1 1/3 cups sugar
        12 large egg yolks
        1/2 cup bourbon, (optional)
        1 cup chilled heavy cream
        Grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
1. In medium saucepan, whisk milk and sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Whisking constantly, pour hot mixture into yolks in a slow and steady stream.
3. Return mixture to pan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, 20 to 25 minutes; do not let simmer. Quickly strain into a bowl.
4. Stir in bourbon, if desired, and cream. Cool completely; cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with nutmeg, if desired.

Crockpot: Hot Buttered Rum

Crock pots are truly wonderful inventions, and there is no need to limit their use to meals.  This toasty warm drink simmers for several hours and fills the kitchen with a welcoming holiday aroma. The rum is added just before serving so it doesn't cook off.  I cut the amount of rum in half from the original recipe (2 cups) since that was too overwhelming for me, but it's nice to have some extra on hand for guests who like it stronger. For the non-alcohol-drinking crowd, the rum can be skipped or experimenting with adding apple cider would be a nice twist.

Some tips on this recipe:
Crock pots don't all go to the same temperature at "Low" so if it seems too buttery, bump it up to high for a little bit and see if that helps. Stir just before serving.
Straining out the spices isn't absolutely necessary but it does prevent people from accidentally eating them.  :)



Hot Buttered Rum, Crockpot-style
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
8 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (only real butter!)
1 pinch salt
2 quarts hot water
3 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 to 2 cups rum (I use the spiced kind)
1 cup whipped cream, for serving
Ground nutmeg for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the brown sugar, butter, salt and hot water in 5 quart slow cooker. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours. Stir in rum.
2. Use a fine mesh strainer and fish around to get the cloves and cinnamon sticks out.
3.  Ladle from the slow cooker into mugs and top with whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg.