Orange Whisky Pork

Jerry and I did this together. The really fun part was that Jerry, not a drinker, took a whiff

of the Drambuie and thought it smelled nice (which it does) and SHOT the WHOLE bit.

he said "MMMM..That's really nice" right before his eyes almost shot out of his head and

he started choking.

"Honey, that's still WHISKY" I said with a nice little smile.

OKay, so, Drambuie is the nice little reward Prince Charles (Bonnie Prince Charlie) gave the

Scottish people for pretty much getting them wiped out at Culloden trying to get his crown

back.

"Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry,
Carry the lad that's born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye."

During the battle Donald Livingstone rescued the blue banner of the Stuarts

"Donald Livingstone took up the banner, and tearing it from the stag, wrapped the banner round his body. " http://www.clanlivingstone.info/Donald_Livingstone.htm

So, in my humble opinion this is a gift to my clan as well so if you're ever at a loss as to what to get me, Drambuie is culturally appropriate!

Orange Whisky Pork

Ingredients
3 pounds pork tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Drambuie (Okay chill. 1/4 cup is not THAT much and it’s worth it. If it completely undoes you, or you’re not a rebel Scot and don’t have Drambuie laying around, use ? orange juice concentrate and ? whisky.)
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs honey
1tbs coarse kosher salt
1 tsp pepper


Directions
Whisk together soy sauce, Drambuie (or substituted lesser quality mixture…humph.), brown sugar, honey, and orange juice if you either want more orange flavor, or had to go the whisky route, pepper and garlic. Poke holes in the pork (like you are going after someone who kicked your dog.)

Put the whole roast and the marinade in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag squeezing as much of the air out as possible while closing. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning and squishing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove pork from marinade, and place on rack of shallow roasting pan. Save the marinade for sauce.

Bake for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F degrees internally.

Sauce Made from Marinade

Leftover marinade
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
1 c stock (chicken or pork) sub bouillon is okay
2 tbs whiskey (optional)

Over medium to low heat, warm up olive oil and flour whisking along the way until it gets gravy thickness with a golden brown color. (This makes a roux)


When it gets like a thick gravy add the leftover marinade and keep stirring. It will ball up like some kind of weird toffee looking candy.

Add the stock and whisky and keep whisking until all the roux is melted into the water then let it cook itself until it starts to boil then go back to stirring.

Stop when it is a consistency that you want.


If you like this a lot and live near Mexico they make an inexpensive suitable orange liquor substitute. It’s clear and comes in a jug with small orange on the neck. Remember bottle per person back across the border. They seize the rest and pour it out in front of you. It’s very very sad.

Salmon Poached in Champagne Sauce

Here we are proving that I can cook with some type of alcohol besides various forms of whisky!

This would be one of those dishes you serve for really special company, people you want to impress, or a nice romantic dinner for two! (Or yourself, a good movie or some West Wing re-runs and all the champagne to yourself....)

It was really easy to make and it helps to drink some of the champagne along the way.

We usually served this with plain white rice, which lends its self well to soaking up the delicate sauce without competing with it; and asparagus. This time we did with what we had on hand (and yes, we normally have salmon, champagne and heavy cream on hand...the parsley I lifted from my breakfast at Shari's and brought it home in a napkin..it's called "being thrifty" or "SCOTTISH".) The peas were good. The Pilaf competed a little too much.

Since generally champagne is an aperitif, it’s good to serve with a Sauvignon Blanc as the dinner wine.

Salmon Poached in Champagne Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tbs diced (tiny) onions
1 c brut Champagne (I suppose any will work. Cook's pink sounds nice)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 sprigs fresh parsley
½ tsp dill
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tbs corn starch
1 tbs water

Pour two glasses of champagne (No one uses the whole bottle on the fish and once it’s open well…..it’s bad luck to leave an open bottle.) Share one or drink them both while you cook the fish…or pour one and pour off another ¼ c to make some yogurt champagne salad dressing

Start with the olive oil in a large frying pan (We used a 10” Greenpan over medium-high heat, add onions and saute until soft.

Add the Champagne, lemon juice, and parsley to pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to barely a simmer.

Season filets with sea salt, dill and pepper. Carefully slide the fishy fillets into the liquid, cover and poach 3 to 4 minutes (or until done).

Move them to a plate and set them aside while you finish the sauce.
DO NOT EMPTY PAN!!!!!

Pour off the poaching liquid then ladle 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid back into the frying pan over medium heat. Add cream and bring to a boil.

Make a slurry from the corn starch and water.

Reduce to a simmer and whisk in slurry. Stirring constantly as it thickens, simmer 1-2 minutes. Return fish to the sauce just enough to heat it through.

Put the fish on a serving plate, spoon the sauce over it and garnish with lemon if you like. (We used some chives for garnish because we have them growing like weeds on the mantle.)

Apple Fritters With Whisky Glaze

I snuck out to the revered kitchen on a Sunday morning without a chaperone and made these fritters. While the picture does not look as appetizing as I would like, I can say they were WONDERFUL!

These were surprisingly easy to make even for someone like me who never made a donut in my life. The only thing I can say is ….don’t use a little whisk to mix the gluey stuff together because it all gets clumped up inside the little whisk and it’s hard to get out with a butter knife.

Also, make sure you use a teaspoon and not a tablespoon to dollop the things together or they will be too thick and the insides won’t cook. Then you have to nuke them for a minute and I DO NOT recommend that.

Do it all correctly and they are to die for (being a diabetic I actually was testing that theory.)

Breakfast in bed for everyone…… even Polar Bear.

Apple Fritters With Whisky Glaze

Fritter:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup chopped apple

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

(Or 1 c powdered and 1c brown sugar)

1 tbs milk

2 tbs whisky or scotch. (I used The Glenlivit )

Directions: Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon. Stir in milk and egg until just combined (You can add a little whisky to the dough too if you really want to go all out 2 tbs).

Fold in the apple bits. I would go with a Granny Smith, a Cameo or a Gala. Something with a little stronger flavor and not mushy.

Pour oil into skillet so that it is approximately 1 to 1 ½ deep. Heat oil on high. Oil is ready when a little piece of tester dough floats to the top.

DO NOT EAT THIS TESTER...IT'S HOT.

Carefully add dough to oil in heaping teaspoons. Do not use a tablespoon or they come out too thick and don’t cook through as well.

Cook them until they are brown then flip over CAREFULLY the oil is hot and can SPLASH. Cook them until both sides are brown. Move over to paper towels to absorb excess oil, then transfer them on to a cooling rack.

Make the glaze by stirring milk and powdered sugar and whisky together in a small bowl. If you are using the brown sugar combo heat it a little until it is creamy.

Paint onto apple fritters with a basting brush.

Wait for the glaze to harden, then turn the fritters over and baste glaze over the other side. You may have to rewarm the glaze a little.

Serve warm. (and if you think you can wait until they cool you are a pretty strong person!)

Making Friends With My Heritage: Livingston Scotch Cookies

I was still trying to perfect my cherry cookie recipe when I got sidetracked. This is not an uncommon event. I was flipping through an old, old laminated handmade cookie book (someone really planned for you to USE this one.) When I spied 'Scottish Shortbread Cookies'.

I have spent the last 6 months researching my Scottish family genealogy with much success and some really interesting travels. Ginger Rambles On Next fall I am going to Scotland for the capper to the deal.

So anyway, I have not had great luck with the cookie thing and decide to abandon the cherry cookie perfecting for the night, as I should be genetically predisposed to Scottish Shortbread Cookies.

I, of course decided to add my own touch, spices and the like. 'The Like' being SCOTCH. I am a Scottish girl. I like Scotch (Highland Scotch, Most lowland Scotch is, well, not for me.)

I also decide to forgo modern appliances, which starts my husband, The Gadget Man to twitch when I say NO FOOD PROCESSOR. I do acquiesce to the butter slicer because it looks old enough to have come from the Highlands and the old hand pastry blender for the same reason. I suppose someone invented them sometime and that is as good a time as any for me.

It was quite a chore blending the flour with the butter by hand. I pretend I am in the kitchen of my crofter's dwelling on a fine spring day. I don't know any good Scottish songs. All I know are Irish ones. I'll have to work on that.

I highly recommend that unless you are a strong Highland woman used to churning your own butter and pulling breech lambs in distress out by sheer force, you make peace with the food processor. Doing this would give Chuck Norris a work out.

The whole 'genetically predisposed' theory was completely correct. The cookies came out WONDERFUL. I picture a young man up on the hill, sitting on a rock in the heather, watching his sheep with a nice kerchief of these cookies to enjoy.

The cookies finished, I went to bed thinking about making a breakfast version. With parritch (porridge oatmeal) and the like 'The Like' being coffee.

Livingston Highlander Shortbread Cookies

1 1/4c flour
1/2 c butter
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbs of The Glenlivet (or any decent HIGHLAND scotch)

Blend all your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cube the butter and cut it in.
Mix until it all looks like small crumbs
Mix the honey and scotch together
Blend in with the dough

Take it in your hands and make it into a ball. Knead it with your hands until it is well blended. You will probably still see bits of butter. That's okay.

Roll out on lightly floured wax paper into ½ inch thick large circle.

Cut into strips 1 ½ " x 1"

Put on parchment paper or ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes or until brown and crispy.

Makes approx 24 depending how you cut.

*****

MMMMMmmmmm...I wonder if I should grind my own flour. I definitely need to buy some heather. I own some goats and a donkey. That's close enough to sheep for me.

About

Hi, I'm Ginger That's me up there in the top corner sitting on the steps of that cute little house. I wish it were mine but since it is actually Marie Antoinette's Hamlet cottage at Versailles, I think the upkeep and all those PEOPLE would be a detractor...but they do have very awesome vegetable garden!

I like to eat, drink and visit my daughter in France and my friends in Ireland and Scotland. If anyone in Italy, Spain, Turkey or, well, anywhere else unusual with good alcohol wants to be my friend I'll try to come visit you too!

While working on developing a much
larger recipe site documenting my strange and often entertaining endeavors
to learn how to cook and develop my own version of recipes, several
people noticed that I seemed to focus on developing recipes that involve
cooking with alcohol (mostly Irish and Scotch whisk(e)y. (The 'e'
denotes Irish whiskey). It's genetic. I'm a Scot/Irish girl. (See my clan tartan on the sides? It's the Livingstone Muted #814)

One day one of my friends, the one
I send a lot of recipes to for her to test, decided my next cookbook
should be titled "What
to cook with the Whiskey you don't drink ---like that's gonna happen".

My daughter-in-law, Stacey (who does
know how to cook) suggested I should just start a blog called 365 Days
of Cooking With Alcohol".

$70 worth of booze and making
good friends with the liquor store owner and here we are!

Really..did you know they make BACON
VODKA? Right here in Oregon!

Life is good.

So here's the deal:

I am going to cook for 365 days with
alcohol. That is not to say they will be consecutive days. I am going
to try for that, but I suspect life might get in the way here and there,
hopefully though in the end, theoretically, you should be able to find
here, a year's worth of recipes of food to make with alcohol!

If I invent a few drinks here and there that's just a side bonus.

A little about us:

My husband (Jerry) loves to cook. He is the domestic god and
knows how to milk a goat. I work a ton of hours for a green energy developer and
now that all of our kids have grown up and moved out I am trying to learn to
cook real food. Jerry is teaching me. So far we are still married.

Jerry loves,love, loves cooking gadgets. We have a lot of
them. Who knew a butter slicer could come in so handy?

I love plants and animals. I don't mind eating some animals,
just not my friends. I like to grow my own herbs, veggies and fruits although
the deer are getting far more of them than we are. We have dogs, cats, donkeys,
goats, chickens and sometimes whatever gets abandon in our yard. (My friend got
a YAK dumped on her hahahaha...

...Except she is a darling, friendly Yak who is quite
photogenic especially when she sticks her tongue up her nose!)

We have a lot of kids who are now gracing
us with the most beautiful, cool, intelligent grandchildren anywhere.and
that goes way beyond the solar system etc. (our reward for letting
them live).

Our children do lots of cool things.
One of them is a wonderful web designer who set up the blog and keeps
it in working order. She is also working on another huge project you'll
find out more about later.

Also, fortunately for me, one of them
lives in France and so once a year I get to go hang with the culinary
best. (In a giant castle, yes really! Bon Jour Touffou!) Then I pop
on over to either Scotland or Ireland for a real fine genetic tune-up
with fine spirits. (Slainte to Nancy Murphy's in Enniskerry and Danny
Mann's in Killarney!)

The Recipes:

If I adapted it from something and
changed it pretty dramatically it's mine (or Jerrys). If it's from
a friend or family member, you'll know it.

If I got it from somewhere else I will
happily point you to it. There are some great places out there with
some talented, fun people kind enough to be sharing, I would love for
you to meet.

If you have any suggestions, I'm
game..I mean really, the tongue recipe requires you cut the taste
buds off...the Haggis...well requires locating a sheep stomach. You
can see I'm not really too squeamish.

This whole thing is really for fun
so please play nice!

Nutritional Info:

Not going to happen.

We are cooking with alcohol, which
we are also drinking...so obviously it's not a priority and we might
get it wrong anyway (not unlike the FDA food guidelines).

Photos:

That's my other passion. I (or someone
else if I am in the picture) take the pictures with either my trusty
Canon Rebel or mylittle pocket Nikon Coolpix and on very rare occasion
my "Tool of Satan" (AKA Blackberry).

Advertising:

Are we planning on making money on this? H*LL yes!.... (at least that's the theory) I mean really, how are we going to pay for all this food and booze???? Send people..send friends..send anyone who likes food and/or booze... Send anyone you know who works for a food/booze company. Send your enemies..I'll do a special nasty food section and email you the link.....(Do you know how many ways I found to cook rats? I even found one that recommends you use drunken wharf rats so we are still on topic.)

The more the merrier. Everyone loves a good party.