Cooking With Spirits: Desserts And Sauces

When cooking with spirits disappoints, the reason is usually easy to fix. A little practice goes a long way. Let's look at what makes cooking with spirits work, and what you can skip.

Getting the balance wrong

In practice, for desserts, think of rum in banana bread, bourbon in pecan pie, brandy in poached fruit and coffee liqueur in tiramisu. Soak dried fruit in a spirit for a few hours before adding it to cake batter. A spoonful of liqueur in whipped cream or custard changes an ordinary dessert into something special. Taste the batter or cream, since a little goes a long way.

The practical takeaway is to measure every pour, since small changes shift the balance.

Bad ice

The key point is that for savory dishes, deglazing is the most useful technique. After searing meat or mushrooms, pour a minor amount of brandy or whiskey into the hot pan and scrape the browned bits to build a sauce, then ease it with stock or cream. Take the pan off the heat before adding the spirit, and keep your face and sleeves away from the stove. Flaming is dramatic and requires real care.

It helps to make one drink first before scaling a recipe up for a group.

Skipping the measure

Worth keeping in mind: not all of the alcohol cooks off, despite the common belief. The amount that remains depends on the cooking time, the temperature and the method, and a quick sauce keeps much more than a long braise. Be aware of this when serving guests who avoid alcohol, children, or anyone who needs to stay alcohol-free for personal or religious reasons, and tell them what is in each dish.

The practical takeaway is to measure every pour, since small changes shift the balance.

The wrong glass

On a day-to-day level, use a spirit you would be happy to drink, but not your most expensive bottle. Cheap cooking wines and sweetened imitation products are poor substitutes. Keep an alcohol-free version of each dish on hand, using apple juice, vanilla extract, stock or strong tea, so every guest can enjoy the meal.

How to fix it

Spirits add depth in the kitchen when used with care. Alcohol carries flavor and aroma, helping dissolve compounds that water and fat cannot. A splash of bourbon in a sauce, rum in a cake or brandy in a pan can give a dish warmth, sweetness and complexity that is hard to get any other way.

Fresh citrus does more for a cocktail than an expensive bottle.

Practical tips

A few simple things tend to help:

• Use plenty of fresh, hard ice.
• Store vermouth in the fridge once opened.
• Chill your glasses before serving.
• Use fresh citrus, squeezed the same day.

The bottom line

Keep it simple, taste as you go, and enjoy the process. Take it one drink at a time. Each one teaches you a little more about balance.