Cooking with Leftover Liquor

Cooking with Leftover Liquor

It’s no secret that the holiday season involves a lot of drinks, and as much as we love them, there are always leftover drinks. Drinking in excess is not what we promote, so why not cook with them? There are numerous ways to incorporate your leftover drinks into cooking and enhance the food that you know and love. Let’s jump into the recipes!

• Penne alla Vodka

If vodka makes you dance when you drink it, this pasta recipe will make you dance in happiness with how delicious it is.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces thinly sliced ham, cut into strips
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add ham; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in tomatoes, vodka, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in cream; cook 2-3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
• Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to sauce; toss to combine.

• Bourbon-glazed Pork Belly Chunks

Sweet whiskey recipe? Yes please! You can serve this at your next party, and everyone will start clamoring for your cooking.

Ingredients

• 200ml bourbon whiskey
• 1 star anise
• 800g pork belly
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• chives and soured cream, to serve (optional)
  

Instructions

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Pour 100 ml of the bourbon into a small, shallow roasting tin and add the star anise. Season the pork belly, put in the tin and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 3 hrs. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 1 hr. You can chill the pork for up to 2 days at this stage.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the pork from the tin. Using a small, sharp knife, pare away the rind from the meat, leaving a small layer of fat. Cut the meat into 2cm chunks and return to the tin. Roast for 20 mins until crisp and sizzling, turning regularly.
• Meanwhile, tip the ketchup, soy sauce, honey and remaining bourbon into a small pan. Set over a high heat and bubble for 5 mins until thick and syrupy. Pour over the chunks of pork and toss to coat. Roast for 10 mins more until sticky.
• Snip the chives into the sour cream, if you like, and serve alongside the pork chunks with cocktail sticks.

• Pork Medallions with Brandy Cream Sauce

Classy and creamy with a mix of beautiful colors, this recipe will work amazing no matter how old your brandy is already.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brandy
• 12 ounces uncooked linguine
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1-3/4 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 5 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  

Instructions

• Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, flatten pork slices to 1/4-in. thickness. Place flour in a large shallow dish. Add pork, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork in oil and 2 tablespoons butter in batches until juices run clear, 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
• In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in remaining butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the cream, brandy, thyme, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
• Drain linguine. Stir tomatoes into sauce mixture; add pork and heat through. Serve with linguine and sprinkle with cheese.

• Tequila-Lime Fruit Salad

Fruit salads are a mainstay in everyone’s holiday table but have you tried it with tequila-lime? Here’s a refreshing twist to your favorite fruits! 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons tequila 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups chopped peeled kiwifruit
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
  

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat; cool completely. Stir in lime juice and tequila.
• In a large bowl, combine the fruit. Drizzle with syrup and toss gently to coat.

• Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles

Creamy, spicy, and slightly tart, this one-pot dish will shine brightly on your dinner table, offering everyone a delightful combination of complex flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 (11- to 12-ounce) bottle beer
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 Thai chiles, thickly sliced
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 (13 1/2-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• Juice of 2 limes
• Kosher salt
• 5 pounds mussels, scrubbed
  

Instructions

• Gather your ingredients.
• In a food processor, combine the garlic, chiles, ginger, cilantro, lime zest, and olive oil, and process to a paste.
• Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the coconut milk and lime juice and season with salt.
• In a large soup pot, bring the beer to a boil over high heat.
• Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 7 minutes.
• Add the mussels and cover.
• Cook, shaking the pot a few times, until the mussels just begin to open, about 4 minutes.
• Uncover the mussels and stir in the coconut milk mixture.
• Cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until all of the mussels open, about 8 minutes.
• Spoon the mussels and broth into bowls and serve.

• Rum Cake

Perfect for birthdays, this cake will instantly become a new favorite from the very first bite. You wouldn’t have cakes any other way!

Ingredients

Cake ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (or see substitution below if you only have all-purpose flour)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided (plus extra for sugar-ing the pan)
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup rum
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature

Butter Rum Sauce:

• 1/4 cup rum
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
  

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.  Then add a few tablespoons of granulated sugar to the inside of the pan, and gently tap and turn it around until every square inch of the inside of the pan is coated in sugar.  (Be especially sure that the inner cone of the bundt pan is coated in sugar so that the cake does not stick.)  Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour (*or see substitute below), baking powder, salt, baking soda, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until combined.  In a different medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, rum, oil, vanilla, and yolks until combined.  Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30-45 seconds.  With whisk still running, add in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, about 60-90 more seconds. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a separate bowl and set aside.
• Add the flour mixture to the now-empty mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment again, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix on medium-low speed until it is just combined, about 15 seconds. (Don’t overmix!)  Stop the mixer and scrape the whisk and sides of the bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated, about 10 to 15 more seconds.  Fold about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into batter until just combined, then add the remaining whites and gently fold in until no streaks remain.
• Pour the batter evenly into the sugared bundt pan.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  (Don’t overbake!)  Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 15 minutes.  (While the cake cools — or even better, while it’s in the oven — make the butter-rum sauce.  Instructions below.)
• Once the cake is slightly cool, use a toothpick or skewer to poke lots of holes all over the surface of the cake (while it is still in the pan.)  Pour about half of the butter rum sauce over the surface of the cake.  Let it rest for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is absorbed.  Then carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter or pedestal, and drizzle the remaining sauce evenly on top of the cake.
• Serve immediately, or cover until ready to serve.

How To Make The Butter-Rum Sauce:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, butter and water until combined.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and continue to boil for 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and gradually stir in rum (carefully, as the rum will make the sauce boil up again).