How to Add a Splash of Spirit to Your Homemade Spreads
Rum-based cakes, baking with liqueur and vodka; there’s a lot to be achieved with the combination of spirits in food baked and cooked at home should you choose to do so. While they are added to cocktails to form a robust base, many also infuse their foods with various types of liquor as a substitute for other ingredients, for the liquor to not lose its quality once opened, or simply to experiment with different flavours. Cooking with liquor might seem restrictive, but it’s a lot more dynamic than you might think.
Whether you’ve opened a few bottles and don’t want to mix them in drinks or are clearing your liquor cabinet, adding a splash of the following spirits to your next dish can introduce you to a new side of cooking you’ve never dabbled in before. Read on for some commonly asked queries answered, sprucing up your next experiment in the kitchen.
What are some common myths about adding alcohol to food?
Most commonly, people assume that only beer, white and red wine can be infused in homemade spreads, but that isn’t the case. Various other liquors, like distilled spirits, are a beloved choice by many who choose to use alcohol as an ingredient in their cooking. Such liquor is a lot more versatile than people give them credit for. They can be used to not only tenderise any meat, but also to add potent flavours to dishes that are already suffused with savoury taste. Moreover, alcohol is known for binding with fat and water molecules that adds aroma and flavour to cooked food.
How can I add a splash of spirits to baked food like cakes or tarts?
While cooking, liquors are most commonly added to baked goods like cakes, tarts and pies. Infusing warmer liquors like whisky, spiced or dark rums and bourbons to pies is a go-to option for many cooking pies with alcohol. They add distinct flavours while also reducing the over sweetness of a regular pie.
Vanilla extract is a common and sometimes non-negotiable ingredient (for vanilla-based cakes) when it comes to baking. You can now make your own vanilla extract at home using vodka. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract made with vodka is more than sufficient for cakes, cupcakes and buttercream. Avoid flavoured vodkas because they usually contain artificial flavours, which defeats the purpose of making your own pure vanilla at home.
Also Read: 5 Low Alcohol Content Drinks To Match Your Weekday Dinner Spread
Which savoury foods can be cooked with liquor?
Items like pizza, vegetables, and sauces can be perfectly cooked with the correct quantities of some of your favourite spirits. If you love a well-made, crispy pizza, try adding your favourite types of sauces with a tablespoon or two of bourbons. For alternatives to regular tomato sauce, you can also add the same quantity of vodka sauce. Doing so will add the same flavours as tomato sauce but enhance it, as well as the aroma.
Vodka’s neutrality and binding properties help glue cream and oil together, making it a different option to be used in pasta sauces. Similarly, white wine (preferably not cooking wine because it contains artificial flavouring) is also used commonly to make creamy and light sauces for pasta.
Can I add distilled liquor while cooking meat in my kitchen?
Most certainly. Distilled spirits are widely suited for cooking many different kinds of meat, from beef, lamb and chicken. While tequila flavours chicken and thickens the texture of the sauce, whisky’s range of sweet, caramel and smoky flavours are appropriate for glazes on cooked meat. A classic red wine is also an alternative for those who want to use it to cook beef or pork-based dishes. While whisky is used in cooking, it is not used as often as vodka or tequila, but if used, it adds a good amount of salt to your smoky chicken dish.
Are liqueurs also suitable for making desserts?
Yes, fruit and cream-based liqueurs like Bailey’s are added to a range of fruit dishes, sweeter sauces and desserts. You can add a tablespoon or two of fruit-flavoured liqueurs to fruit salads for a thick, syrupy coating or a cream liqueur as substitutes for hot fudge sauce or in your coffee if you’re looking to change up the regular flavours a bit.
Other spirits that go well with dessert-making include rum which goes best with sweet dishes like caramelised fruits or a tiramisu, to which rum could be added to the coffee before soaking.
But remember, whatever liquor you choose to add in your homemade goods, go for the liquor that you personally enjoy the taste of because these spirits are merely just another alternative to change up the palate every now and then. The choice is yours!
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
