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Tag Archives: brandy

The Fruitcake Phase

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Cookies, Desserts, Entertaining, Holidays, LuLu's Classics, Throwback Thursday

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boozy, brandy, brown sugar, Cake, candied cherries, candied ginger, cookies, fruit, fruitcake, fruitcake mix, holiday baking, holiday cookies, nuts, pecans, sherry, walnuts

Fruitcake...with a cat

It happens at this time every year…you can’t avoid it…the fruitcake joke. I have to admit, I never really understood it, since I was never subjected to fruitcake growing up. I was never gifted it, never tried it, never really thought about it. All I knew is it must be really, really bad for it to somehow come up as this terrible thing every year.

Fruitcake Cookies

Enter Christmas 2014 – what I am deeming as the “fruitcake phase.” I found out from my mom and aunt that not only did they grow up with my grandpa making fruitcake every year, but he never really gave it away…since he loved it so much. To this day, it is the only thing he has ever baked in his entire life – that is how much he loves the stuff. So, we found the old recipe he used, from a 1950 copy of the Gourmet Cookbook. Still having this cookbook is a treasure in itself, and I think this is about as classic of a fruitcake as you can get.

fuitcake

So, we made a few loaves…and I started to understand the stigma around the dreaded dessert. It’s a dense cake full of weird candied fruit whose sole purpose is to put in the cakes, and then it literally “ripens” in booze for a few weeks. What? I’m all about things chillin in booze, but it was a little weird. However, this fruitcake is real, it’s not a store-bought 10 pound bowling ball that’s already wrapped and easy to regift. It’s real, old-school ingredients, that really don’t end up tasting that bad, if you are into that sort of thing. Which my family is. Jordan and I are still on the fence about classic fruitcake, but I totally get it now (finally). But I couldn’t stop there, I had to go on and make fruitcake cookies…

Fruitcake Cookies...and a Cat.

Don’t ask about the cat…He was apparently going through a fruitcake phase as well. Anyways though, I was a tad skeptical about these cookies. I hoped they would be lighter than actual fruitcake while I was letting the fruit soak in some booze. I hoped people would actually want to eat them…and they turned out great! They are not the prettiest cookie in the world…Sort of like the ugly duckling of cookies, not too cute, but once they hit your lips…so good! Continue reading →

Baked | Spiced Persimmon Tart

17 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Baking, Desserts, Entertaining, Uncategorized

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brandy, butter, cinnamon, Fuyu persimmons, ginger, lemon, Persimmon, Persimmon Tarts, Tarts

Persimmon TartPersimmons…really aren’t something you eat everyday. Or ever, in my case. I really haven’t seen much out there, in terms of Persimmons…who knows, it’s probably the next food trend! Although fall is almost over, next year, mark my words! It will be persimmon EVERYTHING.Fuyu PersimmonsAnyways, my mom and I decided to delve into Persimmon-land when we found this Spiced Persimmon Tart in Sunset Magazine. Also…I recently acquired the perfect tart pan (Post-Wedding discounts are the shit). Fresh out of the oven, this tart did not disappoint. I think Persimmons are the kind of thing you want to eat with something else…alone the taste and texture was kind of weird…but mixed with some sugar, boozy brandy, lemon, ginger, and cinnamon…oh man. It’s good.Persimmon TartThis recipe is best served the day it is made, and I really think you can go without the Brandy Mascarpone here. Swap out for vanilla ice cream, maybe throw some brandy and powdered sugar into homemade whipped cream instead. This tart would be friends with apple pie…except it’s easier to make, a little more exotic, and not as heavy. WIN!Persimmon Tart

Recipe
Spiced Persimmon Tart with Brandy Mascarpone
from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
  • 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • About 2 tbsp. lemon juice, divided
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons brandy, divided
  • 1 pound firm-ripe small to medium bright orange Fuyu persimmons
  • 1 container (about 8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with 1 rack set in the center and a second rack set on the rung closest to the broiler. In a food processor, pulse flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp. ginger, and the butter until fine crumbs form. Add egg yolk and whirl until dough comes together. Press over the bottom and 1/2 in. up the sides of a 4- by 14-in. tart pan with a removable rim (or use a 9-in. round tart pan).
  2. Combine 6 tbsp. sugar, remaining 1 tbsp. ginger, the cinnamon, 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tbsp. brandy in a bowl. Core persimmons, slice 1/3 in. thick, and stir into brandied sugar. Arrange fruit in 2 overlapping rows in crust (for a round pan, in circles). Spoon sugar mixture from bowl over fruit.
  3. Bake tart on center rack until crust is deep golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake until persimmons are tender when pierced, 20 to 30 minutes more. Remove tart from oven and preheat broiler.
  4. Set tart on a baking sheet. Cover pastry edges with strips of foil. Broil on rack close to heat until edges of fruit brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes.
  5. Whisk mascarpone and cream with remaining 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. brandy, and 2 tsp. lemon juice. Loosen crust from rim with a small knife, then remove rim. (Tip: Set pan on 2 small cans, such as single-serving juice cans, and rim will slide off.) Serve with mascarpone.

Willows Lodge Hot Cider

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Entertaining, Events, Holidays, Seattle, Travel, Uncategorized

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Tags

brandy, cider, cinnamon, cloves, rum, seattle, Willows Lodge, Woodinville

On a clear, crisp, wintery Friday, Jordan and I arrived at Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA for a weekend of wine tasting. Little did I know the complimentary cider offered in the lodge’s lobby would be my favorite beverage consumed all weekend. Warm, delicious, (and alcohol free!) this cider swept me away and made the feel of the lodge even cozier than it already was. Lucky for us, the recipe for the cider was right there, waiting for me to make it whenever I was ready to revisit the taste and feel of our amazing weekend. This time, I added the *optional* Spiced Rum, because we were at home and not going anywhere anyways!

Willows Lodge Hot Cider

  • 1 gallon fresh apple juice
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • Spiced Rum or Brandy, to taste
  • 4 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tbsp. whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp. allspice
  • 1 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups maple syrup
  • 3 fresh sliced oranges
Simmer for 30 minutes and garnish with orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Voila! Winter time cozy goodness achieved.

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