Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

For years and years, I searched for the perfect cranberry sauce. I tried adding allspice, cloves, Zinfandel, and orange zest. I tried simmering, boiling, and marinating the cranberries. And then a couple years ago, I stumbled upon the ultimate cranberry sauce, courtesy of Epicurious.

The secret is bourbon, but don't let that scare you off. I make things like bourbon balls for the holidays because I have some bourbon lovers in the family, but I personally can't really handle the spirit. In cranberry sauce, though, it's magical--it adds just enough punch to play off the tartness of the cranberries, and it brings out all of the fruit's complexity. Somehow, it also adds a hint of an orange flavor, and it tones down the mouth-puckering sweetness of the sauce.

And the best part may be the fact that you don't have to watch a pot on the stove--you just throw 3 ingredients together in a baking dish and throw the whole thing in the oven for an hour; it's almost ridiculously simple and easy. And! for some reason, the baking dish even comes clean really easily. So if you want a complex, interesting cranberry sauce instead of the usual cloying culprits, you need to try this sauce for your next holiday get together. 

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

(Slightly adapted from Epicurious)

• 1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 3 ingredients in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead.) Transfer to bowl and serve.

Aged Eggnog

I love eggnog. It's one of those love/hate kind of things, and I'm firmly in the love camp; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and while this might sound cheesy, it gets me in the holiday spirit.

I used to make the Cook's Illustrated recipe, which is delicious, but it's pretty time-consuming because you basically pasteurize the eggs and dairy by heating it all over a very low flame until it reaches a certain temperature. It takes forever, and if you rush it at all, or forget to stir for even a few minutes, you can end up with a curdly mess.

I did that one year, and it made me sad. So when I read about the concept of aged eggnog on Chow.com, I was super excited; not only because it sounds virtually fool-proof, but because I'm lazy.

You see, for this aged eggnog, you mix a few things together and throw them into jars, which then go in the fridge for up to a year. That's it! And just like what happens with the bourbon balls, the aging process tames the harsh bite of the alcohol and makes the eggnog deliciously smooth and mellow.

I'm going to write a disclaimer here, as you'll see on every website that has this recipe: You're taking raw eggs, cream, and milk, and letting it sit for at least a month and up to a year, which would probably cause the FDA to collectively have a heart attack.

The theory behind this technique, though, is that the large amount of alcohol in the mix prevents any nastiness from forming. Plus, in order for anything like salmonella to fester in there, it would have had to be present in the eggs or milk in the first place, which is unlikely. But if rawness scares you, you should try a pasteurized eggnog recipe. Me, I like to live on the edge.

Aged Eggnog

(From Chow.com)

• 12 large eggs 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1 quart (4 cups) whole milk 
• 1 liter (about 4 cups) bourbon, such as Jim Beam 
• 1/2 cup dark rum 
• 1/2 to 1 cup good Cognac or other brandy 
• Pinch kosher salt 
• 1 whole nutmeg

To serve (optional):

• 10 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 
  
Separate egg yolks and whites. Combine yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well blended and creamy. Add heavy cream, milk, bourbon, rum, Cognac, and salt, and mix to combine. Bottle it right away and refrigerate it until it’s ready. You can use an old liquor bottle, washed out jars from pasta sauce (like I did), or any other largeish glass vessel.

Allow the eggnog to age for at least 3 weeks and up to a year. (You'll note an improvement after only a week, and it keeps getting better from there.)
 
To serve, pour over ice and grate some fresh nutmeg over the top. If you only have the pre-ground stuff, skip it, and get some whole nutmeg the next time you go to the store. Or, if you want to serve the eggnog in the traditional way, pour it into a punch bowl. In separate bowls, whip 10 egg whites and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to soft peaks and fold them into the eggnog. Serve in punch cups, garnished with freshly grated nutmeg.

Chocolate Bourbon Balls

If you have bourbon lovers in your familly, you must make this recipe. And you should do it soon, because these no-bake cookies need to age in order to achieve their full, well-rounded potential.

Because these bourbon balls are constructed from pre-made cookies and no perishable ingredients, they can be stored in a cool, dry place for several months. As they age, the sharp edges of the bourbon are smoothed away, and the texture of the bourbon balls improves and becomes smoothly dense. The molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves combine to make that sort of warming winter flavor that makes you feel like you're curled up in front of a roaring fire. These are not treats for kids, though--they still pack a punch.

There are, of course, many recipes for bourbon balls out there. However, every other recipe that I was able to find either called for butter (which would make them less shelf-stable); powdery, metallicy cocoa; or vanilla wafers. Vanilla!? Who wants vanilla bourbon balls? Chocolate and bourbon were made for each other; add some molasses and pecans, and you've got a party.

So really--enlist some help (this is the kind of recipe that's fun to make with another person), roll up your sleeves (it's messy), and get these little nuggets aging in order to have them ready for Christmas.

 Bourbon Balls

(From The Gourmet Cookie Book)

• 1/2 cup chopped raisins
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, plus about another 3/4 cup for rolling the balls
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a small bowl, let the raisins macerate in the bourbon for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine well all ingredients except the 3/4 cup chopped pecans for rolling. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls, and roll the balls in the finely chopped pecans. Store the bourbon balls in an airtight container in a cool dark place for at least 1 week before serving.