Old Cuban Cocktail With Huli-Huli Chicken & Pineapple

Sweet, sour and herbal, the Old Cuban Cocktail is

wonderful with Huli-Huli Chicken & Pineapple, 

our spin on a popular Hawaiian dish.

Ingredients:
¾ oz simple syrup
6 mint leaves
1 ½ oz aged rum
¾ oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 oz dry sparkling wine such as cava, chilled
Mint leaf to garnish

Directions:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle simple syrup and mint. Add rum, lime juice and bitters. Fill 3/4 full with ice. Shake until ice cold, about 12 seconds. Fine-strain into a chilled large coupe. Top with sparkling wine and stir once. Garnish with mint leaf.    Makes 1 drink

 

Huli-Huli Chicken & Pineapple

A Hawaiian roadside staple, huli-huli chicken is a finger-licking grilled bird basted with a salty-sweet sauce made in part with pineapple juice. It’s fitting then that you should thread the spit with a whole, peeled pineapple too, to eat alongside. Both the chicken and the pineapple are ready at the same time, and extra sauce is served alongside for dunking. If you brine your bird first thing in the morning, it will be ready to put on the fire for dinner. The combination of pineapple, chicken and sauce with a side of rice is aces.   Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

3 tbsp (45 mL) salt
3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar
6 cups (1.5 L) water
3 inch (8 cm) length ginger, sliced
1 head garlic, cut in half to expose cloves
1 chicken, 4 lbs (2 kg)
1 tsp (5 mL) black peppercorns
1 large whole pineapple, trimmed and peeled, core intact

Huli-Huli Sauce
½ cup (125 mL) ketchup
½ cup (125 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup (80 mL) pineapple juice
¼ cup (60 mL) mirin
⅓ cup (80 mL) packed brown sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) sriracha
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped ginger
¼ tsp (1 mL) sesame oil

Directions:
In a medium pot, combine the salt, sugar, water, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Place chicken and peppercorns in a large resealable plastic bag; pour brine over. Remove excess air, seal bag and refrigerate for 6 to 10 hours.

Set up your gas or charcoal grill for rotisserie cooking and maintain a temperature of 375°F (190°C). Set a drip pan (a disposable aluminum roasting pan is best) half filled with water under where roast will turn. Keep a pitcher of water nearby to refresh water as necessary.

Thread spit through pineapple core lengthwise; set aside.

Remove chicken from brine; pat dry inside and out. Turn wings under and, using a piece of twine, truss them snugly against the body. Using a second piece of twine, tie legs together. Neck end first, thread chicken onto spit and use picks at either end of spit to secure chicken and pineapple snugly together.

Mount in rotisserie brackets and turn rotisserie on. Cook for 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into thigh registers 150° to  155°F (65° to 68°C).

Meanwhile, prepare the huli-huli sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a small pot over medium heat; simmer for 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, purée.

Brush both the pineapple and the chicken with the huli-huli sauce, cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). Remove both pineapple and chicken to a board, tent chicken with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Carve chicken and  serve with pineapple rounds and extra sauce on the side.   Serves 4 to 6

Celebration Punch

Celebration Punch

It’s time to celebrate! To commemorate a special occasion, I raise a glass to you, dear readers. Ten ingredients combine to make one truly delectable beverage.  Flavors warm and spicy, crisp and cool, all at once. In keeping with our ongoing kitchen pantry preserve/ cocktail experiments, we use fig jam here to special effect, a subtle note that captures the essence of the season, and lingers on the tongue with a silky mouthfeel.
Ingredients:
½ gallon unfiltered apple juice
6 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
2 tablespoons fig jam
2 cups bourbon
2 12-ounce bottles ginger beer
5 oranges (use 4 to make 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice and slice 1 into wheels for garnish)
½ cup crystalized ginger, sliced
10 dashes Angostura bitters
Directions:
Pour the apple juice into a large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom and star anise and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the fig jam and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.

Pour the spiced apple juice into a large punch bowl or pitcher, using a strainer to remove the whole spices. Add the bourbon, ginger beer and orange juice and mix well. Top with the crystalized ginger, orange slices and bitters. Add ice to serving glasses if desired. Serves 8.

A Better Christmas Cake

                                                   

A Better Christmas Cake 

My trick for making a really good Christmas cake is to use high-quality dried fruit and simmer it in a mixture of alcohol that makes the flavours come together like a good cocktail; hold it together with just enough batter to turn it into a cake; bake it low and slow to keep it really moist and make small loaves that are great for sharing with family and other fruitcake lovers.

Ingredients:
6 oz (175 g) pitted prunes

6 oz (175 g) dried apricots

4 oz (125 g) dried pineapple

4 oz (125 g) dried black Mission figs, hard stem ends 

   removed

4 oz (125 g) dried cherries
4 oz (125 g) Thompson raisins
4 oz (125 g) golden raisins
¾ cup (175 mL) port
½ cup (125 mL) dark rum
½ cup (125 mL) brandy
½ tsp (2 mL) Angostura bitters
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches (8 cm) long
2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind
1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1¼ tsp (6 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground allspice
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (375 mL) demerara sugar, (raw sugar) packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

Use kitchen scissors to cut prunes, apricots, pineapple and figs into small pieces (smaller than ½ inch/1 cm). Put in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot along with cherries, raisins, port, rum, brandy, bitters, honey and cinnamon stick. Place pot over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until fruit mixture is plump and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in grated lemon rind. Scrape into a large glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for a few days, or ideally a week, stirring every few days. 

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C). Grease 5 mini loaf pans, 5 x 2 x 2 inches (13 x 5 x 5 cm) approx., and fully line with parchment paper. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a small bowl and stir with a fork until uniform. 

Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating really well between additions and scraping down sides as needed to keep batter from separating. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined (batter will be on the thin side). Scrape in dried fruit mixture and any syrupy liquid and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 2 hours 20 minutes or until cakes are deeply golden and a cake tester comes out with crumbs clinging to it. 

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off parchment paper and let cool fully. Wrap cooled cakes well and keep in airtight containers until ready to eat or share. No aging necessary. 
Yield: 5 small fruitcakes

Christmas Cake

 

A Better Christmas Cake 

My trick for making a really good Christmas cake is to use high-quality dried fruit and simmer it in a mixture of alcohol that makes the flavours come together like a good cocktail; hold it together with just enough batter to turn it into a cake; bake it low and slow to keep it really moist and make small loaves that are great for sharing with family and other fruitcake lovers.

Ingredients:
6 oz (175 g) pitted prunes

6 oz (175 g) dried apricots

4 oz (125 g) dried pineapple

4 oz (125 g) dried black Mission figs, hard stem ends 

   removed

4 oz (125 g) dried cherries
4 oz (125 g) Thompson raisins
4 oz (125 g) golden raisins
¾ cup (175 mL) port
½ cup (125 mL) dark rum
½ cup (125 mL) brandy
½ tsp (2 mL) Angostura bitters
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches (8 cm) long
2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind
1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1¼ tsp (6 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground allspice
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (375 mL) demerara sugar, (raw sugar) packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

Use kitchen scissors to cut prunes, apricots, pineapple and figs into small pieces (smaller than ½ inch/1 cm). Put in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot along with cherries, raisins, port, rum, brandy, bitters, honey and cinnamon stick. Place pot over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until fruit mixture is plump and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in grated lemon rind. Scrape into a large glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for a few days, or ideally a week, stirring every few days. 

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C). Grease 5 mini loaf pans, 5 x 2 x 2 inches (13 x 5 x 5 cm) approx., and fully line with parchment paper. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a small bowl and stir with a fork until uniform. 

Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating really well between additions and scraping down sides as needed to keep batter from separating. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined (batter will be on the thin side). Scrape in dried fruit mixture and any syrupy liquid and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 2 hours 20 minutes or until cakes are deeply golden and a cake tester comes out with crumbs clinging to it. 

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off parchment paper and let cool fully. Wrap cooled cakes well and keep in airtight containers until ready to eat or share. No aging necessary. 
Yield: 5 small fruitcakes