3 Recipes For Cooking With Liquor

The way most people consume liquor is by drinking it. However, that isn’t the only option. If you’re looking for a new way to use liquor you should try cooking with liquor!

 

Rum Cake

When cooking with liquor, a popular favorite is Rum Cake. Rum cake comes to us from the isles of the Caribbean and can be made boozy or not. After cooking a beautifully warm and decadent cake, what is more enticing than pouring rum all over it?

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup dark rum
• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup dark rum

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.

• Step 2 In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan. 
• Step 3 Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate. Brush glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used. 
• Step 4 To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

 

Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster isn’t just for cruise ships and fancy restaurants when cooking with liquor. So, bring back this popular treat in the comfort of your own kitchen. Added bonus: this recipe ends in flames!

Ingredients

• 2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup banana liqueur
• 4 firm-ripe bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup amber rum, such as Old New Orleans or Goslings
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Directions

• In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until moist, about 1 minute. Add the banana liqueur and cook, stirring continuously, until the grainy texture disappears and the mixture rolls off the spoon in a steady stream, 1 to 2 minutes. Put the banana quarters rounded side down in the pan. Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Turn the bananas onto their flat sides. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the rum. Set the pan over high heat and carefully ignite the rum with a long match or grill lighter. Gently shake the pan until the flame subsides. Remove from the heat.

• Place a generous scoop of ice cream in 6 to 8 individual heatproof dessert bowls. Arrange 2 to 3 pieces of sautéed banana around each scoop of ice cream. Spoon on the sauce and serve immediately.

 

Tiramisu

Find yourself a coffee lover, this will get your attention. Why drink your coffee from a boring mug? Instead infuse it with liquor, put it in a cake and eat it!

Ingredients

• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 ounces Mascarpone cheese softened
• 14 ounces lady finger cookies
• 1 cup coffee liqueur
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting

Directions

• In a medium bowl, make the pudding according to package instructions with the milk listed in the recipe. If for some reason your recipe calls for a different measurement, use that. Set aside to thicken up.
  
• While the pudding is setting up, dip the top and bottom of each ladyfinger in the coffee liqueur and arrange in rows in a 7×11-inch pan until the bottom is covered in one layer.
  
• Add the Mascarpone cheese to the pudding mixture and use a hand mixer to whip them together until smooth. Spread half of the pudding mixture out over the top of the ladyfinger mixture in the pan making sure to cover evenly.
  
• In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add half of the whipped cream mixture to the top of the pudding layer in the pan, spreading out evenly.
  
• Layer with another layer of coffee liqueur soaked ladyfinger cookies, then the remaining half of the pudding mixture and then the remaining whipped cream, leveling out the top layer.
  
• Dust the top of the whipped cream with cocoa powder and place the whole pan in the refrigerator to set for at least 6 hours.
  
• After the dish has set, use a large, sharp knife to cut the dessert into squares, serve with a strawberry, if desired.

 

As you can see, there’s so much diversity and ways to cook using liquor. Finding that this sparked your interest, come on into our store for more ideas! Stay tuned for our next article about cooking with wine!