As every great chef, chocolatier and baker knows, liqueurs aren’t the sole reserve of the drinks cabinet.
They can also be used to amplify the flavours of a vast array of sweet and savoury dishes and treats, making it taste, smell and, in some cases, cook better.
A shot of the strong stuff can enhance everything from meats and fish to fruits and vegetables and spirits and chocolate are simply a match made in heaven!
Grandes designs
For chocolatiers, chefs, mixologists and bakers looking to get into the ‘spirit’ of culinary creativity, look no further than Grandes Distilleries Peureux.
Established in 1864, the premium French craft spirit and liqueur distillery also specialises in griottines and owns a 200-hectare wild cherry orchard dedicated to growing fruit with just the right texture and flavour to create its stunning liqueurs.
The range includes:
• Amaretto 60% - Combining the scent of bitter almonds with vanilla and caramel notes
• Massenez Kirsch 48% - a colourless cherry eau de vie produced by the distillation of fermented cherries
• Marc de Champagne 60% - a colourless brandy popular as a filling for chocolate truffles
• Saint James Rhum 54% - great in cocktails, desserts, ice creams and sauces
• Poire William 45% - a colourless fruit brandy, produced by distillation of fermented William pears
• Camus Ile de Re Cognac 50% - aged in oak barrels for two years
• Dom Pacello Royal 60% - (orange concentrate) – a refined orange liqueur
A plethora of pouring ideas
Use your liqueurs to:
• Flavour sauces, for example, gravadlax served with a sauce made from whipped cream, horseradish and kirsch
• Make tipsy fruit, such as brandied figs or pears poached in Poire William
• Brine your turkey
• Flambe meats and fruits, for example, cherries flambeed in kirsch
• Create delicious calissons (French candies made with marzipan and candied fruit). Try candied orange soaked in Dom Parcello
• Create delicious jams and chutneys
• Use as a marinade
• Use as a glaze for meats and cakes
• Add to compound butters, for example, cognac butter to elevate beef tenderloin
• Add fruit flavoured liqueurs to fruit salads for a grown-up treat
• Use instead of extracts to flavour baked goods, for example, replace almond extract with Amaretto
• Add rum and/or cognac to your dried fruits for a brilliantly boozy Christmas cake
