Hot Apple Cider Spiked With Calvados Apple Brandy Food

HOT APPLE CIDER SPIKED WITH CALVADOS APPLE BRANDY

Steps:

• Bring cider to simmer over medium heat.
• Add mulling spice (using cheesecloth or large tea ball). Mull for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. Remove.
• Stir in brandy. Serve.

APPLE PIE WITH CALVADOS

Steps:

• Sift and combine the flour and salt. Mix in 5/6 cup of butter gradually with a dough wisk (leave 1 tbsp for step 5). Mix in just enough ice water until the dough just starts to hold together. Transfer to a work surface, divide in half, and flatten to form two disks that are about 3/4" thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (You can do this ahead of time and refrigerate for longer. It's okay but will take longer to warm up and roll out in next step.).
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Fit the dough into the pie plate, and trim and flute the edges. Refrigerate the pie plate. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust, and refrigerate.
• Peel, core, and slice the apples, and place in a large bowl. Pour the lemon juice over the apples and stir so that all pieces are covered. Add the brown sugar and stir again.
• Mix together the spices, starch, and calvados. Add a little of water if needed to mix evenly. Pour the mixture over the apples and stir.
• Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust in the pie plate. Dot with the 1 tbsp of butter. Place the top crust on the fruit, seal with the bottom crust, and flute the edges. Use a knife or awl to create several steam holes in the top crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

POULET AU CIDRE (CHICKEN IN CIDER AND CALVADOS)

Steps:

• Peel and core apples. Finely chop half of one apple and cut the rest into 12 wedges. Toss the apple in lemon juice.
• Heat half the butter in large frying pan. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until golden. Turn chicken over and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and pour off fat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan and add onion, celery and chopped apple. Fry over moderate heat for 5 minutes without browning.
• Remove from heat. Sprinkle flour into mixture and stir. Add Calvados and return to heat. Gradually stir in cider. Bring to a boil, return chicken to pan, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Heat remaining butter in small frying pan. Add apple wedges and fry over moderate heat until browned and tender. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the pan to a platter and keep warm. Skim excess fat from cooking liquid. Add creme fraiche, bring just to a boil and simmer 4 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve with warm apple wedges.

HOT APPLE CIDER MIX

Steps:

• Add 1 tsp of mix to 1 cup of hot apple juice to make individually.
• Or, add entire mix to one gallon of hot apple juice for several.

HOT MULLED APPLE CIDER WITH APPLES, ORANGE & CINNAMON

Steps:

• Cook over medium heat until steaming; reduce heat to low and simmer gently until spices have infused liquid, approx 30 minute.
• Strain into warmed mugs.

HOT APPLE CIDER

Steps:

• Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.
• Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string.
• Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.
• Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.
• Remove the cider from the heat.
• Discard the spice bundle.
• Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

MULLED CIDER WITH CALVADOS

Steps:

• In a saucepan stir together the cider, the brown sugar, the allspice, the nutmeg, the cloves, the cinnamon pieces, and the apple, simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, and stir in the Calvados. Heat the mixture over moderate heat until it is hot and discard the allspice, the cloves, and the cinnamon. Divide the mulled cider among heated mugs and garnish each drink with a few of the apple slices.

CALVADOS (APPLE BRANDY) GRAVY

Steps:

• Place the sugar in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat, and cook until sugar is golden (do not stir).
• Carefully add cider, stirring constantly (mixture will bubble vigorously).
• Stir in brandy; cook 1 minute.
• Add broth, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt.
• Combine water and cornstarch, stirring with a wire whisk; add to the gravy. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

HOT APPLE CIDER FOR ONE

Steps:

• Combine apple cider and spices and sugar in a heat resistant mug that can go into the microwave.
• Heat, uncovered, in microwave 2 minutes.
• Let stand until cool enough to drink.
• Remove spices if you don't want them floating in your cup while drinking cider, and remove spices if serving to a child.