Scrumptious Strawberry Liqueur Food

STRAWBERRY LIQUEUR

Steps:

• Wash and stem the berries.
• In a bowl crush the berries and sugar together.
• Let stand for 1 hour.
• Transfer mixture to a clean 2 qt container.
• Add vodka, water, lemon juice, and zests.
• Cover and let stand in a cool dark place for 2 days, shaking several times each day.
• Press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids.
• Transfer the liqueur to a clean container.
• Cover and let stand for 1 week.
• Filter into a decorative bottle with a tight fitting lid.
• Age for at least 1 month before serving.

SCRUMPTIOUS STRAWBERRY LIQUEUR

Steps:

• Crush strawberries and sugar together in a bowl.
• Let stand for about 1 hour.
• Transfer to a clean 2 L container and add vodka, water, lemon zest, orange zest, and lemon juice.
• Cover and let stand in a cool, dark place for 2 days, shaking frequently.
• Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out solids.
• Discard.
• Transfer liqueur to clean container, cover and let stand for 1 week.
• Rack or filter into final container.
• Age for at least 1 month before serving.
• Yield: 1 litre.
• Tip: Strawberries are easily bruised and mould quickly.
• When making cordials with strawberries, it is important to use only fresh, ripe, unbruised fruit.
• If berries have green tips or bruises, cut off these parts before using.

LEMON LIQUEUR

Steps:

• Peel and juice lemons.
• Put juice and peel into a CLEAN gallon jar along with the two liquors.
• Let stand a month.
• Combine sugar and water; heat until just boiling and sugar is completely dissolved.
• Cool completely.
• Strain the liquor off the peels and combine with the cooled syrup.
• Allow to stand at least another two months.
• It will form a cloudy layer at the top; this can be removed and saved for kitchen use, or shaken to resuspend before serving. It will not completely disappear without mechanical filtration, and perhaps not even after several filterings (even coffee filters will not catch it all).

BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR

Steps:

• In a glazed ceramic or glass container, mash the berries.
• Add vodka, water, cloves and coriander.
• Cover container and let stand at room temperature for 10 days.
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve into another glass or ceramic container.
• Discard residue.
• Add sugar to strained liquid and stir until it dissolves.
• Let mixture stand at room temperature for about 24 hours.
• Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth; pour into sterilized bottle (s) and cap.

SCRUMPTIOUS STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour three 8 1/2-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch rectangle pan. Preheat oven to 350.
• Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and jello. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whip softened butter. Then add sugar and vanilla until well mixed. Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in strawberries.
• Then alternately add flour mixture and buttermillk to butter mixture until all ingrediants are mixed well.
• Pour into pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8 inch pans and 30 to 35 minutes for 13x9x2 or until a wooden tothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans placed on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove round cake layers from pans and let cool on a wire rack.
• (Frosting listed under Scrumptious Strawberry Frosting).

STRAWBERRY LIQUEUR

Steps:

• In a quart jar, add strawberries, 1 cup sugar, and vodka. (I use frozen berries as the freezing process breaks down the cell walls, allowing you to get more juice).
• Seal jar tightly, and place in a dry, dark place for about 2 weeks.
• After two weeks, strain the liquid using a double layer of cheese cloth. Gently squeeze the berries, getting as much juice from the berries as possible.
• In a fresh quart jar, add the second cup of sugar, glycerin, water to top and the strained liquid. Seal and store again in a dark place until sugar is dissolved.
• Once the sugar has all dissolved, bottle the resulting liqueur in a fresh bottle and let age for roughly 3 months.