I was recently asked by someone, what can I do with all my spare alcohol? I know this person must not read my recipes often, since alcohol is a staple in much of my cooking. My advice to her was, either throw a big party and make cocktails for everyone, or use my recipes to create amazingly flavourful meals!

Use wine to flavour dishes, poach fish or as a base for sauces and soups

Wine is definitely the most commonly used ingredient in my kitchen; it is a great base for soups and sauces, and is the best liquid to use when poaching fish. Beer is another great ingredient- it can add a new flavour element to soups and sauces, and can also be used when braising meats such as beef. In fact, the carbonation in the beer creates a chemical reaction that makes the beef soft, tender, and fall-off-the-bone good!

Liqueurs are a whole new story; each liqueur brings its own unique flavour into any recipe. As with wine and beer, liqueurs can be used as the base for a good sauce. Because of liqueurs’ bold and sweet flavours, they work very well in desserts also.

Today I will show you how to use wine, beer, and liqueurs to make both sweet and savoury dishes. My first recipe is poached pears, cooked in a sweet Gewürztraminer. These pears are delicious on their own, and are the perfect partner for ice cream, tarts and cakes. For more ideas how to use these pears, please refer to my article, Cooking With Tea.

I have included a second dessert recipe, Bananas Foster. Bananas Foster is a classic dessert, and is a great vehicle for rum and liqueur. Although the recipe may seem a bit intimidating to beginners, keep an adventurous and open mind and it will work out.

The two savoury dishes I am providing today are beer and cheddar soup, and wine-braised duck. The soup is a creamy, hearty classic and is a fantastic comfort food. I have elected to use Guiness for this particular recipe (the dark stouts work really well with a nice, sharp cheddar!), but feel free to use whatever type of beer you prefer. Different beers produce different flavours, whether they are stouts or lagers, so be experimental about the type of beer you are using, and you will create a new soup every time!

The duck is soft and tender, as a result of being cooked in wine. After the duck has been fully cooked, reduce the liquid further to create a flavourful wine sauce to accompany the meal. This way, the wine will not be wasted!

I hope you enjoy my alcohol-based recipes. Keep an open mind and experiment, to see what great flavours and creations you can make! Happy cooking everybody!

Eat well, live well, be well!

Wine Poached Pears

You will need:

• 8 cups Gewürztraminer, or another white wine
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 pears, peeled and cut into halves

Method:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, bring the wine and sugar to almost a boil. Reduce heat immediately to medium low. Begin adding in the pear halves, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. You can always cook the pears in batches, if there is not enough room the first time.
2. Allow pears to cook for about 15 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork. Remove pears from poaching liquid and place the next batch of pears into the poaching liquid. Continue the process until all the pears are done.

Beer and Cheddar Soup

You will need:

• 4 oz butter
• ½ onion, diced finely
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 oz flour
• 1 L chicken stock, warmed
• ½ L 35% cream
• ¼ lb old cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 fl oz Guinness beer

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions, and sautée until they are translucent.
2. Add the flour all at once, whisking constantly (this is called a roux). Allow to cook for about a minute.
3. Add the Guinness, and continue to stir, making sure that everything is incorporated and there are no lumps. It takes only another minute or two for the alcohol to cook off.
4. Add the chicken stock, and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce back to a simmer as soon as it has started boiling.
5. If you wish, puree the soup in a food processor (you can skip this step if you like, but it ensures there are no big bits of onion- either way, the soup works out fine!)
6. Add the cream and the cheese, and stir to incorporate.
7. Serve immediately.

Red wine braised duck

You will need:

• 1- 4lb duck, quartered
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 cups good quality red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Rub the duck with salt and pepper. Place skin side down into a large skillet, over high heat. Sear the duck for about 5 minutes, and remove from heat.
3. Place the seared duck into a roasting pan that is just big enough to hold the four duck pieces comfortably. Add the garlic, herbs, red wine and chicken stock. The duck should be completely covered by the liquid.
4. Place the pan into the 325F oven for 40 minutes.
5. Remove the duck from the liquid and allow it to rest. Strain the mixture into a large sauce pan over high heat, and allow to reduce by half while whisking continuously. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
6. Place two pieces of duck on each plate, and drizzle with the reduced red wine sauce. Serve with your favourite vegetables and starches for an elegant dinner!

Bananas Foster

You will need:

• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 fl oz banana liqueur
• 4 bananas, cut into quarters
• 2 fl oz white rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Method:

1. Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a large, heavy bottomed pan over low heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved into the melted butter.
2. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the bananas soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
3. Continue cooking the bananas until the rum is hot, then ignite the rum with a propane torch. If you have a gas stove, you can also ignite the rum by carefully tipping the pan onto the flame (this is how the pros do it!).
4. Allow the flames to subside. Lift the bananas out of the pan and place 4 pieces over each portion of ice cream. Spoon the warm sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.

Guinness picture: © craftvision/iStockphoto

Wine photo from Morguefile