Warm boot recommendations please

[Guest]

all inspired by topics on this forum..

 

1. I've got some sloes - what kind of bottle/container do people use for Sloe Gin? We don't tend to have screw-top bottles lying around -- any ideas?

 

2. I've dusted off my yoghurt machine and started making yoghurt again. I'm straining it to make thicker - Greek-style yoghurt - what can I do with the runny bit I strain off (is it called whey??)

 

3. I'm making ice-cream again - has anyone got favourite recipes tailored for the type of machine that has a container you put in the freezer overnight? (Lakeland I think)

 

 

many thanks!

 

Phil

[Mrs Frugal]

1) You can bottle your sloe gin/vodka in anything. I bought some spring clip bottles like old fashioned lemonade bottles but much smaller and used them one year. I now have some lovely flat sided spring clip bottles which I found at Cargo Homeshop which are really nice! If you're not fussy about what you keep your sloe gin in, even something like a coffee jar, plastic lemonade bottle or a washed out Olive Oil bottle would do nicely.

 

2) The chickens will love the whey! It's far better to give it to them than to faff about making ricotta or something like that! My hens love whey mixed with their layers meal. A positive treat for them!

 

3) Ice cream - you can't go wrong with a basic vanilla! I use Hugh's recipe which is currently on the BBC Food website:-

 

500ml/17fl oz double cream

1 vanilla pod, split

100g/3½oz caster sugar

150ml/5fl oz water

4 eggs, yolks only

 

Method

1. Scald the cream (ie bring almost to boiling point, then remove from the heat) and add the vanilla pod. Leave to infuse until the cream is completely cool. S"Ooops, word censored!"e out the tiny seeds from the pod and leave in the cream.

2. Over a low heat dissolve the sugar in the water, then turn up the heat and boil rapidly to get a light syrup (it's ready when a little dropped on to a cold plate forms a thread when stretched between finger and thumb. Leave the mixture to cool for just 1 minute.

3. Place the egg yolks in a basin and begin whisking (ideally with an electric whisk), trickling in the hot syrup as you go. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and mousse-like. Whisk in the cream. Then pour into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.

 

A simple alternative is to use equal quantities of double cream and ready made custard! Use half a pint double cream, half a pint ready made custard and sift in 1oz icing sugar. Fold them together and churn in your ice cream maker until nicely frozen.

 

I posted a recipe a few weeks ago for Strawberry Yogurt Ice Cream which was really nice and my boys favourite recipe is Cookie Dough Ice Cream which is basically just a plain vanilla ice cream with lumps of uncooked biscuit dough folded in! Any cookie recipe will do but we like ones with muscovado sugar in the recipe. Y-U-M!

[Guest]

thanks Kate.

 

I made some last night. I used the old gin bottle for the raspberry vodka and emptied out a bottle of horrid white wine that someone left at a party for the sloe gin...

 

now I have a huge gherkin jar (my daughter loves them) that has just been finished - and I've discovered another sloe bush behind the church - so I shall go and half-fill that....

 

it looks lilke I'll have to buy some more gin.... (hic!)

 

 

thanks for the tip about giving the whey to the chickens - I certainly give that a try (and the vanilla ice-cream recipe)

 

Phil

[Cate in NZ]

I've been quite disappointed that I've missed the sloes this year.... all the bushes are bare already and it's still only September

Perhaps I should start snooping around a few churchyards.... armed with a tupperware container

Lakeland make quite an attractive looking sloe gin bottle..... which would be great if you wanted a pretty container or maybe if you wanted to give it away as a gift.

Since I make ours for our use only I just stuck it back in the gin bottle that the gin had originally come from.... and the excess went into an old lemonade bottle

Damson vodka made today.... into a kilner type jar

[Mrs Frugal]

Mmmmmm! Damson Gin ! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

 

The Lakeland type bottles are the ones I use for Sloe Vodka, Rhubarb Schnapps and my Beech Leaf Liquour but my local ironmonger stocks a whole range of things like that so I buy them from there instead. They look lovely on the shelf all gleaming away like jewels!

[Cate in NZ]

Beech leaf liquor? That sounds interesting Kate.... where do you get all these amazing ideas from? I'd never think of creating an alcoholic drink from beech leaves

[Mrs Frugal]

Someone on here was a little concerned that I can turn most things into an alcoholic drink ! I got the recipe from Wild Food by Roger Phillips but it's under a fancier name of Beech Leaf Noyeu . Basically it's just young beech leaves steeped in vodka (the recipe called for gin but I'm not that keen on it so substituted vodka instead) for a few weeks then strained and added to some sugar syrup and brandy. Unfortunately I managed to smash one bottle before we got to taste it when I was sorting out my larder which was really sad but there's another one lurking on the top shelf awaiting Christmas and cold winter walks! Here's the full recipe:-

 

Beech Leaf Liquour

 

1 bottle gin

225g sugar

1 glass brandy

 

Collect young, fresh beech leaves and strip them from the twigs. Half fill an empty bottle or jar with the leaves then pour on the bottle of gin. Seal up the container and keep leaves in it for 3 weeks before straining them off. Boil the sugar in 1/2 pint water and add this to the gin with a good sized glass of brandy. You should end up with two almost full bottles.

[Charlottechicken]

Someone on here was a little concerned that I can turn most things into an alcoholic drink !

 

That was me Kate and it appears to be true

 

But you keep posting the recipes and I'll endeavour to work my way through them all As long as it's not called 'old woodpile brandy' or anything like that

[Mrs Frugal]

I couldn't remember who said it but I've been looking at my larder shelves and blushing ever since ! I don't drink much alcohol at all. My bottles tend to get opened briefly at Christmas and after particularly cold winter walks so a bottle of sloe vodka or whatever else lurks in the larder can last years ! I think I'm more addicted to the making of them than the drinking !

[Charlottechicken]

I don't drink much alcohol at all.

 

Ahem, OK I believe you, but it may explain why country people always have such ruddy cheeks, they pickle everything in alcohol

[Mrs Frugal]

[Guest]

Someone on here was a little concerned that I can turn most things into an alcoholic drink !

 

now you've got a reputation to uphold...

 

errr... chicken poo gin?? anyone??? (tip:lots of sugar!)

 

Phil

 

[Mrs Frugal]

Oh Phil ! That's no breakfast for me today!

[theherd123]

Someone on here was a little concerned that I can turn most things into an alcoholic drink !

 

I think it should have been you who opened the Omlet Bar not Andrew!

 

We should have a sticky called 'All Things Alcoholic' and i think you could easily make the first 20 postings!

 

I don't drink much alcohol at all.

 

Admitting you have a problem is the first step Kate - we are all here to support you!

[Mrs Frugal]

Thanks Emma!! Don't think I'm quite ready for AA yet ! More of an RAC girl myself !

[Mel (& Paul)]

What about it Kate - what about a new sub topic for drinks (not necessarily alcoholic) - do you want me to try and split it and move the threads