Drink In Life

Blueberry Bourbon Hand Pies with Ricotta & Rosemary

Posted on January 23, 2019 by drinkinlife

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”
David Mamet

Fruity and boozy with hints of ricotta and thyme in every bite.

Today is National Pie Day, an annual celebration of pie which started in 1975 when Charlie Papazian a nuclear engineer, brewer and teacher who declared his own birthday, January 23, to be National Pie Day. Why not celebrate the day by making a pie, full of flavor and fits in the palm of your hand.

For this recipe I used the strained pulp from Blood Orange juice along with 1 tbsp of the juice. Any Orange will work in this recipe.

This recipe yields 8 hand pies.

Ingredients

For the Crust: Use your favorite pie crust recipe or simply use a store bought pie crust.

For the Blueberry Bourbon Filling:

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh orange juice with pulp from the orange
1 tbsp minced candied ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp bourbon

Any quality Bourbon will work for this recipe, for more bourbon flavor you can add an additional tablespoon.

For Ricotta & Rosemary Filling:

Combine 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan salt, and 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary.

The creaminess of the ricotta and the freshness of the rosemary adds something unique and special to this pie.

For the Topping:

1 large egg, beaten
Crystal sugar

Instructions

To make the Blueberry Bourbon Filling:

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the blueberry filling to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Combine ricotta cheese filling.

Assembly and Baking:

Preheat the oven to 425°(F). place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into a large square, about 16″ x 16″.
For square pies, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut out sixteen even squares. Using a small knife – or small cookie cutter – cut a vent into eight of the squares.
Brush a little bit of the beaten egg wash along the edges of each square. Spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture on 8 pieces of pie crust.
Divide the filling among eight of the squares (or half of the cutouts), using about two tablespoons for each.

Top each filled square with a vented square, and press along the edges with a fork or a pie crust crimper. Make sure the edges are sealed well!
Brush the top of each pie with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
Transfer the pies to prepared baking sheet.
Bake the pies for 15-20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

The whole house will smell wonderful when baking these pies.

Baby don’t you cry
I’m gonna make a pie
I’m gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle
Quincy Coleman – Baby Don’t Cry lyrics

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and I look forward to hearing how your Blueberry Bourbon Hand Pies with Ricotta & Rosemary turn out.

Recipe and Images © Drink In Nature Photography and Drink In Life Blog.

A Tale of Two Spirits

Posted on January 21, 2019 by drinkinlife

Homemade Grand Marnier with a Twist

This homemade Grand Marnier recipe combines the peels of four different kinds of citrus, which add dimension and a flavorful twist.

Homemade Grand Marnier – This homemade orange liqueur is typically mixed into margaritas and other cocktails – it is a staple for any home bar. Serves: 7 cups

Ingredients
8-10 Oranges–Here I used two Clementines, two mandarin oranges, four Cara Cara Oranges and one Red Grapefruit
1.75 Liter bottle of Brandy
1 cup water
2 cups raw sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel oranges into long strips using a vegetable peeler, taking only the rind and none of the white pith. If some of the white pith is on the peels, use a paring knife or a small spoon to scrape it away and discard.

Juice one Orange and pour into jar with Orange peels, a 2 quart glass jar works best, then pour in brandy and stir gently. Cover jar and store in a cool dry place for 4 weeks, stirring once a week.
After brandy mixture has been stored for 4 weeks, Stir together water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, until sugar is completely dissolved. Let sugar mixture cool completely.
In a fine mesh sieve strain orange peels out of the brandy mixture and discard peels. Stir in sugar syrup into the brandy. Line the strainer with a coffee filter and pour the Grand Marnier through the filter. Once all of the mixture has filtered through replace with a new filter and strain again. Repeat this process 2-4 more times until Grand Marnier is clear.
Transfer the Grand Marnier to bottles and refrigerate before serving. Store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 year.

As this was my second batch I only made a half recipe.

The second homemade spirit is my hack of Art in the Age’s Rhubarb Tea Liqueur.

Homemade Spiced Rhubarb Liqueur

Quality ingredients including good vanilla and fresh spices are key to a successful product.

Ingredients:

3 cupsrhubarb, finely chopped (fresh or frozen)

1 ½ cupsEverclear (190 proof)

1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp each-pink peppercorn, cardamom seed, coriander seed

1 Tbsp dried bitter orange peel

1 tspvanilla

1 cup rawsugar

1 cup water

Start by toasting your spices in a small frying pan, on medium heat stir spices until you can smell their aroma. Set the spices aside and start simple syrup.

For simple syrup combine raw sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add toasted spices, then cover with a lid and let seep for 15 minutes.

Allowing the warm toasted spices to seep in the simple syrup will ensure a good absorption of the spice

Place the chopped rhubarb in a large resealable jar (a Mason jar works well) and the cover with spices and simple syrup, replace lid and shake to release rhubarb juices. Let set for 20 minutes. Then add 1 ½ cups Everclear and vanilla, seal jar and shake again to mix ingredients.