(no subject)

[nverland]

Cranberry Spice Cocktail

1 orange wedge
13 cranberries
Three 1-inch pieces crystallized ginger— 2 minced and 1 whole for garnish
2 ounces Aperol
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
Ice
4 ounces hard cider
4 dashes Cranberry-Anise Bitters or Peychaud's bitters

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the orange wedge with 10 of the cranberries and the minced ginger. Add the Aperol, Lillet Blanc, bitters and ice. Shake well. Double-strain the drink into an ice-filled Collins glass and top off with the hard cider. Garnish with the 3 remaining cranberries and the slice of ginger skewered on a toothpick.


Mahogany Buttercrunch Toffee

2 c. blanched sliced almonds
1 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 T water
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 t. baking soda

Topping:
2 3-oz bars bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, broken into squares or coarsely chopped (I just use a bag of chocolate chips)

Grease or butter cookie sheet (with sides), or use a nonstick cookie sheet. Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350. Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake them, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool completely.

In a food processor with the metal blade, pulse the almonds until they are chopped very finely but not powder fine. Sprinkle half the nuts over a 7-inch by 10-inch area on the prepared cookie sheet. Place it near the range. Also have the vanilla extract and baking soda near the range.

In a heavy, medium-size saucepan, preferably with a nonstick lining, combine the brown sugar, water, and butter and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Stir often to prevent burning until the mixture reaches 285F (the soft crack stage: the syrup dropped in ice water separates into threads that are hard but not brittle). Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat because the temperature will continue to rise to 290F, and add the vanilla extract and baking soda and stir. Pour the toffee mixture evenly in a 7-inch by 10-inch rectangle on the top of the nuts.

Immediately scatter the chocolate squares over the hot toffee. After about 5 minutes, the chocolate will be soft enough to spread with a long metal spatula in an even layer over the surface of the toffee. Dust the chocolate with the remaining chopped almonds. Cool completely and break into irregular pieces.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Keeps about 1 month, after which it is still delicious but the sugar starts to crystallize.