“Why do you always put alcohol in desserts?” asked my 12-year-old in a singularly judgmental tone unique to adolescents. I paused with a bottle of brandy hovering over the edge of my stand mixer as it worked to cream butter and sugar.
“Well, it’s cheaper than vanilla,” I responded. Indeed vanilla prices have been spiking in recent years because of a limited supply in the face of increasing global demand. Indigenous to Mexico and South America, today more than 80 percent of the world’s vanilla is grown in Madagascar. It was introduced to the island by the French in the 15th century. A tropical orchid, vanilla vines take four years to reach productive maturity and in Madagascar, must be hand pollinated because of the island’s lack of symbiotic pollinators. Devastating weather events in 2017 decimated the majority of Madagascar’s crop, resulting in record-breaking prices close to $600 per kilo. At the same time, increased interest in natural ingredients has resulted in increased demand for real vanilla extract.
When the price of my favorite vanilla nearly quadrupled, I started looking to other ingredients in my pantry (and liquor cabinet) to add flavor and depth to baking. The rich vanilla aromas found in bourbon aren’t the result of steeping vanilla beans in the whiskey it is the result of aging in toasted American oak barrels, which contain naturally high levels of vanillin. I’ve had excellent results swapping a tablespoon of bourbon in place of the vanilla in chocolate chip cookies or brownies, and the end result isn’t that much boozier than if I’d used vanilla extract. Most vanilla extract is about 35 percent alcohol by volume, whereas most standard whiskey and liqueurs are slightly higher with an ABV closer to 40 percent.
Aside from adding nuanced flavors to your baking, adding alcohol to certain recipes takes advantage of certain chemical reactions to extract additional flavors or alter the way certain compounds react. As explained in food scientist Harold McGee’s book, On Food and Cooking, large amounts of alcohol in food will overpower existing food flavors, but burning off small amounts of alcohol actually releases aroma precursors hidden in the food, which is why adding a splash of vodka to tomato sauce enhances the sauce’s flavor even though the vodka itself is flavorless. When making pie crust, a small amount of vodka in the recipe adds moisture to the recipe while reducing the overall water content. This results in less gluten formation since gluten doesn’t develop in alcohol, yielding an exceptionally tender and manageable pie crust.
When adding spirits to recipes, look to the other flavors in the recipe for inspiration. Oak aged spirits like brandy and bourbon make nice substitutes for vanilla in many recipes. Dark rum like Myer’s Original Dark Jamaican Rum, distilled from the juice of sugar cane and also aged in oak barrels, is a festive flavoring that finds its way into many traditional holiday desserts. Liqueurs are also an excellent way to add layers of flavor. Frangelico, an Italian hazelnut liqueur, is sublime in brownies or a flourless chocolate cake. Almost all citrus desserts can benefit from a splash of Grand Marnier, a cognac-based liqueur flavored with bitter orange. And while the liqueurs in particular aren’t necessarily cheap, a little goes a long way and they’re definitely less expensive per ounce than vanilla extract. Similar to cooking with wine, the spirits that you use with baking should be drinkable but needn’t be expensive. Save the special edition single-barrel bourbon for sipping and buy a decent but affordable bottle that can also be used for batched cocktails, such as Old Grand-Dad Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($20 for 750 ml). I’ll be using it in various recipes this year, including salted bourbon caramel corn and rich chocolate truffles.
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Baba au rhum
This traditional French cake is traditionally served during the holidays. Made from rich yeasted dough, it is soaked in rum syrup and garnished with softly whipped cream.
Cake:
1/3 cup currants
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
¼ cup plus one teaspoon sugar
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter (¾ cup), softened
Rum syrup:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
“Combine the rum and currants in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast, milk and a tablespoon of sugar and set aside for five minutes to activate the yeast and allow it to become foamy. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the eggs and flour and mix until smooth, then add the yeast mixture and knead for seven minutes using the dough hook attachment. Transfer the dough (it will be sticky) to a greased bowl and cover. Allow it to rise until doubled in volume, about one hour. Drain the currants. Punch down the dough with a buttered fist and sprinkle in the drained currants along with ¼ cup sugar and the salt. Knead the dough in the bowl by folding it down onto itself with the heel of your hand. Incorporate the butter a few tablespoons at a time, then continue to knead for five minutes more.
Butter and flour a nine-inch bundt pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the sticky dough to the buttered pan and put it in a warm, draft free place to rise for about one hour, until the dough has risen to just below the rim of the bowl. Bake in the preheated 400-degree oven and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until the cake is golden and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger. Allow the cake to cool for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
While the cake is baking, make the rum syrup by combining the sugar, water and rum in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and brush the warm cake with the syrup. Allow to cool completely before serving with whipped cream and berries.
This article appears in Springfield Clinic disrupts area health care industry.
