Kitchen News II {Apple Crisps}

{News and reviews from my kitchen, also known as my husband's laboratory Vol. II}
As explained in a previous post, my husband is in the drinks trade. He often experiments in our kitchen, blending flavours, experimenting with garnishes, and generally making a mess.
These apple crisps were to garnish a drink at a recent distillery function, where he was asked to present a drink using the distillery's blended whisky.
They're so easy to prepare and make a great healthy snack (when not floating in a whisky based cocktail!).
Once again, I took pictures and got in the way...

Thinly slice the apples on a mandolin

Squeeze lemon juice over them to stop the going brown

Smother each slice in sugar syrup (half sugar half water: boil for 2 minutes then cool) and lay flat on a greaseproof baking sheet

cover with another greaseproof layer to keep them from curling and put in the oven on a very low heat (100 degrees) for about 4 hours...keep an eye on them though!

These were in a little too long and came out a bit dark

...but were very tasty!

Unfortunately these didn't make it to the function as they were too dark but we enjoyed them none-the-less!

Kitchen News I {Maraschino Cherries}

{News and reviews from my kitchen, also known as my husband's laboratory}
There’s a bar in a basement just one block from the main street in the centre of Edinburgh. It has limited signage, intimate nooks, and a serious selection of spirits. Not for the vodka and diet coke brigade. This place has an extensive range of specialist product that can be shaken or stirred into anything you desire or ask the bartender to invent. It just so happens that it’s owned by a man (and his business partner) with a very proud wife - me.
The bar team has been very successful and won a couple of awards for their innovation and all round excellence. Always keen to try new techniques, recipes and potions, my kitchen has seen many an experiment/disaster/triumph. From jellied gin and tonic squares to saffron and cardamom sugar syrup to homemade grenadine…made from pomegranates…who knew? Well...I didn’t…
Anyway, he recently made a batch of Maraschino cherries; a garnish for many a classic and contemporary concoction. I took photos and generally got in the way…


Add a 50:50 mixture of sugar syrup (50:50 water:sugar bring to the boil for 2 minutes then cool) and Maraschino liqueur to fresh cherries in sterilised Kilner jars and heat slowly, over an hour to 55C. Then keep heating for 30 mins to 80C. Then maintain that temp for 10 minutes and they're done!

leave them in the sealed jars for a couple of months and then they'll be ready to 'pop' into your Manhattan...easy!

For more information on the bar click here.