Jellied Gin & Tonic

We are back from our Christmas break with another great recipe submitted by Vancouver chef Oliver Corby. When I spoke with Oliver on the phone he told me he had an interesting recipe for gin and tonic. "But why would anybody need a recipe for gin and tonic?" I asked. "Well, this gin and tonic is a little different" he told me;" it is jellied gin and tonic."

I was intrigued so I tried it and it is indeed very interesting. Here is how I made it:

Ingredients

• 100ml gin
• 100ml boiling water
• 300ml tonic water
• 1 sachet Knox brand gelatin (sets 2 cups of liquid)

Preparation

• Pour 100ml of tonic water into a measuring jug and sprinkle the gelatin on top
  
• Stir, then add 100ml of boiling water and stir again until the gelatin dissolves
• Pour in the gin and top up to 500ml with more tonic water
• Line a small dish with cling film and pour in the gin and tonic mix
• Leave in the refrigerator until set then cut into cubes
  
• Mix together icing sugar, baking soda and citric acid. Sprinkle a tiny bit on the top of jelly cube right before consumption for best effect

John's Notes
The citric acid combines with the baking soda to give a carbonated feeling on the tongue, just like drinking a real gin and tonic. Jellied Gin & Tonics will also glow under black light like the drink.

The original recipe used gelatine sheets mixed with warmed gin. I only had powdered gelatine available. If you can obtain gelatine sheets place them in cold water for a couple of minutes until they bloom (become soft and easy to work with). Remove from water, gently squeeze out excess water and stir into gently warmed gin, then add tonic.

I wanted to take a picture of the finished product but it is hard to get a good image of clear jelly cubes that would convey just how good it is. Give it a try, it is really good. And remember, don't eat and drive!

Recipe for Gran Hanks Brandy Butter

I was looking through my old books for another traditional British Christmas recipe when I received a very welcome email from Blighty's British Recipes newsletter subscriber Heather Wiltshire.

Heather wrote:

Hi John, love your recipes...and will try your version of the Brandy sauce soon. My Mum and Gran have always made this "Brandy Butter or Hard Sauce" every Christmas and its amazing on warm mincemeat tarts..trust me! My brother and I often sneak to the fridge and enjoy a spoonful before it even gets to the table. So I'm sharing, and if you want to use it on your blog, go ahead, I consider it a Public Service!

Gran Hanks Hard Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 lb Icing Sugar (approx measure..add more if you like a stiffer butter)
1/4 lb Butter
1-2 tbs Brandy

Preparation
Cream the Icing Sugar and Butter together...then add Brandy slowly to taste. you might only like 1 tbsp...
Keep refridgerated until ready to use.

Amazing on warm Mincemeat tarts. Or by the spoonful when Mum isn't looking!


John's Notes
It took me all of about 5 minutes to prepare Gran Hanks Brandy Butter. Thank you so much Heather, it is absolutely delicious, which is a pity since, as a diabetic, I won't be able to eat more than a sample of it. My family think it is fabulous so I made two batches. One batch will be saved for Christmas when we will savour it with our mince pies. The other batch is sitting in the fridge and probably won't last very long!

I used a little extra butter which gave the brandy butter a thicker texture. I also used a whole shot of brandy which has given my Gran Hanks Brandy Butter a lovely rich flavour.

How to Make Brandy Sauce for Christmas

In my household Christmas Pudding just isn't the same without a blanket of brandy sauce. It perfectly complements the richness of the pudding itself in a way that plain old custard could never do.

Brandy sauce is so simple to make that you can prepare it in a couple of minutes while another helpful member of the family clears all the turkey plates from the table.

You can substitute rum instead of the brandy if you wish. If you prefer rum I recommend a good dark rum, not the clear rum intended for use only in cocktails. If the rum doesn't taste good on its own it won't taste good in a sauce either. I prefer brandy in my sauce. Most good quality Christmas Puddings are made with brandy anyway and as my father warned me when I was young "never mix your drinks".

Ingredients

• Cornstarch
• Sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla essence
• Nutmeg
• Brandy
  

Preparation

• Mix a tablespoon of corn starch into just enough milk to make a smooth paste, then add a little more milk to make it pourable
• Bring one cup (250ml) of milk almost to the boil then reduce the heat
• Stir in enough sugar to sweeten the sauce to your taste (about 2 tablespoons should be right)
• Stir in half a teaspoon of nutmeg - don't guess, measure it. Use too much nutmeg and you will make the sauce too bitter
• Stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence (optional but it gives the sauce a creamy flavour)
  
• Pour in a little of the corn starch mix and stir well; add more corn starch mix until the sauce begins to thicken
• Do not add too much corn starch mix to the milk; you don't want it too thick - remember it will thicken more as it cools
• Stir in a shot of brandy. Cheap brandy works just fine; making sauce would be a waste of fine brandy.
• Cover the sauce and leave it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes
• Stir and serve immediately - do not reheat the sauce

John's Notes
You should prepare brandy sauce immediately before using it. If you even think of reheating it in a microwave a swarm of screaming demons will infest your nightmares for eternity (and you will spoil the sauce's texture and boil away the alcohol).

A good sauce should be be lightly thickened but still pour easily. Drizzle it over your Christmas Pudding but do not drown the pudding in sauce. The pudding is the main event; the sauce simply complements it's flavour.

To be honest, I have been so busy down at the old trading post during the rush of Christmas shopping season that I didn't actually have time to make any sauce this week. However, this recipe is the one I have used for many years at my family's Christmas table.

I have one golden rule when I cook; I cook food the way I want it to taste ... and I want it to taste as good as humanly possible. If you agree with that principle you will love this sauce. Merry Christmas!