Read The Great American Slow Cooker Book Online
Authors: Bruce Weinstein
The Great American Slow Cooker Book (120 page)
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
4 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
4 HOURS
•
SERVES:
6 TO 12 AS A SAUCE
2- TO 3½-QUART
4 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup cored, peeled, and chopped fresh pears, such as Comice
⅓ cup water
3 tblsp cassis or other black currant liqueur
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp salt
4- TO 5½-QUART
6 cups fresh cranberries
1½ cups sugar
1 cup cored, peeled, and chopped fresh pears, such as Comice
½ cup water
¼ cup cassis or other black currant liqueur
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
6- TO 8-QUART
8 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1⅓ cups cored, peeled, and chopped fresh pears, such as Comice
⅔ cup water
6 tblsp cassis or other black currant liqueur
¾ tsp ground allspice
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
1
Stir the cranberries, sugar, pears, water, liqueur, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in the slow cooker until the sugar dissolves.
2
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until the cranberries are soft.
3
Use a potato masher to smash the cranberries into a puree right in the slow cooker. Stir well, cover, and continue cooking on high for 1 hour, or until bubbling and aromatic.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Although we think of this as an ice cream sauce, it could just as well be ladled over plain yogurt, particularly Greek yogurt.
•
Cranberries are not available year round. Stock up when you see them and toss the bags in your freezer.
•
This sauce will freeze well in a sealed glass jar or plastic container for up to 4 months.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2½ HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
2 HOURS
•
SERVES:
4 TO 12 AS A SAUCE
2- TO 3½-QUART
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
¼ cup sugar
2 tblsp water
1 tblsp cornstarch
4- TO 5½-QUART
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups fresh blackberries
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tblsp cornstarch
6- TO 8-QUART
3 cups fresh blueberries
3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups fresh raspberries
1½ cups unsweetened pineapple juice
¾ cup sugar
6 tblsp water
3 tblsp cornstarch
1
Stir the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple juice, and sugar in the slow cooker until the sugar dissolves.
2
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the berries begin to break down into a sauce.
3
Whisk the water and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth, then stir this mixture into the berry sauce until dissolved. Cover and continue cooking on high for 30 minutes, or until thickened.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
We don’t recommend using frozen berries for this easy sauce. They will have broken down a bit in thawing and may well be too wet.
•
Add up to ¼ cup brandy or rum with the juice for a boozy version.
Serve It Up!
Although great over ice cream and in sundaes, drizzle this sauce over pieces of pound cake—or ladle a bit onto plates and set a piece of sponge cake afloat on top. Or layer it into trifles and parfaits.
When we told an editor at a rather chic food magazine over dinner one night that we were writing a mammoth slow cooker book, she said, as she poured herself another glass of wine, “Are there going to be drinks in that thing?”
Frankly, we hadn’t thought about it. But there have to be drinks! It’s hard to imagine a better tool for mulling wine or creating some pretty wicked hot libations for a midwinter night. We even did a slow cooker morph on that retro drink favored in the Upper Midwest during the holidays: the
Tom and Jerry
, sort of a stiff eggnog.
But it’s not all about alcohol here. The slow cooker can keep a pretty fine hot cocoa warm for hours as well as mull a decidedly delicious cider. Better yet, you can mix these drinks, then set the slow cooker on a buffet or near the bar, letting your guests serve themselves (so long as you make sure the lid goes back in place to keep the punch warm). And you don’t have to worry about alcohol igniting around an open flame, as it might on the stovetop. In fact, that may be the best reason to make a punch in our favorite appliance.
When you come to think about it, it’s hard to imagine why we hadn’t thought of drinks right off the bat when we started working on this enormous book. After all, when we thought about testing and writing over 500 recipes, we sure could have used one of these.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
5 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
3 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
3 HOURS
•
SERVES:
4 TO 12
2- TO 3½-QUART
4 cups (1 quart) milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup malted milk powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
4- TO 5½-QUART
8 cups (½ gallon) milk
1 cup sugar
½ cup malted milk powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
6- TO 8-QUART
12 cups (3 quarts) milk
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup malted milk powder
1 tblsp vanilla extract
¾ tsp salt
1
Whisk the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, vanilla, and salt in the slow cooker until smooth, no bits of undissolved cocoa powder or sugar anywhere.
2
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until the mixture is hot and well blended. Ladle into mugs to serve.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
The only real trick here is to whisk the ingredients smooth in the canister. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will blend more quickly, although it will also offer a less-chocolaty flavor.
•
For quicker blending, use superfine sugar, sometimes called
bar sugar
, often available near the drink mixings and club soda in the supermarket, or in the baking goods aisle.
•
If you want to go over the top, substitute half-and-half for part of the milk.
•
If your crock has a nonstick finish, you need to use a whisk specifically designed for nonstick surfaces.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
3 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
3 HOURS
•
SERVES:
5 TO 10
2- TO 3½-QUART
3 cups milk
2 cups coconut milk
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup bourbon
4- TO 5½-QUART
4½ cups (1 quart plus ½ cup) milk
3 cups coconut milk
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
½ tblsp vanilla extract
¾ cup bourbon
6- TO 8-QUART
6½ cups (1 quart plus 2½ cups) milk
4⅓ cups coconut milk
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
4½ ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tblsp bourbon
1
Whisk the milk, coconut milk, brown sugar, white chocolate, and vanilla in the slow cooker until the brown sugar dissolves.
2
Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Stir well, then cover and continue cooking on low for 2½ hours, or until smooth and mellow.
3
Stir in the bourbon before serving.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Bourbon gives hot cocoa a smooth, aromatic hit—in our books, more in keeping with its spirit than whiskey or rum. If you want a much cleaner taste, substitute vodka.
•
If you want to forgo the alcohol, stir in a similar amount of unsweetened pineapple juice before serving.
ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
White chocolate is not all created equal. The best white chocolate is simply cocoa butter with a stabilizer or two, rather than with hydrogenated shortening and artificial flavorings. In fact, even white chocolate made only from cocoa butter varies in quality. Look for brands that are not “deodorized.” They retain more of the dark chocolate taste, something removed from some varieties for a milder flavor in baking.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
3 HOURS/5 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
5 HOURS
•
SERVES:
4 TO 12
2- TO 3½-QUART
2 cups unsweetened apple cider
⅔ cup cranberry juice
⅔ cup orange juice
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
Up to ¼ cup honey
2 tblsp very thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
4- TO 5½-QUART
4 cups (1 quart) unsweetened apple cider
1⅓ cups cranberry juice
1⅓ cups orange juice
⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
Up to ½ cup honey
¼ cup very thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
2 4-inch cinnamon sticks
6- TO 8-QUART
7 cups unsweetened apple cider
3 cups cranberry juice
3 cups orange juice
1¼ cups fresh lemon juice
Up to ¾ cup honey
½ cup very thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
3 4-inch cinnamon sticks
1
Stir the cider, juices, honey, ginger, and cinnamon sticks in the slow cooker.
2
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low, or until deeply aromatic. Fish out the ginger slices and cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon before ladling into mugs.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Substitute unsweetened apple juice for the cider, but the resulting punch will have less body.
•
If desired, add up to 4 whole cloves and 3 allspice berries along with the other ingredients. For a very sophisticated finish, toss in a green cardamom pod as well. Remove all of these before serving.
ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
To slice the ginger properly, first cut a piece of the root a couple of inches long, then peel this piece with a vegetable peeler, taking care to remove only the papery skin. Slice into paper-thin coins. If needed, cut another piece, peel, and make more coins, as the recipe requires.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS/4 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
3 HOURS
•
SERVES:
4 TO 8
2- TO 3½-QUART
3 cups unsweetened apple cider
3 cups dry, fruit-forward red wine, such as American Zinfandel
¼ cup honey
¼ cup orange juice
1 4-inch cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
4- TO 5½-QUART
4½ cups unsweetened apple cider
4½ cups dry, fruit-forward red wine, such as American Zinfandel
6 tblsp honey
6 tblsp orange juice
1½ 4-inch cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
6- TO 8-QUART
6½ cups unsweetened apple cider
6½ cups dry, fruit-forward red wine, such as American Zinfandel
⅔ cup honey
⅔ cup orange juice
2 4-inch cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
1
Mix the cider, wine, honey, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in the slow cooker until the honey dissolves.
2
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours, or until gorgeously aromatic. Remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise with a slotted spoon before serving.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Not a true mulled wine, and also not a Scandinavian
glögg
, this hot punch is a hybrid, with apple cider added for body and a silky finish.
•
A vanilla bean, split lengthwise, would enhance this drink as well.
•
Never pour mulled wine into a standard wine glass—the punch can shatter it. Instead, ladle this into mugs.
•
For a boozy finish, top the mugfuls with a splash of aquavit or
eau-de-vie.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
3 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
2 HOURS
•
SERVES:
4 TO 10