There is no feeling in the world like popping open a batch of cider and realizing what you have created alcohol. It's really hard to describe. We've made all kinds of recipes before, including some meals that have taken days to prepare. But alcohol always seemed a little unreal, and dangerous. Making alcohol always felt too technical and lab-like. And if you're brewing beer, that's sort of tru...
As we realized on our last post , it was time to stop talking emphatically about the cultural significance of cider, and start getting to the business of making it. Though we had read more websites, emails, and books than we could know what to do with, we were still confused, and more importantly, l didn't have a solid recipe. It was beginning to be a problem.
At its simplest, hard appl...
Currently Blake and I have four gallons of apple cider fermenting in the back of his bedroom closet. The hope is that in a few days, thanks to some hungry yeast, we'll have something that might resemble hard apple cider. We're honestly nervous. We've undertaken ridiculous experiments before, but nothing that could potentially get us hammered. If it works, then we'll have made an alcoholic drin...
By Abby Parker
Although it seems odd because I will soon be married to the food-loving Paupered Chef (Nick), I was a very picky eater as a child. I did not just abhor the typical foods, but also disliked peanut butter, all carbonated beverages, and even bread. Other than McDonald’s, only one food item made me excited to eat: my mother’s yearly batch of apple butter. I would even...
I've been eating apples constantly this season, unable to help myself every time I saunter by the Union Square market (which is every morning, lunch hour, and evening on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). For once in my life, I may actually be approaching the appropriate serving suggestion for daily fruits and vegetables. I love breaking through the crisp, taut skin with my teeth, the spray of j...