Calvados Sour Recipes

CALVADOS SOUR

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously, and strain into martini glass. Garnish with fresh apple slice.

APPLE WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH CALVADOS CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make topping:
• Peel, core, and quarter apples.
• In a well-seasoned 10 1/4 by 2-inch cast-iron skillet or a 10- by 2-inch non-stick skillet melt butter over moderately low heat just until melted (butter should not separate). Stir in sugar until combined well. Arrange apple quarters decoratively, cut sides up, in skillet and sprinkle walnuts evenly in between apples. Cook mixture, undisturbed, 25 to 35 minutes, or until apples are tender in centers and sugar is a golden caramel.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Make cake batter while topping is cooking:
• Peel apple and chop fine.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and ginger and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and with mixer on low speed beat in flour mixture gradually until just combined. Fold chopped apple into batter.
• Remove skillet from heat and spoon batter evenly over topping. With a metal spatula spread batter (being careful not to disturb topping), leaving a 1/4-inch border of cooked apples uncovered. If using a non-stick skillet with a plastic handle, wrap handle in a double thickness of foil. Put skillet in a shallow baking pan and bake cake in middle of oven 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering and cake is golden brown. Cool cake in skillet on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of skillet and carefully invert cake onto a plate.
• Serve cake warm or at room temperature with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
• To make Calvados caramel sauce:
• In a dry heavy saucepan (about 2 quarts) cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook without stirring, swirling pan, until a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and carefully add water and brandy down side of pan (caramel will bubble and steam). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Stir in butter. Sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat sauce to warm before serving.
• Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

BRAISED DUCK WITH APPLES, CALVADOS AND SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Dredge duck pieces with flour and shake off excess. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add duck pieces, skin side down, and fry slowly until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Remove duck and reserve.
• Pour off all but 2 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the skillet, add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add apples, sugar, liver and giblets. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Add thyme, sage, stock, salt, pepper and Calvados. Bring to a boil and return duck pieces to skillet. Cover securely and cook over very low heat for 1 hour, or until quite tender but not falling off the bone.
• Remove duck pieces to a deep serving platter and skim off fat from mixture in skillet. Add sour cream, check seasonings, reheat without boiling and pour over duck. Serve with mashed potatoes.

CALVADOS-LACED SQUASH SOUP WITH CINNAMON AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Brush squash flesh with 2 tablespoons oil. Place on prepared baking sheets, cut side down. Roast squash until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool 20 minutes. Remove seeds. Scoop out 6 cups squash pulp and transfer to large bowl (reserve any remaining squash for another use).
• Melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Sauté until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add Calvados and simmer until almost all of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Discard cinnamon stick pieces and bay leaves. Add mixture to squash in large bowl and stir to combine. Working in batches, puree squash mixture in blender with chicken broth and evaporated milk until smooth. Strain into same pot, pressing on solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Mix sour cream, 1 tablespoon warm water, and ground cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. (Soup and cinnamon cream can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool soup slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate cinnamon cream.)
• Bring soup to simmer. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with dollop of cinnamon cream and serve.