Robert Forto

recipe rants

Apple Cinnamon Bourbon

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apple cinnamon bourbon Robert Forto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 21 days

Yield: 32 ounces 1

Ingredients

2 Apples

4 Cinnamon sticks

750-liter bottle of good bourbon

Apple Cinnamon Bourbon Click To Tweet

Instructions

Core and slice the apples. The easiest way to do this is to cut just off-center to leave core, doing this on all 4 sides. Then slice apples, leaving the skin on.

Place cinnamon sticks and half of the apple slices into the jar. Pour the bourbon over the apples and cinnamon. Place additional apples into the jar till bourbon is about 1 inch from the top. Seal the mason jar, and make sure to wipe so that it is completely dry before you store it since alcohol can damage surfaces.

At this point, the bourbon can soak for a few days, up to 3 weeks. This all depends on how deep of a flavor you are trying to achieve. 4 sticks of cinnamon will give you a very deep cinnamon flavor, so cut that in half if you want more of the apple flavor.

Taste the bourbon after a few days to see if it is getting to the flavor profile you desire. At this point remove the cinnamon sticks, and allow them to dry. I sit them across the top of a cocktail glass and let air dry. Remove apples and discard. Store bourbon in a mason jar, or place it into a more decorative decanter.

Recipe Rants: Alehouse Beef-and-Potato Skewers

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We are always searching for new and unique ways to prepare food. Whether it be purely Alaskan recipes or new takes on old favorites, we share them on RobertForto.com under our Recipe Rants category.
Sirloin is an outstanding beef cut for kabobs. Use red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes or a combination for a particularly attractive presentation. Mushrooms or parboiled carrot chunks would be good additions to the skewers. We used London Broil and it turned out fantastic!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. small red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, each about 1 1/2
    inches in diameter or cut if larger

For the alehouse marinade:

  • 3/4 cup ale or beer. We used Alaskan Summer Ale
  • 1/3 cup beef broth
  • 1/3 cup spicy tomato juice
  • 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco. We used Franks
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 fresh or dried bay leaves, broken in half
  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless London Broil, about 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into
    1 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook just until they can be pierced with a knife but are not completely tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. (The potatoes can be parboiled up to 4 hours in advance and kept at room temperature.)To make the marinade, in a shallow, nonreactive dish just large enough to hold the meat, combine the ale, broth, tomato juice, Worcestershire, hot-pepper sauce, thyme, oregano and bay leaves and mix well. Add the meat and turn to coat on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Add the potatoes to the marinade during the last 30 minutes.Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat. Oil the grill rack.Remove the meat and potatoes from the marinade and discard the marinade. Thread the meat and potatoes alternately onto 8 metal skewers, dividing the ingredients evenly.

Grill the skewers over the hottest part of a charcoal fire or directly over the heat elements of a gas grill, turning to char all sides, until the potatoes are browned and the meat is cooked to your liking, 7 to 9 minutes total for medium-rare meat.

Transfer the skewers to warmed individual plates and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from  a recipe found on Williams-Sonoma.com

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30 Days About Me. Day 21: Recipe that I Love

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This month I am participating in a blog challenge. It is 30 Days About Me from the blog a Daily Dose of Toni.

Today’s topic is a recipe I love. 

Over the past year or so I have been forced to spent more time in the kitchen. This is because the worlds have collided on several fronts and some of them are out of my control.

As many of you know I am in Alaska and my wife, Michele is still in Colorado waiting to move up in September. Also I live 45 minutes from the nearest fast food haunts that are named after a colorful set of characters: Ronald, the King, Carl, Wendy, the Colonel, and the Queen.

Not to mention the cost of a burger at a sit down joint up here will set you back 20 bucks with a modest tip.

So with that I have learned, rather quickly, to become quite adept in the kitchen, I even showcase some of my creations on my blog under the title: Recipe Rants. But my favorite recipes is not one of my own it is one of Michele’s.

Rigatoni

From the kitchen of Michele

Prep time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

3 jars of spaghetti sauce, any kind

1 medium yellow onion

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb Rigatoni noodles

1 lb shredded mozzarella  and cheddar cheese combined

Add in’s (optional)

Olives

Peppers

Mushrooms

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef adding onion, garlic, and other seasonings to lightly oiled pan. I use olive oil. Once browned, drain completely and return to stove and add sauce, taste. If necessary, add more oregano and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare noodles as directed. This can be done while meat is browning. Drain completely then add to a 13×19 inch baking sheet un-greased. I usually place a generous amount of sauce on the bottom of the so the noodles don’t stick. Add the cheese and mix in’s to the top.

Place in the oven and allow the cheese to melt and turn a golden brown. Serve with garlic bread, salad or veggie of your choice.

Baking time: 25-30 minutes depending on your oven. If baking frozen, allow at least 60 minutes. It is best to defrost in the refrigerator over night then pop in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Per Serving

This feeds my family of 7 people and we still get leftovers out of it! Remember there’s two growing boys at my house!

 

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Recipe Rants: Apricot-glazed ham with potatoes and asparagus

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I am a meat and potatoes guy. Well not really–more of a pizza and sandwiches kind of guy. But I will try new things as long as it does not contain: beans, rice and raw tomatoes.

Earlier this week my son, Tyler, and I tried to make a nice ham dinner. We found the recipe in the book, Real Simple. Dinner Tonight: Done!

Ingredients

1 3-pound boneless ham

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1 pound fingerling or some other small potatoes (about 12)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs

Preparation

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ham on a foil lied rimmed baking sheet and cook until heated through, 50 to 60 minutes, spreading the ham with the preserves after 20 minutes of cooking.
  • Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
  • With a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a colander. Run under cold water to cool, then cut into quarters.
  • Return the water in the saucepan to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain an run under cold water to cool.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, horseradish, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the potatoes and asparagus and toss to combine; fold in the dill. Thinly slice the ham and serve with the vegetables.

Neither one of us really cared for the asparagus and I don’t think Tyler liked the asparagus. But it was a very tasty meal. Being in Alaska I could not find fresh dill sprigs but I found some fresh chopped. It added a nice flavor to the vegetables.

Rating: 7 out of 10

 

Follow my news and updates on Twitter, my whereabouts on Foursquare and  relationship status on Facebook. Or send me a telegram.

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Recipe Rants: Brown sugar-glazed pork with grilled corn

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I have to say that my son, Tyler and I are getting pretty good in the kitchen. Over the last couple weeks he and I have picked out a few different recipes from the book Real Simple: Dinner Tonight. Done!

Today we made brown sugar glazed pork with grilled corn on the new grill.

This quick recipe takes less than an hour from fridge to plate.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 pork loin (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Kosher salt and pepper

4 ears corn, shucked

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 scallions, sliced

Preparation

  • Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, mix together Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.
  • Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill, turning often, until the internal temperature registers 145 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with the brown sugar glaze during the last five minutes of cooking. Let rest for at least five minutes before slicing.
  • Meanwhile, grill the corn, turning occasionally, until tender and slightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Cut the kernels off the cobs into a medium bowl and toss with butter, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve the pork.

This meal turned out great! The sweetness of the brown sugar and the tartness of the Worcestershire was a very nice compliment to the pork.

This quick and easy meal is great for a mid-summer’s night and hearty enough for an active family.

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