Water of Life, Finished

The aquavit that I started however many weeks ago is finally ready, and a bit early.  It's difficult to let the process go too long, but after the first month, there are no more great leaps in flavor to be made.  The trick to knowing when the liquor is done is to taste it, and to look at the fruit.  

First of all, it should taste pretty good.  If it doesn't, you can chug it with cinnamon gum and still get a good buzz.  Second, the fruit should look like it's seen a ghost.  This is due to diffusion, as molecules of a greater concentration move to an area of lesser concentration.  This also means that the fruit is tasteless, as its soul essentially jumped ship to drown in the liquor.  Same thing happens whenever making stock, so just filter the aquavit and discard anything that gets caught.

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Updates

You shouldn't think that every week I am making something new that I've never done before, and that it always comes out perfect.  I mess up plenty, and I also like to revisit popular dishes.  This weekend I made a lot of old favorites, but with seasonal changes.

First, I decided to make a clafoutis for brunch.  It's an easy, inexpensive, yet impressive dish that is easy to make ahead of time, which I feel is key to entertaining.  It's almost time for stone fruit, but right now blueberries are the stars at farmers markets everywhere, which is why I decided to make that the main ingredient of the clafoutis.  

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Water of Life

With summer's bounty readily available, I've been thinking of all the ways I can preserve its fresh flavors for the fall and winter.  Berries are at their peak now, so it's a good time to stock up.  Since there are plenty of good jams and preserves out there, I decided to try something new by preserving berries in alcohol.  Well it isn't exactly preserving them, as much as it is imparting their essence to a handle of vodka, but the memory of the berries will persist through the winter regardless.

Aquavit, is a Scandinavian spirit that begins as a potato vodka, and is flavored with spices, herbs, and/or fruit--which means the flavor possibilities are endless.  Traditionally, the main flavor profile should be caraway or dill, but I didn't come across either of those this morning at the market.

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