Cafe Liz

Brandied loquats

All it takes is one ingredient to turn loquats (or any other stone fruit) into a sweet, alcoholic concoction: sugar. This fabulously simple preparation comes from my sister-in-law Ora, who got the basic concept from the Encyclopedia of Country Living. Ora presented us with little containers of brandied loquats for Purim. We couldn’t stop eating them, and we couldn’t believe they were that easy to make.

Now that loquats are finally coming into season, I gave it a try myself. Fortunately, I found some at the Carmel market, because I’d been eying the various loquat trees around town. The season is just beginning, so loquats are still a bit expensive — the least I found was 8 shekels a kilo — but the price will probably come down within the next few weeks, to 3 shekels or so. This is key, because this is a preparation that’s easy to make in bulk, and becomes ready only after a few months — but then lasts for at least a year. Continue reading Brandied loquats…

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Spiced wine with quince and roses

People, believe it or not, I've found a use for kiddush wine. For those who have never had it, it's a traditionally sweet wine to represent the sweetness of blessings, but there's just so much sweetness a person can handle until terms like cloying and sickly come to mind. But add some spices and fruit, and heat it up, and it's actually quite nice. There you have it, mulled wine, no sugar added. Good for the cold weather, too.

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of attending a Tel Aviv food blogger meet-up. Yael of Oranges and Honey (in Finnish), Irene of Irene Sharon Hodes, Sarah of Foodbridge, Michelle of Baroness Tapuzina and Miriam of Israeli Kitchen and I met at Mazzarine in Tel Aviv for dinner (see my previous review). The management had caught wind of our nature, and sent over a handful of offerings on the house, along with the new chef. Culinary highlights: I quite liked the foccaccia and the mustard mayonnaise; chef Sharon Artzi, who had been there a week at the time, told us he planned to renovate the menu with new dishes; and the mulled wine that closed our meal was excellent. A traditional Scandinavian holiday drink, as Yael pointed out. (Non-food highlight: Have you ever been out to eat with six people who all get up and methodologically photograph every dish? It's nice to be with like minds.)

Along with cubes of fresh fruit, Mazzarine added a few dried rosebuds to their mulled wine, and while they don't add a prominent flavor, they make a nice visual touch.

Now, you could make mulled wine from slightly better stock, but why bother? I've never exactly been a wine connoisseur, and in any case, why ruin something that's worth drinking on its own? And who doesn't have a random, unwanted bottle of kiddush wine sitting around? Continue reading Spiced wine with quince and roses...

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Dulce de leche liquor

I first encountered dulce de leche liquor when I was around 20, on a trip to Buenos Aires. Always one to travel light, I went with only a small backpack, which made my mother all the more amused when I returned home, having managed to stuff five bottles of wine and two bottles of dulce de leche liquor into that little bag. (Ah, the good old days, when you could still bring liquid onto flights). Shortly after, she “confiscated” one of the dulce de leche bottles, ostensibly because I was underage. What can I say? My mom likes my taste in liquor. I think she still has some left.

That was years ago. I finished my bottle, and never saw dulce de liquor again — until last month, when I found myself at the Jaffa Market with Eitan’s sister-in-law. Yaakov Lavie of Efrat had set up a stand for his award-winning liquors, and was offering tastes. Hoping not to spend money, I turned him down — I knew that once I tasted it, I wouldn’t be able to resist buying a bottle. But one thing led to another, and I found myself with half a liter of dulce de leche liquor for a very reasonable 50 shekels.

The liquor was nothing short of wonderful, and I should have asked Lavie for a percentage of sales, because I quickly had half a dozen friends wanting their own bottles. The catch? In theory his liquors are sold at chocolate shops around the Tel Aviv, but in practice, you can’t find them anywhere. Except for the Jaffa Market. Which is in the Jaffa port. Only on Fridays. And it’s one hot half-hour bike ride at this time of year.

What to do? Continue reading Dulce de leche liquor…

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