Pumpkin Pie Brioche

 
As the day draws closer to Thanksgiving, I wanted to wish all of you who celebrate the holiday a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Since most of you likely have your menu already planned, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes that I had posted in the past which may come in handy after Thanksgiving if you bought an extra can of pumpkin that didn't get used or if you purchased too many fresh cranberries.

The first (for that unused can of pumpkin puree) is Pumpkin Pie Brioche.  You can click on the link to be taken to the recipe.  This brioche makes amazing French toast and would be wonderful if you have holiday weekend guests.

The second (for the bag of cranberries you did not use) is for Cranberry Liqueur.  You can find the instructions  by clicking on the link and the update when the liqueur was ready to drink by clicking here. This takes about a month to 'ferment' and makes a delightful Christmas cocktail.  It would also be a delicious gift.

Safe travels if you are celebrating away from home and may your day be happy and all of your turkeys turn out perfectly!

Cranberry Liqueur for the Holidays

I love cranberries! It's not just the beautiful shades of my favorite color, it's the delicious sweet-tart flavor of them in relishes, sauces, juices, and cocktails that I enjoy. When I saw the recipe for Cranberry Liqueur at Inn Cuisine I knew I would be making it for the holidays - either to enjoy with the family or to give as hostess gifts. Both good ideas~

You start with fresh, whole cranberries, zested orange rind, simple syrup and vodka and you're just about ready to start your own liqueur. You could use frozen cranberries but, at this time of year when fresh cranberries are so readily available, why not use fresh berries?

My freshly-made batch of cranberry liqueur:

Today is day three, and the red color of the cranberries is already turning the liqueur a beautiful, ruby color:

By the way, I found this big, beautiful glass jar at Target for about $5.00. It holds a double recipe of the liqueur which I made.

I decided to add some long strips of lemon rind to my batch. The original recipe also calls for adding orange juice concentrate which I omitted as I had bought orange-infused vodka rather than plain vodka. I can't wait to taste the final result in about 3 more weeks!

If you also love cranberries and would like to try making your own Cranberry Liqueur, please visit Inn Cuisine to see the original recipe and there's still time to make your own Cranberry Liqueur for the holidays!

My adaptations:

~I doubled the recipe
~In addition to the grated orange zest, I also added the zest of one lemon (in long strips, making sure there is no white pith that could make it bitter)
~I used orange-infused vodka and omitted the orange juice concentrate
~I'm keeping my jar in the refrigerator while it's 'brewing'