Polish Krupnik Old Fashioned Honey And Spice Liqueur Recipes

Steps:

• Place vanilla bean, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns, and nutmeg into cheesecloth and tie with string (like a big tea bag).
• In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of water with the spice bag and whole, unpeeled clementines and bring to a boil. Reduce mixture to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes. Then set aside.
• In a second saucepan, combine 3 cups of water with the honey and brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve honey and brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook over the stove. As the mixture cooks, foam will form on the surface, and must be removed. The best way to do this is to use a large metal spoon to gather the foam to one side of the pot, allow it to accumulate and thicken, then skim off with the spoon. As the mixture cooks, it will thicken and continue to produce foam. Continue to remove foam as above, for about 5-10 minutes, until it stops foaming.
• In a large stockpot, combine grain alcohol and both mixtures. Place tight-fitting lid on stockpot, and allow to sit undisturbed overnight.
• The next day, remove the clementines and spice bag, and pour the mixture evenly into two 64 oz containers with lids (64 oz glass growlers work well, but so do 64 oz rubbermaid pitchers).
• The mixture should nearly fill each container. Add 1/2 oz of orange extract to each container. Then add just enough bottled water to each container to get a total of 64 oz of liquid in each container. Cover tightly.
• Allow mixture to sit in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks. During this time, the flavors blend and the krupnik becomes very smooth.
• After 6 weeks have passed, your krupnik is complete and ready to move to bottles or mason jars for storage and use. You will notice that there is sediment in the bottom of the containers. Use care when moving the containers, so as not to disturb the sediment.
• Use the siphoning technique discussed on http://homebrewmanual.com/how-to-siphon-beer-into-bottles/ to get a clear product into your final storage containers. It is worth the effort!

Steps:

• Heat sugar in 2 Tbs of water until it dissolves, then stir in the boiling water.
• Add vanilla bean, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and allspice berries.
• Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Strain the caramel mixture and return to the pan.
• Stir in honey and orange rind and heat, stirring, until the honey has completely dissolved.
• Bring to a boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir vodka.
• Serve hot or cold.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mash the yeast cake with the sugar (note: the compressed yeast cake can be substituted with a package of active dry yeast; to activate, follow the directions on the package).
• Beat the 3 eggs and add to the yeast mixture.
• Heat the milk to very warm and dissolve the butter in it. Let cool slightly. Add to the yeast/egg mixture and add the flour, salt, grated lemon rind, vanilla extract and the dried fruit (I like cranberries, raisins, walnuts.) Mix well to blend all ingredients, but do not knead.
• Grease (here's where Kittencal's pan coating comes in handy, #78579) a 9-1/2 inch Babka pan, brioche mold, Bundt pan, or other tube pan and fill with the dough to about 1/3 full. (I use two 8" fluted babka pans.) Cover with cloth and let stand in warm place for about 2 hours (until the Babka dough has doubled in size.).
• Towards the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When risen, place the Babka inside and bake it for about 40-45 minutes. (Note, if you use bakeware that is dark or colored on the outside, set the oven at 325 deg Fahrenheit.) It is fully baked when a wooden pick comes out clean. Should be a medium brown. If too light it will be underdone and damp.
• After baking, remove the Babka from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Carefully remove from pan and dust it with confectioner's sugar or glaze with icing.
• For the icing, combine the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and boiling water in a small bowl and mix together.
• If you glaze the Babka with the icing, sprinkle it with chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, raisins or finely chopped candied orange rind, before the icing sets.
• Let it cool completely before serving. Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap for storage at room temperature. For longer storage, you can freeze the Babka, tightly sealed in a plastic bag.
• Cooking Tips: Soak dried fruits in brandy or Grand Marnier before using.