simmering some herbal cheer

So, I have to admit that I like wintertime, quite a lot. Often when I express this I'm met with groans and eyes rolling, especially since I've lived outside of Minnesota. In fact, it seems the less brutal the winter, the more people in that place dislike the season!

(Of course that's just a generalization, I know there are some folks who enjoy it.:)

What I most enjoy about winter is the incredibly delicate and complex view of dark tree branches against a light gray sky, snowflakes, and spending hours inside a warm kitchen, preparing things that would be very difficult to enjoy on a sweltering summer day.
Recently, I found myself with a hankering to make a good old-fashioned cordial for my sweetheart's birthday. A cordial (or liqueur) is incredibly simple to make; it's 1 cup liquor to 1 cup sweetener plus any herbs, nuts, fruit or spices of your liking. It's also a nice nightcap on a cold evening.

Here's what I used:
1 cup bourbon
1 cup maple syrup, Grade B
1/2-1 tsp each of lavender flowers, damiana, lemon balm
1/8 cup wild blueberries
2 tbsp. fresh lemon rind

After combining in a glass jar, I shook it, then stowed it in a drawer for a week, taking it out once a day to shake it. You can leave cordials, so I hear, for up to a year, but I only had one week before the birthday party. When we broke it open and each took a sip, the ingredients had transformed into something really lovely, and bathed our palates.

Here's a few other ideas for warming wintertime recipes that I like:
Fair Trade dark chocolate brownies with jalapeños and a pinch of cayenne
Swedish Rye Bread (check out the recipe in the Joy of Cooking). Made with fennel seeds, a warming and drying herb (good for digestion)
Cinnamon Apple Crisp with Maple Whipped Cream
Chicken and wild rice soup
To name a few.

[orginally posted on Tumblr - Dec. 4, 2011]