Indian Iced Chai

I made 1/2 of this recipe but if you have a group over for the holidays this would be a great iced tea cocktail to enjoy.  Based on a recipe in Food and Drink Spring 2016

3 cups water
1/2 cup honey
8 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves, crushed
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 cups cold milk
14 Chai tea bags
1 cup white rum

Garnish: Cinnamon Sticks

• In a medium saucepan, bring the water and honey to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey.  Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods and black pepper.  Cool mixture to room temperature and strain into a glass pitcher and stir to combine.  Refrigerate overnight.
• Next morning remove the tea bags, squeeze them over the pitcher and discard.  When ready to serve, stir in the rum.  Add ice and stir to combine.  Garnish with cinnamon sticks.

Serves 8 to 10.

Spiced Beer Battered Onion Rings

A tempura like batter with a little extra spice really makes this onion ring, and hey - who doesn't love cooking with beer??  Serve these with grilled steak or chicken.

1 cup lager
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large spanish onions, peeled
Oil for deep frying

1. Whisk together lager, flour paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt and vegetable oil in a large bowl.
2. Cut onions into 1/4 inch rounds, separate into rings.
3. Heat oil in wok or deep fryer until thermometer reaches 350F.  Stir rings into batter and fry a few at a time until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.

Makes 4 servings.

Dutch Pancake with Spiced Apples

For breakfast, brunch or dinner!  From Food and Drink 2000

4 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp butter, softened

SPICED APPLES
2 large apples, peeled and cored
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, flour, salt and sugar until just mixed.
3. Place butter in a 10 inch skillet.  Heat on the stove until butter is sizzling, about 2 minutes.  Pour the batter into the skillet and place in oven.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
5. While pancake is baking, slice apples into 12 sections.
6. Melt butter over medium low heat.  Add sugar, cinnamon and ginger and stir together.  Add apples and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove pancake from oven and serve immediately with warm spiced apples, the pancake will not stay puffed for more than a few minutes.

**Tip - when making pancake batter, don't overmix the wet and dry ingredients, it makes a rubbery pancake.  When frying pancakes, wait until the edges are bubbly and the bubbles start to burst, then turn over.  The first side takes about 2 minutes, the second side about 1 minute.

Pancakes don't have to be made and eaten immediately.   The batter will stand overnight in the refrigerator and cooked pancakes can be reheated successfully in a 350F oven for 3 to 5 minutes