water , noyaux ( nuts — usually green walnuts ), clove pinks , and angelica .
Such variety is the other reason ratafias are meant for household production . They offer plenty of opportunity for cooks to follow their inspiration and develop a household specialty without costly mistakes . Let your garden , local orchard , and farm market be your inspiration and try blending ingredients to balance tart , sweet , and spicy flavors .
The perfume of in season berries or apricots needs no embellishment , but intriguing combinations include pear , persimmons , and cloves ; figs and rosemary ; fennel , saffron , and orange , nectarine and lemon balm ; or grapes and celery . Consider herbs as well , parsley , mint , basil , anise , can add dimension to ratafia , just as they do in cooking .
Ratafia is one of the more than 100 seasonal recipes featured in Bread & Beauty , A Year in Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve , which you can find at
www . breadandbeauty . org
Claudia Kousoulas is a freelance writer and editor who also worked as a land use planner in Montgomery County for more than 20 years . She and Ellen Letourneau are the co-authors of Bread & Beauty .
Make Your Own Ratafia
n Use farm-market or fresh picked produce , in season , for the most intense flavors .
n Use red or white wine , to complement the flavorings to your taste .
n Mix and steep the ratafia in a large , wide-mouth glass jar .
n Don ’ t replace the length of split vanilla bean with liquid extract , and use the vanilla bean sparingly . You want it to mellow the fruit ’ s essence without overpowering it .
n After the alcohol and fruit have steeped , filter the ratafia and decant it into clean bottles . Try to find the ones with a metal lock and rubber seal .
n Depending on the recipe , you can eat the steeped fruits . Peaches are excellent on a pound cake or bowl of vanilla ice cream .
n Store the bottled ratafia in a cool cabinet or the fridge .
Basic Recipe
1-2 cups of cut up fruits , vegetables , herbs ¼ cup white sugar ¼ cup unflavored vodka 1 inch of vanilla bean , split lengthwise 1 750-liter bottle of wine
n Mix the ingredients , lightly crushing the fruits , vegetables , or herbs and dissolving the sugar .
n Seal and store in the counter , occasionally stirring or agitating the jar , for 3 to 4 weeks .
n Filter the liquid through cheesecloth set in a fine sieve and decant the liquor into a sealed bottle .
Cucumber Borage : Inspired by the British summer drink , Pimm ’ s Cup , which has a sweet , spicy base freshened with cucumber and borage , a cucumber-flavored herb . Blend a peeled , seeded cucumber , a handful of fresh borage ( try mint or celery if you can ’ t find borage ). Serve over ice with lemon and apple slices .
Honeydew Mint : delicate and light , but with a gentle bite of pepper , made with 2 cups of melon , peeled , seeded and chopped , 3 sprigs of crushed mint , 1 / 4 teaspoon of peppercorns .
Peach : Summer peaches are perfect on their own , use the basic recipes and two to three peaches , depending on their size , pitted and chopped .
Corn-Thyme : Grassy and fresh , sweet corn kernels and the “ milk ” from two ears of corn with three largish sprigs of fresh thyme , are a surprising combination .
Raspberry : The more adventurous home brewer can make a homemade framboise by fermenting a mixture of raspberries and sugar , helping the ferment along with a liter of vodka , or you can make a gentler drink using the basic ratafia recipe .
36 plenty I autumn harvest 2020