Readers' recipe swap: Boozy | Food (2024)

I loved Graeme Taylor's peaty chargrilled venison, and a warming cider-baked mackerel dish that made a wonderful Saturday lunch, but with mince pies looming on the horizon, Diane Kitchen's dad's zesty rum butter was a shoo-in. Utterly decadent, it packs a very festive kind of punch; enjoy in moderation.

Cumberland rum butter

100g butter
200g soft brown sugar
1 tbsp milk
Grated zest of ½ a lemon
A squeeze of lemon juice
3 tbsp rum

1 Beat the butter until pale and fluffy.

2 Gradually beat in the sugar, followed by the milk, lemon zest and juice and rum. Continue beating until themixture is light and fluffy.

3 Serve wellchilled with warm mince pies.

Penne with vodka and a spicy tomato cream sauce

This lovely dish was cooked for my husband and me by an American friend some years ago, inspired by Patricia Wells's excellent book Trattoria.
Linda Seal, London

Serves 6-8
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp chilli flakes, or to taste
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
500g penne
250ml double cream
2 tbsp vodka
30g parsley, chopped
Salt

2 Stir in the chopped tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Taste for seasoning. Meanwhile, cook the penne according to the packet instructions and drain.

3 Stir the pasta gently into the sauce, add the vodka, stir, add the cream andstir again. Cover, reduce the heat to low and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Add the parsley and stir again. Serve immediately. Traditionally, cheese is not served with this dish.

Drunken clementines

1 Remove the peel and pith from theclementines.

2 Place the sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a pan with 250ml water and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3 Add the clementines, lemon juice and liqueur to the pan and simmer foranother 20-25 minutes.

4 Serve immediately, or bottle in asterilised jar and store in the fridge for up to a month. Once opened they will keep for around a week (but theywon'tlast that long).

Mess d'Agen

Prunes get a bad press, but good quality ones are fabulous. One of their finer points is their ability to soak up any liquid to which they are introduced. The world's best prunes come from Agen in France in the region that is home to armagnac – together they really are a match made in heaven. Many cake shops and patisseries sell fresh meringues, which are perfect for this dessert.

Serves 4
100g pitted prunes, Agen if possible
About 100ml armagnac or other brandy
400ml whipping cream
Meringue, broken into small shards
Soaked prunes, halved

For the meringue
2 large egg whites
A pinch of salt
100g vanilla sugar or caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl, add a pinch of salt then whisk until the whites thicken and make firm peaks.

3 Put the prunes into a small pan and pour enough armagnac on top to cover by about 1cm. Warm over a low heat fora couple of minutes, then put the lid on the pan and turn off the heat. Leave to soak overnight – all the booze should disappear.

4 To make the mess, whip the cream till it is quite stiff. Crush the meringue into small shards and cut the prunes in half, then gently stir them through the cream. Serve in large bowls with anarmagnac on the side for sipping.

Laphroaig-cured venison steak

The whisky really brings the gamey flavour out of the venison. If you prefer, you could swap for something less intense, like Aberlour or Glenfiddich. Chargrilling or griddling can replace the barbecue coals when the snow starts!
Graeme Taylor, scotslarder.co.uk

1 Bruise the bay and rosemary with apestle and mortar or a heavy knife and bash the juniper. Pour the whisky over the herbs and mix round to release the oils into it. Pour this over the venison and make sure that it is well coated. Leave for an hour.

2 Remove the venison, oil and season.

3 Barbecue over hot coals, or in a hot griddle pan for 2 minutes each side, for a rare steak (amend cooking time to your preference.) Delicious served with skirlie and a dram.

Mackerel in cider

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark4. Cut the mackerel into 5cmchunks.

2 Heat the oil in an ovenproof saute pan and gently fry the onion for 5minutes until it begins to soften.

3 Increase the heat and stir in the caraway seeds. Fry for 1 minute. Add the apple and cook for a couple more minutes. Pour in the cider, bring to theboil and cook for 1 minute.

4 Remove from the heat, season and nestle the mackerel chunksin the mixture.

5 Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve.

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