My copy of ‘The Cuisine of Armenia
Glancing through the recipes, there’s nary one I wouldn’t try (ok, well maybe not the ‘Tongue Salad’). One of the reasons I’m tickled to be adopting from Armenia is the food!
I first heard about Ms. Uvezian through her book, The Book of Yogurt. While I do not own this book (yet), I am a huge yogurt devotee. All her books receive rave reviews and several reviewers say ‘The Cuisine of Armenia’ is a “classic.”
With the advent of the internet, I’m buying fewer and fewer cookbooks. Recipes are at my fingertips online. That said I wanted one compilation of Armenian recipes I could wade through. Uvezian’s book is also sprinkled with tidbits on Armenian history as it relates to food and recipes. I love to read about food history and learn more about the cultural roots for the food we’ll eat.
If I can’t cook much these days, I certainly can read. So I nestled next to Maggie the cat and took my time perusing the many temptations awaiting me in the 487 page cookbook.
At times I think I reading about food and cooking is as tantalizing as making the dish itself. The joy is in the imagining. Some days I’ll find myself searching for sweet treats and others I’ll scour my sources for hearty stews.
Today, the recipe that jumped out and said, “Make me! Make me!” was the recipe for Armenian Cherry Brandy. It could be the biting chill to the air or possibly stores filled to the brim with red this and that, but suddenly some tummy-warming burgundy-colored brandy, home made no less, sounds like just the ticket.
Armenian brandy is world-renowned for its excellence. Winston Churchill was so impressed with Armenian brandy given to him by Stalin that he asked for several cases of it to be sent to him each year.
When I was a kid, my father made cherry brandy. I have fond memories of him letting my sister and I enjoy the wrinkled drunken cherries that we found sitting at the bottom of the jar. The brandy recipe in ‘The Cuisine of Armenia’ calls for cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It just sounds so darn festive.
Of course, fresh cherries are quite seasonal and out of the question mid-December, so I’m contemplating using a combo of frozen and dried cherries or substituting with another fruit altogether. Pomegranate, in particular comes to mind. Aside from pomegranate being the national fruit of Armenia, it also has a lovely festive red color.
Here’s the recipe for Armenian Cherry Brandy. Tweak as desired (as my fridge magnet reads: “She didn’t always follow the recipe”):
Armenian Cherry Brandy
- Sour cherries
- Sugar
- Brandy
- Whole cloves
- Cinnamon sticks
- Whole nutmeg
Wash, stem and pit the sour cherries. Place equal amounts of the cherries and sugar in alternate layers in a heavy, enameled saucepan, ending with a layer of sugar on top. Let stand 12 hours or overnight. The following day, bring the mixture slowly to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Drain off the cherry juice and measure (reserve the cherries).
To each cup of cherry juice, add ½ cup brandy. To 8 cups of the cherry-brandy mixture, add 1-1/2 teaspoons whole cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 whole nutmeg, and ½ cup of the cherries. Pour into sterilized bottles and seal and store in a cool place. The brandy will be ready in one month. Serve chilled.
Check out the WanderFood Wednesday series for more great food postings!
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