For all kinds of reasons, I’ve had a couple of humdinger weeks. Stuff has been going wrong. All kinds of stuff. Stuff that normally goes right. Stuff at work. Stuff at home. Even running – I’ve been limping through my runs. I just can’t get motivated.
And I’m having a series of cooking flops too. COOKING. The thing I always resort to in all times of duress – the thing that never lets me down. At least usually.
Yesterday I made a pair of rhubarb custard pies. I harvested and prepared the rhubarb and rolled out my own pastry. I made my standard recipe and cooked the pies exactly as per usual. I took them out of the oven – all puffed and gorgeous with deep golden brown pastry – and set them on the counter to cool. Twenty minutes later I came back in the kitchen and there they were. Flopped – concave – soggy, weepy-looking.
I felt kind of soggy and weepy too.
Then I remembered Berry Infused Vodka.
It takes a few days to infuse properly – but don’t let that let stop you. There are no hard and fast rules about early sampling. Use at your own discretion….
Wild Berry Infused Vodka
3 cups frozen mixed wild/organic berries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
750 ml of vodka (any vodka will do)
Bring the sugar and water to the boil, stirring and cooking until the sugar dissolves. Add the frozen berries (cut any really large ones in half) and add to the simple syrup solution. Cook for a minute longer. Remove from the heat and pour the berries and solution into a large glass jar. Add the vodka. Leave the vodka infusion for a few days in a spot out of the sunlight. The colour will begin to leach out of the berries. After 4 or 5 days – strain the infusion carefully removing the fruit and bottle the vodka. Refrigerate or freeze. Chuck the fruit. Or stir it into vanilla ice cream. It’s lethal.
Some serving suggestions:
Berry Infused Vodka Martini
1 oz berry infused vodka
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
lemon twist or fresh raspberry and ice
Berry Infused Vodka Lemonade
2 oz berry infused vodka
4 oz lemonade
ice and fresh mint
♥ Jam Tart ♥ 
Hi Muma,
I needed this recipe. Nothing like a little self medication to get through some of the tougher times. Sending love – as always.
xoxoxoLAURA
See that table Laura – that’s the prototype you built. I painted the legs blue and replaced the top with a honking heavy duty rough pine one. And now I’m going running. Enjoy your wild berry vodka. (Drink responsibly!) xoxox
Mmmm…love all the food recipes but this one REALLY got my attention! On a recent trip to Poland i had some cherry infused vodka and it was unbelievably good. Am enjoying your blog. PQ
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE! Caught up with a bit of your life via GW a couple of months ago. Maybe I’ll try cherry infused vodka next. Stayed at a b&b in Lake Placid run by a chef from NYC. He had about 10 different vats of vodka infusions going. They were beautiful in every way – especially visually. And so was the food – elk, pate de fois gras, etc. xox
Definitely saving this recipe 🙂
Me too Jess. Hope the studying is going well. xo
This looks and sounds like a recipe even I could handle…
LOL… it’s easy. The tricky part is waiting to strain it. Then straining it. 😉
Hoping that the “off” weeks are behind you and that everything gets back on track in the weeks to come, Lindy! In the meantime, this infusion sounds great! Definitely saving! Would it work ok to use fresh berries…or is frozen really best for this?
Kenley
Thanks Kenley! 😉 I ran last night very late and the full moon was still climbing up into the sky. It was just magnificent. Felt like a turning point. I seem to have a lot of turning points!
As for the vodka – yes – you can definitely use fresh berries. That’s a very good point. I used frozen because berries are not in season here yet and we don’t have organic ones. I’ve read not to use regular berries because essentially the alcohol leaches out all the pesticide and then you throw out the fruit. That did not appeal to me at all. Berries are like spinach – amongst the worst offenders for mopping up and storing pesticides.
Enjoy….
lindy
Very good to know. Strawberries and Blackberries are in season here in Texas right now and able to be picked… but it is good to know that alcohol and pesticides don’t mix. 😉 And you are so right — spinach is really bad at storing pesticides as well.
Glad to hear that there has been a turning point!
Kenley
Oooh, I could do with some of that right now! 😉
LOL – it’s healthy for breakfast, lunch or dinner – or whatever else you choose – because of course – of the fruit!
Have you been on vacation? It seems like after a vacation, I completely forget how to cook!!! Beautiful drinks….
Oh Mimi – I have no excuse whatsoever! Just a little string of minor calamities and nonsense. But it’s so funny when the things I do for therapy (usually cooking and running) start to fail! However, I do believe these things come in spells – so I’ll stick to berry infused vodka and away from my oven for a bit…. 😉
These things do come in clumps — it would have to be an unexpectedly well-ordered universe to have them arrive at regular intervals — and a bit of berry infused vodka health food seems like a wonderful way to help get through them. I could use a little myself from time to time. Thanks again.
Dave
This made me laugh. Yes – out loud. And yes again – you are so right – wouldn’t that be an unexpectedly brilliantly-ordered universe?! Actually probably better it clumps like this – you get through a whole pile of rubbish and move on!
Hope the sailing weekend went well and liked your piece in Kingston Life! Lindy 😉
Huh, I think my comment disappeared.
After having one of ‘those’ weekends you might’ve laughed or sobbed at the sight of my first attempt at baking strawberry bread – possibly both 🙂
My comments are jinxed I tell you!
Did you blog your strawberry bread? (Strawberry bread – really?) I must go look.
Regardless of how your bread turned one thing I know is that you would have a taken a brilliant photograph of it. 😉
No, I haven’t blogged about it. It was that much of a disaster! Only a professional discus thrower could’ve used it 🙂
Sorry about your disaster but love that you shared…. Thanks Johnny. You are the best.
Lindy, I sincerely hope that things are back on track now. Would love to share a nike ad. It inspire me a lot.
Danny – I LOVE THIS! Thank you so much.
And yes, life is somewhat back on track though it sometimes seems a jagged path. For all of us, I expect…. I guess that’s just the human experience. xo
I could do with a wild berry fused volka right now! even though its only 10.30am. Like the idea that it goes well over ice cream as soon as berry season starts I will give this a go. Your rhubarb custard pies may not have turned out as you wanted but your berry volka looks FAB. How long will it keep?
I think Maria – that once you strain the berries out of it, if you refrigerate or even freeze the vodka – it will keep indefinitely.
The rhubarb custard pies looked sad but I hate waste -so one got frozen (no idea how that will work out) and one got eaten – and guess what – it was DELICIOUS. Proving once again that beauty is so much more than skin deep! xox
What a wonderful thing to have in the freezer – My freezer is going to have a helping of this. The best things are always the ones you expect the least from and when they deliver they become all the sweeter!! x
So very true Maria! Beautifully said.
And cheers…
I’m craving for this now….
rainy days lately
This will make the rainy days much less gloomy! 😉
I’ve made strawberry and thyme infused vodkas…now I’ll have to try your mixed berry one.
Oh my – strawberry and thyme infused vodka sounds wonderful! Perfect timing too as strawberries are just starting here and I plan to go picking this week. 😉