631 brandy recipes

Fruited cheesecake: a creamy ricotta cheesecake on a vanilla wafer crust, crowned with fresh fruit arranged in concentric circles and glazed with currant jelly. A bakery-style summer dessert for eight.

Sauteed fresh morel mushrooms with Granny Smith apples, asparagus tips, and butter noodles flambed with Calvados. A spring-foraged dish with chipotle heat and watercress garnish.

Buche de Marrons au Chocolat, a French chestnut and chocolate log (no-bake variation of buche de Noel) with Calvados, wrapped in whipped cream bark and garnished with candied violets. A show-stopping Christmas dessert.

Brandy-spiked pumpkin cheesecake on a buttery pecan crust with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and mace. A rich, spiced holiday dessert worth the overnight chill.

Mock mincemeat without any meat, made with raisins, molasses, brown sugar, brandy, cracker crumbs, and warm spices. A vegetarian filling for holiday pies.

Award-winning gingerbread with molasses, brandy, orange juice, and four warm spices: ginger, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. A moist, deeply spiced loaf studded with raisins.

Chicken breast with sour cherry sauce, cracked peppercorns, and coriander in a white wine-brandy reduction. A French-inspired pan sauce built right in the skillet.

Beef brisket roasted on a bed of onions, then glazed with beer-braised prunes, apricots, brown sugar, brandy, and warm spices. A sweet-savory showstopper for special occasions.

Traditional Swiss Basel Leckerli: honey-spice cookie bars with cinnamon, cloves, candied peels, kirsch, and almonds under a crackly sugar glaze. Makes 50 to 60 bars that keep for weeks.

Hawaiian chicken liver pate with sherry, brandy, curry powder, and toasted walnuts, shaped like a pineapple and decorated with olive slices. A retro showpiece appetizer for parties.

Olive oil marinated mushrooms simmer button mushrooms in herbed wine vinegar with thyme, garlic, and brandy. A make-ahead antipasto that gets better after a night in the fridge.

Chocolate fruitcake: cocoa-cream cheese batter studded with candied cherries, golden raisins, pecans and a hint of brandy and rum. The fruitcake for people who don't think they like fruitcake.

Classic English trifle with raspberry-jam-soaked sponge cake, brandy, sherry, silky vanilla custard, and whipped cream. A showstopping layered dessert served in a glass bowl for maximum visual drama.

Wild mushroom tart layers sauteed porcini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms with shallots, brandy, and Swiss cheese in a creamy custard pie. A rustic French-inspired main or side for cool-weather dinners.

Lean beef round steak browned, deglazed with brandy, and braised low in a tangy two-mustard sauce with shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, and juniper berries. An elegant braise that turns out fork-tender and rich.

French coq au cidre with chicken braised in sparkling dry cider and Calvados with caramelized onions, bacon, prunes, and a bouquet garni. Normandy comfort food at its finest.