As the nights draw in and the comfort of stove and hearth beckons, a judicious nip of alcohol in the pot is just the thing, writes Sybil Kapoor. Wine marinades imbue the season's meat with robust flavour, and spirit-steeped fruits make for eartening desserts. Stick to the good stuff and follow a few simple rules, and you can make some dishes from the best of this month's produce that will ensure there's no need to unpack the thermal vest just yet.
The tempting array of wine and spirits that appear in the shops around now provides the perfect excuse for culinary experimentation. Not, I hasten to add, by drinking large amounts of alcohol while you cook, but rather by adding it to food. A splash of wine can add a surprising depth of flavour to a casserole, just as an aromatic beer can reveal the sweetness of a fish or a suitable liqueur will flatter the delicate notes of fruit.
But be careful: before you know it, you can radically change the flavour and texture of a dish with just one tip of the bottle. For this reason, it is crucial to add only wines or spirits that taste good on their own; a dish can be ruined by bad wine or rough brandy. Even with good-quality drinks, it always helps to taste the alcohol you use. Wine and beer, for example, can be bitter, and if you want to intensify their flavour by reducing them in a sauce, soup or stew, it is wise to mix them with a slightly sweet ingredient such as stock or sautéed onions.
Wine is naturally acidic, and has traditionally been used in marinades to soften meats. In reality, however, it only breaks down the surface of the meat, and dries it out. As most meat is very tender now anyway, marinades are best used relatively briefly, as a way of imbuing flavour. Marinades that also include olive oil, herbs and vegetables will keep meat moist, but will be too greasy to use in a sauce, so should be discarded before cooking. White meats are particularly easy to use; they only need about 20 minutes in a marinade. Try experimenting with different spirits and wines: I would suggest using a vermouth or cider marinade with pheasant, chicken or partridge.
But it isn't just meat that benefits from maceration. Dried fruit steeped in the right choice of spirits make wonderful puddings and cakes; rum-soaked raisins are perfect in coffee ice cream, and calvados-soaked dried apple slices make an almond tart special.
Bear in mind that some alcohol is always left in a dish after cooking, whether it's in flambéed bananas or a slow-simmered stew. According to Robert L Wolke in his book What Einstein Told His Cook (Norton & Co; £19.95), although alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, other factors such as the amount of liquid, the width of a pan and whether it is covered will affect evaporation. Even if you flambé a Christmas pudding, you only burn off 20 per cent of the spirit before the flames die. Consider this while enjoying second helpings: seasonal cheer does not evaporate!
Pineapple flambé
A quick but delicious way of serving fruit is to briefly fry it in a little butter, before adding orange juice and muscovado sugar followed by rum, which is set alight to burn off some of its alcohol. Pineapple tastes particularly good if you add a few vanilla seeds.
Grilled polenta with mushrooms and herbs
Here, a splash of dry white wine in the buttery mushroom sauce cuts both the richness of the Gruyère-flavoured grilled polenta and the intense-tasting sautéed shiitake, oyster and brown cap mushrooms. Bear in mind that the more the wine is reduced, the more acidic it will taste.
Mulled wine with spicy cheese scones
The aromatic spiciness of cloves, mace, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon and orange zest make this mulled wine a truly heart-warming drink. These savoury cheese, cayenne and caraway mini-scones make a satisfying accompaniment.
Venison daube
Traditionally, wild venison is marinated in wine to tenderise it. Today, farmed venison does not need tenderisation, but a wine and vegetable marinade can add another layer of flavour to a casserole. Here, the marinated meat is gently simmered with bacon, orange zest, carrots, onions and celery.
Seared chicken breasts with celery and grapes
Crisp, golden-fried chicken breasts are served here on mashed potato and chicory and with a luscious grape, shallot and celery sauce, made with a dessert wine boiled down to a syrupy consistency, a reduced chicken stock, and cream. Flavour it with lemon juice and chives to taste.
Cinnamon crème caramel with clementine salad
One of the easiest ways to give fresh fruit a lift is to season it with a complementary spirit. Here, sliced clementines are mixed in some Cointreau and served with a delicate crème caramel that has been flavoured with clementine zest and cinnamon.
Flavours of the Month
Chicory
Traditionally, chicory was a winter crop, grown in the dark to prevent its leaves from turning green. Its bitter-sweet flavours develop in complexity when griddled or braised. It is good with a wide variety of foods, but is particularly good with blue cheese, watercress, pears, apples, nuts and citrus fruit. It also goes well with game, braised either in chicken stock or in a little dessert wine and fresh orange juice: just pour on the liquid, dot it with butter, cover with crumpled greaseproof paper and bake it in the oven.
Clementines
Juicy Spanish organic clementines are in season now. Their sweet flesh and aromatic zest are intensified when mixed with bitter or sour tastes. Try a clementine, chicory and pomegranate salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing, or add finely grated zest to bitter chocolate pots. The juice is also great in jellies, mousses and sorbets. Best of all, add lime, salt
and pepper for a refreshing, Indian-style breakfast drink.
English white celery
The old-fashioned white English celery that is now in season is kept pale by piling earth around the stems to block out the light. It tastes sweeter than the green variety, but retains a peppery flavour and is great with cheese and biscuits. It also adds freshness to winter soups and stews and is good with chives, watercress, hazelnuts, apples and beetroot or in a cold chicken salad with tarragon, grapes, chives and mayonnaise.
Pineapples
Ever since the first English pineapple was presented to Charles II in 1661, this spiny fruit has retained an image of luxury, which makes it perfect food for winter parties. Today, the sweetest varieties are grown in the tropics. Eat yours as soon as possible after it arrives in your kitchen, as it will go bad quickly. It is particularly good with other tropical foods, so try using it in a chilli, lime and coriander salsa with seared prawns, or
in an exotic fruit salad.
Turbot
The flesh of Icelandic turbot becomes firmer and more succulent in winter as the seas become bitterly
cold. The luscious texture of turbot fillets and steaks makes them perfect for poaching or searing, while
their sweet taste is delicious accompanied by slightly bitter ingredients. Try serving seared turbot with sautéed chicory that has been mixed with a little crème fraîche and lemon juice, or simmer the fish in lager with sautéed celery and onion. The broth can be strained and enriched with butter to make a sauce.
Venison
Farmed venison is available throughout the year, but its rich flavour suits the colder months best. The simple
way to cook farmed venison is to roast or grill it and serve it with a clear gravy and a fruit jelly: try redcurrant or damson. But venison is just as good stewed, especially if it is then turned into a pie or pasty. Try it with medieval flavourings such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves or with sweet herbs such as bay, rosemary and thyme.