I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite milkshake.

I can’t take credit for this idea. It’s my version of the Apple Cider Milkshake I had at the Ben & Jerry’s in Salem the other day, while I was waiting for The Angry Chef to pick me up on a rainy day.

Thank god for the rain, because I would have missed this if I didn’t have a pressing urge to stay dry.

When he pulled up, I got into the car, triumphantly waving my milkshake at him.

“You have to try this. It’s amazing,” I squeaked.

“What is it?”

“An apple cider milkshake. And it’s delicious.”

“It sounds gross,” he said, but took a cautious pull on the straw to be polite. (After years, he knows it’s easier to just give in and taste.)

“It’s strange,” he said, and took another sip. “Yeah, it’s definitely odd.”

And then he drank half the shake.

Strange, eh? How about strangely delicious, my dear Angry Chef. Now that’s more like it.

The next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So, I did the only logical thing: I busted out the blender.

I had a quart of cider from Brooksby Farm in the fridge, as well as a pint of good vanilla ice cream. (Brooksby Farm in Peabody, Mass. is awesome. Check out the pics of last year’s apple-picking adventure there.)

It took me a few shakes to come up with the right ratio of apple cider to vanilla ice cream. (Harrowing work, tasting all those shakes, I know.)

If you like apple pie a la mode, you’ll love this. It’s creamy and apple-y, with just a touch of warm, fragrant cinnamon. You could substitute a little pumpkin pie spice or ground cardamom for the cinnamon, if you like.

For a booze-y version, try tossing in a little apple brandy or schnapps. Serve topped with whipped cream or homemade creme chantilly, with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Apple Pie in a Glass (a.k.a. Apple Cider Milkshake)

1/2 – 3/4 cup apple cider
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon + more for garnish
French vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream

Makes 1 milkshake in a pint glass

Apple Pie in a Glass: Shake up your shake

Grab a pint glass. Pack it loosely with vanilla ice cream. Set it aside for a sec.

Add the apple cider to your blender.

The cider measurement in the recipe is approximate, depending on how thick you want your shake. Start with less, then blend in more once you add the ice cream to thin it out.

Toss in the cinnamon.

Transfer the ice cream from your pint glass to the blender.

Blend on high for a minute or two until well combined. Give it a quick taste to check the consistency. To thin it out, add a little more apple cider and blend again.

Pour the shake back into your glass. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

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For as delicate as they may be, this is stick-to-your-ribs winter food.

The little hens stay moist and succulent from an overnight soak in a sweet and brine-y mix of salt, apple cider, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves. They develop a complex sweet and sour flavor by roasting under a jammy blanket of richly caramelized apples, onions, and bacon.

Serve with buttery, garlic mashed potatoes or a creamy risotto. Balance it out with a simple romaine salad dressed in lemon juice, good olive oil, and a few fresh Parmesan shavings.

Cider Cooked Cornish Game Hens with Apple and Bacon

For the overnight marinade
2 cornish game hens
2 cups apple cider
2 Tbls. kosher salt
a dozen or so whole peppercorns
3 mashed cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
For the day you cook the hens
3 slices of bacon
1/4 cup water
kosher salt to taste
1 small onion, diced
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 cup apple cider
freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp. sugar

Marinate the birds the night before you want to cook them
Unwrap the hens and put them in a gallon-size zip-top bag.

Pour 2 cups of cider into the bag.

Toss in the salt, peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves.

Seal the bag up well and smoosh it around to thoroughly mix up the cider and spices. Set it in the fridge overnight.

The night you want to cook the birds
Set a large oven-proof sauteuse on the stove. The pan I use is about 12 inches in diameter with sides that are about 2 inches high. It’s great because it can go from the stovetop right into the oven.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Start with the bacon
The only bacon I had in the house was frozen, which worked just fine. I hacked off a few inches. This is about the equivalent of maybe 3 rashers. The bacon measurement can be imprecise. It’s there for flavor and fat, so a little more or less shouldn’t really affect your finished dish.

Dice it up. (Because my bacon was frozen, I sliced it into strips across the grain, so that when it thawed in the pan it would break up into little pieces.)

Put the bacon in the pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add a quarter cup of water. Stir to combine. The water will help render off some of the bacon fat without burning it.

Stir the bacon around to start to cook it and evaporate the water.

Your goal is to get the bacon brown and crisp, like this:

Prepare the birds
While your bacon is frying, take your birds out of the fridge.

In the sink, remove them from the bag, shake off any cider, and pat them dry with paper towels. Toss the marinade. (You’ll be adding fresh cider in a little bit.)

Sprinkle the birds with a little kosher salt.

Brown the birds
When your bacon is crisp, scoot it to the outskirts of the pan. You want most of the bottom to be free. Add both the cornish hens to the pan, breast-side down.

Cook on medium-high heat until the breast-sides are nicely browned.

Flip them over and brown the backs.

When the backs are browned, transfer the birds from the pan to a large plate. Set them aside for the moment while you make the sauce. (For a more elegant presentation, you could truss them up at this point.)

Finish the sauce up
Once you’ve removed the birds from the pan, toss in the chopped apple, onion, and garlic.

Stir to coat with bacon fat. Saute the apple and onion for a few minutes, until they start to get soft.

As they cook, they’ll let off some juice. Scrape at the bottom of your pan to deglaze it and loosen any brown bits.

Turn the heat down to low. Wait a minute or two for the pan to cool slightly. Pour in the apple cider. (Watch out for the steam.) Add the teaspoon of sugar and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Stir to combine. Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Finish scraping the bottom of the pan clean with a wooden spoon.

Bring the contents of your pan up to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the cider by about half, or until it’s kind of syrup-y and coats the bottom of the pan thickly (without sticking), like this:

Add the birds back to the pan and roast
Add the birds back in to the pot, breast side up.

Scoop the sauce up with a spoon and pile it on top of the hens. Spread it around so it’s pretty even. When they’re ready to go into the oven, they should look about like this.

Put the pan into the oven and roast the hens for about 30 minutes.

When are they done?
They’re done when the tops are nice and brown and the juices run clear. When you wiggle one of the drumsticks, it should be nice and loose. They should look about like this:

Plate them up and serve!

***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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He kindly whipped up this Nutty Spiked Cider. He’s worked as a Boston bartender on and off for the last 20 years, so he knows his way around a shaker.

This is the perfect thing to drink when you’re nestled under a blanket on the couch watching movies late into the night. It would be an awesome and gracious way to greet someone who just dug out your car after a snowstorm (along with a thick slice of pound cake or toasted pumpkin bread slathered with butter). You can even serve it as a spicy dessert drink after an elegant dinner.

This recipe makes a generous cocktail for two—or an almost (but not quite) overindulgent helping for one. The cider is fragrant with nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. The whipped cream on top provides a rich, cold balance and gives the drink the vaguest hint of caramel as it melts down into the cider.

This is a basic recipe. Definitely adjust the spicing and amount of booze to your taste. In terms of alcohol content, this drink definitely won’t knock you over. For a bigger kick, The Angry Chef recommends doubling the amount of each liquor.

Nutty Spiked Cider For Two

24 oz. apple cider (that’s 3 cups)
1/16 tsp. ground clove
1/16 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 whole cinnamon stick (plus more for garnishing)
2 shots vodka
1 shot amaretto
1 shot frangelico
whipped cream
ground cinnamon

Nutty Spiked Cider for Two: Gather up your ingredients

If you have fresh nutmeg you can grate, definitely do that—your drink will have a better flavor. We were fresh out at the Mouse House tonight, so we made due with ground. (Which worked just fine.)

Nutty Spiked Cider for Two: Simmer the cider

Add the cider to a medium sauce pot.

Add the nutmeg and clove.

Toss in a cinnamon stick. Stir to combine.

Set your pot the stove over medium-high heat. Bring it up to a simmer. When it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Let it just barely simmer (not boil) for about 10 minutes.

Nutty Spiked Cider for Two: Combine the liquors

While the cider is on the stove, mix up the liquors. Add the vodka, amaretto, and frangelico to a cocktail shaker. Cap it and give it a stiff shake to thoroughly combine.

Nutty Spiked Cider for Two: Add the liquor to the cider and serve

After about 10 minutes, your cider should smell fabulous and spicy. To serve two, divide it between two mugs. Top with whipped cream sprinkled with a pinch of powdered cinnamon.

For a more elegant presentation, serve the cider in heat-resistant wine glasses garnished with whipped cream, powdered cinnamon, and a whole cinnamon stick.

Cheers!

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