By now, you guys probably know about the great love affair I have with my butcher shop, McKinnon’s. When I go, I partly have a shopping list in mind, and I partly decide what to buy based on what looks good, what’s on sale, and what’s new or unusual. That last part is how I came home with a big veal flank the other day.

Now, I’ve made plenty of veal in my day, but have never encountered a whole veal flank before. And you know me: I just couldn’t resist. So this was an experiment. A happy, delicious experiment, as it turns out.

(Has anyone cooked one of these before? If you have, definitely pipe up and let me know what you did and how it came out!)

If you can’t find a veal flank like this, this recipe for whiskey cream broth is great on just about any kind of veal (or chicken, for that matter).

So what is a veal flank, anyway?

Good question. Let’s start with a picture.

Here’s my veal flank (you may see already why I couldn’t resist bringing it home…it’s big, it’s kind of a funny shape, it’s clearly folded under itself so you can’t see exactly how big it is…):

The top part looks very similar to a beef flank steak in size, shape, and long-grained texture.

When I flipped it over, I saw that the rib bones were still attached. I thought about trimming them off, but figured that I’d cook it the way I bought it. At least this first time.

There’s a separation between the meat and the ribs, which one of the ladies who works at the butcher advised me makes a fabulous pocket for stuffing.

The flank comes from the belly of the cow—and tends to be on the tougher side (think flank steak) because it’s a well exercised muscle. No problem, I reasoned. Low and slow cooking should be just the thing to tenderize it.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth

Based on all this, I decided to braise the veal flank until it was fall-off-the-bone tender.

I finished it with The Angry Chef’s fabulous whiskey cream broth. It’s one of his signature sauces for veal dishes, and is a great way to conjure up restaurant-quality flavor at home.

Braised Veal Flank in Whiskey Cream Broth

1 whole veal flank, about 3 1/2 lbs
2 Tbls. olive oil
kosher salt
1/2 cup whiskey
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbls butter, cut into thin slices
ground white pepper
1 tsp. garlic, minced
7 fresh sage leaves, cut into short ribbons

For the whiskey cream broth
Pan juices from braised veal flank
1/2 cup whiskey
3/4 cup heavy cream
7 sage leaves, cut into short ribbons

Serves about 4 for dinner

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Do a little prep

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab an ovenproof pan that’s large enough to hold your veal flank. Ideally, it should have a tight-fitting lid. If not, you can improvise one with aluminum foil.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Sear the veal

Most good braises start with seared meat. Searing helps develop color and flavor. Sprinkle the veal with kosher salt.

Heat a pan on the stove over high heat for a minute or two. The veal flank was pretty big, so I used my double-burner grill pan.

Drizzle a little olive oil on the pan. Set your flank meaty side down on the pan to sear it.

When the bottom is browned and has started to develop a nice crust, flip it over. It probably won’t lie completely flat. That’s just fine. Sear what you can on the other side.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Assemble the veal for braising

When both sides are seared, transfer the veal flank to your roasting pan. Put it in the pan meaty side up.

Pour 1/2 cup of whiskey over it.

Pour in the chicken stock.

Dot the top of the veal flank with butter.

Stack up 7 sage leaves.

Cut them into thin ribbons.

Sprinkle the veal flank with the sage ribbons.

Sprinkle with chopped garlic and white pepper.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Into the oven!

Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or tightly seal with aluminum foil).

Pop the pan into your preheated oven. Braise like this at 350 degrees for about 2 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.

When it’s done, transfer the veal flank to a serving platter.

Tent with foil while you make the whiskey cream sauce.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Make the whiskey cream

After you pull your veal flank out of the roasting pan, you’ll be left with all that lovely braising liquid.

Pour it into a medium-sized pot.

Set it over high heat and bring it up to a boil. While you wait, slice up the other 7 sage leaves just like you did before.

When it’s boiling, toss in the sage.

Lower the heat to medium. Pour in the whiskey.

And the cream.

Whisk to combine.

After a minute or two, it should come back up to a bubble. (If it doesn’t, raise the heat a little.) Simmer for a few minutes, whisking occasionally, to let the sauce come together and thicken a little.

Rustic Veal Flank with Whiskey Cream Broth: Serve and enjoy!

Like I said, this wound up being a fairly rustic dish. I whacked the veal flank in a few big pieces, cutting between the ribs, and served them on large plates, drizzled with whiskey cream broth.

Serve with large, crusty hunks of bread to sop up all that beautiful sauce.

Enjoy!

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I learned to cook from my mom, who works a certain kind of magic in the kitchen. Of all the things I’ve learned from her, how to make homemade Irish cream liqueur may not be one of the most practical, but it is one of my favorites.

The short version of this recipe is: Add all ingredients to your blender. Process until smooth. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate. Drink within one month.

Read on to see what I did, step by step. Because I don’t like to fill my blender to the top, I thoroughly blend all the ingredients but the whiskey first, then add the booze and pulse the blender quickly to incorporate it.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur: What can I do with it?

Here are some serving suggestions:

+Serve straight up or on the rocks (to enjoy it in its blissfully natural cocktail state).
+Make a decadent milkshake with good vanilla ice cream and Irish cream.
+Shake up your own house cocktail with a mixture of Irish cream, Kahlua, Amaretto, or Frangelico.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur: How long will it keep?

This liqueur should keep for about a month if properly refrigerated. It will naturally separate in the fridge. Just shake it up before serving.

All that said, use common sense: If it looks or smells funky, toss it.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur: Bottling your liqueur

Use any food-safe bottle that you like. Just wash it well with hot, soapy water. I used a couple of glass Perrier bottles.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur: A note on raw eggs

This recipe does include raw eggs. You can leave them out if you like, but your liqueur won’t be as creamy or thick. It’s entirely up to you.

Here’s the official, obligatory warning: Consuming raw or undercooked eggs, beef, fish and/or poultry may increase your risk of food borne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

OK! On with the liqueur making!

Irish Cream Liqueur

Half of a 750 ml. bottle of Jameson’s Irish whiskey (or any Irish whiskey you like)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk…see the link in Kel’s comment below)
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
2 Tbls. chocolate syrup
2 tsp. instant espresso
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Gather together your ingredients.

Put the condensed milk in your blender.

Pour in the cream.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl.

Fish out any little bits of shell, if there are any. Then add the eggs to the blender.

Add the chocolate syrup.

Toss in the instant espresso powder.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Cap your blender and process ’til smooth. The condensed milk is pretty thick. It may take a minute or two for it to distribute completely.

You want it to be uniform in color and consistency, like this:

Pour in the whiskey.

Cap your blender again and blend well.

Set a strainer over a bowl and pour the liqueur through it. (Just in case there were any bits of egg or espresso that didn’t blend completely.)

Set a funnel in the mouth of your bottle.

Ladle the liqueur into the funnel to fill the bottle.

Cap and pop into the fridge. If you’re giving it as a gift, tie a little label on it (along with a “made-on” date and a “use-by” date that’s 30 days out.)

Serve straight up or shake up in your favorite cocktail. Your liqueur will keep for about a month in the fridge.

Cheers!

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Wow.

OK. It’s late in the evening after a long day, so this may be me being impressed with something overly simplistic.

But…this seems like a really neat idea—especially if you’re a cocktail connoisseur.

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you: Whiskey Stones!

I saw these on Daily Candy today, and thought they were too neat not to pass along—especially with the holidays coming. These soapstone cubes are just under an inch cubed and are made in Vermont.

Just pop them in your freezer, then in your drink to enjoy a cocktail or cordial that gets chilled, but never loses an ounce of its punch.

When you’re done, simply rinse them off then stick them back in the freezer to chill again.

Lekker sells a set of 8 stones for just under $16. (Lekker also has a ton of other neat house and kitchen-y type items if you’re on the lookout for unique gifts this holiday season.)

The Hungry Mouse Verdict?

These might just be the perfect stocking stuffer for the whiskey drinker in your life who has everything.

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

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Made by Scotland’s The Macallan, this is an amazing whiskey liqueur with notes of maple and pecan. Talk about a great thing to drink in New England in the fall. I’m not usually one for sweet-ish drinks, but all I can say is: Yum.

Now, our friends mentioned that the Amber Liqueur is either not being made any more or is really hard to find, which proved to be more than true. An internet search reveals that it’s sold out at more than one retailer.

If you can’t find it, why not make it yourself?

We set about to see if we could approximate the flavors in the liqueur. This cocktail is definitely a work in progress, as it has some of the flavor notes of the Amber, but doesn’t capture its depth or nuttiness.

We didn’t have anything pecan flavored on hand, so for this drink, I used a smidge of walnut-based nocino that an old friend of mine brought me from Italy a number of years ago.

The verdict? It’s really good, but pecan would be better—and truer to the Macallan’s flavor. Next time, I’m going to see if I can track down a bottle of pecan liqueur. (Anyone have any recommendations? I was looking at trying Praline New Orleans Pecan Liqueur.)

All in all, this is a really good cocktail on its own. It’s sweet, warming, and very, very strong. (Warning: Since this drink is basically all booze with a little sugar, one might knock you on your keister.)

A note on the maple syrup

All maple syrups were not created equal. Be sure to seek out some genuine, pure maple syrup for this—not pancake syrup, many of which are a combination of corn syrup and artificial flavorings.

Maple Fireside Nightcap

4 shots scotch (I used Johnny Walker Black)
2 shots pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. Nocino
ice

Serves 1

Measure out 4 shots of whiskey into a cocktail shaker.

Add the nocino. (If you don’t have nocino on hand, I wouldn’t go out and buy a bottle just for this—unless you know you like it. This drink would be really good without it, too.)

Add the maple syrup to the whiskey and nocino. I have to admit, there’s something totally delightful about measuring out shots of pure maple syrup.

Stir the contents of your shaker with a spoon. You want to dissolve the maple sugar into the liquor before you add the ice. (If you don’t, the syrup will seize up when it hits the ice and won’t want to dissolve.)

Fill the shaker half full with ice, cap it, and shake vigorously to chill your drink.

Pour out into a martini glass. If you like, garnish the drink with a piece of maple sugar candy on the rim.

Serve immediately. Cheers!

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