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Add booze to your food with a grown-up menu that is simple and impressive to serve

Lottie Casas March 27, 2021

IF you want to be a spirited cook, why not add some booze to your food to perk it up?

Alcohol can really improve the flavour.

Choose wisely, though – pick the stuff you would want to knock back yourself instead of opting for cheap cooking plonk.

Here is a boozy, grown-up menu that is simple to make and impressive to serve. Cheers!

G&T cheesecake

(Makes 16 portions – 68p per portion)

Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Cooking time: 20 minutes.

YOU NEED:

  • 300g Hobnobs
  • 150g butter, melted
  • 2 limes, washed
  • 5 gelatine leaves
  • 125ml gin, 125ml tonic water
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 600g cream cheese, 300ml double cream
  • 100g icing sugar
  • Limes, for garnishing

METHOD:

  1. Place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz until they turn into fine crumbs.
  2. Zest both limes and add zest to the biscuit crumbs.
  3. Pour the butter into the biscuit mixture and stir.
  4. Tip the biscuit mixture into a 20cm springform tin, then flatten, pressing hard to make the base compact.
  5. Place the gelatine leaves in cold water for three minutes until softened.
  6. Meanwhile, pour the gin, tonic water and caster sugar in a saucepan.
  7. Heat slowly and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
  8. Gently squeeze the excess moisture out of the now softened gelatine leaves and add them to the gin solution.
  9. Stir until the gelatine has fully dissolved. Set aside to cool.
  10. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
  11. Juice one of the limes and add that to the cream cheese with the sugar.
  12. Beat them together until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  13. Then add the gin solution.
  14. Mix until well incorporated.
  15. Gently fold in the double cream.
  16. Spoon the cheesecake filling on to the biscuit base.
  17. Smooth the top and give the tin a few bangs on your worktop to get rid of any air bubbles.
  18. Put in the fridge for at least six hours, but preferably overnight.

Chicken liver pate

(Serves 6 – 39p per person)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 8 minutes.

YOU NEED:

  • 40g salted butter
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • ½ red onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 450g chicken livers, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tbsp brandy
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 40ml double cream
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD:

  1. In a frying pan over a medium heat, melt the butter then add the mustard powder, onion and garlic.
  2. Cook and stir for five minutes until soft.
  3. Add the chicken livers and cook until browned, but still pink in the centre.
  4. Add the brandy, lemon juice, cream and parsley and season well.      
  5. Remove from the heat and blend in a food processor until smooth.
  6. Spoon into six ramekin dishes and smooth the top.
  7. Chill in the fridge for two hours until set.

Wild mushroom risotto

(Serves 6 – £3.59 per serving)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

YOU NEED:

  • 1.4litres chicken stock
  • 30g dried porcini mushrooms
  • ½ white onion, finely chopped
  • 45g butter
  • 230g Morrisons The Best Woodland mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 280g arborio rice
  • 240ml white wine
  • 100g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

METHOD:

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the chicken stock over a low heat.
  2. Add porcini mushrooms to warm stock and keep it over a medium-low heat allowing the mushrooms to hydrate.
  3. In a large frying pan add 30g of butter and cook onion over a medium heat until translucent, not browned – for about five minutes.
  4. Add the Morrisons chopped fresh mushrooms and cook until slightly browned.
  5. At this stage remove a handful of the mushrooms to use as decoration.
  6. Add rice to the rest of the mushrooms and cook, stirring until the rice becomes opaque – about two minutes.
  7. Add wine and cook until absorbed into the rice, stirring constantly.
  8. Drain the porcini mushrooms from hot stock and set aside.
  9. Take a ladle of the hot stock and add to the rice. Stir until absorbed.
  10. Keep repeating with a ladle full of stock until completely absorbed.
  11. Once the rice is al dente, remove the risotto from the heat.
  12. Chop porcini mushrooms and add to the risotto with the Parmesan and remaining 15g of butter.
  13. Sprinkle parsley over the risotto and put the reserved chopped mushrooms on top.

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