The Pairing
La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman
And Speculative Kitchen’s delicious La Belle Sauvage inspired foods!
The Reasoning
In the first entry of the long-awaited Book of Dust, young Malcolm Polstead lives in a cozy waterfront pub with his parents. In the chilly evenings, he eats traditional British fare cooked by his mother: steak pies and stews, good bread and butter. But the thing that caught my attention was the simple dessert of stewed apples and custard – something my own grandmother occasionally made for me as a child. As we head into the cool, crisp Autumn, I felt compelled to attempt a cocktail that captured these particular flavors.
The Cocktail
You will need:
- A small saucepan
- 2 mugs
- Large spoon/ladle
- Cinnamon sticks
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Allspice berries
- Ground nutmeg
- 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups unfiltered apple juice
- Whipped cream (hand whipped or spray can is fine)
- 2 tsp brown sugar or raw cane sugar
- Spiced rum (Non-Alcoholic Substitute: Omit this Ingredient)
Serves 2 – recipe can be adapted to serve more by doubling up, etc.
Pour 2 cups unfiltered apple juice into saucepan. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 2 tsp brown sugar, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract, 4 cloves and 4 allspice berries. Place on medium-high heat until close to boiling, then lower heat and allow to simmer, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once infused, use a spoon to remove cloves, cinnamon, etc.
Pour 2 oz spiced rum into each of your mugs. Using a large spoon or a ladle, pour apple juice mixture into each mug until the mug is mostly full. Gently spoon or spray whipped cream onto the surface of the drink.
Sprinkle a dusting of nutmeg on top of the whipped cream and use a cinnamon stick as garnish. You may like to use a teaspoon to eat the whipped cream, but I advise against stirring – the apple juice is too acidic for this to be a good plan.
Enjoy!
