Cooking with Gin

[porceluna]

Looking at my forlorn bottle of vodka bought solely for penne w/vodka sauce, and then thinking about how much I prefer gin, I had a flash tonight.... what can I cook with gin? I've thought of gamey, scandinavian dishes, but I'm hoping there are other things out there. So how about it?

Do you have any good recipes that use gin?

[tim irvine]

Charley's 517 in Houston used to make a gin marinated poached whole baby salmon in beurre blanc that was TDF.

[mamachef]

Red cabbage is great braised with a shot of gin.

[alanbarnes]

Oooh, brilliant! I've used crushed juniper berries when I have them around, but it's much more likely that there's going to be a bottle of gin in the cupboard than a packet of juniper berries in the spice box. And the other aromatics will probably add a little extra something, too. Thanks!

[mamachef]

Repeat after me: "one for the cook, and one for the pot. one for the cook and one for the pot." Seriously though, w/ a bottle of gin and a jar of pickling spice, you are set for life. At least cabbagewise. (I buy juniper and then blow it all on one venison roast, so I never have it around either.)

[alanbarnes]

Hey, I'm not giving the pot an equal share. One for the pot - the rest for the cook!

[mickeygee]

Epicurious has a Salmon with Martini Sauce that was yummy! That might work. But I agree with some of the above, might as well just drink it! My latest favorite gin drink, Bees Knees. (1 part honey syrup, 2 parts gin, shaken)

[pcj]

I soak diced ham in gin over night for use in pasta sauces the next day.

[greedygirl]

Take a large glass, add lots of ice, gin, a slice of lemon and top with tonic - perfection! Seems a shame to cook with it, especially if it's Hendricks or Tanqueray.

Otherwise, Nigella has a recipe for pheasant with gin and it.

[AlaskaChick]

I once had a recipe for a pasta salad with gin in the dressing but can't seem to locate it - what I recall was it had pasta, black olives and a creamy dressing (sour cream) that had gin in it. I keep thinking I'll try to recreate but never seem to get around to it.

[maier]

I use gin when I make gravelax - sprinkle over the salmon before you add the dill. I like to use Hendrix, but any good quality gin should work.

[smalt]

Just remembered.....one way that we typically cook geoduck or razor clams is to do a quick saute and then add ginger/gin/soy to flavor....yummmmm.....

[porceluna]

This is exactly what I've been looking for, guys! I'm definitely going to try gin in a marinade and with scallops. Yum! Now I can use up my bottle!

[gordeaux]

Sear sea scallops until almost done. Add a good chunk of butter, garlic shallot, salt/pepper to the pan. Deglaze with a few oz of gin. Add a touch of heavy cream to add body. Finish with chopped parsley. Serve over rice. The gin showcases the scallops' sweetness like you wouldn't believe.

[Botch]

Also other creamy-seafood sauces. Like clam sauce for linguine, or any seafood sauce for that matter as a sub for white wine.

[coll]

Anything that calls for juniper berries: I don't keep them around the house but always have a bottle of gin. I cook with it more than I drink it!

[FrankJBN]

I have not found gin to be an adequate substitute for juniper berries

[coll]

I've never actually used juniper berries so I wouldn't know!

[MartinDC]

I was making a choucroute garnie, and I couldn't find juniper berries in my walkable markets, so I poured in some gin. It worked for me ... maybe not exactly using the juniper berries, but it was good in its own right.

[jennylou]

Maybe if you drink enough gin it doesn't matter anymore :)

[meatn3]

I have used it for refrigerator pickles - very nice flavor!

[rockfish42]

Sunset did an article about using cocktail flavored marinades a while back though I can't seem to find it.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

[smalt]

I use gin in soy-based marinades.....soy sauce, ginger, gin! Mostly chicken, but beef, too....