Recipes

A country inn recipe for Apricot Brandy Conserve.

Showstopping party dish — chicken braised with Bing cherries, chili sauce, and sherry, then finished tableside with flambéed brandy.

A chilled rich shrimp bisque: shrimp shells sautéed with mirepoix and flambéed in brandy, simmered with tomato paste and aromatic herbs, thickened with beurre manié, finished with cream, and served cold with smoked shrimp.

A classic French country pâté of ground veal, boiled ham, pork butt, and chicken livers marinated 24 hours in brandy and port with herbs and spices, pressed into bacon-lined terrines and baked in a water bath.

A rustic English pub lunch built around a homemade pate en croute — ground veal, pork, chicken livers, and boiled ham in brandy-port marinade, baked in pastry with soft-boiled eggs inside, served with brown bread, blue cheese, and cornichons.

Sliced cooking pears caramelized in butter and sugar, then dramatically flambéed with Pear William Brandy and spooned over pound cake ice cream sandwiches with spiced pecans.

A traditional Italian sweet bread made with fast-rising yeast, eggs, margarine, orange peel, brandy extract, and mixed dried fruit.

Whole chicken slow-cooked on a bed of garlic, tomatoes, ham, and golden raisins in port wine and brandy, finished with a golden broil.