Post by JustJohn or JJ on Oct 29, 2017 8:05:16 GMT -7
Fr. Krya, author or A Polish Christmas Eve"" shared his family's recipe for Krupnik at an event held in Buffalo, New York to benefit St. Casimir's. The recipe is only one of the many Polish treasures to be found in his book.
HONEY CORDIAL – KRUPNIK
Krysa family recipe
This recipe is an old Krysa family specialty, and a favorite Christmas holiday beverage. Handed down through generations, it has been perfected over the years. For the first time this book publishes its secrets in their entirety, To your Health! Na zdrowie!
2 cups buckwheat or wild flower honey
½ nutmeg or 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup water
6 whole cloves or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons bitters*
3 cinnamon sticks or 1 tablespoon ground
1 lemon rind, pith removed, sliced into thin cinnamon Strips
5 juniper berries
1 vanilla bean
2 quarts 100 proof vodka
Break cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean into 2 to 3 pieces. Grind all whole spices (in a spice mill, hand held coffee grinder or food processor). Bring water (or prepared wormwood tea*) to a boil. Add honey, spices, bitters (if wormwood is not used) and bring to a boil. Add lemon rind. Let simmer for at least ½ hour. Remove from heat and cool. Strain cold mixture into a 2-gallon pot with a tight fitting cover. Bring to a boil and simmer. Bring vodka to a slow boil in a separate pot. After both the honey mixture and vodka are gently boiling, turn burner off and remove both mixtures from stove. Away from the stove, carefully pour vodka into honey mixture (the mixture will foam violently). Immediately cover tightly. Cool to room temperature.
When at room temperature, pour mixture into gallon bottle and allow to settle for at least one week. Carefully pour off or siphon clear liquid into bottles, leaving the dregs (cloudy mixture of spices) behind. The dregs may be slowly filtered through a paper coffee filter folded into a cone and placed in a funnel. Filtering takes some time and the filters need to be changed each time more of the dregs are added.
Another way of creatively using the dregs is to add a tablespoon to freshly brewed coffee for a tasty Polish coffee treat!
*Bitters may be substituted with wormwood (piołun) herbal tea. Prepare the tea the night before by pouring ½ cup boiling water over 3 tablespoons of the herb. Let it brew overnight or until it cools to room temperature. Strain. Discard herbs and use wormwood tea for making the initial mixture of honey and spices. Wormwood is available at specialty spice/health food stores.
