| From
the White Lotus Kitchen Chai Spiced
Cider
Fall is harvest time and nothing speaks louder than
the bounty of fresh crisp apples. The fruit is one of
the central characters in Michael Pollan’s book,
Botany of Desire, a must if you haven’t already
read it or seen the magnificent PBS adaptation. The
apple represents sweetness in the four chapters that
show us the nature of our relationship to the plants
we cultivate and seemingly domesticate, and the evolution
of our relationship to the plant kingdom. Thus, the
recipe I created celebrating the simple and glorious
apple in giving thanks to the season and in recognition
of our relationship to the planet and to the bounty
of life.
Our energy seems to shift when the snap of fall arrives
in the air. There is that dance that occurs between
the inner and outer. We relish the remaining long shafts
of light while simultaneously we feel the call to bring
in wood for our first fire. Something primal and primordial
ignites in us, so blending the ancient and once coveted
gems from the Spice Road that go into our beloved chai
and adding them to an American classic, apple cider,
made perfect sense when I rolled out of bed this morning.
Your home will smell amazing as you brew up a pot of
this chai spiced cider, and I hope that the zing of
ginger and the allure of clove, cinnamon and cardamom
will warm you for many a day and night in this season
of balance between the dark and the light.
Recipe:
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
2 qts unfiltered apple juice
2 heaping Tbs. peeled and freshly grated ginger
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
6 cardamom pods
1Tsp. freshly grated orange peel
Whole cinnamon sticks and orange slices for garnish
Pour apple juice into a large saucepan and begin to
warm over low heat. Add peeled, freshly grated ginger
(more or less to taste is fine). Add the remaining spices
which have been crushed with a mortar and pestle or
with a rolling pin on a cutting board. You can separate
the cardamom seeds from the green pods if you wish but
it is not necessary as the spices will be strained before
you serve your cider. Add grated orange peel and simmer
over very low heat for 20 minutes. You can cover the
pan to avoid too much evaporation but you will also
need to lower the heat even more to avoid boiling the
cider.
Strain cider and serve in mugs with an orange slice
and cinnamon stick, and for a truly decadent moment
during the holidays top with whipped cream spiked with
a little rum.
|
