Best Aquavit Recipes

ANDREAS VIESTAD'S MOCK AQUAVIT

Steps:

• Open the vodka bottle, add all the remaining ingredients, and cover tightly.
• Let stand in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks, shaking every 3 or 4 days - how long you let it sit depends on how strong you want it, so taste it after 2 weeks to see if you want to let it go longer.
• When it's as strong as you'd like, strain the solids through a sieve and discard them, then transfer the aquavit back into the bottle.
• To serve: place your aquavit in the freezer until chilled and you can also place your 1 ounce tall glasses in the refrigerator until chilled - then serve (ask your Scandinavian friends about toasting practices with aquavit, as it can be rather complicated).
• Note: some people prefer non-potato vodka - use whatever you like.

AQUAVIT'S SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Prepare the Meatballs.
• Combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl, stirring until all the crumbs are moistened.
• Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion and saute for for about five minutes, until softened.
• Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, veal and pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands (remember Julia--your impeccably clean hands).
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the bread crumb/cream mixture and mix well.
• With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golfballs, placing them on a plate slightly moistened with water.
• You should have about 24 meatballs.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about seven minutes, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate and keep warm.
• Discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
• Prepare the Sauce.
• Return the skillet to the heat.
• Whisk in the stock, 1/2 cup of cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.
• Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves and pickled cucumbers.

AQUAVIT'S QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible, using a mandoline if you have one.
• If you only have regular cucumbers, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds before slicing.
• Put the slices in a colander and toss them with the salt.
• Let the cucumber sit while you prepare the marinade (or for up to about 30 minutes.
• Combine water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Rinse the salt off the cucumber slices and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, using paper towels to blot them dry.
• Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and add the marinade (the cucumber should be completely covered).
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours before serving.

AQUAVIT CARAWAY SPRITZER

Steps:

• Add the caraway seeds to a dry saucepan and toast until lightly fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and let steep until cool. Strain and discard any solids.
• Fill a cocktail shaker and 2 rocks glasses with ice. Add the aquavit, orange juice, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons caraway syrup to the shaker and shake vigorously (save the remaining syrup for another use). Pour the drink into the glasses and top with club soda. Garnish with the orange half-rounds.

AQUAVIT-MARINATED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup chopped dill. Set marinade aside.
• Place 1/4 cup chopped dill in medium saucepan. Add 4 cups water. Bring to boil. Stir in shrimp. Remove from heat. Let stand until shrimp are opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Drain shrimp; reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Stir reserved cooking liquid into marinade. Add shrimp. Cover; chill 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Drain; reserve 3 tablespoons marinade.
• Mix mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons marinade in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Shrimp and sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Chill separately.)
• Arrange dill sprigs on platter. Arrange shrimp and tomatoes atop dill. Serve with sauce.

BERRY AQUAVIT

Steps:

• Place berries in a wide-mouthed jar and pour in vodka. Seal jar.
• Let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 weeks, until the full flavor has fully developed.
• Strain vodka into a container and add simple syrup.
• Transfer to a one-liter bottle and add some fresh berries for garnish.
• Seal bottle and store in the freezer.
• Serve ice-cold, in shot glasses.

AQUAVIT BLOODY MARYS

Steps:

• Stir together all ingredients with salt to taste in a pitcher. Serve over ice in 6 (12-ounce) highball glasses.

MUSSELS WITH AQUAVIT, CREAM, AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Throw out any mussels with cracked shells or that did not close when you scrubbed them.
• Heat the butter over medium heat in a pot just large enough to hold the mussels. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes. Add half the tarragon, the thyme, vinegar, fennel seeds, aquavit, and mussels. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cover and let steam for 6 to 7 minutes, until the mussels have opened. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl; discard any that did not open.
• Add the cream to the cooking juices and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until slightly reduced. Season with salt and a little more minced garlic, if desired. Pour the cooking juices over the mussels, sprinkle with the rest of the tarragon, and serve.

AQUAVIT SPRITZER

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon hot water in a pitcher. Stir to dissolve. Add preserves. Using a wooden spoon, stir to loosen preserves and mix with simple syrup. Gently stir in soda water and aquavit.
• Fill tumblers with ice. Divide aquavit spritzer equally among glasses and garnish each with a lemon twist.

CUCUMBER AQUAVIT GRANITA

Steps:

• Coarsely chop enough of cucumbers to measure 4 1/2 cups and purée in a blender with remaining ingredients in 2 batches until smooth. Pour into an 8- to 9-inch baking pan.
• Freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every hour, until evenly frozen, about 4 hours total. Scrape with a fork to lighten texture, crushing any lumps.
• Serve immediately or freeze, covered, up to 3 days (rescrape to lighten texture again if necessary).

AQUAVIT SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the Meatballs. 2 Combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl, stirring until all the crumbs are moistened. 3 Set aside. 4 Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. 5 Add the onion and saute for for about five minutes, until softened. 6 Remove from heat. 7 In a large bowl, combine ground beef, veal and pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands (remember Julia--your impeccably clean hands). 8 Season with salt and pepper to taste. 9 Add the bread crumb/cream mixture and mix well. 10 With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golfballs, placing them on a plate slightly moistened with water. 11 You should have about 24 meatballs. 12 Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 13 Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about seven minutes, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through. 14 Transfer the meatballs to a plate and keep warm. 15 Discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet. 16 Prepare the Sauce. 17 Return the skillet to the heat. 18 Whisk in the stock, 1/2 cup of cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. 19 Season to taste with salt and pepper. 20 Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. 21 Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves and pickled cucumbers.

AQUAVIT'S GINGERSNAP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the butter until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and molasses, and incorporate well.
• Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
• Mix well, then gently fold in the candied orange peel,if using.
• Place dough in the refrigerator until chilled.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls, dip the top half of the cookie in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, coating them well.
• Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 7 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Use a spatula to remove the cookies from the sheet and let cool.

AQUAVIT BLOODY MARY

Steps:

• In a pitcher combine the aquavit, the tomato vegetable juice, the horseradish, the Worcestershire sauce, the lemon juice, the Tabasco, and the pepper and stir the mixture well. Divide the Bloody Mary mixture among 6 glasses filled with ice and garnish each drink with a celery rib and a lemon slice.

AQUAVIT LEMON POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly butter 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Line pan with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust with flour.
• Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Beat in aquavit, caraway, vanilla extract and lemon peel. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Sift dry ingredients over batter. Blend well, using rubber spatula.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until deep-golden-brown crust forms and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack, remove parchment paper and cool completely. Wrap tightly in foil and let stand at room temperature overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store at room temperature.)

AQUAVIT'S GINGERSNAP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, and incorporate well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Mix well, then gently fold in the candied orange peel. Place dough in the refrigerator until chilled. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, dip the top half of the cookie in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, coating them well. Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a spatula to remove the cookies from the sheet and let cool.;

BLUEBERRY CITRON AQUAVIT

Steps:

• Wash and dry blueberries. Pour off about 2 tablespoons vodka (just enough for a teeny Martini) to make room for blueberries. Put berries in bottle of vodka. Let vodka stand at room temperature 3 days. Freeze aquavit in bottle at least 8 hours, or until ice-cold, and up to 3 days. (Because of its high alcohol content, aquavit will remain liquid.)
• Pour aquavit into a decanter and serve ice-cold.

AQUAVIT

Steps:

• 1. Toast caraway, fennel, cardamom, and cloves in a small frying pan over medium heat. Shake occasionally until fragrant, around 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• 2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove a quarter of the peel from both the lemon and orange. Avoid removing the white pith; set the peels aside.
• 3. Remove about 2 tablespoons of the vodka from the bottle. Either drink it or discard it. I say drink it!
• 4. Place the toasted spices, lemon and orange peels, and sugar into the bottle with the vodka. Cover tightly.
• 5. Let the vodka infuse at room temperature (choose a spot that is neither too warm nor too cold) for about 2 weeks. Turn and gently shaking the bottle once a day. After 2 weeks, taste the aquavit; let it stand longer as needed.
• 6. Strain the aquavit through a fine-mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup; discard the solids. Transfer the strained aquavit to a clean bottle with a tightfitting lid and store it in the freezer.

AQUAVIT "POACHED" SALMON WITH LEEKS AND DILL

Steps:

• In a large, deep, heavy-bottomed skillet heat butter over med-high heat until melted and pan is hot. Add leeks and sautee until slightly tender - about 5 minutes. Add dill and sautee for about 1 minute. Add aquavit and boil for about 2-3 minutes to help burn off alcohol. Add orange juice, bring to a gentle biol. Place salmon fillets on top of leeks and cover. "steam" on med-low until salmon is just cooked through.

CARAWAY AND AQUAVIT BISCUIT WEDGES

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Combine 1/3 cup aquavit and 2 teaspoons caraway in medium bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Blend flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat 1 egg and milk into aquavit mixture. Pour liquids over dry ingredients and process, using on/off turns, just until moist clumps form. Gently knead dough on floured surface to combine, about 6 turns.
• Press out dough to 7-inch round. Cut round into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing apart. Beat remaining egg to blend in small bowl. Brush biscuits lightly with beaten egg. Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to platter. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.

AKVAVIT (AQUAVIT)

Steps:

• 1. Place the seeds in a glass jar. Add the vodka and screw on the lid. Shake. Let sit for at least 24 hours at room temp.
• 2. Strain through cheesecloth. Taste. Add vodka until the strength is to your liking.
• 3. Serve well chilled in small shot glasses. Skol...!