PrintHave Cointreau. Now What?
It is an unopened Christmas gift. I have a rare occasional drink and have used Triple Sec in recipes, but I understand this is stronger. If one were to drink this as an apéritif or digestif, what is the proper temperature?
I'd love some ideas or recipes, as I've never tasted or used this before. Thanks Serious Eaters!
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22 Comments:
I would drink it on the rocks if you're inclined to drink it straight but you can make some great cocktails with it, my favorite is the black feather which is a cocktail made up by "drinkboy' Robert Hess, a man who quite frankly is at the top of the cocktail game (perhaps with the exception of Tailor's Eben Freeman)
The Black Feather
2 ounces cognac
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce cointreau
1 dash of bitters (which type is not specified, I decided on Peyschaud’s)
Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
This is a great cold weather, quaint drink.
I have some other great recipes on my website that incorporate cointreau.
www.flyboyznyc.com
just type cointreau into the search bar in the middle of the right column
cheers and enjoy your gift!
Mheusler at 10:29PM on 01/30/08
My sister-in-law puts it in a Margarita - in addition to the triple sec. She adds the tequilla, sweet&sour mix, cointreau & triple sec(same amounts) and lime juice - no the sweetened, straight. It's an excellent margarita!
Maleficent_fan at 10:43PM on 01/30/08
Add a little bit when you make homemade whipped cream or when strawberries are in season add some Cointreau to cut strawberries with some sugar or honey, let sit for awhile and have a grown up strawberry shortcake. Also, a little splash over ice cream is good.
evilchefmom at 10:46PM on 01/30/08
cointreau is a triple sec; "triple sec" refers to any in a range of triple-distilled clear orange liqueurs. it probably differs from what you're using now in quality, but not in general principle. my fave recipe is one i got for christmas: a friend made me rosemary-infused vodka (a few sprigs in a bottle for 3 days, then removed), which is mixed 1 part vodka to 1/2 part cointreau and 1/2 part pomegranate juice. shake over ice, then strain into a glass and garnish with an orange wheel skewered on a sprig of rosemary. it's delish. herbal and unique.
mendicity at 11:10PM on 01/30/08
Thing pairings. Orange pairs well with chocolate, (mousse, hot chocolate, puddings, cakes, icings, ganache) and duck (sauces) and cranberry. There must be more ... but it's late and I'm drawing blanks! :-)
kjgibson at 12:01AM on 01/31/08
OK -- that should read "Think pairings" .... I said it was late!
kjgibson at 12:02AM on 01/31/08
I use it in cakes and custards. Try it in pound cake it gives a buttery cirtus flavor.
JerzeeTomato at 2:55AM on 01/31/08
It definitely takes your cocktails up a notch from Triple Sec, just as Grand Marnier does for a top shelf margarita. We like to add a splash and a bit of orange zest to fresh fruit (particularly melons, berries, bananas, pineapple and obviously citrus) just for summer weekend brunches. It makes fruit kind of special. You can macerate fresh berries in it with a little sugar and they are dynamite over cake or ice cream. Very elegant.
Cointreau is not just for desserts, though. It pairs exceedingly well with chicken and pork. We've done a sauce with apricot brandy, cointreau, apricots and orange zest - killer good.
And I agree totally with kjgibson, you can't make a better pairing than orange and chocolate "anything"!
frederika at 9:15AM on 01/31/08
Add it to any Sangria you may make.
Stiv61 at 9:25AM on 01/31/08
i do it with strawberries as well for shortcake and other things but i have it with strawberries splash of balsamic vinegar, splash of cointreau and a tiny bit of sugar to taste. sooooo good!
sustarz at 9:37AM on 01/31/08
Truffles!!
CookiePie at 10:19AM on 01/31/08
there's a recipe for a strawberry cup custard in roast chicken and other stories that calls for cointreau and looks wonderful. if you don't have the book {and i highly recommend it} i can post it for you.
cybercita at 9:17AM on 02/01/08
What book cybercita? And thanks. Since I rarely drink, I'm hoping to find something besides the only use I really know, which is to mascerate fresh fruit. I am going to try a couple of those drinks though. I just need to get some of the other mixers. I always have wine on hand, but I think the only other alcoholic beverage is a bottle of brandy and there might be some vermouth? When my daughters were teens, I cleaned out the liquor cabinet. Guess it worked, because they don't drink much either. Hooray!
PerkyMac at 9:31AM on 02/01/08
it's called roast chicken and other stories by simon hopkinson. it's an idiosyncratic little cookbook from england, just published here in the states.
here's the recipe, and i warn you, it'll make you want to buy this book!
strawberry pots de creme
8 oz strawberries
3 T sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 T cointreau
"preheat oven to 275. puree the strawberries in a blender with the sugar and egg yolks. pass through a fine sieve, then stir in the cream and cointreau and mix well. pour into individual ramekins and cook in a bain-marie about one hour. check from time to time, as cooking times vary in different ovens; the texture of this custard should be just set and slightly wobbly in the center, and the custards will carry on cooking a little in their own heat. leave to cool, then chill thoroughly for at least 6 hours. serve with cold heavy cream poured on top so that each time you take a spoonful, the cream fills up the hole.
this is just as successful made with raspberries."
he doesn't say how many servings. i'm hoping six, because i have six ramekins, which i bought after reading this!
cybercita at 10:15AM on 02/01/08
WOW! That is mouth watering and so decadent. I don't have ramekins, but somewhere I have bowls I used for French onion soup. They should work. I'll use the small ones. Now, time to order some strawberries. Thanks!!!
PerkyMac at 10:24AM on 02/01/08
let us know how it turns out.
cybercita at 12:15PM on 02/01/08
When I first started entertaining, but before I really started cooking, my dessert of choice was lemon sherbet with a little Cointreau poured over it, and an Orange Milano cookie stuck in the side. It was elegant, crisp, and really simple. Now I cook incredibly complex meals, but just thinking about that old dessert made my mouth water a little!
klg19 at 8:07PM on 02/02/08
A good brandy snifter, a comfy chair by the fire and a window overlooking a snow storm. That's how I like my Cointreau!
boomer53 at 9:36PM on 02/02/08
Hennessey Sidecar
1 1/2 oz. Hennessey Cognac
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.
boomer53 at 9:40PM on 02/02/08
Every year for Christmas morning breakfast, my French stepfather makes crepes and we drizzle Cointreau on them. Perfect.
Hamburger America at 8:02AM on 02/03/08
Another great brunch idea -
Put about a teaspoon of Cointreau to the bottom of a champagne flute, maybe a splash of vodka (optinoal) and then fill with Prosecco. Really nice sparkling cocktail instead of mimosas.
hreisig at 12:06PM on 02/03/08
Thanks Cybercita! I bought some red and white heart-shaped ramekins for Valentine's Day but had not decided what to do with them....... I will now wonder no more... The Strawberry Pots de Creme will work out perfectly... Thanks again!!!
cajunanne at 9:44AM on 02/04/08