Use liqueurs' strong flavors to add depth to savory and sweet dishes

By JENN GARBEE

Tribune Media Services

With lilting names like Amaretto, Cointreau and Chambord, liqueurs are hard to resist when it comes time to stock up for holiday entertaining.

The only problem is if your liquor cabinet is full of stray half-filled bottles left over from last year’s holiday party. You really ought to use them up before you go out and restock. But how?

You could resolve to have more weeknight cocktails. But, really, how many godfathers (2 ounces of Scotch, 1 ounce of Amaretto) can a working person handle in one week?

A better way to reduce your liqueur inventory is to move the bottles to the pantry. Like fine vinegars, liqueurs are excellent ingredients for the kitchen, lending depth to savory and sweet dishes alike. Pretty soon you’ll be drizzling orange liqueur over your weeknight roast chicken and spooning up amaretto-laced ice cream for dessert.

Here are some suggestions for pairing various liqueurs and foods. Take it as inspiration and experiment on your own. Always start with a little liqueur and add more to taste. And remember: In the spirits world, quality is essential. That bargain-basement coconut schnapps is best relegated to the recycle bin rather than rediscovered in Wednesday night’s coconut pad Thai.

Coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua, Starbucks)

Start with 1 tablespoon. Like its nonalcoholic counterpart, coffee liqueur packs a punch. You only need a little to heighten the flavor of chocolate pudding or add depth to caramel sauce. You can add it to the ladyfinger soaking syrup when you’re making tiramisu for extra kick. But nothing tops a hot shot of coffee liqueur poured over chocolate ice cream.

Lemon (Limoncello)

Start with 2 tablespoons. Soften half a pint of lemon, orange or raspberry sorbet, stir in the limoncello, and re-freeze before serving.

Limoncello also shines when it’s folded into freshly whipped cream and used as a topping for fresh berries, lemon or lime pies, or vanilla cake.

For an easy dinner party dessert, drizzle the liqueur over scoops of coconut ice cream and top with toasted coconut.

Orange (Cointreau, Gran Gala, Gran Marnier)

Start with 2 tablespoons. Orange liqueur works well in so many things. Stir it into vanilla cheesecake batter, chocolate mousse, or a jar of apricot marmalade to glaze roast duck.

It complements everything from chocolate to winter citrus fruit salad (say, a mix of grapefruit, oranges, and bananas).

It works beautifully with lime, as in tequila-lime grilled chicken or Key lime pie (think margarita, only edible). Pour some over your weeknight roast chicken before you close the oven door, and use it to dress up cranberry relish (wash one package of fresh cranberries; mix with 1  1/4 cups sugar and 1/2 cup orange liqueur; spread evenly on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour).

Nut, including almond (Amaretto), hazelnut (Frangelico) and walnut (Nocino)

Start with 3 tablespoons. Nut liqueurs shine in desserts, but you need a generous pour of the liqueur to detect the nutty flavor.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, either stirred into a pint or drizzled on top, and add to vanilla cheesecake batter or poached pears (add to the poaching liquid after the pears cook and serve as a sauce).

Nut liqueurs also work very well in sauces for bread pudding, profiteroles or apple pie (cook 1/2 cup nut liqueur over medium heat, until reduced by half, and cool; stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, or more to taste).

Raspberry liqueur (Chambord)

Start with 2 tablespoons. Raspberry liqueur is the runner-up to orange in terms of versatility. Use it to enhance anything chocolate. Add to brownie or cake batter, chocolate icing, mousse or pudding. The liqueur lends depth to berry-based desserts such as raspberry sorbet or cherry pie filling, and its almost winelike flavor works well with beef.

For a memorable appetizer, serve over blue or goat cheese (bring 1/2 cup of liqueur to a simmer; add 1/2 cup dried cranberries; remove from heat and allow berries to cool before topping cheese).

Or jazz up a wheel of baked brie with dried fruit and apples (add 1/4 cup diced Granny Smith apple and 1/2 cup orange juice to the dried cranberry-liqueur mixture, and simmer about 5 minutes, until the apples are tender; slice wheel of brie in half horizontally, spread fruit mixture on one brie half and then top with other half, like a sandwich; bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, and then serve).

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