Jan Norris: Food and Florida

Chef Ryan Artim's labs ready for the holidays

On a chilly night, nothing is better than a cup of hot, sweet cider.

We tasted this one, made by Chef Ryan Artim at the Ritz Cartlton, Palm Beach, at the recent Palm Beach Wine and Food Festival where it won the raves of both guests and other chefs. (He shared his holiday card.)

Start the recipe for cider the morning before serving, or days before. It keeps in the refrigerator for a week. Serve with the Ritz’s gingersnap cookies.

Homemade Apple Cider

• 10 apples, quartered
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
• 2 whole star anise
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably, freshly grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• water, approximately 1 gallon
• cheesecloth, for straining
  

Scrub and quarter the apples. Put into a large stockpot along with remaining ingredients. Cover the ingredients with water to measure 2 inches over top of ingredients.

Bring mixture to a boil and continue to boil gently for 1 hour. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer; cook 2 hours more. Remove from heat and cool in pot.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Strain mixture again through a few layers of cheesecloth. Put into a lidded container and refrigerate until chilled. Serve hot or cold, garnished with cinnamon sticks.

Makes approximately 1 quart cider.

(Recipe courtesy Chef Ryan Artim, Ritz Carlton Palm Beach.)