We’ve extolled the virtues of cider and cheese many times, from shouting out cider-washed cheese collaborations, to offering a handy primer on how to construct a cider-friendly cheese board, to suggesting cheese and cider pairings. And so our love affair with this most gorgeous of combos continues with a wondrously decadent recipe for cheese and cider sauce, meant to be paired with fresh soft pretzels (though it’s awfully good with crunchy pretzels, raw veggies and sliced baguette, too).

Once you’ve got this recipe down, you’re set for life when it comes to late night munchies and party apps. Melty, savory and exceptionally craveable, our cider cheese sauce is a snack-lover’s best friend!

Hard Cider Cheese Sauce with Soft Pretzels

Ready in: 20 minutes

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry hard cider
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for serving
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup chives, minced
• Fresh soft pretzels

Method

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add shallot and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle flour over shallots and whisk constantly until flour turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Slowly whisk in hard cider until incorporated. Whisk in milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken.
4. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, one handful at a time, whisking to incorporate between each addition. Once cheese is fully incorporated, remove from heat and top with chives and black pepper.
5. Serve with fresh soft pretzels (or other snacks of your choice).

Recipe and photo by Dish Works.

The post Hard Cider Cheese Sauce with Soft Pretzels appeared first on Cider Culture.

In celebration of warmer weather ahead, we’re riffing on one of our favorite low-proof cocktails, the Campari Spritz. This Italian aperitif, consisting of sparkling wine, Campari (a ruby red herbal, bitter liqueur, often served before meals) and soda water, is the perfect thing to sip on a mild afternoon along with some salty snacks and good company. In our version, cider steps in for the sparkling wine, adding a nice touch of sweetness and depth to the cocktail, but keeping the alcohol content low. Trust us, this is a good thing when you’ve got the whole evening stretching ahead of you — a round or two won’t rob you of your wits. Use whatever modern cider you’ve got on hand, preferably something sessionable and dry. Don’t forget the wedge of fresh orange to garnish, as its acidic zestiness lifts the whole drink and keeps you coming back for more.

Hard Cider Spritz

Ready in: 5 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 3 ounces hard cider
• 1 ounce Campari (Aperol works, too)
• Juice of one orange wedge
• Seltzer or club soda
• Orange wedge, for garnish

Method

• Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Add hard cider, Campari and orange wedge. Top with seltzer.
• Stir and garnish with an orange wedge.

Video, photo and recipe by Dish Works

The post Hard Cider Spritz appeared first on Cider Culture.

All hail summer peaches: fuzzy, sweet, juicy, addictive. We wait all year for these beautiful fruits to hit the farmers market, and when they finally do, we scoop them up with reckless abandon. Enjoy the brilliance of peaches’ flavor in a different way: jammy preserves, made with hard cider, honey, lemon and a touch of salt and fresh herbs. This isn’t one of those uber-complicated preserves recipes where you have to use a candy thermometer or boil your jars. The naturally occurring pectin in the fruit acts as a thickening agent, and a simple simmer will give it a wonderful, spreadable quality. Keep it in a jar in the fridge, and use as a topping for oatmeal, toast, yogurt and ice cream, or with pork or chicken for a savory option. For the easiest happy-hour snack, spread some whipped ricotta on toasted baguette and top with cider peach preserves. Any way you use it, enjoy the harmonious union of peak-season peaches and crisp, tart hard cider.

Cider Peach Preserves

Ready in: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup hard cider
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Combine peaches, honey, lemon juice, hard cider, thyme, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 70 to 80 minutes, until peaches break down and liquid has reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer cooled preserves to resealable glass jars, cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Video, photo and recipe by Dish Works.

The post Cider Peach Preserves appeared first on Cider Culture.

Sangria is what you want in hand as you’re floating in a pool, digging your toes into the sand, or enjoying those fleeting just-before-sunset vibes on the back patio. For this refreshing, easygoing recipe, you’ll want to find ripe (but not overripe) white peaches, as their light-colored flesh is sweeter and less tart than yellow peaches. You’ll already be getting plenty of crisp tartness from the hard cider in the mix, and white peach’s mellow flavor melds so well with the dry white wine and the sweet schnapps.

The secret weapon in this white peach cider sangria is the heaping two cups of fresh mint that lighten the whole thing up with a zippy, herbal green flavor. Mix up a pitcher, remembering to allow time to let it chill in the fridge for at least a few hours. As a little bonus, enjoy the booze-soaked peaches that float in the sangria for a tipsy snack.

White Peach Cider Sangria

Ready in: 10 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (750 mL) bottle Pinot Grigio or Riesling
• 1 cup Peach Schnapps
• 24 ounces hard cider
• 2 pounds ripe, but firm, white peaches
• 2 cups fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

Method

1. Combine wine, Schnapps and hard cider in a large serving pitcher. Remove pits from peaches and slice peaches into thin wedges and immediately add to pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Just prior to serving, stir in mint leaves. Serve over ice.

Photo and recipe by Dish Works.

The post White Peach Cider Sangria appeared first on Cider Culture.

This summer-fabulous recipe combines two of our favorite things: boozy popsicles and cider-spiked cocktails. We’ve taken the traditional Negroni, an Italian cocktail that’s traditionally made of one part gin, one part sweet vermouth and one part Campari. This pre-dinner tipple is usually stirred (not shaken), strained into a chilled cocktail glass over ice and garnished with a sassy piece of orange peel. The combo is strong and refreshing, perfect for sultry afternoons when it’s too hot to move (it’s true: Italians do it better).

These ingredients work impressively well when combined with craft cider and frozen into pops. To ramp up the flavors, we’ve added extra citrus; a huge blast of orange and grapefruit juices builds the perfect bridge between bitter, sharp Campari and the sweet tartness of apples. A whole slice of grapefruit looks impressive embedded in the pop, too! Make a batch of Grapefruit Cider Negroni Pops, and keep them in the freezer for a ready-made cocktail anytime friends stop by or the mood strikes!

Grapefruit Cider Negroni Pops

Ready in: 5 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 4 ounces hard cider
• 2 ounces Campari
• 2 ounces gin
• 10 thin slices grapefruit, halved

Method

1. Combine all ingredients except grapefruit slices in large container with a pour spout. Place grapefruit slices in popsicle molds and fill each with grapefruit orange mixture. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze until solid, six hours or overnight.
2. To remove popsicles, dip molds into room temperature water to loosen. Tug on sticks to pull out popsicles.

The post Grapefruit Cider Negroni Pops appeared first on Cider Culture.

By definition, a “smash” must contain the following things: ice, seasonal fruit, liquor and herbs. What you get from this divine combination of ingredients is a refreshing, fruity cocktail that you literally want to smash into your face until the brutality of summer heat can’t touch you anymore. (Also, smashes are so easy to drink, they might get you smashed, so tread carefully and try not to chug!).

Our fun take on the smash cocktail parameters pairs perfectly ripe peaches – get them from the farmers market if you can – mint, bourbon and hard cider. It’s a bit of a twist on a cider mint julep, with just enough sunshine sweetness and herbaceousness to make it altogether smashable!

Cider Peach Smash

Ready in: 10 minutes

Makes: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 ripe peach, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves (3 or 4 medium or 4 to 6 small) plus more for garnish
• 2 ounces bourbon
• Hard cider

Method

1. Combine brown sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, whisking frequently, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to resealable container and refrigerate until ready to use (will keep for up to 3 weeks in refrigerator).
2. To make drink, combine diced peach, 1 ounce brown sugar simple syrup and mint in bottom of shaker. Gently muddle to break down peaches. Fill shaker with ice and shake until thoroughly chilled.
3. Strain mixture over ice in serving glass and top with hard cider. Garnish with fresh mint.

The post Cider Peach Smash Cocktail appeared first on Cider Culture.

A little bit tangy and a little bit sweet, this barbecue sauce may sound simple, but it packs a punch with complex flavors. Slather it on chicken sandwiches, burgers, wings, ribs, pulled pork and portobello mushrooms for a cider-spiked grilled feast. You can even make it vegan-friendly by substituting olive oil for butter, skipping the Worcestershire and drizzling the sauce on tofu. Let’s get cooking!

Cider BBQ Sauce

Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup apricot preserves
• 1 cup ketchup
• ½ cup hard cider
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1 habanero chile, minced

Method

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring until the onions soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the apricot preserves, ketchup, hard cider, cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and habanero.
3. Simmer over low heat until thick and glossy, about 20 minutes.

Recipe and photos by Dish Works.

The post Cider BBQ Sauce appeared first on Cider Culture.

Want to learn a cool new party trick? Make a batch of ginger cider granita. Granita is a fancy-sounding Italian dessert that’s actually the easiest thing in the world to pull together. Essentially, you make a sweetened liquid, and then freeze it, stirring it with a fork every half-hour or so. When it starts to resemble water ice (that’s Italian ice to you non-East Coasters), it’s ready to go!

Of course, we wanted to find a way to incorporate cider into this elegant treat and found that, when combined with spicy fresh ginger and a squeeze of lime, it actually makes the perfect accompaniment for oysters-on-the-half-shell.

Ginger Cider Granita

Ready in: 2 hours (largely unattended)

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

• 12 ounces hard cider
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Pinch salt

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour contents of blender into wide metal or glass dish and place in freezer.
3. Every 30 minutes, remove dish and scrape juice with fork. Return to freezer and repeat until juice turns into solid ice crystals.
4. Serve in glass or over raw oysters-on-the-half-shell.

Video, recipe and photo by Dish Works.

The post Ginger Cider Granita appeared first on Cider Culture.

Bottled salad dressing is a scam. Yeah, we said it — a scam. We’ll bet you a cold cider that in just a few minutes, using a handful of ingredients you probably have in your pantry, you can make a vinaigrette that beats the pants off the packaged stuff. Making this DIY dressing also means no weird preservatives or stabilizers and our recipe includes hard cider! The combo of tart, crisp cider, tangy vinegar, sweet honey, and zesty mustard is so good. Try it on this refreshing citrus kale salad with avocado, feta and walnuts, or on a Lyonnaise-inspired mix of chicories, red onion and bacon with a poached egg on top!

Citrus Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Salad recipe inspired by Half Baked Harvest

Ready in: 10 minutes 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For Cider Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup hard cider
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch fresh cracked black pepper

For Citrus Salad

• 6 cups Tuscan kale
• 2 cups arugula
• 3 mixed oranges, peeled and sliced
• 2 firm-ripe avocados, sliced
• 2 cups toasted crushed walnuts
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method

1. Add all ingredients to small jar. Affix lid and shake jar until ingredients are combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to preference (add more honey for more sweetness, more vinegar for more tartness, or more salt and pepper). Store covered in refrigerator for up to a week. Shake before serving.
2. Add kale and arugula to salad bowl and toss with half of vinaigrette. Add oranges, avocado, walnuts and feta and toss gently to combine. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.

Recipe and photo by Dish Works.

The post Citrus Salad with Cider Vinaigrette appeared first on Cider Culture.

Compound butter is just a fancy name for flavored butter, which is one of the easiest and most straightforward ways to add flavor to pretty much anything. Even something as simple as roasted veggies, biscuits, or (sadly, this happens all too often) under-seasoned turkey or chicken is totally transformed with one swipe of compound butter. It’s truly like a magic wand that brings delicious flavor to anything it touches.

And the best part is that making it couldn’t be easier! Essentially, whatever ingredients you want to use are mixed into softened butter, which is then refrigerated to firm back up again. That’s it! You can make it sweet, spicy, savory or any combination thereof. One cozy combo we’ve been digging is sage, cider, shallot and maple; the apple character of the cider is the perfect pair for the earthy, herbal quality of the sage, balanced in equal measures by the allium sharpness of the shallot and the round sweetness of the maple. Try it on biscuits, rolls, steak, chicken, pork and more!

Cider Sage Compound Butter

Ready in: 15 minutes

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
• 3 ounces hard cider
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• Kosher salt

Method

1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and sage and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in hard cider and cook until reduced, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer contents of skillet to mixing bowl with remaining butter and maple syrup. Add salt to taste and whisk together until combined and creamy. Transfer to serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Serve at room temperature.

The post Cider Sage Compound Butter appeared first on Cider Culture.