New Experience

Those of you who know me know that I love to bake. Well I found a new recipe for an apple tart and I REALLY wanted to make it! There was one ingredient that I didn't have yet, though; brandy. Now, I will cook with cooking wines sometimes, such as marsala, white, red, etc, but brandy is a hard liquor, and I hadn't realized until now, that the stores in NY don't carry anything besides cooking wines and beer. After figuring this out I realized I was going to have to bite the bullet and do something I'd never done before; enter a liquor store.

I tried going one evening, but realized they close pretty early. Dang it. I really want this tart! So the next day I get in the car with my girls and head over to the shopping center where the local liquor store is located. I felt SO out of place! In I walk with a babe in arms and a toddler holding my hand. The two customers look up with amusement on their faces. The man at the register looks at me with question. "I need some brandy to flambé some apples for a tart", I tell him. I'm pretty sure I hear the two other customers chuckle under their breath. I'd hoped to ask the cashier/owner if they carried items like orange liqueur, but once inside the store I had one thought: get in, get brandy, get out.

The employee asks me how much I need. I tell him the recipe calls for 1/4 cup, but that I'd like to be able to make it more than once. He suggests this TINY little flask of brandy. I opt for the larger one so I don't have to return to the liquor store ever again.
He hands me the flask. Annibelle says, "I want to hold it, mommy". I laugh and tell her that I don't think that's a good idea. The employee laughs and offers the girls a dum-dum sucker from his halloween candy bowl. This distracts them perfectly. I decide to pay with cash, as I don't want this purchase on my bank statement. Then the cashier hands me my flask of brandy in a brown paper bag. I feel like a homeless drunk just holding it. I decide to put it in my purse so I won't draw attention to myself. It's surprisingly heavy, but I feel better with it out of sight.

I finally get to make this amazing apple tart, and it really is delicious! It's very mild, as the recipe doesn't call for much sugar and very little spices. I may alter that a bit... A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side completes this scrumptious dish! The recipe is soon to come on my food blog, goodbuysgreatbites.com