Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Celebrate Rum Day with a glass or fork
Forget “yo-ho-ho.” When the women behind Full Spirited Flavours need rum, they don’t buy a bottle. They import 55-gallon drums.
“We always order a straw, but they said, ‘no,’” joked co-owner Carole Algier, whose Phoenixville company specializes in alcohol-infused cakes (and soon cookies too). “Rum has its own distinct personality, and it gives our cake personality.”
After sampling more than 20 rums, she and her partners/sisters Sue Katein and Kathy Lanyon agreed on a favorite for their Caribbean Coconut Rum Cake.
“It is the most wonderful coconut rum that we use,” described Katein, the baker in the family. “We always say it takes you to the islands.”
Get whisked away this National Rum Day. Think beyond the piña colada and enjoy a slice of cake sautéed in butter with rum-soaked pineapple. Or fire up the grill for rum-glazed pineapple and vanilla mascarpone – an easy recipe from The Kitchen Workshop in Paoli.
“It’s a great late-summer dessert,” said chef Art Roman. “If not pineapple, peaches would be good – any fruit that you would typically grill.”
As for drinks, Phoenixvillebased Bluebird Distilling offers a Light ‘n’ Stormy, featuring ginger beer, lime juice and its Sugarcane Rum.
“It’s a play on 1800s rum from the French Caribbean,” said founder and distiller Jared Adkins. “It’s a really flavorful rum that lends itself well to today’s mixology.”
He also makes Dark Rum, which “is our Sugarcane Rum that’s then put back in our bourbon barrels and our rye whiskey barrels… adding really complex notes of dark fruit and honey.”
At Paramour in Wayne, restaurant manager Paul Zuber mixes rum, port, vermouth, calvados and plum bitters in a “spirit-forward” signature cocktail called Wood to Burn.
The name? It’s from a Francis Bacon quote - “Age appears best in four things: old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust and old authors to read.”
And “the result,” he noted, “is a well-integrated, sturdy and sophisticated sipper.”
So, raise a glass to National Rum Day. Or take a page from Full Spirited Flavours and grab a fork.
“What could be better than a little alcohol and a great cake?” Katein said. sugar has melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, cooled, covered and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.) Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a sharp knife. Whisk the mascarpone and vanilla seeds together. (The mascarpone can be made a day in advance, covered and kept refrigerated.) Heat your grill to high. Grill the pineapple slices, brushing frequently with the glaze, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the pineapple to a platter or serving plates and top each slice with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries. Serve immediately. Serves 6. RECIPE COURTESY OF THE KITCHEN WORKSHOP