Baking up a storm? Pay close attention to the flour specifications. Here’s a sifted flour tip: It’s important to note that in a recipe, “sifted flour” is not the same as “flour, sifted.”

In the first instance, you sift the flour, then measure out what you need.

In the second, you measure out what you need, then sift it.

Baking is chemistry: slight deviations can create disappointing results.

Don’t pack flour into a measuring cup: You can end up with 20% more flour than intended.

Instead, use a measuring cup that is exactly one cup to the brim. Fill to overflowing with a scoop or spoon, then level it off with a knife.

And be sure to use the right flour. The wrong type of flour (or too much flour) can result in a tough, dry product. Too little flour can cause a cake to collapse.

Put your baker’s thinking cap on and you’ll be fine.

Thanks to Chef Louis Eguaras for this tip.

Sifted flour (photo © King Arthur Flour).

March 20th is World Flour Day

Party drink or a “homemade gift” for
a lucky someone. Photo courtesy Corzo Tequila.

Here’s something fancy that you can make and bring to a party. And you’ve still got time to make it!

First, you infuse a bottle of silver tequila. (Corzo Tequila, which created this recipe, has the benefit of a decanter-like bottle as well.) Then, you use the infused tequila to make a cocktail—or simply enjoy it straight.

CHRISTMAS TEQUILA COCKTAIL

Ingredients

• 1 part infused tequila (recipe below)
• 1 part apple juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• 4-6 apples for infusion plus apple slices for garnish (you can use all green apples, all red, or a combination)
• 6-10 cinnamon sticks for infusion

That’s more than a bit too fancy for the whiskey available in either rural Arkansas or the Indian territory that became Oklahoma.

And nobody in Charles Portis’ novel, True Grit—or any of the filmed versions—was looking for gold.

But we’ll let that pass, because Wild Turkey has created a charming Old West cocktail that assembles the ingredients—the gold, the grit, the sarsaparilla and the whiskey—into a cocktail honoring the American West.

They named this cocktail after the tough lawman in the novel:

See “True Grit,” then drink it. Photo
courtesy Wild Turkey.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 ounces Wild Turkey 101
• 1/2 ounces Goldschläger, cinnamon schnapps laced with gold flakes (which is a beautiful liqueur to drink straight up or mixed with vodka or blanco/plato/silver tequila, as well, with gold flakes swirling in clear liquid)
• 4 ounces sarsaparilla or any root beer*
• Coarse salt (provides the grit)*Here’s a fun fact: From 1820 to 1910 (much of the time period covered by Charles Portis’ novel, which ends in 1928), sarsaparilla was registered in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for syphilis. (There is no scientific research to substantiate this claim.) Sarsaparilla is a trailing vine with prickly stems, native to Central America. Oh, and Rooster’s given name was Reuben.

   

While anise water won’t overtake mint water,
it’s one of our favorites. Photo courtesy
McCormick.

You can also make flavored water with extracts. McCormick’s, available at most supermarkets, has the widest retail selection:

• Fruit Flavors: Banana, Lemon, Coconut, Orange, Raspberry and Strawberry
• Herb Flavors: Anise, Cinnamon, Mint
• More Flavors: Almond, Maple, Rum

We make mint water every day. The recipe: 8-10 drops of mint extract per 16-ounce bottle of water (use a clean medicine dropper).

We like a very flavor-forward water. If you’re not certain how strong you like it, start with 6 drops and keep adding until you reach your preferred threshold.

But lately, we’ve been playing with other recipes, including combinations (banana rum is a favorite). But our most favorite discovery: anise water. If you love the flavor of anise (or licorice), try it.

And let us know your favorite combinations.

You can still enjoy a few drinks on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, without breaking the calorie bank.

Registered Dietician Elizabeth Somer provides tips that help you to “drink this, not that,” to borrow a phrase from the popular book by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.

In fact, the book series that includes Drink This, Not That, Eat This, Not That and Cook This, Not That will help jump-start your New Year’s diet.

But back to our weekly cooking video: Spend a few minutes with it and you’ll be mindful of which drinks are highest in calories and which alternatives are just as satisfying. Or as we see it, trade off drink calories for a piece of pecan pie or cheesecake.