tuesday. crema di arancello.

what happens when you're pregnant and one teeny little drink of something alcohol-related sounds just lovely? if you're me, you spend sunday afternoon mixing up a batch of this yummy drink, crema di arancello. basically, it's an orange creamsicle flavored alcohol that you keep in the freezer. the best part? it sits for several months to give it even more fruity flavor. which means, no one gets to drink it until i do!

ingredients.

10 blood oranges

2 vanilla beans

3 bottles (750 ml) 100-proof vodka or everclear (i had 105 proof everclear my boss made, hence the recycled whiskey bottle)

4 cups sugar

5 cups water

step one.
wash the oranges with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any icky stuff; pat the lemons dry. in a large glass jar (1-gallon jar), add your alcohol. scrape two vanilla beans into the alcohol. it looks like dirt. it's not. it smells way better than dirt.

step two.

carefully zest the oranges with a zester or vegetable peeler so there's none of the white stuff on the peel. add the orange zest to the vodka as it is zested. make sure to use only the outer part of the rind. the pith, the white part underneath the rind, is too bitter and will make your cello not nearly as sweet, and really bitter.

step three.

cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days and up to 40 days in a cool dark place (the cupboard works great!). the longer it rests, the better the taste will be. shake or stir a little every few days if you like. as the arancello sits, the alcohol will slowly take on the flavor and rich orange color of the orange zest. when the color is no longer deepening and the rinds look whitish, it is definitely done.

step four (i haven't reached this part yet ... that's why the pictures stop here).

in a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until dissolved, or until thickened if you want a thicker, sweeter drink, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Let the syrup cool, then add it to the arancello mixture from above. add an additional bottle of alcohol. allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.

step five.

after the rest period, strain the liquid through a cheese cloth or coffee filter and bottle: discard the orange zest. keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

the best part of having 10 zested blood oranges? fresh-squeezed OJ!