This is a version of a recipe I came up with several years ago, and make fairly often – these baguette bites are a tasty appetizer, or can be made with slightly larger slices as a side dish. It is based loosely on a bruschetta, and adding some diced tomatoes and fresh basil to the sauce would work, if you want something more traditional. This particular time I used a whole grain baguette, but any baguette or Italian loaf with work.
INGREDIENTS: 15 slices 2.5”-diameter baguette (toasted) Olive oil SAUCE: 1 packet Parma Rosa ~ 3 oz. shredded parmesan ¾ cup milk 1 tbls. Butter
Slice and toast the bread, brushing with a little bit of olive oil first to create a nice crust on top.
The Parma Rosa was prepared as described in the packet, except with only ¾ cup milk – it is important to have this reduced amount of milk to create more of a paste than a sauce.
Next, melt the parmesan into the sauce. I melted slices of parmesan on mine, but I REALLY like parmesan, and wanted to have the flavor more present – I don’t recommend this for most people. Let this cool almost to room temperature to thicken, and prevent it from soaking into the bread while hot.
Coat the slices with about 2 teaspoons of the sauce mixture. I didn’t care if it sat nicely on top, so I might have put some extra on mine…
Lastly, broil for a few minutes until nice and browned., and top with some basil and thyme. Let cool a bit, since if you take a bite while hot the sauce acts as molten lava that sticks to the roof of your mouth, creating one of the nastier burns an appetizer can make. Experiment with the recipe. I never have measured anything when doing this recipe before, and each one is a little different.
I had to get some. Usually I’m a bourbon drinker, but something about how ROOT was described, along with its compelling back-story, drew me in. And the fact that it was developed by Steven Grasse, the maker of Hendrick’s Gin, couldn’t hurt. However, the $40 per 750mL bottle price tag kept me from getting ROOT (damn tuition…) – but luckily I got some for Christmas. And now that I have a bottle, I love it.
Art in the Age claims ‘it is not a sickeningly sweet liqueur,’ and they are right. It is a dark, almost bitter spirit that would not appeal to people who prefer to mask the alcohol in their drinks. It smells like a spiked root beer, but the complexity of the 13 separate flavors creates a drastically different taste. The flavors are up-front and vocal. A straight shot brings out mainly the anise (licorice), wintergreen and spearmint, with a strong finish of birch bark and sassafras (root beer). It also bites a lot more than you would expect from an 80-proof liqueur, all of which I enjoyed.
On the ROOT website they have a large number of cocktails and drink recipes already up, partly due to the proliferation of the spirit through Philadelphia bars. Since I’m savoring this, my only bottle, I’ve only tried two of these mixed concoctions.
First I had the New Hampshire Maple Toddy; 1 tbls. Grade A amber maple syrup, 2oz. ROOT [place these in the bottom of a mug], and 6 oz. hot but not boiling water [poured on top, then stirred to dissolve syrup and ROOT]. This was a basically sweetened and diluted flavor of the straight ROOT shot. Still very strong, the hot water caused a release of some of the aromatics and alcohol, resulting in an even more intense initial anise taste, and finishing a bit smoother due to the syrup. Recommended for people who like strong toddies.
Next I had the ROOTnog; Simply 6 oz. eggnog (I used 4 oz. eggnog and 2 oz. whole milk – straight eggnog is a bit thick for my liking) and 2 oz. ROOT mixed together. This is AMAZING. It brings out a lot more of the sassafras, nutmeg, and birch, and effectively mellows the anise and overall strength. I felt like I preferred it over a traditional rum-based eggnog, so I performed a head-to-head test. The ROOTnog complements the flavors in the eggnog much better than the rum drink, and provides a more satisfying holiday feel. And it just tastes better.
In the few weeks I’ve had it, ROOT has become one of my favorite spirits, and I plan to keep a bottle of it on hand whenever possible. Hopefully this inaugural year brings them enough success that they might be able to expand production and bring ROOT to stores outside of Pennsylvania – specifically, to stores near me.
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