Ingredient Spotlight: Tuaca

Here in the Bay Area, the evenings are slowly getting cooler and it’s certainly getting dark a bit earlier. Fall has certainly arrived this week. So it’s time to put away the chilled white wine and the cool beers and look for a new way to wind down and warm up. Have you heard of Tuaca?

A friend introduced me to Tuaca when I was going to graduate school in Boston. It was a particularly brutal winter that year, and I’d find her adding it to just about everything to warm up: Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider. If you’re not familiar with Tuaca, it’s an Italian liqueur made with an aged brandy base and it has lovely warm vanilla and citrus flavors. It was first discovered by American servicemen in Italy during World War II; they fell in love and brought it back home after the war. Tuaca is a rather sweet liquor, so it’s often used in specialty cocktail drinks or to spice up cooler weather desserts. Here are a few of our favorite ways to put it to good use. Enjoy, and happy fall!

Try a Recipe!
• Tuaca Zabaglione with Sauteed Vanilla Pears – from Epicurious.com
• Pecan Crusted Apple-Pear Crisp with Tuaca – from Bake or Break
• Madelines with Chocolate (and Tuaca!) Dipping Sauce – from White on Rice Couple
• “Spiced” Cider (with Tuaca)- from Saturday Evening Post

Related: Recipe Round-up: Apple Cider Recipes

(Image: Megan Gordon)