I wouldn't bother seeking out a specific brand, better to use something locally available.
As others have said, it's best to taste first with your own taste buds (after all that's the most important) but getting suggestions from others (hopefully whom you trust) is an alternative.
I don’t know if they ship to where you live, but if you can find Farnum Hill, it’s an excellent brand. Being in New England, I have no trouble finding it. I hope you can too. It’s really outstanding.
Not a particular brand, but a way to find one. As with wine you use in cooking, pick something good enough to drink. If you don't have a favorite brand, ask a trusted bartender or local liquor store employee for a recommendation.
I'd add a caution that unless you've actually tasted the cider you're using, you should definitely get advice from someone quite familiar. We have several local hard ciders here in Boulder County. The ciders with "dry" on the labels of two of the makers are, in my opinion, undrinkable. I wouldn't use them in cooking, either.
I'd ask for something that's fruity - a cider that actually tastes like apples - for a recipe like this.
AJ - agree. Yes, of course, taste first. That's partly why I recommended a bartender. And the questioner could always buy one or two from the liquor store first, to drink/taste before cooking.
Or, if you're lucky enough to live near a cidery, you can go to their tap room and sample a number of them. In Virginia, we had excellent ciders from Bold Rock (a wonderful, picturesque venue for a wedding, by the way) in Nellysford, which I'd use in a dish like this. In the Denver / Boulder County area, The Old Mine's Handlebar is the best you can buy, and would be perfect for this. Handlebar has to be refrigerated at all times, however, so I doubt you can get it elsewhere. Fresh hard cider is always a lot more flavorful, I've found, so if you can get it on tap, do that.
I suspect that a dry cider from a can or bottle would get lost in this dish. In the comments to the recipe at least one person was quite disappointed by how dull the sauce was. I'm guessing that a bolder, brighter cider would help. ;o)
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6 Comments
As others have said, it's best to taste first with your own taste buds (after all that's the most important) but getting suggestions from others (hopefully whom you trust) is an alternative.
If not, good advice from Nancy and Antonia.
As with wine you use in cooking, pick something good enough to drink.
If you don't have a favorite brand, ask a trusted bartender or local liquor store employee for a recommendation.
I'd add a caution that unless you've actually tasted the cider you're using, you should definitely get advice from someone quite familiar. We have several local hard ciders here in Boulder County. The ciders with "dry" on the labels of two of the makers are, in my opinion, undrinkable. I wouldn't use them in cooking, either.
I'd ask for something that's fruity - a cider that actually tastes like apples - for a recipe like this.
Great question, by the way. ;o)
Yes, of course, taste first.
That's partly why I recommended a bartender. And the questioner could always buy one or two from the liquor store first, to drink/taste before cooking.
I suspect that a dry cider from a can or bottle would get lost in this dish. In the comments to the recipe at least one person was quite disappointed by how dull the sauce was. I'm guessing that a bolder, brighter cider would help. ;o)