.... and homemade Rose Petal Wine

I'm really having fun with my foray into 'flower' wines. When you have a view like I do from my kitchen window (photo above) how can you not jump from dandelion wine to violet wine and rose petal wine? I'm actually not a wine drinker usually (ok, I rarely drink anything with alcohol in it... ever.  But making wine is so much fun!!!).

I decided to make my Rose Petal Wine in roughly the same way I made the Dandelion Wine (link) and my Violet Wine.  Using my own roses, I knew they had not been treated with any chemicals.

After picking my roses I put them into a crock and heated a half gallon of water on the stove to boiling.  I then poured the boiling water over them to steep.  While I left the dandelions for a couple days, I didn't do so with the rose petals because as you can see from the photos, the boiling water got all the color out of them right away, and there isn't much flavor to impart so that was immediate as well.  As a matter of fact, it was obvious that roses are part of the cabbage family as I could definitely note a cabbage undertone.

After the boiling water the petals were quick to lose their color.

After just 1 afternoon of seeping them, I strained and drained them, discarding the used petals and keeping the rose water.

After I added;

5 cups of sugar
1/2 t ginger
1/4 c lemon juice
1 t dried orange peel

I then decided to add 1 T frozen cranberry juice concentrate to deepen the rose shade just a bit.  

I warmed it briefly on the stove while I started about 2 teaspoons of yeast in a cup with a bit of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar.  Most people just add the yeast direct, but starting it has yielded really good results with my other two wines so I did this one too.  Your liquid can't be 'hot' or it will kill the yeast, so barely warm, I added the frothy yeast, stirred, and then poured into a clean, sterilized jug.  Topped off with a washed out balloon with a couple holes pricked into it, it went into the closet with the Violet Wine to ferment and bubble for a few weeks.

The Dandelion Wine was bottled.  The Violet Wine is on the tail end of fermenting as the bubbles and gas have almost ceased.  The Rose Petal Wine is fermenting and smells heavenly.  It seriously smells so good!  Even to someone who isn't a big wine drinker.  Somehow making my OWN wines makes me want to drink them all that much more!

You may also be interested in;
        

Green Wine Bottles (750ml Bordeaux) Case of 12 Bottles
Mushroom Corks (30)
Portuguese Double Lever Corker
#8 Straight corks 7/8" x 1 3/4". Bag of 30

Quick and Easy White Cake

Earlier this week you may have seen my Tweet about this cake.  As I've said before, almost half the time, I forget to take pictures of the things I make.  When I do take pictures, I snap them quickly on my iPhone.  I don't own a nice camera and I really have no interest in setting up fabulous photo shoots. So it's not really a surprise that I didn't think about taking a picture until after I had finished my slice of cake!  I do that all the time!

So I went back into the kitchen, put the cake on the counter and took a picture.

This is a cake I mixed up ever so quickly in the blender.  Like all low-carb and sugar free baking, it turns out a little bit different every time I make it, due to having different brands of products.

Quick White Cake

1/2 c butter (1 stick), soft
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
4 T half and half
2 T water (I had to use a little more as my batter was pretty thick and my blender didn't like that)
2 cups fine ground almond flour (I used Honeyville brand for this)
1 c oat flour (I have Bob's Red Mill brand on hand)
1/2 c whey protein powder (Isopure brand is the one I used)
Mixture of your favorite sweeteners in powder/crystal form;  erythritol, xylitol
             I used 3/4 c Just Like Sugar with 2 T xylitol and 1 t liquid SuperRose)
1/2 t favorite liquid sweetener or Stevia (see above, I used 1 t liquid Superrose for mine)
4 t baking powder
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease or line 2 - 9" pans (or make cupcakes).  Blend the butter and sweeteners and vanilla until smooth.  Scrape down with a spatula and add the rest of the ingredients.  Blend until smooth, scraping the sides once or twice.  I had to add a little more water (noted above) as my batter was very thick and my blender didn't like that.  Pour equally into two pans.  Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake 20-30 minutes until the center of your cakes test done.  Cool for 5 minutes then turn out of the pans to cool complete before frosting.




This is my breakfast the next morning;  a slice of cake with hot coffee!  At least this time I remembered to snap a picture before I ate it!






























Some of the Products I used;
Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour
Nature's Best Isopure, Natural Vanilla, 3-Pounds Tub
Just Like Sugar Table Top Sweetener -- 16 oz
Superose Liquid Sweetener, 8-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)


        

Homemade Dandelion Wine - Bottled and Labeled (and a photo of the dead yeast so you know what to siphon off)

I am really enjoying my foray into the world of making flower wines.  The Dandelion Wine was ready for me to bottle this week.  The Violet Wine only has about a week of fermenting left before I think it will be ready and I started a Rose Petal Wine this week!  So thrilled!  (I also had to order new, empty wine bottles from Amazon to bottle these in!)

One of the things I didn't post on the last entry was what the 'dead yeast' looks like - you know, the stuff I mentioned I was siphoning off and filtering out?  Not everyone does, but I did three times to help the wine clear as well as give it a better flavor since the musty dead yeast does impart it's taste to the wine.

This is what is in the bottom of the container or jug you use with the airlock or balloon while it ferments.  This is the dead yeast or lees that fall to the bottom.

My straining was simple - remember, when I started this I said I would only do it with things I had on hand.  I wasn't going to invest in a lot of fancy kits or products.  So I poured mine through a 3 filter process - 2 colanders and a coffee filter.  At first the coffee filter is plugged a lot so I would have to switch it out three or four times.  By the last filter process most of it was running through pretty well.

(Wine Making on Amazon )

How to Make Homemade Dandelion Wine

Freshly made it's DARK and cloudy. It clears up as it ages!

Homemade Dandelion Wine

1-2 quarts yellow dandelion blossoms, well rinsed
1/2 gallon boiling water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (wine yeast is great, but I used regular yeast for all my batches)
4 - 6 cups white sugar (how sweet/dry do you want it)
2 oranges, sliced
1/2 a lemon, sliced
1/4 t ginger - optional
 
*I used 1/4 c lemon juice along with 1 t dried orange rind and a heaping scoop of frozen orange juice concentrate as I did not have fresh oranges or lemons on hand.

Clean the green sepals (tiny leaves) from the yellow blossoms as much as possible and only use the yellow portion for a sweeter wine.  The green can make it more bitter.

Place dandelion blossoms in a crock and pour the boiling water over.  Allow to steep, covered, for 2 days. Strain the water from the flowers.  Discard the blossoms.

Place the water into a pot on the stove and stir in the sugar, orange slices, and lemon slices; bring it back to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove.

(At this point I put the yeast into a cup with 1/4 c warm water and 1 t sugar.  I let it set while the dandelion mixture cools.  It grows and foams in minutes so if it started to overflow the cup before my dandelion mixture was cooled enough, I scraped the top off with a butter knife.)  Most people simply add the dry yeast to the liquid but I wanted to start my yeast first.  

After the dandelion mixture has cooled to roughly 90 F add the yeast and pour into your fermentation container or jug.  Add the air lock, or in my case, a balloon with a couple holes poked into it. Let the wine ferment in a cool area until the bubbles stop, which can be 2 weeks or it can be a month.   During this time it's good to siphon the wine off of the lees (dead yeast on the bottom of your container), and strain through cheesecloth or filters.  After the fermentation stops completely, you can bottle it.  Store for 6 months before using.  A year even better, although your wine would be drinkable at any point, it tastes better and clears a little more the longer it sets.

 

I strained it 3 times before I bottled.  I managed to spill some when my funnel

slipped and I 'lost' some of my wine on the counter.  I got 4 bottles of wine

from this recipe.

I used recycled bottles with reusable bottle stoppers in these particular bottles

*NOTES regarding my use of mushroom or 'tasting' corks;  In 4 of my bottles (above)  I used reusable wine stoppers and for the rest (I have 2 more batches of Violet Wine and Rose Petal Wine fermenting), I purchased mushroom corks or 'tasting corks' so I didn't have to invest in a corker.   I trust EC Kraus and this is what they have to say about sealing your wine this way.... From ECKraus.com

*Mushroom Corks are an easy way to bottle your wine without using a corker. They are basically a cork with a plastic grip top. They come both in natural cork and synthetic cork. With some force they can be pushed in by hand to create a tight seal. While they do not seal quite as tight as traditional corks, they are more than sufficient for any wine that will be consumed within 12 to 18 months.

Another option that does not require a corker is our Reusable Wine Bottle Stoppers. These stoppers can be put in by hand as well. Their unique design creates a series of chambers to produce a seal. While these stoppers are not all that attractive for passing out as wine making gifts, they can be covered up with decorative Heat Shrink Capsules to give them a professional look.

And yes, you can always use screw cap wine bottles, but you know that already, didn't you? Screw caps will seal a wine bottle air-tight, however you must have the right screw cap on the right screw cap wine bottle. Not any wine bottle can take a screw cap; it must specifically be a screw cap wine bottle.

In summary, you do not have to have a corker to seal your wine bottles. There are other methods. But if you plan to continue making wine corks and a corker are your best bet.








You might also be interested in;

       

Green Wine Bottles (750ml Bordeaux) Case of 12 Bottles
Mushroom Corks (30)
Portuguese Double Lever Corker
#8 Straight corks 7/8" x 1 3/4". Bag of 30

Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake..... (yes my version is sugar free and lower carb)

I usually make all my 'normal' recipes, I just substitute natural sweeteners and almond and coconut flour in place of the other.   It's really important to note you need to do your own 'taste test' when you make this.  The flavor and sweetness is doing to vary GREATLY depending on what products you like to use for sweetening.  Mixing sweeteners or using a store bought version that already has 2 or 3 mixed (like Erythritol with monk fruit, etc.) helps the flavor.

Chocolate Cheesecake with Cookies

Crust:
1 1/2 c almond meal (fine almond flour)
2 T coconut flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
3/4 c sweetener  - granulated
Dash of cinnamon and 1-2 t vanilla  (I used Just Like Sugar's Bake Right Mixture - 2 T)

Mix well.  Press crust into a pan - springform or whatever pan you want to use, even a 9X13 if you wish.  Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes for a thicker, smaller crust pan or 8 minutes for a thinner crust in a longer 9X13 pan.

While it's baking, make the filling;

3 - 8 oz. packages good quality cream cheese
1 T vanilla
1 T lemon juice
2 t almond syrup (sugar free) optional
2 T sugar free chocolate Torani syrup (optional)
1/2 c half and half or 1/3 c Almond milk
1 c to 1 1/4 c sweetener of choice - mix and match what products you like best or sugar
2-4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted  OR use about 1/4 cup cocoa powder
             

You can use 1/2 t Xanthan Gum - I was going to to help thicken and stabilize but I forgot until it was already mixed.  If you use it, sprinkle it while the blender is going so it doesn't clump.

Mix all in the blender.  Taste test!  The only real ingredients you NEED is cream cheese, vanilla, cocoa, lemon juice and sweetener.  Add and delete according to your taste.  More vanilla?  Some almond flavor? Hazelnut flavor? A little sugar free chocolate syrup? More cocoa? More sweetener?  It's your cake - add by teaspoons or a tablespoon until you are happy with the flavor!

If it is very, very thick, add a bit of almond milk or half and half so your blades blend it freely.  Pour it out into the cooled (or mostly cooled) crust.  I put my crust in the freezer after baking so it would cool quickly.   Smooth top.  Chill in the refrigerator overnight if you can - but at least 2-3 hours to set up.  You can also freeze this for future use.

You can leave it this way or decorate it.

To decorate mine I had sugar free chocolate syrup in the refrigerator so I use it to make a spiderweb on the top and dragged a butter knife from the center out the edges to make a decoration. 

I also had sugar free fudge striped cookies in the cupboard.  It's 17 carbs per every 2 cookie but you cut them in half and place the halves on the cheesecake.  You could also use just a couple cookies - crumble them and sprinkle the crumbles across the top.  When I eat the cheesecake I pull the cookies out and leave them for my husband to eat as I don't really like cookies!

Crust - almond meal and coconut flour and cocoa with brown sugar substitute & other sweeteners

Nice and thick! It tasted like ice cream!  SO good!

A swirly spider web of sugar free chocolate

Pull a knife through to make a design

Topped with sugar free cookies.  I put mine in the freezer to chill quickly as we were having it an hour later!