I don't know if many people remember, but back in the day, it was very popular to have mass in your house, ''the stations''. When I was about 6 or 7 the tradition was still going strong in our village and it was the turn of my Granny to host.
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Now..for those of you who have experienced the stations..it was a BIG deal to have it in your house. It wasn't good enough to have a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches and a cuppa. Hell no. You had to pain the house. Anything less and you'd be the talk of your neighbours for months after, and again at the following station.
Anyway, there isn't much I remember about the actually mass at the house, or the food (shock horror) that was served, but what I do remember is me and my cousins, sitting in the back kitchen discussing the merits of the holy wine. This lead to a discussion amongst the older cousins about the taste of different alcohol and it was decided that Baileys was the nicest tasting of all of them. This may have been due to the fact that it was all girls and still relatively young.
It was years later till I tasted Baileys, but I would have had to concur with my cousins back in my granny's kitchen. There is something heart warming about a glass of Baileys at this time of year, especially for those of us who would find staight whiskey too much. To make you own,
you will need:
300g caramel (dulch de lech)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 1tbsp boiling water
300ml brandy or whiskey (I used whiskey)
285ml single cream
1) In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients bar the cream, until smooth.
2) add the cream and mix again, till combined.
3) the Drink will keep for 2-4 weeks in the fridge
Nice to give as a gift at Christmas or to drink yourself in front of a roaring fire after a days' shopping :-)
