Do you have a bottle of rum somewhere in the house? Then you should try these recipes.
The options for how to finish off a bottle of rum by making beautiful and refreshing cocktails really do seem endless, but let’s be honest, you can’t (always) drink your dinner.
It is time to expand uses for rum beyond the bar menu and to get rummed all up in your starters, mains, and everything in between.
Rums have been used in the kitchen prolifically for decades - in everything from starters to desserts, bread, soups, and marinades.
According to the House of Angostura, white rum is more often used for seafood and poultry whilst dark rums are best for dishes with strong flavours, lending caramel notes to the likes of red meat and stews.
If you are thinking sweet treats, use a nicely spiced rum. Here are a couple of recipes you can try at home.
Spicy rum chicken wings
Ingredients
¾ cups dark rum
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
5 large cloves garlic, minced
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 - 2 habanero chillies, seeded and minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 ½ tsp ground allspice
12 jumbo chicken wings split at the joints
Salt and pepper
Method
Make the marinade by combining rum, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, spring onions, chillies, ginger, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Place the chicken wings and the marinade in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out of the bag and seal tightly, then shake to coat the wings. Refrigerate for no less than four hours.
Drain the wings but keep the marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium-high heat until reduced by about half. Meanwhile, fire up your grill.
Place chicken wings on the grill, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the wings from the grill and toss with the reduced marinade. Then place back on the grill until the sauce has caramelized.
Rum spiked doughnuts
Ingredients
4 cups cake flour
1 sachet dry yeast
5ml salt
25ml sugar
10ml oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
5 cups water 4 cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark rum
2 tbsp Angostura aromatic bitters
Method
Make your dough by combining warm water, buttermilk, beaten eggs, and melted butter. Then add the dry ingredients, except for the yeast. Make a small well in the middle of dry ingredients and add the yeast. Mix and knead until a soft dough forms, then cover and set aside until it doubles in size.
Once it has risen, knead lightly again. Divide into balls and let them rise slightly. Heat oil to the point that the mixture starts frying immediately. Drop the yeast doughnuts into the hot oil and remove when golden brown.
To make rum syrup combine sugar, rum, and 5 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat and continue cooking until the liquid is clear. Remove from the heat, fill a pipette with rum syrup, and insert it into a doughnut.