Cold Weather Infused Dishes To Enjoy This Winter

Winter offers up a delicious array of dishes that tantalize the taste buds and warm the soul. As an introvert who appreciates the comforts of the indoors, relishing in flavorful DIY meals is an exciting journey–even better when the recipe includes pot. 

A world of options awaits this season. For a taste of the potential infusions of DIY winter food and weed, I’ve connected with talented chefs. They’ve graciously shared some simple-enough recipes for infused condiments, dishes, desserts, and drinks.

Sauces and Condiments

What we know today as edibles started to take off around the mid-20th century. Regional and often ceremonial usage was common centuries before. The modern edible is often placed back to 1954 when The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook featured a “Haschich Fudge” recipe by Brion Gysin. The recipe consisted of a mix of black peppercorns, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, and pulverized Cannabis sativa.  

Today, weed is infused into a multitude of ingredients, sauces and condiments, including the following two options:

Butternut squash puree
by William “Chef Whisk” Cothren

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 3 tablespoon neutral oil, divided
• 1 medium garlic bulb, cut in half
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1/4 cup oat milk
• 1/4-1/2 seasoning of choice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt as desired for taste
• 1/4 head of cabbage
• 1 medium red beet
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Infused olive oil

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper 

2. To roast the squash, cut in half and core, score the flesh, then place cut side up onto the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon Of oil on each side, place half the garlic bulb inside each squash core and sprinkle the rosemary on top. 

3. Bake 30-40 minutes or until tender 

4. While waiting for this to roast, cut up the cabbage, beets and ginger. Combine in a medium saucepan with 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Sautee for 7-10 minutes on medium heat. Remove and set aside.

5. Remove squash from the oven and allow it to cool slightly to touch. Separate the rosemary and set it aside for later. 

6. Scoop out the squash with a spoon and discard the skin, do the same with the garlic cloves. Combine both in a food processor with 1/4 cup milk, seasoning of choice, salt as needed and pepper. Blend until smooth. 

7. In a medium pot add the puree on low to medium heat, allow to simmer and not boil for 5-10 minutes. Then remove from heat.

8. Plate the puree, top with the cabbage stir fry and sprinkle the rosemary you set aside on top. 

9. Drizzle with desired amount of infused olive oil and enjoy responsibly.

Infused Cranberry and Guava Chutney
by Chef Nick E, Owner, The Herbal Creative Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cranberries
• 1/2 cup guava paste, diced
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup onions, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons infused coconut oil (prepared with your chosen herbal blend)
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 dried guajillo chilies, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, sauté the finely diced onions in with the coconut oil until caramelized and golden brown. 7-10 min
2. After the onions are nicely caramelized add the desired amount of decarboxylated flower, rosin or other active concentrate and carefully stir for at least 7 minutes to release the oils into the fats of the coconut oil.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add dark rum and carefully stir to incorporate the flavors, then return to the heat to make sure to cook off the alcohol. About 5 minutes.
4. Add cranberries, guava paste, honey, fresh thyme leaves, and chopped guajillo chilies to the pot and stir.
5. Then insert the whole cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise into the mixture.
6. Stir well and let the herbal-infused mixture simmer over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the cranberries burst and the chutney thickens.
7. Season with salt to taste.
8. Remove the whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise) before transferring the herbal-infused chutney to a jar or container.
9. Allow the flavors to meld by refrigerating the chutney for a few hours or overnight.
10. Serve and enjoy your herbal-infused cranberry and guava chutney as a unique and flavorful condiment at your holiday dinner table!

Meals

A nearly endless amount of ingredients and condiments allow for an equal or more significant number of dosed dishes to be created. From morning to night and that late-night munchie snack, the following represent a minute fraction of the delicious dishes you can infuse.

Fluffy Banana Pancakes with Maple Butter
by Christina Wong

Dosing recommendations:

• Low Dose // 5mg THC per serving: 1 tablespoon of maple butter = 5mg. You’ll need a total of 40mg THC in the entire recipe. Approximately 0.3 grams of ~20% THC cannabis flower.*
• High Dose // 100mg THC per serving: 1 tablespoon of maple butter = 100mg. You’ll need a total of 800mg THC in the entire recipe. Approximately 1.4 grams of ~80% cannabis concentrate, such as kief or rosin.*

Ingredients:

Cannabutter*

• 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, melted
• [ * ] cannabis flower or concentrate

Maple Butter

• 5 tablespoons (70g) cannabutter*, softened at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (45g) 100% Grade A maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pancakes 

• 1 cup (240g) sour cream
• 7 tablespoons (63g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (24g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest and juice from ½ lemon
• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• Butter for frying
• Chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews (optional)

Directions:

1. Make Cannabutter* 

• Preheat the oven to 240°F. Carefully weigh and place coarsely ground cannabis flower (low dose) or cannabis concentrate (high dose) into a pint-sized 16 oz. mason jar, seal with the lid to reduce smell, and heat for 40 minutes in the oven to decarboxlyate, which activates the THC. Remove from the oven and let cool until the mason jar is safe to touch. The ground flower will look lightly toasted.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees F. Pour melted butter into the mason jar, close the lid, and stir to combine. If using concentrate, use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the jar a little and mix it into the melted butter. Place the sealed jar back into the oven to infuse for 2.5 hours. After 2.5 hours, remove from the oven and cool until the mason jar is safe to touch.
• If using ground flower, strain the melted butter through a fine mesh sieve and into a clean container. If using concentrate, stir to evenly mix the concentrate and butter. Cool to room temperature. There will be some liquid and milkfats that naturally separate, and stir to reincorporate into the butter as it cools and solidifies to room temperature.

2. Make Maple Butter: In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together room temperature cannabutter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt until creamy and smooth. The mixture will be runny if warm, chill in the fridge for a few minutes and whisk again until the consistency feels more like custard. Set aside, or place in the fridge until ready to use. 

3. Make Pancakes: 

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the sour cream and half of the sliced bananas, and stir together until just combined. In a separate small bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and add the sour cream mixture. Whisk together gently, being careful not to overmix. The batter will look lumpy.
• Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of regular butter in the pan, when the butter starts to brown slightly, scoop the batter into the hot frying pan using a ¼ cup measuring cup. Be sure to include a slice or two of bananas. Cook on the first side until bubbles form in the center of the batter and the edges look slightly golden. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or two until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from pan and stack on a place. Repeat with the remaining batter and add more butter to the frying pan as needed.

4. Plate + Decorate Pancake Stacks: Place about 1 tablespoon of maple butter on the pancake stacks until it melts into the pancakes – place on top or spread a little between each pancake. Add sliced bananas and chopped nuts (optional) on top, and drizzle with additional maple syrup if desired. 

Infused Cherry Tomato Soup
by Chef Jordan Wagman

Serves approximately four people

What you’ll need:

• Large saucepan with tight fitting lid
• Blender or immersion blender
• 6 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½  tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp cannabis oil
• 10 each basil leaves

Recipe:

1. Rinse tomatoes under warm water, dry and set aside
2. In a saucepan combine tomatoes, olive oil, water, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer over low heat until tomato skins begin to split and the juice from the tomatoes has been released, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, transfer to a blender and add cannabis oil and basil or use an immersion blender in the sauce pot and puree until smooth.
4. Use immediately or cool to room temperature, transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate up to five days.

Desserts and Drinks

Desserts helped kick off the modern edible movement back in the ‘50s. Since then, just about every type of food has found a way to be infused. But when discussing edibles, we shouldn’t overlook the potential of beverages. When paired together, an infused dessert and beverage may pair perfectly as an end-of-night treat.

Peppermint Sugar Cookie
by Matha Figaro, Founder, ButACake 

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted infused butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (candy canes)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
• Additional crushed peppermint candies for decoration (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set this dry mixture aside.
• In a separate large bowl, cream together the softened infused butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until everything is well combined.
• Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until a dough forms.
• Stir in the crushed peppermint candies. The dough might be a bit crumbly, but that’s okay.
• Roll tablespoon-sized portions of the dough into balls and then roll them in the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. This will give the cookies a nice sugar coating.
• Place the sugar-coated cookie dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving some space between each for them to spread.
• If you’d like, you can gently press a few additional crushed peppermint candies onto the tops of the cookies for decoration.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden but the centers are still slightly soft. Be careful not to overbake; you want them to be chewy.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Stoners Spiced Cider
by Edible Dee

Serves 12 drinks

Ingredients:

• 114 grams (1 stick) of unsalted infused cannabis butter
• 416 grams (2 cups) brown sugar
• 2.6 grams (1 tsp) cinnamon
• 1.3 grams (1/2) tsp nutmeg
• .5 grams (pinch) ground cloves
• .5 grams (pinch) salt
• Spiced rum (your preference)
• 2,760 grams *fluid oz converted to grams* (12 cups) hot apple cider

Directions:

1. Soften cannabis butter and whip with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Refrigerate until almost firm.  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of cannabis infused butter mixture into desired drinking glass, or mug.
2. Top with 2 oz spiced rum (optional; your preference on rum); then fill to top with the hot apple cider.  Stir and serve immediately.
3. Happy Ending : For a happy dressing of your glassware; a thinly sliced apple paired with a cinnamon sugared rim makes it extra Dee-Lish!

Try these dishes or whichever else leaves you feeling warm, satisfied, and high this winter. Enjoy!