Fillet of venison with red wine and wild mushrooms The rich flavour of venison makes it a beautiful meat for gourmet menus. 600ml red wine (such as shiraz) 1/3 cup (80ml) Madeira or dry sherry 1/3 cup (80ml) balsamic vinegar 1 fresh bay leaf 2 cups (500ml) cranberry jus or good-quality beef stock 10g dried chanterelle or porcini mushrooms 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon plain flour Redcurrant jelly, to serve Thank you for rating this recipeIt’s a common kitchen dilemma.You’re perusing a cookbook or website for a mouthwatering recipe.You scan the ingredients list, mentally ticking off what you have on hand. Excitement comes to a screeching halt, however, when you see that you need a dry red wine to deglaze the pan or amaretto liqueur to add a nutty flavor to your chocolate cake.Just because you don’t have the needed alcohol in the house doesn’t mean you have to rush out to buy a bottle or ditch the recipe. Plenty of substitutes can pinch-hit for alcohol in savory and sweet dishes.“

People are afraid to substitute, and the fact that they’re fearful cooks limits them,” said Becky Sue Epstein, who wrote “Substituting Ingredients: The A to Z Kitchen Reference” (Sourcebooks, $9.99, 208 pages).best wine to cook with redThe trick is in the w’s: why the alcohol is being used, when it’s being used and what can be swapped in its place.best white wine making kitWhile most of the alcohol in recipes cooks off after a certain amount of time, in most cases alcohol is being used to add flavor or in some cases acidity to a dish, Epstein said.guide to wine posterNo dry red wine for that slow-braised stew? best wine under 15 dollars

Stock or bouillon will work fine in its place.A few drops of lemon juice or tomato sauce (depending on whether any is called for in the recipe) will add the needed acidity, she said.“best wine high alcohol contentLemon can really brighten things up,” Epstein said.buy wine cooler bagsTo build the flavor, try increasing the herbs to one-and-a-half times the called-for amount.If it’s a pan sauce that uses marsala or wine, the same tips hold true. Just stay away from vinegar, because it could leave the sauce with a sour flavor, she cautioned.If you don’t want to use alcohol in your savory dish but are looking for the rustic flavor that wine can impart, consider using a nonalcoholic wine, suggested Cathey Birum, a certified sommelier in Sacramento.“Honestly, there are some nonalcoholic wines that if you were to smell and taste them next to regular wine, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” she said.

When it comes to wine and substitutions, another good option is unsweetened varietal grape juice, suggested Ann Pittman, executive editor of food at Cooking Light magazine.“Those are great for these uses because they will taste closer to what the wine would taste like and give you that sort of essence without the alcohol,” she said.That doesn’t mean Pittman endorses grape juice in place of wine. Traditional grape juice is too sweet and won’t work.Apple juice, however, is a good sub for white wine, although only in small quantities. If the recipe that serves eight people calls for 1/4 cup of dry white wine, it’s OK to swap in some Mott’s. “If you’re getting into bigger amounts, you need to be very careful,” she said., an online gourmet food and cooking resource based in Los Gatos.If a recipe calls for brandy and you don’t have any or don’t care for the distilled spirit’s flavor, try vanilla extract in an equal amount.Alcohol flavorings, such as brandy, rum and amaretto, tend to work well too.“

You can get a pretty good likeness without having alcohol,” Bowman said.But no matter what you use in place of alcohol, the key is to taste your dish every step of the way, author Epstein said.And remember to write down your adjustments for future reference.“Literally write it on your recipe,” she said. “Good recipes have spatters and notes on them.”Dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay aged in stainless steel barrels)Substitutes per 1 cup: 1 cup of sherry, vermouth, sake, mirin, stock (chicken, vegetable, fish, veal) or 3/4 cup white grape or apple juice plus 1/4 cup lemon juice or vinegarDry red wine (cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, Bordeaux, some merlot)Substitutes per 1 cup: Beef stock, nonalcoholic red wine, unsweetened grape juice (same varietal if possible), beer, soaking liquid from dried mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes.Substitute: chicken or beef stock, sake, ginger aleSubstitute: Orange juice (boiling down helps concentrate flavor) or frozen orange juice concentrateSubstitute: Vanilla extract, apple cider, cognac, brandy or rumDon’t want to spend a fortune on a full-size bottle of liqueur, but still want the flavor in your finished dish?

Head to a large liquor retailer. There you’ll find mini bottles in dozens of varieties, such as Frangelico, Marker’s Mark and Grand Marnier.With earthy flavours of the forest, Josh Eggleton's venison loin and girolles mushrooms are served with the strong flavours of a broccoli and Stilton purée, and a rich red wine sauce. For a quicker version of this dish, instead of cooking the suggested sauce, simply deglaze the pan after cooking the mushrooms - add 100ml of good red wine, boil briefly, and then stir in 25g butter. 1 tbsp of vegetable oil 1 stalk of celery 1 sprig of fresh thyme 1 sprig of rosemary 200ml of red wine 50ml of red wine vinegar 500ml of game stock 1 head of broccoli 400g of loin of venison 4 sprigs of fresh thyme Want more recipes like this delivered to your inbox? Sign up to our newsletter now and we'll send you a hand-picked round-up of the best seasonal recipes and features from the best chefs each week.