Penne with Maple Vodka Sauce

made with Vermont Spirits Vodka distilled from, yes, maple syrup

I've always been intimidated by vodka sauce. I'm not sure why. It's ingredients are simple enough - tomato, vodka and cream. The steps are straight forward - simmer, add, simmer, add, simmer server. What's to be worried about, right? Well, yesterday timidity took a back seat to good old Vermont ingenuity and the results were delicious.

I had hated to see so much of the wonderful tomatoes I was canning go to waste. So, I simmered all the leftover bits down into a thick, fragrant tomato broth. I would never have guessed that leftover skins, seeds and cores of tomatoes could yield such inspiration. 

The recipe is essentially equal parts of each ingredient, except the sugar you only need a teaspoon or two. The instructions are basic - simmer, add, simmer, add, simmer, serve. So, I'm really not sure why I was hesitant. Simply simmer the tomato reduction, add the vodka (in my case I used Vermont Spirits Vodka distilled from, yes, maple syrup), simmer the tomato and vodka, add the cream simmer the tomato, vodka and cream, add a little maple sugar simmer a little more. Then right before serving add desired amount of Parmesan cheese allow to melt. Season and voila - Penne with Maple Vodka Sauce.