but no real judge; I don't drink much. Here are some recipes:

http://blog.cognac-expert.com/cooking-with-cognac-recepies-kitchen/

Have fun!

Bookmarking.

Others have told me it can be an "acquired" taste.

Cognac is really nothing more than brandy made in Cognac, France. There are excellent brandies made in other places which may or may not be cheaper than true cognac. If you are just going to use it for cooking and you want a cheaper cognac, look for VS grade, which means it isn't aged as long and is cheaper because of it. VSOP is the next grade up and XO after that. Louis Royer VS is a pretty good one if you can find it, and it's not that expensive.

And see if I can find it around here.

Thanks.

Calvados is an apple brandy made in France and there are those out there which are quite good. Instead of distilled wine, calvados is made from the distillation of cider. I discovered calvodos when I was in France and actually prefer a good calvados to cognac. Applejack and apple brandy are two domestic (US) alternatives to calvados.

but I don't recall ever trying it myself. My daughter brought home some apple whiskey a while ago. Tried a little of that and thought it was nice.

I'm thinking apple whiskey is a lot different than apple brandy, but I really wouldn't know.
Might check it out. Thanks.

It's not only fairly expensive, it's got a kick like a mule so you might as well savor it on the way down.

And yes, you can cook with cognac, it's especially useful in desserts that are flamed to impress your dinner guests and scare the hell out of the dog.

I have invested in Courvoisier VSOP (upper brand, middle grade) in the past for just those purposes. The three grades are VSP, VSOP and XO, the XO being aged the longest and supposedly developing the most complex flavor. I'll never know, I inherited money but not that much money.

Other than that, you can do your own research online, invest in a set of brandy snifters, and decide what brand and grade you can afford on your next trip to the grog shop.

Courvoisier is one of the few things I'd risk a migraine over. The other is a liqueur called Chartreuse.

If I were you, I'd hit a bar and try a single glass before you go as far as to spend the bucks to buy a bottle and find out that maybe you don't like it either.

If I'm going to cook with alcohol, I'm more likely to use something that's more of a dessert liqueur, like di Saronno Amaretto, Frangelico, or Chambord. Something that gives a very distinct flavour.

that you can buy the little "trial" bottles at the liquor store, so there's an option too. Not nearly as pricey to do it that way.

Amaretto I've had! Love that stuff.

go and talk to them. The employees may be very well educated about such things.