Popular Posts

Monday, February 3, 2014

Enjoy These Fabulous NO Booze Cocktails Without The Hangover

Rehydrator
 
Serves: 1
In a cocktail shaker, muddle ¼ cup fresh or frozen cherries with ¾ ounce honey. (Alternately, you can use ¼ ounce Luxardo cherry syrup). Add 2 ounces aloe vera juice (preferably Alo brand), 1¼ ounces natural cranberry juice and ½ ounce fresh lime juice and stir to combine. Fill with ice, cover and shake until shaker is frosty. Strain into a Champagne coupe.

Lemon Smash
 
Serves: 1
In a Collins glass, combine 10 mint leaves with ¾ ounce simple syrup (make according to instructions in Zenzero recipe). Cut ¾ lemon into eight wedges and remove seeds. Add lemons to glass and press with a muddler to extract juice and oils. Fill ⅔ of glass with crushed ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve with a straw.

1001 Nights
 
Serves: 1
In a large wine glass filled halfway with ice cubes, combine 5 ounces fresh pomegranate juice (unsweetened, all-natural bottled juice can be substituted) with 1 ounce club soda, 3 tablespoons orgeat syrup, 2 dashes rose water and 1 dash orange blossom water. Stir.


Southeast Visions
 
Serves: 1
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 2 blackberries. Add 2 ounces coconut water, ¾ ounce grenadine, ⅓ ounce lemon juice and 3 dashes Fee Aromatic bitters. Strain into an Old-Fashioned glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with a speared blackberry.



The Best Buffalo Wings Ever Will Roam In Your Kitchen With This Recipe

Total Time: 2 hours Serves: 8-10

For the creamy blue-cheese dressing:
 
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Buffalo sauce:
 
2 sticks butter
15 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ bell pepper, finely chopped
6 chilies (use a variety: habanero, serrano, jalapeño), finely chopped 
(for less heat, cut the number of chilies in half)
1 23-ounce bottle Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
Dash Cholula Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon honey mustard

For the chicken wings:
 
32 ounces vegetable oil
3 dozen chicken wings, room temperature, rinsed and patted dry
Celery sticks, for serving
1. Make blue cheese dressing: In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until combined. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Make Buffalo sauce: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add bell peppers and chilies and sauté 5 minutes. Pour in Frank's sauce and bring to a simmer. Add celery salt and Cholula sauce and let simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes more. Add honey mustard and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces by about 10%, 15 minutes more. Set aside.
3. Fry wings: Heat oil to 375 degrees in a medium pot over medium-high heat, using a thermometer to monitor temperature. Working in batches of four or five, fry wings in oil, flipping once halfway through cooking, until golden brown all over, 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
4. Add wings to Buffalo sauce and toss to coat. Serve wings with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. 

Impress Your Informal Dinner Guests With A Gourmet Surf 'n' Turf Hoagie

Ingredients:

2 pounds filet mignon
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup veal stock
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup red wine
12 large peeled and deveined shrimp
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons cubed butter
4 ounces baby spinach
4 sandwich rolls


Instructions

For filet:
Season both sides of filet with salt and pepper. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil, and sear filet on both sides over high heat. Place in preheated oven at 350 degrees. Remove when internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Let rest, then slice ¼-inch slices on the bias.

For demi-glace:
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to saucepan. Add shallots and sauté till tender. Add thyme sprigs and cook another 2 minutes. Add red wine to pot and deglaze. Cook until wine is reduced by half and add veal stock. Reduce until sauce becomes thick enough to coat a spoon.

For scampi:
Add two tablespoons of oil to sauté pan on high heat. Add chopped garlic and sauté till garlic starts to brown. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook till shrimp turns translucent. Add white wine to pan to deglaze. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and cold butter and stir till sauce thickens. Add spinach and mix together.

For sandwich:
Place a thin stream of demi-glace on both sides of bread. Fan out filet slices to cover roll. Pour hot scampi mixture evenly over meat and serve.