Waiter! There's a FIRE in my soup!

After being away for a couple of days, I thought the blog needed to come back with some flash, some pizazz, something showy and impressive...

Well almost nothing is more impressive than serving your dinner guests food that is on fire (as long as it is supposed to be on fire)

Flambé is typically done at a dramatic point in the preparation of a meal to create an impressive visual presentation. Flames result from a partial combustion of the flammable alcohol, which is quickly consumed, subsequently extinguishing the flames. Some alcohol content does remain after the flames go out.

Flambéing is used to add to the food the flavor of the a warm liqueur that is ignited, so while any 80 proof liqueur may be used, select one with flavor so it will add new tasty properties to your dish or dessert.

Flambé foods are usually made in front of guests, to add a special ambiance to your table. But always remember that you will be dealing with fire so take all precautionary measures (a big lid to cover the bowl or pan, don't carry the dish while on fire and do the flambé on a serving cart not on the actual table).

The best choices are Brandies (both regular and flavored), Cognac, Dark Rums, Whiskeys, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec. Always choose a liqueur that is at least 80 proof, or 40% alcohol by volume. Of course, the higher the proof, the longer the flames will last. Everclear or 151 are much higher in alcoholic content and will burn much faster but are also much more dangerous. Wine and beer have much lower alcohol content and cannot be used to flambé.


When people think flambé, most people think Bananas Foster or Crepe Susette. I don't like bananas and I have future plans for crepes in another blog. Therefore, if we're going to play with food and we're going to play with fire, let's start with something completely different. How about soup? I really recommend when making these dishes have your dinner guests in the kitchen with you, or dine in the kitchen to begin with.

Spicy Shrimp Bisque Flambé

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 canned chipotle pepper and 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 2 1/4 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Sherry wine
• 3 tablespoons Brandy
• 1 cup half and half
• parsley sprigs for garnish
• lemon wedges

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up any brown bits.
3. Add chicken broth and return to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Strain the mixture through a sieve, reserving the stock, and into a separate bowl. Discard solids.
5. In the same saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add shrimp to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until just turning opaque.
6. Remove the shrimp and reserve in a bowl.
7. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery to the pot and cook over medium heat until they are tender, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the chipotle, adobo, tomato paste, thyme, paprika, 1/4 cup Sherry and Brandy. Bring to a boil.
9. Move the saucepan off the heat and carefully ignite the brandy. Allow the flame to burn out.
10. Add the reserved stock and half of shrimp.
11. With stick blender (or food processor) blend the soup until smooth.
12. Add bay leaf. Return to heat for 5 minutes.
    
13. Stir in 2 tablespoons sherry and half and half.
14. Add remaining shrimp to soup. Ladle the spicy shrimp bisque flambe into soup bowls, garnish with parsley sprigs, lemon wedges, and serve.

Wow a soup! But it wasn't really flambé, because it wasn't served on fire. Ok, fine, a challenge then. How about spinach that would make Popeye cry? And this one IS served on fire.


















Spinach Salad Flambé

Ingredients

• 6 slices of pancetta cut into 1/2” pieces
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  
• 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 pound baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
• 1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup brandy
• shaved Pecorino-Romano cheese

Instructions

1. In a large skillet cook the pancetta over medium heat until just crisp.
2. Remove the pancetta and drain on a paper towel.
3. Mix the honey, vinegar, and salt into the pancetta fat and heat until just boiling.
4. Place the spinach, mushrooms, and eggs in a large salad bowl.
5. Pour the honey mixture over the spinach, mushrooms, and eggs and toss lightly.
6. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the spinach.
7. Return the pancetta to the skillet and add the brandy. Heat the brandy over low heat until just warm.
8. Ignite the brandy and pour over the spinach.
9. Toss the salad gently and serve immediately.

That's right. The salad. The salad. The salad's on fire! We don' need no water! let the...

Flaming Han Asian Vodka Thai Barbecued Rock Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients

• 4 Cornish Game Hens
• 3 medium plum or vine ripened tomatoes, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 3 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Thai sweet chilli sauce (optional)
• 1 cup Han Asian Vodka

Instructions

1. Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, rce wine vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil in a food processor and puree to a smooth sauce.
2. Coat the hens in the sauce and leave them to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours.
3. Prepare a barbecue to a moderate heat. Place the hens on the barbecue and cook them for 5-7 minutes per side, brushing them regularly with the excess sauce. Check internal temperature at the base of thigh is at least 170 degrees.
4. Remove the hens from the barbecue and keep them warm until ready to serve or allow them to cool and serve them at room temperature. Serve with sweet chilli sauce (optional).
5. Transfer hens to heated (and heatproof) serving dish. Warm vodka in a small saucepan and ignite it. Pour over the hens and serve flaming.

In all seriousness folks, flambe is DANGEROUS. Exercise CAUTION!

Keep a fire extinguisher handy, a large cover for your pan, and use Fireplace Matches or BBQ Lighter

That's soup, salad, and a main course, what more could you want? What dessert too? What do you expect out of me Flaming Babka? Vanilla Pudding flambe? Oh Oh I know, Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches on Fire! Nope. None of those are going to happen.












Creme Brulee Flambé

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cognac or brandy (flavored brandy is a good idea as well)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
4. Pour cream mixture into the top of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon; approximately 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.
6. In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar. Sift this mixture evenly over custard.
   
7. Pour Brandy or liqueur over sugar mixture and ignite.

Wow... no blog for two days and I go off on a roll! four recipes, three video links, and all sorts of fiery goodness.

Thank you everyone for your patience. Now to a little business. The "Bribe" campaign is over. I now need to get cracking on a bunch of handmade projects. Thanks to everyone here and on Facebook for participating.

Starting today I have a new project for everyone. This is one part Iron Chef and one part Stump the Band. I'm looking for a challenge. Hit me with your requests. If I can afford the ingredients, I will make it, photograph it and post the recipe. Come on every one, let's have some fun!

Until next time, I wish everyone Peace, Love, and Hollandaise Sauce!

When zombies go shopping after work

We've all done it. It's been a long day at work. You skipped breakfast. Lunch was something that came in a wrapper, greasy fries, and something sticky and sweet to drink. At around 4:00, you excused yourself from your 3rd meeting of the day. You found the coffee machine, the one with the German chef on it. He's looking down at the cup in his hand wondering if he was paid enough to shill this mud. Oh, and it is mud. The candy machine is out of Snickers bars, well it is now - thanks to Bob in accounting. That leaves Mallo Cups. (What the hell is a Mallo Cup?) Might as well get the trail mix, at least people will think you eat healthy.

So now it's time to go home. Quick call home first...

"Hey honey, did you take something out for dinner?"
"No. Can you stop at the store?"
"Um sure, I guess. What do you want?"
"I don't know. What ever looks good..."

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!

I'm barely coherent at 5PM as it is and now I have to go shopping. I have no energy left at this point. All I want to do is go home, and collapse into a rumpled heap on the bed for a nap.

Truthfully, shopping isn't really the problem, it's the decision making processes while I'm in the store. So I pull into the parking lot of the supermarket, find my way to a shopping cart, (you know the one with the wobbly wheel) and start wandering the aisles. I'm in full on zombie mode now, who knows what I'll come home with!

What's funny is watching the other people wandering the aisles in the same mode as me. Wait, I'm the only one? Oh, everyone else went and got pizza. Damn it, I don't want to go out to eat!


Ok, let's do this. If I can just think. Break it down. Dinner... healthy, fast. Something to drink. And a little dessert. Healthy and fast that equals salad. Something to drink, how about some peach-orangeade? Finally, a dessert, fresh blueberries over lemon sherbet.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 4 ounces almond slivers
• 1 can Mandarin oranges, drained (reserve the juice)
  
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 clove garlic chopped

Instructions

1. Wash, drain and coarsely tear lettuce.
2. Drain the oranges, reserving juice.
3. Add oranges, almonds, and tomatoes to lettuce
4. Place vinegar, juice, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small sauce pan and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Allow to cool.
5. In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, brown chicken breasts. Turn as needed. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Slice chicken breasts and add to salad.
7. Combine cooled vinegar mixture and olive oil.
8. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and sprinkle cheese.

Peach Orangeade

Ingredients

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 liter sparkling water
• 16 ounce can sliced peaches in juice

Instructions

1. In blender, combine orange juice, lime juice, and peaches in juice.
2. Blend for 15 - 20 seconds.
3. Add Club soda and serve over ice.

Simple dinner, quick, and fairly healthy. Now I can go take my nap. Oh wait, I have a blog to write... yeah.

Until next time, Peace, Love, and Hollandaise Sauce!

Winter got you down? Think GRILLING!

Here in Wilkes it's snowing again. We're looking at another inch tonight. Now if you live in Minnesota or Denmark that may be nothing, but an inch of snow closes down everything here. Businesses will shut down. Schools will shutter. There will be panicked buying at the grocery stores. Mass hysteria!

Sigh.

Problem is, I love snow. It's pretty. It makes the ground crunchy and shiny. The world looks new. The roads are quiet.



I like snow. I like snow. (trying to convince myself) I like snow. (I have to drive to work in this in the morning) I like snow. (The kids will be home watching cartoons and drinking cocoa and I will be at work tomorrow). I like snow, right?

Sigh. I miss Spring. Let's face it. Winter has me down. Football season is over. Sure there's the playoffs but I'm a Dolphins fan and a Panthers fan. Football season is VERY over for me.

No playoffs.

I'm a Nascar Fan too. No races near here until March. My point is, there will be no tailgating until Spring. (The Carolina Hurricanes are too far away to tailgate at too). As tragedies go, this ranks fairly low on the needs-a-telethon-meter, but I do miss tailgating. Why? I miss my grill.

There are alternatives to grilling in Winter.

(1) Grill with Charcoal.

I hate to admit it here, but I buck the trend, I use gas. Here's why. Phyllis and I like to say we are prepared for any cooking emergency. This is why we have two portable grills. They are small, fast to set up and light, provide good control, quick heat up and quick cool down. They fit in the back of the van with no problem. We can be set up and cooking in 15 minutes. We can be cooled down, cleaned up and put away in 20 minutes or less. The problem in Winter is that propane does not like to flow as temperatures drop under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Now if I use charcoal, I can't start my cooking as fast and I can't stop it as quickly. I rarely grill at home, so this presents issues.

I won one of these from Budweiser last year!

(2) Use a stovetop indoor grill

This is a fair option, but still not quite the same. If you do use one, there are a couple of rules I recommend you follow:

• Do use a cast iron grill pan
• Season it well (see Lodge's instructions)
• DO NOT use a cast iron grill pan if you have a glass top stove.
• Keep your kitchen well ventilated, you will make your pan very hot to sear your food, therefore you will produce smoke.
  

(3) CHEAT!

Become good friends with the people that own the local BBQ restaurants in town an learn how they make their sauces. Find sales at the local hardware store on last year's models that didn't sell. (Most chains are getting geared up for spring RIGHT NOW and want to get rid of EVERYTHING that's left). Take a vacation to the beach, in Florida or points south and bring your grill.


Sadly though, we are still left with what to do with today. We have snow. The kids are home watching Sponge Bob, and I'm at work. I love my kids, but I want revenge...

Hot Chili Chocolate

Don't call Social Services on me, this is not as bad as you think. Chili pepper, Vanilla Bean, and Chocolate all hit the same receptors on your tongue, therefore the flavors will enhance each other.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Split the vanilla bean, lengthwise.
2. In a saucepan, heat milk to simmering with vanilla bean and infuse for 10 minutes
3. Over double boiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate. Whisk in heavy cream, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
4. When chocolate is smooth, remove vanilla bean from milk and scrape into chocolate.
5. Slowly pour milk into chocolate.

Now to satisfy the grill master in you that's been hibernating all winter

Quick Grilled Italian Hoagie

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 green pepper, sliced
  
• 1 onion, chopped coarsely
  
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 pound provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Olive Oil
• 1 loaf crusty Italian Bread

Instructions

1. Cut up sausage into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Slice chicken into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
2. Put oven on broil.
3. Heat your cast iron grill pan to "thermo-nuclear" (or hot as you can, but my stove goes all the way to 11)
4. Slice your Italian bread in half, brush with olive oil and toast on grill pan. You are looking to toast lightly, not to blacken so watch this step carefully! When toasted, set aside.
5. Add additional oil to pan then add sausage and chicken. Allow it to get some grill marks before moving and turning.
6. Add cut up onions and peppers and continue to cook sausage and chicken until cooked through, about 12 minutes total. If the onions and peppers still have crunch, that's ok.
   
7. Remove from pan, place on Italian bread.
8. Shake olive oil, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, and oregano over meat and vegetables.
9. Cover with provolone and place under broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.

Well I hoped you liked today's blog. It was a little less sappy than yesterday's I think.

A little bit of business before we finish up though. The "Bribe" give-away is still going on. I still have a couple more spots. If you favorite me and let me know about, preferably in the comments, by the end of this week I will get you a handmade item (of my choosing).

My Intern tells me a lot of you have "stumbled" over here. Welcome, stay! Have some pie. Coffee?

Finally, I have mentioned before this is a work in progress, your comments are welcome. If you have any feedback, even corrections, please let me know.

Until next time world, I wish you Peace, Love, and Hollandaise Sauce!