Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

Oil to coat wok or large pan
1 lb. chicken breast, thinly sliced into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbs. flour
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
2 cups thin green bean
2 Tbs. Thai red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
2 Thai chilies (optional), finely chopped
Juice of ½ a lime, slicing other ½ into wedges
1-3 Tbs. Fish sauce, depending on taste
1 pkg. rice noodles, soaked 1 hour starting with hot water (or according to package)


Add oil to wok and heat to medium high. Lightly flour chicken, add to pan and cook stirring until cooked through and browning. Add garlic, green beans and bamboo shoots and cook 5 minutes more stirring constantly. Remove to platter and set aside. Add red curry paste to wok and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Add chilies, lime juice and fish sauce and stir. Reintroduce chicken, green beans and bamboo shoots. Add pre-soaked noodles and combine thoroughly. Cook a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Serve with lime wedges.

Recipe: Louisville Cooler

I can't remember which site I first got this drink from.  Here's Emeril's, which is a little different from what I made, but close enough.

(serves two, ideally)
4 oz. bourbon*
2 oz. orange juice
1 oz. lime juice (fresh squeezed--ALWAYS)
1 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into two rocks glasses with clean ice.  Garnish with an orange and a maraschino cherry.  Sip outdoors in the springtime.

* Use a "midrange" bourbon here.  I like Evan Williams--it's cheap enough to mix, but also good enough to just drink straight.  (It's like the opposite of Jack Daniels.)

Recipe: Bourbon Wings!

Here are the Bourbon Wings, roughly as prepared on Wednesday's show.  The method for cooking the wings comes from Alton Brown, and the sauce is based on this one from the Food Network.

SAUCE
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 an onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup peach preserves (I like the Simply Fruit kind)
1-2 tsp red pepper flake (or 1 tbsp hot sauce)
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons bourbon
salt & pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until it's translucent.  Add the garlic and cook until you smell garlic, not more than a minute.  Add the cider vinegar, stir to deglaze the pan (if necessary), and let it cook down to about 1/2 its volume.  Then add the mustard, preserves, RPF, and 1/3 cup of bourbon.  Cook until it's thick and glazy, about 10 minutes.  Let it cool for a few minutes and add the extra bourbon.  (This makes more than you need, which is great because it's good on just about anything.)

WINGS
30 chicken wing sections (I buy them frozen)
salt, pepper

Lay the wings out in a single layer in a metal colander.  Boil three inches of water in a large pot.  Put the colander over the rapidly boiling water and steam the wings for 10 minutes (or up to 15 if still mostly frozen).  Line a sheet pan with paper towels, put in a rack, and put the wings on the rack.  Let them rest for 15-20 minutes on the counter or an hour in the fridge.

Replace the paper towels with parchment.  Season the wings and put them in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Take them out and toss them a few at a time in your sauce, then return them to the rack.  Return the pan to the oven for 20 more minutes, or until the wings are nice and brown.

Serve with extra sauce and plenty of paper towels.

Recipe: Roasted Rosemary Nuts

2 cups mixed nuts, such as cashews, walnuts, and pecans
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast nuts on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, and rosemary . Add nuts and stir until butter mixture is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread nuts out to cool. Toss occasionally as they cool.

My thinking is that these would be awesome crumbled over ice cream but I've yet to try it.

Recipe: Tricia's Ultimate Grilled Cheese

French baguette
Fontina, sliced very thin
Gouda, sliced very thin
Havarti, sliced very thin
herb butter, softened to room temperature

Cut baguette into thin slices. Spread herb butter sparingly onto 1 side of each piece of bread. Layer 3 slices cheese between the bread and pan fry over medium low heat until cheese is melted and bread is crispy and browned. If you're cooking for a few, it's actually much easier to make these under the broiler, turning once.

Recipe: Herb Butter

1 stick butter, softened

1 clove garlic, crushed or 1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 fresh ground black pepper

pinch rosemary

pinch salt

dash cayenne pepper flakes

dash parsley

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate for up to 2 months. But it doesn't last that long.

Use for grilled cheeses, baked garlic bread, spread on a hunk of bread, on corn, baked potatoes, to saute veggies, on steak, the buttery possibilities are endless. Mmmmmm.

Recipe: Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

As prepared on tonight's show!

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
Adapted from Live To Cook by Michael Symon.  Hat tip to The Amateur Gourmet for bringing it my way.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
6 small garlic cloves, sliced
1 28-oz can Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
3/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce (or to taste)
3/4 cup blue cheese (give or take)
Salt, pepper

Sweat the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or so, then add the chicken stock, tomatoes, Sriacha, more salt and pepper, and the cream.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so without vigorously boiling.

Add the blue cheese and blend it up in a blender or with a stick blender until uniform.  Adjust the seasonings.  Pour it through a strainer if you like, but I never have.

Serve with warm, crusty bread.  This is essential.