Alcohol Is Not Just For Drinking!

Cooking with alcohol such as whiskey can produce tremendous depth of flavor. As the alcohol cooks out or burns off, the flavors intensify, resulting in richness for both sweet and savory dishes. I recently hosted a dinner party with friends and every dish on the menu, including dessert, either had some type of alcohol in the recipe or paired well with one. The flavors were over the top and I would recommend these recipes to anyone. For those readers who do not drink or who are not of legal age, do not worry - the alcohol cooks out during the cooking process but you can always leave it out if you prefer.

Before I tell you about the dinner, let's rewind to earlier in the day - lunch. I realized I had bought more shrimp than I needed for dinner so I experimented for lunch with a new twist on a recipe I have made many times, Shrimp and Grits, and since it was already a whiskey-themed weekend, we had Whiskey-Flamed Shrimp and Grits.

I made my cheesy grits the same way as always - I brought 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water to a boil along with a big pinch of salt. While whisking vigorously, I gradually added 1 cup of stone ground grits. I lowered the heat and moved the pot to the smallest burner, cooking for 18-20 minutes, stirring often to prevent lumping or burning. Once cooked, I turned off the heat, and added 4 tablespoons of butter and black pepper, whisking until the butter had melted. Finally, I added 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese*, stirred to combine, tasted for seasoning, and covered to keep warm while i worked on the shrimp. *Buy a block of good quality cheddar and grate it yourself. Do not buy a bag of shredded cheddar. Trust me.

Now for the fun part! I preheated a skillet for several minutes. Once hot, I added 1 pound of peeled/deveined shrimp and cooked for a minute while tossing them. I poured in 1/4 cup of bourbon and carefully ignited it. I tossed the shrimp continuously until the flame extinguished, which took 1-2 minutes.

Side note - As you can see in the video below, I cooked the shrimp on an induction cooktop in a safe area of the kitchen. If you are using a gas stove, be sure to turn off the heat BEFORE adding the bourbon. Once the bourbon has been ignited and burned off, then you can return the skillet to the heat.

The final step was to add a few tablespoons of butter to the pan and serve the shrimp over a big mound of the cheesy grits with a few drops of hot sauce and chopped chives. So much flavor!

Before dinner, we had a whiskey tasting and there were many to choose.

And of course, we needed some snacks while tasting. Nuts, dried fruit, and olives are always a good choice since they require no cooking, plus these homemade cheese straws which I made using leftover shredded cheddar from lunch. I combined 1 cup of cheddar with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and a pinch of cayenne pepper. I laid out 2 sheets of thawed puff pastry, brushed them with a beaten egg, and sprinkled the cheese mixture evenly over both sheets. I then used a floured rolling pin to stretch the sheets and press the cheese firmly into the puff pastry. I sliced each sheet into 1-inch-wide strips and placed them on parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. I sprinkled a bit of Kosher salt over the straws and popped them into the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up before baking at 400 degrees for 14 minutes, rotating the sheet pans after 7 minutes. I allowed them to cool and then served. Fair warning - they are addicting!

Next up, I made my Shrimp Bisque using cognac, which is actually not a whiskey but rather a brandy. I posted this recipe in an earlier post which you can see via the link. The only difference this time was that I finished the bisque with a drizzle of blood orange olive oil that I found in a specialty Italian food store.

The main course consisted of Mustard Pomegranate Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Crispy Grit Cakes, Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts, and a Whiskey Pepper Cream Sauce. Although this post is about cooking with alcohol, I will share with you how I made everything on the plate. The grit cakes were easy since I had leftover grits from lunch. I poured them onto a small sheet pan, spread them evenly, and refrigerated for a few hours, I cut them into squares, dredged them in flour, coated them in egg wash, and breaded them with Panko. I heated an inch of neutral oil to 360 degrees and fried the cakes until golden brown. I removed them to a rack set over a sheet pan and sprinkled with Kosher salt before popping them into a warming oven while I worked on the rest.

The Cacio e Peppe Brussels Sprouts could not be easier. I cut the sprouts in half and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I tossed them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, lots of pepper, and roasted them in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. As soon as they came out of the oven, I sprinkled on 1/2 cup each of Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses.

For the pork, I combined 1/4 cup Dijon mustard with 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup. I laid 2 pork tenderloins on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, patted them dry with paper towels, seasoned all sides with salt and pepper, and brushed the mustard/pomegranate mixture all over. I roasted them at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes minutes, until the internal temperature reached 140 degrees.

And for the Whiskey Pepper Cream Sauce, I started by melting a tablespoon of butter in a small sauce pan and added 2 minced shallots with a big pinch of salt. I cooked the shallots for a few minutes until they were soft and added 1 minced garlic clove plus a few turns of cracked black pepper. Off the heat, I added 1/2 cup of bourbon and then returned the pan to heat, cooking until the alcohol had cooked off and the pungent alcohol smell had disappeared. I added 3/4 cup each of beef stock and heavy cream, a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, and another pinch of salt. I let it simmer for 10 minutes until thickened, before tasting for seasoning.

I added a few tablespoons of sauce to each plate, topped with a grit cake, some of the Brussels sprouts, sliced pork tenderloin, and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Dessert also included whiskey in the form of Pound Cake with Macerated Strawberries, Marzipan Cream, and Whiskey Caramel. Sounds complicated but it is as easy as it is impressive! For the caramel I combined 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the mixture became dark amber, around 8 minutes. I turned off the heat and whisked in 1/2 cup of room temperature heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Once it was smooth, I whisked in a tablespoon of bourbon*(optional) and transferred it to a bowl. It thickened as it cooled. *For this recipe, the bourbon does not fully cook off.

For the strawberries, I washed them, removed the stems, and cut them into slices. I added a tablespoon of granulated sugar per pound of strawberries, gave them a toss, and let the bowl sit for 30 minutes.

The marzipan cream consisted of 1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 heaping tablespoon powdered or granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. I added all of the ingredients to the bowl of my stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and started the machine on low, gradually working up to the highest speed, whisking to stiff peaks. To plate, I laid a slice of store-bought pound cake onto the plate, topped with some strawberries, whipped cream, and a drizzle of the whiskey caramel. Could that be any easier?

If you have never cooked with alcohol, I do recommend trying it. It always amazes me just how much it enhances the flavor. As always, if you make any of these recipes, please let me know how they turned out and what kind of whiskey you used! I'm always looking for recommendations!