Author: kennyrencher

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Flaming Peppercorn Cognac Sauce (Steak Sauce)

Delicious sauce to smother a steak in, best with mushrooms.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/2 cup Cognac
3 cups unsalted or lower-salt chicken stock or broth
4 small sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 oz. nely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup using a rasp grater)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice; more as needed
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook,
stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add the Cognac, turn the heat up to high, and boil until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the stock and thyme and boil until the mixture has reduced to just over 1 cup, 15 to
20 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.
Stir in the cream and black pepper and lower the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced to 2 cups and is a bit thicker than heavy
cream, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the Parmigiano, mustard, lemon juice, and
Worcestershire sauce. Once the cheese has melted, season to taste with more salt,
pepper, or lemon juice.
Serve

Note: I often make this with mushrooms and it gives it an excellent flavor. To cook with mushrooms, put 1lb of cut up mushrooms in before the shallot and sweat down (10 minutes or so). Cook the rest of the recipe as described.

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Shrimp Tacos- Cilantro Lime Sauce

Ingredients

Shrimp

  • 1 pound (~45) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, separated
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or use additional olive oil)
  • 1-2 fresh limes
  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 large avocado
  • Corn (or flour) tortillas

Cilantro Lime Sauce

  • 1 lime juiced and zested (3 tablespoons juice + 1/2 teaspoon zest)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic add to desired preference, minced
  • 1/2 of a large bunch of cilantro
  • 1/2 jalapeno (or 1 full jalapeno for a spicier dressing)
  • 1/2 cup regular full fat mayo
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, I use fat-free
  • Optional: olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

Shrimp

  1. Pat both sides of the shrimp dry and then gently toss in a large bowl with the garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cover and place in the fridge while preparing the rest of this dish (at least 15 minutes and up to overnight).
  2. In a large skillet (if you don’t have a big enough skillet to cook all the shrimp in a single layer, separate this process AND the butter + olive oil into 2 parts), melt butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  3. Add shrimp in a single layer and saute until they just turn pink, flipping shrimp over halfway through, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Remove from heat and set aside to a cutting board. Cut off the tails. If desired, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the shrimp.

For the Cilantro Lime Sauce

  1. Zest and juice 1 lime to get 3 tablespoons juice and 1/2 teaspoon zest. Add the juice and zest to a powerful blender or mini food processor along with the minced garlic, cilantro, 1/2 of the seeded jalapeno (add more of the jalapeno for a spicier sauce, add slowly if you’re worried about the heat), and mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend or pulse until smooth. Add in the sour cream and pulse once more to combine.

Assemble Tacos

  1. Remove 1/2 a cup of the cilantro lime sauce and toss it with the shredded green cabbage to combine.
  2. OPTIONAL: Spray the tortillas (both sides) with olive oil cooking spray and “grill” tortillas on stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred. Alternatively warm (covered with a damp paper towel) in the microwave.
  3. Fill tortillas with shrimp, a generous serving of the slaw, and fresh avocado. Drizzle additional sauce over top and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
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Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

The perfect coleslaw for pulled pork sandwiches, the teaspoons of sweet chili sauce add a nice sweetness to this dish.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 lime, zested
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 red onion, finely diced, or more to taste
  • 4 cups shredded green cabbage, or more to taste

Directions

  1. Whisk mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, rice vinegar, garlic, sweet chili sauce, and sugar in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Mix cilantro and red onion into dressing. Stir cabbage into dressing mixture, about 1 cup at a time, until all cabbage is coated.
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Jamie’s cookies

Also known as Cowboy Cookies, these cookies are generally only made during holidays. Jamie Short makes them every year and they are incredible.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 oz peanut butter chips
3 oz milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatsDirections:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking power; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
  3. Stir in the chips and oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
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Tiki Masala

This recipe is originally from Café-delights and has been adapted for our preferences. This is my favorite Indian food recipe that has a lot of heat with a ton of flavor.

Ingredients

For the chicken marinade:

  • 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 small onions (or 1 large onion) finely diced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 14 oz (400g) tomato puree (tomato sauce/Passata)
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (optional for colour and flavour)
  • 1 teaspoon ground red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups of heavy or thickened cream (use evaporated milk for lower calories)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water if needed
  • 4 tablespoons Fresh cilantro or coriander to garnish

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
  • Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
  • Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. 
  • Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
  • Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
  • Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
  • Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and serve with fresh, hot basmati rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 250mg | Sodium: 1601mg | Potassium: 973mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1895IU | Vitamin C: 19.5mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 4.1mg

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