Flavors on the Rocks: Exploring the Art of Cooking with Alcohol

Welcome to the enticing realm of cooking with alcohol! Adding spirits, wines, and beers to your culinary repertoire opens up a world of rich flavors and exciting possibilities. From infusing depth and complexity into savory dishes to creating decadent desserts with a boozy twist, cooking with alcohol takes your recipes to a whole new level. Join us as we explore the art of incorporating alcohol into your cooking, unlocking a realm of taste sensations that are sure to impress and delight.

Drunken Shrimp

For an easy but epic dinner, fire up this seared shrimp with blistered cherry tomatoes that's deglazed with absinthe and finished with butter.

TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

Ingredients

For the Spice Blend

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

For the Drunken Shrimp

1¼ pounds (12 medium-size) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Spice blend

Kosher salt, to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium shallot, minced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup absinthe (preferably Pernod)

¼ cup seafood stock

4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Toasted French bread, for serving

Directions

• Make the spice blend: In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients until fully incorporated.
• Make the drunken shrimp: In the same bowl, add the shrimp and toss until fully coated with the spice blend. Season with salt.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over high heat. When the pan is smoking, add the shrimp and sear until golden brown, 1 minute. Flip the shrimp and sear the other sides, 30 seconds. Add the shallots and tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the absinthe and wait for the flame to disappear, 1 minute. Add the stock and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring the pan until the butter melts completely and emulsifies with the stock. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with toasted French bread.

Red Wine-Braised Lamb Neck

Lamb is braised in red wine before getting tossed with olives and tomatoes in this recipe from Houston chef Chris Shepherd's new restaurant, One Fifth.

TOTAL TIME: 4 HOURS

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds lamb neck, cut into 2-inch pieces (22 pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves

½ cup tomato paste

4 cups chicken stock

1 (750-milliliter) bottle red wine

5 thyme sprigs

2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

6 small shallots, peeled

⅓ cup cherry tomatoes

⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Season the lamb neck pieces liberally with salt and pepper. Sear, turning as needed, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
• Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot, and cook, stirring as needed, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook until caramelized, 5 minutes more.
• Deglaze the pot with the chicken stock and red wine. Bring to a simmer, then add the seared lamb, thyme and plum tomatoes. Return to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven. Cook for 2 ½ hours, then remove the lid and stir in the shallots. Continue cooking for 30 minutes more.
• Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the lamb and shallots to a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the vegetable solids, then return it to the pot, along with the cooked lamb and shallots, cherry tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Recipe: Red Wine-Marinated Rib Eye

Step up your steak game with this red wine marinade perfumed with clove and orange.

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

Ingredients

1½ cups red wine

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

8 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

One 16-ounce rib eye steak

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

• In a small saucepan, bring the red wine to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the sugar, orange zest, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Cook until the alcohol has cooked off and the liquid has reduced to 1 cup, 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, then strain.
• In a plastic bag, combine the steak with the cooled marinade and seal. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• The next day, remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides and add to the pan. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown and an internal temperature of 125° has been reached, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes, then slice, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Godiva Liqueur Brownies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

2 tablespoons chocolate vodka

2 tablespoons clear creme de cacao

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

4 teaspoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

1 tablespoon chocolate vodka

1 tablespoon clear creme de cacao

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in liqueur, vodka and creme de cacao until blended.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and baking powder until well mixed. Stir in semisweet chocolate chips. Fold chocolate chip mixture into butter mixture just until combined.
• Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; bake just until center is set, 24-28 minutes (do not overbake). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
• For glaze, mix all ingredients until smooth; spread over brownies. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.