I’m looking to expand my menu (since I’m cooking for myself all the time) and I thought “What better way to cook than with alcohol?” I’ve shoved a can of Coors up a chicken’s butt in the past but I didn’t really like the result. Anyone got any good recipes? The real challenge here is that I’m looking for recipes that are either naturally low in carbohydrates or can be adapted to be low-carb. Anyone got any suggestions or a good cookbook?
The typical way to use alcohol in cooking is to deglaze a pan after saute-ing. The high heat cause some food to stick to the pan (we call that “fond”) and the quick change in tempurature by adding a liquid to the pan causes everything to un-stick. The alcohol quickly evaporates, the remaining liquid reduces and the fond disolves, leaving a nice rich sauce to pour over whatever you sauteed. Thats what we culinarians call a “pan sauce”
Like chicken? try this: Coat a chicken breast in flour and saute in a little bit of butter or oil. when the chicken is nicely browned on both sides, take it out and finish it in the oven. Pour in a splash of marsala or sherry and some finely chopped shallots, and scrape the pan to help release the fond. When most of the liquid is evporated, add some canned or boxed chicken broth, and reduce that until its slightly thickened. Toss in some chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt to your taste, and pour that sauce over your finished chicken breast. (you can also whisk-in a little whole, cold butter to make the sauce more rich, but thats not needed)
I’ll refrain from snarking here, because ast is one of my Thursday-night poker buddies. But, seriously, Coors? My fave beer-butt chickens are made with witbier (sp?). Celis is domestic, and Hoegardden (sp?) is an import. Lovely citrus and coriander hints in the finished product.