Sunday, July 10, 2011

Louisville Wings-- Graduation Party Tradition!

My family's favorite home-cooked wings. They take quite a bit of time (hours overnight and lots of attention on the grill) but they're worth it! (And, by the way, the marinade does NOT freeze, but the cooked wings freeze pretty well.)
About 60 pieces of chicken wings ( I get mine frozen from GFS and thaw them).
Make the rub:
2 Tablespoons each of kosher salt, lemon pepper, and paprika (you might want to cut down on the salt if there is salt in your lemon pepper seasoning).
Pour over the wings in a large bowl and toss until they're coated. Cover and refrigerate.
Make the sauce:
Melt 10 Tablespoons of butter and saute five large cloves of freshly minced garlic in a large sauce pan. Add two-thirds of a cup each of bourbon, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, Red Hot or Tabasco Sauce (Or a combination of both. Red Hot is not as spicy as Tabasco. I use Red Hot when I'm serving them to a mixed crowd) and three Tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring to a low boil and reduce for about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Pour three-quarters of the cooled marinade over the wings. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Before cooking, make sure the wings are at room temperature. Prepare an indirect heat grill at about 350-degrees and cook them indirectly for half an hour until almost done. Baste with the marinade. Finally, put the wings directly over the heat for 5 minutes or so, until the skin crackles and begins to blacken. (I use my gas grill, alternating the heat from low to high, moving the wings around the grill until they're done. It takes quite a bit of attention, but the wings can catch fire easily since they're marinated in bourbon!)
Transfer to a platter and serve. (You can serve them with extra sauce but remember that the alcohol is entirely cooked off. This can be surprising to those who don't do bourbon!)
Enjoy and get ready to forward your friends here for the recipe!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Baked Leek and Sweet Potato Gratin

Loved this one revised from Vegetarian Times. It was a great alternative to the usual sugar- and fat-filled holiday fare.

3 leeks, sliced (green and white parts) and rinsed well
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons very finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch slices (the v-shaped blade of the Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin was perfect)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Heat 1 T. oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, garlic and rosemary; saute 8 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Arrange one-third sweet potato slices on the bottom of a stoneware square baker or oiled casserole dish, overlapping slightly. Spread half of leek mixture on top. Arrange another one-third sweet potatoes over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over top, cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.

Stir together breadcrumbs and remaining oil. Remove foil from gratin, and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned and crisp. Cool slightly before serving.