Cooking Club I - Liquor

June was my hosting month for Cooking Club I. A theme that I had been mulling for a while was that of using alcohol in food. I like the way it enhances flavours and that one can make a drink to go along with the meal as well. The interpretations of the theme that were presented at our meeting were quite interesting to say the least. How did we end up not using wine?

Jillian - Grilled Corn, Shrimp, and Avocado Appetizer - tequila

*recipe below

Very fresh tasting, I liked the smoky crunch of the corn and smoothness of the avocado.

Would be great as a salad as well.

Danielle - Romaine with Fresh Cherries, Pistachios, Feta and Corn Bread Croutons - kreik beer

Turned out WAY better than I expected. I subbed in corn bread for olive, pistachios for pumpkin seeds and 4 T kreik + balsamic for the white balsamic.

Rose - Avocado Soup - tequila

Had a surprising spicy after bite. Smooth and velvety.

Melanie - Coconut Chicken Fingers with Spicy Mango Sauce - rum

Kids would love these. A great indulgent snack choice.

Imogen - Penne with Prosciutto and Vodka Sauce - vodka

Smoky flavours and quite filling. Great for lunch the next day.

Dana - Brownies with Peanut Butter Icing and Chocolate Ganache - Kahlua

VERY dense and sweet. Could put one into insulin shock.

Grilled Shrimp Martinis (from Heart Smart, Bonnie Stern)

1lb shrimp
1T olive oil
1t salt
2 ears corn
1 small onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 jalapeno
1/3 cup cilantro
1 small avocado
3T lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 t chipoltle puree
1/2 cumin
2 T tequila
tortilla chips
(I also added mexican cheese con fresca to make it a little less heart smart).

1. Grill shrimp, corn, onion, and red pepper on BBQ
2. Dice all along with jalapeno, cilantro, and avocado.
3. Mix lime, garlic, chipotle, cumin, and tequilla.
4. Stir it all together. Serve in martini glasses with tortilla chips.