(88) Tequila Lime Tart

Tequila Lime Tart

This almost tasted like a key lime cheesecake. Delicious texture, flavor, and appearance! The crust was so good!

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Yield: 8 servings

For the crust:

10 ounces vanilla wafers
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
4 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Fresh whipped cream, for serving

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Add wafers and pine nuts to food processor, pulse until well ground up. Pour into bowl and add melted butter. Mix by hand, with a wooden spoon, and press into 10-inch tart pan. (reserve 4 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle on top when done baking.)

Place tart pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

For the filling:

In a mixing bowl add egg whites and sugar, beat until there are soft peaks.

In another mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into tart shell and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Let cool before cutting and serve with fresh whipped cream.

(87) Sweet Potato Fries with Malt Vinegar

Sweet Potato Fries with Malt Vinegar

Our cooking club member Kevin was in charge of cutting fries. He looked like he might pass out, he cut so many sweet potatoes. All we could think was WOW that's a lot of fries. Um, no. We ate every last one of them!!! These were great! Thanks for all the chopping, Kevin :)

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Yield: 4-6 servings

4 cups peeled and julienned sweet potatoes
3 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons malt vinegar

Add the julienned potatoes to a bowl filled with ice water while you heat the oil.

Preheat the oil in a cast iron skillet or fryer to 325 degrees F. In a small bowl, add all the spices and combine well.

Remove the potatoes from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels. Fry the potatoes, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the inside. Remove the potatoes from the oil to a bowl and bring the oil up to 350 degrees F. Add the potatoes and fry again, in batches, this time to cook the outside until golden brown. (They will not achieve the texture of a French fry, but will have a nice color and be slightly crispy).

Remove the potatoes from the oil to a paper towel lined plate. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle generously with the spice mix and sprinkle with malt vinegar. Serve immediately.

(86) Red Rocker Margarita Chicken

Red Rocker Margarita Chicken

These sandwiches were SO FREAKING GOOD (yes, I am yelling!). Wow. There were 2 changes/adjustments that we made. First, I used jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own. When you fry these things up, oh heaven. Get a bib. You will be drooling (they're that good!). Secondly, we used bagged cole slaw mix vs. cutting our own cabbage. I highly recommend these sandwiches! They were so moist and flavorful!

Yield: 4 sandwiches
Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)

2 jalapenos, thinly sliced rounds
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
4 tablespoons tequila (recommended: Cabo Wabo Reposado)
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 limes, juiced
2 teaspoons salt, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded, julienne
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 cups canola oil
4 Kaiser rolls
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

In a medium mixing bowl add jalapenos, cilantro, tequila, garlic, red chili flakes, cumin, oregano, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken breasts and red bell peppers to resealable gallon bag and pour in marinade. Let marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours.

Heat grill to high. Remove chicken from marinade, and add chicken to the grill.

In a small mixing bowl add flour, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the granulated garlic.

Heat the canola oil to 350 degrees F.

Remove bell peppers from marinade and dredge in flour and fry until crispy. When done drain on paper towels.

Cook chicken thoroughly on both sides, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes Remove chicken from the bone and thinly slice or shred.

Lightly toast rolls. Spread mayonnaise evenly among the rolls and then stack evenly with the cabbage, onion, chicken breast, fried peppers, and top with cheese.

(85) Italian Stuffed Jalapenos

Ok, let's talk about this recipe. I have a few suggestions if you try to make this!
1) PLEASE wear rubber gloves when you cut the jalapenos. We had our first ever cooking club catastrophe. Poor Dee, I don't think her fingertips will ever be the same.

2) Cook the peppers long enough. They should look kind of soft when they come out of the oven. If they're not, they'll be hotter than fire. Ours didn't cook long enough and although we LOVE hot, we couldn't eat them. Sad :(

3) The filling for this is AWESOME!!! We doubled the recipe, so it made way too much filling. We had leftovers today on a toasted bun, open face, with cheese melted on top. HEAVEN!

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Italian Stuffed Jalapenos

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Yield: 4-6 servings

15 jalapenos, preferably red, cut in 1/2, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pounds mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and set a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place jalapenos on a sheet tray and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn broiler on medium.

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add the sausage and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and cook to soften for about 5 minutes. Remove and place in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, then add mascarpone, and Parmesan. Mix ingredients thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, and top with 1/2 teaspoon of mozzarella cheese.

Place the sheet tray of stuffed peppers in oven and broil until mozzarella cheese melts.

(84) Garlic Aioli

Garlic Aioli

This goes with the Beer-Battered Asparagus recipe, but honestly this has so many uses. It would be great over some grilled fish or as a dip for vegetables.

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Yield: 1 cup

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, zested
4 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

(83) Beer-battered Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

Beer-battered Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

Let me tell you something - these were GREAT!!! The aioli was off the hook good (to quote Guy). We ended up putting it on our chicken sandwiches with dinner. YUM! I had a small dish to soak the asparagus in, so I used more like 4 cups of buttermilk. I think you should just adjust it to what you need. Make sure the asparagus is covered completely while soaking.

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Yield: 12 servings (but this depends on your asparagus size)

1 bunch medium asparagus, ends trimmed
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup beer, lager or pale ale
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups peanut oil
Sea salt
Garlic Aioli, recipe follows

In shallow pan, soak asparagus in buttermilk 12 to 24 hours. Remove from buttermilk, but do not rinse.

In a large bowl, combine well the egg yolks, beer, flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. In large deep sided pot, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a large clean bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter mixture. Dip spears, 1 at a time into batter, then carefully lay in oil. Do not overcrowd pan. Fry in batches, if necessary. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning the spears with tongs to ensure even cooking. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste. Serve immediately with Aioli.

(82) Red Apple Hooch Bowla

Red Apple Hooch Bowla

This is the perfect fall drink! The cinnamon, apple, and cranberry flavors work great together and the whiskey taste is not strong at all - but gives it a nice grownup kick! The simple syrup is easy to make and makes your house smell wonderful at the same time! Please try this recipe!

Source: Guy's Big Bite (foodtv.com)
Serves: 4-6 drinks

Ice
5 ounces whiskey, premium quality
2 red apples, cored and sliced, plus more for garnish
4 ounces Cinnamon Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 ounces apple schnapps
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
Splash sweet and sour mix
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Fill a large pitcher or bowl with ice. Add whiskey, apples, cinnamon syrup and apple schnapps. Pour in cranberry juice and splash of sweet and sour mix.

Pout into glasses and garnish with cinnamon sticks and red apple slices.

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Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

2 cups water
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar

In a small sauce pot add water and cinnamon and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, and strain out cinnamon sticks. Bring water back to a boil, add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups