Parmesan Garlic Sauce

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This Parmesan garlic sauce is the first of two recipes intended for the same snack.

Find the complimentary spice rubbed chicken wings to drizzle this sauce on here.

This sauce can be used with just about anything from vegetables to steak. It's inspired by the Parmesan garlic sauce that can be ordered at Buffalo Wild Wings, but the only thing that they have in common are the main flavors. It’s more of a drizzle containing a ton of garlic, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. The Buffalo Wild Wings’s version is made for dipping and much thicker. Frankly, I have no idea what’s in it or how it’s made. I just wanted the flavors of Parmesan and garlic in a sauce as a compliment to the clove and cinnamon contained in the rub for the wings.

Overall, the taste of the sauce was yummy – Heavy with garlic and powerful – exactly what I intended. I don’t advise eating spoonfuls of this by itself, it’s meant to be a cool compliment to something spicy and it is just that.

BEHIND THIS BITE
When I made this I held back on the flour (my thickening agent) intentionally – and it came back to bite me. I didn’t want it to get to thick so instead of using two tablespoons of flour with two tablespoons of butter, I only used one tablespoon of flour, thinking this would make it less thick in the end. It was less thick, but really there was no thickening at all! It was kind of a waste of a tablespoon of flour.

The butter to flour ratio must be 1 to 1 to make the roux science work and thicken properly. After it cooled I added sour cream to give the sauce the consistency I was looking for and it worked just fine. Nothing like a little improv in the kitchen to make things right.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 cups; 1 hour
2 Tbs Unsalted butter
2 Tbs Shallot, diced
2 Tbs Garlic, minced
1 Tbs Flour
1/2 C Milk
1 C Chicken broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 C Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 C Sour cream

Saute shallot, garlic add flour
In a sauce pan over medium heat melt butter and sauté shallot until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Sift in flour and mix well to combine with butter, let mixture cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

Add liquid, stir in cheese; cool, finish
Whisk in milk , chicken broth and Italian seasonings, increase heat and bring to a simmer stirring often. Reduce heat and stir in cheese a tablespoon or two at a time until gone. Remove from heat and let cool. Once mixtures cools to room temperature whisk in sour cream, until well incorporated. Refrigerate overnight.

A Roast for Dinner Part 3: The Corn

This corn dish is the second side to my roasted pork loin, but really this is a side to the mashed potatoes! I love mixing corn with my taters! I have done it since I was a kid. Throw in the red pepper - I'm in side dish heaven.

This recipe is quick and easy. The toughest part is chopping the ingredients. I use canned corn here. I marvel at the Food Network cooks. It seems like most of them always roast whole ears then slice off the corn.  I've never had great luck with that. When I cook an ear of corn I eat it on the cob! I'm usually a purist and cook with fresh ingredients but corn is an exception for me.

Of all the peppers, the red pepper is my favorite. I think it's sweeter than a green pepper and there's no heat, unlike chilis. That combination makes it versatile and I use it in many of the dishes I create. I especialy love them roasted! I think that would have worked well here also.

Cooking an entire meal and breaking it up into my separate entries for the blog is new for me. I think this is how I'm going to approach the complex meals and bites that I feature here. It allows me to concentrate on the details of each element rather than a huge post, like my pumpkin feast, with a massive info graphic in the middle. Don't get me wrong, I still love to create giant recipe infographics. It's just a better work flow for me to break up the bites. I can still put them all together in the end but I guess I'll have to save that for the book.

I need to create a word for recipe infographics, any suggestion?

Eat well, cook often ...

Part 1: The Loin
Part 2: The Potatoes

Herb-Garlic Tortilla Chips and Fresh Guacamole

My favorite kind of tortilla chips are what is usually found at Mexican restaurants. They are made from corn or flour tortillas that are deep fried, seasoned according to the chef’s tastes and usually served with a salsa made at the establishment. It is the perfect start to any meal.

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The first party I ever catered, I started the meal with my own tortilla chips and fresh salsa. The chips alone received the most compliments. I think they were memorable because it stood out from the ordinary tortilla chip found anywhere from grocery stores to vending machines. The chip gave the entire meal a gourmet feel.

For this recipe, I make homemade tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. I start by infusing oil with fresh herbs and garlic, which imparts a unique and aromatic flavor into the corn tortilla chip when fried. I then season it with salt and fresh grated parmesan cheese. The unexpected flavor from the chip makes this snack impossible to stop eating – Not to mention, the tasty and fresh guacamole that goes with it.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I have had this recipe for a long time. I started writing my column a year-and-a-half ago and I usually challenge myself to create something new each week. It makes the job easy to use a treat I had created long ago. I saw the flavored-oil technique on the Food Network's Tyler's Ultimate, I think he used it for fish and chips. Somewhere a long the line I thought it would be a good way to flavor tortilla chips.

I have made these chips a number of times and I have never had leftovers.

The guacamole is something I picked up at a cooking class taught be Sue Torres, chef and owner of Suenos in New York City. It was the first cooking class I had ever taken and it was a ton of fun. I learned a lot about making fresh salsa as well as the guacamole. I highly recommend taking classes or attending demonstrations regardless of experience, there is always something more to learn.

My family requests the guacamole more than any other dish I make, it's always a hit. Seriously, my family tears into a platter of this stuff like werewolves on a veal farm.

I decided to create this for myself this week while enjoying an afternoon of football – and thought it was time to share it here.

Eat well, cook often ...