Gin Martini Chicken

You don't have to be a big fan of gin martinis

(personally, I prefer vodka) but you do have to love olives!

2 TBSP olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup gin

2 TBSP dry vermouth

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook

until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per side.

3.Reduce heat to medium, and add the butter and garlic.

Saute for about 5 minutes, until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant.

4. Pour in the gin, vermouth, lemon juice, and olives;

simmer for about 20 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

For serving, I like to pile the olive mixture on top of chicken breasts, drizzling with extra sauce.

Garlic infused angel hair pasta is an excellent side dish.

Rice Wine Vinegar Substitution

I love it when I learn substitutions for ingredients. 

Last night, as I was preparing the rice for my (awesome!) homemade sushi, I discovered that I did not have enough rice wine vinegar.  It's not something I use very often so it didn't occur to me to check that I had enough prior to cooking the rice. 

Anyway, it turns out that you can substitute an equal amount of sweet vermouth for the rice wine vinegar.   

The flavor was good and I would definitely
make the substitution again.

Cheers!  

On Pairing White Wine with Seafood

We've all heard about how you're supposed to pair

white meats with white wine

and red meats with red wine  

Well, I just read why white goes so well with fish. 

According to the March 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine,

white helps to make the fish taste less "fishy".

Here's exactly what is says:

"Diners have long paired fish with white wine, and now scientists know why:  They've discovered that iron present in red (but less so in white) brings out seafood's fishy aftertaste."

So now, next time someone says they would prefer something else,

you can come back with a scientific explanation for your wine choice.  ;)

Sirloin Steaks with Red Wine and Cognac

These steaks call for garlic, red wine, cognac, fire

- sounds awesome already, right? 

Not only do these steaks taste amazing, the presentation is gorgeous.

You will need:

4 sirloin steaks, medium thickness

freshly ground pepper

1 TBSP lemon pepper

1 tsp. salt

5 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic

1/2c. red wine (I like Cabernet for this recipe)

3 TBSP cognac

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 shallot, chopped

1/2c. heavy cream

lighter

1.  Grind fresh pepper over steaks; sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt.

2.  Melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Add steaks and cook to desired doneness.

3.  Add garlic and wine.

4.  Pour cognac over the steaks and light with your lighter.  The flames burn off fairly quickly. 

Remove steaks and set aside.

5.  To the pan, add green onions, shallot, and heavy cream. 

Cook and stir until hot. 

6. Spoon sauce over meat and serve immediately.