bacon vodka

Homemade Bacon Vodka

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This recipe appears in the Burn! Blog article ManBQue: Shut the F%ck Up and Grill, courtesy of ManBQue.com. Serve in Meat Shot Glasses, recipe here.

Ingredients

1 lb. Maple cured bacon
1 liter of Absolut vodka

Instructions

1.Cook bacon, I used a microwave with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
2. Place bacon into vodka. Seal and let sit for 7-8 days.
3. Place vodka into the freezer for 2 hours, to allow the fat to coagulate.
4. Strain vodka through a cheese cloth to remove fat.
5. Strain vodka 1 or 2 more times through a coffee filter

quinoa salad with wild blueberries

Quinoa Salad with Wild Blueberries

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Thanks to the North America Blueberry Association for this recipe. From the article Blazing Blueberries.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pink peppercorns
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium zucchini
3 ounces Havarti cheese
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
4 fresh mint leaves, optional

Instructions

Mix blueberries with vinegar and pink pepper; set mixture aside. Cook quinoa as instructed in salt water. Let cool. Wash zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly slice into half-moons. Cut Havarti into cubes; set aside. Mix cooked quinoa with zucchini, Havarti and cottage cheese. Gently stir in the blueberries and mint leaves. Serve with a baguette if desired.

Tuna Carpaccio with Wild Blueberry Wasabi Sauce

Tuna Carpaccio with Wild Blueberry Wasabi Sauce

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Thanks to the North America Blueberry Association for this recipe and photo. From the article Blazing Blueberries.

Ingredients

1 pound sushi-grade tuna steak
2 teaspoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 teaspoons wasabi
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen Wild Blueberries
handful of arugula leaves

Instructions

Blot tuna steak dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the tuna on both sides until browned but not cooked through. Remove from heat and let tuna rest in the pan off stove for a few minutes. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine honey, wasabi, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Gently stir in blueberries.

To serve: cut tuna steak diagonally against the grain with a sharp knife into thin slices. Divide steak between four plates, spoon blueberry sauce over top, and garnish each portion with arugula. Serve with a baguette.

banana pasilla macadamia muffins

Banana-Pasilla Macadamia Nut Muffins

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Believe it or not, the macadamia nut tree was first grown only for ornamental purposes. Thankfully, someone experimented with the nuts and discovered their butter-like, slightly sweet nature. This bread is so rich you won’t need to butter it.

This recipe appeared in the article Chile-Spiced Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day on the Burn! Blog.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons pasilla chile powder or paste
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup chopped unsalted, toasted macadamia nuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°degrees.
Grease two 6-cup muffin pans.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ginger into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, lemon peel, pasilla powder or paste, both sugars, butter, milk, and eggs. Combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients. Fold in half the nuts.
3. Divide the batter equally among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining macadamia nuts. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

bacon wrapped sonora hot dogs

Bacon-wrapped Sonora Hot Dogs

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This recipe appeared in the article Bacon-Wrapped Brats and Dogs, Oh My on the Burn! Blog. (excerpted from The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Robb Walsh

Ingredients

4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Tabasco® or other hot sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
4 all-beef wieners (fat ones work better than long ones)
4 slices extra-thin bacon
4 torpedo rolls or bolillos
4 tablespoons warm refried beans (recipe follows)
8 tablespoons chopped avocado or guacamole
4 heaping tablespoons grated jack or cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped tomato
4 tablespoons Salsa Verde (recipe follows)
1/4 cup lard, bacon grease, or vegetable oil
3 cups drained cooked pinto beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup reserved bean broth
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 fresh serrano chiles, seeded and minced
1 cup minced sweet onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sea salt

Instructions

Mix the mayo, Tabasco, and lemon juice and use a funnel to put the mayo blend in a squeeze bottle. Wrap the wieners with the bacon slices so the sausage is completely covered. Cook the wieners on a comal or flat top, rolling them over until the bacon is crunchy on all sides, about 7 minutes. Cut a pocket into the buns to form a “boat” and toast them on the grill. When the wieners are cooked, divide the beans and avocado among the four rolls, spooning them inside the pocket and spreading on either side. Spread the cheese down the middle. Using tongs put one piping-hot bacon-wrapped wiener into the pocket of each roll. Top each wiener with onions and tomatoes. Spread the Salsa Verde across the top. Apply the mayo blend in squiggles across the top of the hot dog.

For the refried beans, melt the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Allow it to heat for another minute, then add the beans and mash them for 2 minutes with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste). Add the bean broth and the pepper and continue mashing until the beans reach the desired consistency. Tex-Mex beans are generally chunky rather than soupy.

For the Salsa Verde, put the cleaned tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow the tomatillos to soak for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and purée the tomatillos in a food processor. Add the cilantro, serranos, onion, garlic, sugar, and lime juice to the food processor and pulse three or four times to combine. Season with salt to taste.