The Lush Chef

If Baileys Irish Cream contains about 50% fresh cream, then why is it that you don't have to put it in the fridge after opening it?  And why does it last so long?  It's kind of a magical mystery, like leprechauns and four-leaf clovers...

Your bottle of Irish Cream is good for over 2 years (30 months is the shelf life, according to Baileys), regardless of whether or not you put in the refrigerator.  It's that lovely combination of fresh cream, sans preservatives, plus the whiskey/spirits, that acts as a natural preservative.  Nothing like a crap load of alcohol to give something a shelf life, right?

However, keep note that Baileys will go bad, and sometimes that 30 month timeframe doesn't always apply.  It depends on how long that bottle has been sitting around in the store, and room temperature can have an effect as well.  Just know, that if you open it up and that whiskey and cream has separated...umm, throw it out.  The Lush Chef likes to buy the smaller bottles because she likes everything fresh.

This is a dish to make your Irish descendants proud and your friends' tummies happy.  I was working a late night at home, with "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" playing in the background.  When I saw the Irish Chef Stuart making this dish, I just knew I had to try it for myself.  I served this with some truffle mashed potatoes and those divine Chocolate & Pretzel-Covered Beer Marshmallows I made earlier this week (thank goodness I didn't eat them all).  A note for the next time I make this dish - leave the meat on the bone.  I think it'll make for a prettier presentation, and since the meat is braising for so long, it's sure to fall right off the bone. 

Libations used: 1/2 cup white wine
Libations left over: Pretty much the whole bottle, so pour yourself a glass & save the rest for another lush dish, or for your guests.
In honor of Mardi Gras tomorrow, I was in the mood for some jambalaya and stumbled across this recipe in my files for Red Grits & Shrimp from chef Marcus Samuelsson.  It's not quite jambalaya, but it's close!  Despite the chili powder, this is not spicy, so the Lush Chef's mother would enjoy this too.

Red Grits & Shrimp - Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. chile powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 cup stone-ground grits
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 12 jumbo shrimp (peel and devein those suckers...mmm kay?)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped parsley

- In a medium saucepan, warm 1/4 cup olive oil over med-low heat.  Add onion, half the garlic, 1/2 tsp. chile powder, 1/2 tsp. paprika and cook until onions soften (about 5 min).
- Add the grits, bay leaf and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, corn, 1/4 cup white wine and 3 cups water.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer the grits, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed and grits are creamy (about 25 min - now would be a good time to sip that wine between stirring).
- Discard bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Between your stirring sessions and wine sipping, combine 2 Tbs of lemon juice with 1 Tbs of that remaining olive oil, the rest of the chile powder & paprika, and shrimp.  Let it sit for 15 min at room temp.
- In a medium skillet, cook the shrimp and remaining garlic over high heat, stirring, until just pink (about 2 minutes).
- Add the remaining 3 Tbs olive oil, remaining 1/4 cup white wine, 2 Tbs lemon juice, the cherry tomatoes, cilantro and parsley, and cook for 2 more min.
- Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve those grits topped with shrimp, tomatoes and sauce and serve immediately.  YUM.

In preparation for Mardi Gras on Tuesday, I'm bringing you an old New Orleans' classic cocktail - the Vieux Carré (pronounced VO carRAY).  Most people think of the Sazerac when they think of vintage New Orleans libations, but I've never been much of an absinthe/Pernod fan.  This cocktail was first mixed in the Carousel Bar of the Hotel Monteleone by Walter Bergeron in the 1930's.  The name translates to "old square" after the French quarter where the hotel was located.   This is the perfect winter/spring transition drink with all those herbal and spicy notes playing around on your palate.

Vieux Carré - serves 1

• 1 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz brandy or cognac - whatever you've got
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 tsp. Bénédictine D.O.M. - you can actually find this at Trader Joe's for a good price
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon peel/twist for garnish

Combine all the liquors over ice in an old-fashioned and stir well until glass is chilled.  Garnish with lemon.

I've only recently become a fan of whiskey, and I'm still learning the differences amongst all those delicious amber spirits out there.  So what's the deal with Irish versus American whiskey?  Is there really a difference?  Well, here's the simple Lush Chef explanation...

The primary difference is that the Irish make their whiskey with barley, often a blend of pot-stilled malted and un-malted whiskey.  Us Americans make ours with corn, rye or wheat.  There are 4 different kinds of American whiskey - Bourbon, Tennessee, Rye and American Blended, but we'll get into those differences on another day.  When all those Irish immigrants came over to the States, there was a plethora of corn, so they made do with what they had.

Irish whiskey tends to have a barley/malt flavor and is lighter and less sweet than the American full-bodied version.  The Irish also age their whiskey in old barrels, and often in ones that used to store another type of liquor like rum or bourbon, thus the subtle differences in flavor amongst whiskeys from the same distillery.  Using these older barrels means the whiskey takes longer to mature (minimum of 3 years), whereas us Americans like everything shiny, new and fast.  We age our spirits in new, charred oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years, so we don't have to wait as long for the good stuff.

Beer, pretzels and chocolate are the ultimate St. Patty's day triumvirate, so when I saw these marshmallows on The Kitchn, I just had to try for myself. Note - I won't always be posting from this site - I just had a ton of back-logged recipes to try!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up, I will be dedicating most of this month to that preferred libation of all those who celebrate this day of drinking - BEER.