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deb said:

I understand that you have had great success with combining liquor + main dish extravaganzas in the kitchen. Can you offer any advise regarding safety in the kitchen when an open flame (i.e. bbq lighter) is present in the cooking area?

Faye said:

well Deb, all I can say is keep eyebrows and hands away from the flame. LOL. From my experience liquor can be tough to cook with. I have tried as you know adding it to beef bourguignon, with a mild flame up. I just think it adds character. Here is a good recipe for the dish

Classic Beef Bourguignon is simple to prepare and makes a delicious meal. Serve with potato gratin or noodles, you choose.

3 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1” cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 shallots, finely sliced 4 cloves of garlic Red wine, and much or as little as you would like, I usually use half a bottle of wahtever I am drinking Congac, 1/2 cup 2 1/2 cups of water 3 Tablespoons of Herbs de Provence 1 pound mushrooms 2 bay leaves fresh preferred a handful of fresh Parsley to add at the end also is to thin add a tbsp of flour to thicken

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a heavy, medium-sized stew pot. Add beef to pot and cook until brown then remove (10 minutes) Add congac and flambe ( the dangerous part) Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until onions are softened. Return the meat to the pot. Add all the remaining ingredients, and mix it all together to be coated in wine. :) Cover and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.

I find the congac add such a distict flavour and lovely aroma to the kitchen.

Enjoy!

pixelchef said:

A quick safety tip to keep in mind when cooking with alcohol is to first pour the booze into a separate vessel before adding it to the heat. If you pour straight from the bottle, there is a risk that the flame might climb the stream of liquor back into the bottle itself, and leave you holding a virtual grenade. This applies only if you’re cooking over high heat. Otherwise, you’ll likely have to ignite the alcohol yourself after it hits the pan.

Generally speaking, it isn’t often that I add spirits to my cooking. I much more frequently cook with wine (red, white, and sparkling). Fortified wines like Port also make it into my cooking on occasion.

hcraig said in response to:

You may have just saved me from one day exploding my kitchen!

Or really my hand. Either way, thanks!