Listen, I love a rich cheesy cream sauce as much as the next person. Throw in some blackening or Cajun seasoning, and just take all my money! But seriously….what is the choke hold that these sauces have on the internet/foodie community? There are so many other sauces out there that are just a flavorful and delicious, and wont leave you feeling like you need to run a 5k to enjoy them. This sauce here is one of them. Its in the simplicity of the ingredients, that short amount of time it takes to deliver a ton of flavor, and the versatility to add cream if you want!
This recipes literally has only 6 ingredients (8, if you count salt and pepper), and gives all the flavor you can handle. Not only is it quick and simple, but you can use this sauce for plain pasta, or for meatballs, your chicken/eggplant parmesan. You like a spicy vodka sauce, sure you can adapt this sauce for that. You need some full fat richness? Just add that heavy cream.
You can make this in a large batch, let it cool, and then store it in quart size freezer bags. Now you have a portioned sauce that is good for 4 to 6 people, and you can make each one differently when you choose to make it. This is how cooking should be; stress free, flavorful, with multiple uses. Check out the video for this quick and easy sauce:
Since #RHOP premiered last night….lets revisit this cocktail! For those of you that are fans of Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Potomac, you may remember this cocktail from Season 3. If you are not a fan of the show, or are new to my page, here’s a little back story.
I’ve been a part of the food & beverage industry for longer than I care to mention. That being said, curating food and cocktail menus has always been a passion project for me. When I met my wife back in 2012 or 2013, I was serving as the Beverage Director, for a now defunct dim sum restaurant, I was just getting into my cocktail creation groove. At the time, she (my wife) only really drank red wine, on Thursdays, while watching Scandal, in her aptly named “Olivia Pope” balloon wine glasses….enter me!
Curating and creating cocktails can be a tedious task of trial and error, all while attempting to achieve optimal balance and great taste. It also usually results in several missteps and plenty of drunken afternoons and nights! While we were dating and living together, Candiace quickly started to expand her horizons and take on more than a glass of wine, and was clearly benefiting from all of the tasting she got to take part in on a nightly basis. After months of tasting cocktails for everyone else, Candiace wanted me to create a cocktail for her. Not just any cocktail, but one that represented her. Beauty, style, grace, all rolled into one sexy cocktail.
Also…..while you’re reading this, don’t for get to pick up some of my Bassett’s Blends All Purpose, and All Purpose HOT Seasoning blends. You can get them right here by clicking this link!! You will be seeing this talked about on the show coming up as well!
When creating a cocktail, I usually start with the spirit/liquor that I want to showcase. I knew that this cocktail was ALWAYS going to be brown, to represent that smooth sexy skin tone. Initially I thought bourbon, but landed on rum, a spiced rum at that, since, well you know, shes a little spicy! At the time I was creating this “special” cocktail, bitter-esque cocktails using amaros and other similar style spirits were having a moment, and being used a lot. I thought a slight bitterness was the perfect fit to go with spiced rum. It took me quite some time to find the perfect one that wasn’t too bitter, and still was able to add depth. Now, despite what you may see on your tv screen, Candiace is actually a very sweet person, so I needed a sweet component to this beverage. Orange is a great flavor that works with rums. Initially I was looking at a fresh made orange simple syrup, then just orange juice, but it just wasn’t giving what i needed it to. I also wanted this cocktail to be stirred, to keep that sexy, smooth look to it. A shaken cocktail, especially with orange juice, would leave the drink with cloudy look, and just not the look I wanted. So, keeping it a stirred cocktail, looking for an orange element, I began looking at things like Cointreau, Gran Marnier, even Gran Gala. I finally settled on Mandarine Napoleon and it gave what needed to be gave! To finish off the drink and bring it all together, we added a few dashes (3 of them to be exact, because that is my favorite number) of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters, and a flamed orange peel for garnish to drive home that orange aroma.
Naming cocktails has never really been my strong suit, my creativity only goes so far. For the longest time this drink was simply called “Candiace’s Cocktail”. After we wrapped filming of our first season on #RHOP, and Candiace delivered her iconic clap back; “I came from Jesus!”
I figured now was as good a time as any to #driveback and revisit one of my favorite drinks and share those #benefits with you all. Check out the full recipe below, and don’t forget to tag me in your pictures of you enjoying “She Came From Jesus”!!
Cheers!
“SHE CAME FROM JESUS” Recipe:
2oz of Thrashers Spiced Rum
1oz of Cardamaro
.75oz of Mandarine Napolean
3 dashes of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
Directions: In a mixing glass, add all of the above. Add in a fair amount of ice. Stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain mixing glass into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel. Enjoy!
Now that summer time is officially here, it’s time to get those grills and smokers fired up! I am often asked what do I “marinate” my steaks in. The truth of the matter is that rarely do I ever use a marinade. I honestly feel that salt & pepper is all you really need for great steak on the grill.
How many times have you gone to the cookout and heard the “grill master” say something to the effect of, “I have been marinating these steaks for 2 days!” Well let me let you in on a little secret. If there is any vinegar, or lots of citrus juices, or any acid in that marinade, chances are he or she has already overcooked those steaks! Think about the classic dish of ceviche. Fish “cooked” in citrus juices. This has the same effect on chicken, steaks, and pork chops as well. Because meat is made up mostly of water, your marinade really is not getting THAT deep into the meat to “flavor” and “tenderize” it. It really is mostly surface flavor. Now I am not saying to NEVER use any acid in a marinade, but if you chose to do so, I recommend that you do not let it sit for more than an hour. This will prevent the outer part of your meat from becoming mushy and mealy.
Check out this video to see how I make my “Herb Oil Marinade” that works great on steaks, chicken, lamb, or pork chops. It adds a great flavor to whatever you re cooking, especially on the grill. It not only works as a marinade, but with all of the olive oil in it, it helps prevent your meat from sticking to the grill as well.
Herb Oil Recipe:
1 bunch of parsley, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of rosemary, 1 bunch of thyme, 2 qts of olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Using a large, deep storage container, trim the leaves from the parsley and cilantro using your chef knife, and add them to the container. Next, remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme stems, and add those to the container. Season with salt and pepper. Next add in the 2 qts. of olive oil. Finally, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. I like to use ziploc bags as opposed to containers with lids when marinating anything, I feel I can get more coverage by removing the air from the bag, and everything is submerged.
Let me know your thoughts, and any other cooking questions/videos/recipe ideas you want to see! Enjoy
Chris Bassett 