Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sauza, Chef Marcela & Ladies Night in LA

MarcelaLadies What an absolutely fun and yummy night we had last night!  I am going to admit I had no idea of how creative and high end you can get with tequila when knowing what to do with it!  Chef Marcela totally showed us how it’s done.  She prepared four cocktails, four dishes and one dessert!    Chef Marcela has kindly shared her recipes with us…The brussels sprouts were to die for!  We all had such a blast and Chef Marcela was so lovely to speak with.  I’d like to thank Sauza Tequila for sponsoring our party.  With the holiday season upon us, it is super important to realize that drinking and driving do not mix!  Sauza provided car service for all our blogger attendees, YDriveLA.com generously provided their service and The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club hosted two of our guests who traveled from out of town.  Additionally, I’d like to thank everyone who participated on Twitter and Facebook last night asking questions and joining in the fun.  Big thank you to Daytrippingmom for letting me use her iPad…Made it so much easier to tweet while simultaneously holding a cocktail. 

 

In case you missed the live stream, here is a video that my amazing co-host Deb Lavdas put together to show you all a some of our Ladies Night in LA:

 

Three of the cocktail and the shrimp recipes are included in the scattered images above.  The extremely popular lamb and brussels sprouts recipes are below.  You can find the other recipes Marcela prepared last night, including the Warm Winter Margarita, on the Sauza Tequila Facebook page.  Thanks for celebrating with us.  I hope you have a holiday season filled with fun, warmth and while you are at it, try adding some Sauza in to the festivities!

Rack of Lamb with Ancho Crust

Serves 4

1 ancho chile, stemmed and seeded

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3 large shallots, minced

2 teaspoons thyme chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs made from French bread

Salt and pepper To Taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 well trimmed racks of lamb (each about 1 1/4 pounds)

3 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Jalapeño jelly (optional)

Tear the chile into small pieces and place in a spice grinder. Grind the chile to a powder.

Melt butter in large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and thyme and saute for 3 minutes, or until the shallots are soft. Add the chile powder and stir. Add the bread crumbs and cook for 5 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the crumb topping cool.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet over high heat. Season the lamb racks all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add the lamb racks to the skillet, rounded side down. Sear for 6 minutes, or until brown. Transfer the racks to a large rimmed baking sheet, seared side up. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mustard over each rack. Press the crumb topping into the mustard.

Roast for 20 minutes for a medium rare, or until desired doneness. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in to chops. Serve with jalapeño jelly is desired.

Brussels Sprouts in Morilla Cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds brussels sprouts. halved

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

3 scallions (white and pale green parts only)

1 morilla chile, stemmed, seeded, and very thinly sliced

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper To Taste

Method of Preparation:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the brussels sprouts and stir for 1 minute to coat them with butter. Add the broth, cover, and simmer for 7 minutes, or until the brussels sprouts are tender. Uncover and continue to simmer for 4 minutes, or until all of the broth evaporates. Transfer brussels sprouts to medium bowl.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in same pan. Add the sunflower seeds, scallions, and chile and saute for 2 minutes, or until the nuts are toasted and chile is tender. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, return the brussels sprouts to pan, and toss to coat them with the cream. Season the brussels sprouts to taste with salt and pepper.

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