Jack Daniel's Mac 'N' Cheese

Jack Daniel's Mac 'N' Cheese 

Ingredients:

10 slices bacon

1 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1lb elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

2 cups milk

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese

4 slices provolone cheese

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper (to taste)



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a small sauce pan bring ? cup of Jack Daniel’s to a boil over high-heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the whiskey has been reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat. On a plate combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Dip the bacon slices, 1 at a time, first into the Jack Daniel’s, and press each side into the brown sugar mixture to coat. Place onto the baking sheet.

Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes, then flip and bake for 5 minutes (keep an eye on the bacon to make sure it doesn’t burn). Remove the bacon from the baking sheet onto a plate coated with non-stick cooking spray. Chop bacon and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until ad dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium deep sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of Jack Daniel’s and whisk the remaining milk and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble. Add cheddar and provolone cheese and whisk until the cheeses melt and the sauce is smooth. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the pasta, mix well, and stir in chopped bacon.

Makes 6 Servings

Spicy Crab Roll

Spicy Crab Roll

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots

1/4 C. cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

4 1/4" slices fresh ginger

1/2 C. mayonnaise

1 lime

2 tsp. sriracha (Thai hot sauce)

2 Tbsp. masago (smelt roe)

1 lb. backfin crab meat

1 ripe avocado

2 C. iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

6 top-split hot dog rolls

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature


Directions:

Peel and trim carrots and slice into thin matchsticks. Place into a small bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ginger slices until sugar dissolves, then pour over carrots. Cool completely, then cover and chill at least one hour. Pickled carrots will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Stir together mayonnaise, zest from the lime, juice of half of the lime, sriracha, masago and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Gently fold in crabmeat, preserving large lumps as much as possible. Cover and chill 30 minutes

Halve and pit the avocado, then remove the fruit from each side of the peel using a spoon. Thinly slice the avocado and fan out slightly on a cutting board. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the juice from the remaining half lime.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly butter the outer sides of each bun and toast on the hot skillet, turning once to brown and crisp both sides.

Arrange shredded lettuce in the bottom of each toasted roll. Overlap 2-3 slices of avocado on one side of each roll, then fill with 1/6 of the chilled crab salad. Top each roll with cold picked carrots, and serve immediately.