CAUTION: The fun of flambé’ is the drama of fire in front of your guests, with our fascination with fire flambé’ is Dramatic. It can not be stressed enough the importance of fire safety, when dealing with liquid on fire. Do not carry the pan or dish while it is flaming, it is best done on a cart or serving table away from your guests table. Keep a lid large enough to cover the pan or dish in case your flambé’ gets to hot to handle, also keep a damp not dripping wet towel, in case things really get out of control.

It is important to choose a liqueur that is at least 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume. The higher the proof, the longer the flames will last. Just because a liqueur is 80 proof, does not mean it is the most appropriate for flambé, you will need to pick one that the flavor will be add flavor to compliment the dish that you are flambéing to develop a rich flavor. Good choices are Brandies (both regular and flavored), Cognac, Dark Rums, Whiskeys, Grand Marnier, Cointreau and Triple Sec.

Now that you have chosen the ingredients, you need the appropriate bowl, pan or serving platter with a rim for your flambé’. Now is the time to practice before you attempt this before your friends and guests. These are the steps for flambé’.

1. The first step will be to warm your liqueur. It must be heated until just warm till you see vapors rise from the liquid. Do not overheat your liqueur, or the alcohol will evaporate, and it will not flambé or you might accidently ignite it. To warm your liqueur, place the amount needed for your recipe in a tiny saucepan. Now place the pan on the stove under low heat. Never, ever pour your liqueur directly from the bottle into a hot vessel, or into a already flambéing dish. The flames can travel up the stream and into the bottle.

2. When you can see the vapors rising from the liqueur, ignite the vapors in the pan or scoop some of the warm liquid into a ladle and then ignite. (Lighting the liquid in the ladle works best). Ignite with a long fireplace type. They will only ignite if the alcohol is warm enough or the alcohol has not evaporated.

3. When the liquid has ignited, now carefully pour it over the hot food. Be sure to do this step very carefully, keep hair up, clothing, and any other objects away from the flaming food. To keep your flame going, spoon the liquid around a bit so the all the liqueur will burn.

4. When the flaming is complete, serve your dish.

Every good feast starts with cheese. Saganaki is most commonly know as an appetizer of fried cheese

Kasseri, Kefalotere, Kefalograviera (see Note)
Ice water
Flour
Butter or olive oil
Lemon juice
Ouzo, Metaxa brandy or Cognac

Cut cheese into 1/2-inch slices, about 4 ounces for each serving. Chill slices in ice water for eight minutes. Pat dry and dust with flour.  Be careful of flour clouds, they are very flammable.

For each serving, melt 3 tablespoons butter until it melts, but does not burn. Add cheese slices and sauté quickly on both sides. Do not overcook or cheese will melt and stick to pan. For each serving, squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon into pan, sprinkle with a few drops of warmed liquor. Ignite. Serve cheese when flames die down.

Note: Kasseri and Kefalotere are hard Greek cheeses which can be found at most Greek or Middle Eastern grocery stores or gourmet food shops. OPA!!

Tsimes

Pitted prunes, equal to 2/3 the volume of the carrots (they will expand)
Black Tea (you may use water)
Olive Oil
One large onion, cut into medium dice
Six slender carrots, about one pound, sliced into thin ovals
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 chili pods
1 lemon, cut into slices or wedges

Put the prunes into tea to cover and allow them to begin soaking as you prepare the recipe.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Use a larger skillet than you think you need so that everything can caramelize evenly. Add diced onions, lower heat and cook for several minutes. When the onions are about halfway there (light gold) add the sliced carrots, chili pods and bay leaves. Continue to cook and stir several minutes more or until onions are deep nut-brown and carrots are taking a bit of color. Add the prunes and tea and a bit of salt, and raise heat somewhat. Allow the tsimes to cook, stirring occasionally until the tea is absorbed and the carrots are done. Taste for salt and possibly a little sugar. Put the lemon wedges or slices in the pan just long enough before serving to warm them up.

Trailer Trash Beer Butt Citrus Chicken

1 whole 3-31/2 pound chicken

1/2 cup orange juice (juice of 1 orange)
1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage or several leaves fresh, chopped up
1 1/2 inch section fresh ginger, peeled, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 garlic glove thinly sliced and placed under the skin of chicken and between legs and wings a few drops Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce, if you like it hot!

Combine ingredients (a blender makes a good emulsion and eliminates the need to mince or chop).

Drink half the beer. Cut the top off the beer can lid. In ½ can of beer mince a couple of garlic cloves and a ½” of peeled ginger, 2 tablespoons chopped onion and a couple table spoons of marinade. If you really want to turn up the heat put some chopped habanero or other hot pepper in the can of beer, coat outside of can with a little olive oil, vegetable oil or butter, so the can does not stick to chicken.

Sprinkle some paprika on chicken after it is placed on BBQ.

Marinate chicken in a large Ziploc bag for several hours or overnight.

When putting on BBQ, make sure there are no coals under the chicken. Place the chicken on a baking dish or some foil under it to catch the drippings. Depending on your cooker you may need to add some more coals after 45 minutes of cooking. I highly recommend the use of a meat thermometer, so you don’t under cook the chicken or over cook it. I also sometimes loosely cover the chicken in aluminum foil to help it self baste. You also may want to use some of the left over marinade to baste the outside of the chicken once or twice while cooking.

A common problem is the chicken wanting to fall over and there are gizmos on the market to prevent that or you can use something to help balance it.

When removing from the grill have a large bowl or something to catch the liquid from the beer can, this can be a messy part and you might need to let the chicken cool down some so you don’t get burned.

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