Cooking in High Spirits

2) Sautéed Chicken tarragon and Chilli
Recipe by Vicky Ratnani, head chef of AurusIngredients:For marinade:1 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to tasteTo saute:2 tsp olive oil
2 gm (1 tbsp) chopped garlic
1/2 chopped green chilli
180 gm boneless chicken breasts cut into strips
5 ml (1 tbsp) white wine
1 gm Tarragon
2 leaves basil
One big pinch of lemon zest
1 ladle stock
1 Tbsp butter
1 (medium sized)
Blanched diced tomato
1 Tbsp chopped parsleyFor Mango Jalapeno Dip:1 Tbsp mango puree
1 jalapeno chopped
Method:Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive
oil and keep aside for half an hour.Heat olive oil in a pan and add butter. Add garlic and green chillies and saute. Add marinated chicken and sauté it till has a golden brown crust.Add white wine. After a minute or so add chopped lemon peel, basil, tarragon, diced cooked tomatoes, and chicken stock. Check for salt and pepper and finish it off with chopped parsley.Blend the mango puree and Jalepeno in a grinder. Strain.Serve the chicken and dip together.
3) Salmon Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce
Recipe by Sid Khullar, editor, Chef at Large Ingredients:250 gm penne pasta
5 bottled caper berries, crushed
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp fresh, ground black peppercorns
200 gm cream
60 ml Vodka
1 whole onion, finely sliced
5 large garlic pods, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
200 gm can pink salmon, mashed and deboned
Salt to taste
Method:Boil water and cook pasta per packet instructions. Toss in some olive oil; keep aside, covered.Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic.Add vodka; stir for a minute to let the alcohol evaporate.Add the rest of the ingredients (berries crushed, salmon mashed, picked clean of thorns/bones)Simmer for 10 minutes. Season. Toss with penne and serve hot

4) Beer Bundt Cake with Bourbon Sauce
Recipe by Nikhil Merchant, food bloggerIngredients:For Beer Bundt Cake:2.5 cups plain flour
1 cup butter
3/4 cup lager beer at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla powder / 1 vanilla Pod/ 1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4cup cream
1/4 cup buttermilk

For Bourbon Sauce:1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup bourbon
Method:For the Bundt cake, Heat oven to 350F. Butter a mid-sized Bundt pan and dust with flou.rIn a bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder together.Heat a small saucepan on low heat and add the frozen butter followed by beer. Melt the butter in the beer for about a minute or two on low heat. Remove from heat.Beat the three eggs together with castor and brown sugar, using a wire whisk or, ideally, an electric blender, till it becomes fluffy.Add buttermilk and continue beating till well it is incorporated. After it froths, turn down the electric blender to low and add the flour slowly till it is well Incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir well.You should now have a smooth batter which you pour into your buttered pan.Pop into the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes or till cooked (insert a toothpick in the cake and if it comes out with a few crumbs, it''s done)Cool in the pan for some time and invert onto a wire rack. Make sure you let it rest on the wire rack and cool completely.For the bourbon sauce, in a small saucepan, place the sugar in the centre and add the water around it.Start the flame on medium and bring to a boil without stirring.The sugar will start to caramelise. Now, stir well and get it nice and golden brown.Turn off the heat and add the butter. Stir briskly till the butter browns the sauce and turns it into a caramel colour.Heat a little more if it's too light.The last step is to remove the bubbling butter and add the cream. It will instantly simmer down. Finally, add the bourbon and drizzle it over the cake.
5) Cointreau and Dark Chocolate Truffles (25 pieces)
Recipe by Pooja Dhingra, executive chef/ owner, Le 15 PatisserieIngredients:250 gm dark chocolate
100 ml cream
20 ml cointreau
1 Tbsp orange zest
Cocoa powder for dusting
Method:Cut chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium sized mixing bowl.Bring the cream and orange zest to a boil over low heat.Pour it over the chocolate and let it stand for five minutes. Stir until smooth. Add cointreau and whisk well.Chill for a minimum of four hours or overnight.Shape into balls with your hands and roll in cocoa powder.Use a strainer to dust off the excess cocoa powder.
Pooja Dhingra: The alcohol should be a subtle touch and not used in excess, it shouldn't overpower the dish.

Sid Khullar: It is important that the alcohol complements the dish. It mustn't be used for the sake of saying that there's 'wine in the food'. It may sound great but may not translate well in culinary terms. All the alcohol you add to the dish doesn't evaporate, up to 45 per cent could still be left in there. So, dishes with alcohol mustn't be served to children.
Best combinationsVikas Seth: Wine is good for reducing and making sauces, it's also a good addition to pastas.Nikhil Merchant: Cointreau with chocolate mousse is the sexiest combination ever made. Alcohol also makes the best additive to any marinade, because of its flammable nature and alcohol content combined with natural sugars.