World Whiskey Day: Add a touch of whiskey to your meal with these exciting recipes

Drinks are fine, but have you ever tried cooking with whiskey? On World Whiskey Day, chefs reveal how the spirit can add a new dimension to food

Braised lamb chops with whiskey sour cream

Neat, on the rocks, or with a twist, whiskey is easily one of the most popular liquors out there. However, apart from being enjoyed as a drink, from stews and glazes to trifles and tarts, the spirit, with its varied aroma and taste profiles, can add a dynamic edge to food, too. Gaurav Raghuvanshi, executive chef, London Taxi, shares that in modern-age dining, liquor is mostly used to enhance smoky and sweet flavours. “Spirits such as rum and whiskey are mostly used while cooking as these are more aromatic. Whiskey usually pairs well with chocolates, creams, mousse, meats and marinades,” he explains. While cooking with whiskey, Raghuvanshi suggests ensuring that one doesn’t use a high flame. “Don’t freeze it and don’t cook it for too long, or else all the alcohol will evaporate,” he adds.

Ingredients
For the lamb chops:
. 1,200 gm lamb chops
. 200 gm ginger-garlic paste
. 150 ml refined oil 
. 50 gm black pepper (crushed) 
. 30 ml sriracha sauce 
. 70 ml plum sauce 
. 15 ml dark soy sauce 
. 5 gm salt 
. 12 gm jeera powder 
. 10 gm Kashmiri chilli powder

For the sauce:
. 200 ml cream 
. 50 gm butter 
. 20 gm garlic (chopped)
. 3 gm black pepper (crus-hed) 
. 0.5 gm salt 
. 60 ml Glen Fiddich whiskey

Method
Wash the lamb chops. Mix all the above ingredients with the meat; refrigerate for two hours. Place the marinated meat on a greased tray. Cover the tray with a lid and put it into a combination oven. Braise it at 80 degree Celsius for two hours. Now, for the sauce, heat a non-stick pan; melt the butter in it and add garlic. Cook it on slow heat till the garlic turns golden. Add salt and black pepper, and remove the pan from heat. Tip in the cream and stir it for a minute. Now, pour in the whiskey, mix it well and keep aside till it reaches room temperature. Refrigerate it for an hour and serve it with the hot lamb chops.

Whiskey tart

Rachel Goenka, CEO and founder of The Chocolate Spoon Company, shares that whiskey pairs well with desserts, too.She advises that we make sure to use an adequate amount of the alcohol. “Too little and the whiskey will completely evaporate, leaving no flavours of itself; too much and it’ll overpower all else. Make sure to use a whiskey that you enjoy drinking for added taste.” 

Ingredients
For the chocolate base tart:
. 250 gm maida 
. 125 gm butter  
. 90 gm icing sugar
. 20 gm cocoa powder 
. 22 ml milk

For the whiskey filling:
. 360 gm dark chocolate 
. 160 ml fresh cream 
. 60 ml whiskey

Method
Mix butter and icing sugar, adding milk gradually. Once the texture of the dough is light and fluffy, add all the dry ingredients. Line it on an aluminium tart shell. Bake it at 200 degree Celsius for 18 minutes. Warm the cream in a saucepan. Mix in melted chocolate and whiskey. Pour the whiskey cream mixture in the baked tart shell and set it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Garnish with pecan nuts and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Cool fact: Music icon Frank Sinatra was laid to rest with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

Take the whiskey quiz

1 True Scotch whiskey must be aged for a minimum of how many years?

2 Which Asian country consumes the most whiskey in the world?

3 Whiskey does not freeze solid even when temperatures dip down to -30 degrees Celsius. True or false?

4 In the early stages of its making, whiskey is essentially a type of what other alcohol: Wine or beer?

Answers: 1.Three 2.India 3.True 4.Beer

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