7 TEQUILA MADES YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!

Someone's rightly said "Tequila is nothing but some plants gone funny!". Well, at-least half true... to be true ;)
So yes, its gonna be all about tequila in this blog! The seven dishes you've never heard before...and thus don't wanna miss. Speaking of which, lets now start the tour!

I CINNAMON-TAMARIND MARGARITA

Ingredients For the rim:

1. 1 teaspoon sugar
2. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Ingredients For the cocktail:

1. 3/4 ounce tamarind concentrate
2. 2 ounces blanco or reposado tequila (100% agave)
3. 1 1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
4. 1/2 ounce simple syrup
5. 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
6. 1/4 ounce Cointreau
7. ice
8. cinnamon stick to garnish, if desired.

Method:
1. Mix sugar, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon in a small bowl, then pour onto a saucer. Pour 2 tablespoons lime juice onto a second saucer. Turn serving glass (martini glass or old fashioned) in lime juice to coat the outer rim. Then spin glass in cayenne mixture, rotating slowly to coat.

2. Add tamarind concentrate, tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, lemon juice, and Cointreau to mixing glass. Fill with ice and shake well, for about 30 seconds. Strain into a serving glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick if desired.

II  PALOMA BRAVA

Ingredients:

1. ice
2. pinch of salt
3. 1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila, such as Don Julio
4. juice of 1 lime
5. juice of 1 small orange
6. juice of 1 small grapefruit
7. 4 ounces grapefruit soda
8. agave nectar to taste
9. lime wheel to garnish

Method:

1. Fill a large glass mug with ice. Add salt, tequila, lime, orange, and grapefruit juice. Stir gently. Top off with grapefruit soda, add agave nectar to taste and garnish with lime wheel.

III Cucumber-Tomato-Avocado Salad with Tequila-Lime Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

1. 1 English cucumber, sliced
2. 2  medium tomatoes, diced
3. 1 avocado, diced
4. 2 teaspoons tequila
5. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. 1 tablespoon lime juice
7. 1 teaspoon zesty herb salad dressing mix

Directions:

1. To a medium bowl, add chopped cucumber, tomato, and avocado.
2. In a small container with a tight-fitting lid or jar, combine tequila, oil, lime juice, and dressing mix. Shake vigorously.
3. Pour dressing over salad and lightly toss.

IV: Three-Cheese Tequila Mac ‘n Cheese

Serves 6 to 8

This one's a little tricky to make. But the results are absolutely worth it. Its a four-step recipe.  Two or three weeks before you want to make this dish you’ll need to infuse the tequila. Then, you’ll need to roast the poblano peppers and then cook the macaroni. You’ll make your Mac ‘n Cheese and bake it, then add the Parmesan and breadcrumb topping and finish baking. Finally, serve it up to your friends and family
with small fancy glasses to sip the poblano-infused tequila as a fantastic pairing.

Phase One: Poblano Infused Añejo Tequila
Ingredients:

1. One half 750 ML bottle (about 375ML) of a quality Añejo Tequila
2. 4 large fresh poblano peppers. 

Directions:
Pour 1/2 the bottle of tequila into a large jar. Cut the poblanos in quarters and remove the seeds and the veins. Pop these into the tequila making sure you completely cover the peppers with the liquid. Put the jar in the freezer. I tasted the tequila every week and I liked the intensity after three weeks of infusing. Remove the peppers and set the tequila aside for enjoying a sip or two during your prep and cooking time.

Phase Two: Roasted Poblano Peppers
Ingredients:

1. 8 large fresh whole poblano peppers
2. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used Spanish Arbequina)

Directions:
 - Preheat your oven to 425°F. Roll the poblanos in the olive oil to evenly coat. Place in a 3-quart baking dish and roast in the oven until they blister and become a bit brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
 - Remove peppers and place them in a bowl with a plate on top to steam them about 15 minutes
until the skin is easy to peel off.  After peeling off the pepper skin, remove the seeds and the
veins and cut the peppers into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

Phase Three: The Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:

1. 1 pound dried Lumaconi macaroni
2. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 1/3 cup flour
4. 4 1/2 cups piping hot milk
5. 6 ounces poblano-infused tequila
6. 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
7. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9. 3 cups Wisconsin GranQueso Cheese, grated
10. 2 1/2 cups Wisconsin Fontina Cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cook the macaroni in salted water, according to package directions, until it is very al dente. Drain it well after rinsing it with cold water to stop the cooking and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  When it starts bubbling, add the flour a little at a time and stir like mad. Keep cooking and stirring without stopping so this mixture cooks but doesn’t burn.

Very slowly add the piping hot milk to the flour and butter and whisk, whisk, whisk for about 5 minutes until you have a creamy somewhat thickened sauce. Remove your pan from the heat and add in your poblano-infused tequila and stir to blend in. Add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, stir well. Now add the GranQueso and the Fontina and stir until beautifully melted.

Add in your cooked macaroni and stir gently to coat them with the luscious cheese concoction.  In a buttered casserole dish place half of the diced roasted poblano peppers in a layer on the bottom.  Now pour the cheesy mixture over them. Place the rest of the roasted poblanos over the top and reward yourself with a sip of the poblano-infused tequila. Place the dish in the oven for 25 minutes.

Phase Four: Fantastic!
Ingredients:

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 2 cups Wisconsin SarVecchio Parmesan Cheese, grated
3. 1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:
While your Mac n’ Cheese is baking, make your topping mixture with what else, more Wisconsin cheese!
In a small saucepan, melt the butter, remove from the heat and fold in the Parmesan Cheese along with the breadcrumbs and get ready to sprinkle.Take your almost ready Mac n’ Cheese out of the oven and sprinkle the Parmesan mixture over the top of your creation.Place the pan back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown.   Pour each guest an ounce and a half of the poblano-infused tequila as a delicious pairing with the macaroni and cheese.  Enjoy!

V: Watermelon Margaritas

Ingredients:

1. lime juice
2. sugar
3. 13 cups tequila
4. 2 cups ice
5. 2 cups seed (chopped watermelon partially frozen)
6. 14 cup sugar
7. 14 cup fresh lime juice
8. 1 tbsp vodka
9. 1 tbsp triple sec

Directions:

1. Coat the rims of margarita glasses with lime juice; dip in sugar.
2. Add the tequila, ice, watermelon, sugar, lime juice, vodka, and Triple Sec into the container of an electric blender.
3. Process until slushy.
4. Pour into prepared glasses; enjoy.

VI: Red Chile–Guava Margarita Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 1/2 cups Chile-Infused Tequila
2. 1 1/2 cups Triple Sec
3. 1 1/2 cups guava nectar
4. 1 cup fresh orange juice
5. 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
6. 10 lime wedges
7. Salt, for rimming the glasses
8. Ice
9. 10 small red chiles, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine tequila, Triple Sec, guava nectar, orange juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use. To serve, rim a rocks glass with salt by rubbing a lime wedge around the outside and then dipping the glass in salt. Fill the glass with ice, add the margarita mixture, and garnish with a skewered chile pepper (if using).

VII: Tequila Sunrise Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon grenadine
red+yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons soymilk
2 teaspoons tequila
1 tablespoon grenadine
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350?F. Prepare muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, soy milk, oil, tequila, vanilla, grenadine, food coloring, and sugar. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until just combined (may be slightly lumpy). Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon soymilk, tequila, zest, and grenadine, and mix until combined. Add more soymilk and/or confectioners' sugar if needed to achieve proper consistency. Mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.