I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I had great fun celebrating the holiday with my family. I am slowly getting back into things after a busy time of year and a bit of a break to relax and enjoy the holidays. I will be back in full blogging mode after the New Year but in the meantime, check out an interview I did with Chef Spike Mendelsohn and some recipes using Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum!
Awhile back I was given a huge and exciting opportunity to interview chef, restaurateur and well known TV personality and competitor Chef Spike Mendelsohn. After my last huge celebrity chef interview, I wanted to make sure and ask Spike everything I ever wanted, so I carefully planned and researched, and came up with some good things to talk about. And let me just tell you, Spike was incredibly nice and so fun to chat with that I couldn’t believe my interview was over so quickly!
Honestly, I could have probably talked on and on but I kept it to his tips for holiday entertaining (tis the season after all), his new restaurant, Béarnaise, and of course his time spent on Bravo’s Top Chef and the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef.
The holiday season means time spent with friends and family, feasting and traditions; for Chef Spike Mendelsohn the holiday season is all about Thanksgiving. He loves Thanksgiving so much that he has Thanksgiving dinner several times a year!
When entertaining for any holiday or large dinner party, Chef Spike suggests taking care of the main dish and asking guests to contribute by bringing a side dish; thus taking some of the pressure off you as the host. Spike also suggests setting up a ‘self-serve bar’ at holiday dinner parties. This can include things like punch (Port Royal Punch recipe below), which is affordable and easy to make in large batches; or can entail a variety of liquor and mixers. Spike’s tip is to set out recipe cards for specialty drinks (Black Apple Harvest Cocktail recipe below), this allows guests the option to “shake their own drink,” and frees you up to enjoy your party.
When not entertaining for the holidays, Spike is busy competing in multiple TV cooking competitions like Bravo’s Top Chef and Food Network’s Next Iron Chef. He took some time to dish about his experiences on these shows and said that they are “very intense but fun since he has a competitive spirit.” “Cooking under pressure and being judged helps you perfect your craft,” says Spike.
Chef Spike, knows a thing or two about cooking under pressure; with several popular restaurants in the Washington D.C. area; including Good Stuff Eatery, We the Pizza, and a third restaurant concept in the works. Béarnaise, his latest dining establishment, is a classic steak and frites concept, which will open sometime early next year on Capitol Hill. Wondering what a chef eats at his own restaurant? Well Spike loves the Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake at Good Stuff Eatery and the Forest Shroomin’ Pie at We the Pizza!
If that all wasn’t enough, Spike recently teamed up with Captain Morgan to create some cocktail and dinner recipes using their new Black Spiced Rum. If cooking with liquor is seems intimidating, Chef Spike says “to be adventurous and have fun testing recipes. But remember to use alcohol in moderation as you don’t want it to overpower your dish.”
Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum, is a “darker, bolder spiced rum” with a depth of flavor. Spike recommends mixing it with other spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
Below are a few of the cocktail and dinner recipes that Chef Spike created using Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum; which would be perfect for a New Year’s Eve bash!
Black Apple Harvest (Cocktail)
Printable Version
Serves: 1
¾ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash allspice
1 dash nutmeg
1 tablespoon crushed ginger
Juice from one lemon (save the rind)
.25 ounces apricot liquor*
1.25 ounces Captain Morgan® Black Spiced Rum
Honey, as needed
In a shaker, add ice and shake it like your momma taught you. Fill a rocks glass with ice, take a
lemon rind and rim the glass. Next, take a thin slice of ginger and rim the glass and then put
both garnishes in the glass. Pour cocktail through holes of the shaker. Cocktail should still have
some apple sauce texture, but shouldn’t be thick. Lastly, drizzle with honey.
*Note: If you don’t have apricot liquor on-hand or don’t want to make a run to the store, feel free
to try without it.
Recipe by Chef Spike Mendelsohn, recipe and photo used with permission from Captain Morgan
Port Royal Punch
Printable Version
Serves: 25
2 (46-ounce) cans of pineapple juice
3 cups mango juice
1 (750 mL) bottle of Captain Morgan® Original Spiced Rum
4.5 ounces of grenadine
3 oranges, thinly sliced and quartered
3 cans of Sprite
In a punch bowl or large serving vessel, add the above ingredients and stir. Serve over ice in a
punch glass – or glass of your choosing.
Recipe by Chef Spike Mendelsohn, photo and recipe used with permission from Captain Morgan
Cream Soda Braised Ribs with Chipotle Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum BBQ Sauce
Printable Version
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes Serves: 6-8
Chipotle Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum BBQ Sauce:
1 (8-ounce) can of chipotle peppers
2 cups BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons Captain Morgan ® Black Spiced Rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup orange juice
Blend ingredients together until smooth.
Cream Soda Braised Ribs:
2 racks of St. Louis ribs (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon allspice
4 shots Captain Morgan® Black Spiced Rum
1 can of cream soda
Combine paprika, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger powder and allspice to create the dry rub.
Rub dry rub all over ribs and season with salt and pepper. Place in a “hotel pan” or roasting pan.
Add enough cream soda to cover. Add 4 shots of Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum. Cover with
foil. Pre-heat oven to 375°F and place pan in the oven, cooking for approximately 2.5 hours,
until the ribs are tender and the rib bone is showing. The meat will pull off the rib, but not
easily. Finish on the grill on medium heat for about 15 minutes and baste with Chipotle Captain
Morgan Black Spiced Rum BBQ sauce.
Recipe by Chef Spike Mendelsohn, photo and recipe used with permission from Captain Morgan
*All recipes and photos provided by Captain Morgan and used with permission.
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