HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - It’s National Beer Day on April 7, like anyone needs a reason to celebrate. Besides enjoying a beer right from a can or glass, the brew can be crafted into cocktails as well, adding a different element. Inspired by his recent trip to Mexico, in this segment Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton shows the Coast Live crew how to craft a Michelada. In addition to beer, other ingredients include ground chili peppers, lime juice, and tomato juice. The chilled imbibe is served in a glass rimmed with salt, or more traditionally, Tajin.
Here’s how to make it:
Rim a tall glass with the cut side of a lime wedge, and roll the glass in a small plate sprinkled with Tajin or coarse salt to rim.
Fill the glass with ice and add 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 3 ounces tomato or Clamato (a combination of clam and tomato juice), a few dashes of hot sauce, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, then fill with beer, approximately 12 ounces.
Stir to incorporate, garnish with lime wedge, and serve. Yields 1 cocktail.
Beer comes from Big Ugly Brewing, www.BigUglyBrewing.com [biguglybrewing.com]
BON APPETIT TO BACON, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO WITH BLT TACOS
April is National Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich Month. Chef Patrick adds a fun Mexican twist to this classic dish, instead bringing his BLT Tacos to the Coast Live kitchen. These tacos consist of shredded lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes in various colors and sizes, and crispy strips of Sweet-Heat Bacon, stuffed inside a street taco-sized flour tortilla that’s been lightly grilled. Other touches include guacamole and Mexican crema.
Here’s how to make it:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Prepare the Sweet-Heat Bacon by adding 3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to a medium bowl and whisking to incorporate. Add to a plate.
Dredge slices from 1 pound thick-cut bacon in sweet-heat mix and evenly spaced, not touching, on 2 rimmed baking sheets lined with foil. Place on top and bottom racks in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping once, until bacon is crisp and coating is caramelized. Remove from oven, flip, and allow to cool.
Prepare the tacos by spreading street taco-sized flour tortillas with a thin layer (approximately 1-2 tablespoons) of prepared guacamole. If you’d like our recipe for homemade guacamole, email PatrickEvansHylton@gmail.com with “Guacamole Recipe” as the subject.
Add 1/2 cup shredded lettuce, 3-5 pieces of bacon, 1/4 cup rough chopped cherry tomatoes, and fold over. Drizzle with Mexican crema or sour cream and serve.
For more, visit www.VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com [virginiaeatsanddrinks.com]
Chef Patrick also shares his latest "Fabulous Food Find," Karla's Beach House. Here's what he had to say about this spot:
"It’s hard to be in a bad mood at Karla’s Beach House, located in Norfolk’s Ocean View. Karla Guthrie opened her namesake eatery in early 2019. Tons of photos and other seaside souvenirs hang on the walls, and a shelf that showcases local items to take home, including roasted java from Norfolk Coffee and Tea as well as housemade hot sauces. On a recent visit we discovered a yum-azing take on Chicken & Waffles. The Chicken and Waffle Beach House Bowl is a large bowl is filled with a warm, fluffy waffle and golden, brown, delicious fried, boneless, chicken thigh, each having been cut into bite-sized pieces. Chopped applewood bacon is added, and the dish is topped with egg; I picked over easy. A honey-maple sauce pulls it all together. We also loved a lovely Bloody Mary. The mix is zippy, and the pour of vodka generous. A fiery blend of Old Bay seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes ring the rim, and crisp celery and piquant olives garnish."
For more, visit www.KarlasBeachHouse.com [karlasbeachhouse.com]
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
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