Chili Beak is a tiny company with big, spicy dreams.

In their small North Salt Lake commercial kitchen, owners Jason and Giselle McClure roast, mix and bottle chili oil daily, but at press time they were working toward a bigger operation, with employees, a distributor and a warehouse.

“We’re going to be hiring people, hopefully soon,” Jason says. Luckily, the product’s not too complicated, and the couple can turn out about 500 bottles per week. “It’s chile de árbol (a pepper resembling a bird’s beak, hence the name), sunflower oil, toasted sesame seed oil, and we put in Redmond Real Salt and garlic powder,” Giselle says. “And two other chilies we keep secret,” Jason adds.

The hard part for the couple, who discovered chili oil in Mexico and noticed a dearth of the Mexican-style oil in the states, was perfecting the recipe—a seven-month quest. “There was a lot of crying, coughing and sneezing along the way,” Jason says.

They must have got it right. The recipe was finalized last January and sales only started in September, but already over a dozen local stores have Chili Beak on their shelves including Liberty Heights Fresh, Caputo’s and Pirate O’s.

Like hot sauce, the chili oil is used to give food a kick, particularly Mexican food, and the McClures have been surprised by ways Utahns have used it: mixing with Bloody Mary’s, clam chowder and even vanilla ice cream. “My favorite is with popcorn,” Giselle says. To find more ways it’s being used, the McClures hold Facebook contests, where chili eaters submit recipes and photos of themselves enjoying their creations with friends for a chance to win gift baskets of local foods. Available at Liberty Heights Fresh and chilibeak.com.

WEB EXTRA

In our Jan/Feb 2015, we promised a Chili Beak recipe.

Pick up the product at Liberty Heights Fresh, and get cooking.

Chili Beak Ceviche

Ingredients

1 lb. cooked chopped shrimp (use cauliflower for vegetarian)
5 juiced limes
1 diced tomato
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 peel cucumber diced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Chili Beak (or more to suite on your taste)

Instructions

Combine everything in a bowl. Can be dated immediately or served chilled. Enjoy with corn chips or crackers.

Poutine Recipe from Will Pliler, Executive Chef/General Manager, New Yorker Restaurant:

This Quebecois favorite is usually prepared with cheese curds. I make this version of poutine with locally produced Beehive White Cheddar.

For the Chicken Gravy:

Add to a sauce pan over medium-low heat 2 T. Butter and 2 T. flour, heat while stirring constantly until the roux is slightly brown but not burned. There should be no brown flecks. To the pan, add 2 cups homemade chicken broth, whisk until sauce is thickened (about 10 minutes), set aside, keeping warm.

For the Duck Confit, you can use a commercially produced duck confit or make your own using your favorite recipe. Use the meat pulled from 1 duck leg and thigh per serving, add the meat to a non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown slightly on both sides. The meat should be a little crispy.

To assemble the Poutine:

Cook about 8 ounces per serving of your favorite French fry recipe in a deep fryer until crisp and golden brown, divide among oven proof plates, top with about ½ cup shredded white cheddar per plate, add plates to a preheated 375 degree oven until the cheese is slightly melted (about 2 minutes), remove from the oven top with the crispy duck confit, ½ cup of the chicken gravy per plate, and garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Also can be topped with a sunny-side-up egg if desired.

Park City restaurants are offering Super Bowl specials for all different taste palettes.

“Bring your party for the Big Game and let one of our bars and restaurants handle all the cooking and cleanup,” says Park City Area Restaurant Association Executive Director, Ginger Ries. “Whether it’s pizza and wings or wine tasting, you’ll be sure to have a blast.”

Here is a list of places bringing out their special teams for Super Bowl XLIX.

Edgar’s Beer and Spirit Lounge at Deer Valley Resort

Celebrations at Edgar’s Beer and Spirit Lounge kick off at 2:30 p.m., where you’ll find a full après ski menu of items such as Potted Pimento Cheese, House Smoked Salmon and Turkey Chili Nachos. Their Game Day special is $12 per half dozen savory buffalo-style chicken wings, served with Deer Valley’s blue chess dip, carrots and celery.

Cuisine Unlimited

Cuisine Unlimited handles all the cooking for any order over the 10 person minimum. Choices start with homemade veggie chili or Cuisine Unlimited’s famous chicken and white bean chili. Next they offer monster 14-inch bagels and sub sandwiches served with cold cuts of turkey, beef and ham, cheeses, veggies and spreads. Individuals can have their own Caesar Salad for an additional $7 or the football potato salad for $4 per person.

Deer Valley Grocery Café

Pulling out all the stops with its Super Bowl Sunday takeaway menu, Deer Valley Grocery Café features child shrimp, barbecue-and-cilantro-lime-glazed ribs, pulled pork salad, turkey chili, chips, peanut butter truffles, whoopie pies and more. Gluten-free and vegetarian selections are also available. Prices are a la carte, ranging from $4.50 for a bag of cashew caramel corn, to $30 for a six-person Caesar salad platter. Orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, and picked up by 7 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.

Fox School of Wine

The school’s Weekend Wine Series continues with “Move Over Beer: Wine for the Bowl,” featuring five wines paired with Super Bowl favorites like wings, chips and salsa and sandwiches. The event costs $25.

Lespri Prime Steak Sushi Bar

Park City’s premier destination for surf and turf is serving up a range of specials Sunday: two-for-one appetizers and such rolls, plus USDA Prime Lespri Burgers during the game and all night long. Enjoy your order while watching the game on the three flat-screen TVs in the Lespri Lounge.

Royal Street Café at Deer Valley Resort

In addition to the restaurants full menu, Royal Street Café will be serving two specials for Super Bowl Sunday. They include braised Bison with fire-roasted chili and fresh baked skillet cornbread as well as fried chicken wings served in either traditional buffalo sauce, house made chili sauce or teriyaki. (Royal Street Café will be closed for dinner service on Super Bowl Sunday.)

The Brass Tag at Deer Valley Resort

Celebrations at The Brass Tag will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday. Specials include half-dozen brick-oven roasted wings with a choice of flavors including a peanut satay sauce, ranch rubbed with Frank’s Red Hot dipping sauce, bourbon BBQ glazed and a pretzel-crusted, honey mustard sauce. All wings are served with carrots and celery sticks and Deer Valley house made ranch or Deer Valley Blue Belle cheese dipping sauce.

Wasatch Brew Pub

This Park City brewery will be offering its $5 “Build-Your-Own-Bloody-Mary Bar,” plus $5 “Nacho and Nacho Bar.”

Edge Steakhouse 

For the first time ever, Edge Restaurant is introducing a dining experience just for Super Bowl Sunday, so you won’t want to miss your one chance. Starting at 4 p.m., you can begin the celebration with their “Brown Bag Special,” which consists of a 16 oz. PBR in a paper bag for $4. Catering to the devoted fan in you, try the “Seattle Crab Cake Sliders” and “New England Lobster Roll Bites” to keep you in football spirit all night.

Usually, bruschetta calls to mind the flavors of summer-grill smoke, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. But bruschetta is a great cold weather nosh or appetizer, too. The secret is mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced diagonally

3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced or chopped into similar-sized pieces

3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Instructions

Toast the bread slices. Gently sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it’s soft, then add the mushrooms and turn up the heat.

Cook 3 or 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Stir in the parsley and thyme and spoon the mushrooms over the toast. You can spread the toast with soft goat cheese or ricotta before spooning on the mushrooms. You can add a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms while they cook. You can crumble blue cheese over the mushrooms. We could go on and on with variations, but you get the idea.

Cupcakes and Cashmere

For a wide selection of cheeses, visit Harmons or Whole Foods.

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. thyme leaves
4 or 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4” thick sticks
1 cup water (half vegetable or chicken broth, if desired)
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Instructions

Cook the carrots in the olive oil over fairly high heat until they brown a little. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over low heat for several minutes. Add the salt, spices, herbs, and the water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender–about 25 minutes. When the carrots are tender, add the chickpeas. Continue simmering until the chickpeas are heated through and the sauce is reduced and thick. Stir in 1/2 cup almonds. Taste, adjust seasoning, sprinkle the remainder of the almonds over the top. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Warm Cauliflower Salad:                                                             

Steam small cauliflower florets until just tender. Toss with cooked, diced bacon, sautéed chopped onion, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of mustard, salt, a teaspoon or so of honey, pepper and chopped parsley. Serve warm.

Cauliflower “Couscous”:

Wash cauliflower florets and pulse in the processor until they resemble couscous. Sauté cauliflower kernels in olive oil with garlic clove until al dente. Season and top with mixed roasted vegetables and pine nuts.

Roasted Cauliflower:

Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil and place in an ovenproof pan with mashed garlic. Roast at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning frequently so cauliflower browns lightly. Squeeze lemon juice over the florets and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cauliflower Mash:

Boil cauliflower florets until tender; drain thoroughly and pat dry. Do not let cool. Put florets in food processor with 2 Tbsp. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. salted butter, 1 clove minced garlic and pulse until smooth. Thin with chicken or vegetable stock, if  necessary. Season liberally with pepper. Garnish with chopped chives.