Local Eats: Amelie - Charlotte, NC

Petit Fours and Macaroons
I have been waiting to post this one for a while. If I'm in the Queen City, then I HAVE to go to Amelie. My first introduction to them was when we were filming the I & Love & You video at the Neighborhood Theater and a bag full of goodies was brought over to the venue for us. The goodies held us over and made a lasting impression on me. Here are just some of my favorite bites at Amelie.

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Recipe: My Thai Style St. Louis Ribs

When St. Louis style ribs go on sale at Whole Foods, you can bet we're gonna buy some and make these Thai inspired ribs. Unlike traditional, fall off the bone ribs, these ribs are cooked in about 30 minutes and take a bit more than a knife and fork to eat.

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Recipe: Poor Man's Jjao (is that how you'd spell it?) - Thai Style Dipping Sauce

There is a grand plan for all these recipes in a row. This is a sauce that goes will with many grilled means and especially well with tomorrow's recipe. This version of jjao is my cousin Kun's recipe. Trust me, make it and store it for a few days and you'll be cooking up protein just to use this sauce.

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Recipe: Garlic Broccolini - A Wonderful Side Dish

This is a simple side dish that'll make you excited for broccoli! Broccolini is similar to broccoli in it's florets but it has a much longer skinnier stalk that is not as tough. This dish is very easy to make and goes well with a variety of foods from fish to pork and everything in between.

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Recipe: Bruschetta (brusˈket.ta) di Carmela

(Brusˈket.ta) di Carmella - See that ring? That's Il Madrina's ring. Don't pronounce it bruSHetta or you'll be seeing the back side of that ring.
The sweetness of the tomatoes should really be the star of this dish, so make sure you are using vine ripened tomatoes. Quite often served on toasted Italian bread, the Sardinians serve it on these really thin, cracker like, flat bread called pane carasau.

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