The Perfect Dinner Party Menu for Stoner Besties (Fancy Edition)
Estimated 7-minute read
Hello there gentle reader! It’s good to see you! You know, I’ve been reading a lot lately about cannabis infused cuisine and how it’s slowly becoming more and more popular amongst proper chefs and not just magic-brownie-eating-college-dudes.
I came across this wonderful book titled Bong Apétit!: Mastering the Art of Cooking With Weed by the Editors of Munchies with Elise McDonough, and it really put what I knew about weed food into perspective. The authors include marvelous collaborations with cooks such as Mindy Segal, a pastry chef who was among the first “serious” chefs to elevate her food with cannabis, as well as the great Courtney McBroom. In the book, the authors talk about how people have been eating cannabis for a while now, but only in the last couple of years has it been sort of leveling up. This wonderful cookbook shares a wide variety of recipes for meals prepared with weed, not by hiding the plant’s flavor, but placing it as a majestic culinary ingredient.
The first article that I wrote about cooking with weed serves as a base for these dishes. In it, I shared some recipes explaining how to properly infuse cannabis into oil, cream and butter. I highly suggest that you start by reading that, you can find it here.
In another one of my articles––the casual edition of the perfect dinner party menu for stoner besties–– aside from the fabulous recipes, I talked a little about the importance of taking into account the amount of THC that you consume depending on your personal experience. You can check that article out here. But as a general rule of thumb, what I found out reading from weedmaps.com is that, to have the best experience, you should follow the guidelines illustrated in the table below.
|
1 - 2 mg of THC |
a microdose and the ideal place to start for beginners |
|
2 - 5 mg of THC |
could be considered a microdose or low dose depending on tolerance |
|
5 - 10 mg of THC |
the most common range for casual consumers |
|
10 - 50 mg of THC |
considered strong and for experienced consumers |
|
50 mg THC and above |
considered very strong and typically reserved for medical patients and daily consumers |
This is very important, as you want the experience to be fun and pleasant, not chaotic.So, now that we got that out of the way, let’s start with the cooking!
Appetizer: Blackened Shrimp Cocktail
By: Courtney McBroom
Makes: 4 servings (3 shrimps per serving) and ½ cup cocktail sauce (2 Tbsp
per serving)
THC
2.6 mg per serving; 10.4 mg total recipe
With kief: 8.6 mg per serving, 44.5 mg total recipe
Things to keep in mind, as suggested by the authors of Bong Appétit!:
- You can serve them as iconic and/or old-school as you wish, especially if it is in a martini or champagne glass with a lemon wedge.
- If you happen to have pot leaves in hand, it’s always cool to use them as decoration.
INGREDIENTS:
For the cocktail sauce:
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon flower-infused olive oil
For the shrimp:
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 gram raw kief (optional)
- 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
To make the cocktail sauce: In a bowl, combine the ketchup, lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, and infused olive oil and stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To cook the shrimp: In a small bowl, combine the black, white, and cayenne peppers; onion and garlic powders; salt; and kief (if using) and mix well.
Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, dredge each shrimp in the spice mixture, coating evenly. Be generous, as the more coverage you get, the more flavor you get!
In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until hot and shimmering. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook them, without disturbing, until the underside is nicely darkened, 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp and cook on the second side for 11 to 2 minutes longer. The shrimp should be opaque throughout. They may burn a bit, and that's okay. You want blackened shrimp, not nicely browned shrimp.
Transfer the shrimp to a plate and serve immediately with the cocktail sauce for dipping. Or, if you prefer to serve them in the classic shrimp-cocktail style, let them cool, then chill, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving.
Main Dish: Spinach and Artichoke Dip Risotto
By: MUNCHIES Test Kitchen
Makes: 8 servings
THC
6.2 mg per serving; 50 mg total recipe
With cannabis flower: 6.3 mg per serving; 51.5 mg total recipe
Things to keep in mind, as suggested by the authors of Bong Appétit!:
- You can add a little extra freshly ground cannabis flower infused into the stock to take it to the next level.
- Using cannabis as a spice adds extra flavor to this dish and works with the spinach without any further potency.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 6 cannabis fan leaves (optional)
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 thyme sprig
- 0.5 gram cannabis flower, freshly ground (optional)
- 3 tablespoons flower-infused butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- One 5-ounce package baby spinach
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into chunks
- Two 13½-ounce cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the chicken stock to a simmer. While the stock is heating, put the cannabis leaves (if using), peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and if you're feeling flush, cannabis flower on a piece of cheesecloth, tie together the corners to make a sachet, and add the sachet to the stock. Keep the stock warm over very low heat.
In a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the infused butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add ½ cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue adding stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring and cooking until it is absorbed before adding more, until the rice is tender and creamy. The total cooking time will be about 22 minutes.
Stir half of the spinach into the pan, allow the leaves to wilt completely, and then stir in the remaining spinach. Add the Parmesan, cream cheese, and artichoke hearts and cook, stirring, until the cheeses have melted and the artichoke hearts are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Dessert: Honey Rosemary Ice Cream
By: Mindy Segal
Makes: nine ½-cup servings
THC
14.8 mg per serving; 133.8 mg total recipe
With whipped weed-infused honey: 18.8 mg per serving; 171.2 mg total recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup weed-infused cream
- 4 rosemary sprigs, stems removed and reserved and leaves coarsely chopped.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 13 egg yolks
- ½ cup whipped weed-infused honey (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, both creams, and rosemary leaves and stems and warm for 1 hour. Take care the mixture does not boil or scald. You are simply infusing over low heat at this stage.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until blended. When the cream mixture is ready, bring it just to a boil, remove from the heat, and slowly pour it into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly until fully combined. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the honey (if using), vanilla, and salt. Let cool for several minutes, then cover and refrigerate until cold.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Scoop into an airtight container, transfer to the freezer, and store for up to 1 month.
Things to Keep in Mind
I know, I know, who wouldn't want to eat all of these magnificent dishes at once? But remember, this is cannabis infused food. You can always, of course, choose not to infuse every single one of the courses, or only try one or two at the time. Remember not to consume more THC than you should, make it a fun (but safe) night!
For more amazing weed recipes, you can get Bong Apétit!: Mastering the Art of Cooking With Weed by the Editors of Munchies with Elise McDonough here!
DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. The information on this article is for informative and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here substitutes advice you can get from a medical doctor. If you have any question about medical marijuana use, you should talk to a licensed physician.
Author: Haze
Editors of MUNCHIES. (2018). Bong Appétit. California: Ten Speed Press.
Nickus, L. (2022). THC dosage: Find the right mg dose for you. Webpage. Retrieved from https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/decide-how-much-to-take
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