Shrimp and fettucine with ancho - bourbon - cream sauce. Soak ancho chiles in hot water and blend with rice vinegar, garlic cloves, and Mexican oregano. Saute shrimp in butter until partly cooked, add bourbon, and light. Stir ("with caution") until flames die down, and then remove shrimp. Reduce sauce, add half-and-half and chile sauce, and simmer. Add shrimp, simmer until done, season to taste, and then toss with pasta.
The recipe was supposed to use tequila and lots of cream. I prefer tonight's semi-improvised version. Ancho chile flavor was front and center (as it should be), bourbon added a nice note, and the limited volume of half and half in the fridge enriched the sauce without muting flavors.
