Dank Dishes: Pot-Infused Treats by Denver Chefs and Mixologists

There's no shortage of online recipes and techniques for infusing butters and oils with cannabis, but today's consumers often want to take things a step further. No longer satisfied with space cakes and brownies, some potheads want a more elegant edibles experience. Unfortunately, infusing complex dishes and drinks that aren't heavy in fat can be difficult, as THC bonds to fat molecules.

So some of Denver's best chefs and mixologists teamed up with Stillwater Brands, a company that specializes in powdered CBD and THC distillate, to create dank and delicious recipes as 4/20 nears. The tasteless Ripple powder is made to mix in with food and drinks in various doses, making your cannabis kitchen adventures much easier — and impressive — than they used to be.

Find weed-infused recipes from Chopped winner Dave Hadley, the Regional's Kevin Grossi, Topher Hartfield of Nocturne and RiNo Yacht Club, Hop Alley's Adam Griggs and Top Shelf Budtending's Andrew Mieure below.

Green Thai Curry (serves four)
Courtesy of Dave Hadley
Ingredients:
2 cups shrimp paste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup galangal, minced
40 kaffir lime leaves
10 red dried chiles
1 TBSP fish sauce
1/3 cup palm sugar
2 TBSP oyster sauce
8 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup Thai basil
1 tsp. salt
4 packets Ripple Balanced 5, or 2 packets Ripple Pure 10

Heat oil in pot over medium heat; add galangal and shrimp paste, and sauté until aromatic. Add coconut milk, palm sugar and salt, and simmer until heated through. Add chiles, lime leaves, basil, fish sauce and oyster sauce and bring to a boil. Strain for a smooth texture and mix in Ripple. Serve with steamed rice.

Pineapple, Snap Pea and Jalapeño Shrub (serves one)
Courtesy of Topher Hartfield (Nocturne and RiNo Yacht Club)
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chopped snap peas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup champagne vinegar
3-5 slices of jalapeño
Soda water
1 packet Ripple Pure 10

Muddle pineapples, snap peas and sugar together; mix in the jalapeños and Ripple, and let sit overnight. Add vinegar to mixture and stir. Strain liquid through chinois (store cooled up to seven days). Mix with soda water, in a ratio of 3:1, vinegar mixture to soda. Serve over ice in a tall Collins glass.
Smoked Cheddar, Green Chile and Grits (serves four)
Courtesy of Kevin Grossi (The Regional)
Ingredients:
1 cup white corn grits (medium cut)
1 cup half & half
4 cups water
1/4 lb. butter
1 cup smoked cheddar (shredded)
1/4 cup green chiles (roasted, peeled and diced)
4 packets Ripple Balanced 5, or two packets Ripple Pure 10
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium-sized pot, bring the half & half and water to a boil. Stir in corn grits, and bring the boil down to a simmer. Cook the grits for 30 to 45 minutes (all grits are different, some take longer to cook than others; taste for appropriate texture — a runny consistency).

Once the grits are cooked, turn the heat off and stir in butter, cheese, green chiles and Ripple. Mix until all are incorporated. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with a splash of your favorite hot sauce and chopped green onions.

The Panda (serves one)
Courtesy of Adam Griggs (Hop Alley)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 fresh mint leaves
0.5 oz. ginger syrup
0.5 oz. passionfruit syrup
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. pomegranate juice
1.5 oz. soda water
1 packet Ripple Pure 10

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water to make a 1:1 simple syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Add .5 oz. of simple syrup to additional ingredients, and shake to combine. Serve over crushed ice in a tall Collins glass, and garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig.

Canna-Caramel Apple Mocktail (serves eight)
Courtesy of Andrew Mieure (Top Shelf Budtending)
Ingredients:
6 1/2cups apple cider
3/4 cup Torani Salted Caramel syrup (reserve a little for the rim)
1 tsp cinnamon
Sparkling water
Apple slices (reserve some for garnish)
Rosemary sprig
8 packets Ripple Balanced 5
Sugar and cinnamon mix for rimming the glass

Add cider, salted caramel syrup, cinnamon, Ripple packets and apple slices to a pitcher. Reserve some apple slices for garnish. Stir vigorously. Rim a glass with salted caramel syrup followed by the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Add ice to glass and pour cider mixture over ice. Top with sparkling water, and garnish with an apple slice and rosemary sprig.