Garlic Lemon Chili Chicken Wings

At least 1 hour before serving, prepare the Red Wine Blue Cheese Vinaigrette: Put the vinegar, mustard, shallot, sugar and half of the cheese in a blender. Process at high speed until smooth.

With the motor running, gradually pour in the oil to form a thick emulsion. Transfer to a bowl, fold in the remaining cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

About 1 hour before serving time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together the onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Sprinkle mix over the wings while turning the wings to coat them evenly with the spices.

Spread the chicken wings in a baking pan and bake them in the preheated oven until done, 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Garlic-Lemon-Chili Sauce: Put the olive oil in a large saucepan over the lowest possible heat. Add the garlic and shallots and saute, stirring frequently, until they turn caramel brown, 15-20 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn. Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring, until it dissolves and blends with the garlic and shallots and caramelizes lightly.

Carefully stir in the lemon juice, white wine and vinegar. Raise the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by about half its volume, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the broth and continue simmering until the mixture reduces to a syrupy glaze consistency thick enough to coat a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in the red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the sauce simmers and the wings bake, preheat at least 4 inches of oil in an automatic deep-fryer or a large, heavy frying pot to a temperature of 375 degrees F. on the thermostat control or a deep-frying thermometer.

When the wings are done baking, very carefully add them to the hot oil, in batches to prevent overcrowding, and fry them until crispy and golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Remove with the fryer basket or a large wire skimmer and transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the deep-fried wings to the pot of warm sauce and stir gently with a large spoon to coat them evenly.

Arrange the romaine leaves on a large platter. Pile the chicken wings on top and serve with red wine blue cheese vinaigrette on the side for dipping.