CHAPTER THREE
SPRING

Spring in Kentucky signals not only the greening of the countryside but also the return of horse racing and the culmination of the basketball season. The greenery and horse racing are gastronomically joined in the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, the mint julep, which combines two local ingredients, mint and bourbon (see Mint Julep, page 12). For college basketball fans, spring brings March Madness, or the NCAA Basketball Tournament, during which drinks laced with bourbon, appetizers, and finger food are enjoyed while fans cheer for their favorite teams.

KENTUCKY BOURBON PRAWNS

Although shrimp would not have been served at the inaugural Kentucky Derby, shrimp can now be brought from distant sites to serve. Furthermore, many farmers in Kentucky have turned to producing freshwater prawns. So here we have a combination of bourbon and freshwater prawns that could easily be featured at a modern Derby party and would both be grown in Kentucky.

6 SERVINGS

In a sauté pan melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. Add the brown sugar, garlic, and shallots and cook on high heat until the shallots become translucent. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and white wine. Boil until the liquid has been reduced by one-third. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, bourbon, and prawns to the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer and turn the prawns to cook them on both sides until pink. Finish the dish with the remaining cold butter.

KENTUCKY BOURBON BLINI WITH CAVIAR

This recipe makes an upscale Derby appetizer. Kentucky spoonfish or paddlefish caviar is recommended. Some of the benefits of spoonfish caviar are that it has a smooth flavor, it costs a fraction of what the top-rated beluga costs, and for Kentuckians this culinary treat is local.

30 SERVINGS

Follow the Kentucky Bourbon Pancakes recipe, but dip only about 1 tablespoon of batter onto the griddle for each pancake; pancakes of this size are called blini. Top the blini with a little sour cream and place the caviar on the sour cream.

KENTUCKY BOURBON CHICKEN WINGS

Another appetizer that’s great for Derby is chicken wings—but then they are the perfect appetizer all year long. This is a simple dish as easy to prepare as it is to eat.

6 SERVINGS

  1. Cut each wing into three pieces. Discard the wing tips or save them for chicken stock. Combine the wing pieces, bourbon, olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl. Toss to coat the wings, and marinate them for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the bread crumbs and paprika, along with salt and pepper to taste, in a plastic bag. Drain the wings and place them in the bag with the bread crumbs. Shake the bag to coat the wings with the crumb mixture. Place the wings on a baking sheet.

  3. Bake until done, about 15 minutes. The wings will be done when the juices that run off are clear.

CANDIED KENTUCKY BOURBON-BACON BITES

This simple recipe is adapted from Paula Deen’s the Deen Family Cookbook, the most recent book by the “Dean of Southern Cuisine.” Deen is a native of Georgia but has a connection to Kentucky through her appearance as Aunt Dora in the Cameron Crowe movie Elizabethtown.

20 SERVINGS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Select a baking sheet that has a lip, and line it with foil; place a wire rack on the foil. Arrange the bacon strips close together in a single layer on the rack, brush them with the bourbon, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the bacon.

  2. Bake the bacon until crisp and dark golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the bacon strips to a wire rack set over another baking sheet with a lip or lay them on a paper towel-lined plate, to cool slightly. Break each strip in half and serve warm or at room temperature.

ANGEL’S SHARE BISCUITS

When bourbon (or any other distilled spirit) comes off the still, it is as clear as water. The color and flavor of bourbon develop as it ages in a burned or toasted oak barrel. During the aging process, some of the bourbon is lost to evaporation, and this evaporated alcohol is called the “Angel’s share” by the distilling and wine-making industry. As the biscuit bakes, the alcohol evaporates to the angels, but the bourbon flavor stays behind in the biscuit. In the United States a biscuit is a roll made with chemical leavening such as baking soda or baking powder. An Angel Biscuit is a biscuit made with yeast and/or the chemical leavening. An Angel Biscuit is half biscuit-half roll. These Angel Biscuits made with bourbon can be served with most meals.

YIELD: 2 DOZEN BISCUITS

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the warm water and honey together and dissolve the yeast in the water-honey mixture.

  2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and shortening and mix with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal.

  3. Mix the buttermilk and bourbon with the yeast mixture; add these ingredients to the flour mixture. Combine lightly until the ingredients are just mixed together.

  4. Grease a baking pan and drop mounds of dough onto it. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

KENTUCKY BOURBON BEIGNETS

When I lived in New Orleans, my parents used to stop at the Café du Monde for beignets as they drove me to school. These fried pillows of dough, great for dessert or for breakfast, are usually topped with powdered sugar and served with very strong coffee. The addition of the bourbon here enhances both the sweetness and the intensity of the flavor, creating the perfect blend of Kentucky and New Orleans.

6 SERVINGS

  1. In a bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the butter and mix using a pastry blender until completely blended. Add the sugar and salt and blend.

  2. Mix the yeast with the warm water until the yeast totally dissolves. Let the yeast mixture stand for 2 minutes, then add it to the flour mixture along with the evaporated milk, egg, and bourbon; mix well. Slowly add flour until a soft dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and work it until it has a satiny texture. Do not overwork the dough. Roll out to a thickness of about ⅛ inch and cut into 2-inch squares.

  3. Heat the oil in a skillet to at least 350 degrees. Fry the squares of dough in the hot oil until brown on one side. Flip them over and brown the other side. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

KENTUCKY BOURBON BURGERS

Burgers are best in the late spring or early summer, when the weather is not too cold and not yet too hot. An outdoor grill with charcoal or gas flame is also preferred to a stove and a pan. The smoke of the grill complements and accentuates the bourbon in the burger—remember that the bourbon was aged in a charred barrel.

4 TO 8 SERVINGS

  1. Mix the ground chuck with the salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the bourbon and bread crumbs and mix well. Separate the mixture into 4 to 8 patties and refrigerate.

  2. Start the grill, and when it is hot, place the burgers on the grill. When blood begins to appear on the burgers, flip them and grill until done. Generally speaking, burgers should be cooked to medium well, which means there will be a little pink inside the burger.

  3. Place the burgers on buns and dress with the onion slices and condiments.

NOTE:

If you are using coals, be sure to start the grill at least 1 hour before you want to grill the meat.

KENTUCKY BOURBON HOT DOGS

When you’re cooking hamburgers, you should consider also cooking some hot dogs, one of America’s favorite foods. Spring is a good time to begin eating hot dogs if you would like to take part in the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. In 2009 the U.S. contestant, defending champion Joey Chestnut, won his third title, out-eating his competition and breaking his own world record by downing 68 hot dogs and buns. This recipe has a sauce that might help you consume a few more hot dogs and prepare for the summer contest.

4 TO 8 SERVINGS

Boil water in a saucepan or skillet (enough water to cover the hot dogs) and simmer them for a few minutes. In a saucepan mix the bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, ketchup, and brown sugar. Heat the sauce and simmer until it is reduced by half. Dip the hot dogs into the sauce and place on the buns, adding more sauce to taste.

GRILLED SIRLOIN IN KENTUCKY BOURBON MARINADE

This steak dish benefits from a bourbon marinade that helps break down the connective tissue of the meat, making the meat very tender. It is best when served with a baked potato. The recipe comes from Splendor in the Bluegrass, a book compiled by the Junior League of Louisville.1

6 SERVINGS

Combine the beef stock, bourbon, soy sauce, garlic, green onions, and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Pour these ingredients over the steak and allow it to marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator; after 2 hours turn the steak over in the marinade. During the last 2 hours, start your grill, if you are using coal. Lightly oil the grill rack. Drain the marinade off the steak and place the steak on the rack over the hot coals. Grill the steak to the desired doneness.

Kentucky Bourbon French Toast (page 20) with Blueberry Kentucky Bourbon Pancake Syrup (page 19)

Chicken Kentuckiana (page 24)

Kentucky Bourbon Acorn Squash (page 26) with Kentucky Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Country Ham Steak (page 50)

Grilled Sirloin in Kentucky Bourbon Marinade (page 48)

Asian Kentucky Bourbon-Marinated Chicken (page 27)

Angel’s Share Biscuits (page 44) with Kentucky Bourbon Apple Jelly (page 92), Apricot Bourbon Jelly (page 92), and Jellied Kentucky Bourbon (page 93) in the background

Kentucky Bibb Salad with a Sweet Kentucky Bourbon Vinaigrette, Crumbled Goat Cheese, and Toasted Pecans (page 61)

Kentucky Bourbon-Q Sauce for Pork Tenderloin (page 72) over sliced pork on a bun

Pan-Seared Salmon with Chipotle Honey-Lime Bourbon Glaze (page 69)

Grilled Kentucky Bourbon Shrimp Skewers (page 70)

Kentucky Bourbon Burgoo (page 86)

Turkey with Kentucky Bourbon Sauce (page 90)

Applesauce Cake with Kentucky Bourbon Frosting (page 102)

Kentucky Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie (page 54) with Bourbon Whipped Cream (page 101)

BOURBON BAKED HAM

Easter dinner traditionally features ham, the back leg of a pig. Kentucky is known for its smoked, aged, and salt-cured ham, which is typically served with red eye gravy, a gravy made from lard and water or coffee (or both). This ham recipe features a brown sugar bourbon glaze that is perfect for an Easter celebration (or a Derby party) that will not be soon forgotten. You can serve the ham with macaroni and cheese or a sweet potato casserole.

16 SERVINGS

Ham

Red Eye Gravy

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the skin from the ham. Trim the exterior fat to an even thickness of ¼ inch.

  2. Combine the brown sugar and cloves and spread this mixture evenly over the top of the ham. Roast the coated ham on a rack for 30 minutes.

  3. Combine the pineapple, bourbon, and marmalade in a saucepan over medium heat. Take care not to flame the bourbon. Pour the sauce over the ham and return the ham to the oven. Cook until the ham is hot, basting frequently, approximately 2 hours. Remove the ham from the roasting pan. Keep it warm by covering it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

  4. To make the Red Eye Gravy: While the ham is resting, heat the ham fat in a skillet. When it is hot, add the water or coffee and swirl around to mix. The gravy should be a reddish-brown color. Slice the ham and pour the gravy over it.

KENTUCKY BOURBON GLAZED KENTUCKY COUNTRY HAM STEAK

Chef Sam Mudd, the source of this recipe, is a specialist in southern cooking. He served as the executive chef of fine dining restaurants, including the Galt House’s Flag Ship Restaurant and the Executive West Hotel, before signing on at Sullivan University, where he teaches basic culinary skills.

1 SERVING

  1. Trim the edges of the ham steak so that ⅛ inch fat remains. Panfry the steak in a hot skillet until brown on both sides; remove to a platter, and keep warm by covering it with aluminum foil.

  2. Dissolve the sugar in the bourbon. Discard most of the fat in the skillet and then deglaze with the bourbon-sugar mixture. Simmer until the mixture reaches the consistency of maple syrup. Pour it over the steak.

CHEF VIRGINIA WILLIS’S BABY BACK RIBS WITH KENTUCKY BOURBON MUSTARD SAUCE

Virginia Willis, the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking, has served as executive producer of Epicurious on the Discovery Channel and has worked with culinary personalities Martha Stewart and Natalie Dupree. She shares this recipe with us.

6 SERVINGS

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, apple juice, and bourbon. Simmer the sauce until thick and reduced, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season to taste with the kosher salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Start the grill at low heat or preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper, place the ribs on a broiler pan, and put the pan in the oven; or place directly on the grill. Cook until the meat is tender, occasionally turning the ribs with tongs, 45 to 60 minutes.

  3. Remove 1 cup of the sauce to a bowl for coating the ribs. Brush the ribs on both sides with this sauce. Grill the ribs over high heat until brown and crisp on the edges, brushing with more sauce from the bowl and turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.

  4. Serve the ribs with the remaining warm sauce.

NOTE:

If you are using coals, be sure to start the grill at least 1 hour before you want to grill the meat.

KENTUCKY BOURBON PORK CHOPS

Another portion of the pig that is great for eating (as if there were any bad part of a pig) is the pork loin, from which pork chops are cut. This recipe utilizes several traditional sweetening agents that combine well with bourbon. The dish is best served with rice or whipped sweet potatoes. This is another recipe adapted from Splendor in the Bluegrass.2

6 SERVINGS

NOTE:

If you are using coals, be sure to start the grill at least 1 hour before you want to grill the meat.

Mix together the maple syrup, molasses, bourbon, sweet chili sauce, garlic chili paste, and onion slices. Place the pork chops in the marinade. Marinate for at least 8 hours, turning the pork chops at least once. Drain the pork chops. Start the grill and cook them until only a little pink remains on the inside.

BOURBON AND GREEN GARLIC KENTUCKY SHORT RIBS

Tim Tucker is the executive chef at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope in Louisville, which feeds more than four hundred homeless people daily. Earlier, he worked at one of the finest restaurants in the United States, the Mansion on Turtle Creek, under Kentucky native Dean Fearing. At the Center of Hope Tucker has created opportunities for his clients by opening a twelve-week culinary training program. Chef Tucker offers this recipe with the advice, “I like to eat this with rice cakes, slow cooked local mixed greens and Kentucky sweet and sour beets.”

4 SERVINGS

  1. Mix together all ingredients except the ribs and place them in a four-quart slow cooker.

  2. Heat a large skillet and add oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and sear them until golden brown.

  3. Add the ribs to the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours at 200 degrees. When the ribs are done, they will be very tender and break apart very easily.

KENTUCKY CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN PIE

This recipe, which is adapted from a recipe by Chef Dean Fearing,3 Chef Tucker’s mentor, is known by many names, including “Twin Spires Pie” and “Thoroughbred Pie.” The pie is similar to Derby Pie, whose name is trademarked by the Kern’s Kitchen Corporation.

6 SERVINGS

Ail-Purpose Pastry

Pie Filling

  1. To make the all-purpose pastry: Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With your hands, gradually add the egg yolks and ice water until a ball of dough is formed (do not overwork the dough). Wrap the dough and chill it for 30 minutes before rolling it out. When the dough is chilled, roll it on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about ⅛ inch Make a circle 12 inches in diameter. Place the dough in a 10-inch pie pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

  2. To make the pie filling: In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, vanilla, and bourbon. Strain this mixture into another bowl, using a fine mesh. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the bottom of the unbaked piecrust, and cover with the pecans. Pour the filling on top of the chocolate and pecans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The pie is done when a knife inserted 2 inches from the side comes out clean. Cool the pie for at least 30 minutes before serving.

KENTUCKY BOURBON CAKE

This cake is adapted from the classic text Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner and features bourbon and dried fruit.4 It is very much like a traditional fruitcake.

16 SERVINGS

  1. Chop the pecans and raisins. Sift the flour several times. Mix ½ cup of the flour with the pecans and raisins and set aside. Add the baking powder to the rest of the flour and sift that mixture.

  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, soak the nutmeg in the bourbon for at least 10 minutes.

  3. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat until the butter-sugar mixture is smooth and lemon-colored. Add to the bourbon alternate amounts of the butter-sugar mixture and the flour mixture and mix after each addition. Fold in the raisins and pecans. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them in.

  4. Butter a 9-inch tube pan and line it with wax paper. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and allow the batter to settle for about 10 minutes; in the meantime, decorate the top of the cake with the candied cherries and pecan halves. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of it comes out almost clean. Allow the cake to cool for a full 30 minutes before attempting to free it from the pan.

WOODFORD PUDDING

This traditional pudding features blackberry jam and a sauce containing bourbon. Woodford refers to Woodford County, Kentucky,5 not Woodford Reserve, a brand of bourbon made in that county.

6 SERVINGS PUDDING

Pudding Sauce

  1. To make the pudding: Butter six 8-ounce pudding molds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream the ½ cup butter and sugar together. Mix in the egg yolks and jam. Sift the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add to the flour mixture alternate amounts of the milk and the butter mixture, mixing after each addition. Fold in the egg whites. Pour the pudding into the buttered molds and bake until set, about 30 to 45 minutes.

  2. To make the pudding sauce: Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg. Heat in a double boiler and stir until the mixture thickens (do not boil). Add the bourbon and mix; serve with the hot pudding.

KENTUCKY BOURBON BROWNIES

Brownies are one of Americans’ favorite confections. If you especially like the edges of brownies, you might want to buy an Edge Brownie Pan, which allows each slice of the brownies to develop a slightly crusty edge. The pan, invented by 2002 Sullivan University graduate Emily Griffin, has been featured in many magazines, including Fine Cooking and Good Housekeeping. These brownies are made with bourbon-flavored pecans.

9 SERVINGS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans and bourbon in a small bowl, so that the pecans will absorb the bourbon. After about 30 minutes, or when the bourbon is reduced by about half, remove the pecans to a small baking sheet and reserve the remaining bourbon. Toast the pecans in the oven for about 5 minutes.

  2. Heat the butter, margarine, and chocolate in a double boiler until melted together. Remove the pan containing the butter-chocolate mixture from the hot water and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Add the sugar, brown sugar, salt, eggs, and the reserved bourbon. Whisk until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the cocoa and mix until it is totally incorporated. Stir in the flour and the pecans.

  3. Apply nonstick spray to an 8 x 8-inch pan and pour in the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cut the brownies when they are cool.

KENTUCKY BOURBON BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Chef Antony Osborne, the creator of this recipe, is the dean of Culinard, the culinary institute of Virginia College, and his pastry has been enjoyed by both the Thai and the British royal families. Osborne offers this classic recipe for bread and butter pudding with some advice: “The key to success with this dish is the slow poaching method [a low moist-heat method of cooking], which provides a light, airy, succulent bread pudding.”

12 SERVINGS

Caramel

Custard

Bourbon Sauce Anglaise

  1. Rehydrate the raisins by soaking in the bourbon about 1 hour. Soak the bread in the melted butter.

  2. To make the caramel: caramelize the sugar (see glossary) and deglaze with the water. Place this on the bottom of a 9 x 12-inch or 9 x 13-inch ovenproof dish. Arrange about one-third of the butter-soaked bread on top of the caramel. Sprinkle with about one-third of the raisins. Repeat this process two more times.

  3. To prepare the custard: Mix the milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sugar together. Pour this mixture over the bread until it becomes absorbed and fills the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and hold in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

  4. When ready to bake, place the dish in a bain-marie (water bath) and bake in a convection oven at 180 degrees (top), 200 degrees (bottom) for 45–60 minutes or in a conventional oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The pudding will be a light golden brown on top. Allow it to cool and invert it onto a warm plate.

  5. To make the Anglaise sauce: Heat the milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla pod, and bourbon in a double boiler slowly until the sauce thickens. Be careful not to curdle the eggs in the sauce. Serve the pudding with the Bourbon Sauce Anglaise.