Have you ever heard a better title for a cookbook than “The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook”? No? I didn’t think so. That’s why I’m so pleased to tell you that I have not one but two copies of the book to give away. Obviously the title to the book would be enough to suck me in but I’m also really impressed by this little tidbit: “the book is organized by season, with each chapter showcasing fresh ingredients and Kentucky events.”
How great is that? Organized by seasons and what is fresh in Kentucky during the various seasons, that’s very cool. It’s like progressive eater buzzword bingo right there: slow food! local! seasonal! fresh! Bingo!
Inspired by a bourbon dinner held at Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House in New Orleans during a meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, author Albert W.A. Schmid researched the synergy between America’s native spirit and its melting pot of cuisine for this unique volume. From the adaptation of Old World whiskey recipes by 18th century Kentucky farmers to the fusion of bourbon in modern Asian recipes, Schmid explores the diverse history of this American tradition.
…culinary stars who contributed recipes to The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook include Louisville icons John Castro and Dean Corbett and nationally celebrated personalities like Adam Seger and Virginia Willis. Recipes range from Bluegrass classics like Kentucky Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie and Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Country Ham Steak to dishes that use bourbon in modern, imaginative applications, like Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Crème Brûlée with Chocolate Sauce and Seared Scallops with Bourbon-Vanilla Beurre Blanc.
To be entered to win just leave a comment telling us the best dish you’ve ever eaten with bourbon as a key ingredient. It could be something you’ve made at home or something you’ve had at restaurant. If I were eligible to win my entry very well may be the warm vanilla pudding cake with bourbon soaked cherries at Proof on Main but since I can’t win my own contest never mind. I’ll choose two winners at random from all the entries I receive by 4PM Friday March 19, 2010.
Oh and if you aren’t one of the lucky winners fear not, the book is available locally at Carmichael’s and from the various online book retailers.
And because Jake tells me I need to cover myself because of new FTC blogger rules here’s my disclaimer:
- No one asked me to give the books away
- I’m not getting anything in return for giving the books away
- B is always mad that she isn’t eligible to win Consuming Louisville contests
March 17th, 2010 at 8:50 am
My family had friends visiting from England and my mother made a bourbon beef tenderloin. Not just the food, but the combination of good company, drinks, and finally, the delicious, bourbon-laced food made this meal a memorable one.
March 17th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Definitely bourbon BBQ chicken wings with home-made bleu cheese sauce. We paired them with neat Basil Hayden and a basketball game. Who could ask for more?
March 17th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I’m sure that I’ve had delicious sauces and savory dishes made with bourbon, but the first thing I thought of was my friend Brooke’s bourbon balls. I’d never tasted anything like them before I moved to Louisville, so I’d have to put them at the top of the list.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:26 am
The best dish I had with bourbon involved bourbon, ice, and a glass.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Bourbon ball french toast at Lynns Paradise.
March 17th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Sauteed mushrooms with bourbon and rosemary on top of grilled pizza. YUM.
March 17th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Bourbon Blackberry Cobbler!
March 17th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Bourbon mashed sweet potatoes. Wow.
March 17th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Bourbon brownie – the recipe acerbically remarked that you could leave the bourbon out or alternatively you could look at the picture whilst eating a salad
March 17th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Has to be the top secret corn recipe that’s been passed down many generations from father to son, only to be told to some dude in a grocery store. That dude was me. So here it is (and it’s AMAZING).
Pull the silk from the corn and keep the husk. Pour 1 jigger of bourbon over the corn add a big ass pat of butter and salt. Wrap the husk back on the corn and put it on the BBQ. Keep cooking and turning until the husk is black all around and then eat.
Perhaps the best BBQ Corn I’ve ever tasted.
March 17th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I second Mike K’s favorite, but to that I will add a butternut-squash-bourbon soup. Yummy…bourbon-y.
March 17th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
My fav is definitely Selena’s Bananas Foster: (description from their menu) Fresh bananas lightly sautéed in a rich caramel brandy butter sauce and served over cinnamon ice cream. YUM!!!
March 17th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Hmmm…it is a tossup between my friend’s wonderful eggnog recipe and my easy pumpkin bread with bourbon cream sauce.
March 17th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Best meal ever is at Rubbie’s located in Louisville KY. It has a Bourbon Glazed Steak and they give a side of the Bourbon sauce to dip the steak in for more of that Bourbon taste! Best steak around! Great wings too!
March 17th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
My grandmother’s bourbon balls for sure!!
March 17th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Irony of Ironies…Having lived in Kentucky most of my life, I had never had bread pudding with bourbon sauce, until I visited New Orleans some years ago at Brennan’s. Since then it has ranked at the top of my list of favorite desserts. As a graduate of Sullivan University’s Culinary/Baking and Pastry program the recipe I generally use is one introduced to me by a dear friend, Chef Robert Straw. Generally I use either Marker’s Mark of Woodford Reserve in the preparation of the sauce, and the end result is always spectacular. As Derby season is rapidly approaching and in keeping with the season, I strongly suggest that you treat yourself and your derby guest to this classic southern delight.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
The best dish I have ever made using bourbon is bourbon cranberry sauce. The heavenly scent of fresh cranberries and cinnamon baking in the oven fills the house, and then while bubbling hot, a few shots of your favorite bourbon get splashed on top and sizzle as you stir them in. mmmmmmmmmm
March 17th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
I make a darn spiffy parve version of fried apples with bourbon, brown sugar, olive oil, and a surprise hint of chilli powder in the background. Everyone assumes they’re buttery instead of parve, but the bourbon flavor adds a wonderfully distracting richness.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Does Kentucky Bourbon Ale count? Actually, I think you should give it to the guy with the grilled corn recipe. It sounds delicious.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Well, in my own cooking/baking I do have a tendency to use bourbon (and beer) whenever it sounds appealing (which is somewhat common and only getting more so), so I’ve had a lot of random things with bourbon that were amazing. Lately I’ve used bourbon a lot to “spice up” store-bought whipped cream. (I can’t take credit for that, the Joy of Cooking strongly recommends just that simple mix of whipped cream and bourbon to accompany homemade Pumpkin Pie.)
If I had to choose something as best, I’ll just go with the most recent treat, which was a Chocolate Bourbon Caramel cupcake from Cake Flour downtown. They love bourbon in baking nearly as much as I do, it would seem. The vanilla hints of bourbon did wonders with the caramel to make an awesome topping, and the chocolate rounds everything out wonderfully (unsurprisingly, as bourbon balls have long proved that chocolate works well with bourbon).
March 17th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
My fiance and I made a basic chocolate custard in our ice cream maker, then before it started to solidify we added about a shot and a half of Maker’s Mark and continued churning. Best homemade custard yet. I’m not a fan of bourbon straight up, but mixed with other foods it can be amazing. Especially chocolate!
March 17th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole!! Om nom nom.
March 17th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
When I make cheesecake, I add a few tablespoons of bourbon to the filling. yummmm. And the Knob Creek web site has a recipe for a good bourbon chocolate sauce; goes great with cheesecake or ice cream.
March 17th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
My friend Tom’s George T Stagg Bananas Foster, topped with my homemade Elmer T Lee Ice Cream.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
A chocolate chip pecan pie with bourbon. Always a big hit. But a banana cake runs a close second.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:09 am
My 76-year old neighbor Frankie’s Bourbon Balls! I still have some frozen from Christmas that I gift myself when I really need a stiff drink and a sugar fix at the same time. They are amazing!
March 18th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Just discovered the great flavor of Maker’s Mark fresh ground coffee. And it doesn’t make you tipsy!
March 18th, 2010 at 9:42 am
My favorite is bourbon poured over a few cubes of ice. A good conversation or a book compliments this nicely.
March 18th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
There’s nothing better than bourbon sauce over warm bread pudding like they serve at Keenland.
March 19th, 2010 at 9:51 am
sweet: strawberries with rebecca sauce (sour cream, brown sugar, bourbon)
savory: “kentuckyaki” glazed portobella mushroom burger
(ok, i haven’t actually eaten this yet, but i’m getting the “kentuckyaki sauce,” the bourbon smoked sea salt and bourbon smoked pepper from bourbonbarrelfoods.com to make this. it’s based on their recipe for kentuckyaki glazed lamb chops, and i’m really looking forward to eating it. can it count as my favorite if i haven’t eaten it yet?)
March 19th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
i put bourbon in most all of my baked sweets
chocolate no bake cookies
white chocolate no bake cookies
caramel fudge
chocolate and orange fudge
texas sheet cake
i could probably list more but these are the ones that i could think of off the top of my head. all of the above tasted wonderfully delicious!!
April 5th, 2010 at 11:52 am
The best would be my boyfriend’s family recipe of bourbon glazed ham- had it for Easter. Fills the whole house with a wonderful smell. The only close second would be my apple bourbon pie. Either way, when you’re cooking with bourbon you’ve got plenty to cook in the meantime, delicious.
May 8th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
If you like bourbon recipes, you all need to try David Domine’s “Splash of Bourbon, Kentucky’s Spirit” which came out the same time as “The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook.” Bourbon bleu cheese scalloped potatoes, hot brown tart, bourbonnaised filet mignon, bourbon shrimp bisque, ginger bourbon lace cookies with whipped cream and fruit – he really has some winning recipes. Best part is all the wonderful color photography. There’s also tons of information about Kentucky’s distilleries and the history of bourbon.