Dad’s Bourbon Balls – A Sweet Taste of Kentucky February 21, 2009
Posted by dixiedining in Uncategorized.Tags: Chocolate, Dad's Bourbon Balls, Gift Ideas, Kentucky, Makers Mark, Mike Aldy, Pecans
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We have tried a lot of delicious bourbon-laced candies in our day, but none can compare to Dad’s Bourbon Balls. Frankly, I had never even heard of this product until I recently saw their display ad in a Bourbon trade publication. I reached out to Mike Aldy (aka the “Son of Dad”) and Mike kindly sent us a container of 16 bourbon balls to sample. The box hit our FL mailbox today and I wasted no time in tearing open the box, which encased an attractive circular gold tin.
When I bit into the first pecan-topped candy, my mouth literally exploded in pure bourbon bliss. My main gripe with most bourbon candies and/or cakes is that the bourbon flavor is either too faint or too artificial. This is not a problem whatsoever with Dad’s fine product. They use only 90 proof premium KY bourbon (our order was made with Makers Mark) and the quality shines through loud and clear in each bite. Now listen, this is the best — I repeat — the best bourbon ball you will likely ever taste. I really can’t imagine anything topping this. Equaling this? Maybe, but doubtful. Topping this? I just can’t see that happening. But be careful, these babies are seriously potent and you may be buzzing after popping 2 or 3 of these delectable candies. So why fight it? Treat yourself to a little bit of the Bluegrass State and you’ll soon be floating around in Blue Heaven.
Here’s a picture of “Dad” at work on a Habitat for Humanity project
Get crackin’ and order some now at www.dadsbourbonballs.com
Blueberry Sorghum from Bourbon Barrel Foods February 11, 2009
Posted by dixiedining in Uncategorized.Tags: Blueberry Sorghum, Bourbon, Bourbon Barrel Foods, Chef Matt Jamie, Kentucky, Louisville KY
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What a wonderful new product from Chef Matt Jamie and his crew at Bourbon Barrel Foods of Louisville, Kentucky. I whipped up some Mary B’s frozen biscuits for lunch today and slathered them down with some real butter and a healthy splash of this blueberry sorghum. Incredibly delicious! The blueberry taste comes thru loud and clear, yet the sweet sorghum flavor is not lost in the process.
They sent us a whole mess of bourbon-related products to try, so be looking for more praise about Bourbon Barrel Foods in the coming days. In the meantime, learn a little bit more about them by digesting the blurb below.
Bourbon Barrel Foods is a maker of gourmet food products that reflect the rich heritage of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country, “The Napa Valley of the Bluegrass”. Our philosophy is to make quality gourmet sauces and seasonings by adhering to a 3 word philosophy: slow, small, simple. From the farmer in southern Kentucky that grows the soybeans for our naturally fermented, small batch soy sauce, to the grower in Eastern Kentucky that harvests the sorghum we use as a sweetener. We have a hands-on approach that requires us to search for the best the state has to offer and develop relationships with the farmers that get great satisfaction seeing their crops grow from the seed to the shelf.”
Bourbon Barrel Foods is located in Louisviille, Kentucky inside historic Butchertown Market (formerly the Louisville Butchers Hide and Tallow Company, home to a consotrium of “boss butchers”, organized in 1873 to maximize profits) where our products are made slowly, in small batches, with simple ingredients. Our bourbon barrels, in which some of our products are aged, are housed in a 120+ year old rick system that came from the Old Crow Distillery in Woodford County, Kentucky, allowing us to help preserve part of the rich heritage of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country. www.bourbonbarrelfoods.com
SFA Explores Louisville’s Barroom Culture September 5, 2008
Posted by dixiedining in Uncategorized.Tags: Bar Culture, Kentucky, Louisville, Southern Foodways
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Louisville is awash in bourbon. And beer. It’s a drinking person’s town, due in no small part to the state’s bourbon heritage, the city’s nickname-namesake brewery, Falls City, and that little horse race called the Kentucky Derby. But there’s more to this town than brown liquor, local breweries, and racetracks. This is where, it’s said, the Old-Fashioned was invented. It’s where Al Capone dodged the law during Prohibition, ducking out of the Seelbach Hotel through secret passageways. And it’s where barkeeps plied their customers with rolled oysters and bean soup to keep them coming back. Louisville’s private clubs, hotel bars, and neighborhood taverns are rich with drinking history and lore. But they’re also rife with innovation and talk of the future. In Louisville, there’s always time for another round.
Visit the link seen below for some great interviews …
http://www.southernfoodways.com/oral_history/louisville_barroom_culture/index.shtml
Kentucky Yeast Rolls September 4, 2008
Posted by dixiedining in Uncategorized.Tags: Baking, Berea, Boone Tavern, Kentucky, Yeast Rolls
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| Boone Tavern’s Yeasty Rolls |
| MAKES 12 ROLLS This recipe was developed by Richard T. Hougen, who managed Boone Tavern in Berea, Kentucky, from 1940 to 1976. 3 cups flour 1 tsp. fine salt 1 cup whole milk 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, diced 4 tbsp. sugar 1 1⁄4-oz. package active dry yeast 2 eggs, beaten 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, sift flour and salt; set aside. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat milk to 180°. Add 4 tbsp. of the butter and 1 tbsp. of the sugar; stir. Let milk mixture cool to 115°. Stir in yeast and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar; stir to dissolve. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Stir in eggs and knead with the mixer, using the dough hook, on medium speed until dough forms into a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 6–8 minutes. Grease a large bowl with the oil; nestle dough inside. Cover bowl with a towel; let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours. 2. Grease a nonstick muffin pan with remaining butter. Divide dough into 12 equal-size pieces. On a cutting board, cup your hand over 1 dough piece; gently roll it against board to form a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining pieces. Divide dough balls between muffin cups. Cover with a towel; let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Uncover; let rise until 2″ above the pan, about 1 1⁄2 hours more. 3. Heat oven to 400°. Bake the rolls until puffed and light brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly in the muffin pan before serving. |
| Recipe from www.saveur.com |
