Food Recipes

Michter’s Whiskey Winter Cooking

Snow Winter scene windowBanish winter’s chill by pouring historic Michter’s whiskey, the spirit that warmed General Washington’s troops at Valley Forge during the American Revolution.

Michter’s Bourbon, Rye, or American Whiskey has relieved some chilled bones here at BourbonBlog.com and a meal prepared with Michter’s may give you some extra warmth and comfort.

US*1 Bourbon balls, glaze a holiday ham with US*1 Rye, or delight hungry souls with a bread pudding spiked with US*1 American Whiskey. Also see the suggested pairings below.

Michter’s tells us they are America’s first whiskey distilling company, dating back to 1753. Every bottle is matured to perfection according to the highest quality standards set by the company’s Master Distiller, Willie Pratt, who we interviewed in this video segment.

Patsy’s Bourbon Balls
suggested pairing: Michter’s US*1 Bourbon

Michters Bourbon whiskey1 cup chopped pecans
6 tbsp. Michter’s US*1 Bourbon
½ stick butter
3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
16 oz. dark chocolate chips

Soak pecans in Michter’s US*1 Bourbon in an airtight container for four days. Flip after the first two days to fully coat the pecans. The pecans should absorb all of the Michter’s US*1 Bourbon. Mix butter, sugar, and pecans. Roll into 1-inch balls and refrigerate overnight. Pour dark chocolate chips into microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2½ minutes. Remove chocolate every minute and stir. Dip refrigerated balls into the melted dark chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered bourbon balls in an airtight container and place in freezer until set (just a few minutes). Store in a cool place.

Joe’s Rye-Glazed Ham
suggested pair with Michter’s US*1 Rye

Mitcher's Rye 1 cup honey
½ cup molasses
½ cup Michter’s US*1 Rye
¼ cup orange juice
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 ham half, about 6 to 8 pounds, fully cooked

Combine the honey and molasses and heat them in a bowl in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Stir in Michter’s US*1 Rye, orange juice, and mustard. Remove all but about ¼ inch of fat from the ham and place in a roasting pan. Bake the ham at 325°F for about 1½ hours, or until a meat thermometer reaches 140°F (about 10 minutes per pound). Baste the ham occasionally with the honey-rye mixture. Transfer drippings to a saucepan and add remaining honey-rye mixture; bring to a boil. Slice ham and serve with the glaze.

Vincent’s Bread Pudding with American Whiskey Sauce
suggested pairing with Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey

Mitcher's American Whiskey1 loaf French bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6–7 cups)
1 qt. milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in ¼ cup Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey)
¼ tsp. allspice
¼–½ tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Place the bread into a large mixing bowl and pour the milk over the bread. Press bread with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Fold the raisins into the mixture. Pour the butter into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan and coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour the bread mix into the baking pan and bake at 350°F for 35–45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. The pudding can also be cooked in individual ramekins. Serve with Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey sauce (recipe below) on the side; pour on to taste.

Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey Sauce

½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the sugar and egg. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in Michter’s US*1 American Whiskey to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Popularity: 11% [?]

 
 

Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon Maker’s Mark Bourbon Glaze

Grilled Pineapple Recipe
Our Friends at BatterLicker.com tell BourbonBlog.com that this Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon Bourbon Glaze is a finger-licking addictive glaze, spiked with brown sugar and an olive oil-butter combo with bourbon, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne for a spicy, smoky flavor. They also tell us that now that apples are in season for the Fall, it is perfect for apples as well!

It stands up to and complements the sweetness of the grilled pineapple.

Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon-Bourbon Glaze

Serves 6

To make this vegan, skip the butter (it adds a nice richness to the glaze, but isn’t entirely necessary; add more sugar to thicken, if needed).

1 pineapple, top and bottom removed
1/2 c. Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Cut body of pineapple into 6 slices of even width. Halve each slice. Set slices in a baking pan or platter that’s a few inches deep (so the glaze won’t spill later, and for easy transport to/from the grill).

PineapplesMix remaining ingredients together in either a saucepan or a microwavable dish that’s double the volume of the glaze ingredients (ensures the glaze doesn’t spill over as it bubbles up). If cooking in a saucepan on the stove, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir, and continue to boil until sauce thickens into a glaze, about 5 minutes.

If cooking in the microwave, cook for 3 minutes total, stirring after the first and second minutes (in the final minute, watch closely to ensure glaze doesn’t bubble over). Note: I usually taste the glaze after the butter has melted, and then again another minute into the process; this gives me a chance to adjust the seasonings to taste before I’m stuck with the final product.

Do ahead: pineapple and glaze can be prepared up to this point one day in advance and stored in an airtight, refrigerated container; glaze may need to be reheated for a minute or two if sugar re-crystallizes at all.

Pour glaze over the pineapple slices so it acts as sort of a marinade.

Once you’re ready to grill, preheat the grill until it is very hot (test the heat by holding your hand 1 inch over the grill rack; if you can only hold your hand there for 1-2 seconds, it’s at the proper temperature).

Grill pineapple slices, basting periodically with the glaze, until charred grill marks are visible on the pineapple, about 5 minutes per side. Remove pineapple from grill, drizzle with any remaining glaze, and serve warm. Vanilla ice cream optional.

For more recipes, visit BatterLicker.com
Makers Mark Bourbon Recipe

Popularity: 6% [?]

 
 

Bourbon Tomato Jam Recipe

Bourbon Tomato JamOur friends at Friends Drift Inn tell BourbonBlog.com that their Bourbon Tomato Jam creation is like a gateway to Fall. It’s thick. It’s sweet. It has cayenne peppers for punches and bourbon for kicks and giggles.

“Hearty” seems like a good descriptor. Try it on roasted pork, slather it on cornmeal muffins or even some Sweet Pumpkin Biscuits. For breakfast, perhaps you can “pop” with baked eggs…

Bourbon Tomato Jam Recipe

Inspired by Food in Jars and White on Rice couple

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs of tomatoes, coarsely chopped with peels left on
  • 3 cups pure cane sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 8 Tablespoons lime juice (2 or 3 limes could substitute lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon canning salt
  • 2 dried cayenne peppers crushed
  • 1 teaspoon pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup bourbon (Woodford Reserve suggested)
  • 2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring tomatoes, sugars, lime juice, spices, salt and pepper flakes to a rolling boil.

2. Reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally. You want the consistency to be thick and gooey, like a very rich jam. This will take 1 hour and thirty to forty minutes. As the mix thickens, you will need to stir more frequently.

3. Start your water bath canner during the wait. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and ready 5 or 6 jelly jars. Start your lids and rings simmering.

4. At about the hour and fifteen minute mark, check to see if the mixture has started to thicken. When it looks “close” add bourbon.

5. Cook until thick. Stir in 2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar about two minutes before you quit cooking.

6. Fill jars to ¼ inch from rims, wiping edges clean with a damp cloth. Add lids and rings, adjusting just to “finger tight.”

7. Process in a hot water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Check out Friends Drift Inn for more recipes and stories from Joyce who lives in a barn and cooks up a storm

Tomato Jam Recipe

Popularity: 6% [?]

 
 

Makers Mark Bourbon Baked Beans

Bourbon Baked Beans, by Luke Mills

Bourbon Baked Beans RecipePrep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

1 large Vidalia Onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. olive oil
8 slices of bacon
2x 15 oz jar Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1/2 tsp. onion powder
28 oz can Pork and Beans
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey-mustard
1/3 cup BBQ sauce

Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky Bottle

Instructions:

- Preheat the oven to 350.

- On medium-high heat, cook bacon to your personal preference. Drain on paper towels.

- Chop 2 of the pieces of bacon up to be sautéed with the onions, while cutting the other pieces in halves.

- Sauté the Vidalia onion with the chopped bacon pieces and 1/2 tsp. olive oil for 3-4 minutes.

- In an oven safe baking dish, combine the Bourbon, Pork and Beans, great northern beans, onion powder, ketchup, honey-mustard, molasses and the Sautéed onions. Heat on stove at high for 3 minutes while stirring.

- Move from stove and Bake in the oven, uncovered at 350°F about 45-50 minutes.

- Eat.

Recipe Courtesy Maker’s Mark Bourbon

Popularity: 4% [?]

 
 

Bourbon Bacon Brownies

Bourbon Bacon Brownies RecipeSometimes at BourbonBlog.com, recipe creations catch our eyes, tastebuds and hearts simultaneously.

Made with dark chocolate, crumbled bacon and a splash of bourbon, these Bourbon Bacon Brownies mean business. They render such a strong medley of flavors in your mouth, you’ll wonder if you’re eating a brownie, a handful of bacon or a shot of bourbon. The good new is it’s all three in one delicious concoction!

Simple to make, Stephanie Wise of GirlVersusDough.com shows us how to use Betty Crocker brownie mix, crumbled bacon and your favorite Bourbon whiskey to give an extra grown-up taste that’s neither sweet nor salty, but still extremely rich and tasty.

Bourbon Bacon Brownies Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled and cooled bacon
3 Tbsp. Bourbon
1/4 cup Bourbon (reserve for end)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to directions on package for and 8 x 8-inch pan.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package instructions.
3. Fold in crumbled bacon; stir in 3 tbsp bourbon.
4. Pour brownie batter into a lightly greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake as directed on package (about an hour), or until a toothpick inserted two inches from the edge of the pan comes out mostly clean.
5. Remove brownies from oven and immediately (and carefully) pour 1/4 cup bourbon on them. Cool in refrigerator completely before slicing and serving.

Recipe by Stephanie Wise of GirlVersusDough.com, and originally discovered on Tablespoon.com via this link, thank you all!

Popularity: 10% [?]

 
 

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding for Your Valentine

Makers Mark BourbonBill Samuels, Jr. of Maker’s Mark Bourbon says that while he knows we are all trying to stick to those New Year’s resolutions, he still wanted to share with BourbonBlog.com this recipe for Bourbon Chocolate Bread pudding for Valentine’s Day.

Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding

2 cups whole milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup Maker’s Mark Bourbon
8 ounces 72% dark chocolate, chopped
4 cups day-old French bread cubes (packed)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together milk, eggs, and bourbon. In a large bowl, combine the liquids with the chocolate, bread cubes, and sugar. Toss to coat and set aside to soak for about 45 minutes, gently stirring once or twice.

Popularity: 8% [?]

 
 

Campari-Macerated Treefruits and Berries with Yoghurt

Campari Bottle I’ve done this recipe, by request, a couple times since that evening. For many a heavy confection-laden dessert is not what they have in mind. Just some berries in a glass will do well, thank you. Pair that with a nice porto and the diners and I are happy children.

Combine diced treefruits such as plums, pears, apricots, etc. with

a variety of seasonal berries.

Cover with a mixture of 80% Campari, 20% water.

Let sit for 2+ hours.

Strain.

Place in individual martini glasses.

Top with plain yoghurt.

Garnish with mint sprigs.

Article written and Recipes created by BourbonBlog.com Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison

Popularity: 4% [?]

 
 

Bourbon Sugar Brûléed Wild Salmon

Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Sweet and savory. Hard and soft. This dish revels in juxtaposition. Candied fish? With Bourbon? Yes- it works!

For the rub:

1 part bourbon of choice (We used Woodford Reserve)
2 parts sugar

Mix both well, spread out over a baking sheet, and allow to crystallize – exposed.

Take this mixture and cover:

4-6 oz cuts, wild Pacific salmon, skin on and carefully de-boned

Sear the salmon, skin-side down for 4 minutes. (The coloration will be creeping up the side of the filet.) Take a Brûlée torch and caramelize the sugared top-side, while still in the pan. Look at the sides of the fish. There should be a round, cooked patina, with a bolder, ocher-looking center. If appearing too raw, finish in a 400 degree oven. Serve with a smile.

On a side note, the intended side dish was my mistake. It was meant to be an orzo/Bourbon rehydrated apricot/almond pilaf. The almonds took two attempts(chefs learn to smell when things are finished in the oven – when nuts begin to smell, they are burned… Doh!) The orzo was undercooked. The apricots never had a chance. Oh well!

Article and Recipe Created by BourbonBlog.com Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison

Popularity: 6% [?]

 
 

Aquavit Baby Artichokes

Sooner or later, I have to set something on fire! Here I pair the softer flavor of baby artichoke with the back-nuance of caraway-laced Linne Aquavit. Aggressive in approach, after the flambe’ the dish balances out quite well.

¼ pound butter, cut into slices
8 baby artichokes, cleaned of excess leaves- stem on
½ cup Linne Aquavit
salt and pepper, to taste
squeezed lemon, to taste

Blanch artichokes. Place in acidulated water, so that they will not become brown.

Place butter in deep sauté pan. Bring to heat, until foam forms. Strain artichoke. Add artichokes to butter, sautéing for 5-6 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove pan from fire. Add aquavit. Place back above fire and tilt pan, or light with fireplace lighter – always away from your face! Allow the flames to consume the excess alcohol. Add salt and pepper. Taste. Add lemon. Taste. Adjust seasonings. Serve.

Recipe created by BourbonBlog.com Chef/Mixologist Stephen Dennison

Popularity: 4% [?]

 
 

To Build a Vinaigrette

Vikingfjord VodkaThis recipe is a raw utilization of a spirit. The rhubarb infusion is unexpected in that is doesn’t drink sour, like the raw product tastes. Instead, like a gin, it has a vegetal profile. Go figure. Here we build a vinaigrette, so you will not see exact proportions, instead I will explain the concepts behind designing a dressing/marinade that you can truly call your own.

For the infusion:

1.5 L Vodka (we use Vikingfjord Vodka) with 0.2 of 1.0 of the bottle emptied and replaced with

2 large rhubarb stalks, cut into batons

1/1 simple syrup, to fill

Let steep for at least 3 days. Enjoy.

For the vinaigrette:

Rhubarb Infusion
Lemon
Salt and Pepper
EV Olive Oil

The trick to building a great emulsion is this: build your spices and acids first. Then you incorporate the olive oil by whisking this liquid while drizzling in the oil, just a bit at a time. You can see the emulsion come together. Keep lots of spoons nearby, because you have to taste the product as it is built. The trick is to come in soft on any of the elements, because you can always add more but you can’t take it away. Close your eyes. Not enough acid? Add more lemon. Lacking body? More oil. No alcohol prevalence? Add a skosh. When done, marinate buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes in the vinaigrette, for 2-4 hours. Garnish with whole basil leaf as is tradition.

Popularity: 6% [?]