Bourbon-Raspberry Sauce

There's one thing that every Kentuckian knows.  Whether they drink it.  Cook with it.  Collect it.  Kentucky knows Bourbon.  After all, it's our unique limestone shelves that filter our waters to produce the best bourbon in the country, if not the world.

My husband, is definitely a fan of the drinking aspect.  Me, on the other hand, I love to cook with it.  This raspberry sauce can be used savory or sweet.  In this instance, it turned a normal banana split sundae into a phenomenal one.

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh raspberries
3-4 sprigs of thyme
zest from 2 lemons
juice from 2 lemons
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup bourbon

In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, brown sugar, and sugar.  Cook the mixture until the raspberries start to soften and the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the bourbon and set aflame to burn off the alcohol and concentrate the flavor.  Continue to cook until mixture starts to become syrupy.

Add mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.  Strain mixture of seeds and thyme.  Let cool to room temperature before using.

I could just eat spoonfuls of this stuff by itself, it's so good! 

Blueberry Bourbon Cocktail

Happy Friday guys! 

Anybody planning anything fun for the weekend?

We have a meeting with a potential caterer tomorrow, so we're really excited about that!  Just another thing to check off the list you know?

And after the somewhat crazy week we've both had, I think one of these cocktails will definitely be in order as well!

But first, don't forget to vote in this week's bi-monthly poll...




Ingredients:

1 to 2 shots bourbon (we used Maker's)
1 cup blueberries
juice from 1 lemon
zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon maple syrup, divided
2 tablespoons sugar

We had gotten a bunch of blueberries from our CSA in the past couple of weeks, so I needed to make use of them - and what better way than to make a cocktail?

Start with about 3/4 cup of blueberries.  Muddle them down in a cocktail shaker (or bowl if you don't want to dirty two cocktail shakers) - you could strain them if you'd like, but I was kind of lazy so I went for a "rustic" cocktail.

Add in bourbon, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, and a dash of sugar.  Shake for a good minute or two.

Mix the lemon zest with about a tablespoon of sugar (more if needed) on a flat plate.

Brush the rim of a mason jar with maple syrup and dip in lemon zest/sugar mixture.

Fill the mason jar with ice and some leftover blueberries.  Pour the bourbon cocktail into the jar and garnish with a lemon slice.  Enjoy!

What a way to celebrate the weekend right?

What's your favorite Friday night cocktail?

Mixed Grill w/ Spicy Bourbon Sauce

Happy Monday everybody!  Honey Caramel Ice Cream won out the poll (by a landslide!) last Friday, so look forward to that sometime this week.  We had a pretty good weekend, going out to dinner with friends and just enjoying this beautiful weather!  Which has turned into gray skies and cold rain!  What a way to start a week off huh?

It was a beautiful weekend in our neck of the woods.  Temps were 65F or above and guess who had to work on Saturday?  Me!  Couldn't enjoy any of it!  Well, any of Saturday, anyway.  I did get a pleasant surprise when I came home Saturday night though - found out I got a $2000 scholarship toward the Fall Quarter of Culinary School!  Major score!

Good thing I had Sunday off... and the weather was still just as nice.  So we took the opportunity to bust out the grill for the first time this year and fire up some good meats!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe


For Marinade:


3/4 cup dark brown sugar
6 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup mild molasses
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 & 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon Sriracha
salt and pepper, to taste
3 green onion, chopped

For Meat:

1 rack of baby back pork ribs (2 lbs.)
8 beef back ribs (3 lbs.)
8 chicken drumsticks
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon bourbon

To prepare your marinade, in a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, garlic, molasses, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili powder, ginger, and Sriracha.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then add green onions.

Sprinkle meats with salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Place pork ribs and chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Place beef ribs in a metal baking pan.  Use half of marinade to coat all meats and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.  For remaining marinade, cover and set in fridge until ready to grill.

Position one oven rack in bottom third of oven and another in top third of oven.  Preheat oven to 350F.

Add beef broth to metal pan with beef ribs.  Place ribs meat-side down on top of broth (if not already in that direction).  Cover baking sheet with pork and chicken, as well as pan with beef, tightly with foil.  Place chicken and pork on lower rack and beef in top rack of oven.

Bake the chicken and pork for about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and open foil.  Cut pork rack into individual ribs pieces and place on a large platter.  Place chicken on platter, as well.  Bake beef for a total of 2 hours, then remove from oven and open foil.  Place beef ribs on platter.

Carefully oil grill racks with a kitchen towel and fire up charcoal grill under medium high heat.

Meanwhile, prepare your bourbon sauce.  Pour the pan juices from pork, chicken, and beef baking sheet/pan into a medium saucepan.  Carefully spoon off the fat.  Boil juices until reduced by half and slightly thickened, about 25 minutes or so.  Add bourbon (I used Woodford) and bring mixture back to a boil.  Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and additional Sriracha, if desired.

Place meats on grill (I had to do this in 2 batches - had enough room for the pork ribs and chicken on the first batch, and then the beef ribs on the 2nd batch) and brush with reserved marinade.  Grill until slightly charred, about 10 minutes or so, turning occasionally.

Serve meats with prepared bourbon sauce and your choice of grilled veggies (we stuck with potatoes and asparagus). 

This was definitely a great way to kick off the grilling season, let me tell you.  We tried to invite people over so we wouldn't seem so gluttonous with all this meat between the two of us, but nobody bit the offer.  So they definitely missed out!  So next time you need an idea for a barbecue/cookout - let this be your answer!  Enjoy your Monday guys!