Pairing Woodward Reserve & Holly Hill Inn
This is the only distillery in America that still uses the three copper pot method, with sweet Kentucky (limestone filtered) water from deep wells. Copper stills are the best conductors of heat and are also malleable enough for gooseneck tops, which helps in distillation, and for purification. Copper is slow though, so only a small distiller can use it. Woodford Reserve is the slowest, oldest and smallest in USA. At peak times, it produces 105 barrels of whiskey a week. By contrast, Jack Daniels produces 2100 barrel a day.
“They joke that they spill more whiskey than we make,” says David Scheurich, plant manager. David told Wro that the best of each batch of whiskey is called “honey pot” and that Woodford Reserve uses cypress plank in their vats, not stainless steel like most of the industry. A little history -- Kentucky was a border state in corn as well as slavery. Boone County White was the secret to old fashioned southern cornbread. It reigned from Tennessee south. Hardier Flint was ubiquitous north of the Ohio River. In rebel fashion, bourbon corn was different. The modern corn that most resembles the original Kentucky bourbon corn is #1 Yellow. David said that’s the only corn used in Woodford Reserve. It’s grown on contract by a single farmer who lives a few miles away. No other corn grown in the area, so nothing can cross pollinate the GMO-free crop. Woodford Reserve also has their own cooperage and is thus the only whiskey maker that chars the heads of their barrels, where 30 % of the surface lays. Their stone aging warehouse is also unique. But, the real distinction of Woodford Reserve, at least from a foodie’s perspective, is the magical way they use whiskey in their kitchen. Terrace brunches here, during warm weather months, feature the work of chef-in-residence David Larson, mentor to the fresh and local food movement that has elevated Lexington cuisine. (For those of you playing the Two Degress from Ouita game, Ouita once worked for John Foster, who succeeded Larson at Harvest.) They often incorporate their bourbon in recipes. His cooking classes go even further.
Like other bluegrass chefs from the fresh & local school of thought, Larson features much more local product than whiskey -- Blue Moon garlic, John Medley’s free range pork, Judy Schad’s goat milk cheese and Bill Best’s heirloom produce on the day of our visit. Larson laughed about how he came to be resident chef to the distillery.
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“I delivered two box lunches and never left. I was dragged kicking and screaming into cooking with bourbon. But people now treat super premium like they do fine wine, and I have to believe that Woodford Reserve is the best of the batch. I taste tobacco and leather in it,” he said.As he prepped his way through a delightful, whiskey flavored lunch, Larson dispatched tips and insights. Here are three shots worth:
Ouita Michel
“Christopher’s pastry cook skills came in handy redoing the walls,” she joked. “As a B&B it had a good following, so we wanted to keep the name, but it was getting real rough around the edges. I knew, with the (small) size of the kitchen, I had an excuse for the fixed price menu. I just don’t like plated first courses. From a chef’s point of view, that is a horrible trend. I just wasn’t going to do that. “For four years we lived upstairs. That was an extremely romantic and misguided notion,” she laughed. They immediately began developing the infrastructure to support her fresh & local regional cuisine, by cultivating relationships with local farmers, artisans and producers. It took some creativity.
“We laugh about this now, because we have become big enough it isn’t the problem it was then. But at first we were buying the best cuts of beef from this rancher and then he was left with the hard to sell parts of the cow. That wasn’t working out so well for the farmer, so we decided to have a Hamburger Hootenanny, in partnership with the local NPR station. Every Memorial Day we would buy most of the beef that we had left the farmer with and we’d have a bluegrass band on our front porch,” she recalled.
For the most part, Quita still buys from the farmers she met while working in her first job “at Dudley’s, for $7 an hour.”
“Ann and Mac Stone, Scott County farmers have taken a tobacco farm into certified organic, which requires long time fallow. They do organic cattle, free range chickens, huge heirloom tomato business and almost any kind of vegetable, eight kinds of eggplant. Another smaller farmer grows all my salsify, Belgian endive, Jerusalem artichokes and English nettles. Campbell Gratty is a cattle farmer with a killer asparagus patch. On our menu, Dutch and Linda Hatcher raised the bluegrass squab. They also do pheasant. One woman just does rabbit. We love Kentucky bison. Pork comes for John Medley’s Kentucky Heritage Meats,” she said.
Then she spoke about another romantic but misguided notion. “We will never plant or grow tomatoes again. We carefully chose all these varieties so we would be harvesting different types at different times. And then, they all came at once,” she laughed.
Ouita thinks about where she wants to fit within southern culinary tradition. “I like grand mere dishes like coq au vin and braises. There will always be braises on the menu. I like dishes that come from the past. I have a very historic perspective. I love dishes that march across geographic, ethnic and cultural borders. For instance, boned pork butts made into a roulade and then slow braised in milk - that’s a dish from Italy, from France and from the Old South. I love that!
“One woman who has worked with me since before Holly Hill is Lisa Laugher. Her mother was an influential Louisville chef, personal chef to the President of the University of Louisville. She helped many young chefs get their start. She is die-hard traditionalist. You are eating her cheese waferettes now. She will fight you to the death about what should be on a Hot Brown - no tomato and no ham.
“I know more what I don’t like than what I do. I hate contrived food,” she explained, before excusing herself to return to the kitchen while Wro and I adjourned to the dining room. Our dinner explained why so many other chefs defer to Ouita when talking about Kentucky cuisine. It was superb at any price, and at $35 (3 courses) to $45 (five courses), it was an epiphany in fine dining.
I began with a mille feuille of herbed fromage blanc mousse, made with pistachios, marinated baby beets and beet syrup. Wro had pan seared foie gras with an oatmeal, spiced pecan and apricot glaze.
He moved on to poached halibut en vinaigrette with a baby artichoke barigoule, haricots verts and black cerignola olives and a salad of Woodford County greenswith Serrano ham, Valdeon blue cheese, Arbequina olives and banyuls. I tried a black barley soup with choux farci. After all, barley research is compulsive to whiskey trail studies.
Our next courses brought seared sea scallops with black trumpet mushrooms, salsify puree and a cornbread foie gras dressing that kicked French butt all over Kentucky.
No one does scallops with more original style than this. Wro went more traditional, with Kentucky squab two ways:a whole roasted breast; plus a confit of the leg and thigh, with flageolets and baby organic greens. For the sake of research, we also tried a bacon wrapped saddle of Kentucky rabbit, with green and white asparagus in brown butter and a buckwheat rabbit crepe. Sigh. Oh, and lamb three ways: roast rack; barbecued leg, and a confit of tongue, with baby carrots, tiny turnips and fresh favas. (I should add that Holly Hill accommodates tasters like us by splitting multiple half orders. It wasn’t quite as self indulgent as it sounds.)We shared three desserts: a chocolate chestnut creme caramel with kumquat sauce and cornmeal shortbread; a caramel walnut tart with bourbon reduced raisin ice cream; and
Holly Hill’s famous “coconut snowball” which was a coconut cake with a citrus curd, coconut frost and fresh strawberries that were red all the way to their core.Bluegrass Summer Recipes
The following recipes of David Larson and Ouita Michel are courtesy of the Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour, an eye opening book for southern food lovers. These are not simple recipes, but as Wro says, they are SO worth the effort.
Ouita Michel’s New Fangled Tomato Dumplings
4 servings as a first course or light entrée
2 large or 4 small tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 ounces goat cheese, feta cheese or ricotta cheese, softened
2 tablespoons freshly minced dill weed, basil or parsley
2 green onions, minced
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut around the stem of each tomato and remove. Cut a small “x” in the opposite end of each tomato. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water and let stand for 10 seconds or until their skins loosen. Immediately remove from the boiling water and plunge into the ice water. Drain and peel the tomatoes. If working with large tomatoes, cut into halves, remove the seeds and core gently without leaving too big of a hole. If using smaller tomatoes, cut off the top fourth of the tomato and gently spoon out the seeds. Pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels and sprinkle the inside of the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Invert onto paper towels and drain for 30 minutes.
Combine the goat cheese, dill weed and green onions in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each tomato. Cut the pastry sheets into 4 squares large enough to enclose the tomatoes, allowing 2 inches on each side. Place 1 tomato half or tomato in the center of each pastry square and cut slits in the pastry from each corner towards the center. Whisk the egg and water in a bowl until blended and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Bring the triangles up around the tomatoes, pressing them together at the top and using scraps of pastry to cover all the edges. It is acceptable to allow a small portion of the tomato to peek through. Brush the outside of the dumplings with the remaining egg wash. Arrange the dumplings on a baking sheet. Mix the vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Bake the dumplings for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, basting with the vinegar syrup occasionally, or drizzle the warm vinegar syrup over the dumplings after baking. You may substitute cherry tomatoes for the larger tomatoes for a great party appetizer.
David Larson’s Woodford Wilt
4 servings
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) or frozen white Shoe Peg corn kernels
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup drained hominy
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 slices bacon
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Woodford Reserve bourbon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
6 cups mixed seasonal salad greens, such as watercress, escarole, arugula
2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Blanch the corn in boiling water in a saucepan for 1 minute; drain. Mix the cornstarch and flour in a bowl and stir in the hominy. Place the hominy mixture in a sieve and shake to remove the excess flour mixture. Sauté the hominy in 2 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until a crust forms; do not want a mushy consistency. Fry the bacon in a skillet until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon to a bowl and coarsely crumble, reserving the bacon drippings. Cool the drippings for several minutes and stir in the shallots and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook over low heat until caramelized, stirring frequently. Increase the heat to high and stir in the bourbon. Cook for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon oil, the vinegar and
2 teaspoons sugar. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Toss the corn, hominy, bacon, salad greens, bell pepper and olives in a bowl and drizzle with the warm dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Add chopped grilled chicken for a nice entrée salad.
Ouita Michel’s Tian of Summer Vegetables
4 to 6 servings
2 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cubed
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup panko or other bread crumbs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9¥13-inch baking dish with butter or oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini in the order listed in the prepared dish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper, dotting with 1 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkling with 1/4 cup of the cheese. Pour the wine down 1 side of the baking dish.
Toss the bread crumbs with the olive oil, garlic, parsley and thyme in a bowl and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the prepared layers. Bake for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender and the bread crumb topping is golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing, or let stand for 1 hour and serve. You may substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the butter. Bake in a round ceramic baker or quiche pan if desired, but the baking time must be adjusted to the size of the dish and thickness of the vegetables.
David Larson’s Fried Green Tomatoes with Tomato Relish
4 servings
Tomato Relish
2 cups coarsely chopped seeded mixed red or heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 small jalapeño chile, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Fried Green Tomatoes
1 cup flour
11/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 green tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 eggs, beaten
peanut oil for frying
For the relish, toss the tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and jalapeño chile in a bowl. Add the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper and mix until coated. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Substitute grape tomatoes in the off-season.
For the green tomatoes, mix the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the white pepper in a shallow dish. Mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cornmeal and paprika in a shallow dish. Coat the tomatoes with the flour mixture, dip in the eggs and coat with the cornmeal mixture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat enough peanut oil in a sauté pan to measure 1 inch. Fry the tomatoes in the hot oil until crisp and golden brown and drain on a rack. You may prepare to this point and store, covered, in the refrigerator until just before serving.
Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through. The tomatoes should be tender but not mushy. Remove the tomatoes to a serving platter and top with the relish. Serve immediately.
David Larson’s Corn Pudding Versailles
8 to 10 servings
4 cups fresh white corn kernels (about 8 ears)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Process 1 cup of the corn in a food processor until ground. Combine the ground corn, remaining 3 cups corn kernels, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs, heavy cream and half-and-half in a bowl until blended and stir into the corn mixture. Add the butter and mix well.
Pour the corn mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You may substitute frozen Shoe Peg corn for the fresh corn kernels.
Wro’s Recommendations
Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau
301 East Vine
Lexington, KY 40507
859-233-1221
http://www.visitlex.com/
Woodford Reserve
7855 McCracken Pike
Versailles, KY 40383, 859-879-1952
http://www.woodfordreserve.com/
The Springs Inn
2020 Henderson Rd.
Lexington, 40530, 859-277-5751
http://www.springsinn.com/
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