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Shirley Fong-Torres Wroburlto and I began our next day in Kentucky by returning to Winchell's for a state-of-the art southern breakfast. Owner-chef Graham Waller was as forthcoming with candor as he was with Kentucky country ham, grits, eggs and a special blue-and-white pancake concoction that celebrates the University of Kentucky colors.
(Chef Graham Waller's famous blue-and-white pancakes, wich celebrate the University of Kentucky colors) "I
was a bad boy coming out of high school," he said. "At one point, I
was basically given a choice of going to jail, going to reform school or going
to work for Ouita. I chose her restaurant, and she worked my butt off. But she
encouraged me to the point that I found myself going to the CIA (Culinary Institute
of America). She's influenced a lot of what's going on here." Geology & Whiskey After the 1792 Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania, many Irish and Scottish settlers came looking for respite from federal tax collectors. Those rebels had a tradition of distilling rye whiskey, but the Kentucky climate was too hot and humid for that grain. In the bluegrass area, they discovered a divine coincidence of geology and weather -- perfect for making whiskey. The limestone soil was ideal for growing corn, a rebel grain at a time when wheat was the grain of sophisticates and international trade, and when rye was the poor man's wheat. Plus the limestone-enriched water was superior for distilling spirits. Note: whiskey is spelled with an "e" in Ireland, but without an "e" in the United Kingdom and Canada. Probably because sons of Eire predominated in Kentucky, bourbons use the Irish spelling. Bipolar Wro sometimes thinks he's an Irish bard, so I use that spelling in lieu of increased doses of lithium. Today's Bourbon Trail extends 80 miles southeast of Lexington and is home to 17 distilleries. The name predates statehood; several present counties of Kentucky were in Bourbon County, Virginia. Most bourbon is made with 70 % corn, though only 51 % is required. Bourbon also must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years. We decided to visit two distillers who make super premium products.
We drove to Frankfort, where the Buffalo Trace Distillery hugs the banks of the Kentucky River. Originally named Old Fired Copper, they have been making bourbon here continually since 1787. (During Prohibition, they wrangled a special permit to make whiskey "for medicinal purposes.") The grounds encompass 119 acres and 114 buildings dating to 1881.
(Buffalo Trace at sunrise) They offer tours six days a week, year round. Among their distinctions, they were the first distiller to ship whiskey down the Mississippi River, to use steam power for distilling and to heat warehouses. They are currently the only distiller: to use five whiskey recipes; to create vodka from organic corn; and to have a computer-free still house. Single-Barrel
Bourbons Approximately 30-35 barrels of aged whiskey are selected from the middle floors of three warehouses. If anyone on their tasting panel rejects a sample, the barrel is voted off the island. Only 25 to 30 barrels are chosen. The others become Blanton's, W. L. Weller, Old Charter and Eagle Rare.
(Wro beside some Kentucky vodka) When
we visited, a tornado had taken the roof and wall off the warehouse, but not a
single drop was spilled from the massive wooden beam old-aging home. Our tour
guide told us that the grain leftover from the whiskey making process is so valued
by cattlemen that it sells for more than the original cost of the grain! Two Degrees from Ouita Half way between Frankfort and Lexington is Midway -- a pun intended by the railroad that founded the historic town. Well into its second century of gentrification, Midway has overcome some dubious history to become the heart of horse country and bluegrass tourism: Jesse James' mother was born and raised in a tavern here and another old tavern claims to have invented the porterhouse steak; To prevent a recurrence of such things, hard liquor is forbidden in the town's cafés today. We visited the former train stop called Wallace Station, now known for the faithful recreation of old fashioned fried chicken, right down to historically correct cast iron skillets. Our server dropped a familiar name on us: The owners of this bakery-country store-deli and chicken shack are Ouita Michel's sister Paige, and her husband Jared Richardson. Jared's fried chicken was the first reason I had passed up Winchell's two nights earlier. He cooked it in deep pans, filled half way with vegetable oil, not lard. His collard greens with homemade habanero vinegar were superb. Cheese grits were smooth. Black eyed peas and some fabulous lard-fried corn bread rounded out the meal. The
Milk of Great Compromise We saw how pipes from two silo-style ice houses cooled the milk in his dairy, which his wife Lucretia sold downtown. We heard how the six-time Speaker of the House brought several new breeds of livestock and the first gingko tree to Kentucky. And that
he planted hemp for medicinal purposes only, oh wait, no it was actually as cash
crop. In a related vein, or not, Clay kept what docents called "a pleasure
yard," next to his house. They said that meant it was livestock-free. Today
dogs are allowed as well as bi-polar honeybears -- as long as they are on leashes
and medications respectively. Nineteenth-century history makes me hungry. So we headed to the historic downtown district where the elegant Jonathan's at Gratz Park serves regional cuisine with flair. Owner-chef Jonathan Lundy comes from Midway horse country and is a self-confessed "spoiled rich kid." He says he wasn't exactly born loving food.
(Shirley and owner-chef Jonathan Lundy, a self-confessed "spoiled rich kid") "My mother didn't do much cooking," he said, "so I grew up cooking 'Chicken and Stars' and 'Chef Boyardee' in the microwave. I remember once when my father was enjoying olives and insisted that I eat an olive. "He made me put one in my mouth, and I sat there with it for an hour until he finally gave up. But because of that I don't ever push anything on anyone." Jonathan explained that he still can't enjoy olives. He told us he never had a job until his father tired of his wildness and arranged a restaurant apprenticeship when he was 20 -- with Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans. "This was during the first year of Emeril's first restaurant, when he was there all the time," he recalled. "I spent about six months there and didn't get paid, but had a good time when I wasn't working. He arranged for me to go to Johnson and Wales (the Harvard of culinary colleges). I didn't have to do anything. I didn't even fill out paper work, nothing. I just showed up. I did my two years at Johnson and Wales and came back here and got a job." Jonathan worked at Nadine's and Rossi's, two of Lexington's better restaurants. Jonathan and his wife then persuaded the Gratz Park Hotel to let them move in and offer regional cuisine. That meant things like burgoo topped with white cheddar grits, "hot brown" scallops served with country ham and smoked bacon, Kentucky trout pate with cucumber rolls and horseradish cream, and, this being Lexington, fried banana peppers with green tomato relish. "I knew that was what I wanted, there was nothing like it at the time," he recalled. "We try to do as much as we can with local farmers and ranchers. Kentucky Bison Company in Goshen has a good product. The country ham I like the best is Colonel Newsome's in Princeton (KY). We use Weisenberger Mill for hominy and wheat products, they're in Midway, and Sheltowee Farms for mushrooms." The elegant historic dining room pleased Wro, who had dressed up for the occasion. We began dinner with a carpaccio of Kentucky bison, served with whole roasted cloves of garlic, fresh arugula and toast points. It was softer and more flavorful than any beef carpaccio I have tasted. Because
we visited during racing season, a deviled egg trio included offerings with country
ham, smoked salmon and Benedictine. We were told that deviled eggs go with horse
racing like hot dogs go with baseball. I never had a Benedictine wiener though.
(Rock salt chicken) Jonathan is also famous for his rock salt chicken, so much so that it was the second reason I passed up chicken at Winchell's. Jonathan's deserves its reputation, and that comes from a Chinese chef who experiences more rock salt chicken in a typical month than most people do in a lifetime. Scallops with Corn Cake We tried scallops served with a corn cake, wilted arugula and sweet pepper relish. We also indulged in a bacon-wrapped beef filet, though Jonathan described it as a "rookie dish." That was hardly accurate because Maker's Mark (bourbon) gives Jonathan their old walnut barrel plugs and he uses those to smoke the bacon. Jonathan redefines regional cooking with such signature touches. Similarly his crème brulee was seasoned with butterscotch liqueur and was burned down at the table with rare 150 proof bourbon. "We believe you need a substantial crust," Jonathan said. "We serve it flaming and I hope the server tells you to let it burn completely out. Otherwise it will taste of bourbon and that will ruin it." Wro is not known for his patience, but he heeded this warning. Jonathan confided that he is spending much of his time on his home made ice creams. "I entertain hope that they are a ticket out of the restaurant business," he said. We tried a trio, but his reputable chocolate bourbon brownie flavor was sold out. Wro was so upset about that I had to take him to Harvest for another dessert. Their chef then was John Foster (now at Metropol) whose frozen gelato was legendary amongst honeybears. He made honey lavender gelato with lavender grown on the restaurant patio. I know a good mother doesn't feed her son multiple desserts, but sometimes it's the only way to sleep. I bargained away my guilt by determining that we would begin the next day without a huge breakfast at Winchell's. Distill My Heart Guilt is indeed a bargain keeper. Obsessed by visions of Winchell's blue and white, Wro and I hopped back on the Whiskey Trail the next morning with only coffee to propel us. And yes, I realize that whiskey education isn't in the Handbook of Good Mothering Skills either, but I'm a food professional and Wro sometimes thinks he is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. So please don't lay a guilt trip on me about that too.
(Woodford's copper stills, the only ones still in use in America) In the middle of the horse country near Versailles, Woodford Reserve spreads out like a centerfold for Southern Culture. The buildings, built by Irish and Scottish stonemasons, rise from a creek hewn valley while a thoroughbred-in-residence gallops the hills. His name tops anything else that could be written about the place -- Distill My Heart. 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 barrels a day. "They joke that they spill more whiskey than we make," said 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 Kentucky History 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 is grown in the area, so nothing can cross pollinate the GMO-free crop. Three tanks graduate the alcohol content from beer to wine to whiskey levels (15% to 22% to 80 % alcohol respectively). Wro was told that Ronald Reagan is still a hero here -- for getting rid of the cumbersome tax process, still symbolized by now-decorative double padlocks.
(David Larson, Wro, and David Scheurich) 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-and-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. "I delivered two box lunches and never left," he said. "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." Tips and Insights over a Whiskey-Flavored Lunch As he prepped his way through a delightful, whiskey flavored lunch, Larson dispatched tips and insights. Here are three shots worth:
~ I used to think it was only good in sweet applications, but I learned that it's
a catalyst to flavor. I think this whiskey is similar to cinnamon in that it takes
flavors literally all over your tongue; Ouita at Zero Degrees for an Entire Evening After Whiskey 101 with David Larson, we were ready for an evening at Holly Hill Inn, one of the great country inns of America. After days of measuring food treasures by degrees of separation from Ouita Michel, Wro finally met the original. Ouita is chef, husband Chris is sommelier and the couple met at the CIA, where she graduated as valedictorian.
(Ouita Michel at Holly Hill Inn) Before sitting down for cocktails, Ouita showed us around the 1845 building and her eccentric art collection. Some rather intimidating rabbit art made Wro fractious, until Chris served him a virgin julep. Ouita told us that after falling quickly in love, she and Chris decided to marry and she came home to plan the wedding. She had no intention of staying in Lexington, but her home town had other plans. After Chris saw the bluegrass, they never left. They looked at 20 properties before deciding on this former Bed and Breakfast, which had hosted Ouita's bridal shower. It needed lots of renovation. "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.
(Chef Chris made this delicious shrimptini for Wro) "We felt that by having a place in the country, people would get the idea that this wasn't a place to go for tapas before a movie. That if they were going to make the drive out into the country, they were committed to staying here for the entire evening. That was our idea from the beginning. "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." Still Buying from Same Farmers For the most part, Ouita 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," she added. "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." 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," Ouita said. "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." Sitting Down to Dinner 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. 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 greens with 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: 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.)
(Holly Hill's famouos coconut snowball dessert) Because dinner at Holly Hill demands an all night commitment, there would be no time to appease my honeybear with an ice cream run on the way back to the hotel. So 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. There was no room left for honeybear angst, or a mother's guilt. 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 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 1
cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) or frozen white Shoe Peg corn kernels 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. 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 2
baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 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 Tomato
Relish Fried
Green Tomatoes 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. David Larson's Corn Pudding Versailles 8 to 10 servings 4 cups fresh
white corn kernels (about 8 ears) 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. Shirley and Wro's Recommendations: Lexington
Convention and Visitors Bureau Dining Holly Hill
Inn Jonathan
at Gratz Park Winchell's Note
from Shirley Fong-Torres: It wasn't on our agenda, but it should be noted that
Lexington is home to so many Japanese businesses that there is also a first rate
sushi scene here. I have that on the authority of every chef we met. I wish we
had time to explore sushi bars as that is a huge culinary love... Buffalo Trace
Lodging The
Springs Inn Best
Western Downtown Hotel & Suites Campbell
House Crowne Plaza Hotel Lexington (Click
below for more travel).
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