Cooking With Bourbon

I like to cook with Bourbon. I always add a good amount of Bourbon to my chili or baked beans. I like to use a 100 proof Bourbon when I add Bourbon to a dish. I like Old Grand Dad or Very Old Barton Bonded whiskeys when cooking. I think that extra proof gives a better Bourbon flavor. I thought I would put together a menu of recipes from some of my Bourbon Cookbooks that include Bourbon in the recipe. I am going to put together some recipes of my favorite dishes.

The first recipe comes from Albert W.A. Schmid’s The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook. It is for Kentucky Bourbon Hot Dogs and is a great recipe for a quick, informal meal. It has 8 servings and is quite tasty.

8 Hot Dogs (a 1 pound package)
1 cup Kentucky Bourbon
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 ½ cups Ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
8 Hot Dog buns

Cook your hot dogs in a sauce pan ( I have also grilled the hot dogs). In a sauce pan mix the Bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, ketchup, and brown sugar. Heat the sauce until reduced by half. Dip the hot dogs in the sauce and place on the buns, adding more sauce to taste.

The next recipe comes from Gary and Mardee Regan’s The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys. While this book is not a cookbook, it does have many very good recipes for dishes made with Bourbon. I think you need a salad to go with the hot dogs so I picked their Southern-Style Whiskey Poppy-Seed Dressing recipe.

2 tablespoons of Bourbon
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/3 cup canola or sunflower oil
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Put the Bourbon, brown sugar, vinegar, and poppy seeds into a small jar. Cover and shake to blend well. Add the oil and shake until emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and shake again.

For dessert, I return to Albert W.A. Schmid’s cookbook for Kentucky Bourbon Brownies.

½ cup chopped pecans
¾ cup Kentucky Bourbon
½ cup butter
½ cup margarine
10 ounces (10 squares) semisweet chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 eggs
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans and Bourbon in a small bowl so that the pecans will absorb the Bourbon. After about 30 minutes or when the Bourbon is reduced by half, remove the pecans to a small baking sheet and reserve the remaining Bourbon. Toast the pecans in the oven for about 5 minutes.

2. Heat the butter, margarine and chocolate in a double boiler until melted together. Remove the pan with the butter-chocolate mixture from the hot water and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the sugar, salt, eggs and the reserved Bourbon. Whisk until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the cocoa and mix until totally incorporated. Stir in the flour and pecans.

3. Apply nonstick spray to an 8 x 8 pan and pour in batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cut the brownies when they are cool.

This is the making of a great, informal dinner when a couple of friends stop by for a drink of Bourbon and a meal.