True Blood Season 5 All Bourbon Dinner

A few years ago we started a tradition that coincides with the season premier of our favorite summer vampire show True Blood (I equate this to tailgating before a season opener of a sportsball game). 

Every year the theme is the same - All bourbon dinner for the opening and season based food for the finale (the year we served Russell's gay lover as jello in an urn was a particular favorite of mine).

So this past Sunday I dusted off my flour covered Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook  by Albert W. A. Schmid foreword by Dean Fearing  and got down to business.

Aperitif - Strawberry Juleps

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Digging the new highlights and the new Jessica - she is in charge and not going to let no man tie her down.

Did you know that you can use a frozen container of strawberries in syrup (splenda if you are me) and add bourbon and fresh mint and enjoy (water too if you cannot handle it straight up).  No sugar or simple syrup needed!

First course - Salad with sweet bourbon vinaigrette

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Well that was unexpected.  Steve Newlin is my new favorite non-evasive villain.  Seriously... I cannot fear a man
in purple plaid.

I have found that I like this dressing on just about anything, so I don't limit it to just the salad in the cookbook. 

Sweet bourbon vinaigrette  - from The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, I used a non-sweet bbq sauce since I was adding plenty of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce

Main Course - It's Thanksgiving in June Y'all

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Russell meet dinner. Dinner scream in terror.

Bourbon Turkey Breast

Honey Bourbon Corn Saute
Bourbon Sweet Potatoes


Honey Bourbon Corn Saute - My own personal recipe
Serves (6)
8 ears worth of fresh corn cut off the cobb
3/4 stick of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1/4 cup bourbon
Fry in a cast iron skillet all ingredients until edges get a little brown.

Dessert - Bourbon Pecan Brownies

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OMG I love brownies!!!!!!!!!

By far my favorite recipe in the book.  The brownies are the perfect marriage of cakey and fudgey.

Bourbon brownies

· ½ cup chopped pecans
· ¾ cup bourbon
· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
· 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
· 1 cup sugar
· ½ cup (packed) brown sugar
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 5 eggs
· ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
· 1½ cups flour
(I also add another cup on Semi-sweet chocolate chips to keep it melty good)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans in a bowl, cover with bourbon and let soak at least 30 minutes. Drain bourbon-soaked pecans, reserving the bourbon. Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast about 5 minutes.

In a double boiler over moderate heat, melt the butter and chocolate, then let cool. Add the sugar, brown sugar, salt, eggs and reserved bourbon. Whisk ingredients together until well mixed. Add the cocoa, and mix well. Stir in the flour and the pecans until batter is smooth.
Line an 8- by 8-inch pan with aluminum foil, and grease well. Pour in the batter. Bake 30 minutes or more, until brownies test done in the center. Let cool. Lift out foil, and peel away.

Tablescape

I had just finished working 10 hours painting various objects for our soon to be pink house, so I really didn't have it in me to decorate.  I thought to myself "what would Sookie do?" The great thing about Sookie is that is she trashy enough to make decorations easy.  A blend of high class mixed with a little trash did just the trick.  For example:

• Paper plates worked just fine but we kept the utensils real
• I got out the fancy turkey plate but left the salad dressing in the measuring cup
• That Pyrex dish looked just great next to the Haviland China platter of brownies and who needs trivial things like trivets anyways?  Kitchen rag saved the table from heat stains (Not that it doesn't have them already).
• A cute little vase with some wildflowers from the yard and a lace table cloth makes any table look fancy.
• The dinner rolls were fine served in the bag as long as the butter had a dish

 If Sookie can tear off her kitchen cupboard doors to hide the splattered brain matter on them and use the excuse that she is going with some "European style", then I sure as disappearing Jesus can half-ass my party table and save myself some dishes.  I just gotta make sure to light my lemon on top of ammonia on top of bleach candle next time.