Bourbons and Barbecue

[Jenise]

We're doing an outdoor gathering on Wednesday night with the title Bourbons and Barbecue. Each guest will bring a bourbon for the tasting bar, and I'm providing all the food. I'd love some suggestions on the menu--especially for appies. I'm somehow drawing blanks on anything other than pimento cheese, which I'll do in the style I loved at Husk Nashville (smoked cheese, green chiles, vinegar). Can't decide if I should put it out with crackers or make little cocktail sandwiches.

I've taken the approach I usually do--I'm not a southern cook, but drawing from a list of southern ingredients to augment familiar dishes with will, I hope, pull off the whole southern theme. Here's what I got so far:

Husk Pimento cheese one way or the other
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The mains:

Smoked pork ribs with bourbon sauce
Shrimp boil
Sour Cream and Onion Potato Salad
Donna's cat-less Calico Beans (by a guest)
Pickled okra
Cabbage and peanut slaw (vinaigrette, not creamy)
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Help!

I refer to Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook almost exclusively for his pickle recipes and were I at home would have more ideas for you. The only thing that comes to mind is corn.....as in grits and corn bread. I remember some time ago Jenise your recipe for a yeasted white cornmeal muffin.
Sean Brock’s apple sorghum stack cake is available on line.
What a fun project !

[Jenise]

I thought about cornbread too but a guest insists on bringing bread for the bourbon tables, kind of a palate cleanser, so another bread item isn't in the cards. I do agree about corn, though, I was imagining a succotash salad or pickled corn on the cob (an idea of Jo Ann's that I'll be forever in her debt for). It can be done days ahead and served cold--for an event like this, pretty optimum. It's just not corn season yet, so I balk.

I don't have Sean's book. I need to open up Rise, Marcus Samuelsson's book and see what ideas it may offer.

I'm with Christina and would have suggested hush puppies but if you don't need another starch then... hm.

Something with sweet potatoes? I just made these last night: Get sweets of about the same size, nuke for 10 minutes, cut in half, top with s+p and your favorite seeds, then sizzle 5 minutes in a hot cast iron pan.

Carrots confit?

[Jenise]

Jeff, I was actually hoping my brother-in-law who grew up on one of the swanky islands off the Georgia coast would offer to make hush puppies. But no, they'll bring deep fried ravioli with marinara sauce. Very delicious, but not suthun . For my own part, I'm trying to avoid anything that requires last minute cooking. I'll have 16 guests to look after, and my attention will be needed elsewhere.

Is it warm yet by you? I've already made my first batch of popsicles -- no last-minute fuss required.

[Jenise]

Highs have been in the 60's, which by our standards is very warm. (Jackets not required above 50 F unless it's windy). Should be 72 by Wednesday.

How did it go ? Was this your first large group entertaining in a year and half ?

[Jenise]

It was GREAT. And yes, first larger group. Our 'pod' plus five other couples, all vaxxed. Food was great. My Husk-like pimiento-less pimiento cheese (with serrano chiles) was outstanding, we also had fried ravioli with marinara sauce and sausage rolls both brought by guests, so good hearty starters. Then all the things listed here for the mains plus a smashed cucumber salad anticipating that the sesame oil dressing would be a match for the bourbons, and it was, and a pile of mixed store-bought cookies from the Whole Foods bakery.

It was almost 90 degrees. Unreal and not in the forecast. Expecting 20 less, or at least nothing worse than the 84 of the surprising day before with breezes, we started at four (If I'd known we would have made it 5). Everybody got a tan. Looking in the mirror just now I couldn't quite believe that was me looking back.

Eight bourbons, two ryes set up on two tasting tables. A third table was set with mixers: amaros, vermouths, bitters, club soda, oranges and cherries, etc. People sampled the bourbons and made notes on the hand-out I made them with information about each bottle, then after dinner made cocktails. My favorite comment from a guest who it turns out only drinks gin (I didn't know that or probably wouldn't have invited them), "When I first tasted them I hated all of them, but by the time I got ready to leave I loved every one of them." Later I polled guests for their top three. Surprisingly, everyone paid a lot of attention and had strong opinions about several. Super fun, all of it, so glad I did it--thanks for asking.

[David M. Bueker]

So what were the top 3 Bourbons?

(And if you deep fry something it is honorarily Suthun)

[Jenise]

Dave, just posted a note about them to the wine side. But they were Angels Envy by a landslide followed by a tie between the Buffalo Trace and Basil Hayden dark rye.

[David M. Bueker]

Dave, just posted a note about them to the wine side. But they were Angels Envy by a landslide followed by a tie between the Buffalo Trace and Basil Hayden dark rye.

Saw that. Thank you. Will follow up there.

[Jenise]

Btw, I mentioned the Husk pimiento cheese. I have not liked any pimiento cheese I had previously, so it was a revelation when people at the table next to us at Husk insisted we taste what they ordered. Copying the flavors, I use 1/2 sharp white cheddar (Beecher's) and 1/2 smoked gouda from a local cheesemaker, white vinegar, black pepper, thinly sliced serrano chile and parmesan cheese all of which is bound with whipped cream cheese. Pungent, sharp, sour, and a little hot. No actual pimientos. I grate the cheeses on course for an exceptional texture rather than whip it down to something homogenous, and keep it stiff enough to hold its shape and not melt when scooped with a meatball/cookie scoop and served at room temperature.

Dave, just posted a note about them to the wine side. But they were Angels Envy by a landslide followed by a tie between the Buffalo Trace and Basil Hayden dark rye.

Finished bourbon/rye is certainly all the rage right now, though cask strength and barrel proof are gaining a lot of steam. Sounds like a good time. I should do something similar as I have almost 50 bottles in my bourbon/rye collection.

[Jenise]

It was a great group event. If you have that kind of material on hand, might as well move invite some friends over and reduce the inventory. And you're a great cook--will definitely be some kind of party.

I’m up to about 120 bottles now. Need a new plan. Lol.