Receta Crack Open That Bourbon and Cook!
In the almost twelve years that I have lived in Kentucky, I have come to develop an appreciation for bourbon. In addition to drinking, it is wonderful for cooking, and this weekend I put a new bottle of Four Roses to good use. (No, I am not being paid by Four Roses in any way. That just happened to be what I had handy.)
First up were these Peanut Butter, Bourbon, and Bacon Brownies, made using a wonderful recipe from Friends Drift Inn. How could I not try these when they contain the holy trinity of ingredients, AND chocolate! The bacon is fried in a delicious sorghum and bourbon mix and then sprinkled into the cake tin. The result was a wonderfully moist brownie with layers of flavor. Yes, they look a little odd out of the oven, but that's because I dolloped the rest of the mix on top rather than spreading it, so an not to disturb the layers. A definite keeper recipe and a hit at the Christmas party.
Next up was a recipe that Chef Anthony Lamas of Louisville's Seviche shared with me a few years ago. His recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Cheddar Chipotle Sweet Corn Grit Cakes took first prize in a Woodford Reserve Culinary Bourbon Challenge. When I tried the recipe myself, I probably should have allowed more time for the grit cakes to set up. Since mine didn't, I instead served the mix up as a corn mush, but it was absolutely delicious, even in the eyes of my grit-loathing husband. Whether you succeed with grit cakes or serve a corn mush, you won't be disappointed by this.
Chef Lamas' Award Winning Pork
Tenderloin with Smoked Cheddar Chipotle Sweet Corn Grit Cakes
4 servings
Adobo-Rubbed
- Pork Tenderloin
- ½ cup olive
- oil
- 3
- tbs chopped garlic
- 1 tbs cumin
- 1 tbs coriander
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- 1 tbs cayenne pepper
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 4 (8 oz) portions
- Chipotle-Orange
- Demi Sauce
- ¼ cup
- Woodford Reserve bourbon
- 1 onion,
- chopped
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- 3 oz chipotle in adobo
- 1 cup
- crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup
- ketchup
- ½ cup rice
- wine vinegar
- ¼ cup
- Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup thawed
- frozen orange juice concentrate
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbs paprika
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Smoked
- Cheddar Chipotle Sweet Corn Grit Cakes
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbs olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup stone
- ground grits
- ¼ cup (1/2
- stick) unsalted butter
- 1 ½
- tbs chipotle chiles in adobo
- 8 oz Cheddar cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup
- fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears), or frozen white Shoe Peg corn
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Olive oil
- for sautéing
- Flour (if making corn cakes)
- For the
- pork, combine the olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and cayenne pepper
- in a bowl and mix well. Rub over the pork and marinate in the refrigerator for
8 hours or more.
For the sauce,
combine the bourbon, onion, garlic, chipotle chiles in adobo, tomatoes,
ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange juice concentrate, honey,
paprika, chili powder and salt in a saucepan. Mix well and cook over
medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Strain through a medium
mesh strainer into a bowl. Store in the refrigerator until serving
time. This makes a LOT of sauce, far more than we needed. So, instead of straining it all, I strained just enough for us to use. The rest of the sauce, with the onions and chiles, has gone into a freezer bag for later use as a base for a stew or to go with meatballs.
If making mush, follow the next set of instructions when you are close to serving. If making grit cakes, you need to do this 4 to 24 hours before serving. Combine the water, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the salt in a large
saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the grits and cook using the package
directions, stirring in the butter and chipotle chiles in adobo as the grits
begin to thicken.
Cook for 2
minutes longer. Add the cheese gradually and stir until melted. Stir in half
the corn, reserving the remaining corn for garnish. Remove from the heat.
(For grit cakes) Grease a
12x18-inch pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour the grits into the pan and
spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface
and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Cut into the desired shape.
Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a sauté pan. Dust the
grit cakes with flour and add to the sauté pan. Fry for 2 minutes on each side
or until golden brown. Remove to a sheet pan and bake for 3 to 5 minutes. Keep
warm.
Grill or fry the pork until a meat
thermometer registers 160 degrees.
Reheat the sauce. Place 1 grit cake in the
center of each serving plate and place 1 portion of pork next to the cake.
Spoon the desired amount of sauce around the grit cake and over the pork.
Garnish with corn kernels and cilantro if you like.