Crushed Ice Catering

recipe of the month

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Louisville Recipe of the Month: Bourbon Bacon Jam

bourbon bacon jam recipe
By an act of Congress in 2007, September was declared National Bourbon Heritage Month, but for us Kentuckians, this is a celebration practiced year round. To pay our respects to our state’s coveted spirit, we asked Crushed Ice Catering‘s executive chef, Laurence Agnew, to serve up a creative bourbon inspired recipe. Much to our delight, his solution was a sweet and savory creation that will most certainly earn a place in your arsenal of culinary staples Bourbon Bacon Jam.
This Bourbon Bacon Jam recipe is a perfect addition to keep in the fridge. It makes for a flavorful addition to morning waffles, gives a tasteful twist to the classic grilled cheese, and makes as a great topping for beef, chicken, or pork!

Bourbon Bacon Jam

Ingredients
  • 3/4 pound bacon cut into inch slices then cut in half
  • 1 large shallot minced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
  • 4 Tablespoon Kentucky Sorghum
  • 1/2 cup bourbon 
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt depending on your bacon
Instructions
  1. In a medium skillet, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until done and on the verge of crispy, approximately 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
  2. Add garlic and shallot directly to the same skillet with rendered bacon fat. Soften for approximately 4-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium sauce pan. Add drained bacon and remaining ingredients, stir well. Simmer on low heat for 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Liquids should evaporate leaving you with a sticky bacon jam fit for any dish.

Give your taste buds my best,

Morgan Blake

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Recipe of the Month – Beer Batter for Fish

ALMOST as vital as green beer, Beer Battered Fish and Chips is next up on the list. Be inspired this St. Patrick’s Day with Chef Agnew’s Beer Batter for Fish!

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  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • Two 12-ounce beer (ale, larger or dark beer if preferred )
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour or cornstarch for dredging
  • For the Batter: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, beer, egg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes, and up to 3 hours before batter will be used.
  • Tips:
  •  Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream, don’t be afraid of trial and error
  • Dredging : Always pat dry fish fillets or other items you may be frying before dredging into all purpose flour or cornstarch. Also tap off excess dredging flour before dipping into batter.
Frying Oil and Temperature:
Optimal temperatures should range from 360-380 degrees Fahrenheit
Safflower or Peanut Oils are great for frying for higher smoke points.
If your looking for more flavor focused oils try lard or beef tallow.
Draining: When removing fried fish or any fried item for that matter, it’s been to place on an oven rack or grate as to allow the crispy coating to cool without trapping steam underneath to cause the coating to get soggy.
Paper towels will drain the fat from the fish but can still trap steam causing excess moisture on the coating.
If you are going to season with salt or other spices do so immediately after removing from fryer onto draining rack.
Lastly don’t over crowd your fryer with too much at one time. Overcrowding will cause a steep decrease in temperature and cause crispy fish to be greasy.
Pour yourself a Guinness and give Chef Agnew’s Recipe a shot! You won’t be disappointed.
May the winds of fortune sail you,
May you sail a gentle sea.
May it always be the other guy
who says, “this drink’s on me.” 

Cheers!

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Recipe of the Month: Mardi Gras King Cake

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Mardi Gras King Cake

Crushed Ice Catering‘s February Recipe of the Month is near and dear to our Chef’s heart. Before landing in Louisville, Executive Chef Laurence Agnew was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, just a short ways away from New Orleans. When he was 20 years old, he decided to move to the Big Easy – and held culinary positions at both the Ritz Carlton New Orleans Victor’s Restaurant , and John Besh’s Restaurant August.

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Executive Chef, Laurence Agnew

With Mardi Gras just right around the corner, it only seemed appropriate for Chef to tie in his Cajun roots with the greatest “free show” on Earth. Pour yourself a Hurricane, throw on some jazz and whip up Chef Agnew’s King Cake for a true Mardi Gras celebration! Interested in the history and tradition behind the King Cake? Check it out here.

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The Big Easy

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

  • 1 cup lukewarm milk, about 110°F
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dry yeast
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 5 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Several gratings of fresh nutmeg

For the icing:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Purple, green, and gold decorative sugars
  • 1 fava bean or plastic baby to hide in the cake after baking

PREPARATION

  1. For the cake, pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have dissolved.
  2. Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk and it begins to foam, whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a large rubber spatula. After the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, shape it into a large ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it proof, or rise, for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your palms into a long strip, making 3 ropes of equal length. Braid the 3 ropes around one another and then form the braided loaf into a circle, pinching ends together to seal. Gently lay the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.
  4.  Once it’s doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the braid is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
  5.  For the icing, while the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl until the icing is smooth and very spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more condensed milk; if it’s a touch too loose, add a little more powdered sugar.
  6.  Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold decorative sugars while the icing is still wet. Tuck the fava or plastic baby into the underside of the cake and, using a spatula, slide the cake onto a platter.

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October’s Recipe of the Month: Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

It’s October in Louisville, which means there is a chill in the air, the leaves are beginning to change colors and pumpkin flavored everything has taken over your local Starbucks, Farmer’s Market and the kitchen here at Crushed Ice Catering. 
For October’s Recipe of the Month, Our Executive Chef, Laurence Agnew, has put together a wonderful Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake that pairs oh so well with your Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Head to your local grocery, stock up on the below ingredients and get to baking away. Your Family and Friends will be sure to ask about this recipe!
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Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

Double recipe bake in Miss Grandma’s Bundt pan lower oven to 330 and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes until tester is clean
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the streusel:

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (see note below)

For the batter:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

For the glaze:

  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp. whole milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or a 9-inch cake pan with 3-inch sides.To make the streusel, in a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Toss in the butter and, using 2 table knives or a pastry cutter, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Alternatively, whir the ingredients in a food processor. Stir in the pecans. Set aside.To make the batter, in a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the pumpkin puree and sour cream and mix with the spatula. Stir in the flour mixture. The batter will be quite thick.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and spread the thick batter as best you can. Top with the remaining streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the sides from the pan and slide the cake onto the rack.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Cut into thick wedges and serve. Makes one 9-inch coffee cake

Baker’s note: To toast pecans, preheat an oven to 325°F. Spread the nuts out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 10 minutes.

Sounds simple, right? The next step is to enjoy with family and friends, and let us know at Crushed Ice Catering what you think of the recipe!

Happy Baking!