eG Foodblog: zilla369 - Derby Eats, Derby Week: Louisville, KY

[tan319]

I think I remember reading about that chocolate goat cheese in an article on Jean George Vongrighten pastry chef Johnny Izzuni (sic?).

Great blog, 'zilla.

My dads from Kentucky, it's taking me back

[Jake]

I LOVE Steak 'n Shake, Marsha.  My Dad lives in Missouri and it's a big deal there too.

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Yay, Steak 'n Shake! Missouri, huh? I wonder how widespread they are....anyone any further afield have Steak 'n Shake in your hometown?

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There is one in St. Pete's FL near my parents place......never been tho'

[zilla369]

One dish that came up a few times was:

Grilled steak or stuffed beef tenderloin served with Henry Bains Sauce...  The sauce is apparently similar to a "Jezebel Sauce" and one recipe here has the following ingredients:

1 (18 ounce) jar peach preserves

1 (18 ounce) jar orange marmalade

1 (18 ounce) jar apple preserves

1 (18 ounce) jar pineapple preserves

5/8 cup ground dry mustard

1 (4 ounce) jar prepared horseradish

What a good race fan you are, ludja!

However, I will say that the real Henry Bains sauce recipe is a closely guarded secret. Years ago, my oh-so-southern landlady used to make it for us tenants, and she claimed to have the real deal recipe, straight from the chef at the Pendennis Club, where the condiment was invented.

She never actually gave us the recipe written down, but I watched her make it twice. And I've made a facsimile many times at work - people request it all the time, especially for carving boards of beef or pork tenderloin. So, although it pains me to tell you this: the ingredients you posted above are pretty far afield from the real thing. Real Henry Bains sauce contains ketchup, worchestershire, peach chutney, chili sauce, horseradish, and "english pickle" (a type of pickled walnut). There are recipes for Henry Bains Sauce all over the internet.

Other dishes mentioned in a few diffrent places are cheese grits, sometimes in casserole form.  Also dishes with spring fruits and vegetables like strawberries and asparagus.

Yes, strawberries and asparagus! You'll see these this weekend when I'm cooking at the B&B.

Saw a few mentions of bourbon-based dishes like Bourbon Glazed Short Ribs and Bourbon Balls; maybe these are newer trends?

Well, bourbon balls isn't a new trend at all; they've been made (most prominently by Rebecca Ruth Candies) for almost a hundred years.

As for other bourbon-infused, bourbon-marinated, bourbon-scented, bourbon-flamed recipes, well, as you can imagine: this town is lousy with them. I love - repeat, LOVE - bourbon, but sometimes it's all much too much.

Thanks for the nice photos of older Lousiville as well as of your delicious looking petit fours, cakes and cookies...  Hmm... and I vicariously enjoyed your lunch at Steak and Shake!

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Thanks so much for your kind words. Foodblogging can be pure hell, but the compliments more than make up for it

[zilla369]

I think I remember reading about that chocolate goat cheese in an article on Jean George Vongrighten pastry chef Johnny Izzuni (sic?).

Great blog, 'zilla.

My dads from Kentucky, it's taking me back

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I'm still kicking myself for not buying any. I don't know if this is a common thing among pastry chefs, but having to work with it so much, I have a real aversion to chocolate.

We did say I was crazy, didn't we?

[zilla369]

There is one in St. Pete's FL near my parents place......never been tho'

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Well, hie thee to the S'nS next time you visit. You won't be disappointed!

[tan319]

Don't ever give up on the chocolate!

I remember S&S from D.C., good stuff.

I think I remember reading about that chocolate goat cheese in an article on Jean George Vongrighten pastry chef Johnny Izzuni (sic?).

Great blog, 'zilla.

My dads from Kentucky, it's taking me back

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I'm still kicking myself for not buying any. I don't know if this is a common thing among pastry chefs, but having to work with it so much, I have a real aversion to chocolate.

We did say I was crazy, didn't we?

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[daniellewiley]

I LOVE Steak 'n Shake, Marsha.  My Dad lives in Missouri and it's a big deal there too.

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Yay, Steak 'n Shake! Missouri, huh? I wonder how widespread they are....anyone any further afield have Steak 'n Shake in your hometown?

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We have 'em here in Toledo. I love sneaking in a shake from the drive-thru. I can't resist one of their latest inventions - hot fudge IN the shake.

Yum.

[johnnyd]

A caution: please do not use Jack Daniels unless you're trapped in an underground labyrinth and can't get any other type of whisky. Jack Daniels (while it has its charms for some, I know) is filtered through charcoal, which gives it a distinctive flavor that, in my opinion, works against, rather than with, the taste of mint.

Word.

[Genny]

Thanks so much for your kind words.  Foodblogging can be pure hell, but the compliments more than make up for it 

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OK then I'll throw one to you! I've never been to Kentucky but your blog is making it look like a great destination. What a good ambassador you are for your state/town!

My mom grew up in Indiana and just has to watch the derby each year, it is the only race (other than NASCAR) that she watches. So much fanfare for so little racing! I guess it is all about the event activities though, eh?

I'll have to give bourbon a try, I usually go for tequila, vodka or rum. I'll run out this week and get some Makers Mark and some mint and at least try the julep recipe

[zilla369]

Okay, time for a prelude to more pictures. I know some of you just scroll thru the foodblog threads for the pictures, sorta like some bizzaro-Playboy disclaimer (“I just read it for the articles!”).

These pictures are from last week; I hope nobody minds. I definitely wanted to fit this installment in, and I knew I wouldn’t have time to make the journey this week.

Two words (or one, hyphenated word): Derby-Pie®.

Derby-Pie® is served all year ‘round, but during Derby Week, it’s ubiquitous. Derby-Pie® is a chocolate/walnut pie with a transcendently flaky pastry crust, and a filling that’s something like pecan pie, or chess pie. The recipe is yet another closely-guarded secret; and in this case, they ain’t just whistling “Dixie”.

Derby-Pie® (hereinafter referred to as “The Pie” – registered trademark implied) was invented/formulated in 1958 at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, KY. The pie’s name was actually pulled out of a hat, as the members of the Kerns family couldn’t settle on a handle any other way. From that time to the present, The Pie has been exclusively produced by Kern’s Kitchen, a small – very small – family operation.

From their website:

George Kern, manager of the restaurant, developed the Derby-Pie® recipe with the help of his parents, Walter and Leaudra.

Many hours were spent trying to find the unique blend of flavors that make up this classic dessert. And that blend remains a secret to this very day. Oh, most folks recognize the real chocolate chips and walnut pieces - but no one has ever been able to duplicate our special filling and delicate crust.

We serve The Pie at a lot of our catering functions. Everybody, it seems, absolutely loves it.

Knowing that I was going to be foodblogging this week, I called up the folks at Kern’s Kitchen and asked if I could take a tour of their production facility. To my delight, I was routed to the president of the company, Alan Rupp, who graciously invited me to come on over and see what they were all about in their modest space within our local industrial park.

Alan and his office manager, Ruth, greeted me warmly and presented me with a Derby-Pie® ball cap to wear on my tour. There are only about 6 or 7 employees, all members of the extended Kerns/Rupp family, save one: Their production manager, Jerry, who’s been with them for something like 13 years.

Only Jerry and Alan are allowed to be in the room when the filling for The Pie is being mixed. It’s actually that much of a secret.

The facility is all of something like 2,000 square feet. During this "holiday season", they’re producing about 3,500 pies a week. This is their busiest time of year.

Understandably, such a specialized operation has to be very protective of its product and reputation in order to survive. At Kern’s Kitchen, they’re serious about their registered trademark.

If anyone – be it a restaurant, food manufacturing company, caterer, etc. - makes “a” pie and calls it “Derby Pie”, they might just be subject to a little litigation. Alan Rupp told me that they’ve only had to go to court over trademark issues about 10 times in the last 30 years. (that sounded like a lot to me, though!).

Two notable cases: one, for a recipe published in Bon Appetit in response to a letter in their “R.S.V.P.” column, and the other a recipe printed right on the Nestle Chocolate Chips package, entitled “Toll House Derby Pie”.

Now - on with the tour!

[zilla369]

Here’s a machine that intrigued me:

It’s the machine that makes the pie dough. Alan told me it was actually modeled after the action of a cook’s hands when cutting butter into flour for pastry crust. Come to think of it, he said “just like grandma’s”

Crust, ready for sheeting.

I loved the crust-stamping machine. It imprints “Kern’s Kitchen” all around the perimeter of the crust.

I had to leave the room for a few minutes while a batch of filling was mixed. When we came back in, they were filling shells for baking:

Somehow, I ended up without a picture of baked pies! But I’ll remedy that downthread.

A stack of pies:

And finally The Pie gets a sweet ride on the “Kramco 2000” (or something like that), their newest packaging machine, which seals the box and puts the film-wrap on, if I remember correctly:

[zilla369]

After the tour, a really cool thing happened.

Alan Rupp, president of Kern’s Kitchen, asked if I’d take some of The Pie back to my kitchen and take some photos of various plate-ups. There was a Sysco food show coming up the next week and he needed some new shots for his display.

He offered me a whole case of The Pie!

I will remind you one more time (and I told Mr. Rupp, as well): I am no photographer. I barely understand the camera I’m using. So please be kind.

Here's what I came up with:

And I’m including this one, even though it’s horribly blurry, because I thought it was the best plating (but, unfortunately the worst photo):

Well. As it turned out, Kern’s Kitchen ended up using my photos in their Sysco food show display. Resulting in (drumroll, please):

My very first food-styling check ever!

Is that exciting, or what? (It’s only what I want to do when I grow up!)

Going to bed now. Don’t be out of sorts if you don’t hear from me until this time tomorrow.

I have a date with a watermelon.

[jhlurie]

These pictures are from last week; I hope nobody minds. 

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This is for the sake of Derby-Pie®, and thus a case where a minor exception to the foodblogging timeline seems well... kind of in our best interests.

Plus, it's not as if you haven't had plenty of other stuff to tell us about this week.

He offered me a whole case of The Pie!

Grrr. Some people have all the luck.

[handmc]

You derserved that check. Nice work! I went an bought a pie after those photos, I'm not kidding!

I love the blog. I spent a few years down in KY at Transylvania University( bite in the neck tech to the locals) in Lexington. Went to sales at Tatersalles, the Red Mile and to the Fair in Lu'ville for the Saddlebred Horse shows.

Hmm another place on the map I need to visit again.

[zilla369]

Yesterday’s breakfast, ‘cause I needed the caffeine:

In weeks like this one, I sort of wish I’d developed the taste for coffee somewhere along the way.

Yesterday’s lunch was pretty sweet:

I got this plate off the bistro lunch buffet as it was closing down. Some yummy hummus and pita bread, sautéed vegetables, new red potatoes, and roasted pork loin that looked overdone, but was actually quite tender.

Another shot of The Pie, plating for 45:

Tonight’s episode will chronicle the aforementioned watermelon saga, a fancy cocktail party, my first attempt at Indian cuisine - (Hi, Monica!) - and who knows what else. It’s a real challenge to find time to fit this all in…there aren’t enough hours in the day to live through it all twice!

[zilla369]

Man. No replies for over twelve hours? Well, I'll fix that.

Stay tuned, race fans...I just got home, and I'm going to post a bunch of photos just as soon as I can get them uploaded. Today was a good day.

[tejon]

Mmmmmm.....drooling in anticipation.....

[pam claughton]

Just want to let you know how much I am enjoying this blog! Your pictures are gorgeous, and the ones of Steak and Shake made me miss my college days, when we used to go late night. They have the best taco salad in the world! :) Unfortunately I think they are a Southern chain, no signs of any in New England.

Am also eagerly looking forward to the Mint Julep info.

:) Pam

[percyn]

Great blog and great pictures of the derby pies !!

[zilla369]

Water, melon everywhere

And boy, I need a drink.

Upthread, I confessed a slight aversion to chocolate. It’s just chocolate fatigue, I guess. I still like chocolate – I just never crave it or seek it out. Dessert-wise, I’ll go for fruit-based dishes every time.

Well….watermelon’s a fruit, right? But my slight chocolate aversion pales in comparison to the loathing I have for watermelon. Any melon, actually. I’m not allergic. But it’s almost that strong of a negative reaction. I especially hate fake watermelon-flavored things (like watermelon Jolly Ranchers). The scent of watermelon just makes me, frankly, nauseous.

So guess what? Prie fixe this weekend includes a sorbet intermezzo, and Chef decided on “Watermelon Rosemary”. For 300 reservations.

I realized while I was cutting the melons that I was clueless about how to even break a watermelon down for sorbet. I mean, that means you have to take the seeds out, right? (my recipe called for so-and-so pounds of watermelon, peeled and “seeded”). Deceptively innocuous-sounding, that phrase.

So I trudged back upstairs (my kitchen’s downstairs and across a driveway from the Bistro kitchen – 152 steps and two flights of stairs. Who needs a Stairmaster?) and admitted to the boss that I couldn’t seem to hit on the perfect method for removing the seeds from the flesh to make sorbet. His comment: “Whoops. Did I forget to order seedless melons?”

He grabbed a perforated hotel pan and suggested I push the watermelon flesh through the holes…theoretically leaving the seeds in the pan. But that didn’t work. At all. Some (but not all) of the seeds went right through, and the watermelons I had were perfectly crisp inside and not in the mood to get pushed through the holes:

So…I decided to try a china cap; and initially I chose a wooden paddle as a utensil to moosh the melon thru the holes. That didn’t work, either. The paddle was too big to perform efficiently.

Next, I chose a wooden sausage dowel – inverted. This seemed to work best. But let me tell you – this method took me the better part of two and a half hours to break down four giant melons. Four giant, evil-smelling (to me, anyway) melons:

Good news: the sorbet turned out lovely; a good texture, and - from all accounts of others in the kitchen that tasted it – a wonderful balance of watermelon and rosemary, not too sweet, perfect for a palate-cleansing intermezzo.

Bad news: understand- my sorbet maker is a four-quart. 300 reservations for prie fixe. You do the math.

Blech. I smell like watermelon.

[TongoRad]

Marsha- Re: the watermelon

At the risk of coming across all Monday morning quarterback, if your kitchen doesn't have a food mill you should look into getting one for just this sort of thing. On the other hand, it looks like you did admirably well under the circumstances. And the sorbet sounds tasty too.

I'm sure that some Maker's Mark will drown out that evil smell too

[zilla369]

And now, some pleasant, non-watermelon-inclusive pictures from a fru-fru cocktail party, way out in the uber-burbs. Guest of honor was a retiring UPS pilot. I told the hostess that I was in the market for a well-paid pilot boyfriend, if she could be so kind as to hook me up. Unfortunately, she (or ultimately, I) struck out.

Prep for the party included making 200 smoked-salmon-on-spinach-tortilla-chip hors d’oeuvres:

Tortilla triangles, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, ready for baking:

The finished product:

On the way to the party, I was hungry, but when we stopped for gas, the snack machine was out of order:

Later, setting up for the party -

Bruschetta:

Our salsa contains: diced roma tomatoes, diced jalapenos, tons of chopped cilantro, sriracha sauce, salt, pepper, chopped fresh parsley, and a brunoise of fresh ginger. It’s the bomb.

Shrimp cocktail:

One of the tables:

A sushi display (these were made by our sushi chefs, not me. I always think the “sushifly” is a bit garish, but clients go nuts over it:

And this is one of my favorite photos of the week. Really simple cheese plate - food cost: less than $7 US.

Finally, a honey-baked ham carving board:

The condiment in the foreground is whole-grain creole mustard. At the top of the frame: horseradish cream.

But look closely at the picture...

…Pretend the perimeter of the ham is a hole in the photograph. What do you see peeking through?

Oh, yeah:

Angry. Ham. Rhino.

(edited for subversive punctuation)

[zilla369]

Marsha- Re: the watermelon

At the risk of coming across all Monday morning quarterback, if your kitchen doesn't have a food mill you should look into getting one for just this sort of thing. On the other hand, it looks like you did admirably well under the circumstances. And the sorbet sounds tasty too.

I'm sure that some Maker's Mark will drown out that evil smell too 

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Mmmm...a food mill. That would have worked well, wouldn't it?

And, yes: I can't smell watermelon anymore. Thanks be to the bourbon gods.

[Pan]

Marsha, I've been following this whole blog with pleasure. My lack of posting does not indicate any lack of interest, just a lack of anything much to say. Blog on!

[KatieM]

Just want to let you know how much I am enjoying this blog! Your pictures are gorgeous, and the ones of Steak and Shake made me miss my college days, when we used to go late night. They have the best taco salad in the world! :) Unfortunately I think they are a Southern chain, no signs of any in New England.

Ahh, they are NOT a Southern chain. In fact, the original Steak n' Shake was located on the old Route 66, just south of what is now Bloomington, IL. They are all OVER here in Central Illinois, which is fantastic. That is one thing I missed dearly when I lived in other parts of the country. I seriously love Steak n' Shake!

This is a great foodblog! I love all the pictures! We've been gearing up for the Derby here in Illinois, too. One of my jobs is working in clothing retail, and I've sold several blue and white striped seersucker suits to folks heading down to the Derby. I do hope you include some pictures of people all dressed up if you can!