Tasting Whiskey: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Lock & Key

Tasting Whiskey by Lew Bryson

For this week's Whisk(e)y Wednesday we are going to hit you with some knowledge, proudly sponsored by the Lock & Key Whiskey Bar. Whiskey is enjoying a huge surge in popularity from all segments of the population. Whether it is Scotch, Irish, bourbon, rye, Canadian, Japanese, or artisan American whiskies, the spirit is flourishing. It is important for any imbiber to know where and how this impeccable liquor is created. Storey Publishing sent me a review copy of Tasting Whiskey, written by Whisky Advocate's managing editor Lew Bryson, and it is worth the read for all levels of enthusiasts.

From a guy who has spent the last 20 years immersed in the world of whiskey, our eyes are opened to how whiskey is made, how it is aged, and why it tastes the way it does. There are many “laughable” misconceptions that Bryson addresses, and it is essential that we debunk how we think whiskey is produced, aged, and spelled. Bryson takes the reader on an exploration of the whiskey world by further explaining the unique challenges of tasting it. Once we get through the basics, he discusses the many differences among whiskey regions and types, teaches us how to collect and store whiskey, and provides cocktail recipes and food pairings.

As we all dream to embark on our own whiskey journey, make sure you pick up one of the best whiskey books I’ve seen and absorb Bryson’s knowledge of the wonderful world of whiskey.

Make Ahead Bread with a Giveaway!

Make Ahead Bread by Donna Currie

For those who have been following Bite and Booze for awhile, you might remember back to the Emeril's One Pot Blogger Party that I participated in during the Fall of 2011. After that promotion, the group of bloggers teamed up and formed a group called Virtual Potluck. For the last three years we've teamed up on other projects and watched each others' blogs grow and thrive. One of those bloggers, Donna Currie from the blog Cookistry, has recently released her very own book! Donna's book, Make Ahead Bread, is available for sale on Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, you can order one from Barbed Wire Books. You can also find Donna on Facebook and Twitter.

Kneading Dough (photo courtesy of Make Ahead Bread)

I received a copy of the book as well as a few gifts so I could bake some of my own bread. There's really nothing more lovely than the smell of freshly baked bread... okay, maybe freshly cooked bacon, but still, bread is amazing. Make Ahead Bread encourages the reader to make the dough ahead of time that way all the mixing and kneading is done and all you have left to do is bake and enjoy! With so many recipes to choose from, it can be difficult to choose which type of bread to make next.

12 lucky winners are going to receive a gift from Virtual Potluck and all the fine sponsors below. There are over $1800 worth of prizes up for grabs in four different groupings. You can enter right here via Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the giveaway, we'd like to thank our sponsors who generously offered some fantastic prizes:

• Taunton Press, the publisher of Donna's book, is supplying a total of 12 copies of Make Ahead Bread, one to each winner.
• Magimix is giving one winner a Magimix 3200XL 12-Cup Food Processor in Brushed Chrome.
• WÜSTHOF is giving one winner a CLASSIC 9-inch Double Serrated Bread Knife
• Silverstone is giving one winner a 5-piece set of bakeware (11x17 cookie pan, 10x15 cookie pan, 9x13 covered baking pan, 9x5 loaf pan and 9-inch cake pan) in the winner's choice of red or blue.
• King Arthur Flour is giving one winner a rye bread baking kit.
• Duralex is giving one winner a 9-piece set of mixing bowls.
• Harold Import Company is giving three winners a made-in-the-USA hardwood baker’s rolling pin (It's the baker's pin, with no handles.)
• Microplane is giving each of the 12 winners an Elite Zester, Cube Grater, and Spiral Cutter.
• GIR is giving each of the 12 winners a silicone scraper.
• King Arthur Flour is giving each of the 12 winners a coupon for a bag of flour of your choice (good at your local supermarket) and a plastic bowl scraper.
• Walker's Shortbread is supplying cookies to three winners.

In addition to supplying items for the giveaway, a special thanks to Taunton Press, Silverstone, Microplane and WÜSTHOF for supplying products for all the bloggers to work with.

Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde...

The hit food monologue show that I've been proud to be a part of as a headline and emcee has now been transformed a coffee table book filled with stories from all walks of life.  Everyone has a story related to food, and the Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde... coffee table book is filled with 67 stories by everyone from chefs to college students and from politicians to journalists.

My good friend Peggy Sweeney-McDonald created the show and edited the book which is now out from Pelican Publishing.  I actually have a FOUR PAGE spread in the book (starting on page 66, if you're counting)!  My story gives a brief history of my love for food, some memorable experiences from LSU Tailgating, and the birth of Bite and Booze.  The book is a great gift for the holidays, a wonderful collectors item for a coffee table, and a spectacular tribute to Louisiana's culture as it relates to food and life.  Amen to that!

Jay sign's a copy of Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde...

The book has already gotten some very impressive praise from some big timers in the Culinary world!

"Good people, good food, good stories. This book is Louisiana!" —Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Season of Life

“Tasty and amazing stories about our favorite subject, FOOD!” –- Emeril & Alden Lagasse

“Peggy draws attention not only to our food but also to the people who make it part of the character of Louisiana.” --Chef John Besh, author of My New Orleans and My Family Table, co-author of The New

Orleans Program

“…Our experience with food – preparation, consumption and a focal point of our social interaction – are unique, memorable and, now, even the subject of monologues that are funny, poignant and quite revealing about the psyche of Louisianans.” —Jay Dardenne, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

“I'm laughing, I'm hungry, I'm happy - when is the next edition?” —Lally Brennan co-proprietor of Commander's Palace and co-author of In The Land of Cocktails

“Inspiring, funny, entertaining stories of food, relationships, and life… A must-enjoy for readers

everywhere…” —Susan Irby “The Bikini Chef” and host of “Wine Dine and Workout” PBS

“…our oral and culinary traditions walk hand-in-hand. It is a Sunday potluck supper in book form. The beauty of Meanwhile, Back At Café DuMonde is that it captures that magic.” —Chef Stuart Reb Donald 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Nominee

“…Page after page of so many wonderful experiences and recipes…I’m already salivating!" — Doreen Fang, Chef/Host, Dining with Doreen and Resident Chef of the Vegas Morning Blend

“What a charming book of food stories and history! I’m inspired to get in the kitchen or at least head to Café du Monde for a cup of coffee and plate of beignets.” – Erin Z. Bass, Publisher, Deep South Magazine

Jay and Peggy celebrate the release of Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde...

Want a copy of the book?  You can order it on Amazon!! 

Eleven Amazing Happenings of 2011

While I'm not one to follow the trends all the time, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the past while looking forward to the future.  I know "top 11 of 2011" lists and "12 things to look forward to in 2012" lists are all over the place right now, but this ain't my first rodeo.  Last year I came up with a top 10 list of items that I ate, drank, or blogged about during 2010.  Then I followed that up with 11 things I wanted to eat and drink more of in 2011.  Some of them I succeed, some proved to be impossible, and some I just didn't really do.  This year I decided to change it up a bit.  I tried to recall the top eleven memories or amazing things that happened to me over the past calendar year.  Somewhat in order of importance, though certainly not by scientific or well thought out criteria, here is my list that counts down from eleven:

11.  Victory at the Frankie's Dawg House 4th of July Hotdog Eating Contest

Winner, winner, hot dog dinner!

10.  KingCakeBR

Visit Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Social Media Association, and TommysTV collaborate with me on this project and it turned out to be a huge success!

9.  Emeril's Blogger Party and the start of Virtual Potluck

Calandro's Supermarket helped me out with a lot of the ingredients and I successfully cooked 9 recipes from Emeril's new book over a three week period this past Fall.  It also introduced me to the other bloggers who were selected that have now formed the Virtual Potluck!

8.  Viking Cooking School Outdoors

Photo taken on film, courtesy of Frank McMains

I got to help open the first ever Viking Cooking School Outdoors at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.  It was a fun and challenging month watching the school go through construction, dealing with logistics and equipment orders, all the way to the helping teach the opening class!

7.  Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde...

I had the pleasure of being a headliner and filming a segment for the TV pilot in 2010.  In 2011 I got to serve as a red carpet host and emcee for a couple shows and have submitted an entry for the coffee table book.  I'm so proud to be a part of what Peggy has built from this food monologue show!

6.  Eat St. on the Cooking Channel

Eat St. came to Baton Rouge to film three episodes for the Cooking Channel (and the Food Network in Canada) and I got give an interview for the show about Taco de Paco!

5.  Raise a Glass

"Raise a Glass" is a weekly radio show about the history, traditions, culture, production, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.  I host it with my brother Eric Ducote from BR Beer Scene.  The show airs on Fridays at 6 pm and replays Sundays at 4 pm on 96.9 FM WHYR Baton Rouge Community Radio.


4.  LSU Press Bite and Booze Cookbook Contract

Although it won't come out until 2013, signing my contract for the "Bite and Booze Cookbook" is certainly worthy of being on this list.  Now all I have to do is write it and wait!

3.  Forty Under 40

I had the extreme honor of being recognized as one of the Baton Rouge Business Report's Top Forty Under 40 recipients for 2011.  My mom and dad joined me for the awards banquet, which was also quite an honor!

2.  The Bite and Booze Radio Show

The Bite and Booze Radio Show on Talk 107.3 FM started in April 2011 and has been a consistent fixture in Baton Rouge's Saturday talk radio lineup ever since.  I actually just signed a contract for all of 2012 as well, so the Bite and Booze Radio Show is here to stay!  Get ready for more interviews with local chefs and some great food and drink talk radio!

1.  MasterChef

The audition process started in 2010, but I actually spent 10 days in Los Angeles in February of 2011 filming the first four episodes of MasterChef on Fox.  I didn't get a whole lot of air time out of it, but national television exposure is better than none!

Here's to an even better 2012!!!

Emeril's Blogger Party: Red Wine and Port Braised Short Ribs

For my second recipe based on Emeril's Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders (my first posted featured deep dish pizza!), I decided to make a perfect recipe for the Bite and Booze side of me: Red Wine and Port Braised Short Ribs.  Braising is a classic French technique that usually takes a cheaper and not-so-tender cut of meat and simmers it at a reasonably low temperature for a long time until a lot of the fat and connective tissue has broken down, leaving you with fork-tender protein.  One of the keys of braising is definitely to have a a flavorful liquid that will impart layers and depth of tastes as you cook.  For this recipe I once again started at Calandro's Supermarket where I stocked up on supplies including shallots, turnips, herbs and, of course, Port!

The next step to cooking this kind of meal is to take care of the mise en place.  The French culinary term literally means "everything in place".  Basically it means you get all of the ingredients out and prepared before you start cooking.  For me, that meant to peel and chop the carrots, shallots and turnips, measure out some flour, garlic and black peppercorns, and be ready to rock.  Since the recipe called for beef stock and I didn't have any homemade stock on hand, I picked up some of Emeril's beef stock at Calandro's.  I figured that's probably what he would have wanted!

After seasoning the beef short ribs with salt and pepper and then browning them in a cast iron pot with some olive oil, the next step involved flavoring my braising liquid.  I cooked down the vegetables with a little more olive oil until they started to caramelize and then I added the flour.  After letting it toast and begin to stick to the bottom, I deglazed the pot with red wine and let that cook down a little more.  I soon added the thyme, bay leaves, parsley and whole peppercorns followed by the Port and beef stock.  After coming up to a boil, I had a very flavorful braising liquid that I knew would work extremely well with the short ribs.

Once the liquid got to that rolling boil I removed it from the stove and add the the short ribs back to the pot. I got them all as submerged as possible and then transferred everything to the oven where I let it sit for about 2 and a half more hours.  I opened it up once to mix the ribs around and then removed the lid for the final time.  The fragrance from the pot filled the entire house and I knew that this would be an amazing meal.  However, the work hadn't quite finished there.  I first needed to strain the liquid to remove the herb stems and bay leaves.  I separated the vegetables and beef as well in order to get a gravy left in the pot.  After letting it simmer for a little while longer, the remaining liquid coated the back of a spoon and I returned the beef and veggies to the pot one more time so they could soak up more flavor and come back up to temperature.  I also used that time to make a batch of yellow corn grits to serve the ribs over!

The final product: an extremely tender and flavor-packed beef short rib served over yellow corn grits with carrots and turnips.  I couldn't be happier!

For doing these blog posts from Emeril's new book I received a free advance copy.  It is available in stores in late September.  I'll also be giving away a copy of the book in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned to see if you can win one!  Also of note, this recipe actually called for parsnips instead of carrots but I couldn't find any.  Carrots worked very well though!

Seattle Part I: The Pike Brewing Company

I'd like to thank my cousin Erin for getting married in Seattle and giving me an excuse to revisit the Pacific Northwest.  Seattle is a town that is in the heart of the organic and sustainable food movements.  They also pride themselves on fresh, local seafood.  Oh, and don't forget about craft beer!  Yeah, I knew from the start that this was going to be a good trip.  My brother Eric, author of the BR Beer Scene, and I made sure to have a little extra time outside of the wedding festivities in order to check out the local scene.  Our Friday will be split into three separate blog posts, all chronicling our culinary and indulgent cultural experiences before we made it to the pre-wedding barbeque.  It was a long day, and you'll soon understand why I couldn't stomach a drink at the wedding reception the next day!

Our Friday started in downtown Seattle.  After a morning stroll down the hill we made it to the famous Pike Place Market.  The clock read 10 am, but the market already buzzed with fresh seafood, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and, of course, tourists.  One thing that sucks about tourism is all the tourists.  Especially knowing that in the grand scheme of things, I'm one of them.  Still, I make a conscious effort to not travel like a stereotypical tourist, but alas, there are some things you just have to see.  The Pike Place Market is probably one of them.

 The Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA

Fresh Seafood at the Pike Place Market

After a quick tour, avoiding some crowds, and eating a few samples of fresh fruits and cheeses, we made our way to the neighboring Pike Brewing Company.  After patiently awaiting the opening establishment at 11 am, we took our seats at the bar and placed a beer order.  We both started with beer samplers to get a taste of what The Pike had to offer.

The Pike Brewery and the Beer Sampler

The sampler featured six 4oz brews arranged from light to dark on a wooden tray.  It started with the Naughty Nellie Organic Golden Ale and then continued with the Pike Pale Heirloom Amber Ale, the Pike IPA, the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale, the Tandem Double Ale and the XXXXX Extra Stout.  The Naughty Nellie had a good malt and hop balance for a light beer, but it still left me thirsty for more flavor.  I really thought that Pike's beers got better as I moved down the sampler.  The Pike Pale has been brewed since they opened in 1989 and was a pretty decent American Pale Ale.  The Pike IPA had an extra burst of hops and a more floral nose.  I found it to be considerably better than the APA, and I don't think I'm alone.  Author Roger Protz called this beer one of "300 Beers to Try Before You Die."  I don't know if I'd go that far since it wasn't my favorite at The Pike, but it was still a good Pacific Northwest hop-fest.  If you'd like to check out the book, you can get it from Amazon here:

My favorite beer from the sampler may have been then Pike Kilt Lifter.  This Scotch Ale wasn't shy about the peated whisky malt that blended with the other malts and hops to give the beer excellent character.  At 6.5% ABV, the brew had plenty of kick to match the peat flavors.  The Pike Tandem Double Ale also impressed me.  It had a few add-ons like coriander and candy sugar to give it a more complex flavor while still allowing the malt and hops to shine.  Finally, the sampler finished with the XXXXX Extra Stout.  The dark roasted grains were evident in the chocolaty tones of the stout.  I found the beer to be particularly well flavored and balanced; a fantastic stout which I don't get every day in Louisiana.

The Pike's Ploughman's Plate

Needing something to snack on, Eric and I ordered a charcuterie platter, the Ploughman's Plate.  The gorgeous spread came with an assortment of artisan cured meats from Seattle's Salumi (ran by the parents of celebrity chef Mario Batali) and from La Quercia Artisan Cured Meats in Iowa.  The pate also included three local cheeses all from Washington and a homemade olive tapenade with crostinis.  Salumi's meats are incredible.  The salty and savory coppa is cured in sugar and salt and the spiced with cayenne and chili peppers.  But as good as the coppa and salami were, the proscuitto blew me away.  The La Quercia proscuitto provided amazing flavor and bold textures that usually aren't present in store bought meats.  It is salted, dried, and aged with only sun-dried sea salt added.  Delicious!  The cheese and olive spread rounded out the platter nicely.  After polishing off the Ploughman's Plate, the time had come for one more brew, then off to the rest of our Seattle adventure.

Pike Monk's Uncle Tripel Ale

Eric and I finished our Pike experience with a tasting of the Monk's Uncle Tripel Ale.  This beauty of a brewsky has a 9.00% ABV.  It is made with Belgian yeast and organic malt to produce a sensational ale in the style of the Belgian Abbey ales.  The beer is crisp and fruity with that distinctive Belgian taste.  The monks would be proud.

After leaving The Pike, we headed to the stadiums to give the Pyramid Alehouse a try, but you can read about that in Seattle Part II.

Things To Do
Seattle

Bite and Booze Book Review @dhbook: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

I thought I would try something a little different on Bite and Booze today even though it may be a bit of a stretch to fit it with the food and beverage theme of the blog.  Doing a book review about a food, beverage, and culture book would make sense, and perhaps I’ll get to some of those in the future, but for now I’d like to share a book that I had recently had the pleasure of reading during my trip to DC and Alaska.  I received two advanced copies of the book, one for me to read, and one to give away through Bite and Booze.  Since the book's ending theme is about happiness, and since enjoying bites and boozes with my friends makes me happy, I felt like the book still has relevance here.

Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, paints a vivid landscape of his company, Zappos.com, though excellent storytelling about his personal and professional lives.  Though the language can get a little repetitive at times, Tony keeps the reader interested in the story and constantly wondering what happens next in his entrepreneurial journey.

From his childhood, through college, to his professional career with Oracle, LinkExchange, Venture Frogs, and eventually Zappos, Tony tells the story behind his hard work and fortuitous luck that allowed him to be a huge success in the Internet revolution.

As a food and drink blogger, I really enjoyed Tony’s open and candid thoughts about the link between dinner, cocktails, and business.  He notes that most of the great ideas that have come from him, his friends, or his colleagues were conceived and orchestrated over adult beverages.  Tony tells how he and his partners celebrate successes with shots of Grey Goose, even if they have to take them via conference call from different corners of the world.

Tony also succeeds and tying his business to the science of happiness.  The subject of happiness is something that I am passionate about and a big reason why I reached out to get an advanced copy of the book.  For as long as I can remember, my answer to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” has always been “Happy!”  Then, if people clarify that they meant to ask about my preferred occupation, I respond that I don’t have a clue, but I’ll be fine as long as I’m happy!

Happiness for businesses and people are virtually the same.  Both contain passion and purpose as key ingredients.  While individuals also seek pleasure to make them happy, the third component for a business is profits.  Tony's success in Zappos came in large part to creating a unique company culture the kept him, his employees, investors, partners, and vendors both passionate about their mission and purposefully working to accomplish their goals.  The profits then followed.

One thing that Tony admits made him happy as a child was pickles.  This may be the single setback that Tony and I would have if we were to meet for dinner and drinks.  If you aren’t aware from previous readings on Bite and Booze, I despise pickles.  I’m not sure what it is.  I like cucumbers.  I like vinegar.  I just don’t generally like anything that has been pickled.  Oh well, I guess happiness comes in different forms for different people, especially when it comes to happiness through food and drink!

If you’d like to win a free copy of Delivering Happiness, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me your thoughts about happiness.  Make sure you leave a twitter handle or contact email so that I can contact the winner!  In addition, since the book launched today, you can go to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy!  Just follow the link below and you'll be all set!



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