It's National Bourbon Heritage Month, and some NOLA bartenders are taking notice by mixing up some specialty cocktails to celebrate this September.
What better way to start off National Bourbon Heritage Month than with a Buffalo Trace Bourbon Smash by the mixologists at Emeril's?
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Smash at Emeril's in New Orleans
Try out this refreshing bourbon cocktail this month to get you in the mood for citrus season!
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Smash
Wedge of satsuma or orange 1 ounce Buffalo Trace Bourbon ¾ ounce Grand Marnier ½ ounce Cherry Heering ½ ounce Falernum (liqueur/syrup with a sweetened combination of flavors including almond, ginger, clove, lime, vanilla, and allspice) 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters Satsuma or orange wheel for garnish
Muddle the citrus wedge in a cocktail shaker then add the remaining ingredients except the citrus wheel. Add ice, shake and pour into an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a citrus wheel.
Tacos are hard to beat in terms of ease and versatility: almost anyone can pull them off, and the combinations of flavors are limitless. Plus, they're fun to eat! Just line up all the fixins and have your guests serve themselves!
In this version of street steak tacos by Chef Eusebio Gongora, skirt steaks from Indie Plate are marinated in a mixture that includes Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and served on warm tortillas with a number of fresh toppings.
Check out more recipes here, and grab a bottle of sauce here while you're at it!
Street Steak Tacos. Photo courtesy of Maria Do at Indie Plate.
Street Steak Tacos
Flank/Skirt Steak, marinated (see recipe below)
10 Tortillas
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
½ cup onions, diced
¼ cup your favorite cheese
1 tbsp Jay D’s Sweet & Spicy Barbecue rub
1 Avocado, sliced
Preheat the grill, and remove steak from marinade. Season steak with BBQ Rub and let sit for 2 minutes to allow the seasoning to cure. Place steak on the grill and cook each side for 3 minutes for a medium temperature. Remove steak from grill and let it rest for 3 minutes. While the steak rests, grill the tortillas for 1 to 2 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain and fill each tortilla with the remaining ingredients.
Steak marinade
½ cup Jay D’s BBQ Sauce
1 tsp Chili powder 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Lime juice 1 tsp Soy sauce Flank/skirt steak, 2 each
In a mixing bowl, combine BBQ sauce, chili powder, cumin, lime juice and soy sauce. Place skirt steaks into a Ziploc bag with marinade. Place bag into refrigerator and allow to marinate for 6 hours.
Jay tells his story to the camera on episode 1 of Food Network Star
Food Network Star has consumed my entire 2015, but I'm not upset about it. From the casting process to filming the show in Los Angeles to going to NYC to film my pilot, then of course watching the show and doing more media interviews than I had ever done in my life, the experience couldn't have been more overwhelming. But then again, I was ready for it.
I went into this competition knowing that I could be really good at it. I wanted to prove that I had what it takes. I've been fortunate enough to spend the majority of the last 6 years (ever since I launched this website in September 2009) building the skillset required to compete on Food Network Star. I didn't know that right away, but for the last couple years I've been eyeing this show, thinking that I could be really good at it. I write about Louisiana culture on my own blog and in other publications, I've hosted and produced the Bite and Booze Radio Show since April 2011, and I've definitely been working on my cooking even though I've never worked in a restaurant. Add to that the TV and production experience that I have through working with tommysTV and many other TV shows like Masterchef and Cutthroat Kitchen, and I really felt equipped for this next challenge.
The Cast of Food Network Star Season 11 all together in a contestant holding room with Robert from wardrobe and PA Goldfish
From the very beginning I knew that this would the most intense and challenging adventure that I had ever been through. It is a mental game. You have to be your own harshest critic and biggest cheerleader. You have to be your own coach and guidance counselor.
Alex, Dom, Jay, Arnold and Eddie Food Network Star 11 Final Five
The cast and crew couldn't have been better. If it looked on TV like we were all cheering for each other, that's because we genuinely were. We each wanted to win, but we wanted to beat everyone else at their best, not because they screwed up. Food Network and their team of casting and production companies put together an outstanding group of people, and it helped me relax and have fun.
Speaking of having fun, that was one of the keys to the entire process for me. I took the competition very seriously. I went to set each day as if it was my job. But I also realized that if this is my job, I better be having fun or it isn't worth doing. So I made sure to put a smile on my face and have fun even when I had no clue what would come next, or I felt particularly stressed or nervous. No matter what, I still had a good time, and the people around me helped with that.
Throughout the competition I remained very proud of what I was able to accomplish. I'm proud of how I represented Baton Rouge and all of Louisiana. While we were filming I knew I had been performing well. In fact, the judges never put me on the bottom. Not once was I up for elimination, and I knew that. Still, living in the moment, I didn't realize exactly how well I was doing.
Jay, Eddie and Dom drink some sparkling wine to celebrate being the top 3 and would get to film pilots on Food Network Star!
I had four goals for myself on the show, four milestones that I wanted to reach. The first one was simple: don't be the first contestant eliminated. That's always a big hurdle because everything is new and you don't have much time to get your message across. Next, I wanted to get into the top 6... the halfway point. After I made it there, I knew I shouldn't slow down. My third goal was to be in the top 3 and get to film a pilot for my own Food Network Show. When Bob Tuschman from the Network told me how consistently I had performed all season and that they wanted to see a pilot from me, it really hit home. That's pretty much as far as I could take it that was still in my control. The final goal, of course, was to win the show. All I could do was film my pilot to the best of my ability, then wait and see.
Unfortunately, in the end, I did not win. The first thing I did on that day, and the first thing that I'll do right now is congratulate Eddie Jackson on his performance and victory. I knew from episode one that Eddie would be my toughest competitor. He had the that athlete look in his eye like he knew how to be a winner. He had been training for this too. We took very different paths to get there, standing it that room on the Food Network Star Finale, but when his picture popped up, I felt happy for him. Of course the disappointment sunk in for me as well. I knew how well I had done. I heard the judges and mentors have nothing but praise for me. But in the end, on that day, it just wasn't meant to be.
The good news is that this should be a launching pad for whatever is next. I've said "just the beginning" before, but truly the beginning came at deer camps with my dad and LSU tailgate parties with the best group of friends a guy could ask for. Starting the blog and growing Bite and Booze into a culinary media conglomerate was the beginning. My Food Network Star journey represents the turning of a page and the start of a new chapter. I have plenty to focus on with the blog and radio show. I have my Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce on the market and a BBQ dry rub and Louisiana Molasses Mustard to follow very soon. And of course, I'm waiting for that next big opportunity. It'll come. I just need to be patient... but also keep working my butt off.
Thanks to everyone for all the support throughout the entire journey. Thanks to my team, Blair Loup and Sydney Blanchard, for having my back to whole time. I could write a long list of thank yous, but you know who you are. Thanks to all my family, friends and fans that supported me along the way. Thanks to everyone who showed up at a viewing party, posted on social media, or gave me hug. I really appreciate it.
I'm obsessed with type, and Hymel's retro signage makes me so happy
If you're anything like me, and you grew up in South Louisiana, it can be hard to drum up enthusiasm for a Cajun seafood restaurant. All fried seafood platters seem to meld into one in my mind, each pile of brown crunchiness indistinguishable from the last. In fact, writer Brett Anderson recently penned a column for Nola.com which insisted that fried seafood platters should get the hook.
Recently, Team Bite and Booze had the opportunity to eat at the famous Hymel's in Convent, La., where beverages are served in gigantic fishbowls and seafood is served fried and in heaping quantities.
Just about everything we ordered was fried.
Gigantic fishbowl of Abita Amber
We started with hush puppies and fried crab fingers as an appetizer. The hush puppies were some of the best I'd ever had (Blair insists Jay's from his legendary tailgating days are the best), and the crab claws were huge.
Jay and Blair split the largest fried seafood platter I'd ever seen. Piled high on the plate were fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried catfish, and a fried soft-shell crab. Served with coleslaw, white toast, and french fries, this platter could arguably feed a small army.
The soft-shell crab was fantastic. It was my first time eating soft-shell crab, and as strange as it was to literally eat the fried shell of the crab, it was incredibly tasty. Fried to a crisp, the fresh crab was a table favorite.
Seafood platter with soft-shell crab, fried oysters, fried shrimp
I made out like a bandit. For about $10 I wound up with a huge plate of fried chicken. And y'all, I love my grandma, but this fried chicken blew hers out of the water. It blew Chicken Shack out of the water. It changed my life. I have formed a religion around it.
There is no god, only Hymel's fried chicken.
The crispy corn meal crust had a distinct pork flavor to it, leading me to believe it may have been fried in...wait for it...actual lard.
The result was a crust that tasted like cracklins. Heaven help us all.
Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had
If you ever find yourself near the river in Convent, hit up Hymel's. It's worthwhile.
In a world...where white oak bourbon barrels are in short supply...one small-batch artisan bourbon distiller is saving us all...one whiskey cocktail at a time!
Angel's Envy out of Louisville, Kentucky, plans to repeat last year's "Toast the Trees" campaign this month as part of National Bourbon Heritage Month. For every picture posted on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #AE4THETREES, Angel’s Envy will plant an American White Oak tree.
And because we're a fan trees (and bourbon) we mixed up a little cocktail to sip for the cause.
Our take on the whiskey sour, with Angel's Envy, Peychaud's bitters, and juice from The Big Squeezy
For this take on the whiskey sour, we mixed Angel's Envy, Peychaud's Bitters, and The Big Squeezy's Sweet Tart, a cold-pressed mixture of pineapple, green apple, lemon, and a hint of mint.
During the month of September, do your part! Have an Angel's Envy cocktail and save a tree. Our future depends on it!
