Chocolate Bourbon Tart with Pecan Crust & Fresh Whipped Cream

Chocolate Bourbon Tart with Pecan Crust & Fresh Whipped Cream

Looking for something new this Derby? Skip the pie and try this tasty treat! We make our tart with a ground pecan crust filled with bourbon chocolate ganache. Topped with a dollop of fresh cream, it’s perfect for your Derby Day Festivities. This tart is all about the chocolate, so be sure to buy a high-quality chocolate. If you’re using bourbon in the whipped cream, any bourbon will do; however, we prefer Makers Mark for its sweet flavor.

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar

Filling
8 ounces fine chocolate, like Scharffen Berger or Ghirardelli
1 cup cream
6 tablespoons of softened butter
2 tablespoons bourbon

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Bourbon Tart
INSTRUCTIONS
Butter a 9” square or round tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom. Place on a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast the pecans for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Place in a food processor or mini chopper and grind until fine ground.

In a large bowl, combine the ground, cooled nuts, flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl add the butter and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, mixing for about 3-4 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the egg and water and beat for another minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the dough to the buttered tart pan and press to fit the bottom and all the way up the sides. Cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the tart pan with buttered foil (butter side down on the dough) and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and the weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

In a bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, heat the cream to very hot. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir to melt the chocolate completely. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, melting completely before adding the next tablespoon. Stir in the bourbon. Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shell and smooth the surface. Chill until set. Remove and bring to room temperature before cutting.

Fresh Whipped Cream

INSTRUCTIONS
In the refrigerator, chill a medium metal bowl and the beaters to an electric mixer for 20 minutes. Add the cold cream to the bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Add bourbon (if using) and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Serve with the tart.

Bourbon Chicken Crisps with Bacon & Cheddar

Bourbon Chicken Crisps with Bacon & Cheddar

We’ve got a simple, new party idea for the upcoming Kentucky Derby. “Wow” your crowd with our Bourbon Chicken Crisps. Easy to put together, our crisps are sweet, salty and flavored with a touch of bourbon. To speed things up, make the crispy base and chicken the night before, then just assemble on the big day.

INGREDIENTS
Crispy Bread
12 slices extra thin Pepperidge Farm white bread
olive oil
kosher salt

Chicken
½ cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 large bone in skin on chicken breast

Bourbon Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon bourbon
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices of thick cut apple wood smoked bacon, cooked, cooled and sliced into strips
24 baby pepper rings – red, yellow, and orange, sliced into very thin rings

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the crispy bread base
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a 1 ¾ “ round cookie cutter, cut 24 round bread pieces from the thin slices. On a baking sheet, place a piece of parchment paper. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and lightly salt. Place in one layer on the parchment paper and then in the oven. Bake 5 minutes, turn over, and bake 5 minutes more or until brown and toasted.

Prepare the Chicken
Whisk together the buttermilk, mustard, salt and pepper, and cayenne in a bowl. Pour into a plastic zip-top bag and add the chicken. Make sure the chicken is coated with the marinade, then remove excess air and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours minimum or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade, rinse and pat dry. Place in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the breast reaches 165 degrees in the center. Cool slightly, then remove the skin and bone, discard. Shred the chicken and set aside. Note: You can also seal the chicken breast in a vacuum bag, and cook sous vide using an immersion circulator set at 165 degrees for two hours. You can prepare the shredded chicken the night before or use 1 ½ cups of store purchased shredded chicken breast.

Prepare the Bourbon sauce
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Simmer for eight minutes while often whisking until thickened. Add 1 ½ cups of shredded chicken and mix thoroughly to combine.

To Assemble
Place 1 tablespoon of bourbon chicken on the crispy bread. Top with bacon, a pinch of finely shredded cheddar, and a mini pepper ring.

Bourbon, Chocolate, & Pecan Pie Shooters

Bourbon, Chocolate, & Pecan Pie Shooters

Who needs pie when you can have a pie cocktail? These tasty mini drinks start with the shot glass rimmed in ground pecans and sweetened chocolate. The shooters are a combination of bourbon, liquors, and cream making a delicious boozy chocolate pecan pie in a shot glass. We guarantee your guests will love this new twist on a Kentucky Derby classic dessert.

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup toasted pecan pieces
¼ cup sweet ground cocoa
2 tablespoons simple syrup*
1 ounce Makers Mark bourbon
1 ½ ounces Rivulet Artisanal Pecan Liquor, available at Liquor Barn
2 ounces Godiva Dark Chocolate Liquor
2 ounces Whipping Cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Grind the toasted pecans in a spice grinder until finely ground. In a small bowl, add an equal amount of sweet, ground cocoa to the ground pecans and combine thoroughly. In a shallow dish add a small amount of simple syrup. Dip the top of the shot glass in the simple syrup, then in the pecan chocolate mixture to rim the top of the shot glass

In a cocktail shaker, add some ice, then the bourbon, pecan liquor, Godiva, and whipping cream. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into a liquid measuring cup. Pour into the shot glasses. Our recipe makes six shooter size drinks.

* If you don’t have simple syrup on hand, you can quickly prepare it by combining equal parts white sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat on the stove, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Then cool the liquid to room temperature before using.

Buttermilk Tartlets with Lemon Curd and Raspberries

Buttermilk Tartlets with Lemon Curd and Raspberries

Perfect for spring or summer parties, these quick and easy tartlets make a tasty treat for any social occasion. The recipe comes together is a short time and can be refrigerated until ready to serve. You can make your lemon curd or use a high-quality jarred version such as Williams-Sonoma, Stonewall Kitchens, or Wilkin and Sons.

INGREDIENTS
30 frozen filo tartlet shells
½ stick butter
1 cup sugar
One large egg and one large egg yolk
1 ½ tablespoons flour
½ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pinch cinnamon
5 tablespoons lemon curd, high quality jarred or homemade
15 raspberries, sliced in half
30 baby mint sprigs, optional

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set the frozen filo shells on a cookie sheet. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine them until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs and mix in well. Add the flour and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and cinnamon, mixing again until well combined. Carefully spoon into the filo cups. Bake for 15 minutes and then cool completely.

When cooled, add ½ teaspoon of lemon curd to each cup. Top with ½ of a raspberry and mint sprig, if using. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Pecan Biscuits with Ham, Pepper Jelly, & Pineapple

Pecan Biscuits with Ham, Pepper Jelly, & Pineapple

Top these soft and crunchy Southern Pecan Biscuits with delicious shredded honey ham, a spicy ginger pepper jelly, and a slice of sweet pineapple. Easy to make, the dough for the biscuits comes together quickly in the work bowl of a food processor; chilled, then roll, cut, and bake. The balance of the appetizer is finished in just minutes, making these treats perfect for any spring party or buffet. We recommend Bermuda Jam Factory’s Ginger Pepper Jam for its mild heat and sweet ginger finish. You can find it at the Fresh Market.

Pecan Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup finely sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch cayenne pepper

Appetizer
INGREDIENTS
30 Pecan Biscuits (recipe below)
¼ cup, room temperature whipped cream cheese
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded cooked honey ham
2 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons Bermuda Jam Factory Ginger Pepper Jam or other high-quality Pepper Jam
Thinly sliced pineapple slivers, ½” x 1” by 1/8” thick

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the food processor to fine chop the pecans. Add the cheeses, butter, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper and pulse until dough forms. Turn dough out onto the work surface and gently knead, about 5-7 times, until it just comes together. Divide into two equal pieces and pat into two thin disks. Wrap with plastic and place in the refrigerator. Chill until dough is firm, at least 2 hours up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Roll the dough into 3/8 “ thick circle. The biscuits will crumble if cut too thin so be sure to stay at 3/8 of an inch. Using a round cookie cutter, cut into 2” round biscuits. Gather the remaining dough, gently shape into a disk and refrigerate until cold before you cut again. Repeat this process and cut all the dough into about 30 biscuits. Bake the biscuits until crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Be careful, when warm they can be crumbly. Let cool completely before handling.

Carefully spread a very thin layer of cream cheese on each biscuit, top with 1 tablespoon of shredded ham, ½ teaspoon hot pepper jelly, and add a slice of pineapple.