Cooking with Whiskey

To stimulate appetite, drinking alcoholic beverages before eating is an entertainment enjoyed by many citizens of this country. But less understood in America, and certainly less followed, is the high art of making a fine meal finer by adding whiskey in the cooking.

European gastronomes have been preparing meats, fowl and seafood with distilled spirits for centuries; French chefs in particular include the brandy bottle on the spice shelf as a matter of course. Sumptuous liver pâtés, lobster Americaine (sometimes spelled Armoricaine), boeuf à la mode and duckling in aspic have all, at one time or another, been enhanced by brandy. Happily enough, American whiskey can do the same versatile job, and in some cases may actually do it more impressively.

Don't expect an intoxicating effect from cooking with whiskey. Alcohol, which boils at 173° F., either vanishes in the sprightly blue flames, if the whiskey is set afire, or else simmers away as the gravy reduces. What remains is a perceptible and really matchless flavor. Chefs who use whiskey for the first time are sometimes surprised by the fact that it doesn't dominate taste, but blends with and supports other flavors easily and beguilingly. And when whiskey is first burned rather than simply poured into a sauce, it acquires a lush concentrated flavor.

Note the small amounts of liquor in the following formulae. An overdose of whiskey in cookery, like an excess of salt or sherry or garlic, must always be avoided if you want to enhance the dish to which it is added. Don't splash your whiskey into the mixing bowl unmeasured. Unless you can pour it with the unerring hand of an experienced barkeep, you'd better put your faith and your whiskey in the standard jiggers, measuring cups, tablespoons or teaspoons.

The whiskey in your pantry needn't be so expensive that it makes you wince when you pour it into your Brunswick stew or crab meat. In most recipes, light 86 proof bourbon or a good blended whiskey will do a fine job. In recipes where the liquor isn't subjected to fire, as in the Bavarian cream recipe, you might want to select a fine old 100 proof bourbon for the best possible results.

If you're the type of cook who enjoys improvising with seasonings, a tip to remember is that whiskey seems to go best with rich rather than light dishes. Even foods which aren't heavy calorically, like mushrooms or onions, but which develop a savory natural aroma or flavor in the pan, fraternize beautifully with whiskey. Thus, in a clear chicken bouillon or clam broth, whiskey would be off key. But in a rich split-pea soup or black-bean soup, it's the difference which can make your guests enthusiastic.

We've put unadorned names on the following recipes, to indicate the basic dishes before they're enhanced by the bottle, but you can make the names of the foods ritzier, if you are so inclined, by calling them Chicken Liver Pâté Bourbonnaise, or Crab Meat With Toasted Almonds Avec Booze, or Breast of Chicken En Redeye, and like that.

[recipe_title]Onion Soup[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 large Spanish onion[/recipe]

[recipe]butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 ozs. bourbon or blended whiskey[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pt. fresh or canned chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]salt, freshly ground pepper[/recipe]

Cut the onion in half through the stem end, then into the thinnest possible slices (julienne). Sauté in a soup pot with a few tablespoons butter. When the onions are a rich yellow, but not yet brown, add the whiskey. Wait a few seconds until the whiskey gets hot. Then set a match to the pan, and let the booze blaze for about 10 seconds. To stop the blazing, cover the pan with a lid. Add the chicken broth, and simmer slowly about 15 min- (continued on page 60)Cooking with Whiskey(continued from page 55) utes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Purely for the sake of experimentation, you may want to go through the same ritual again, omitting the whiskey. When you compare the two finished versions for taste, the whiskey-flavored soup will be the better by far.)

[recipe_title]Dessert Sauce[recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy sweet cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons 100 proof bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]freshly ground nutmeg[/recipe]

There are a few recipes in which whiskey isn't cooked, but poured in straight from the bottle. If you like a creamy rice pudding or baked apples (both of these in high quality are now available in cans), try them with this easy spirited sauce: To the cream add the sugar, whiskey, and a dash of nutmeg. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the cream, ice cold, over the dessert. Or pour the same cream over a bowl of fresh, sliced, sweetened Elberta peaches. Your conversion to whiskey-eating will take place with the very first bite.

[recipe_title]Chicken Liver Pâté[/recipe_title]

[recipe](1-1/4 cups)[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. fresh or frozen chicken livers[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 stick (3 ozs.) butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup very finely minced onions[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 ozs. bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons prepared mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon dry mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons heavy sweet cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate[/recipe]

Chicken liver pâté is a purée used as a canapé spread. The best utensil for making liver into a purée is an electric meat grinder. A hand meat grinder is second best. If you own neither of these, you'll have to force the liver through a colander, a job tedious but necessary to give the liver its smooth consistency.

Thaw the chicken livers (if frozen). In a heavy saucepan melt the butter. Do not brown it. Add onions and livers. Sauté a minute or two. Add whiskey. When the whiskey is hot, set it ablaze. Let it flambée about 10 seconds. Continue to sauté the livers slowly until they are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Avoid overcooking or livers will become tough. Remove livers and onions from pan, saving the liquid. Put the livers through a meat-grinding machine, using the finest blade. In a deep mixing bowl combine the ground livers with the liquid from the saucepan. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard, dry mustard, cream, horseradish, salt, pepper and monosodium glutamate. Mix very well. Store the pâté in the refrigerator until well chilled. It will be at its flavor peak if chilled overnight. Serve on canapé wafers, salted crackers or small rounds of Melba toast.

[recipe_title]Crab Meat with Toasted Almonds[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1 lb. fresh crab lump[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup slivered almonds[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup blended whiskey[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 cups cold milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]salt[/recipe]

[recipe]celery salt[/recipe]

[recipe]white pepper[/recipe]

Crab meat epicures will use nothing but freshly cooked de luxe crab lump as sold at the best fish stores. There are times, however, when the de luxe crab is not available at any price. Frozen king crab meat or canned crab meat may be substituted.

Place the slivered almonds in a shallow pan or pie plate with half the butter. Bake in a moderate oven, 350°, about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Avoid charring almonds. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

Remove any pieces of shell or cartilage from the crab lump. In a heavy saucepan melt the rest of the butter. Add the crab lump. Sauté, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add whiskey and set it aflame. When flames subside, add 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream to saucepan. Add all the whites of the scallions and about half of the greens, thinly sliced. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce flame, and simmer 5 minutes. Turn flame very low. Beat eggs in 1/2 cup milk. Gradually add egg mixture to saucepan, stirring constantly. As soon as all of the egg mixture has been added to the pan, remove the pan from the flame at once. Add salt, celery salt and white pepper to taste. Sprinkle almonds on top. Serve on toast.

[recipe_title]Breast of Chicken[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]2 whole breasts or 4 half breasts of chicken[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon chervil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]4-oz. can mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]10-oz. can tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon monosodium glutamate[/recipe]

[recipe]salt[/recipe]

[recipe]pepper[/recipe]

Ask the butcher for breasts of two 3-1/2-lb. frying chickens if possible. If breasts are bought from a chicken parts store, select the large size. Cut each whole breast in half before cooking. Place chicken in a paper bag with flour, paprika and salt. Shake bag well to coat chicken thoroughly. Remove chicken from bag, and shake off excess flour. In a heavy saucepan melt the butter. Add salad oil. Sauté the chicken until light brown on both sides. While the chicken is sautéing, add onion, parsley and chervil to pan. After the chicken breasts have been browned, add whiskey, and set aflame. Allow the blazing to continue for about 10 seconds. Add mushrooms, pieces and stems, together with the mushroom juice, to the pan. Empty the contents of the can of tomatoes, saving the juice. Chop the tomato meat coarsely. Add the tomatoes together with their juice to the pan. Cover with a tight lid, and continue to simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, remove the lid and continue to cook until the sauce is medium thick. Skim excess fat from sauce. Add sugar, monosodium glutamate and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with noodles, vermicelli or rice in a casserole.

[recipe_title]Bavarian Cream[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1/2 cup whiskey[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon vanilla[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

(In this pudding the whiskey flavor emerges just as it would in a julep or a highball. Use anything from straight old rye or 100 proof fine bourbon to a light blended whiskey to suit your own individual preference.)

Combine the gelatin and whiskey. Stir to soften the gelatin. Separate whites from yolks of the eggs. In the top part of a double boiler beat egg yolks well. Add sugar and salt. Add milk. Mix well. Cook over simmering water (the water should not touch the top section) stirring constantly, especially in "corners" of pan, until mixture begins to thicken. It should look like a thin cream soup. Remove from the fire. Add vanilla, the whiskey and gelatin mixture and the nutmeg. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Place in a wide mixing bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture begins to thicken around the edges, and is syrupy looking in center. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold into the gelatin mixture. Beat the heavy cream until whipped (concluded on page 96)Cooking with Whiskey(continued from page 60) and fold into the gelatin mixture. Turn the mixture into a 1-quart gelatin mold previously rinsed in cold water and not wiped dry. Chill in the refrigerator until firm. To unmold run a knife around edge of mold. Dip bottom of the mold in hot water for several seconds. Unmold onto serving platter.

If a large mold isn't available, the cream may be spooned into champagne or sherbet glasses before it is jelled and served without unmolding.

[recipe_title]Lobster Tails Americaine[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1-1/4 lbs. frozen African lobster tails[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced shallots or onions[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon chervil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon leaf thyme[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]No. 2 can tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons meat extract[/recipe]

[recipe]salt[/recipe]

[recipe]pepper[/recipe]

This recipe, which calls for both whiskey and white wine, follows a traditional French pattern. In order to retain the deep cool seafood flavor of the crustaceans, the lobster tails are cooked in their shells. When the cooking is completed, the lobster tails may be served intact, or the meat may be removed from the shells and returned to the sauce before the dish is taken to the table. If you leave the meat in the shells, you should provide both oyster forks and oversize napkins or bibs to protect guests in extricating the sweet meat.

Thaw the lobster tails. With a heavy French knife cut through the underside of the tails, separating each piece in half lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into 1-1/2-inch pieces. In a heavy saucepan melt butter. Add olive oil. Add the lobsters to the pan, and sauté until the meat stiffens and turns white. Add the shallots or onions to the pan. Add chervil and thyme. Sauté 2 or 3 minutes more. Add whiskey and wine. Set the spirits aflame. Let them blaze for about 20 seconds. Empty the contents of the can of tomatoes, saving the juice. Chop the tomato meat coarsely. Add the tomato meat and the juice of the tomatoes to the pan. Add meat extract to the pan. Stir well. Simmer slowly 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Cheese Fondue[/recipe_title]

[recipe](1-3/4 cups)[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons finely minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 ozs. blended whiskey[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]8 ozs. shredded gruyère cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup grated parmesan[/recipe]

[recipe]cayenne pepper, salt[/recipe]

This melted-cheese dish may be served as a hot appetizer or as a main course for a late supper party. In the latter case it's hard to imagine it without tall seidels of cold beer within easy reach. For hot hors d'oeuvres, pour the fondue into a chafing dish, and provide the guests with cubes of French bread to be dipped into the cheese, community fashion. If the fondue is served at the table, this recipe will provide two generous portions, and should be served on crisp toast.

In the top part of a double boiler over a direct flame, melt the butter. Add onion. Let the onion sauté about 1/2 minute. Add whiskey and set it aflame for about 15 seconds. Add the flour, mixing well. Add light cream. Stir well with a wire whip. Place the mixture over simmering water in a double boiler. Add gruyère and parmesan cheeses. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Add a dash of cayenne pepper and salt to taste. If your guests have properly appreciative palates, their reactions should be as spirited as your cooking.