Good Stuff from Bourbon Barrel Foods

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. In the 1970s. Not gonna lie to you. At that time it was pretty much a gastronomic wasteland, except for the not inconsiderable charms of Waffle House. Scattered, smothered and covered.. but I digress.

Bourbon has always been one of Kentucky's greatest exports. Even in the dark days, there was Maker's Mark and a handful of others making quality whiskey. Now the big houses like Jim Beam have many single-barrel upmarket products, and smaller producers such as Bulleit are making superb bourbons.

So it is only fitting that Bourbon Barrel Foods is using ... wait for it ... bourbon barrels ... to age some absolutely beautiful, artisanal foods. They graciously sent me three samples recently, and I've enjoyed them all.

Fine soy sauce is a non-trivial undertaking, and frankly I was a little skeptical. I needn't have been. This one has a rich, complex flavor without any chemical or caramel-flavor notes.

The bourbon-smoked paprika tastes as good to me as any from Spain. It isn't too spicy, and the smokiness level is just right to enhance an adult mac & cheese or this panko-crusted egg.

And possibly my favorite, if forced to choose: the bourbon-vanilla sorghum. Sorghum is a grass that is used mainly as animal fodder in America, though in other parts of the world it is an important cereal for people. When processed into a syrup, it has an intense flavor somewhat comparable to molasses. It might be an acquired taste for some, but I served it with pancakes for a group of 4 adults and 3 kids, and everyone enjoyed it. I think it would also be amazing with cornbread.

So there you have it. Some great products from my homeboys... makes me proud!

Make Sparkling Water or Soda at Home with Soda-Club - Save Money and Help The Environment

I'm completely addicted to sparkling water, and so is my whole family. We go through quarts of the bubbly stuff every day, and believe me it was getting expensive! Even when we stepped down from imported to store brands, we were easily spending $30 per month, not to mention lugging it home from the grocery store.

So last summer I learned about Soda-Club, and we had to give it a try. Bottom line: I've never been happier with a product I've bought for the house. Check out the video above - the machine is incredibly easy to use. You just fill up one of the included, reusable quart bottles with water, screw it into the machine, and depress a button a few times to release the CO2. In a few seconds you have a quart of delicious, refreshing sparkling water. By pumping more or less you can adjust the carbonation level to your own preference.

Ok, I can't help it, I'm just in love with this thing. It would make a terrific Mother's Day gift, by the way!

Here are 10 things I like about it:

1. Saving money: You'll spend less than $100 upfront, but then each canister of CO2 makes 110 quarts of water. If you were paying $2 each, you'll be ahead of the game in just a couple of months and never look back. I figure we save at least $25 each month.
2. Bottled water is an environmental disaster. Even if you use glass bottles, you have a huge amount of energy used to transport it from around the world to your grocery store and then home to your house.
3. Carting home lots of quarts of water from the grocery store is a pain in the neck! They are heavy and take up lots of room.
4. The heavy-duty plastic bottles are BPA free and you can reuse them for up to 3 years.
5. You'll never run out. You can make more sparkling water in just a few moments.
6. The customer service is terrific. When you need supplies, you just place an order on the website and put the old canister outside. A few days later, new ones magically appear. Tip: there is free shipping if you get two at a time.
7. Soda-Club also offers flavorings (like lemon essence), and soda packets if you want to make cola or lemon-lime etc. beverages at home. I'm not a big soft-drink drinker, but I do like to add a little bit of fruit juice sometimes. Pomegranate is especially delicious.
8. The machine is easy to use. Installing a new canister just takes a minute, and you only have to do it every few months (depending on your usage level of course), and making bottles of waters takes literally seconds.
9. The unit is compact and looks nice on your counter.
10. And it doesn't use any electricity at all! It is completely driven by the compressed gas.

Just get one. You can thank me later :)! The banner below will take you right to their site.

Holiday Shopping for Gourmets (or Gourmands) - ChefShop.com

I've mentioned ChefShop.com on the blog before, because they are a local Seattle business that I really believe in. Tim Mar is a stone cold killer when it comes to tracking down incredible food products. He maintains contact with dozens of small producers, and brings in shipping containers from Europe every year, packed with goodies you often can't find anywhere else. A shipment just arrived, so now is the time to get the coolest new stuff.

The two items above are both from the US. Katz vinegars from the Napa and Suisun valleys in California are terrific. This Late Harvest Zinfandel Vinegar is agrodolce (sweet and sour), with strong, specific fruit flavors. It isn't at all like a generic wine vinegar. The June Taylor Candied Seville Peel is from Berkeley. If you like marmalades, you will love this. Big chunky pieces of Seville orange-peel. They go amazing with Spanish cheeses like manchego, or in any holiday cake where you would use candied fruit.

ChefShop is a great place to buy holiday presents for the good cooks or good eaters on your list. You'll probably find something your friends haven't seen before, and everything they carry is top-notch. If you are in Seattle, drop by the store at 1415 Elliot Avenue West, or otherwise browse the online catalog. You can see some of my other favorite items in my pantry on the site. (This isn't a promotion, just an opportunity to share stuff I love).