Louisville's Food Culture

Louisville, Kentucky is definitely on top of good nutrition for it's residents. City gardens and outdoor fruit and  vegetable markets abound during fair weather. Most local restaurants are proud to say their produce in gown within the immediate area. That goes for their wines and Bourbon whiskies too.

In addition, our bed and breakfasts pay very close attention to what they serve our guests. At the Aleksander House, we always use the freshest ingredients and make sure our fruits and vegetables, as well as our breakfasts meats, are not only fresh but of the highest quality.

Chef Kathy Cary from Lilly's Bistro

My B&B guests are always amazed when they come to Louisville and find that the restaurants here are amazing. They are top notch, with most of the owners and chefs having been trained in some of the finest culinary Arts schools and restaurants in the world. One of the most popular is Lilly's Bistro, owned and operated by Kathy Cary, who is also the executive chef there.

Much of Kathy Cary's inspiration derives from her knowledge and love of her own Kentucky roots, where she learned to love food at an early age in her mother's kitchen. Apprenticed to a cordon Bleu-trained chef in Washington, D.C., she later started a small catering firm there and then became a chef at a stylish Georgetown restaurant.

She returned to Kentucky, and opened her first La Peche gourmet-to-go shop in 1979. Lilly's opened 24 years ago, with a menu that reflects Kathy's French-inspired use of traditional Kentucky ingredients with unexpected, contemporary twists.

Food at Lilly's continues to be influenced by our longstanding tradition of buying locally from farmers and producers, rather than pursuing fashionable food trends," says Kathy Cary, chef/owner. Kathy uses ingredients such as catfish, country ham, bourbon, seasonal produce and local artisanal cheeses and meats on an ever-changing menu that honors Southern foodways but doesn't hesitate to draw from Continental, Mediterranean and Asian techniques.

Kathy also heads a celebrated catering operation, known as La Peche. She is known and admired both regionally and nationally. The Louisville Dining Guide summed up Lilly's as "the most influential and celebrated Louisville restaurant of the past decade

Kathy has been honored to be selected as one of the few James Beard Award Nominees in the category of "Best Chef of the Southeast" – annually from 2002 through 2006.

A New York Times writer concluded, after a culinary visit to Louisville, "My eating expedition could actually have begun and ended happily in a sleek restaurant called Lilly's." (courtesy of Louisville Originals)

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Turkey Day: Pair your wine with the food you are serving for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner

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Cherry Scones and Lemon Curd

Cherry Scones

(32 scones)

Ingredients

1 package Victorian House Scone mix
3 sticks butter
2 cups buttermilk
1-2 cups dried cherries
Instructions
Pour contents of bag into mixing bowl. Cut in 2 sticks of chilled butter, until mixture is fine and crumbly. Stir in 2 cups of buttermilk. Dough will form a soft ballTurn dough out onto floured board or pastry cloth and knead gently 3-4 times.

Divide dough into quarters and shape each quarter into a flattened circle 6-7 inches in diameter, aproximately 3/4 inch thick. Knead in the dried cherries.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out scones. *Dough may be frozen at this point, to use later. Place scones on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Brush with crean and'or sprunkle with sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 13-18 minutes, depending on size of scones. Tops should be very light golden brown when done.

Serve warm with butter, preserves, lemon curd and/or clotted cream.
To order scone mix, go to: http://victorianhousescones.com/.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

juice of 4 med-lg lemons

2 tablespoons lemon zest

5 egg yolks

Instructions

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add sugar, lemon juice and zest. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add egg yolks. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. May be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Clotted Cream

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Using a whisk attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and confectioners' sugar until just combined. Store in refrigerator

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Return to the the Victorian Tea

As promised, I will share my plans for our first Victorian Tea in April of this year. I thought I would take you along with me as we explore the two kinds of Victorian Teas: High and Low, the foods usually served at these events, and the many varieties of teas that can be used.

A Victorian Low Tea
In Victorian times, Low Tea was a Tea that was typically served in a 'parlor' or living room type of setting using side tables, and a tea cart or tea or coffee table to serve from. It is called "Low" because of the tables that were used. They were lower than dining tables. It isn't unusual now, though, to serve a Low Victorian Tea at a dining table. Most Teas offered in tea rooms and shops are low Teas because of the nature of the food served, but are served at a high table

Food served at a Low Tea
Tea Sandwiches
Savory Scones, seasoned with herbs, cheese, etc.
Other Appetizers
Plain Scones served with Clotted Cream & fruit curds
Sweet Scones
Tea Breads, Banana, Zucchini, etc
Tea Cakes
Cookies
Sweets
and a nice hot pot of tea.

Low Tea protocol
Although more food options are served in a Low Tea, like tea sandwiches, scones, special desserts, candies/chocolates... it is still considered like a snack. Therefore, when helping yourself or being served, do not expect a lot of food. One or two of each item is normally appropriate. Seconds may be passed or a return to the buffet table may be indicated, but the same principle applies, one or two of each item

A Victorian High Tea
A true Victorian High Tea will be a full dinner served at a dining table.

Food served at a Victorian High Tea
Some or all of the following:
soups
meats
casseroles
a vegetable dish or two
scones
breads
cakes
other sweets

Victorian Tea prices per person
We have decided to offer three different teas: a Low Tea at $17.50 per person, a Low Tea at $21.95 per person, and a High Tea at $24.95 per person The difference in prices depends upon the amounts, the variety, and kinds of foods served. We will come up with a list of interesting and delicious sounding foods that we like to make, we've made before, or we have recipes for. We will categorize them into the groups mentioned above and price each group so that we may customize each Tea party.

On our next post, we will mention specific foods we plan to encorporate into our available food items list, along with some of our recipes, and discuss our research on varietals of tea and which ones we have selected for our Tea parties.
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A wonderful little Italian restaurant only 3 blocks from my Inn

The Amici' Cafe opened July of 2006 in a historic building, within walking distance of the Aleksander House, in Old Louisville. Serving Northern Italian cuisine, it has developed into a popular neighborhood restaurant, frequented by locals and enjoyed by many out of town visitors.

After visiting the restaurant several times myself and finding the food authentic, delicious and superbly prepared, and the ambience romantic and inviting, I began sending my guests there for lunch and dinner. They all loved it! Hurrah! another very fine restaurant in Louisville,.....and we have so many!

I'm from Chicago, where there are so many very fine restaurants. When I came to Louisville 15 years ago, I experienced one of the surprises of my life. Louisville is truly loaded with some of the best restaurants around. And Amici is certainly included in this prestigious group!

"You will think you are in a Tuscan courtyard when you step into our dining room with cherry red and white checkered tablecloths, large windows, beautiful artwork, and the aroma of ragu pomodoro sauce simmering in the kitchen; all inviting you to sit down and enjoy a flavorful and relaxing meal" (the owners).

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Tea anyone?...............the creation of a Victorian Tea Party

Tea is so popular right now, even the men are drinking it. Prior to the 20th century, the drinking of tea was associated with "ladies" attending afternoon tea parties or meeting each other in tea rooms for a slice of cake and a little pleasant conversation. But it seems it is more popular now than ever and has become more or less a household staple, drunk throughout the day by some and in stead of coffee by others. So has the Victorian afternoon tea died out completely? Not according to some. I have a Victorian bed and breakfast. Although we have very modern amenities, we have retained Victorian decor and the feeling of the 1800s, when my house was built. Visitors love it. It makes them feel as though they have been taken back in time . So what has this got do with Victorian teas?

Well, it seems as though being taken back in time is not enough, some visitors want a hands on, more authentic experience. What was the food actually like? What did the dishes, and the cups and the tea service actually look like. What did it feel like to participate is such a ritualistic, elegant event? How fun would it be to have that experience? And so, after getting numerous calls asking if we do Victorian teas, we've decided to give the people what they're asking for. First thing we did was dig into the history a bit.

According to legend, tea drinking started accidentally in 2737 BC, when Chinese emperor Shen Nong was served water into which dried tea leaves had fallen. He thought it had an "interesting" flavor and eventually drinking tea spread though out his empire. It later became so well liked that it was cultivated and served during ritual tea ceremonies both in China and Japan. The art of the tea ceremony became so popular that tea houses sprang up all though out the orient.

By the late 1600s, tea drinking had made its way to Europe. And, by the 1700s, France and Holland led Europe in using tea, with England running a close third. And it was here, in England, that the European tea service format was created by Anna, the dutchess of Bedford. She would frequently invite her friends to an afternoon of conversation, serving small cakes, sandwiches, assorted sweets and, of course, tea.

Two types of tea services emerged, high tea and low tea. Low tea was served in the homes of the wealthy and consisted of gourmet tidbits, rather than a regular meal, with the emphasis on presentation and conversation. High tea was the main afternoon meal of the middle and lower classes and featured meats and vegetables, as well as sweets and tea.

Eventually tea was imported into and readily available in America around 1690. Most distribution companies were based in New York, Boston or Philadelphia. In the 1880s tea rooms began to spring up all over, in both Europe and America. Hotels like the Ritz, in Philadelphia and the Plaza, in New York became noted for their daily afternoon tea service.

So, we, at the Aleksander House, are planning on presenting Victorian Teas, in all their splender, to maybe 10-12 persons from 2-4 pm, by appointment. We will be doing this on a customized basis and are already emersed in the planning of one such event for the first week in April. In later posts, I'll let you know about the service, the food, and so on. Keep posted!

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The secret to making delicious scones in a hurry

Don't get me wrong, I am not changing my basic attitude about making baked goods from scratch. To me, they are always better them those from a mix. When I opened my bed and breakfast, 15 years ago, I swore I would make everything from scratch. I would make only real whipped cream, hollandaise sauce, and creme fraiche. I would fry bacon in an iron skillet. I was a purest. Besides that, I honestly thought anything made from scratch was better. I was not into short cuts!

Well, that was all well and good until the first time I had ten guests for breakfast and no help. I had planned on serving Eggs Benedict, bacon, a fresh fruit cup, sour dough toast and cherry scones with lemon curd and creme fraiche. "I can do this" has always been my mantra. And I began saying it over and over, when my assistant called in sick. It took me hours to prepare everything. They wanted breakfast at 8:00 am, and so I was up and in the kitchen by 6:00 am. It still wasn't enough time! Breakfast was quite late that morning and I was totally frazzled! It didn't reach the dining room table until 9:00!

That day, I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes you just have to use short cuts: pre-cooked bacon, hollandaise made with Knorr's packets, cool whip instead of fresh whipped cream. And occassionally, you have to make those muffins out of a box. Or use a mix for pancakes, waffles and, yes, scones! So after making that decision, I went on a mad rampage looking for the best mixes I could find. And, as far as my wonderful "scratch" scones go I finally found the mix to take their place.! And it was by accident or, actually, through my good fortune. Enter: the Scone lady!

Next post: How to make fabulous scones from a mix
photo courtesy Victorian House Scones
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Weird Week At The Inn

Ever since the ice and snow storms hit the City of Cardinals, things have been very unsettled here at the Aleksander House. Traditionally, January is our very slowest month of the year. But because of the storms, we are getting call after call from local residents who have no power. The storms outed the power of aproximately 177,000 Louisville residents.

I am not the only bed and breakfast in Louisville. There are 14 of us, mostly in the "Old Louisville" preservation area. We all belong to the same organization, the Louisville Bed and Breakfast Association, and when we fill up with guests we always refer to each other. So the calls were from both other Innkeepers and locals.

Our check-in time is 3:00 pm or after. Check-out is 11:00 am. Our rates are based partly on how long people are here. The confusing part of all this is that people without power would check in and then, when their power came back on, they would leave, sometimes at odd times. People were coming and going according to their power, or the lack thereof. It was hard to determine how much to charge them. In addition, feeling guilty that I had power and they didn't, I struggled with how much to charge them. I ended up giving everyone a discount. The longer the power was out, the deeper the discount.

The phone was ringing off the hook with calls from freezing people, who had tried to tough it out in their icey homes in front of tiny fires in fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. They were desperate to have a little relief, a shower, warm hands & feet, and a home cooked meal.

My heart went out to my local guests, reluctant to leave their homes, their pets and their plants...... throwing a few night clothes and sundries in plastics bags (too cold to go search for the suitcase in the storeroom) and searching for warmth and comfort.

We did our utmost to make them feel at home; trying to turn our Inn into a safehaven for new friends. One thing they were all grateful for were our huge gourmet breakfasts. Today, we served a delicious Spinach-Mushroom Quiche, homemade Lemon Blueberry muffins, fresh fruit and sausage. (see "recipes" on side bar). They were delighted.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Barack Obama

excerpt from Chicago Bites #126

Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop
By Bridget on January 12, 2009

"...Barack Obama is a Chicago foodie, so when Tammy and I heard that the president-elect likes the southern fare at Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop in Hyde Park we headed over there to check it out ourselves. My mouth has been watering ever since! I’m craving the fried green tomatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, catfish, greens, and sweet potato pie at this very moment. Part of a small Illinois restaurant chain, Dixie Kitchen does it right -- tasty food and spectacular service all for a good value...."

NOTE: "...Want to hear Obama’s take on Dixie Kitchen? A lost pilot episode of the show Check it out! taped in 2001 features the then state senator’s review. It aired at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 16, on WTTW." (excerpted from Chicago Bites)