Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook - Bobby Flay [2]
We celebrate with American cocktails, whether an aperitif made with bourbon, like the Kentucky 95, or an appetizer made with lobster and avocado. A bit of Bar Americain’s cuisine gets it inspiration from classic French dishes, such as the onion soup, but my take, full of Georgia Vidalia onions and Vermont cheddar cheese, is distinctly homegrown. The choice is yours: whether you select an all-American creamy clam chowder with a sweet potato base; a salad of smoked trout, Kentucky ham, and buttermilk dressing; cornmeal johnny cakes topped with barbecued duck; shrimp and grits; or oyster and lobster shooters, the Bar Americain meal starts with a punch of national pride.
Bar Americain’s entrées will fill your table family-style, a way for all to explore my culinary map. Red snapper with a crisp skin of plantains accompanied by avocado, mango, and black beans, which we call Florida-style, celebrates the state’s Cuban influence. Or perhaps a rack of pork with a molasses-mustard glaze and a sour mash sauce is more up your alley. And of course, it wouldn’t be America without a selection of beef steaks, spice-rubbed and with a host of possible accompanying side dishes, like Brooklyn hash browns and cauliflower goat cheese gratin.
And, trust me, you have to leave room for dessert.… Every good brasserie, whether European or American, has a plate of crêpes. Bar Americain’s are filled with blueberries and lemon and served with a brown sugar–brown butter sauce. There’s a soufflé, of course—mine is laced with blackberries—and a thin apple tart in the style of Paris but with a distinctly American cinnamon sauce as an accompaniment.
I hope this gives you an idea of how I think about Bar Americain. Its concept and its existence are so important to me. Bar Americain is a place of celebration—a place to celebrate good times, good food, good drinks, and the country that made it all possible. It’s everything I ever wanted my dream restaurant to be—complete with all the food I love to cook and eat.
COCKTAILS
BLACKBERRY-BOURBON JULEP
PICKLED MARY
PICKLED COCKTAIL ONIONS
PIMM’S CUP
AMERICAN EAGLE
BARBECUE COCKTAIL
B AND TEA
SANGRITA
KENTUCKY 95
Blackberry-Bourbon Julep
BLACKBERRY-BOURBON JULEP
Each year on the first Saturday of May, you will find me at Churchill Downs, drink in hand, cheering the horses to victory at the Kentucky Derby. The derby is the first jewel in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred horseracing and is a magical event steeped in tradition. One of those traditions and the drink in my hand mentioned above is the Mint Julep—bourbon, mint, and sugar served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup. My version of this drink may not be traditional, but it is definitely a winner.
Serves 4
1¼ cups fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish
¼ cup superfine sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons bourbon
1 big bunch of fresh mint leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish
Shaved or crushed ice
Club soda, chilled
1. Mash together the blackberries, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl and let macerate at room temperature until juicy, about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing against the solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the seeds.
2. Put about 2 tablespoons of the blackberry liquid and 1 tablespoon of the bourbon into a silver mint julep cup, add 8 mint leaves, and muddle together.
3. Add shaved ice until the cup is half full. Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about 1 inch over the top of the cup. Pour ¼ cup of the bourbon over the ice, add a splash of club soda, and garnish with several big sprigs of mint. Garnish with whole blackberries, if desired.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 three times to make 4 drinks. Serve