BBQ Bloody Mary with Smokey Deviled Eggs, Fried Baby Okra, and Rémoulade Sauce
BBQ Bloody Mary
Barbecue seasonings such as Rendezvous, Weber’s, or Lillie’s
Several wedges of lime or lemon
4 ounces vodka
1 to 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of celery salt
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
Tabasco to taste
Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, chilled
Celery stalk, pickle green beans, or pickled okra for garnish
In a small saucer, deep enough to dip a glass, pour enough barbecue seasoning to cover a glass rim. Squeeze a lime or lemon wedge around edge of each glass, coating well. Invert glass in seasoning and turn to coat entire rim. Fill 2 glasses with ice and add vodka, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, lemon juice, and Tabasco to taste. Fill glass with Zing Zang mix and stir. Check seasonings and garnish each glass as desired.
Yield: 2 servings
Fried Baby Okra
1 pound baby okra
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon barbecue seasoning, plus more for dusting
Oil for frying
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Wash and pat okra dry. In a mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, breadcrumbs, and barbecue seasoning.
In a frying pan, heat oil to 350 degrees. Add baby okra to egg mixture and toss to coat. Shake excess off, then roll each piece in flour mixture. Working in batches, drop okra in hot oil and fry, turning as necessary, until golden brown. Transfer okra to a paper towel-lined pan using a slotted spoon and dust with more barbecue seasoning, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Rémoulade Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon Creole mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish sauce
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
4 finely chopped scallions
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients until well combined. Chill and serve with fried baby okra.
Smokey Deviled Eggs
6 boiled eggs, peeled and yolks removed
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely minced pickled jalapeños
2 tablespoons finely minced celery
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
1 teaspoon smoked salt
Smoked pepper for dusting
Chives for garnish
Cut boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Place yolks in a small bowl, then combine with mayonnaise, pickled jalapeños, minced celery, chives, and smoked salt. Mix with a fork until smooth. Check seasonings. Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture into halved cooked eggs—dust lightly with the smoked pepper and garnish as desired with fresh chives.
Yield: 12 deviled eggs
Grilled Pimento Cheese Bites, Fried Dill Pickles with Horseradish Sauce, and Pickle Back Shots
Grilled Pimento Cheese Bites
½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 slices fresh bread, crusts removed and cut on a diagonal
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the cheddar cheese, pimentos, minced jalapeño, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Check seasonings. Spread cheese mixture over 3 bread slices and top each one with remaining slices. In a pan over medium-low heat, melt butter and add sandwiches. Using a flat spatula, gently press down on each sandwich and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Flip sandwiches over and press down again on each sandwich until cheese is melting and bread is golden brown on each side. Add extra butter if needed. Remove from heat, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot.
Yield: 3 servings
Fried Dill Pickles
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups flour
¼ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 (16-ounce) jar dill pickle chips, drained and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a large skillet, heat oil in a large skillet until temperature reaches 350 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, and onion powders. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg until combined. Place a handful of pickle slices in buttermilk mixture and gently stir with a fork to coat. Using a slotted spoon, remove pickles, shaking off excess, then place them in flour mixture, tossing to coat. Add breaded pickles to hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Once browned, remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat process with remaining pickles. Serve hot with horseradish sauce.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Horseradish Sauce
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup horseradish or to taste
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Check seasonings. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Yield: 1½ cups
Pickle Back Shots
3 (1 or 2-ounce) shot glasses
Rye Whiskey
Pickle Brine
Dark Beer
Chill shot glasses. Fill one with whiskey, one with pickle brine, and one with cold beer. Serve immediately. May garnish with a pickle slice and pistachio nuts on the side if desired.
Yield: 1 serving
After Five Bourbon and Bacon Bar
This is one for the men, but the ladies enjoy it just as much! Set out several varieties of good bourbon, cold beer, champagne, and a few hearty bacon appetizers, and you have a party!
The Seelback Cocktail
This cocktail was made famous at the Seelback Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, with its perfect combination of toasty warmth from the bourbon and the celebratory bubbles of champagne.
4 ounces bourbon
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
3 dashes bitters
Ice
Champagne
In a cocktail shaker, pour bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice. Fill shaker with ice and cover with lid. Shake vigorously several times and strain into 2 fluted glasses. Top each glass with champagne and serve.
Yield: 2 servings
Brown Sugar Bacon
12 strips thick sliced bacon
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium-size bowl, stir together brown sugar and pepper. Add bacon and toss until evenly coated. Place on a parchment-lined pan. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is almost completely cooked. Remove top sheet of paper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and, using tongs, transfer to a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any drippings. Let cool and serve with bourbon on rocks.
Yield: 12 slices of bacon
Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks
6 slices of bacon, cut in half
12 (10-inch) breadsticks
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Starting at one end of breadstick, wrap with bacon until it reaches top, stretching if necessary. Place wrapped breadsticks on baking pan, repeating process until all breadsticks are wrapped. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bacon is cooked through. Remove from oven and pat each breadstick with a paper towel. Mix cheese and garlic salt together in a pie plate and roll each breadstick in mixture while still warm. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.
Yield: 12 breadsticks
Cream Cheese and Bacon Jam Crostini
12 slices white bread
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon smoked salt
1 teaspoon smokey pepper
1 (9-ounce) jar uncured bacon jam such as TBJ Gourmet
Fresh chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 or 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 2 rounds out of each slice of bread. Place rounds on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bread is lightly toasted. Remove from oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir cream cheese, smoked salt, and pepper together. When ready to serve, spread each piece of toasted bread with a teaspoon or so of cheese mixture and a teaspoon of bacon jam. Top with fresh chives and serve.
Yield: 24 pieces
Baked Olives, Truffle Fries, and Dirty Martinis
2 cups mixed olives such as jalapeño stuffed, pitted Greek, or Mediterranean
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed and leaves chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, stems removed and leaves chopped
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced or torn
2 to 3 tablespoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted French bread
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Strain olives into a medium-size bowl, discarding brine. Add olive oil, sliced garlic, rosemary, oregano, and mozzarella pieces. Toss gently and spoon into a baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven, drizzle olives with honey, and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve hot with toasted French bread pieces.
Yield: 6 servings
Truffle Fries with Lime Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Juice and zest of 1 lime
½ teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 cups thin-cut frozen French fries
Oil for frying
White truffle oil
Truffle Salt
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, zest, and garlic salt together until smooth. Set aside. Heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy pot until a deep-fry thermometer measures 350 degrees. Working in batches, drop fries in hot oil and fry, turning occasionally with a spider or slotted spoon until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. While they are still hot, lightly drizzle a tiny bit of truffle oil on fries and lightly sprinkle with truffle salt. Gently toss and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot with lime aioli.
Yield: 4 servings
Dirty Martini
This is the perfect cocktail for olive lovers. It can be made with vodka or gin and served on the rocks or chilled.
2½ ounces London dry gin or Vodka
½ ounce dry vermouth
½ ounce olive brine
3 to 4 olives for garnish
Add plenty of ice to a cocktail shaker, then pour in gin, vermouth, and olive brine. Stir or shake until very well chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with skewered olives.
Yield: 1 cocktail
Salmon and Champagne Snack Plate
Norwegian smoked salmon and champagne are perfect companions. The salmon is rich and buttery, while the champagne is bright and crisp!
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 (4-ounce) jar capers, drained and rinsed
½ red onion peeled and finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh dill, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Lemon slices for garnish
Toasted bread squares or crackers
On a round platter, with the back of a spoon, spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese in a crescent shape. Continue making cream cheese crescent shapes around platter. Top each spread cream cheese with a bite-size piece of salmon. Sprinkle capers, chopped red onion, and minced dill over salmon. Drizzle lemon juice over salmon and sprinkle lemon zest over all. Garnish lemon slices and extra capers if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Have spreaders available to scoop cream cheese and salmon over toasted bread.
Yield: 8 servings
Champagne Cocktail
Chilled champagne
2 dashes Grand Marnier or other sweet liqueur
Cocktail cherries
Fill a champagne flute with champagne and add 1 to 2 dashes of liqueur. Add a couple of cocktail cherries and top off with more champagne. Serve cold.
Yield: 6 servings
Shrimp Aqua Chili, Spicy Cucumbers, and Prosecco
These recipes are refreshing and pair perfectly with a cool glass of Prosecco.
1 pound steamed fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons white soy sauce
1 minced jalapeño or serrano chili pepper, seeds and stems removed
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
½ cup minced red onion
2 radishes, thinly sliced and stems removed
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
½ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 fresh leeks, white part removed
1 egg white
½ cup water
Oil for frying
Place shrimp in a medium-size glass bowl, then add lime juice, white soy sauce, chopped peppers, cucumbers, red onion, sliced radishes, and cilantro. Toss together, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Check seasonings. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cornmeal, salt, and white pepper in a small bowl. Cut leek leaves into matchstick-size pieces. Whisk egg white and water together in a bowl and add chopped leeks. Shake excess liquid off and toss with cornmeal mixture. Heat oil in a saucepan to 300 degrees. Shake excess cornmeal from leeks and drop into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When ready to serve, divide mixture between 3 bowls and top with fried leeks.
Yield: 3 servings
Spicy Cucumbers
These are Mexican-inspired and very refreshing on a warm summer evening.
1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Valentia hot sauce
Tajin seasoning
Arrange cucumber slices on a platter. Sprinkle lime juice over cucumbers. Drizzle Valentia hot sauce and dust liberally with the Tajin seasoning. Serve with lime slices.
Yield: 6 servings