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'Top Chef' wanted an iconic Kentucky meal. This was the man who made it

Courier Journal

On a hot spring day in Kentucky, 14 of America's best up-and-coming chefs gathered around a lengthy wooden table to sample some of the state's most iconic dishes at the historic Maker's Mark distillery.

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All were competing on the 16th season of "Top Chef." And all would soon be expected to recreate one of the dishes — with a personal spin.

But before the contestants' challenge could begin, the chef behind the extensive spread faced a challenge of his own.

Craft a menu that speaks to the culture of the state.

There's really more to a task like that than you'd think, said Maker's Mark chef-in-residence Newman Miller, who was tapped to prepare a family-style meal for the show.

While Kentuckians as a whole have long made do with what's available — turning ingredients like corn, game meat and beans into comforting dishes full of flavor — the state is split into several regions that all have their own traditions and cuisines.

If Miller was going to put forth a fully realized meal, he knew he should include something from each region.

From Appalachia in eastern Kentucky, Miller pulled soup beans and hoecakes (a thin sort of cornbread). While from central Kentucky, he took frog legs and benedictine spread.

From the west, he drew inspiration from Kentuckians who'd perfected burgoo and black barbecue sauce. And from northern Kentucky, he took the idea behind goetta and turned it into sausage and biscuits.

"It made me really sort of question the things I wanted to put out," said Miller, who read a load of Kentucky cookbooks to prepare. "It was daunting."

Miller grew up in Kentucky and spent a decade away from the state before returning to open Harrison-Smith House with his wife in Bardstown.

Cheftestants dine at the Maker's Mark distillery on episode 2 of "Top Chef" season 16.

That restaurant has since become an events-only space, but you can now find Miller cooking regularly at Star Hill Provisions on the Maker's Mark campus.

The distillery in Loretto, 3350 Burks Spring Road, provided the backdrop for the second episode of "Top Chef," titled "Bourbon, Barrels and Burgoo."

Miller said he thought the cheftestants did a great job taking inspiration from his final menu. Try your hand at the dishes below to see how you would fare on "Top Chef."

To see what the contestants produced, you'll have to watch the episode at 9 p.m. Thursday on Bravo.

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: http://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

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COOK THESE KENTUCKY CLASSICS

Star Hill Provisions chef Newman Miller served the contestants of "Top Chef" season 16 a range of traditional Kentucky dishes. Below, find a few of his recipes from the show.

Burgoo

Yield: 12-15 portions. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 4-6 hours.

6 ounces raw bacon, diced
1 boneless turkey breast, diced
2 pounds diced chuck roast or another beef roast
1 pound diced lamb stew meat or lamb shoulder
1 pound smoked barbecue pork shoulder
1 pound smoked chicken, meat only
3 white onions, diced small
2 heads celery, sliced thin
4 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 shots (about 3 ounces) Maker's Mark bourbon, plus more for garnish
1 quart Kentucky Wonder beans or other flat, Roma-style green bean
2 pounds fresh dug new potatoes
6 ears of corn cut from the cob
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 pound of lima beans
2 pounds diced tomatoes
8 quarts chicken stock
1 cup Maker's Mark Gourmet Sauce (or other barbecue sauce)
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Tabasco sauce

Use a large, thick-bottomed pot. The key to great burgoo is to simmer slowly over a long time. The thicker the pot bottom, the less likely you are to scorch anything.

At medium-high heat add the diced bacon. When it starts to render and release fat, stir. Remove bacon when crispy and reserve.

In batches, sear the diced beef, lamb and turkey until golden brown. Remove meat, keeping the fat in the pot.

Add onion, celery and carrot and stir well. Pour in the Maker’s Mark and stir to deglaze any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5-8 minutes until vegetables soften.

Add chicken stock and barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add only the seared meat back to the pot and cook over low heat for 3-4 hours or until all meat is tender.

Add all remaining vegetables and the smoked pork and chicken to the pot and cook for another 1-2 hours.

Constantly stir and taste your burgoo. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce as you go.

Once all vegetables are tender and broth tastes good, let burgoo cool completely (at least overnight but a few nights is even better). Rewarm slowly in another thick-bottomed pot and taste for seasoning.

To serve, ladle burgoo into a large soup bowl and top with a splash of Maker’s Mark on top as garnish. It will add an incredible aroma and flavor.

Notes from Miller: Virtually any land-based protein will work great in burgoo. So, use what you like, what you have on hand or whatever looks enticing at the market. Use no less than four types. And experiment with meat that might be less familiar, like rabbit, venison, duck or whatever catches your interest.

Burgoo is meant to be simmered for hours. But if there’s no time to stand by the stove, using a slow cooker is a fairly foolproof way to safely cook your burgoo for an extended period of time.

Banana Croquettes

Yield: 8-10 portions. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes

5 semi-ripe bananas, yellow but not spotted
2 fresh farm eggs
3 tablespoons water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons Duke's Mayonnaise
Chopped peanuts, as needed

Fill the base of a double boiler halfway with water. If you don’t have one, simply use a saucepan and a metal bowl that will sit comfortably on top to make your sauce. Set to simmer.

Combine eggs, water and sugar. Whisk until blended.

When water is simmering, add the vinegar and begin to whisk over the water, being very careful not to let anything build up on the sides or sit on the bottom and scramble. Continuously whisk for 2-3 minutes or until mixture grows in volume and begins to thicken.

When the mixture is at 145 degrees and has thickened, remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter. After it is fully mixed, let cool for a few minutes. Add mayonnaise, making sure to fully incorporate.

Prepare bananas by peeling and then cutting in half through the middle. Arrange them on a serving platter to be sauced.

Ladle sauce over the bananas and top with chopped peanuts. Serve immediately or cover and hold overnight.

Note from Miller: This recipe uses a double boiler, but banana croquettes can be made without heat, making for a great cooking project to do with young ones. Just add a little milk to mayonnaise, cover the bananas with it and roll them in crushed peanuts.

Star Hill Spoonbread with Ham Sauce

Yield: 4-6 portions. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes-1 hour.

Star Hill Provisions chef Newman Miller served spoonbread on an episode of "Top Chef" Kentucky.

4 whole eggs
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (we use Weisenberger Mill)
3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Pour milk and 2 tablespoons butter together in a tall-sided saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Add salt, sugar and cornmeal, whisking the entire time so there are no clumps. Cook for 3-5 minutes until mixture begins to thicken and pull from the sides of the pan.

Separate egg yolks and whites into two bowls. Whisk egg whites until stiff and set aside.

Quickly whisk egg yolks into cornmeal mixture and combine fully. Then slowly fold whipped whites into cornmeal. Mix and transfer to a greased baking dish.

Top with remaining tablespoon of butter and bake until spoonbread inflates and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Cooking times can range from 25 minutes in a thin pan to 1 hour for a thicker, denser spoonbread.

Ham sauce

1/2 cup chopped country ham
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons favorite mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper as needed

Sauté country ham in a hot, small sauté pan until it begins to crisp.

Add cream, mustard and lemon juice. Stir well.

Taste your sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve in a bowl alongside spoonbread or over the top of it.

Note from Miller: Topped with an egg, spoonbread becomes a hearty, comforting way to start your day. Adding seasonable berries and other sweet stuff to the recipe and topping with a dollop of whipped cream turns it into a dessert.

Hoecakes

Yield: 8-10 portions. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes.

2 cups Weisenberger self-rising cornmeal, yellow or white
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt as needed
1/2 white onion, diced fine
Lard for frying

Combine eggs, water and buttermilk in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add cornmeal, stirring to prevent lumps. Add your melted butter and diced onion, mix in and get ready to cook.

Add lard to a sauté pan — or, better yet, cast iron skillet — and preheat the pan over high heat. Pour in batter in pancake sized portions begin to fry over medium-high heat. Flip when the batter begins to bubble and continue to fry until the cake is golden brown on both sides.

Note from Miller: Greasing your skillet with bacon fat not only makes flipping your hoecakes easier, it also adds a savory smokiness. And, you might be surprised to know that bacon drippings contain 42 percent less saturated fat than butter and are higher in the so-called “good fats.”