Thanksgiving Holiday Recipes

Here is an entire “spirit-inspired” menu of Thanksgiving recipes we created especially for your Turkey Day festivities! If there is any bourbon is left over we recommend it be consumed by way of a glass.

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Bacon-Bourbon Butter

via Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS
1 slice smoked bacon, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Kosher salt

How to Make It
Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tsp. bacon drippings. Put reserved bacon and drippings in a small bowl, along with butter, bourbon, maple syrup, and sugar. Season with salt. Using a fork, vigorously whisk until well combined. Transfer butter mixture to a sheet of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap, placing on edge closest to you. Fold paper over and roll into a cylinder, twisting the ends; wrap airtight in foil. Chill until solid. Butter will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes Recipe

via Southern Living

Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs 1 (5-oz.) can evaporated milk

How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375˚. Place potatoes on baking sheet; bake at 375˚F for 1 hour or until tender. Cook slightly (about 15 minutes).

Step 2
Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F. Peel potatoes, and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients until well blended and smooth. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Step 3
Bake at 350˚F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Kentucky Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

via Sew French

Ingredients
1 12-ounce bag of whole cranberries, rinsed and drained
2 medium oranges, zested and juiced
1 small lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons of bourbon
1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, divided
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water (see notes)

How to Make It
Place the cranberries, sugar, water, salt, orange juice, orange zest, lime zest, half of the lime juice and one teaspoon of cinnamon in a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium to medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the cranberries have popped and formed a sauce. Keep an eye on it. Stir and adjust the heat as needed. It helps to smash some of the berries with the back of your spoon.

Turn off the heat and add the bourbon, away from the heat source. Be careful when adding alcohol to any hot sauce. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a boil to burn off the alcohol. Keep it on a gentle boil and stir in the cornstarch/water mixture. Let it cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Stir in the rest of the lime juice and the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Bourbon Collard Greens

via Southern Kitchen

Ingredients
2 large bunches collard greens
1 (10-ounce) bag prewashed spinach
4 ounces bacon, chopped
3 cups chopped yellow onion
3 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup bourbon
3 to 4 cups ham or chicken stock
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to Make It
Thoroughly wash the collard greens in cold water until all the sand has been removed. Fold each leaf in half lengthwise and strip it from the stem and rib of the leaf. Discard stems and cut the leaves into thin strips. Slice the spinach leaves in a similar fashion.

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the vinegar and stir to scrape up the pan drippings. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the collard and spinach leaves in batches, stirring occasionally, until all the leaves are wilted and coated in the pan juices.

Add the bourbon and cook 2 minutes, then add the stock. Season with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if necessary until the greens are tender. Serve.

Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy

via Food & Wine

Ingredients
One 15-pound turkey—heart, gizzard and liver chopped and reserved
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
2 cups dark brown sugar
3 rosemary sprigs
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch sage
3 pounds ice cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced 10 garlic cloves 1 stick plus
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons canola oil
One 12-ounce bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
3 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of Mashed Roasted Garlic

How to Make It
Step 1
Put the turkey in a brining bag set in a tub or very large pot. In a large saucepan, combine the cider with the salt, 1 cup of the brown sugar and the rosemary, thyme and sage and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add 6 quarts of cold water to the brine and pour over the turkey. Add the ice to the brine and refrigerate the turkey overnight.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 450° and set a rack on the lowest shelf of the oven. Drain the turkey and pat dry. Discard the brine. Fill the turkey cavity with half of the onion, celery, carrot and garlic cloves; scatter the remaining vegetables in a large roasting pan. Set a V-shaped rack in the pan. Tie the turkey legs with butcher’s twine and transfer the bird to the rack, breast side up. Add 2 cups of water to the pan and roast the turkey for 30 minutes.

Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar with the 1 stick of butter and the bourbon and heat just until the sugar and butter melt.

Step 4
Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and brush the turkey with some of the glaze. Continue roasting the turkey, brushing it every 15 minutes, for about 3 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165°; add another 2 cups of water and tent the turkey with foil halfway through roasting. Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 5
Strain the pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat. (You should have about 1 cup.) Discard the vegetables.

Step 6
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the chopped turkey giblets and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Add the pearl onions and cook until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes longer. Add the turkey stock and the reserved turkey pan juices and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the saucepan.

Step 7
In a small bowl, mash the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the flour and whisk it into the gravy. Bring to a boil and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the roasted garlic. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

For dessert we recommend you take a break, have a glass of bourbon and get one of these Kentucky Proud favorites!
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