Keep it local this spring with a delicious farm to fork brunch that's sure to please even your pickiest little food critic. Check out a few of our favorite recipes prepared by Chef Matt Jamie, owner of Bourbon Barrel Foods and Hannah Edelen, Miss Kentucky 2022. The recipes feature ingredients from Kentucky farms that are readily available at your neighborhood grocery store.
Beyond Belief Brunch Recipes
Overnight Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients:
5 large Kentucky Proud eggs
1 cup Chaney's half and half
1/4 cup Bourbon Barrel Aged Sorghum
1/2 teaspoon Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Extract
8 slices sturdy bread or your favorite bread for French toast
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup jam or preserves of your choice (we used Lucky Clover Blackberry Jam)
Butter and syrup, for serving
Expand to see instructions.
Instructions:
Spray or butter a parchment-lined 9”x13” pan or rimmed baking sheet. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, sorghum, smoked sea salt, and vanilla.
Make the sandwiches: Spread about 2 tablespoons each of cream cheese and jam on one slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread. Press together lightly and soak in the egg mixture for about 1 minute on each side. Repeat with remaining bread. Lay soaked sandwiches on the baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (French toast may also be made right before cooking.)
Remove sandwiches from the refrigerator before you preheat the oven to 350°. Bake French toast for 25 minutes. Flip sandwiches over and bake for 20-25 minutes more. Cut each sandwich in half, transfer to a serving dish, and serve with your favorite syrup and butter.
Makes four large servings or eight smaller servings.
Weisenberger Mill Garlic Pepper Cheese Grits
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup Weisenberger Mill Grits
1/2 teaspoon Bourbon smoked sea salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Wildcat Mountain Garlic Pepper Cheddar (shredded)
2 slightly beaten Kentucky Proud eggs (in a separate bowl)
Expand to see instructions.
Instructions:
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to 4 cups water and bring to a boil in a large saucepan.
Add 1 cup grits, stir, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often.
When grits are done, add the butter to the grits and stir or whisk until melted.
Then add about 1/2 cup of hot grits to the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Immediately add the egg mixture to the pot of hot grits and stir/whisk together.
Add the cheese and stir until melted. Pour this mixture into a greased 8 X 8 baking dish and cook in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour or until lightly browned on top. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Purnell's "Old Folks" Sausage Cheese Balls
Ingredients:
1 lbs. Purnell’s “Old Folks” Sausage (Your favorite flavor)
8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
3 cups of Bisquick®
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients with a fork. Shape into 1-inch balls.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325° from 12 to 15 minutes or until done. These appetizers may be frozen. Thaw slightly before baking and increase cooking time. Makes 40 to 50.
Kentucky Honey Bourbon Apple Butter Glazed Ham
Ingredients:
1 fully cooked Kentucky Legend Ham (3 – 4.5 lbs.)
1 cup Lucky Clover Honey Bourbon Apple Butter
Juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon of Ranger Honey
1 tablespoon Bourbon Barrel Aged Worcestershire sauce
Expand to see instructions.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Place ham in cooking bag and close. Place in a shallow baking dish. Cut slits in the top of the bag to vent and warm the ham for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
While the ham roast is warming, add the apple butter, orange juice, and Worcestershire sauce to a small saucepan. Heat until the sauce begins to boil, then reduce heat and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes.
Remove ham from oven and cut open the top of the bag. Pull back the sides of the bag and pour half the glaze over the ham. Bake ham for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove ham to a cutting board and slice it for serving and top with the remaining glaze.
Cheesy Egg & Hashbrown Casserole
Ingredients:
8 to 16 ounces bacon, chopped, or sausage
1/2 cup small, diced onion or shallots
8 large Kentucky Proud eggs, lightly beaten
4-5 cups shredded hash browns, frozen or thawed
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Back Porch, Cacklin' Hen, or Kentuxican are a few Kentucky Proud options)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Harvest Moon Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Harvest Moon Swiss Cheese
Chopped green onions or chives, for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon or sausage and onion until cooked through and crisp (for the bacon). Drain excess grease.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, hash browns, hot sauce (if using), salt, pepper, cottage cheese, sour cream, and cheese. Add the bacon (or sausage) and onions. Mix to combine.
Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan (at this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight).
Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly golden on the edges, puffy in the center, and a thin knife comes out clean from the center (add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if the casserole has been refrigerated).
Garnish with chopped green onions or chives. Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.