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East Oregonian
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Cheesy beer dip and pretzels sure to
be the MVP of any Superbowl party
By KATIE WORKMAN
Associated Press
AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner
This 2012 file photo shows the Jim
Beam visitors center at its distillery in
Clermont, Ky. Tourism in the heart of
bourbon country, on the upswing for
years, reached a milestone in 2016.
Bourbon trail
buzzing with
a million visits
It is easy enough to put out
bag after bag of chips during
a Sunday football-watching
party, or any other gathering
for that matter. And it’s not
much harder to go the extra
step and put those chips into
an actual bowl ... you know, if
you’re feeling classy.
But how about making a
15-minute snack that will have
the crowds calling your name
from the stands (or, in all
likelihood, from the couch)?
A hot pretzel served up
with a creamy, cheesy dip is
the kind of food you would
be thrilled to happen on and
buy at a stadium. But you can
easily find these soft pretzels
in the frozen aisle of your
supermarket, and they heat
up quickly in the oven. While
you are heating the oven and
baking the pretzels (which
take less than 5 minutes!),
you can stir together a quick
cheese-and-beer dip for
dunking. And while you are
stirring you can imagine the
expressions of happiness
that will greet you when you
plunk down this platter of hot
pretzel goodness.
If you have a big crowd and
want to make a larger batch of
pretzels, double the dip recipe
and keep it warm in a slow
cooker. It can also be gently
reheated over low heat in a
saucepan if it starts to thicken
up too much.
———
Katie Workman has written
two cookbooks focused on
easy, family-friendly cooking,
“Dinner Solved!” and
“The Mom 100 Cookbook.”
She blogs at http://www.
themom100.com/about-katie-
workman/
By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky — Forget the bottle,
a record number of people are experiencing
Kentucky bourbon from the barrel, touring
distilleries where they can sniff, sip and see
whiskey crafted from the source.
Tourism in the heart of bourbon country, on
the upswing for years, reached a milestone in
2016. Visitors made more than 1 million stops
at distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon
Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour
last year, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association
said Wednesday.
It shows that
“people don’t just “People don’t
want what’s in the
just want
bottle,” association
what’s in the
president
Eric
Gregory said. “They
bottle. They
have a thirst for
Kentucky’s bourbon
have a thirst
culture.”
Many
tourists for Kentucky’s
visit multiple distill-
bourbon
eries and each stop
is counted as a visit,
culture.”
the group said.
— Eric Gregory,
The tour started
Kentucky Distillers’
in 1999 and has Association president
ridden a wave of
popularity as the
bourbon and whiskey industries enjoyed
growing sales worldwide, in part driven by
higher demand for premium spirits and cock-
tails. The tourism attractions had double-digit
attendance growth in 2016 compared with the
prior year, and attendance has shot up 300
percent in the past decade, the group said.
Last year, more than 200,000 people visited
Jim Beam’s flagship distillery in Clermont,
Kentucky, and its whiskey-related attraction
that features a small distillery in downtown
Louisville, Beam officials said.
The parking lot is routinely filled with
out-of-state visitors at the flagship distillery.
“There’s no such thing now as down
time,” said Kim Bennett, who leads the Beam
brand’s bourbon experiences in Kentucky.
Beam now offers tours seven days a week
at the Clermont distillery to keep up with
demand, she said. Longer tours allow visi-
tors to delve into the intricacies of bourbon
making.
“They want to have that true, deep experi-
ence, and that’s what we’re giving them,” she
said.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour, show-
casing nine distilleries, had 888,733 visits,
up 17 percent from the 2015 record level, the
group said. Those distilleries produce bour-
bon’s biggest brands, including Jim Beam,
Evan Williams, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark,
Four Roses and Woodford Reserve.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour,
with 11 small distilleries, had 177,228 visits
last year, a 32 percent increase from the
previous year and up 187 percent over 2013,
the association said. Those distilleries are
spread across Kentucky.
Gregory called the record tourism
numbers a “cause for celebration for the entire
commonwealth.”
“Think of what 1 million tours means to
Kentucky in jobs, tax revenue and positive
publicity,” he said.
The latest boost for bourbon tourism came
from a new state law that allows distilleries
to obtain licenses to offer by-the-drink sales.
Since the law took effect last July, at least
20 distilleries have obtained licenses, Gregory
said. The measure also lets the distilleries sell
more of their whiskey and offer slightly larger
free samples.
The cocktail bar has been a popular spot
since opening last September at Beam’s
flagship distillery. One out of every three
adult visitors has stopped to purchase a mixed
drink, Bennett said.
The Woodford Reserve distillery, which
drew about 135,000 visitors last year, hopes to
start offering classic cocktails sometime this
year, said Mark Bacon, global brand director.
“It’s for us to enhance the experience, and
if that brings more folks, that’s great,” he said.
Distilleries are also offering mixology and
culinary classes.
The continued tourism surge comes amid
an overall expansion in the state’s $3 billion
bourbon sector. The association said its
member distilleries are in the middle of a $1.3
billion building boom that includes expanded
production facilities and new tourism centers.
An industry patriarch, Bill Samuels Jr.,
who retired after a long career as the top
executive at Maker’s Mark, said bourbon
tourism generates strong promotional value:
“Those million, they go home and they tell 20
million,” he said.
Sarah Crowder via AP
CHEESY BEER DIP
WITH HOT PRETZELS
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Serves 12
• 2 (13-ounce) boxes of
frozen hot soft pretzels, 12
pretzels in all
• 3 tablespoons unsalted
butter
• 3 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup milk, preferably
whole
• ¾ cup good beer
• 2 teaspoons brown
mustard
• Sriracha or other hot
sauce to taste
• 4 ounces cream cheese,
cut into pieces
• 2 cups shredded sharp
cheddar
• Coarse or kosher salt
and freshly ground pepper
to taste
Prepare the pretzels
according to package
directions.
Meanwhile, in a
saucepan over medium heat,
melt the butter. Add the
flour and cook, whisking
constantly, for 2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the milk
and beer, then increase
the heat to medium-high
and bring the mixture to a
simmer. Add the mustard
and Sriracha and cook,
whisking occasionally,
until the mixture begins to
thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk in the cream
cheese until it’s melted, then
add the cheddar cheese in
several batches, whisking
until each batch has melted
before adding the next.
Serve hot, with hot pretzels.
Nutrition information per
serving: 364 calories; 131
calories from fat; 15 g fat (8
g saturated; 0 g trans fats);
36 mg cholesterol; 551 mg
sodium; 47 g carbohydrate;
1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 10 g
protein.
Soft pretzels with hot Cheddar cheese beer dip.
This grain salad might be the key to healthier eating
By THE CULINARY INSTITUTE
OF AMERICA
Associated Press
If you’re anything like the
rest of us, you might tend to
needlessly overcomplicate
your life. You plan an elaborate
dinner for a Wednesday night.
You schedule a meeting across
town at rush hour. With all of
the small, daily challenges we
face, when it comes to healthy
eating, the key to success is
making life as uncomplicated
as possible, so that choosing the
right foods is a piece of. fruit.
You have likely seen pictures
with refrigerators stacked full of
organized containers and healthy
weeknight meals ready to throw
in a slow cooker. It’s a great
idea that is probably not in the
cards for most of us, but it does
serve as inspiration to make one
or two small changes that can
drastically improve the quality
of our lives and our lunches.
Grain salads, like this recipe
for Farro with Roasted Winter
Vegetables, might be the key
to healthier eating in the new
year. If you’re stuck in a lunch
rut — ordering in to the office
every day, eating a peanut
butter sandwich, or skipping it
altogether — grain salads are
an easy way to mix it up. Made
with nutritious and hearty whole
grains like wheat berries, barley,
and quinoa, grain salads are
packed full of protein, fiber, and
vitamins. When you combine
grains with your favorite fruits,
vegetables, lean proteins, and
nuts; and top them with flavorful
vinaigrettes, herbs, and spices,
you can eat a different salad
every day, with just a small
amount of effort.
At the beginning of the week,
cook a big batch of grains to
cool and refrigerate. Each day,
add your favorite salad veggies
or leftovers to make a satisfying
lunch that changes every day of
the week. In minutes, you could
have a salad of wheat berries,
roasted Brussels sprouts, dried
cherries, and chopped pecans.
And the next day, wheat berries
with grilled chicken, roasted red
peppers, and balsamic vinai-
grette. Remember, grain salads
aren’t just for stuffing your
lunch box. Mix your cooked
grains with almond butter, a
splash of honey, chopped apples,
and cinnamon for breakfast-on-
Phil Mansfield/The Culinary Institute of America via AP
Farro with winter vegetables.
FARRO WITH ROASTED WINTER
VEGETABLES
Start to finish: 2 hours, 5 minutes (Active:
35 minutes. Inactive: 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Servings: 5
Roasted Squash
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ¾ cups (about 8 ounces) diced butternut
squash
• 1 ¾ cups (about 8 ounces) diced acorn
squash
Farro Bowl
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 cups uncooked farro
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• ½ cup chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, toss the butternut
squash and acorn squash with the olive oil.
Transfer the squash to a foil-lined baking sheet
the-go. Or use a leftover salad
to stuff bell peppers, cabbage, or
halved acorn squash for a hearty
dinner. How’s that for meal
prep?
Keep in mind that some
farro sold in the United States is
processed to remove some or all
and place in the oven. Roast until the squash is
cooked and brown around the edges, about 1
hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium pan, heat the olive
oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook
until the onion has softened and is fragrant,
about 2 minutes. Add the farro and cook for
about 2 more minutes.
Add the water and bring the mixture to a
simmer over medium heat. Cover the pan and
simmer until the farro is cooked and the water
is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
While the farro is cooking, heat the oil in a
large pan over medium heat. Cook the cabbage
until it is softened and browning around the
edges, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl and
mix it with the cooked farro and vegetables.
Stir in the parsley. Serve hot, or refrigerate and
serve chilled.
Nutrition information per serving: 486
calories; 142 calories from fat; 16 g fat (2 g
saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 12
mg sodium; 71 g carbohydrate; 14 g fiber; 2 g
sugar; 13 g protein.
of its tough outer bran for ease
of cooking. Labeled as “semi-
pearled” or “pearled,” this farro
is stripped of its coveted whole
grain status, as well as much of
its nutrients. Whole grain farro
requires a little bit of extra time
to prepare; you’ll want to soak
it overnight before cooking it,
to ensure the perfect chewy
texture.
———
This article was provided to
The Associated Press by The
Culinary Institute of America in
Hyde Park, New York.