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and Chews, Chef Jeremy and
Sylvia explore the historic Henry Clay Estate at Ashland. And
Chef Jeremy makes a steak with oyster sauce inspired by Henry
Clay. That's today on Food News and Chews.
(Music)
Hey Jeremy!
Yeah.
I'm taking notes from this book about Henry Clay.
Right, I know you are a big Henry Clay buff, right?
Well, you know uhh I actually might get to interview him someday.
You never know.
Ha! Uhh, Sylvia, he's been dead since 1852. I'm not really sure
you're going to be able to, to go to Ashland and interview Henry Clay.
Well, I'm going to have to work on this right, right.
So tell me about Henry Clay though.
Well, a fascinating thing. In fact, in this book there is a section here
on he as a farmer.
Mmhmm.
And apparently, little known. He's mostly known as being a Senator
and a big wig and the Great Compromiser and couldn't we use that
today but he also was noted for how he worked with scientific farming.
He actually rotated his crops
Mmhmm.
so he used natural fertilizers and all of those kinds of things.
You know what's interesting about that Jeremy?
What's that?
It's that we're kind of coming full circle.
Right.
Started out with him and tradition and how important tradition was
then we got into refrigeration and all that stuff then people got into
industrialized food. WellNow, what are we?
Well, that kind of agriculture is extremely important. I mean Henry
Clay, one of the innovators of that type of farming is pretty amazing
especially that long ago. If you're saying he rotated crops
Mmmhmm.
we've learned a lot over the past hundred years about that
right.
because we've been planting monopolistic cultures for a long
time which robbed the soil.
That's right.
Umm and if you rotate your crops you kind of replenish your
soil and keep your yields up and ummm you're able to fight off
more stuff and grow more food.
Yeah, it said he used natural fertilizers and planted nitrogen
fixing legumes. Interesting. He also grew hemp. Hahaha!
Ha! So, this guy really had it figured out a long time ago.
Yeah I guess you made rope out of it then it went away then
and then now, we're in the midst of controversy.
Well, yeah things are coming back around especially in this
region throughout the South hemp is going to be on the
cornerstone too and be a part of our agriculture. Tobacco
has left the area and hemp is huge for so many things and I
guess he realized the potential even long ago.
It was a good cash crop. Let me get you into this though,
one of the areas he really was an innovator was with animals.
This is a way that you can marry tradition to kind of coming back
to buying things locally but because he was scientific and a lot of
times I think these days science is taking a bashing undeserved
and really we've come forward. And you know a lot about beef
and how that has evolved and talk to us a bit about that because
there is now there is all kinds of ways you can choose your beef
not only where it is grown butdifference in grain.....
Well, I think what is interesting about Henry Clay is he really
brought over a type of beef called Hereford cattle and when
you talk about umm you know when you talk about a
specific breed for meat production it gets really interesting
when you get into farming because that is what we do now
we do selective breeding. Now, it kind of gets dirtied, those terms,
because a lot of people think well you're messing genetically with
the animal but you're really just kind of breeding two animals
together, it happens in nature. So, I mean there's upsides and
downsides to those things but Henry Clay I think really concentrated
on bringing that one type of cattle over here and that technology
of selective breeding gives you great results in your meat
production. You know if you want an animal that's really kind
of tough and can handle the temperatures of Kentucky and
different regions, Hereford was great and you kind of learn what
animals thrive in different areas. Then also, their meat changes.
Nowadays we have systems for grading meat. You know
whether it is USDA Prime, which is the highest level. 2% of beef
reaches that. Ahhh then Choice and Select and Standard then a
bunch of utility cuts that are underneath it that aren't even used
in food production. I mean there is so much you get out of an
animal and all the prime cuts are great for eating but then there are
other aspects of animal production in utility meat that don't even
get used for foods.
Yeah, so modern is good for us in many, many ways.
The technology has really, really helped. We just have to to find the
right balance make sure we aren't doing things intended for our
bodies to eat so
Alright Hey! Let's go to Ashland and find out what's going on
over there. What do you say?
Well, I've got a bunch of things that I can cook right now Sylvia
instead of go to Ashland.
No, let's go to Ashland, I insist and let me read this book real fast
before we get there, okay?
Sure.
(Music)
This place makes me feel like I've stepped back in time.
Well, the Ashland Estate was first built in 1809.
Well, we've got an appointment with Eric Brooks, the curator
of the museum to learn all about it.
Mr. Brooks, we see this incredible spread and you know
back in the Henry Clay era you know, what were some of his
favorite foods? Things to eat? That's what we're into is the
whole food side.
We have a number of sources for information about foods and
foodways at Ashland during Henry Clay's time, ahh family
sources etc We know from a variety of letters and other documents
and to some extent archeological evidence that strawberries were
a major commodity at Ashland. Lucretia was known for strawberry
ice cream which basically meant, crushed ice, cream and
strawberries but she apparently served it regularly and we in fact
have a dessert service we think she used for that purpose.
We have records of a recipe that Henry Clay's enslaved cook
prepared for a pot roast so that was evidently something they
consumed. Archaeologically, we know that they grew and
consumed tomatoes and grapes. We know that Henry Clay had
a wine cellar so, some of those grapes were being processed
into wine in addition to being eaten.
Henry Clay was called the Great Compromiser. His service of
nearly half a century as a Representative, Senator, and Secretary
of State proved invaluable in helping hold the country together.
That's right. His compromises helped hold back the Civil War
until the Nation was strong enough to survive it.
Even Abraham Lincoln said Clay was beau-ideal of a statesman
and often quoted him in his speeches.
Abraham Lincoln is kind of one of the unknown legacies of
Henry Clay in many ways.Lincoln was Henry Clay's son's age,
he was a young man that grew up in the era in which Clay
dominated American Politics. He was a wig like Clay, he idolized
Clay, he considered Clay the politician that politicians should
aspire to be and Henry Clay's influence on Lincoln helped Lincoln
become the leader that he would be and helped him become
someone who could lead us through the ultimate test.
The test that Henry Clay averted several times with compromise
but ultimately in his passing was not able to prevent altogether.
We have a great artifact that really connects these two together
in a way that no other artifact in the world does. We have
a book that is a copy of the life and speeches of Henry Clay,
Volume I, 1842 Edition and it's inscribed, "To Abraham
Lincoln with constant regard to friendship. H. Clay Ashland
11, May 1847"
Henry Clay wasn't just a skilled politician. He was also one
of the most respected breeders and scientific farmers in the
country. In addition to growing grain, hemp and a variety of
fruits and vegetables he also introduced Hereford cattle to America.
Henry Clay was someone who believed firmly in the idea
there was no experiment not worth trying. He was someone
who was interested in all sorts of new techniques and
technologies who wanted to improve agriculture from the
economic standpoint and just enjoyed the process. He was
fascinated by the idea of making better breeds or creating a
better product and would engage in all sorts of activities to do that.
Henry Clay first acquired the land for his estate in 1804.
And by 1809 had already built the first section of the estate
we see today.
In addition to the mansion he built a dairy cellar, a smokehouse,
and not just one but two ice houses.
Our tour of Ashland was fascinating but I guess I'm just
not going to get to meet Henry Clay after all.
Well, I'm getting ready to make something that will cheer
you up and it's a favorite of Henry Clay's.
(Music)
Alright Sylvia, while you're doing this I've got to get back
in the kitchen and get some ingredients together and
go cook. You enjoy your book.
Yeah, go on, go on I'm having a big time. Oh, man this
is just so neat. I mean all of the things about farming
and the food that they ate. His whole career is just an
amazing thing. You know it would be so awesome if
I could like actually talk to Henry Clay.Wow! Just the
questions I could ask and answers I would get. It would
be so awesome. Let me think about that a little bit.
Oooh man. Oh gee. Henry Clay. How would I begin?
What, what, what, Jeremy? What's going on?
We're in one of your crazy dreams again Sylvia.
You've got me back in the 1800s.I've got to make all
of this spread with no electricity, no Kitchen Aid mixer
and all the ingredients are just laying out on the counter.
I don't know what to do. We've got guests coming
over. Henry Clay is coming by.
Well all I ever did was read this book and wish that
I could go back in time and interview Henry Clay.
Do you think it's possible Jeremy?
Well, we're in the right time and the right place.
So, while you were sleeping I was slaving away
making this big Southern bounty and it's a good thing
there was a good harvest too because we've got
guests for dinner.
Oh, my! It's Senator Clay.
Hello! Welcome, welcome, Henry Clay.
Oh, gosh. I don't know what to say. I'm speechless
and I'm never that. Hahaha!
We didn't mean to intrude but I am like in a dream.
Hahaha!
We will share that dream, then.
I love that, I love that. Let's begin though.
Jeremy, I've got so many questions that I want to ask.
I bet you do.
I want to ask this first
It's your dream Sylvia.
Thank you!
You did this bounty. Look at this food and we want
to talk to you about but first of all I know that you
came to Kentucky from Virginia. Well, we're glad
you got that spirit and that you moved in the right
direction but why? Why did you come to Kentucky?
Well, my mother and my stepfather heard about
the great opportunities in Kentucky and so they
decided to move to Kentucky. I was about 14 and
they decided I should stay and get my education in
Virginia and study law. And so, after I became a lawyer,
listening to all the great stories about Kentucky
well, it just seemed like a great opportunity and so,
I decided to move to Kentucky. Been here ever since.
To our benefit.
Tell us about this beautiful Ashland Estate,
maybe how big it is I heard you like farming and
what kind of things would you grow?
Oh, yes! When I first came to this area, the Bluegrass
in Lexington, I found this tract of land and started
out with just about 125 acres and as I started my
law practice and it became more and more successful.
Sometimes, I would be paid in land. Sometimes,
I would trade land or sell land in order to grow my
farm here so we have over 600 acres at this point.
But I do love farming.
Well, I know, I know that you love farming and that's
kind of what Kentuckians are all about too
a love of the land.
Yes.
They say there isn't a Kentuckian you can't find
somewhere who doesn't want to come home.
And so that's exciting but you also have an interest
in cattle which is kind of interesting to me because
I know hogs, bacon and all that stuff is real popular
but you also took a great interest in cattle. Tell us
about all of that. Well, I did. I had the opportunity
to of course, travel and while in England I was
introduced to both the Herefords and the shorthorn
durham cattle.
Mmm delicious.
And with a friend, a neighbor Mr. Sanders and I
decided to import the Herefords but I do think the
durhams the shorthorn cattle are probably going to
be more suited to Kentucky. They seem to be doing very well.
They do. We've got all this great beef now and you
guys had an active lifestyle you and Lucretia so
you had parties tell us about that.
Oh, we did! We have always enjoyed having friends
and neighbors stop by
Even in a dream.
So, we had a few friends like Webster has been
here and well, more than a few politicians have
stopped by on occasion.
Imagine that!
Hahaha!
That is great. There is one thing that I must ask you...
absolutely must. It's about Bourbon. Now, you are
a great compromiser, that's what you're known as.
Yes.
And you talk about there's this hint and rumor that when
you go to Washington to engage in one of those great
compromises you would take along a little Bourbon.
It goes a long way.
I think that you may be able to say that Bourbon sometimes
helps to lubricate the wheels of government. And it is
true that I had the opportunity to introduce my recipe
for the Mint Julep to Washington society where I
understand it has been very successful.
Oh, yes at the Willard Hotel actually.
Yes!
And oh, my goodness we'll have to try one right there won't
we Jeremy? We'll have to make a special field trip.
So as a visionary in the future, there's talks of these large
general stores where you can buy almost anything.
And, is that something that we see as a positive or negative
or are we getting back to the old days where we grow our
own food and work with our own food?
I can not imagine such a thing but I'm my friends say that
I am always optimistic about the future and so, if
during the twists and turns of the future something like that
should occur well, I can't help but think that the future of
this country and Kentucky will always be bright.
Oh, that's great. We've so enjoyed being with you. Gosh,
Jeremy maybe this is the beginning of a lot of dreams
and we can come here again. Can we?
Anytime.
And share in this?
Thank you very much for visiting.
Only after a hard day's work, Sylvia.
Thank you so much oh, yeah, right.
Hahaha!!
Sylvia...Sylvia....Sylvia...Hey Syl...Sylvia.
Hey, what? Jeremy, what?
Food is all loaded up and ready to go. We've got to get this
party done.
Jeremy, I just had the most extraordinary dream.
What was it?
Wait to you hear all about it.
Well, come on we've got to get this done.
Right! Let's go!
(Music)
Hey Jeremy! You know I'm reading this book about Henry Clay.
He was known for being what's called a scientific farmer.
One of the first of their time, right?
Yeah and he was really into crop rotation and all that kind
of stuff but one of the more interesting things and something
we're going to cover here today is his work in beef.
Right.
And all of that sort of thing. I've got a little recipe here and
I want you to follow my instructions. I'm joking.
Turn it over to chef.
So, we're going to do something Henry Clay related today
and make some top sirloin. I heard he liked oyster soufflé too.
Mmm good taste.
So, going to do nice creamy oysters on top with Bourbon.
Bourbon there you go.
He was known to partake of, right?
Yeah, and sneak off to Washington.
Right. First of all we'll get our pan hot. I think the most important
thing about you know beef and searing and cooking with
meat is proper seasoning. People just really hold back on
seasoning. It just makes the outcome so much better.
So, I've got course salt here and pepper. Pan is good and hot.
We'll start with a little olive oil. Maybe a tablespoon.
It doesn't take much. Get a little brown going on.
Ahh sizzle.
Right that's the sound you're looking for. So, I'm going to
move this to the back burner and kind of let it do its thing.
So, this pan is heating up and what I want todo instead of searing
we're going to sweat some ingredients. Really extract some
flavors. We're going to start with a little bit of oil.
A tablespoon or so.
Did you say sweat?
Sweat. And a nice pat of butter. It's a little bit hard. We'll put
that in there too. I love the way when you use olive oil and
butter you get the earthiness the tones of olive oil and
the creaminess of butter
The best of both worlds.
yeah. So, I'm going to start with the aromatics.
This is a nice shallot. If you want to use onion that is fine.
Something in that family.
Yes. That smells good
Exactly.
is what you mean.
Yeah, the aromatics that's exactly what I mean
onion and garlic. They both perfume and it sets this tone
in the pan. All that oil.
Now, that's garlic, right?
That's garlic and all that oil
I'm so ignorant.
infused with all of that good garlic and onion flavor.
That's an intoxicating smell that you get when you walk in
this smell right here is what makes me want to cook. It's what
gets me started and keeps me coming back every time.
The smell of onion and garlic.
So, I'm going to turn down the heat; I had it on high. To just a
nice medium-low.
Oh man they're like simmering in there.
Yeah, I'm really not going to rush this. This gets to go for a
good two minutes whileour meat is browning on one side.
Now, I'm going to flip it over and when you're flipping please
flip away from you.
Yeah because?
The oil doesn't splatter. We'll turn those over.
Oh! Those look delicious.
Oh, yeah. Create just a little back and forth and these are
going to get done. Now, the oil is starting to I mean the
garlic is turning brown just a touch. So, I'm going to add some
more ingredients to cause the sweating.
Now, this is?
This is celery. I would say a good 1/4 cup.
I even knew that.
1/4 cup of carrots.
Now, more good stuff. This is called fennel. And I love the
way fennel works with
It's like cabbage.
oysters and Bourbon. It gives it a stew like quality almost
licorice flavor. It's highly underused but this is a great
application cream and fennel and oysters. This is one of
my favorite things. It's almost like a little oyster stew. And,
I'm going to push my ingredients to the sideone side
of the pan. What that does is allows one part to get a little
bit hotter to kind of roast these mushrooms alone over here.
That stuff continues to sweat. See the steam coming up?
It's not getting as hot as it is over here. So, this is an oyster
mushroom. Use a good 1/2 cup of those.
Now, the only difference like in Henry Clay's time is he
wouldn't have been able to get things in the dead of winter.
He would have had to use what he had. Mushrooms would
grow in Kentucky I guess all the time, right?
Well, you can get them right into the dead of winter. Ahh
different kinds. Who knows what they foraged and knew to do.
A little bit of butter in there with the mushrooms. This part
over here is going nicely.
You know she had Lucretia had a dairy farm. Made a
whopping $1,500 a year and that was a lot of money back then.
It is a lot of money.
Selling at the Lexington markets.
So, this little steak right here is kind of how I like it.
How did you know that? You poked at it.
Years of experience but
Very gently.
exactly there are several little ways to do that. This
one we're going to cook a little longer and we're going to
finish this up in a special way with fresh herbs. Back into this
pan though the mushrooms have sweated just a little bit. I'm
going to reintroduce all of the other ingredients. It's really
smelling good, huh?
Ohhh!
Okay, another pat of butter because we're going to do a little
thing called a pan roux. Like a little sauger of flour to thicken
up the sauce.
I know what this is.
The flour, right?
Yeah.
So, why don't you
I'm learning.
take your fingers like this and sprinkle a little right here.
How did I do?
You did good. You just want to do about two times more.
And, see how this butter is getting foamy?
Mmhmm.
It's creating a nice little roux. Good it's doesn't take much.
It really thickens up well.
It's sort of a gravy like thing huh?
Mmhmm. I'm going to let this cook on low over here about one
minute and then I'm going to take this steak out.
Oh, that looks so good.
Let it rest for a moment.
Now, by the way you've done that do you know what they
look like inside? Are they like medium?
They are medium-rare.
Which is the perfect way...
It's the way I like it. Bourbon.
Well, let me have a sip of that first.
About half of it is going to go right in there. See how that
sauce starts to thicken up?
Mmmhmm. Alright, now what do we do?
See how that Bourbon is kind of thickening there? I want to
add some heavy cream and add a little bit at a time and stir
in the ingredients.
Now, Jeremy one of the things people talk about is healthy eating.
Right.
These are like rich ingredients but I think enjoyable eating is
pretty important too.I bet Henry Clay believed that too. I think
A little Bourbon a little cream never hurt anybody as long
as you eat in moderation.
it doesn't take much of this. A little extra cream and we'll
get the right consistency.
Sure.
See it's a little bit thick and that's on purpose because the
next ingredient one of Henry Clay's obvious favorites and
I'm sure a real treat in this region because you couldn't get
them very often is a nice oyster.
Oh, yeah!
So, I'm going to add a few of these fresh oysters in there
and a little bit of their juice; the liquor.
Mmmm. Now, it's going to smell real good.
We'll let that simmer down. And I like a good medium-rare
to medium oyster. If you want to cook them longer in the pan
just fine, no problem. Finish up with a little extra seasoning;
salt and pepper. So, I'm going to give this a little bit of a test.
What do you think?
Not bad at all. The oyster liquor really adds a lot. One thing
I think people do is you know how I put in half the Bourbon?
Uh-huh.
I want to finish with the other half right at the very end.
Ahh.
That way you get that raw Bourbon flavor. A lot of recipes
tend to cook out the Bourbon and it doesn't leave much of
that kind of bite that I Iike. The one that gets you in the back
of the throat. That's what is really neat about Bourbon.
Oh, that is a pretty sauce.
So, our stew is ready.
Alright.
Now, I want to talk about finishing the steaks. In the back pan,
I want to lightly heat up all those good bits with some more butter.
All those beefy bits. Notice when the butter hits the pan you'll
see some of these good bits scraping up, right? Now, we're
just going to kind of throw the meat back in there with a little
fresh thyme on top and roll your pan back and just kind of do
a little basting with the fresh herbs right on top. So, that oil
from the thyme is dripping down. Do this for a good couple
minutes and the fresh herb flavor will really roll right into your
meat. So
Now what? Now what?
The meat is finishing in the pan. You have the oils from the
thyme dripping down on them.
Yeah. What kind ofAnd that's all it's meant to be, right?
Yeah, we just throw that in there and let the oil seep in
give it a nice scent.. a perfume of fresh thyme but the steak
is pretty much done. Go ahead and put that down. You know
if you want to lay a whole platter out that is fine. If you want to
slice it that is good but we'll just make this look pretty for our
purposes, right?
Mmmhmmm. We're going to cut it pretty soon.
I like to dive right into those big oysters and make sure you
get a good one on each piece of meat. Then, we'll sauce it
up with all of those other ingredients. Any trick to finding oysters
at grocery stores. They are everywhere, right? And, they
come from everywhere. Well, do you prefer New Orleans
or Chesapeake Bay or?
I love all oysters. Just to make this one over the top if you
want to do this at home, a little pinch of this fresh crab meat
would be great. And you know the fennel we put in there,
I like to garnish with a few of the little fronds umm, it's just a
great presentation.
It looks beautiful.
The garnishes should make sense with the dish. There should
be some congruence with what's in the dish on top of the plate. So....
I want a little piece of this.
Mmmhmmm.
I've got to get some of this sauce here.
Yes, you do.
If I can get it just right, okay. Mmmmm.
Not bad?
Not bad chef, you're good.
Alright, let's see how we did here. A little I'm going to go for
the oyster combination with the beef. A little chef surf & turf
and I like that nice med-rare too. I like the frond. Mmmm.
Wow! We've really enjoyed being with Henry Clay and this has
been great and thank you chef for this.
Thanks for letting me cook for you. Enjoy the recipe. If you guys
want to learn to make this check out www.foodnewsandchews.com
and we'll see you next time.
(Music)
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(Music)
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