After more than five years of business in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood, the ever-popular Butchertown Grocery is closing.
The warm, stylish eatery in a 19th-century building was known for serving top-notch New American fare, brunch and artisanal cocktails, including things like beignets, braised short ribs, and, of course, decadent desserts.
To help you keep that nostalgia for Butchertown Grocery alive, here are a handful of recipes from our extensive archives that the chefs have shared with us over the years at The Courier Journal. We’re sure each of these will put a smile on your face.
So thanks for the memories, Butchertown Grocery. We’ll miss you one bite at a time.
Preacher’s Ham Omelet
Makes 1 omelet
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons blended olive/canola oil
- ¼ cup Newsom’s Preacher’s Ham, chopped
- 2 tablespoons yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons fines herbes
- 2 tablespoons micro parsley, chopped
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Heat omelet pan to medium. Add the oil. Add egg, ham and onion to pan. Cook omelet. Top with cheese and fines herbes. Place omelet onto a large plate and garnish with micro parsley.
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Beignets
Makes 30
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups high-gluten flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lard
In the bowl of a stand mixer bloom yeast in warm water. Add evaporated milk, eggs and sugar. Whisk until dissolved. Add flours, salt, and lard. Mix with dough hook at medium speed to develop dough. Round dough on a floured bench and place in an oiled bowl. Ferment until a little less than double in size.
Punch the dough and roll out on floured surface to 1/3-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares. Let rest 15 minutes.
Fry squares in a deep fryer until golden brown. Serve with a healthy dusting of powdered sugar.
Blueberry scones
Serves 8
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 6 tablespoons raw sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut butter and stir in to mixture until crumbly. Gently knead egg, cream, vanilla extract and blueberries into mixture, being careful not to crush the blueberries.
Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a round puck. Cut into 8 wedges and place on lined baking sheet. Brush with extra cream and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 25 minutes.
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Bialy sandwich
Makes 9
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
- 9 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 8 ounces yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 pounds cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 cups capers
- 4 tablespoons chives
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 5 ounces smoked salmon
- 2 tablespoons red onion, shaved
In a large bowl, activate the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, flour, one-half teaspoon of garlic powder and eggs. Mix in a mixer with a dough hook attachment to develop dough. Let dough sit in an oiled bowl large enough to double in size. In a large sauce pan, bring oil to medium heat and cook onions until caramelized. Mix in poppy seeds, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F. Portion dough into nine balls. Stretch balls into bagel shapes without puncturing the center. Leave an indent in the center for filling and place on lined baking sheet. Fill centers with a teaspoon of onion mixture. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, combine lemon juice, cream cheese, orange juice, capers, chives, celery seed, onion powder and one-and-a-half teaspoons garlic powder until blended.
Slice bialy in half and toast each side. Spread the cream cheese mixture on each half and layer the smoked salmon with shaved red onions.
Avocado tartine
Serves 1
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 avocado peeled, seeded and mashed
- 1 slice 6-inch Blue Dog Bakery bread, toasted
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 to 5 julienne pickled red onions
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 poached egg
- 3 to 5 orange slices
- 1 tablespoon crushed pink peppercorns
To make the avocado spread: Combine lemon juice, lime juice, salt and mashed avocado. Spread the avocado mixture on the toast. In a bowl, mix together olive oil and orange juice for the vinaigrette. In another bowl, toss together pickled onions, citrus vinaigrette and arugula. Place on top of avocado spread. Place the poached egg on top of the arugula salad mix. Add orange slices and pink peppercorns.
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Kale salad with pickled beets, olives and Parmesan
Serves 2
Note: The dressing makes enough for 15 servings. It will keep for five days.
- 1/4 cup white anchovies
- 11/4 cups lemon juice
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups olive oil
- 1 cup whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 3 cups Parmesan cheese plus 1 tablespoon to top salad
- 3 ounces kale is this enough for two people
- 2 tablespoons mixed chopped olives
- 1/2 tablespoon black currants
- 2 tablespoons pickled beets
- Lemon zest, to taste
- Lime zest, to taste
- Orange zest, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
For the white anchovy dressing: emulsify the white anchovies with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, eggs and olive oil. Incorporate mustard, garlic and black peppercorns. Finish with 3 cups of Parmesan.
In a medium serving bowl, combine kale, olive mix, black currants and pickled beets. Mix in lemon, lime and orange zests, and kosher salt, to taste. Top with Parmesan cheese and white anchovy dressing.
Sweet potato gnocchi
You can also use yams in this recipe. For the best result, use local farm-fresh eggs. Because these ingredients are so simple, quality makes a difference. Don’t be intimidated by this recipe, but you’ll want to expand your kitchen arsenal and invest in a food mill and wooden gnocchi board. Use a micro-grater for the cheese and whole nutmeg. This recipe ws written by chef Bobby Benjamin.
- 2 russet potatoes
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 pound cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 fresh sage leaves. Dice three tablespoons of these and lay aside the rest for use later.
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- 2 cups chicken stock (this is an ample amount that might be more than you need)
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- Whole nutmeg to be freshly grated atop each plate
- Freshly-grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Peel, dice and boil potatoes (If you have time, you can slow roast the potatoes to bring out more flavor.).
Mash the potatoes very fine. In this instance, a food mill or ricer comes in handy. You can puree the potatoes in a food processor, but the use of a food mill or ricer introduces more air for a fluffier gnocchi.
Form the flour on your table into a bowl shape, and gently pour the whole egg yolks into the cavity. Starting gently, mix the egg yolks into the flour until you form a big ball of dough.
As you knead, add pressure to shape the dough into a large mass of about 10 minutes in all. Slice off a two-inch section of your dough and roll into a long “snake” or cigar shape about one-inch across and six to eight inches long. Dice each roll into pieces, each one-inch long.
Gently roll each piece on a serrated wooden “gnocchi board,” to fall gently back onto the table. This will make fine lines on the surface of each gnocchi, a technique crucial to holding sauce and flavor on the fresh pasta.
Take a half-pound of butter, dice it and put it over low heat in a non-reactive pot until the butter browns. Remember, “low and slow.” Strain the butter to remove the milk solids and set to the side.
Take four ounces of pepitas and toss in oil and salt. spread out on a sheet tray and bake at 350, stirring occasionally until they are slightly brown and toasted.
Bring a pot of water with salt to a boil and drop the gnocchi down between one to three minutes or until they start to float. Pull them out of hot water and layout on a sheet tray.
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Heat up a half teaspoon of garlic in a skillet with some oil and saute for one to two minutes. Add in three cups of gnocchi and toss, then let sit until the gnocchi starts to get some color.
Toss it a couple of times and allow the gnocchi to sit for another three to four minutes. Add in eight ounces of chicken stock and let reduce.
Once the chicken stock is at a saucy consistency, add in two to three ounces of the reserved brown butter and one tablespoon of chopped sage. Cook for one to two minutes and kill the heat. Grate the whole nutmeg over top to taste (six to eight swipes) and season with salt and Pecorino Romano cheese to taste.
Saute whole sage leaves in the butter until they begin to crisp. You can dice the fried sage leaves or lay them whole atop your finished gnocchi. Uncooked gnocchi will keep for three or four days.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Serves 16
Brown Sugar Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse flour, graham crackers and brown sugar. Add cubed, cold butter and pulse until crumbly. Press in the bottom of a 10-inch round springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.
Caramel Apple Filling
- 6 apples, small dice
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
In a pan, cook apples with the butter until apples are softened. Add sugar and spice and cook until caramelized. Finish with heavy cream. Cool and reserve.
Brown Sugar Cheesecake
- 3 pounds cream cheese
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, combining after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Pour mixture on top of baked crust. Add reserved apple mixture by the spoonful and swirl with cheesecake mixture. Cover pan with foil and place in a deep roasting pan. Pour in hot water until the roasting pan is half full. Bake for about 60 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and take the cheesecake out of roasting pan. Cool and place in refrigerator overnight. Serve with caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream.
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Crème Brûlée
Serves 4
- 16 ounces heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup raw sugar for torching
- Fresh sweetened whipped cream
- Fruit of your choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat cream and vanilla bean over medium heat until just under the boil. Remove from heat and let steep five minutes. Remove vanilla bean. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. While still whisking, pour hot vanilla cream in a gentle stream over egg mixture. Pour cream and egg mixture into crème brûlée ramekins that are set in a deep roasting pan.
Pour hot water in roasting pan to halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover roasting pan with foil and vent one side. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until custard is set and jiggles. Remove from oven and take ramekins out of water bath.
Refrigerate until cold. Top custard with raw sugar until coated. Burn with a torch or use the broil setting in the oven. Serve with whipped cream and fruit.
Reach Features Editor Kathryn Gregory at [email protected].