And he laces his chocolate icebox pie with moonshine and amaretto. He even goes so far as to make his own pecan wine with moonshine. When in his native France, Gutierrez took a fancy to walnut wine, a country concoction made by macerating green walnuts in a mixture of eau de vie and red wine. So he put two and two together and came up with his signature pecan wine, which he reduces into a sauce with veal stock and butter. Gutierrez also extols the culinary properties of bourbon, another corn whiskey and a natural for the South, noting it makes a great substitute for cognac.
Bourbon gives a much more authentic taste, and it goes well with everything.
It's a Southern thing Bourbon's appeal extends beyond the South, though. A recent episode of Dining Around on the TV Food Network featured chefs Kirsten and Steven Jarrett of Geronimo in Sante Fe. They drown a single serving of corn in half a cup of bourbon before reducing it and adding cream. Wayne Harley Brachman likes bourbon, too. Brachman is pastry chef at Mesa Grill, Mesa City and Bolo in New York.