Woody Creek Dinner (9/16/23)
Here we go again, another article about a dinner in Limelight, but I promise that this one will be as fun to read about as the past three have been.
For anyone unaware, once a month the Limelight hotel in Snowmass teams up with a local vineyard, distillery, or brewery to give us a multi-course menu with drink pairings for a fraction of the price.
This time around, Limelight paired up with Woody Creek Distillers, a distillery company based in El Jebel (between Aspen and Glenwood Springs) co-found by Shameless actor, William H. Macey to give us a night full of whiskey, great food, and lots of fun. I’ll be telling you, my readers, all about the incredible dinner and the whiskey that went with it.
The Whiskey
As per usual, before diving into the incredible food I had, I will first talk about the variety of whiskey that was served, each of which came from Woody Creek Distillers, who pride themselves on using local ingredients and a natural distilling process to give us spirits like no other, and each of which brought their own unique flavor profile to the table.
Straight Rye Whiskey (90 proof)-made from 100% locally grown Elbon Rye from the San Luis Valley in South Colorado and aged in oak barrels for at least 5 years, the Woody Creek, straight rye whiskey, isn’t going to blow your socks off, but will offer subtle flavors of oak, orange blossom, and subtle rye spices.
While all of these whiskey varieties were served to us straight, we also received a unique cocktail made with the Woody Creek straight rye and an Ethiopian syrup called saba, which did not mask the flavors of the whiskey but rather gave a touch of sweetness to enhance it.
70/30 High Rye Bourbon (94 proof)-Made with a blend of 70% corn and 30% rye, both of which are locally grown, this high rye bourbon offers a touch of sweetness from the corn but also a smooth and balanced taste, with notes of toffee, caramel, and vanilla for a whiskey that is ideal for baking.
100% Olathe Corn (100 Proof)-the strongest whiskey that was offered that evening, this Olathe corn (Olathe being a town in Southwest Colorado) whiskey is aged for at least 7 years in New American oak barrels. Once you get past that kick of that 100 proof whiskey, you’ll be left with flavor notes of creamed corn, coffee, and an oaky finish.
Straight Bourbon (90 Proof) The final whiskey of the evening happened to be my favorite of the four that we tasted, a straight bourbon made with a blend of 70% corn, 15% rye, and 15% malted barley, that barley adding a touch of sweetness and some more complexity to make it a bourbon like no other, with notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and hints of spice.
In addition, we were also given a cocktail described as a spiced cider old fashioned, made with that same bourbon, cider, a cinnamon-sugar coated rim, and topped with a dried apple slice that, for me, was the perfect entryway into the fall.
Welcoming Course: Honey-Rye Cigar
Given the smoky flavors associated with whiskey, it makes sense that the first bite for the evening would be a cigar.
This cigar was made with a rolled savory cracker filled with ricotta, mascarpone, and infused rye honey filling, then ‘put out, into a bed of walnuts dusted with silver.
That thin cracker had a nice crisp texture that wrapped around that sweet and tangy filling wonderfully and the nuts at the bottom provided some added texture.
It might have only been a few bites, but they were an explosion of flavor that Woody Creek’s straight rye whiskey only made better.
Course 1: Pork Belly Bao Bun
Moving on to the next tasting course of the evening, we were given a take on a Chinese classic, steamed bao buns filled with pork belly tossed with a five-spiced hoisin glaze, cucumber, nori aioli, and then garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.
At least, most of us got that, the man who sat next to me was served an empty bun!
Anyway, the buns that did have something in them were delightful! The tender, rich pork belly coated in that sweet, spiced hoisin glaze, then that little cucumber slice comes in with some brightness and texture to balance out the whole bite within that fluffy steamed bun, it made me want more buns in fact.
Course 2: Duck with Risotto
I don’t know how it’s possible that I’ve had more risotto in recent months than I’ve had in my life, but I can certainly appreciate it as the risotto served at the Woody Creek dinner was a porcini mushroom risotto served with two ways of butternut squash, roasted cubes, and a squash puree, and it was all topped with a beautiful piece of duck breast.
Both duck breast and risotto offer their own challenges to even the best chefs. If you don’t render out that thick fat layer from the duck, it will be quite rubbery and flabby, and I don’t have time to talk about the common pitfalls for risotto either, but both the duck and the risotto served that night were nothing short of perfection.
The duck was very juicy tender, and the fat layer was perfectly rendered to give a nice crispy skin; then that creamy, velvety risotto comes in with a nice earthy flavor from the porcini mushrooms, and finally you get some sweetness and nuttiness from that butternut squash, it was the dish of the evening.
Course 3: Bourbon Churro
People likely associate churros with state fairs, carnivals, and fiestas, but sometimes, even a fine dining restaurant knows how to put out a great churro. To pair with the wonderful straight bourbon from Woody Creek Distillers, our final dish for the evening was a bourbon-infused churro filled and served with a thick pastry cream, crushed sugar, and some little pate a choux leaves.
I’ve always been a churro lover but this was better than any churro I could get at any state fair. It was crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle, that cream inside wasn’t super sweet, that mild flavor of the bourbon came through, and overall it was the perfect ending to a perfect night.
