Kentucky Bourbon Pie

The dew hangs loosely on the petals of the red roses. Golden sun slips over the famous spires, casting a long shadow on the track. Energetic thoroughbreds in hues of golden pecan, dark chocolate, and cream are wound ready like springs. Ice tangos with mint leaves and amber bourbon. It's the first Saturday in May and something special is happening.

Every year, the world turns its eyes to Louisville, Kentucky and the most exciting 2 minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby. At Derby time, the parties are historic, the hats amazing, and the horses spectacular. Louisville knows how to celebrate a horse race and what party would be complete without the perfect dessert. 

In 1950 the Kerns at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky created a pastry that is now synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, the Derby Pie (© Kern's Kitchen), a chocolate and walnut tart. Though the Kern's pie is quite tasty with a dollop of whipped cream, I prefer the version of a chocolate nut pie I make myself. I use pecans, dark chocolate, and a shot of quality bourbon. This pie is great for any occasion, but especially on that first weekend in May.

The pie before baking, yum!

Kentucky Bourbon Pie

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 shot bourbon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped dark chocolate

1 unbaked pie shell or 1 roll of crust

Notes: I use Woodford Reserve in my pies. If you choose to omit the bourbon, use 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I usually use chocolate with a cacao content of 60% or higher. If you wish to use 75% or higher, use in combination with milder chocolate unless you're looking for a stronger chocolate flavor.

Combine sugar and flour well; add eggs and melted butter. Add chopped nuts, chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon, mixing well. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or for an extra fun treat, bourbon whipped cream, recipe here at Food & Wine.

This year, why not try a slice of a new tradition. Mix up a julep, pick your pony, and enjoy some Kentucky Bourbon Pie. A dessert this decadent is a sure bet!

Disclaimer: My recipe is in no way intended as an infringement on the copyright held by Kern's Kitchen.

Idea Seeds: Dogwood

With spring comes a lot of inspiration. Everything's waking up after a winter's nap; there are colors and textures everywhere. One of my favorite things about spring is the dogwood tree. Dogwoods are pretty trees most of the year, but their blooms are something special. That's why I've chosen dogwood as this Idea Seed.

Viewed by some as a religious symbol and prized by landscapers for its foliage, the dogwood comes in both tree and shrub varieties. The blooms can range from a chartreuse shade of white to light and dark pink and have four petals with a distinct dark spot on the tip. These blooms are showy in spring and give way to simple leaves for summer. Eventually, they produce bright berries.

Sun Salutation
watercolor
©Rachael Sinclair

If you have a dogwood tree in your yard or know where you can inspect one, take a good look. Does the shape inspire you? How about the color? What textures do you see? Sit under a dogwood and let your mind drift. You never know what magic you'll find!

These PMS colors and CMYK breakdowns were sampled directly from the bloom of a dogwood tree

Color by COLOURlovers

Lemon Sunshine Cake

About this time of year, I crave lemon confections. There's almost nothing as decadently refreshing as a slice of spongy lemon cake. I adapted this recipe to use butter instead of oil and stress the use of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Lemon Sunshine Cake

1 lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 4-serving package of lemon instant pudding
(I used Jello pudding)

1 cup water

4 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

zest from half a lemon

1/3 cup (approx) powdered sugar

5 tablespoons (approx) fresh lemon juice

remaining lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Blend cake mix and pudding mix together. Add water, melted butter, and eggs; mix well. Stir in lemon zest; note, batter will be thick. Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for around five minutes before removing. Stir together glaze of powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and zest. Drizzle glaze over warm cake.

Michael Graves

St. Coletta School, Washington D.C.

Humana Building, Louisville, KY

If the animators responsible for The Incredibles, Wall-e, and Meet the Robinsons, had a patron saint, it would be Michael Graves. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934, Graves eventually became one of the New York Five and is a household name thanks to his collaboration with Target on domestic products. His buildings and products are futuristic and strong, but not entirely cold like some other modern designs.

Graves uses glass, marble, and metal to paint a picture with his architecture. His work takes chances and liberties with the skyline that stay pleasing in spite of their age. Some may push the envelope with modernism as Graves does, but their work never manages to break out of the current trends, resulting in a heavily dated look as the years pass.

In his product design, Graves uses a great deal of glossy metal and a signature grey blue. His pieces are almost always easy to identify and, like his architecture, lend artistic whimsy to a home no matter the interior scheme.

With hundreds of architectural triumphs to his name and his products revered in homes everywhere, Graves has quite the legacy. His bold style pushes boundaries without becoming garish, cultivating an inspiration of confidence and fine attention to detail.

Louwman Museum, the Netherlands

Sources: Wikipedia, Michael Graves & Associates

A Fond Farewell

The NBC series Chuck debuted on September 24th, 2007. I fell in love with the characters and the clever storytelling. Chuck was fun without being overly rude; the emotions were real enough without being melodramatic. Numerous close calls of cancellation were averted by zealous fans, but sadly, Chuck wasn't going to make it past five seasons. Good stories and great people inspire and that's what Chuck Bartowski and his friends have done for me. You've had an amazing journey; thanks for letting me tag along!

Thank You Chuck

original vector art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2012

Coffee: An Infographic

"Actually, this seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis - a good hot cup of coffee." -Alexander King

Anyone who knows me will attest to my love for coffee. I started drinking coffee in college. The coffee shop was a great a hangout and wonderful place to sketch. Since, I've developed a mature and discerning taste for the much-loved beverage. To me, coffee is an art, a science, a miracle. Coffee is my wine.

For such a small thing, the coffee bean has a huge impact on our lives and the global economy. Coffee is the #2 most traded commodity on earth behind oil. Why not, it keeps us going! This infographic has been in the works for some time. I wanted to show the coffee journey in graphics to fit a simple yet rich beverage. Enjoy, and remember, friends don't let friends drink bad coffee!

Earth to Cup

original vector art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2012

Merry Christmas 2011

Recently, I joined Pinterest. (You can follow the link in the sidebar to my boards.) I was skeptical at first; there are so many blogs and sharing sites. I found I love being able to 'bookmark' inspirational images and sites by using a visual. Over the past weeks, I've pinned a lot of interesting things, including some vintage typography. You can visit the BibliOdyssey blog post here to see some examples of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps that inspired my piece. I went for an old paper look and threw in some decorative elements. 'Merry Christmas' was hand drawn, scanned, and digitized. The moderate amount of work I did on this piece really made me appreciate the old techniques. Every designer needs to know what goes in to something as simple as a word.

Have a happy holiday everyone!

Merry Christmas

original digital art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2011