Levy Restaurants Executive Chef Jo-Jo Doyle Shares
Southern-Style Recipes for Mint Julep, BBQ Shrimp & Grits
LOUISVILLE, Ky., April
25, 2012 -- For the 11th straight year, Levy Restaurants and
Chef "Jo-Jo" Doyle have planned a feast for the tastes of all 300,000+ fans in
attendance for the weekend, from Millionaires' Row to the Infield. The 138th
Kentucky Derby will provide fans with plenty to savor and sip, serving southern
innovations, traditional favorites and the world-famous Kentucky Derby Mint
Julep. Chef Jo-Jo weaves his southern roots into the Derby menu, incorporating
Kentucky flair, locally-sourced ingredients and
racetrack staples.
For those that can't make it to the race, Chef Jo-Jo shares recipes for the
legendary Kentucky Derby Mint Julep and his famous Churchill Downs Barbeque
Shrimp & Grits.
Kentucky Derby Mint Julep
Serves 6-8 people
- 2 cups - sugar
- 2 cups - water
- 16 oz - Kentucky bourbon, 2 per mint julep
- Crushed ice
- 10 sprigs fresh mint
- 8 mint julep glasses
Chef Jo-Jo's Notes: Combine water and sugar in a pot and bring
to a boil to make simple syrup. Boil for 5 minutes. Cool and place in a covered
container with 2 sprigs of fresh mint and refrigerate overnight. To make your
mint julep, start by filling each mint julep glass with crushed ice. Add 1
tablespoon of the mint flavored simple syrup then 2 ounces of
Kentucky bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost
the outside of the glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Sip and enjoy!
Churchill Downs Barbecue Shrimp Served Over Cheddar Grits
Churchill Downs Signature Barbecue Shrimp
Serves 10 people
- 2 pounds - jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on
- 2 ounces - light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon - garlic
- 1/4 pound - unsalted butter, cold and quartered
- 10 ounces - white wine
- 4 ounces - Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 3 ounces - Worcestershire Sauce Salt
- 1 green onion, cut on the bias to garnish
Chef Jo-Jo's Notes: Add oil to a large saute pan, on high heat. Add
shrimp and cook until very light pink on one side, about 3 minutes. Add garlic
to the pan and stir. Then add white wine and cook until wine has reduced by
half. Stir in hot sauce and Worcestershire. Remove cooked shrimp from pan and
arrange on serving dish. Continue to reduce the sauce for about one minute
longer. Remove pan from heat and add the chunks of cold butter. Swirl butter
until the sauce develops a velvety texture. Pour sauce over shrimp on plate and
garnish with green onion.
Serve with Cheddar Cheese Grits and enjoy!
Cheddar Cheese Grits
Serves 10 people
- 2 cups - quick cooking grits
- 4 cups - water
- 1 teaspoon - salt
- 1/2 cup - heavy cream
- 1 cup - cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup - Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 stick - butter
Chef Jo-Jo's Notes: Add grits and water to a 4 quart sauce pan.
Bring water to boil and allow grits to thicken, stirring occasionally. Add salt,
cream, cheddar, parmesan and butter and remove from heat. Stir until all of the
cheese is melted.
About Chef Jo-Jo
Born and raised in
Tallahassee, with many summers spent in
New Orleans and
Mobile,
AL, Chef Jo-Jo is truly a southern chef at heart and has worked with two
well respected
James Beard Award-winning chefs in
Devlin Roussel at
Michael's Seafood and
Patricia
Wilson, Chef Doyle's mentor in culinary school. The unique flavors of
these regions have had a strong influence in his cooking and he continues to use
his own family recipes with southern and Creole flavors, including his Country
Succotash, Seafood Creole and Country Stewed Beans.
About Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants, founded in
Chicago in 1978, is recognized as one of America's
fastest growing and most critically acclaimed restaurant companies, and is the
leader in premium sports and entertainment dining. Levy was recently named one
of the 10 most innovative companies in sports in the world by Fast Company
magazine. The company's diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants
such as
James Beard Award-winning Spiaggia in
Chicago,
Fulton's Crab
House, Portobello and Wolfgang Puck Grand Café at Walt Disney World Resort,
renowned sports and entertainment venues like Churchill Downs in
Louisville, STAPLES Center in
Los Angeles, and American Airlines Arena in
Miami, and events including the Super Bowl, World
Series, U. S. Open, Kentucky Derby, NHL and NBA All-Star Games and the GRAMMY®
Awards. For details, visit
www.levyrestaurants.com.
SOURCE Levy Restaurants