Henry Bain's Sauce was the creation of Louisville, Kentucky's Pendennis Club's legendary Maître d', Henry Bain (1863-1928), who was one of the Pendennis Club's first employees dating back to 1881. He perfected this sauce to complement steak, pork and local game brought in by club members.
For over a century, the Pendennis Club Original Henry Bain's Famous Sauce was only available to members and guests of the world-renowned club. However, over time, the sauce has become famous for its sweet and spicy flair, rendering itself a Southern staple.
At one time, Henry Bain's sauce was the most requested recipe from Louisville, Kentucky's local media outlets – although, the recipe has many published variations. When Bourbon Barrel Foods teamed up with Pendennis Club, it was our goal to create the most authentic version you could find on the market. Founder and owner Matt Jamie's first order of business was to preserve the recipe to the best of his ability. "We removed any unnatural ingredients and depleted the North American market of picked walnuts when we launched, the essential ingredient, in my mind," Matt says.
Not much information survives Henry Bain. However, Pendennis Club confirms that he officially became the Club's Matri d' and held this position at the Club before his retirement, and members and the community well respected him. Matt says, "Kentucky's culinary history drives my decision to launch a new product. I wanted to learn everything I could to embrace the tradition. I hired an Archivist to research Henry Bain. During the process, we retrieved his birth and death certificate and found out he was buried in New Albany, Indiana. We found his headstone and visited it. We even brought him a bottle of our Henry Bain's sauce." The Pendennis Club - The Original Henry Bain's Famous Sauce is full of rich and tangy flavors of tomato sauce and vinegar combined with sweet chutney and pickled walnuts made it an instant favorite. Delicious on tenderloin, cocktail meatballs or spread over cream cheese for an appetizer.
HENRY BAIN’S MEATBALLS
Makes about 40 meatballs
Ingredients:
- 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut in small pieces
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Bourbon Barrel Aged Worcestershire Sauce
- 1¼ teaspoons Bourbon Barrel Garlic Salt
- ½ teaspoon Bourbon Barrel Citrus Pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup Henry Bain’s Sauce, plus more for serving
Method:
1. In a small bowl, combine bread and milk. In a large bowl, combine pork, beef, onion, parsley, worcestershire, garlic salt, and citrus pepper. Mash bread and milk to form a wet paste and add to meat mixture. Add egg and gently mix to combine. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mix and form mixture into meatballs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add half the meatballs and cook until brown on all sides. Transfer to a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
3. Set broiler on high. Brush meatballs with the Henry Bain’s sauce. Broil for 3 minutes until burnished and glossy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with extra Henry Bain’s sauce on the side.
HENRY BAIN’S STEAK CROSTINI WITH HORSERADISH CREAM
Makes 18 crostini
Ingredients:
For the Horseradish Cream Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup horseradish, grated
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp Bourbon Smoked Salt
¼ tsp Bourbon Smoked Pepper
For the Crostini:
18 French baguette slices, ½” thick cut on a bias
olive oil for drizzling
¾ pounds sirloin steak
¼ tsp Bourbon Smoked Salt
1/8 tsp Bourbon Smoked Pepper
3 Tbsp Henry Bain’s Sauce
1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet.
Drizzle each slice with some olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes to lightly toast. Set aside
and allow to cool. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the horseradish
cream. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Heat oven-proof skillet over med-high heat. Season steak with smoked salt and
pepper. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and sear the steak for 3 minutes on each
side. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes for med-rare. Remove and rest the steak for 5 minutes.
Place a dollop of horseradish cream sauce on each crostini. Slice the steak thinly
and toss the steak in a bowl with the Henry Bain’s sauce. Lay a few slices of steak on
each crostini. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve on a platter.
Bring big flavor, Kentucky-style – This mini size bottle of Henry Bain’s Famous Sauce is perfect as party favors and wedding party gifts. We’ve made it easy. See the option for Henry Bain’s Minis by the case.
