Steeped in tradition, The Trustees’ Table at Shaker Village in Harrodsburg has been “making you kindly welcome” since 1968. Today, Executive Chef Amber Hokams and Farm Manager H.P. Lovelace collaborate to bring the freshest food to guests every season. The menu recently was reimagined with a return to family-style dining. Each day brings a rotating selection of straight-from-the-garden side dishes that are shared around the table. Mainstays such as Mrs. Kremer’s fried chicken, country catfish and a 12-ounce hog chop leave diners satisfied, but you should save room for a slice of the famous Shaker lemon pie.
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, pod scraped
3 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Maker’s Mark bourbon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Over medium heat, simmer cream and vanilla bean in a saucepan.
3. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, bourbon and salt. Slowly whisk cream mixture into egg mixture and mix until combined.
4. Fill ramekins with mixture almost to the top and place ramekins in a deep-sided baking pan. Pour hot water around ramekins until water is halfway up the side of the ramekins.
5. Bake until the mixture has set, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove ramekins from the baking pan and transfer to a cooling rack. When cool, transfer ramekins to the refrigerator and chill overnight or 4-5 hours.
7. To serve, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar on tops of ramekins. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until it’s brown and will achieve the signature snap of a crème brûlée when tapped with a spoon.
Meet the Chef
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas, Chef Amber has led the culinary team at Shaker Village since 2018. Using the bounty delivered from the farm and the certified-organic Shaker Garden, her menus highlight seasonal produce, allowing for a unique dining experience each time you pull up a chair at The Trustees’ Table.
Recipes and photos courtesy of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.