Recipes for a Kentucky Derby Celebration!

Holy moly, what a week it's been. I've finally emerged from the kitchen and dug my way out from trays and trays of cupcakes and what-have-you only to realize that there are some very fun, food-friendly events happening within the next few days that I have not had time to properly prepare for. {What else is new, right?}

Luckily, I did my due diligence last year. Remember my week of Derby classics? Well, it's hard to believe, but the time has arrived once again to bust out the bonnets and bow ties and mix yourself a frosty julep for the Kentucky Derby.

I explained my {inexplicable} obsession with this event in my posts last year. This year, we'll be spending Derby day at my little sister's college graduation... maybe I can get away with wearing a big hat? ;) Though we won't be celebrating in the same way with a full-blown Derby party, I thought I'd put together a little recap of some Derby-appropriate eats! {Click on the image to take you to the recipe.}

Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade. The perfect sipping alternative to the classic julep, this lemonade is sweet and refreshing with a hint of herbal fragrance.

Benedictine Spread is a staple at Derby celebrations. The long-standing recipe has a history all its own. One bite and it's easy to see why the fresh, savory dip spans generations!

The Kentucky Hot Brown was made famous at the Brown Hotel in Louisville in the 1920's. This twist on the sumptuous, cheesy open-faced sandwich serves as a crowd-pleasing party dish for the betting set and beyond!

Race Day Pie. Modeled after the official version, Derby Pie, this decadent dessert is a cross between a cookie and a pie, chock-full of walnuts, chocolate and of course... bourbon!

Bourbon-Sweet Potato Mini-Bundts. Who doesn't love a bite-sized cake? These dainty little sweets have a hidden kick with a good dose of bourbon in the glaze! 

These race day bites are sure to get the crowd's appetite going, but remember that any good Southern gathering is all about showing your guests hospitality! Details and special touches always make an impression; whether it's a custom backdrop for photos, your "good" serveware, an interactive julep bar or simply some fun signage.

Here were some of my favorite highlights from my Derby Party last year!

No matter what you do for your celebration, don't forget to relax and have fun and your guests {young and old} will follow your lead!

Happy Derby Day, Y'all!

Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts

The past few weeks have been a cooking blur! Between celebrations, events, and preparing for Food Blog Forum {Which is this weekend! Squeee!!!} it's been one recipe after another. I might as well just set up a cot in the kitchen.

Some food highlights I haven't had time to share:

1. My Kentucky Derby party was a success. Truth be told, I still spent far more time in front of the oven than I hoped to despite having made almost everything ahead of time. In the end it was all worth it to see my guests holding frosty juleps, full plates, and happy faces!

I created a Mint Julep Bar where everyone could DTOJ. {Design Their Own Julep} By far, the most popular flavor was the Peach-Basil.

   

The foods I heard the most about were the Beer Mac & Cheese and the Chicken & Waffle Bites with Peach-Horseradish Maple Syrup. {Sadly, I failed to get good pictures of pretty much everything.}

But what was most raved about were the Maple Cupcakes with Candied Bacon. In fact, a few days later I started seeing a friend go candied bacon-crazy on one of her Pinterest boards... I think I may have started something!

Maple Cupcakes with Candied Bacon & some with Candied Pecans

And {after a few Juleps!} people started to have a lot of fun taking pics in front of the "photo booth" backdrop I painted just for the event.



There was fun for the whole family, too! Look at these precious girls in their Derby hats, and fur baby Parker joining in the festivities. Pure adorableness!

P.S. Do I not have the cutest friends ever??

2. Brunch Week went off without a hitch thanks to the hard work and organizational skills of Christine from Cook the Story and Terri from Love & Confections. I have never seen so many amazing recipes in one place!

My Brunch Week recipes: Pineapple-Basil Tea,
Caramelized Onion & Bacon Croque Monsieur, Dark Chocolate-Orange & Walnut Banana Bread

Our sponsors really outdid themselves with the prizes they donated for the giveaway and I'm still enjoying some of the goodies that they sent to us for participating! {See today's recipe!}

3. For Mother's Day, I hosted a little luncheon at my place. We went with Italian, and I made a tasty salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Chicken Sausage Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Rosemary-Bacon Focaccia.

My mama opening her gift.

My Mom bought a cake from a local spot that is known for Cuban pastries and other assorted sweets. The cake is called "Chaja", and it was the first time I'd ever tried it. It's an Uruguayan sponge cake layered with peach filling & dulce de leche, with a creamy frosting and topped with crumbled baked meringues. Though I'm not much of a peach person, I was surprised at how much I liked it.

4. These. I made them for a private event and decided to add the toppers last minute. So glad I did!

5. All of this celebration-related eating has been blissfully wonderful, but the guilt caught up to me today and I decided to eat a salad for lunch. Except it topped it off with these ridiculously addictive Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts and basically turned my "healthy" salad into a dessert.

Leave it to me.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And the road to perpetual stretch pants- wearing? Paved with salads-turned-desserts, I'm pretty sure.

I had some leftover California Walnuts that had been sent to me before Brunch Week, and I don't know why I thought to change up my normal candied walnut routine, but I'm sure glad I did.

Sweet vanilla & brown sugar, spicy cayenne pepper, and crunchy walnuts form an addictive substance  when combined. That mild heat from the cayenne wakes up your taste buds and keeps you reaching for "just one more". You know exactly what I mean.

Snack on these alone, add them to granola, top your "healthy" salad with them... I doubt you'll have any trouble coming up with ways to use them up.

Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon {more or less depending on your spice tolerance} cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts

Special equipment: Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, silicone spatula

1. Combine brown sugar and water in a small non-stick pan and set over medium-high heat. Stir once {using a silicone spatula is helpful since the mixture becomes very sticky}, and bring to a simmer.

2. Sprinkle with cayenne and stir. Allow to boil for 4-5 minutes until the bubbles slow down a bit and the mixture looks more syrupy and less watery.

3. Add vanilla extract and walnuts. Stir, tossing to coat all of the walnuts.

4. Continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes until most of the mixture is stuck to the walnuts and not to the pan.

5. Spread walnuts out onto parchment or a silicone baking mat to cool, separating the large pieces so that they don't fuse together. Cool until "dry", about 6-8 minutes.

Snack away!

*I'm sure there is a more technical way of doing this using temperatures and candy thermometers, but that's not my style. I've made these multiple times using this method & they always turn out great. Just a warning to those of you who are more "exact"! :)

Race Day Pie

Well, you guys, today's my last day to prep for tomorrow's big Derby celebration.

I've been trying to stick to my party planning timeline all week in an effort to avoid a major meltdown at the 11th hour, but you know how it goes... something always comes up last minute!

So, I guess that plan is not to expect to stick with the plan.

{I'm learning to be a little more flexible.}

Anyway, I've been working my way through the menu this week, starting to chop, assemble, and make anything that I can do ahead of time so that I can have fun with everyone else on Saturday. It's taken me many, many parties, events, and gatherings to learn how to plan things out so that this is possible. I can't tell you how many times I've wound up in the kitchen during an entire party, which makes for a very sad hostess & very neglected guests.

This time around, I've made things ahead and have a good mixture of items that can be served cold or at room temp to balance out those that need to be baked or heated through the day of.

Life would be much easier with a double oven, I'm not gonna lie. But we'll make do with what we've got!

I can't keep it to myself anymore... I've got to share my Southern inspired menu for Derby Day. The rest of the details will just have to stay under wraps until after the party. {Rats.}

Kentucky Derby Menu

Beverages

 Mint Juleps

Classic, Blackberry-Mint, Grapefruit-Honey, & Peach-Basil

Oaks Lily Cocktail

Governor's Mansion Peach Tea Punch

Appetizers

Classic Cheese Straws

Benedictine Dip 

Served with Pumpernickel Toasts

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

Served with Crackers & Grapes

Pineapple Julep Fruit Salad

Mains

Chicken & Waffle Bites 

with Horseradish Peach Syrup

Country Ham on Homemade Biscuits 

with Pepper Honey

Sides

Cheese Grits Casserole

Beer Mac & Cheese

Corn on the Cob 

with Chili-Honey Butter

Southern Baked Beans

Blue Cheese Roasted Potato Salad

Dessert

"Derby Pie"
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Caramel Buttercream
topped with Candied Bacon & Candied Pecans

Just about everything is homemade because: A.) I only feed my friends the best. B.) That's just how I roll. and C.) I'm crazy. 

But I'm also really excited. {In case you couldn't tell.} 

I still have lots left to do before "go time" tomorrow... but I guess there's no event more appropriate to race against time. ;) 

Enough yammering on. It's time to get to work & pull together the last details. But before I go, I've got one more thing to share: A recipe for Race Day Pie, a.k.a. "Derby Pie".

Did you know that you can't actually call it "Derby Pie" because it's a registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen? They're famous for the official Pie of the Derby, and they sure take it seriously. Their recipe is super top-secret, and they're very picky about other people claiming to make the real thing. So, out of respect, I'm calling mine "Race Day Pie" ... no need to tick anyone off. ;)

The pie is a delicious blend of chocolate, bourbon, and walnuts, though I've also seen many recipes made with pecans. I stuck to walnuts because that's how Kern's does it, and they're obviously the most official!

It's almost like a chocolate chip-walnut cookie baked in a pie crust with the sweet flavor of bourbon shining through. Nothing wrong with that!

No matter what you call this sweet treat, it's sure to be the ideal ending to Derby day... though winning a few bucks on the race wouldn't hurt, either. ;)

.... And they're off! 

Race Day Pie
Found at The Chattanoogan

1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon {I used Jim Beam, but Early Times is the official Derby bourbon}
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips {I accidentally used milk chocolate, but no harm done!}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Pie Crust -
I used this recipe, but you can certainly use your favorite or buy a pre-made pie crust. {I won't tell.}

1. Make pie crust. {Or unwrap, if cheating!} Arrange in a pie dish. {At this point, I pierced it a bunch of times with a fork just to make sure it didn't puff during baking. It may not be necessary because there's a filling, but I didn't want to risk it.} Refrigerate until needed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, bourbon, and vanilla extract.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until just combined. Gently mix in walnuts and chocolate chips.

5. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is slightly puffed and lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the pie comes out mostly clean. {Not super batter-y.}

6. Cool before slicing.

Benedictine Spread - A Derby Classic

If you like this post, follow my Facebook and Pinterest pages for more delicious stuff!
 
In Monday's post, I told you all about my semi-obsession with the Kentucky Derby despite my less-than-appealing experiences with the event, and my extreme excitement over hosting my very first Derby party.

{Fun Fact: I have a thing for The South in general. Did you know that I pretty much only read Southern novels? It's true. I'm a sucker for a drawl and an antebellum mansion.}

Maybe I like the idea of Derby so much because it lends itself to a theme... and boy, do I love a themed party.

The only thing I love more is a recipe with a long standing history, like this Benedictine spread.

In doing my research for my Southern inspired party menu, I came across this intriguing recipe. I immediately added it to my list of "musts", after seeing it mentioned over and over again in association with race day.

But I just had to know why this simple cucumber spread was such a Derby staple.

According to The University of Google {hehe!}, Benedictine spread was created and made famous by a lady named Miss Jennie {JI-nee, if you're gonna say it all Southern-like} Benedict. {Hence "Benedictine". Duh.} She became well known in her neck of the woods for her scrumptious catering business, run out of her 256-square-foot kitchen built in her back yard. Her burgeoning success lead her to later open a tearoom in Louisville, which was a pretty hoppin' spot at the time.

Now, this was 1893. And it amazed me to think that a lady was able to gain such credibility and achieve such success... enough to become the first woman to hold a membership on the Louisville Board of Trade. {Go Jennie!} She was also a proud graduate of Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School {move over, Le Cordon Bleu}, a cookbook author, and a humanitarian for several causes.*

I love this lady and I just "met" her.

I can almost picture Miss Jennie in her kitchen whipping up Benedictine tea sandwiches, which happen to be a perfect pairing with Mint Juleps. {I'm sure the cream cheese & cucumber help soothe the burn caused by all that bourbon.}

This spread can be used for tea sandwiches or served with pumpernickel toasts. It can also be thinned out with extra some sour cream or mayo to form a dipping consistency for crudites, chips, or crackers.

No matter how you serve it up, you'll be treating your guests to a little taste of history... and with any luck, it'll be one that Miss Jennie herself would've approved of.

Benedictine Spread
Barely adapted from Chow

1 large English cucumber, peeled*, halved, and seeded and grated*
1/4 medium white onion, grated
8 oz. {1 package} cream cheese {I used the 1/3 less fat kind}
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Green Jalapeno Tabasco sauce*
1/4 to 1/2  teaspoon kosher salt

1. Place grated cucumber and onion in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Press down to drain of excess water. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let sit for 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator, pressing every so often to drain. {Alternatively, you can place the grated mixture in the center of a clean kitchen towel and twist to wring out as much water as possible.} Discard liquid.

2. In the bowl of a mixer, combine drained cucumber, onion, cream cheese, sour cream and Tabasco. Beat until well combined.

3. Taste and add salt to your liking. {Start with less & work your way up.}

4. Put in a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

5. Serve with pumpernickel toasts, veggies, or crackers.

*Notes:

- Benedictine usually calls for peeled cucumber, but I forgot to peel mine before grating. With English cucumbers, peeling is optional since they typically come wrapped, without a waxy coating, and have a thinner skin.

- I grate my veggies & cheeses using my food processor grating disk, but you can do it by hand using a box grater as well. {But who would want to?}

- Using Green Jalapeno Tabasco Sauce will help achieve that green tint that Benedictine is known for. I prefer this to using food coloring, but if you want to use a drop of green food coloring, go for it.

- Source Info:
http://blogcritics.org/tastes/article/jennie-benedict-and-the-blue-ribbon/
http://www.littlecolonel.com/Places/Louisville/Benedicts.htm

Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade

I'm getting to do something this coming weekend that I've been wanting to do for years: Host a Kentucky Derby party.

Why have I always had a fascination for this grand Southern tradition, you ask?

I couldn't even begin to tell you.

It's actually sort of ironic since I have an unnatural apprehension when it comes to horses. {I know, weird. I'm also not a fan of birds.}

I've certainly never had a great experience with Derby, either.

One year, Steve and I decided to watch the race. Though we're not really horse race kind of folks, we figured we had nothing to lose... it is known as "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports", after all.  We could handle two minutes of an event we had no real interest in.

As it turns out, the horse I decided to root for, Eight Belles {the first filly to win a trio of important races... girl power!}, collapsed and was put down within minutes of coming in second at the Derby. I was horrified! {And I vowed never to root for any other horse lest I jinx them into an untimely death.}

And yet, every year around this time, I find myself yearning to don a big, ridiculous hat and sip a Mint Julep out of a silver cup.

Call me crazy.

Anyway, this year I'm giving in to my Derby desires.

I'm going all out -- adorable Derby evites from Paperless Post, a request for guests to come in Derby-appropriate attire, a hat contest, and a full Southern menu! {As well as few other surprises I can't share in case any of the guests are reading this!}

I'd like to say I'll be sharing all of the fabulous dishes I'll be making with you, but the truth is, party planning -- though one of my very favorite things to do -- overwhelms me, and I don't want to pressure myself by promising to share recipes and not being able to deliver. {Though, if I am able to stick to my timeline this week and all goes as planned, I will most definitely document any recipes you shouldn't live without.}

If you want to take a peek at how things are coming along this week, I'll be sharing snippets on my Instagram and Facebook accounts, so feel free to join me pre-meltdown... I mean, pre-party. ;)

Meanwhile, I'm sharing a recipe for Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade...a gorgeous beverage for any party and a good alternative to juleps for those who don't care for bourbon. {Unlike me.}

Lemonade already conjures images in my mind of lazy afternoons, porch swings, and beautiful plantation homes, so it just made sense to make this drink for an occasion that's steeped in Southern tradition. Plus, with most of your spring herb gardens in full bloom {Totally jealous. I'm a natural plant killer.}, you'll need some recipes that use up all of that rosemary.

Grab a glass and place your bets... this here's a guaranteed winner.

Vanilla-Rosemary Lemonade

from Southern Living

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 cups water
3 cups fresh lemon juice {18-20 lemons} OR 7.5 ounces thawed frozen lemon juice

Garnish: Lemon Slices, Rosemary Sprigs

1. Combine sugar, vanilla bean, rosemary and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat slightly and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and let steep until slightly cooled, 10-15 minutes, pressing on the solids from time to time.

3. In a large pitcher, pour lemon juice and syrup mixture, straining with a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids. Mix well.

4. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until cold.

5. Stir and serve over ice.

Garnish with lemon and rosemary sprigs if desired.

Makes 6 cups.