Appetizers:
Benedictine Watercress Dip with Roasted Asparagus
Hot Brown Quesadillas
Cocktail:
Mint Juleps
Main Course:
Kentucky Burgoo
Desserts:
Winner's Circle Pie
Sweet Cornmeal Cake with Fresh Strawberries
Bowl of Bourbon Whipped Cream
Featured Recipes
Benedictine Watercress Dip with Roasted Asparagus 
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
1 Tbp minced onion
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/3 cup minced watercress leaves
2 drops green food coloring (optional)
METHOD
Place cucumber and minced onion in food processor and process until almost pureed. Pour out onto a clean cotton towel, gather up the edges and squeeze over a sink until dry.
Scrape the cucumber mixture back into the processor and add cream cheese, mayonnaise and Tabasco. Pulse until well mixed. Taste and then season with salt and white pepper. Add green food coloring (if using).
Fold in minced watercress and pour out into a bowl. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. If the dip is too thick for your taste, thin with a little milk.
Roasted Asparagus
1 Tbp olive oil
Cavender’s Greek seasoning to taste
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
METHOD
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Toss asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with Cavender’s.
Place asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 4 – 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. They should be bright green, but still crisp.
Hot Brown Quesadillas
INGREDIENTS
8 slices hardwood smoked bacon
1 large sweet onion, julienne
8 ounces thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 ounces mixed shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar
8 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
Canola oil or butter for cooking
Mornay sauce
METHOD
Cook bacon in large non-stick sauté pan until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Return non-stick sauté pan with bacon drippings to medium high heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring often until they begin to brown and soften. Remove from heat and pour out into a bowl.
Rinse out pan, wipe with paper towels and set aside.
To assemble the quesadillas: Lay out one tortilla and cover bottom half with 1-ounce sliced turkey, 1 tablespoon minced bacon, 2 tablespoons sautéed onions and two slices of tomato. Cover with 1-ounce of cheese. Fold top half down to form a half moon. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 8 quesadillas.
Grill quesadillas in the sauté pan, lightly oiled, over medium heat until golden brown and cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side. Cut in thirds and serve with warm Mornay sauce for dipping.
Mint Juleps
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Kentucky Bourbon
Silver Julep Cups
METHOD
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
RECIPE SOURCE: kentuckyderby.com
Sarah Fritschner's Kentucky Burgoo
SERVINGS: at least 30
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds beef short ribs
2 pounds lamb shanks
2 meaty ham hocks
3 1/2 - 4 pound chicken
1 (4-pound) hen, or substitute rabbit
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 or 4 medium onions, peeled and diced
1 pound carrots, trimmed, and diced
2 green peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced
2 cups whole corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
2 cups diced okra
2 cups lima beans
1 cup diced celery
1 quart tomato puree
2 Tbsp salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
Chopped parsley
METHOD
Put all the meat in a large, deep pot and add 2 gallons cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer gently, skimming any foam off the top, until the meat is falling from the bones, about 2 hours. Strain the broth and chill meat and broth separately. When the meat is cool enough to handle, separate it from the bone (much of this may have already happened); remove and discard skin, cartilage, fat and other pieces you want out of your soup. When the broth is cold, skin fat from the top and discard.
Combine meat and broth and return to the boil over high heat. Add remaining ingredients (except parsley) as you prepare them, stirring often. When the mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer 4 to 6 hours, adding water when necessary and stirring often. In the end, the meat should be thin shreds and the vegetables should be insignificant – at the very least the potatoes should disintegrate – with fragments of a few still visible. The mixture is almost like a thick meat gravy. Add chopped parsley just before serving. Improves by standing a day or two (refrigerated). Freezes well.
RECIPE SOURCE: Derby Start to Finish
Winner's Circle Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whipped cream for garnish
METHOD
Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan and flute the edges.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until smooth, then add the melted butter, bourbon, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly.
Fold in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips and pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Cool completely and serve thin slices with whipped cream.
Sweet Cornmeal Cake with Fresh Strawberries
1 cup flour
1 cup Weisenberger cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (not lowfat)
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil.
Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and blend thoroughly.
Pour into an 8 x 8-inch pan prepared with non-stick spray. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until done.
Cool slightly, cut into squares. Split each one and fill with sliced strawberries tossed with a little sugar. Also great with blueberries or peaches.
Bowl of Bourbon Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
3 Tbsp Kentucky bourbon
METHOD
Whip cream in well-chilled bowl until soft peaks form.
Fold in powdered sugar and bourbon and continue whipping briefly.
Bonus Recipe
Mint Julep Cheesecake
Mint Julep Cheesecake
Chef: Richard Velazquez
Food Mood: Holiday
Cuisine: New American/Regional
Description
This is the perfect cheesecake recipe for a Kentucky Derby BBQ! Make the cheesecake the day before you want to enjoy, it needs to set overnight. Enjoy!
Servings: 9" Springform Pan
Ingredients
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 Tbsp Sugar, granulated
4 Tbsp Butter, unsalted, melted
For the Filling:
24 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
4 each Eggs
1 cup Sugar, granulated
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1/4 cup Bourbon Whiskey
2 Tbsp Crème de Menthe
Method
For the Crust:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter together. Then proceed to press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pan.
2. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees then let cool completely.
For the Filling:
1. Beat the cream cheese and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium speed, being sure to stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides.
2. Next add the lemon zest, the bourbon and the crème de menthe, slowly mixing until well incorporated, about 3-4 minutes…again, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
3. Now add the eggs one at a time, while the mixer is on medium speed until all four eggs are incorporated. Be sure the sides of the bowl are scraped down.
4. Pour the mixture into your cool springform pan and bake in a water bath, uncovered, for 45-55 minutes, or until the center is “set”, you can also insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.
Prep time: 25 minutes/Overnight
Notes
**If you see that the top of the cheesecake is starting to turn dark on you, no problem, simply (and carefully) cover with a piece of aluminum foil.
You can garnish the cheesecake however you’d like. I like to use fresh sprigs of mint and some vanilla whipped cream.
Article
The Ultimate Dip, Benedictine
Sarah Fritschner, author of Derby 101, writes: "Ah! Benedictine! Most of the world thinks of it as a liqueur. In Louisville, we know it is a sandwich spread named after the eminent caterer of the early 20th century, Jenny Benedict." These days, any mix of cucumber and onion will work – some Louisville restaurants sell a chunky Benedictine as a sandwich filling, but it’s traditionally served as a thin layer on crustless tea sandwiches. Tradition aside, Chef Sara notes that local residents eat Benedictine on everything. She particularly loves it as a topping for veggie burgers and served with extra cucumbers and some thinly sliced red onions.
Hot Brown Quesadillas
Who invented this sandwich? Well, Chef Sara knows at least two unrelated Louisville cooks who claim familial lineage to the original chef. Fact is, the Hot Brown is one of those dishes that has benefited from the creative touches of many folks. According to John Mariani, Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, the Hot Brown is a sandwich of chicken, bacon, or ham with a cheese sauce, created at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in the late 1920’s. Local food writer, Sara Fritschner believes the first Hot Brown was coined well before this time. The Brown, normally sliced turkey on toast, is covered with a cream sauce that has been augmented with a "healthy" dose of sharp cheddar cheese then all is topped with bacon and sometimes tomatoes. Chef Sara Gibbs's version of the Hot Brown is a quesadilla, which puts this rich dish into its proper proportion and makes preparing this satisfying appetizer easy for the party hostess.
Mint Julep
The mint julep is a centerpiece of the derby which is, to a large extent, one big 'ol party. For most Yankees, the mint julep conjures bucolic images of the South but also the feeling that no good can come of a liquor cabinet with crème de menthe. We say - fear not! Sara Fritschner writes, "The point of a mint julep is to barely season bourbon with a little fresh mint. Mint is sometimes growing in local gardens at Derby time and with any luck you can be lavish with both it and your bourbon. Remember, this is a cold, bold drink with a light mint essence, not a minty sweet drink that has been spiked with some anonymous liquor." When Chef Sara told me that she spent years perfecting a Mint Julep Jello Shot - my association of mint julep and junior league garden fundraiser was banished. Need another reason to pick up bourbon and crème de menthe? How about Chef Sara's Triple Crown Brownies. Deep chocolate brownies topped with a cream cheese layer flavored with mint and finally, a dark chocolate ganache spiked with bourbon. Chef Sara writes, "As they sit, they seem to get stronger. About a week after the Derby, the leftovers are strong enough to set you free!"
Sarah Fritschner's Kentucky Burgoo
Dig that rabbit and squirrel out of the back of the freezer! Let's make burgoo.
OK, store-bought meats including pork, veal, beef, lamb, chicken - any combination will do the trick as the basis of this rich and flavorful stew. To put the "Kentucky" into your stew, be sure to select a variety of vegetables including potatoes, onions, celery, cabbage, carrots, sweet green peppers, corn, lima or butter beans. Chef Sara does not use okra, as Kentuckians are not as fond of okra as are diners in the more Southern states. According to Ms. Fritschner, you'll want to make enough to feed a big gathering and cook and stir it for so long, that the soup is nearly as homogenous as gravy, with bits of corn or lima beans appearing once in a while and the meat reduced to shreds.
Derby Pie
At least two generations of the Kerns family have been baking basically one thing....chocolate but pie. Needless to say, they have it down. They make a wonderful pie that has a perfect ratio of crust to filling and no bourbon. At the small pie factory two workers spend some of their week sitting at a small table sorting through the walnuts for bits of shell – they always find some. You can order their pies from www.derbypie.com. Nevertheless, scores of chocolate chip pie recipes circulate around Louisville with various names, including Horse Race Pie, Triple Crown Pie – you get the picture. Chef Sara's version has bourbon and maple syrup and is a favorite at the Brown Forman Corporation's (maker's of Jack Daniels, etc.) corporate dining room.
