Tag Archives: Kentucky Derby menu

Succotash

Posted on by April 27, 2015

This quick and dirty, fresh from the freezer version of Succotash makes it an o-so-easy side dish. And for a Kentucky Derby Party where the main dish is some serious meat, like my Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches, I recommend keeping it vegetarian, even though bacon is typically found in the dish… this is a Southern dish after all. Of course Succotash is delicious if you shell and boil fresh beans, roast local sweet corn, shuck it, and then get to work on the salad, but truth told, this is one of those dishes that emphasizes the right time to utilize the freezer aisle at your grocery store. While I don’t love all frozen veggies, I tend to keep corn and peas on hand for all sorts of tasks. While I don’t necessarily keep lima beans around, I think freezer quality is quite high, and of course there’s the really important benefit of not having to shell and peel the beans. All this to say, don’t feel guilty if you go the freezer route, trust me, you’ll have plenty to do to prep for the derby and making complicated Succotash isn’t where you ought to spend your extra time … Continue reading →

Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches

Posted on by April 28, 2015

I can’t take credit for the awesomeness of this Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches. I made this recipe almost exactly as the chef wrote it for the February 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. But I’ll add my pictures and comments [Text in brackets is mine, the rest is from Chef Lee] so you know you’re on track, and offer my endorsement of this recipe because it’s really, really good. As in best brisket I’ve had or made good. And the pickles are necessary. They make the sweetness and richness of the meat make sense. While this Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches is worth throwing a party in and of itself, I chose to make it the centerpiece of my Kentucky Derby Party Menu. If you’ve started with Chilled Peach Soup and a few Watermelon Radish and Cucumber Basil tea sandwiches, you’ll definitely need something substantial to anchor all those mint juleps. Trust me, this Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches is up to the task. I serve it with old school white bread, or potato bread and people can make themselves little sandwiches if they don’t want to track down a fork and knife. Trust me, that’s what they’ll … Continue reading →

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Spinach Basil Mascarpone

Posted on by April 27, 2015

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Spinach Basil Mascarpone are sliced, stacked and ready to be enjoyed, because one type of tea sandwich just isn’t enough for my Kentucky Derby Party! These Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Spinach Basil Mascarpone are cool and refreshing and a nice contrast to the slightly spicy Radish and Mint Butter Tea Sandwich. The cocktail rye bread makes them easy to prepare, and they turn out the perfect size without you having to remove their crusts. Removing the crust for tea sandwiches that always makes me feel guilty, probably a good thing, it is wasteful after all, but it does make for perfect little sandwiches that feel really special and rather dainty all at the same time. Make sure you taste one assembled before you make the whole batch, you may like to adjust the salt level or add a bit more basil, etc. to make these Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Spinach Basil Mascarpone perfect for you. I like to stack them tall in squares on smaller plates and replenish them often. Again, there’s something about the small plates piled high with Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Spinach Basil Mascarpone that makes the feel indulgent and elegant. … Continue reading →

Mint Juleps!

Posted on by April 27, 2015

In recent years I’ve spent first Saturday in May at my friend Anna’s Kentucky Derby party drinking way too many, but never enough Mint Juleps! The party gets bigger every year, and last year it migrated to one of the boat houses on the Schuylkill River and was hosted by three Kentucky natives. The dark walnut paneled dining room was draped in old lace and crystal and silver julep cups full of blood red roses were scattered throughout the rooms providing the perfect backdrop for a truly amazing party. The old building has a wrap around porch and a view of the river as well as a huge lawn for croquet, corn hole and lots of dapper gentlemen and hat wearing ladies to stroll about the grounds. I’ve always loved the Kentucky Derby. Perhaps this love comes from my romanticized nostalgia for the South, or my love of hats; I’m not sure. I have a full Derby Party Menu full of great ideas for how you can get the most out of your party if I’ve managed to encourage you to throw a little shindig of your own. The recipes are quite simple and you get to wear a big … Continue reading →

Deviled Eggs

Posted on by April 30, 2015

Of course, everyone already knows how to make Deviled Eggs. Why would you possibly need a recipe? The truth is that most of us need a recipe, or at least some new techniques. In fact, it’s possible (or probable) that this should have been a pantry tips/ let’s fix it post. Because everyone knows how to hard-boil an egg intuitively, that means that lots of us don’t know how to do it well. If you don’t know Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, you’re in for a treat, because his column and book are all about technique. In fact, Deviled Eggs are an example of a food I thought I didn’t like but actually just hadn’t eaten it cooked correctly until very late in life because I can’t stand the taste of over cooked hard boiled eggs. Mark Bittman’s egg cooking techniques are life altering, at least for people like me. I recommend you watch this video. Cooking the eggs properly will update this old school dish in a new school way. And after you know how to boil eggs to your liking, the sky is the limit in terms of making Deviled Eggs. I like them to be a … Continue reading →