You don’t have to know a thing about horses to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. It’s got more excitement packed into one short race than any other sporting event.
For your Derby party, serve a traditional Kentucky staple – burgoo. By definition, burgoo is a mish-mash of everything and anything you have in your frig and pantry.
Here’s a menu to match the excitement of a day at the races.
Menu
Mint Juleps
Benedictine Sandwich appetizers
Kentucky Burgoo
Kentucky Chocolate Walnut Pie
Mint Juleps
- 4 handfuls of mint leaves
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 cups water
- 8 ounces bourbon
- Crushed ice
Working in batches, bruise the mint leaves in a bowl, slightly crushing leaves with a mortar/pestle or the rounded handle of a rolling pin. Combine crushed leaves, sugar and water in a saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Strain. Fill 4 silver julep cups with crushed ice. Add 2 ounces of bourbon to each cup. Pour equal amounts of syrup into each cup. Stir rapidly until outside of cup gets frosty. Rub fresh mint around the rim of the cup.
Benedictine Sandwich Appetizers
- 1 large cucumber
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Dash green food coloring
Peel, seed and grate the cucumber. Drain by pressing grated cucumber between paper towels. Place in food processor along with cream cheese, onion, mayonnaise and salt. Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until mixture is light, bright green. Spread mixture between two pieces of white, crustless bread and cut into triangle sandwiches.
Kentucky Burgoo
- 2 pounds pork shank
- 2 pounds beef shank
- 3 pound roasting chicken
- 8 quarts water
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ pounds onions, diced
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- 2 cups chopped cabbage
- 1 quart tomato puree
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 2 red chili peppers
- 2 cups diced okra
- 2 cups lima beans
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Put pork, beef, whole chicken and water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meat is tender and falling off bones. Remove meat from the pot. Let it cool and then remove meat from bones. Combine meat, potatoes, onions, carrots, green pepper, cabbage, tomato puree, corn, chili peppers, okra, lima beans and celery in pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4 hours or until thickened. Add parsley, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper and oregano in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Kentucky Chocolate Walnut Pie
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons bourbon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 9-inch deep dish pie crust, unbaked
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40 more minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Tips:
- The actual Kentucky Derby race is only about 2 minutes long, so don't get so caught up in the festivities that you miss it. Your television set doesn’t have to be the center of the party, just the center of attention at race time.
- If you’ve never had a mint julep, you’re in for a treat. Before Derby day, invest in some silver julep cups. In a pinch, buy a set of aluminum tumblers. Anything metal makes it authentic!
- Order Kentucky Derby party fun stuff from Caulfield’s Novelty web site, including a “Talk Derby to Me” tee-shirt for yourself!
For more on bourbon and the mint julep, see Angie Rayfield's article on Kentucky Bourbon.
