My complete Kentucky Derby Party Menu

Try one or try them all…..here’s a complete Kentucky Derby Party menu to celebrate the most exciting 2 minutes in sports!

Drinks: The Mint Julep, Sweet Tea Punch with Mint, Marjorie’s Bourbon Slush, Mimosas

Finger Foods:  Bourbon Molasses-Glazed Chicken Wings, Benedictine Spread on Cucumber Rounds, Derby Day Pineapple Skewers, Shrimp Cocktail

Buffet: Kentucky Hot Browns, Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Herbed Parmesan Corn Pudding, Roasted Asparagus

Dessert Tray: Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream, Buttermilk Coconut Pie, and Whole Stem-on Strawberries

The Mint Julep, courtesy of Jay Erisman

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Make Ahead: The mint syrup may be made ahead in quantity for a party and kept refrigerated for up to two months.

Notes from Jay: Hey, this is Kentucky - we couldn’t help creating the perfect mint julep. Although juleps are most popular at Derby Time, they also make a refreshing drink throughout the summer. This recipe makes it easy to mix juleps for a crowd, infusing each julep with just the right balance of minty sweetness and Bourbon power. The secret lies in the fresh mint-infused syrup—much better than bottled mint flavorings—which may be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a quick julep fix. For the Bourbon, we recommend good quality whiskey but not something so expensive as a small batch or single barrel Bourbon. Old Forester is a great choice for inexpensive Bourbon. Wild Turkey 101, Weller 12-year-old or Buffalo Trace would provide a great julep experience.

Crushed or shaved ice

2 tablespoons mint syrup, to taste (recipe below)

2 tablespoons water

2½ ounces Bourbon

Sprig of fresh mint for garnish

Fill a tumbler or silver julep cup with shaved or finely crushed ice. Add two to three tablespoons of mint syrup, to taste. Add two tablespoons of water. Add bourbon and stir it all together. Add a sprig of mint to each glass, making sure that the mint sprig is slightly taller than the glass. 

Mint Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

¼ cup packed coarsely chopped fresh mint

Two tablespoons Bourbon

Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add the mint, stirring. Let cool for 30 minutes. 

Strain the mixture, pour into a jar, and add two tablespoons Bourbon. (The Bourbon preserves the syrup, which would otherwise ferment over time in your refrigerator.) This makes enough syrup for about 12-14 juleps.

Sweet Tea Punch with Mint

Serves 20

Note:  Punch can be made a day ahead. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

6 cups boiling water

24 sprigs fresh mint

12 tea bags

2 cups white sugar

2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

6cups cold water

Orange and lemon slices, mint sprigs for garnish

Place the tea bags and mint sprigs into a large pitcher. Pour boiling water over; steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and mint leaves. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Stir in the orange juice and lemon juice. Pour in the cold water. Serve in tall glasses, over ice, garnished with orange or lemon slices.

Marjorie’s Bourbon Slush

Serves 20

Note: Bourbon Slush can be made a day ahead. Cover and freeze; add 7-Up when ready to serve.

12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate

6 ounces frozen lemon juice concentrate

½-1 cup sugar, or to taste

2 cups brewed tea

1 ½ cups bourbon

6 cups water

7-Up to taste 

Maraschino cherries to garnish

Mix together and freeze in a large shallow glass pan.  Scrape into glasses; add 7-Up to taste. Top with a maraschino cherry.

Bourbon Molasses-Glazed Chicken Wings

Serve 8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 45 minutes

Cooking spray

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 small onion, minced

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup bourbon

Salt and pepper

2 pounds chicken wings, rinsed and dried

Heat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and chili powder.  Cook and stir until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in bourbon; cook 5 minutes more. Season  to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve ½ cup of sauce for serving.

Season chicken wings with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with sauce. Return to oven; bake 10 minutes more. Brush with sauce. Return to oven; bake 10 minutes more or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature with reserved sauce for dipping.

Benedictine Spread on Cucumber Rounds

Serves 8-12

Prep time: 15 minutes

1 medium cucumber

1 small onion, quartered and finely minced

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ teaspoon sea salt

Dash of Tabasco sauce

1 drop green food coloring

1 English cucumber, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

Fresh parsley, minced

Peel the cucumber and slice in half lengthwise; remove the seeds with a small spoon. Place in a food processor; pulse about 5 times or until cucumber is minced. Add the onion; pulse 4-5 times. Add cream cheese; process until smooth. Add salt, hot sauce, and food coloring; pulse until well combined. Taste and correct seasonings. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a small amount onto each cucumber round; garnish with minced parsley.

Derby Day Pineapple Skewers with Bourbon and Mint 

Serves 8-12

Prep time: 15 minutes

3 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint plus additional mint leaves for garnish

1 tablespoon sugar

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks

Wooden skewers

Stir together bourbon, chopped mint, and sugar in a bowl. Add pineapple chinks; toss to coat. Let stand at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Skewer 1-2 pieces of pineapple on a wooden skewer. Repeat with remaining pineapple. Drizzle skewers with liquid left in the bowl. Place on a decorative platter; garnish with mint sprigs.

Shrimp Cocktail

Serves 8-12

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Make ahead: Best made several hours in advance. Can be made one day ahead; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip: To get shrimp cocktail well-chilled for serving, place a Ziploc bag of ice in a shallow dish. Lay the shrimp on top of the ice-filled bag; cover and chill until ready to serve.

1 (3-ounce) bag Shrimp and Crab Boil 

1 lemon cut in half

Salt
3 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails intact

Prepared cocktail sauce

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with the crab boil bag, lemon halves, and a generous amount of salt. Boil 5 minutes. Add the shrimp; cook at a low boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes. Drain. 

Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with cocktails sauce and lemon wedges.

Herbed Parmesan Corn Pudding 

Serves 8-12

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 60 minutes

Make ahead: Assemble early in the day; bake 1 hour before serving

3 cups well-drained canned or frozen whole kernel corn

2 cups heavy cream 

6 eggs

4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoon  baking powder

½ cup  butter, melted

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh  parsley

2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pinch allspice

Pinch cayenne pepper

Position oven rack to center position. Place  a large roasting pan on center rack. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Lightly butter a 2 ½ quart baking dish; set aside.

In a food processor or blender, purée  2/3 of the corn with cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Transfer puréed corn mixture to a mixing bowl; add reserved corn and remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer corn mixture to prepared baking dish.

Place baking dish in roasting pan; with a pitcher, carefully add water to the pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the baking dish. Bake 1 hour or until pudding is set. Serve warm.

Roasted Asparagus

Serves 8-10

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook  time: 10 minutes

1 ½ pounds asparagus, washed and trimmed

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Place asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.  Roast 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kentucky Hot Browns

Serves 8

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

2 pounds thinly sliced turkey breast 

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

½  cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

16 thick slices ripe tomato, sautéed until lightly browned

16 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cooked crisp

Cheese sauce (recipe follows)

8 slices of good fresh-baked farm bread

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Cheese Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

1 ½  cup grated sharp white cheddar

½  cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or two until the raw flour flavor has cooked away. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until just melted, and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

To assemble: Top each slice of bread with several slices of turkey breast. Ladle the sauce over the top and divide the cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of each slice. Place under the broiler and cook until bubbly and the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and top each with two slices of tomato, and two pieces of bacon. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. 

Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Ham 

Serves 12 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Tip: The Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using. 

3/4 cup apple juice 

3/4 cup bourbon 

2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar

1 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, finely ground

1/3 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

¼ cup dry mustard

1 16-pound spiral sliced ham

Combine apple juice and bourbon in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Combine sugar, pecans, molasses, and mustard. Add bourbon mixture; stir to form thick paste. 

Spread paste over spiral sliced ham; heat according to package directions. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Makes 1 9-inch pie

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 55 minutes

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup light or dark corn syrup

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups pecans

1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust

Bourbon Whipped Cream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix eggs, sugar, corn syrup, chocolate, butter and vanilla in a large bowl using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust. Bake on center rack of oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until pie appears barely set.

Cool for 2 hours before serving.

Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons Bourbon (or to taste)

In the chilled bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream, sugar and bourbon. Beat until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to serve.

Buttermilk Coconut Pie
Makes One 8 - 9 inch pie

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Make ahead: Yes- can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

One unbaked 8 or 9-inch pie crust (use your favorite pastry recipe or a ready-made crust)

Filling:
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, sugar, melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Stir in the shredded coconut. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake 1 hour or until the center is set.