We're laying 2:1 odds that some pal of yours has been champing at the bit to trot out that chestnut ever since Big Brown galloped toward destiny last Derby Day. And sure, you hooted, hollered, maybe even donned a big, fancy hat and welled up a little but honestly, did you watch even one other horse race in '08? Chances are, you were there for the mint juleps.
If you are there -- as in Churchill Downs -- for the juleps, you'll be in the hands of of the track's Executive Chef Joseph "Jo-Jo" Doyle, and that ain't a bad place to be at all. The 34-year-old chef isn't a Kentuckian by birth, but tells Slashfood that the cuisine of his Mobile, AL and New Orleans upbringing prepped him for making traditional Bluegrass fare.
Hear more from Chef Doyle and get traditional Kentucky Benedictine and Bourbon Slush recipes after the jump.
OK, OK, so we're a littleobsessed with bourbon right now. But Derby Day is just around the corner, the sun is starting to make a cameo and, well, bourbon is absurdly delicious.
While at a whiskey-and-barbecue eatery the other night, the bartender stopped short when he heard me order Woodford Reserve, mistaking me for some high-rolling aficionado (I'm new to the cult and have never even tried Pappy Van Winkle). "You like bourbon?" he asked, smiling. With a flourish, he produced this bottle of Vintage 17-year-old bourbon. I laughed when I saw it. Look at that photo! It was like someone saying, "You know what's a high-quality nail polish?" and dramatically presenting you with an old bottle of cherry-red Wet & Wild with its insanely '80s script. How could this be tasty stuff?
One sip shut me straight up. My companion crowed, "It's incredible! It coats the palate with caramel!" All I could muster after a long day writing about food was a sober, "Yeah," and a deep sigh -- the sigh of a woman who had just acquired a very expensive new habit.
Several things I did not know about Bobby Flay before our brief, but amusing phone chat last week:
1. He has a trademark* on the term "crunchify" -- which means to add potato or tortilla chips to a sandwich or burger for the express purpose of introducing a textural element.
2. He's Churchill Downs' official Kentucky Derby Party Host. Though actually that puts to rest the nagging questions I'd had as to why a born and bred New Yorker would put a Hot Brown sandwich (it's a Bluegrass State thing) on his menu at Bar Americain.
3. Chips, dips and burgers for the Superbowl celebration chez Flay? Nope -- he's a paella man for big parties.
4. Holy heck, is he an entertaining radio host.
Bobby Flay Radio is a limited run series wherein the titular host waxes authoritative on subjects ranging from football, personal style, dating, and oh yeah -- food. While an audio-only cooking show might seems a tad spare, Flay manages to demo a Sandwich of the Week, conduct on-air taste tests (consisting largely of potato chip bags being opened loudly in front of open microphones) and dispense hardcore cooking advice to callers in a manner appealing enough to make one want to ratchet up the caliber of one's lunch plans once the show wraps at noon.
Bonus -- occasionally his wife, actress Stephanie March, shares mike duties and misses not a single chance to rebut his claims or bust his chops. A Burns & Allen in the making? Dunno -- how 'bout giving 'em more than five weeks to find out, Sirius?
Bobby Flay Radio airs on Sirius / XM Channel 108 from 10-12 on Thursdays (replaying Saturday and Sunday from 3-5) through February 5th. Don't subscribe? Sign up for a free online trial.
Burgoo is a traditional Kentucky stew of multiple meats (at least three) and a bounty of veggies simmered down for hours until they break down to a uniform consistency. The standard sentiment is that if you can still make out an okra pod or slice of carrot, keep cooking 'cause it ain't burgoo yet -- but as the dish is usually made in such massive quantities (we're talking GALLONS), most regular utensils will just sink down into the mire.
So - what's a burgoo chef to do? Well, many Kentucky restaurants rely on 2x4 studs, and folks at community cookouts and church festivals often use rakes to stir the stuff while perched above on chairs as they tend giant pots set over open wood fires. The flavor and texture are said to be reminiscent of mulligan stew, and my North Carolina born husband swears it's a kissing cousin to Brunswick stew, but the guests at our yearly Kentucky Derby soiree have taken to calling it "The Liquid Meat." That is, when their mouths aren't crammed full of the 'goo.
I know the Kentucky Derby was last month, and by some measures the venerable Mint Julep only crosses our radar then and then only. But when the day is hot and the thirst is mighty, I'd strongly suggest banging out a Julep. In continuing with the mint in cocktails theme, I'd like to cobble together a love letter of sorts to perhaps America's most iconic cocktail. . . an ode to the Mint Julep, in quotes and in a video link:
"They say that you may always know the grave of a Virginian as, from the quantity of julep he has drunk, mint invariably springs up where he has been buried." Frederick Marryat, 1839
"....that the mounds of ices, and the bowls of mint-julep and sherry cobbler they make in these latitudes, are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contented minds." Charles Dickens, while traveling in America, 1842
"If the mark of a great cocktail is the number of unbreakable rules it generates, then the mint julep may be America's preeminent classic, edging out the martini in a photo finish. William Grimes, 'Straight Up Or On The Rocks'
Bourbon balls not your thing? Try a Derby Pie instead, a fudge-sweet chocolate and nut confection invented at Prospect, Kentucky's Melrose Inn. Traditionally served around Derby time, the treat typically calls for walnuts or pecans and a splash of Kentucky bourbon. The Inn's former owners, the Kerns, have been trying to protect its rights to the name "Derby Pie" by filing various lawsuits over the years - even Bon Appetit was no match for the Kerns, losing the right to print recipes using the name in 1987. So if you're looking for a good recipe you may need to try searching "chocolate chess pie" or "Kentucky bourbon pie" or "Thoroughbred pie" instead.
Epicurious has a nice-looking one, for a "chocolate pecan chess pie." I'm planning on making two a little later, to take to a Derby party this afternoon. Now, all I need is a giant hat...
Lisa, over at My Own Sweet Thyme, has a lovely post with a recipe about her aunt's "brownie pie" - supposedly her aunt once worked for the Kerns and was afraid of being sued!
Is there a less appetizingly named food than the 'Hot Brown?' Louisville, Kentucky's culinary claim to fame doesn't look like much either - an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with bacon and smothered in Sauce Mornay (Béchamel with cheese), it resembles nothing so much as a junkyard covered in a layer of dirty snow, bits of this and that sticking out from the off-colored drifts.
The inelegant Hot Brown was born at downtown Louisville's thoroughly opulent Brown Hotel, supposedly whipped up from kitchen leftovers after a 1920s dinner dance, when hungry flappers fell upon the chef like a pack of wolves. If you're looking for an easy treat for your pre-Derby lunch, check out the original recipe on the Brown Hotel website. Feel free to substitute ham for the bacon, or add tomatoes, onions, etc.
Did you know that there's an official Kentucky Derby recipe for the Mint Julep? This is the drink that you down as you watch the horsies fly by. It also helps if you wear a big hat.
It's called The Early Times Mint Julep, because it uses Early Times Kentucky Whiskey. You probably don't have Silver Julep cups at home, so I'd use something else.
Also after the jump is a video on how to make an alternate version of the Mint Julep.
Mint juleps (and anything else with whisky) are Kentucky Derby staples, but if you're not a big drinker, or
are acting as designated driver, you might feel like you're missing out when it comes to celebrating the
"run for the roses." There are plenty of non-alcoholic "mocktails" that you can mix up so you won't
be left out of the party. These two recipes are both from the LCBO Mocktails recipe section. The first is a
non-alcoholic Mint Julep variation, which is both appropriate and refreshing. The second drink is known as the
"Derby Mocktail" and is a fruitier, more colorful Derby choice.
Mint Mocktail
5 oz lemonade 6 mint leaves, torn 1 oz ginger juice 1 tbsp fresh blueberries (garnish)
To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add lemonade, mint and ginger juice. Shake well and strain into a Collins glass
filled with ice. Garnish with blueberries and a mint sprig.
Derby Mocktail
3 oz. pineapple juice 3 oz. tangerine juice 1 tsp grenadine 1 maraschino cherry (garnish)
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all ingredients, shake and strain into a hurricane glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
It's only fitting that the cookbook of the day ties in with the fact that one of the most famous sporting events in the world is going on this afternoon. I'm referring, of course, to the Kentucky Derby, so today's cookbook is the Kentucky Derby Museum Cookbook. The book was first published in 1986, but remains popular today. It is packed with recipes for Kentucky favorite dishes, as well as with Derby party ideas. There are too many recipes in the 250+ page book to name them all here, but the illustrated tome includes plenty of both classic and creative home cooking and they are all recipes that cooks turn to again and again. The most famous recipe from this book is probably the one for the Kentucky Derby Museum Pie and, if you want to give it a try, you can find it here.
The Kentucky Derby, in its 132nd run, takes place this Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. It's
called the "run for the roses" because of the huge floral wreath that is draped over the winning horse. This
cocktail is called the Crown of Roses,
after that very wreath. Though the mint julep is the classic Derby drink, there is no reason not to branch out and try
something new on Derby Day this year. The Crown of Roses is more colorful and much fruiter than a julep, but still has
the classic (and traditional) Derby whisky in it.
Crown of Roses
1 oz. Crown Royal whisky 1/2 oz. amaretto 1 oz. pineapple juice 1/4 oz. cranberry juice 3 dashes Angostura bitters 1 maraschino cherry (garnish, optional)
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all of the ingredients. Shake well, then strain into a
chilled cocktail glass and add garnish.
We've seen mint juleps here on Slashfood before. There's a mint julep flavored soda and the 132nd Kentucky Derby will serving ooh-la-la $1,000 mint juleps on Derby Day. If you'll be betting on watching the races from home, you can mix up a proper mint julep at your own home bar. But first, a little bit of historical trivia, or trivial history.
The mint julep, though most popularly associated with the Kentucky Derby, wasn't invented by some bartender mixing drinks track-side. The cocktail was first appeared officially in 1803 when it was described as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians in the morning." However, the mint julep's history may go back even a century before that to the early 1700s. Mint juleps today are made with Bourbon, but the first mint juleps were likely made with rye whiskey or rum (in which case, doesn't that make it a mojito?!?!).
To make a mint julep, start with a silver cup, which is frosted over. If you don't have a silver cup, a regular tumbler is fine. Some recipes call for a simple syrup, and others have mint leaves muddled with granulated sugar. If you're using granulated sugar, muddle fresh mint leaves in the bottom of the glass with 1 tsp. sugar. Add crushed ice, the pour in 3 oz. Bourbon.
If you plan ahead, you can prepare the simple-syrup version of the mint julep. Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil and completely dissolve sugar. Add a handful of mint leaves to the syrup, then chill syrup overnight. To make the mint juleps, place crushed ice in glass, add 1 Tbsp. of the chilled mint syrup, and pour in 2 oz. Bourbon.
Here's a trivia question: In which state is the Kentucky Derby held?
Unfortunately, if you said California, you're wrong. It's Kentucky!
The Kentucky Derby takes place tomorrow, May 6 at Churchill Downs, and with the run for the roses, many other
long-standing traditions will be observed. Lovely ladies will be sipping on mint juleps and if you're lucky, you'll get
to eat a slice of Derby Pie. But be warned, just because the pie is made with
chocolate and pecans and served on Derby Day doesn't mean you can call it a Derby Pie.
Derby Pie is a registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen. The pie was created as a specialty pastry in 1968 at the
Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky. Today, Kern's Kitchen is the only company that can bake and sell the pie as
"Derby Pie."
Mint juleps have been synonymous with the Kentucky
Derby for decades. Race-goers traditionally sip the drink from silver or pewter cups. The $1000 mint julep will be
served in a gold-plated cup with a silver straw. The mint is from Morocco, ice from the Arctic circle, and bourbon from
one of the state's finest producers, Woodford Reserve.
Now all they
need to do is serve a $10,000 slice of Derby Pie.
Several things I did not know about Bobby Flay before our brief, but amusing phone chat last week:
Burgoo who?
Bourbon balls not your thing? Try a Derby Pie instead, a fudge-sweet chocolate and nut confection invented at Prospect, Kentucky's Melrose Inn. Traditionally served around Derby time, the treat typically calls for walnuts or pecans and a splash of Kentucky bourbon. The Inn's former owners, the Kerns, have been trying to protect its rights to the name "Derby Pie" by filing various lawsuits over the years - even Bon Appetit was no match for the Kerns, losing the right to print recipes using the name in 1987. So if you're looking for a good recipe you may need to try searching "chocolate chess pie" or "Kentucky bourbon pie" or "Thoroughbred pie" instead. 
Did you know that there's an official Kentucky Derby recipe for the Mint Julep? This is the drink that you down as you watch the horsies fly by. It also helps if you wear a big hat.
Mint juleps (and anything else with whisky) are Kentucky Derby staples, but if you're not a big drinker, or
are acting as designated driver, you might feel like you're missing out when it comes to celebrating the
"run for the roses." There are plenty of non-alcoholic "mocktails" that you can mix up so you won't
be left out of the party. These two recipes are both from the 
It's only fitting that the cookbook of the day ties in with the fact that one of the most famous sporting events in the world is going on this afternoon. I'm referring, of course, to the Kentucky Derby, so today's cookbook is the 
The Kentucky Derby, in its 132nd run, takes place this Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. It's
called the "run for the roses" because of the huge floral wreath that is draped over the winning horse. This
cocktail is called the 
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