Recipes to help throw a Kentucky Derby party

And … they’re … off!

Or at least they will be at 3:46 p.m. Saturday. The Kentucky Derby is known as the most exciting two minutes in sports and they’re not kidding; turn your back on your TV at post time and you might miss the whole thing.

Which means you need to have your party plan set in advance. Mint juleps are a given, whether they’re served in the traditional silver cups or not, and you’ll want to have Kentucky-centric food as well. The Hot Brown, created at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in 1926, is a rich wonder that helped a team from the hotel defeat the celebrity chef in an episode of “Throwdown! With Bobby Flay” on the Food Network. And for dessert? The combination of bourbon and pecans or bourbon and sweet tea always will go the distance.
 

Classic Mint Julep

• 6 to 7 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
• 1 shot bourbon (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• Confectioner’s sugar for garnish (optional)

Combine mint leaves, water and sugar in a silver mint julep cup or old-fashioned glass. Gently bruise the mint with a muddler or the back of a spoon. Fill glass with crushed ice. Pour bourbon over ice. Garnish with mint leaves and confectioner’s sugar.

Makes 1.

— Recipe from Martha Stewart
 

Kentucky Hot Browns

• 4 thick white bread slices
• 3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey
• Mornay sauce (recipe follows)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 8 bacon slices, cooked

Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until toasted.

Arrange bread slices in 4 lightly greased broiler-safe individual baking dishes. Top bread with turkey slices.

Pour hot Mornay sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Broil 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned; remove from oven. Top with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.
 

Mornay Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Makes 4 cups.
 

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie (also known as Derby Pie)

• Dough for single-crust pie, homemade or prepared
• 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon or water
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons plain white cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out crust, if necessary, and fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; fold edges under and crimp. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate evenly onto bottom of piecrust.

Stir together corn syrup and next three ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs and next four ingredients. Gradually whisk one-fourth of hot corn syrup mixture into egg mixture; add to remaining hot corn syrup mixture, whisking constantly. Pour filling into prepared piecrust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until set; cool pie completely on a wire rack (about one hour).

Serves 6 to 8.
 

Sweet Tea Julep Pops

• 2 cups water
• 2 family-size tea bags
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup cold water
• 3/4 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 12 (3-ounce) paper cups
• 12 mint leaves (optional)
• 12 small lemon slices (optional)
• 12 (3 1/2-inch) food-safe wooden ice-cream spoons

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Remove from heat, add tea bags and stir in 1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves. Cover and steep 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and mint.

Stir in 1 cup cold water, bourbon, sugar and lemon juice, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into paper cups; add a mint leaf and small lemon slice to each, if desired.

Cover each cup with aluminum foil; make a small slit in center and insert 1 ice-cream spoon into each cup. Freeze 8 hours or until firm.

— Recipes from Southern Living