Kentucky Derby

Bring Kentucky to your Derby Day table

By Jeffrey Gardner

Southern Kitchen

In most parts of the world, Benedictine refers to an herbal French liqueur; however, Kentuckians have a much different interpretation. Served either as a filling for tea sandwiches or as a dip for crackers and crudité, Kentucky Benedictine is a cream cheese and cucumber spread, flavored with scallions and fresh dill. This is a great dish for entertaining, as it requires very little time to assemble, and can even be made an hour or two before serving to allow the flavors to marry. Be sure to drain the cucumbers well after grating to keep the finished dip from separating.

Benedictine Tea Sandwiches

Serves: 4 • 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 6 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced • 1 ounce fresh dill, stripped off stem and chopped • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • White bread, for serving

Using a rubber spatula, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Spread between slices of white bread. Cut off the crusts and slice into triangles. Serve.

Hot Brown

Originating at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, the Kentucky Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with bacon, tomato and a rich cheese sauce. If tomatoes are in season, feel free to use fresh ones, but I love the concentrated sweetness and acidity of oven-roasted tomatoes. Since we’re making an open-faced sandwich, I prefer a thicker cut of bread: Texas toast or Pullman loaf. Thick-cut turkey breast is best here; avoid deli meat if possible.

PHOTO: RAMONA KING

Kentucky Hot Brown

Serves: 4

For the Mornay sauce:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1/3 cup all purpose flour • 3 cups milk • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

For the sandwich:

• 4 slices thick cut white bread or Texas toast • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 4 Roma tomatoes, halved • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 2 pounds roasted turkey breast, sliced 1/2 inch thick • 8 strips smoked bacon, cooked until crispy • 1/4 bunch fresh Italian parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped

For the sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and cook until the mixture tightens, then relaxes into a loose paste, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in the milk, and continually stir until simmering and sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in seasonings and cheeses. Stir until smooth, and adjust seasoning with salt if desired. Store until ready to assemble.

Heat oven to 350 F.

Spread one side of the bread with the butter. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes cut side up on a wire rack atop a baking sheet, and bake until tomatoes have slightly shriveled, about 20-25 minutes.

To assemble, evenly divide the turkey on top of each piece of toast. Place on a baking sheet, and cover the entire piece with the Mornay sauce. Switch the oven to broil at 500 F until sauce starts to lightly caramelize. Transfer to a plate, and top each slice with two strips of bacon and two halves of the roasted tomatoes. Garnish each sandwich with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Dessert

If you’re a fan of a classic Southern pecan pie, you’ll love its more decadent, chocolate-filled cousin. Semisweet chocolate is liberally laced throughout the filling, leading to an even creamier center. For a more adult version, add one-fourth cup of bourbon as you’re heating the syrups for the filling.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Serves: 8 to 16

For the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons sugar • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup maple syrup • 1/2 cup corn syrup • 1/4 cup molasses • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 3 large eggs • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional) • 1 pound pecan halves or pieces • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

To make the pie dough: Lightly coat two 9-inch pie pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Sift in the baking powder to ensure there are no lumps.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the flour mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured counter and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until slightly firm, but not hard, 15 to 20 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Roll each ball of dough into a disc just larger than the circumference of the pans. Line each pan with dough, taking care to trim off the excess. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the filling: Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, molasses and butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted but the syrup isn’t boiling. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla until completely combined. Add the syrup mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the bourbon, if desired. Let cool to room temperature.

Evenly divide the pecans and chocolate chips between each pie shell. Pour the syrup mixture over the nuts, distributing it evenly between the two pie shells.

Bake until golden brown and the pie is slightly souffled yet firm, about 1 hour. Test by sticking a knife in the center of the pie. If the tip comes out looking very wet, continue to bake until the knife comes out looking more sticky than wet. Let the pies cool completely before serving.