Kentucky Derby Pie

Finally what Derby Breakfast would be complete without Kentucky Derby Pie? This pie is a featured desert at many of Kentucky’s famed Resort State Parks. A tiny piece of this pie will keep you going until after the 6th Race at Churchill Downs.

The secret to this pie being “Kentucky” is using bourbon as flavoring instead of vanilla. It’s an old Kentucky cook’s secret–substitute a fine Kentucky bourbon in any recipe that calls for vanilla. You end up with a deeper, richer flavor.

Kentucky Derby Pie:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter, milted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon good bourbon
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup flour
1 unbaked pie shell
Whipped cream for garnish

For a pie this rich, a super rich crust is a must. Just make your regular crush recipe, but substitute real butter for the shortening. This will give you a yellow crust.

Mix the sugar, flour, eggs, and melted butter. Add the chocolate chips, bourbon, and pecans. Pour into the pie shell. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If you bake this in a porcelain pie pan, remember that the heat in the pie and plate will continue to cook it even after it comes out of the oven. Watch carefully and don’t over bake.

Chill completely before serving with a dollop of whipped cream if desired. This is so rich that you will want the pieces small.

Okay, Max, I can hear you now. This is really nothing but a gussied up Pecan pie. So it is. But it is a Pecan Pie on steroids. Or it is a Pecan Pie on Bourbon and Chocolate Chips.

Famous Kentucky Cheese Wafers

To balance the cool Benedictine Canapes, some hostesses would include the hot Famous Kentucky Cheese Wafers. This is another at least a century old treat that is still welcomed at Derby Breakfasts.

Famous Kentucky Cheese Wafers:

1-cup butter–no substitutes here–and cold
2 cups flour
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese
1 beaten egg
Paprika, poppy seeds, sesame seeds

For an even, rich orange color, the cheese needs to be grated very fine. If you have a electric mincer attachment for your mixer use it, or with a hand grater use the finest grade. A food processor generally does not work for this as it will turn the cheese into a pulp and you want tiny strands of cheese.

Mix the butter, flour, and cheese in a food processor, or with your hands until it just makes a dough. Don’t overwork, but make sure the cheese is well incorporated–which is why it needs to be so fine.

Roll out on floured board very thin, and cut with a small fancy cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush tops with the beaten egg. Sprinkle on poppy or sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, but watch as they burn easily. As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle with paprika and salt if not using seeds.

Serve hot. This makes about 75 Wafers.

You can make the dough up in advance. Just wrap it in plastic wrap and let come to room temperature before cutting. Wafers reheat fairly well in a hot oven, and can be stored in a airtight container.

Benedictine Sandwich Spread

Well Max, I hope you watched the Kentucky Derby Saturday. No, as usual, I did not pick the winner Street Sense, but I did pick the number two horse. It was a perfect spring day for the race, not too warm and no rain. And it was perfect weather for the Derby Breakfasts that morning. For some reason we still call them Breakfasts although served late in the morning, and they are hearty enough to keep you going until after the race.

One of the very unique Kentucky appetizers that always appeared on the buffet table was Benedictine Canapes. This cream cheese based spread was reportedly invented by a famous Louisville caterer, Miss Jennie Benedict, who was THE social caterer nearly a century ago. It became a fixture at all the best teas, cocktail parties, and weddings.

Can’t you just imagine Queen Elizabeth II in her lime green hat nibbling on these lime green Benedictine canapes at her Derby Breakfast?

Benedictine Sandwich Spread:

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cucumber1 small sweet onion
Mayonnaise
2 or 3 drops of green food coloring
Dash of Tabasco sauce.

Grate the cucumber and sweet onion to a near pulp in a food processor. Add the softened cream cheese, Tabasco and a drop of green food coloring. Blend. Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise at a time until you get a smooth filling that will spread easily. If necessary add another drop or two of green food coloring. The spread should just be a very pale green.

Cut cocktail rye, pumpernickle, or other sturdy dark breads into fancy shapes with a cookie cutter, or bite sized squares and strips. Spread with Benedictine just before setting out the tray of canapes.