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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:03:09 -0700

Let the official Kentucky Derby Churchill Downs poster inspire the look for your Kentucky Derby party. First cover the dining table in a simple white cloth. Next add splashes of color with the accessories.

Sprinkle horse and jockey confetti down the middle of the table. Bright blue plates pop against the white cloth. Red napkins contrast with the plates and match the confetti. Purple flowers are regal and festive.

If you can, splurge on authentic metal julep glasses. Add, fun novelty items - a horse stuffed animal, a book about horse racing wages - that will spark conversation among guests.

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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:31:29 -0700

The mint julep - a refreshing mint whiskey cocktail - is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Naturally, one should offer guests the potent concoction at a watching party. This classic recipe features a mint-infused simple syrup so don't wait until the last minute to make it.

Traditionally mint juleps are served in special silver glasses, but they're equally delicious in any festive glass. For the mint julep recipe, read more.

Mint Julep
From the Kentucky Derby

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Whiskey
Silver Julep Cups

Directions
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.

Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of whiskey. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:14 -0700

Keeping up with the Southern style dinner menu, serve guests a classic down home dessert at your Kentucky Derby party. A buttermilk pie has a creamy, buttery filling with a slight tang from fresh lemon juice. It's a humble, but incredibly delicious dessert.

Purchase authentic Bourbon balls and offer guests a chocolate alternative to the buttermilk pie. For the pie recipe, read more.

Buttermilk Pie
From Robert Stehling via the New York Times

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice, more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 8-inch deep-dish pie crust, blind-baked until very lightly browned.

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine butter and sugar until well blended.
Add egg yolks and mix well. Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt.
Add buttermilk in a thin stream until blended. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk egg whites until they form soft peaks. Pour about ¼ cup buttermilk mixture into egg whites and fold gently by hand to combine.
Pour egg white mixture into buttermilk mixture and fold gently until just combined. Mixture will be somewhat lumpy.
Pour filling into baked pie shell. Bake in middle of oven until filling is lightly browned and barely moves when pie is jiggled, 45 to 50 minutes. If you have added more than one tablespoon of lemon juice, it may take longer for pie to brown, so bake 5 to 10 minutes longer, if desired. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover with foil. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

Serves 6-8.

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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:00:45 -0700

This Saturday America's oldest sporting event - the Kentucky Derby - is taking place. To celebrate, round up some friends for a horse-race watching party. At the afternoon affair serve a lunch menu with dishes that are inspired by the South.

Start things off with ham biscuits and pimento cheese toasts. For the first course, serve a green salad with roasted asparagus. After the race invite everyone to join you at the table for shrimp and grits.

To take a look at these delectable recipes, read more.

Ham Biscuits
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small chunks, plus softened butter for spreading
3/4 cup milk, plus more for moistening
Pure maple syrup, for spreading
6 ounces thinly sliced dry-cured country ham or prosciutto

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475°.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the chilled butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add 3/4 cup milk and combine using a fork. Add more milk as necessary to form a firm, not sticky, dough.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick.
Using a small cookie cutter or juice glass, cut out biscuits; discard the scraps
Place the biscuits an inch apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Split the biscuits and layer with softened butter, syrup and the ham.

Makes 12.

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Pimento Cheese Toasts
From Gourmet magazine

Ingredients

10 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (4 cups)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced bottled roasted red pepper (rinse and pat dry first)
1 baguette

Directions

Preheat broiler.
Stir together all ingredients, except baguette, plus 1/8 teaspoon pepper and salt to taste.
Slice baguette crosswise 1/3 inch thick and spread bread thickly with cheese mixture.
Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling and browned, about 2 minutes.

Makes about 36 hors d'oeuvres.

Make ahead: cheese spread can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.

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Spring Lettuce Salad with Roasted Asparagus
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

1 pound medium asparagus
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10 ounces mixed spring lettuces
One 1 1/2-ounce piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for about 8 minutes, until just tender and the tips begin to turn brown.
In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the mustard and the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the lettuces with all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Arrange the salad on plates and top with the roasted asparagus and cheese curls. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the asparagus and serve.

Serves 6.

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Shrimp and Grits
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For the shrimp:
2 tablespoons Louisiana-style Cajun seasoning, preferably Tone's
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, preferably wild Georgia shrimp
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon miced garlic
For the grits:
Two 0.4-ounce chicken bouillon cubes, preferably Knorr
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup quick-cooking white grits
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 1/2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, preferably Texas Pete
1 slice center-cut sugar-cured country ham, 1/4-inch thick, trimmed

Directions

Prepare shrimp: in a small bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of pepper. Add shrimp, and toss until well combined; set aside.
Prepare grits: fill a medium saucepan with 2 cups water. Add bouillon cubes and butter; bring to a boil.
While whisking, gradually add grits. Cook, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cream, and cheese. Continue cooking, whisking, until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
Cook shrimp: melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until opaque, 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a medium bowl; set aside.
Prepare sauce: stir flour into remaining butter in skillet that shrimp was cooked in.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and medium-tan in color, 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock and cream; let cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce; set aside.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ham and cook, turning once, until browned. Transfer ham to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-by-1/4-inch pieces.
To serve, divide grits evenly among 6 plates. Top with shrimp, and drizzle with sauce. Serve garnished with ham.

Serves 6.

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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:30:17 -0700

It may seem funny to have an entire party based around a race that lasts only a couple of minutes, but this week, I'm planning a Kentucky Derby party. The Kentucky Derby is a famous horse race that takes place on the first Saturday of every May. At the party bets will be placed, delicious Southern-inspired cuisine will be consumed, and the race will be watched. To get everyone excited for the event, I'm sending an invite with a horse-race collage. The collage evokes the momentum and speed of the race while showing the grace and strength of the horses. The text includes phrases that are commonly used at the track.

To see how I made it, read more.

To make an invite similar to the one seen here you will need the following supplies:

white cardstock
images of race horses, printed or ripped from the pages of a sports magazine
scissors
glue
computer and printer

To assemble the invite:

Open a new document in Microsoft word. Drag a simple horse race image into the document. Insert a text box - with the line and fill removed - on top of the image. Write the details to the party in the text box. I used the font Ayuthaya in size 10 bold to write the following message:

And they’re off!
Please join me at
A Kentucky Derby Party
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
Post time: 11 am

Track location:
PartySugar’s House,
San Francisco

Scratches only:
415.555.5555

Print out on plain paper and check for mistakes. Once satisfied with the text and look of the invite, print on the white cardstock. Cut down to size.
Cut out single shapes from the horse-race images. Use these to create a layered collage on the back of the invite. Trim off any excess.
Slide into an envelope and send.

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