Kentucky Derby menu
My husband is from El Paso, Texas and grew up watching the races while tagging along with his dad to Sunland Park. Watching the Derby is a tradition, and a good excuse for me to make some Southern-inspired eats. Sometimes we have friends over for a viewing party, or sometimes we plan a low-key afternoon with just the two of us, as we did this past Derby Day. Mint Juleps in frosted silver-plated cups are always poured, and this year the menu included deviled eggs with espelette pepper, pimento cheese biscuits with bacon jam and bourbon ham spread, and country-fried steak bites with cream gravy. Below is my favorite pimento cheese biscuit recipe, along with the easy bourbon ham spread. Both make use of a food processor for quicker prep.
Pimento Cheese Biscuits (adapted from Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup of lard, shortening and or butter cut into half-inch pieces
1 cup of milk or buttermilk
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 drained 4-oz jar of pimentos or 4 oz of chopped roasted red peppers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Pulse flour 2 or 3 times in a food processor with the cheese.
Scatter the chilled shortening or butter over the flour mixture and pulse 3-4 times until the mixture is crumbled and the pieces of butter or fat are the size of a corn kernel.
Add roasted red peppers and slowly pulse in 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk to make a moist and shaggy dough that clumps together. You want the peppers to still stay chunky so don’t over-process. You may need to add more flour if it's too wet or more liquid if it's too dry.
Turn dough out onto a surface lightly sprinkled with flour. With floured hands, fold the dough in half, pat out into a round, and fold in half again. Sprinkle with flour, pat dough a second time into a 3⁄4-inch-thick round, and cut into disks with a biscuit cutter.
Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 minutes, and brush with softened butter.
Bourbon Ham Spread
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups of cooked ham
8 tablespoons of softened butter
1-2 tablespoons of good bourbon
Directions:
Process all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth This is a great use of leftover baked ham since it can be frozen; just remember to bring to room temperature before serving so it’s spreadable.