Kentucky Derby This Weekend!

In honor of the Kentucky Derby this weekend, I feel obliged to post a recipe for Kentucky Derby Pie and Mint Juleps.

I had the pie once (on New Year's Eve of all times) and it was delicious. Super sweet so a little goes a long way. Best served warm.

Derby Party Pie

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

4 teaspoons bourbon

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup pecans (you can chop them if you like, for a smoother texture.)

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the sugar. Mix in melted butter and bourbon. Stir until you have a gritty paste. Stir in cornstarch, then the pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into a nine-inch piecrust and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool for about an hour. The pie should be served warm with a dollop of whipped cream on top. (It can also be refrigerated overnight and reheated before serving.)

Mint Juleps

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
• 32 fluid ounces Kentucky bourbon
• 8 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine water, sugar and chopped mint leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow syrup to cool, approximately 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer to remove mint leaves
2. Fill eight cups or frozen goblets with crushed ice and pour 4 ounces of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup in each. (Proportions can be adjusted depending on each person's sweet tooth). Top each cup with a mint sprig and a straw. Trim straws to just barely protrude from the top of the cups. Serve juleps on a silver platter.