Derby Day Redux

We had a great time at my friend's Derby party. I enjoyed very much being able to help with the sumptuous spread.

Just some of the nibbles

The gorgeous flowers by Stephen Hein

There's always room for Jello....shots ;-)

The fare included corn pudding bites, country ham from Wilson's (omg YUM), the Derby Cheese Torte(by me), crudite, fresh fruit, and chicken and pork satay(by me).

Down the other side of the table you found jumbo shrimp, a cheese tray, Bourbon marinated beef tenderloin, blanched local asparagus with lemon sea salt, salmon mousse, and chocolate covered strawberries. The desserts, which I somehow missed with the camera, included mint julep brownies, mint julep cheesecake and lemon rum cake.

Folks had a big time at the party and after 10 lbs of tenderloin, 10 lbs of country ham, 7 lbs of shrimp, 5 lbs of chicken and pork, 5 dozen chicken wings, bacon wrapped tots(by me)




sausage balls, The Nuts, and tons of cheese in a variety of ways no one left hungry and there was basically nothing left over.

I thought I'd share a couple more recipes for the party staples I did. These will work at any party where you want easy, delicious fare that you can make ahead and that will hold on a buffet table.

Sausage Balls

I didn't have a recipe for these so I grabbed one off the web. I made a few adjustments, substituting Monterey Jack for cheddar and buttermilk for milk and adding the Corruption.

3 c. Bisquik
1 lb country sausage (I used Purnell's Old Folks Medium)
2 8 oz packages of finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 c. + lowfat buttermilk
4-6 TB Uncle Lou's Corruption

Mix all ingredients together until well blended, adding enough buttermilk to make the dough hold together. Shape into one inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes.

If making ahead of time shape into balls and put on cookie sheets and freeze. Once frozen store in an airtight container until ready to use.

I think the next time I make these I am going to use a little more sausage and brown it off before I add it to the mix. I think it will make the balls fluffier. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Chicken and Pork Satay

This is very easy and much better than the satay you will see frozen in the big box stores. Soak your wooden skewers in water for at least half an hour.


I cut 2.5 lbs of chicken breast into thick strips. Throw any extra small pieces into the marinade.
I marinated the chicken in a mix of Ponzu, tangerine juice, sesame oil, peach habanero hot sauce and sherry for about half an hour on the counter. Make sure you bring the chicken to room temperature before grilling. These will take about 12-15 minutes depending on how thick you cut them.
I used boneless country style pork ribs for this, cutting 2.5 lbs into thick strips. They spent about half an hour on the counter marinating in coconut milk, coconut rum, corriander, lime juice and basil. These will take about 18-20 minutes on a hot grill.

With both of these I cooked them a day ahead and undercooked them a bit because I knew they'd be reheated in the oven. They were so good.

We are already planning for next year --that is a Derby tradition!