Kentucky Derby Cheese Torte

This Saturday, May 2, marks the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby is a much bigger event than the two minutes it takes for the race and folks around here have been prepping for this year's party since before they finished the clean up from last year.

My 'anonymous' foodie friend has a fabulous Derby party each year. I am happy to be able to help prepare some dishes that make up the typically sumptuous feast. There will be luscious bits of foodie goodness--tenderloin of venison with herbed goat cheese on crostini was a stand out last year.

Of course one must honor the traditions and one of those is the Kentucky Derby Cheese Torte. I don't pretend to know the origin of this delicious concoction. All I know is that I make certain each year to get a few bites early as it is always gone by the time I finish my duties manning the betting boards. The basic recipe I used tonight to make the torte for Saturday was published in the 2004 Courier-Journal Derby Mag. I grabbed it then but it was a tradition way before that.

Kentucky Derby Cheese Torte (doubled recipe)

32 oz. finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
2 c. chopped pecans
1 c. sweet onion, minced very fine
6-8 Tbs mayonnaise

Line a 2 1/2 quart flat bottomed straight sided dish with plastic wrap leaving enough to wrap up over the top once the dish is full.

Combine these ingredients, using enough of the mayonaisse to hold mixture together well. Divide in half. Spread one half of this cheddar mixture evenly over the bottom of the dish. Chill the dish but not the extra cheese mixture.

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 c. mango chutney
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine these ingredients in another bowl making sure to blend thoroughly. Spread over cheddar cheese mixture and place back in the fridge to chill.

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to remove all water and chopped very fine
6 slices bacon cooked crisp then crumbled
1 tsp garlic minced very fine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

Combine these ingredients in a separate bowl, mixing until completely blended. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spread over chutney mixture.

Top with remaining cheddar cheese mixture and cover with plastic wrap overhang. Chill until ready to use.

This will freeze well although if you are making it this year just let it hang out in the fridge until Saturday.

When you go to unmold it peel the plastic wrap back from the bottom and place the serving plate on top and invert it. You should be able to lift the dish away and then peel off the plastic wrap. You can hide any flaws with a garnish or dusting of a complimentary spice.

I've fiddled with it a little bit this year in that I added an 'extra layer' of seasoning. I'll take pics and let you know how it turns out.

I'll have more Derby fare, an appealing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for under $12 and Parmesan Crusted Chicken up later this week so stay tuned.

I Do Doodles--A Review

Buffy: What is this?
Willow: A doodle. I do doodle. You too. You do doodle, too.

After finally making my way there for lunch I think everyone should 'do' Doodles.

Located at the corner of Limestone and E. Third Street, Doodles is a 'breakfast and lunch' place. It's the kind of casual place you go to to relax and enjoy excellent comfort food that is well made and without pretension.

This photo accompanied Mark Siever's excellent article in Business Lexington last October. You can read the full article with background on the owners and their 'green' and local concepts here.

Located in a converted former gas station, Doodles is bright, airy and clean. You walk to a counter and order there --'diner' style' --and get your drinks and take a seat to wait for your food. I must say this does not bother me in the least for this type of restaurant. The staff is so friendly you feel like you are just making yourself at home instead of being 'put upon' to get your own drinks.

Fellow foodie Eddy Thompson (thanks again for the suggestion!) and I tucked into this delicious spread for lunch. In the background you can see Eddy's 'Egg Doodle'($7.95)---two local eggs in a 'nest' of a buttermilk biscuit. He added a side of corned beef hash. This version is more like a stew--large chunks of potatoes and corned beef with veggies in a creamy sauce--very tasty. The Egg Doodle came with what they call their 'tomato gravy'. It's thick and sweet and more like a tomato jam. It's good.

In the foreground you can see my Shrimp Po' Boy($8.25). This is a favorite sandwich of mine as I used to eat them for lunch all the time when I lived in New Orleans. This version did not disappoint, although the roll wasn't my favorite as I like them a little chewier. The shrimp more than made up for that. It was perfectly fried and the taste was just spot on. The lettuce was crisp and the sliced Roma tomatoes a serviceable winter choice. I could only eat half of the sandwich. This comes with seasoned 'flat fries'. I got mine spicy. They were delicious.

Right in the middle you can see the beignets. We split an order of 3.($1.75) These were wonderful, passing my 'worth every calorie' test with flying colors. These are the best I've had since I last had them at the Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans.

You can see the full menus with prices here.

Read more about what others think about Doodles at The Urban Spoon - Lexington




I will definitely be going back---and bringing more friends.

Come On-a My House, My House

This past weekend Brad and I were fortunate to have some wonderful friends stay with us for a few days as we all enjoyed the glory that is Keeneland and just being with people you truly enjoy.


We have a big house party coming up in June and we were playing with mixing cocktails we might like to serve while we had a crew here for tasting. Brad really liked this concoction that we ended up calling 'Tribal Bitch' because it is based on a drink called 'South Carolina Bitch'.

If you want to give it a try here's the recipe:

Tribal Bitch
using a 2.5 oz shot

1 1/2 shot Hpnotiq
1 shot Cruzan Coconut Rum
1/2 shot Cruzan Pineapple Rum
1/2 shot Red Bull

Pour each into a shaker about 1/2 full of crushed ice. Shake gently then strain into shot glasses or a serving glass(with ice). Makes 4-5 shots or 2 drinks


I cooked three pounds of bacon this past weekend. That's right--THREE POUNDS OF BACON--a pound each day. The last day the best part of it was wrapped around a mess of Tater Tots.

If you haven't had bacon wrapped tots you simply must. Seriously. I have made this pic my first food porn entry.

I found this recipe on Bacon Unwrapped. I've made it a few times and I assure you it will be a favorite appetizer any time you serve it.

Bacon Wrapped Tots

I bag Extra Crispy Tater Tots
1 lb bacon(plus)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cut the bacon strips into thirds then cut the thirds in half lengthwise. Wrap each Tot with a piece of bacon and place on an ungreased heavy cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until tots are done and bacon is crispy.

You might need more than a pound of bacon if you are doing a whole bag of tots.

I sprinkled the tots with some Uncle Lou's Corruption. All I can say is that the chicks dug it--big time.

I can't wait til next time.

Bluegrass Foodie On The Road--Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken

Brad and I took a trip to Memphis this past December and spent New Year's Eve with my friend Vinny (who is also a foodie with his own place at Mangia, Y'all) and his lovely fiance, Nancy. While we were there he made sure that we were able to experience the wonderful down home foodie find that is Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken.


Guy Fieri of The Food Network featured Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken on his show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. You can check out the clip from that segment of the show here.

As you can see from the video clip Uncle Lou's is full of atmosphere and a passion for good food. There were a couple of suggestions about getting the food and taking it back to the house but I wasn't having any of that. I wanted it fresh and hot and in the place where it was created and enjoyed by so many long before The Food Network came to town.

Be sure to call ahead--the whole fried chicken takes about 40 minutes because they cook to order--they cook most everything to order. It is very definitely worth the wait.

While we waited we split a Monster Burger. This is one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had. Three 1/3 lb patties layered cheese, patty, cheese, patty cheese and dressed just right. The meat is Angus and it was just sinfully delicious. We had fries seasoned with Corruption. Hot and melty inside and crisp and yummy outside--the way I like them.

The deep fried chicken gets a dry coating of flour and spices then is dipped in a bath of sauce just before they bring it out. The chicken came out whole and when we asked about having it cut up they handed us a big old knife--just like being at home.

I carved it up---it was moist and perfectly cooked on the inside--deep frying does wonderful things to a chicken. The skin was crispy and chewy and the sauce--we got homestyle--had just the right amount of 'tang'--not overly sweet or barbeque-ish.

You can see prices on the menu it's all reasonable and worth every penny.

Next time you are in Memphis you should check it out.

I'll be sharing some of our own local treasures soon.

Mississippi Mud Cake

(stock photo grabbed off the Web)

I do love love love a good chocolate cake/brownie --the darker and richer the better. I had a dessert last night at Bonefish Grill that was billed as a 'flourless chocolate brownie'. It was good but was more like a cake--it did not possess that lusciously dense quality of a good brownie. They'd be better off calling it 'cake'.

It made me think of one of the few desserts I love to bake--Mississippi Mud Cake--which is more rich chewy dense velvety brownie than 'cake'.

See, I consider myself a cook.

When I cook I rarely measure precisely. I know what a cup of onions looks like and I can measure a teaspoon of salt using my hand.

I don't think of myself as a baker.

Baking is an entirely different sort of thing--you need to measure accurately for most recipes to turn out correctly. I do it but it does make me feel constrained*smile*

So when I do bake it's something worth the time and effort. I've had this recipe for Mississippi Mud Cake for at least 25 years. I have no clue where it came from. I do know that it is wonderful and worth every bit of time to do it right.

Mississippi Mud Cake

4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. Crisco oil
1 c. chopped nuts
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 large bag of miniature marshmallows

Whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt. Beat eggs then add sugar, oil and vanilla, mixing well. Add the flour mixture and nuts and blend.

Pour into a 9 x 13 greased and floured pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven increase heat to 350 degrees. Top cake with the marshmallows. Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Let stand one hour before frosting.

Frosting

1 box confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 stick butter
1/3 c. whole milk

Melt cocoa and butter over medium low heat, stirring all the time. Remove from heat and add the milk and stir to blend. Using a hand mixer on medium beat in the sugar until the mixture is smooth. Spread on the cake.

Okay--here is the hardest part of the recipe--

LET CAKE STAND OVERNIGHT BEFORE CUTTING

You will have to trust me--it does make a difference. You really get the layers and the marshmallows are chewy and there's something about the waiting....

And oh is it so worth the wait.

Kitchen Essentials Edition No. 1

It took me a while to truly find my own identity as a cook. A large part of that was sorting out what the best tools were for me.

It's easy to be swayed by a lot of gadgetry that promises to do it all. Miss Britt wrote about that a couple of days ago on her shopping blog Buy-Her. Some trendy things are fine but most get stored away as they never find their place amongst the tried and true kitchen essentials.

Although this is the first in the series I am not suggesting that this is what you get first. I do however think they are essential to being able to reduce effort and improve results in the kitchen. I think they are essential add-ons to the basics, which I'll cover later.

Plus they were the first things I came to in my secondary utensil drawer.

Whisks are so useful ---I've saved many a gravy with one. I like having two different sizes.

I found this wonderful Henkels skimmer at Tuesday Morning. The mesh is very fine and it is the perfect size to slip around the bubbling rim of a soup or stock.

Ladles make sauces and soups easy to maneuver. I love the small one for sauces and for serving soup in mugs.

These are the best graters ever. Microplane makes several styles and sizes of graters. I like these because the handles are easier to deal with than the long thin full length grater. I have medium for cheeses, chocolate, onion, etc. The fine is perfect for grating spices. Both work exceptionally well for zesting citrus. I've had these several years and have not noticed any reduction in their sharpness. I got mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

These are some of my favorite add-on essentials. What are yours?