More pie!
We've been hanging out in Louisville for a couple of days, and everyone here is gearing up for the Kentucky Derby next weekend.
If you are planning a Kentucky Derby party (or are following our tips for a pie social) you might consider making a derby pie. The original name and recipe are trademarked by Kern's Kitchen, the family company that invented it.
You can order the Kern's version by mail, but it's not hard to make your own — even if it's not perfectly authentic. Read on for the main ingredients and our suggestions...
With apologies to the Kern family secret recipe, derby pie is, in essence, a chocolate pecan pie that uses walnuts instead of pecans.
The slice we ate last night (leftovers from an office party, so we're not sure if it was homemade or from Kern's) had a flaky, crystallized layer on top. So we wouldn't recommend topping the pie with whole nuts before you bake it, as you might with a traditional pecan pie. Mix the chopped walnuts in with the butter and brown sugar filling, and it should form a flaky shell on top.
We found this article from the NY Times, which includes an essay about derby pie and a recipe from author ZZ Packer.
You could also try this Chocolate Pecan Pie from Martha Stewart and substitute walnuts for pecans.
If you do make your own, don't forget about our recipe for Basic Pie Crust!
(Image: A Taste of Kentucky)
Hey Elizabeth P from Amy in Louisville! What brings you here - Derby festivities or business?
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Derby pie is too rich for me. Though perhaps it's sour grapes - I once made a great pie that was upstaged by a Derby pie at a dinner party. Like the prom queen competing again Miss America...
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Hi Amy- I'm here for my husband's business, actually... I just tagged along. Leaving before the Derby, unfortunately!
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I went to the Kentucky Derby once, and that was enough for me. It was fun - my mom and I went with some friends of hers and we did the whole dress-up, big hats, mint julep thing. If I ever go again, I would like to go to the Kentucky Oaks, which is held the day before Derby and is more of a "locals" thing.
One year in college (at University of Louisville, of course), I got to help staff the Pegasus Parade (translate: set up chairs early in the morning in the pouring-down rain with only a pizza lunch for compensation).
Thunder Over Louisville, the kickoff event to the Derby Festival and the largest annual fireworks show in North America, is a blast. It's best when you have a big group and make a whole day of it.
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