Every Dish was a Winner at Our Derby Day Dinner Club!

There was no clear front runner in this years’ “Run for the Roses” celebration. Although Bodemeister was the favorite in the ACTUAL Derby, we don’t play favorites in Dinner Club! Bodemeister, of course, did NOT win this year’s running of the Kentucky Derby; it was “I’ll Have Another” who took home the prize. As for our Dinner Club meal, we all took home full bellies and some great memories with friends! 


This was our last Dinner Club gathering of the season, and we left in high-style with the ladies fashioning lovely hats of all shapes and sizes. The gentlemen dressed the part as well and we all sipped mint juleps while watching the race! Our “pool” wager for the race was won by our very own Eric, who also managed to win our Iron Chef competition this year; one win for luck, one on talent… Congratulations, Eric for taking home our hard-earned cash! 

Fried Green Tomato
Finger Sandwiches

We were all winners at dinner where we began with a delightful treat I’ve never before had;  Fried Green Tomato Finger Sandwiches. One of the couples was assigned the appetizer, and they really out-did themselves by going above and beyond the basic. They breaded and pan-fried the tangy sliced tomatoes and assembled sandwiches of the tomatoes with mayonnaise on white bread. Sounds simplistic, right? (and for the record, I’m normally a whole-wheat-bread-girl) However, these were savory and delicious puckery mouthfuls; and so amazing! This particular couple loves Savannah and have spent quite a bit of time there and elsewhere in the South, so we trusted them and were rewarded! 

The strawberry spinach salad was so gorgeous on the plate with the bright pink and green colors of spring. Our soup was savory and delicious and not too heavy before an entrée of Mint Julep Glazed Pork Chop – my “best dish” of the night – along with a couple of vegetable options and over-the-top rich and yummy Garlic Baked Cheese Grits (link to the recipe is below). The grits were a perfect Southern accompaniment to the juicy and perfectly seasoned chops. 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

We hail from the Midwest, of course, and my husband says that every so often an expertly grilled pork chop (bone-in, of course) is the only way to satisfy. Sometimes it even overrides a steak on the grill! These chops were very simply prepared with salt and pepper and grilled (expertly) by said husband. The glaze (see the recipe link below) was brushed on at the very end of grilling and a small drizzle of additional glaze was served over the top. The dark brown sugar and bourbon combination was terrific on the juicy chop and there was only a hint of mint; just enough to perfect the dish. 

If you follow the link to the recipe you’ll notice that we did not use it as originally printed. (That’s me sometimes… sorry!) It called for pan searing the chops inside on the stove top. I’m sure that’s excellent too, but like I said; we’re from the Midwest and it is spring…. All hail the grill! 

Both of the vegetable side dishes were “spring-y” and green. Give them a try (see my last blog entry for more). I even made them both again for Mother’s Day, as I knew my mom would truly appreciate them. 

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

We finished with the rich and heavenly Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. It was even still barely warm from the oven. Wow! Delicious, rich and gooey… I loved it, but could not finish my slice.  

Again, this one was our last Dinner Club of the season. I’ll be back with you in August when we plan out another six months of good times!  

Here’s those recipes, see you in the fall!

Pork Chops with Mint Julep Glaze:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-Chops-and-Sugar-Snap-Peas-with-Mint-Julep-Glaze-351532 

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-garlic-cheese-grits-recipe/index.html 

And We’re Off! (For the Summer… After One Last Dinner Club!)

Our Final Dinner Club of the season is this Saturday. We’ll be celebrating the “run for the roses” in true Kentucky Derby fashion! Ladies will be sporting their best derby day hats and we’ll have a friendly “wager” on the winning horse! 

Mint Juleps come first to mind when thinking about derby day food planning. We have several bourbon and whisky drinkers in the group (which I am not). They’ll likely love this Southern-hospitality drink. My mother (who grew up in Louisiana) always says that people in the South drink things like mint juleps to be able to stand the heat and humidity! 

The drink is highly alcoholic, but refreshing and crisp from the mint simple syrup it’s mixed with. Even non-whisky folk tend to like them. We’ll see… They can definitely sneak up on you! The traditional mint julep of the Kentucky Derby is the “Early Times” mint julep. Here’s the recipe, straight from the Kentucky Derby website for you to give a try: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/party/food-and-entertainment/libations/early-times-mint-julep.  

Another recipe I found for mint juleps doesn’t even call for preparing simple syrup ahead of time. It’s from the Food Network website. Here’s the link for you to check out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mint-julep-recipe/index.html . 

Our group will likely prepare ours from the simple syrup. There are many variations on the recipe out there to choose from. Having mint syrup already made will make it easier to mix drinks as we like. Having to mash mint leaves for each cocktail would prove difficult for a group of our size. I’ll save that for fresh mojitos on the patio this summer! Incidentally, whichever recipe you choose, here’s another hint from my Southern mamma: she swears that Makers Mark is the absolute only bourbon to use in a mint julep! Try for yourself and see what you like! 

Besides the juleps, we have a stunning menu of fresh, springtime foods to please our palates for our final group meeting of the year. You can see our full menu shown below. We left the green vegetables open for the cook’s choice. I plan to prepare shredded Brussels sprouts similar to those that I sampled at a restaurant and absolutely adored, along with an asparagus and parmesan tart for those that don’t care for Brussels sprouts (although even if you THINK you don’t like them, you should give these a try!)  

Here’s the link to the Brussels sprouts recipe I use: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shredded-parmesan-brussels-sprouts . The only thing I do differently is to add a drizzle of truffle oil to them before serving. This is the way I had them at Café di Scala in DesMoines, Iowa (www.cafediscala.com). They were divine and I’ve tried to replicate them with this addition to the recipe I found online! 

Baked garlic cheese grits are the perfect side accompaniment to our freshly grilled pork chops with mint julep glaze! I may not be a whisky drinker, but I’m sure to love this light and fresh take on the traditional flavor combination. I’m really looking forward to the appetizer element of our meal as well; fried green tomatoes! I’ve never had them before (even with a Southern mother) and I’m definitely ready to give it a try. 

From the salad to the dessert it should be a fresh, light and spring-timey array of foods with gorgeous color on the plate! I can’t wait to see what the gals come up with for hats to wear! I borrowed from my sister, who attends a Kentucky derby party every year – she’s got much more to choose from in the hat department than I! 

We’re also having a fun take on “betting” for the race. We agreed no one wanted to deal with gathering or tracking complicated betting or payouts (after all the point of Dinner Club is to RELAX and enjoy the FOOD). Therefore, we decided on a pool where each person will contribute five dollars. We will all draw a horse randomly and root for our horse to win. It should be quite funny to see who gets what!  

Some of our guys are obviously more into betting that most of the ladies. If they draw a nag (not that they’re omnipresent in the Derby!) and have to root for it to win it will be a laugh! Either way, it makes the contest for the pool of money completely equal to everyone involved. No one wins because they actually know more about horse racing. It’s all experimental, as Dinner Club often needs to be. We’ll see how it goes!

And so…. “We’re Off!” At least until I let you know next week how the fun and games turns out! Here's the menu: