Derby Day at the Hays house: Saturday, May 3

Explore our Kentucky culinary heritage with a family-friendly Derby Day dinner in our tiny townhouse in Southeast Evanston. I'll be preparing food from Sparky's Great-grandmother's collection of Louisville-Courier Journal cookbooks including Louisville-style spring lamb with caper sauce, Benedictine dip, country ham, biscuits, asparagus viniagrette and mint juleps (and iced mint tea and red cream soda for the kiddies) and, of course Derby Pie. Pre-race festivities begin at 3pm.

Due to a tiny space and other social obligations, I have a limit of 5 attendees, first-come, first-serve. I will PM you with specifics if a space is available for you. RSVP no later than this Thursday, May1.

(PS: thanks to Mike G and Nr706 for inspiring this event)

Will we also have Henry Bain Sauce as served at The Pendennis Club, where my parents had their wedding reception?

I do have the recipe, per Cissy Gregg of the Courier-Journal 1953...another recipe is online here. I hadn't planned on making it, going instead with a dessert sauce known as 'Kentucky Sauce,' a bourbon-pecan-praline for ice cream - but if you think it's essential, I can always be flexible...

Bump! Thanks for the responses by PM; I still have room for 5 or 6, as some of the relatives have begged out..feel free to post here as well!

I have it on good authority that there may be some Louisville relics that predate your 19553 Louisville Courier-Journal recipe.

sounds like fun -- but naif soul that i am when is derby day?

This upcoming Saturday, May 3..."hat parade" at 3pm (at Churchill Downs) and the Derby is broadcast around 4...

After taking a bit of time to recover this weekend, I intend to document the repast in Shopping and Cooking, but wanted to write a quick note of thanks to everyone who attended and made it such a lovely party.

Cooking and entertaining is a way to evoke our family's history - but it's even more satisfying to bring our history to guests who appreciate it. Thanks!

Writeup and recipes here.