TheBakerBee: Derby Day Pie and Mint Juleps

Run For The Roses!

It's Derby time and I could not be more excited. It's a tradition in our family to celebrate it right - and that means traditional "Derby Pie" and mint juleps! Now "Derby Pie" does indeed need to

be in quotations because it is a *shhh* registered and secret recipe of the Kern Family of Kentucky (seriously...it's registered - see here,) but fear not, friends, I have tried many a knock-off recipe and this one is quite good. Leave it to ol' Martha to get it right with her "Run for the Roses Pie." Better yet, the original secret recipe (which calls for delicious walnuts, of which I am allergic to :( is often substituted with pecans, and so, I have done that here... with my own additional twists, too, of course! I'm calling it...

Derby Day Pie

Makes one 9" pie

Pate Brisee recipe:

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up and chilled

1/8 to 1/4 cup ice water

Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse to mix. Add ice water in a steady stream through the feeder and pulse until dough just barely sticks together when squeezed (see picture below). Turn dough onto floured surface to work into crust, or lightly press into a disk encased in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

Pie Filling:

2 large eggs

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (or feel free to use walnuts, if you'd like! :)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 shot (~1/4 cup) traditional Kentucky bourbon whiskey (like Early Times or Maker's Mark)

On a lightly floured work surface, roll pate brisee into a 12-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it into the edges, crimping edges as desired. Chill pie shell in refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Fill shell with pie chain or line with parchment paper or fill with pie weights/dried beans to "blind bake" until crust is just beginning to turn golden, about 25-30 minutes. Remove chain. Transfer pie shell to a wire rack; let cool slightly. Keep oven on.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs and butter (make sure to temper the eggs a bit if your butter is still hot - that is, slowly adding a little butter to the eggs to prevent cooked eggs.) Add sugar and flour; mix until well combined. Stir in pecans, chocolate chips, and bourbon. Pour into prepared pie shell.

Bake the filled pie until filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack; let cool before serving or serve slightly warm.

The least amount of messing with your pie dough will create a flaky, non-tough, crust. This texture and moistness is just right - holding together when squeezed.

To prepare your dough for making crust, simply pour your mixture from the food processor straight onto a sheet of plastic wrap and and squeeze into a disk shape.

Chill until ready for use (also freezes well this way!)

This deep dish glazed stoneware pie plate/pan from Pampered Chef is my all-time favorite for pies. I have used this for dozens of pies and it bakes beautifully every time. I can't rave enough about it! :)

A marble rolling pin is my pin of choice - I love the weight of it and the idea of chilling it in the refrigerator to keep your pastry cool as you roll it out - it's the next best thing to having marble countertops! You can get these anywhere - I frequently see them at thrift stores and Goodwill (I guess people who don't bake just buy it for the looks them realize how silly that is, ha.)

I just recently bought this pie chain from King Arthur Flour and it works well. I like that you don't have to remove it half-way through the blind baking process like you do with parchment/pie weights in order to get the bottom of the crust to brown - you just leave it on until your crust looks browned enough. This is a really easy fork crust that you can make easily to add a little flair.

Delicious pie filling ingredients.

Be careful not to "cook" you eggs if your melted butter is too hot or else slowly temper them by adding a bit of butter to the eggs before adding.

What a heavenly, nutty aroma!

Now, Derby Day just would not be complete without traditional mint juleps! You can make the real stuff or virgin variety - either way, you'll just love it.

The refreshing ingredients.

It's so fantastic to see some decent, organic herbs showing up in our stores finally.

"Muddle" a few leaves of mint in the bottom of a silver or metallic glass (like these great Wilton Armetale goblets my family has always had and which I later scored on with finding a set of six vintage!) Just make sure you are using some kind of metallic cup that holds cold well. If you don't have a traditional muddler, a mortar and pestle (like my old reliable thai granite one here) works great. I simply could not live without this wonderful tool and love the process of using it.

Fill your glass to the brim with crushed ice (grind in a blender or food processor to right consistency.) Right on top, add 1 T. of simple syrup (which is simply equal parts sugar and water that has been boiled together and allowed to cool. Sometimes I'll even infuse this with a little mint.) Agave nectar is a wonderful alternative if you wish to keep down the sweetness!