Bobby Flay's Kentucky Derby Delights

Bobby Flay believes it's never too early to plan a party -- especially if you intend to celebrate next month's Kentucky Derby.

The Early Show's resident chef is a big fan of the big race, and he shared recipes for many dishes for a Derby soiree on the show Thursday.

This gives you plenty of time to get ready to celebrate the Run for the Roses. Some Southern food, some bourbon -- with a little planning and some help from Flay, your party is sure to be a success!

FOOD FACTS

Mint Julep: You can't celebrate the Derby without this traditional Derby drink. In general, "julep" refers to any sweet drink made with a mix of various liquors, water and sugar. The mint julep is made with plenty of fresh mint, bourbon, simple syrup, and shaved or crushed ice. Traditionally, mint juleps were served in silver or pewter cups, and held only by the bottom and top edges of the cup. That enables frost to form on the outside of the cup.

Shrimp: Shrimp is the most popular seafood Americans eat. In 2006, we consumed more than four pounds apiece. There are hundreds of shrimp species. In general, the colder the shrimp's water, the smaller and more succulent it will be. Shrimp come in a variety of sizes. Usually, the larger the shrimp, the more you'll pay. One pound of shrimp yields about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound of cooked meat. Store fresh shrimp in the fridge for two days,tops.

The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith helped Flay prepare "All You Can Eat Shrimp with Green Onion, Garlic & BBQ Spices." For this dish, he made a spice rub for the shrimp, then threw them in a hot pan with garlic. Once off the heat, he mixed in sliced green onion. The shrimp only need about three-to-four minutes to cook.

As they did, Flay and Smith spoke about some of the other yummy Southern food on set, including:

Mint Juleps
Fried Chicken with Kentucky Farm Honey Sauce
Glazed Ham with Mini Black Pepper Biscuits
Green Onion Slaw
Blackberry & Toasted Pecan Cobbler

RECIPES

Mint Juleps

Serves: 1

Bourbon
Simple Syrup
Fresh Mint
Shaved Ice

Combine a shot of bourbon, a few teaspoons of simple syrup and several mint sprigs in a mint julep cup and muddle with spoon. Add shaved ice and more mint. Serve immediately.

All You Can Eat Shrimp with Green Onion, Garlic & BBQ Spices

Serves: 8

Shrimp
1/4 cup smoked sweet paprika
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 lbs (21-24 size) large shrimp, shell on
9 tablespoons canola oil, divided
12 cloves coarsely chopped fresh garlic, divided
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

1. Whisk together the paprika, ancho powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place the shrimp in a large bowl, add the spice rub and stir well to coat each shrimp.
3. Heat your grill to high. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil on the grates of the grill over high heat in a large cast iron or sauté pan; add a third of the shrimp and a third of the garlic and cook until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in a third of the green onions and transfer to a large platter or turnout onto brown paper bags. Wipe out of the pan with paper towels, and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.

Fried Chicken with Kentucky Farm Honey Sauce

Serves: 4-6

Kentucky Farm Honey Sauce
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared pickled horseradish, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the honey, horseradish and salt and pepper in a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Fried Chicken
1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups Kosher salt
2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder or 2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 chickens (3 to 4 pounds), cut up into 8 pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
Peanut oil, for deep-frying

1. Whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt and the chile de arbol in a large bowl or large baking dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl.
2. Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika and cayenne in a large bowl and divide among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper. Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.
3. Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than half way up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot drizzled with the ancho honey, if desired.

Glazed Ham with Mini Black Pepper Biscuits

Yields: 24

Biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 4 tablespoons, melted
1-1/2 cups cold buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, not super fine and not coarse, somewhere in between

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a dough cutter, combine until ingredients are incorporated. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture and continue to combine until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and pulse until the mixture just begins to come together.
3. Scrape the dough onto a lightly flour counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut out biscuits. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat process. Place the biscuits on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper; brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.

Maple-Apricot Glazed Ham

1 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons freshly squeeze orange juice
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Stir together the preserves, maple syrup, ancho powder and orange juice in a medium bowl; season with salt and coarse pepper.

Ham
1 cooked ham, 12-15 lbs, fat trimmed
Maple-Apricot Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place the ham in a large baking dish and bake until warmed through, approximately 1 hour. During the last 10 minutes of baking, brush the entire ham with the glaze. Remove from the oven and brush with more of the glaze. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

For more recipes, go to Page 3.

Green Onion Slaw

Serves: 8

1-1/2 cups green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 serrano chiles
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pure olive oil
1 large head purple cabbage, thinly shredded
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1. Blend the green onions, vinegar, 1/2 cup water, chiles, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil in a blender until emulsified.
2. Place the cabbage and red onions in a bowl, add the dressing and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the slaw sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Blackberry & Toasted Pecan Cobbler

Serves: 8

6 cups fresh blackberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups cold heavy cream
3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a large bowl and gently mix to combine. Let sit 10 minutes at room temperature.
3. Transfer the berries and their juices to a 10-inch x 10-inch x 2-inch baking dish.
4. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the heavy cream and pulse just until the mixture comes together, the mixture will be somewhat moist.
5. Spoon the mixture over the fruit and sprinkle with the sugar and pecan. Bake until the top is golden brown and the juice is bubbling, 35-45 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Best served warm.