Churchill Downs Announces Official Menu of the 145th Kentucky Derby paired with Inaugural At-Home Derby Party Menu & Recipes

Apr 04, 2019 Sara Brown Meehan

People across the country can now serve an authentic taste of Derby at their viewing parties on the first Saturday in May

Churchill Downs Racetrack today announced the official menu of the 145^th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. In a nod to the increasing popularity of Derby viewing parties that take place across the country, this year’s menu is accompanied by an official at-home Derby party menu, featuring easy-to-make recipe variations of the official dishes served at Churchill Downs on Derby day. Churchill Downs’ Executive Chef David Danielson created this year’s official menu and the inaugural at-home Derby party menu.

Both menus continue Churchill Downs’ tradition of offering Derby guests exciting dishes full of traditional yet modern Southern and Kentucky flavors that pair perfectly with Woodford Reserve Bourbon. The inaugural at-home Derby party menu reinvents this year’s official menu dishes to offer hosts and hostesses across the country recipes for a spread that brings an authentic taste of Derby to their viewing parties.

The at-home Derby party recipes are specifically designed as fun, crowd-pleasing bite and appetizer versions of the official menu dishes. For example, the Moroccan spiced meatballs that racetrack guests will enjoy on Derby day are transformed into easy-to-make meatball, cucumber and mint skewers with yogurt dipping sauce for at-home parties. The official Derby menu’s beef short ribs with sorghum and soy glaze is simplified for the at-home party cook to slow-cooker short ribs with Henry Baines sauce, a traditional Kentucky sauce for meats. For dessert, the Derby’s warm chocolate cobbler with vanilla ice cream is reimagined as a delicious, festive Mason jar dessert.

“At-home Derby parties are a growing tradition across the country, and we want to help make them as special as the historic race they celebrate,” said Danielson. “With the at-home menu, people across the country can share in the Derby’s culinary traditions while we all celebrate the Kentucky Derby together.”

This year’s official Kentucky Derby menu will be served to more than 22,000 guests in premium dining areas across the racetrack during the Kentucky Oaks on  Friday, May 3, and the Kentucky Derby on  Saturday, May 4, 2019. The menu requires 22,000 chicken breasts, 4,075 pounds of braised pork, 5,640 pounds of turkey, 7,600 pounds of potato, 8,200 pounds of pasta and 8,000 heads of locally grown lettuce.

To explore recipes for the Kentucky Derby At-Home Party Menu below, please click here.

The Official 145 Kentucky Derby Menu

Chef's Appetizers

Scallop and Prawn Sausage with Black Truffle

Celery root puree and cutting celery

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatball

Harissa, yogurt and cucumber-mint chutney

Pork Loin

Chicory-whole grain demi-glace

Arugula, Chicory and Figs

Blue cheese, walnuts, late harvest riesling dressing

Farro

Corn, tomatoes and creamy basil dressing

Sweet Potato Salad

Almond and cheddar

Chef's Sides

Shrimp and Country Ham Pasta

Cavatappi, roasted garlic & rosemary cream with parmesan smashed sweet potato

Roasted Asparagus

Capriole goat cheese, radish, roasted shallot & lemon vinaigrette

Pimento Cheese, Benedictine and Collard Parmesan Dip

Crackers and flatbreads

Chef's Entrees

Bourbon Citrus Salmon

Beef Short Ribs

Sorghum & soy glaze

Bourbon Sorghum Glazed Turkey

Spiked peaches

Sautéed Chicken Breast

Bourbon honey pan sauce

Cheese Tortellini

Country ham and apples

Chef's Desserts

Warm Chocolate Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

Warm Fruit Cobbler

145 Kentucky Derby At-Home Party Menu

Meatball, Cucumber & Mint Skewers

Yogurt dipping

Grilled Figs with Blue Cheese Mousse & Toasted Walnuts

Chilled Derby Day Shrimp & Pasta Salad

Mini Biscuit Sandwiches

Pimento cheese, benedictine and collard parmesan spreads

Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Henry Bain Sauce

Creamy cheese grits

Chicken Wings Grilled & Glazed

Bourbon honey pan sauce

Bourbon Chocolate Caramel and Mousse

Served in mason jars

Mini Fruit Hand Pies

About Chef David Danielson

Chef Danielson has been Churchill Downs' Executive Chef since 2013. Classically trained, Danielson studied at the Dumas Pere school of French cooking and later continued at the renowned hotel school Ecole Hotelier Tain l' Hermitage in France, honing his culinary skills at several Michelin-starred restaurants. Upon returning to the United States, Chef Danielson worked as the executive chef at New York's United Nations Plaza Hotel and at Chicago favorites the Ritz Carlton and Charlie Trotter's. He also served as personal chef to the British Consulate General. Chef Danielson has also lent his culinary expertise to a variety of major events, including the Olympics, PGA Championships, the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament and the GRAMMY Awards. Chef Danielson is also the Owner and Executive Chef of the Old Stone Inn, a beloved horse country eatery in Simpsonville, KY that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About the Kentucky Derby

The $3 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-olds is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in North America and the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown series. Also known as, 'The Run for the Roses' and 'The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,' the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horserace in the nation, with approximately 160,000 attendees. www.KetuckDerby.com