Derby Weekend

This past Saturday truly felt like spring in Michigan with sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s. It appeared to be an equally nice day in Louisville where the 137th "Run for the Roses" was taking place. The Kentucky Derby is easily my favorite sporting event of the year. While I do love Michigan football games and all the tradition involved, I probably love the Derby even more. I love getting dressed up, wearing a hat, and drinking mint juleps (for Joe) and bloody Marys (for me) while watching the horses race and the well-dressed people of the grandstands place their bets. The singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" gives me goosebumps and the trumpeter's call to the post is exciting every time.

We've been fortunate to attend the Derby two of the past four years, but since we couldn't be there in person this year we decided to have a Derby party instead. We invited some friends over and served a Southern-inspired spring menu. Drinks included mint juleps with homemade mint infused simple syrup and lemonade and iced tea with Firefly sweet tea vodka. For dinner we served:

Vidalia onion soup
cheddar chipotle biscuits
fried chicken
asparagus, mushroom, and Gruyere bread pudding
Derby pie (pecan/bourbon/chocolate)
strawberry rhubarb pie

The food turned out well and we had a fun time with friends watching the race. I'll probably post all of these recipes at some point, but for now I'll post what might have been my favorite; the Vidalia onion soup. This soup took a long time to make, but was very easy, and well worth the time involved. The recipe calls for the onions to be simmered for 5 hours which leaves them so sweet that the final product tastes almost like candy.

Vidalia Onion Soup

Ingredients:
8-9 Vidalia onions, diced in large chunks
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
crisp bacon and chives for garnish

Directions:
Simmer onions in butter and a couple pinches of salt over low heat for 5 hours. Pour onions into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add the heavy cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Garnish the bowls with crispy bacon and chives, if desired.

*Source: Garden & Gun