The Ultimate Kentucky Derby Cheeseboard!
I can’t believe I have never thought to make a Kentucky Derby Cheeseboard before, but it’s going to be hard to top! Being born and raised in Kentucky, I wanted to put together a board that showcases all things bluegrass, southern, and delicious! There is no where better to live and eat than Kentucky, and if you don’t believe that, just try this board! This board has it all from hot brown dip to mint julep salsa, bourbon balls to country ham biscuits, benedictine to mini derby pies, and more! I also included lots of different veggies, crackers, and bread options for tons of different dipping and snacking combinations! As always you can totally customize this board, and any of my boards, to fit your guest list and budget and all suggested ingredients can be edited and swapped out easily! You can find all the ingredients, shopping list, and instructions for putting this one together below! Happy Derby!
xoxo
Emily
the amount listed are for an XL board (feeds 10-12 at least); you can adjust accordingly
Hot Brown Dip (recipe here- used 1/2 of this recipe serving for the dish shown on the board; saved half to bake later!)
Mint Julep Salsa (recipe here- used serving amounts listed in recipe)
8 oz Pimento Cheese or Beer Cheese (or both- I used pre-made but you can make your own too if you like!)
8 oz Benedictine spread
4 oz Stone Ground Mustard (I love Inglehoffer’s)
4-6 biscuits of your choice (I just used Pillsbury Grands; you can certainly make more or less of these too)
1/2 lb. country ham
10 oz cherry tomatoes
6-8 strawberries, sliced
1 lb carrot chips
1 cucumber- thinly sliced into rounds
1 loaf sliced French bread or baguette
6-8 oz cornbread (Kroger sells it pre-made in bakery near Hawaiian rolls; you can also make your own)
1 package Chessmen Pepperidge Farm cookies
1-2 mini derby pies (sold at Kroger) or making something like these would work great too)
6-8 bourbon balls
1-2 containers Honey Bourbon Vanilla Pecans (you can also make your own- recipe here)
2-3 more crackers of your choice (I used these, these, + these!)
fresh mint to garnish
optional additional garnishes: gold horses (plastic toy horses spray painted gold), derby party picks (from Party City), derby glasses, small rose plant in faux Julep cup pot (from Kroger)
Preheat your oven and cook your biscuits according to package instructions. Assemble country ham biscuits by placing a few slices of ham on each biscuit.
I started assembling my board by placing my rose plant garnish in the center (you could also use a little mint plant, horse statue, or skip this step.
Next I placed my bowls throughout the board, making sure there was plenty of space in between each- one bowl for pimento/beer cheese, one for benedictine, one for the hot brown dip, one for the fruit salsa, one for the mustard. Be sure to place a spoon or knife in each for serving/spreading.
I used vintage derby glasses to hold my bourbon pecans and the breadstick crackers! This is totally optional, these could also just go in regular bowls or directly on the board! I placed these on opposite sides of the board in between some of the bowls.
I added my country ham biscuits in the bottom corner right outside of all the bowls. I kind of piled them a little bit since they are larger. Add your mustard to a small dish and place it beside the biscuits with a little knife or spoon.
Next I added my veggies and fruit for the color! I placed carrot chips around the pimento cheese (reserving some to fill in open spots later), cucumbers around the benedictine (again reserving some of these too), tomatoes near the country ham biscuits, strawberries around the centerpiece- you can kind of circle these around the items mentioned.
Next we’ll start filling in with the remaining items! I placed a pile of cornbread beside the hot brown dip, 2 piles of bread slices on each side of the middle centerpiece, chessmen cookies circled around the fruit salsa; pretzels between the carrot chips, mustard, and country ham biscuits; then sea salt crackers on the opposite side of the mustard.
Finally I added the bourbon balls beside the centerpiece in a small pile and the 2 mini derby pies on the other side of the centerpiece, use these to fill in any holes you have in these areas.
Fill in any remaining holes with extra pecans, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, or crackers!
Garnish with mint around the edges in 4-6 different spots!
Add your remaining garnishes throughout the board as you like!
Serve and enjoy!
