The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, which means two things here in New York: OTB parlors will be packed, and lots of people will be drinking their annual mint julep.

The julep is a lovely cocktail, but there’s a lot more to Kentucky food and drink than that. The Bluegrass State has a rich culinary heritage, and there’s no better time to celebrate it than this weekend. So if you’re planning a Derby party, or if you just want a bit of authentic Kentucky flavor when you sit down to watch the race, here’s a quick primer.

A good place to start is the hot brown, an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich featuring a bubbling-hot Mornay sauce. It was invented in 1923 at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, where it remains a local institution. It’s also a favorite topic of conversation for guitarist Tara Key, who hails from Kentucky but has spent the past 22 years in New York, where she’s devoted considerable energies to developing the perfect hot brown recipe.

“The hot brown is easy to ruin because the turkey is such a blank slate that people feel free to toss all sorts of stuff into it, like mushrooms,” said Ms. Key, who happily spent the better part of an hour holding forth on the subject (if she hasn’t considered authoring a hot brown book, she should). “I’m sort of in between being a traditionalist and wanting to put my own personal spin on it.”

The most notable element of that spin is Ms. Key’s inclusion of a grilled peach, a finishing touch that provides a bit of sweetness to counterbalance the hot sauce and peppered bacon her preparation also includes (see accompanying recipe). “The peach kind of set my mother into a tizzy when she heard about it,” Ms. Key said. But even the most steadfast traditionalist would have to agree that her rendition is a staggeringly good mix of flavors and textures, all bound together by the Parmesanrich Mornay sauce.

Another essential Kentucky Derby dish is the irresistible chocolate chip and walnut confection known as derby pie. Or, rather, Derby-Pie(R) – the capitalization, hyphen, and trademark symbol are all mandated by Kern’s Kitchen, the bakery that invented the dish back in the 1950s and has zealously policed its ownership of the pie’s name since trademarking it in 1968. Kern’s once even sued its own chocolate chip supplier, Nestle, for including a “Tollhouse Derby Pie” recipe on its packaging.

Chip Nold, a longtime Kentucky restaurant critic and co-author of “The Insider’s Guide to Louisville and Southern Indiana,” said this legal wrangling has become part of the local lore. “If you sell something called derby pie and don’t get the pie from them, they’ll have their lawyer calling you as soon as they hear about it,” he explained. “So you’ll go into restaurants and see things like triple crown pie, or winner’s circle pie. And then there’s horse race pie or thoroughbred pie, but those don’t sound too appealing.”

By any name, it’s a spectacular dessert. Imagine a chocolate pecan pie, only crunchier, and you’ll get the idea. Many versions include a splash of Kentucky bourbon in the filling, deepening the dish’s Bluegrass State’s roots. And if you really want to gild the lily, top it with a bit of bourbon sauce.

Speaking of bourbon, let’s talk about that mint julep, a drink that dates back two centuries and deserves better than to be trotted out once a year. “It’s a labor-intensive drink, so usually after the second round most people say the heck with it and just drink the bourbon,” David Wondrich, author of “Killer Cocktails” and “Esquire Drinks,” said. “But if you’re willing to do it right, it’s well worth it” (see accompanying recipe).

The key, Mr. Wondrich said, is cracked ice, and lots of it. “Wrap it in a towel or piece of canvas and just keep smashing it,” he said. “Traditionally, you’d use a silver cup, but a glass is fine, too. It should be as chilled as possible because the idea is to get it to frost on the outside.”

So which bourbon is best to use? “I like something very full-flavored – Woodford Reserve or Wild Turkey,” he said. “But instead of using whiskey, I also like a brandy julep, with a bit of dark rum dashed on top. That was very traditional until the Civil War, which interfered with the brandy supply.” The brandy version is a bit more genteel – perfect if you want to feel like a wellheeled Kentucky racehorse baron.

And in a nice connection, it turns out that mint juleps have a New York heritage. “Surprisingly enough, New York was known as a julep town back before Prohibition,” Mr. Wondrich said. “But those juleps were probably made with rye.” If you want to split the difference, a good option is Bernheim, an excellent new Kentucky wheat whiskey that’s a bit spicier than bourbon but not as hot as rye.

There are many more Kentucky specialties to explore, including spoon bread, rolled oysters, Henry Bain sauce (a chutney-based steak sauce popular in Louisville), barbecued mutton (common in the western part of the state), and the game-laden stew known as burgoo. But don’t wait until next year’s Derby rolls around to investigate these foods – like the mint julep, they deserve more than an annual showcase.

Mint Julep

This recipe, adapted from one on the Kentucky Derby’s Web site, will provide enough cocktail components to get you through a large party. Any leftover mint syrup can be refrigerated for later use. Try to handle the chilled glasses with a towel, or by their rims, so as not to ruin the frosted surface.

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint, lightly bruised
Lots of crushed ice
Bottle of bourbon

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with 6 or 8 sprigs of mint for at least 1 hour (or, ideally, refrigerate overnight). Make 1 julep at a time by filling a chilled cup with crushed ice, adding 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of mint syrup and 2 to 3 ounces of bourbon. Stir rapidly and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Hot Brown

This outstanding recipe, which serves two, comes from Kentucky native Tara Key, who concedes that her inclusion of a grilled peach is “very controversial.” Some of her preparation steps are a bit idiosyncratic as well, although it’s hard to argue with the results. The Brown Hotel, where the dish was invented in 1923, offers a simpler and more traditional recipe on its Web site (http://brownhotel.com/hotbrown.php3).

4 slices white bread
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 cups (about 3 /4 pound) bite-size pieces roasted turkey, torn by hand (not sliced)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup skim milk
Salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce, to taste
8 slices of bacon, preferably pepper-encrusted
2 fresh peaches, pitted and halved (if only canned peaches are available, be sure to rinse off any syrup)

1. Preheat broiler. Toast the bread under the broiler on one side until brown. Flip slices over, dust each one with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese, and toast until light brown. Cut off crusts and set toast aside, saving crust pieces. (You can now turn down the broiler a bit, but keep it lit.)

2. Using a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat, cook bacon until almost done but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a frying pan, finish cooking until crisp, and set aside. Pour off grease from nonstick pan or griddle, leaving a thin sheen behind, return to burner, and cook peach halves, turning once, until both sides are richly browned. Set aside.

3. Make the Mornay sauce: Place egg yolk in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and mix in the flour with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended, then cook for about 1 minute more. Stir in the half-and-half gradually, allowing it to become fully incorporated before adding more. Then add the skim milk. When all the dairy has melded into the roux, stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper, and Tabasco to taste. Turn off heat, transfer 1/4 cup of sauce to the bowl with the egg yolk, and give a good whip. Stir egg mixture back into sauce and cook over low heat for a minute or two.

4. Return broiler to high heat. Arrange toast slices, cheeselaced side up, in a broiler-safe pan. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the Mornay sauce on the surface of each slice and spread to cover. Distribute turkey evenly over slices, fill crevices with saved crusts, and then pour remaining sauce over turkey. Top with the remaining cheese, divided equally. Place under broiler until a deep brown crust forms and sauce is bubbling underneath. Remove and top each toast slice with 2 slices of bacon and then one peach half, face down. Return to broiler and cook until bacon once again sizzles and Mornay is bubbling menacingly, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.