I was introduced to Hot Brown Sandwiches during our last trip to Kentucky when we met Colonel Bob and Cora Jane Spiller for lunch at a downtown restaurant in Bowling Green.
We enjoyed a leisurely lunch with lots of conversation including the story about the origin of the sandwich.
This is my “loose” interpretation of that turkey, bacon and cheese sandwich bathed in a cheesy sauce . . . using what I have on hand, my Kansas version. There are many variations of the “original” recipe; the types of cheese used in the sauce varies from regular to white Cheddar to all Parmesan. The “original: recipe that I found at allrecipe.com includes specific amounts; my version is more of a general guideline. The original calls for roasted turkey; I used thin slices of Barry’s roasted turkey breast. It allows two slices of toast and two pieces of bacon per person, we used only one of each per serving. I omitted the egg and heavy cream that the original added to the white sauce and just used a basic sauce with cheese. Also used cherry tomatoes in place of the traditional slice. It was a delicious rendition of the lovely time we shared with the Spillers back in June of 2013.
1 slice of bread per person, toasted and cut in 2 triangles
Thinly sliced smoked turkey or roasted turkey
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half or 1 tomato slice per sandwich
Cheese sauce (basic white sauce with Cheddar cheese added)
Parmesan cheese – enough to add a little to the cheese sauce & to sprinkle over the top of the sandwich
1 slice of crisp bacon per sandwich
Parsley or chives for garnish if desired
- Preheat the oven's broiler.
- For each hot brown, place toast triangles in the bottom of an individual sized casserole dish.
- Cover with a liberal amount of roasted turkey and cherry tomato halves.
- Spoon sauce over the top of each one and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
- Place the dishes under the broiler and cook until the top is speckled brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the broiler and arrange two slices of bacon in a cross shape on top of each sandwich.
- Garnish with parsley or chives if desired and serve immediately with a fork!
STORY OF THE SANDWICH: The Kentucky Hot Brown was originally created in 1926 at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Chef Fred K. Schmidt came up with the sandwich to feed late-night revelers at the hotel, which was a hotspot for live music and dancing in the 1920s. When the musicians took a break at midnight, the crowds would flock to the restaurant for sustenance to keep them going for the rest of the night.
Recipe without photos . . .
1 slice of bread per person, toasted and cut in 2 triangles
Thinly sliced smoked turkey or roasted turkey
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half or 1 tomato slice per sandwich
Cheese sauce (basic white sauce with Cheddar cheese added)
Parmesan cheese – enough to add a little to the cheese sauce & to sprinkle over the top of the sandwich
1 slice of crisp bacon per sandwich
Parsley or chives for garnish if desired
- Preheat the oven's broiler.
- For each hot brown, place triangle toast in the bottom of an individual sized casserole dish.
- Cover with a liberal amount of roasted turkey and cherry tomato halves.
- Spoon sauce over the top of each one and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
- Place the dishes under the broiler and cook until the top is speckled brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the broiler and arrange two slices of bacon in a cross shape on top of each sandwich.
- Garnish with parsley or chives if desired and serve immediately with a fork!
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