Louisville Hot Browns Recipes

ORIGINAL HOT BROWN

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with a whisk or fork, and continue to cook and stir until it begins to brown slightly. Gradually whisk in the milk so that no lumps form, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Mix in 6 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and then stir in the beaten egg to thicken. Do not allow the sauce to boil once the egg has been mixed in. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
• Preheat the oven's broiler. For each hot brown, place two slices of toast into the bottom of an individual sized casserole dish. Cover with a liberal amount of roasted turkey and tomato slices. Spoon sauce over the top of each one and sprinkle with some of the remaining 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. Serve immediately.

LOUISVILLE HOT BROWNS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, then drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick roux. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan, reduce the heat to low and whisk in the egg until the sauce is thick (do not boil). Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• For each Hot Brown, place 2 bread slices side by side in a small flameproof baking dish. Cover the bread with about 1/4 pound turkey and place 1 or 2 tomato slices alongside. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup cheese sauce over the turkey and bread. Sprinkle with more parmesan and broil until the sauce is bubbly and speckled brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the broiler, cross 2 strips of bacon on top and sprinkle with parsley and more parmesan. Serve immediately.
• Photo by John Nation

LOUISVILLE HOT BROWN

Steps:

• Saute onion in butter until transparent, add flour and cook stirring for 1 minute.
• Add milk, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.
• Cook on medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
• Add cheeses and continue heating until they blend.
• Remove from heat.
• Put one slice of toast in each of four oven-proof individual serving dishes (I used our 1980's stoneware dinner plates).
• Top each piece of toast with slices of chicken or turkey.
• Slice remaining toasts diagonally and place on sides of sandwiches.
• Ladle cheese sauce over sandwiches.
• Place sandwiches under broiler until sauce begins to bubble.
• Garnish with crumbled bacon and sauteed mushroom slices and serve immediately.

HOT BROWN

Steps:

• Prepare the sandwich: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 4 bread slices in half diagonally. Divide the remaining 4 whole slices among four individual 7-by-9-inch (or other similarly sized) baking dishes (see Tip), and place 2 pieces of halved bread on opposite sides of the bread, positioning the longest side of each triangle closest to the whole slice of bread. The formation will look like a two-way arrow. Nestle a piece of tomato on either side of the whole slices of bread, forming a square shape with the bread triangles. Divide the turkey slices among the whole slices of bread. Transfer the casseroles to the oven to toast as you prepare the sauce.
• Prepare the Mornay sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until mixture forms a roux. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, 2 minutes. Whisk heavy cream and milk into the roux and cook over medium until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano until the sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove the dishes from the oven and pour the Mornay sauce over each, smothering the meat, bread and tomatoes.
• Sprinkle additional Pecorino Romano on top of each dish and broil until the cheese begins to brown and bubble, 4 to 5 minutes, working in batches, if necessary.
• Remove from the broiler and cross 2 slices of bacon over each dish. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika, and serve immediately.

LOUISVILLE HOT BROWNS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Chop onion.
• In a heavy saucepan heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook onion about 3 minutes, or until glassy.
• Add flour, stirring until smooth.
• Add milk, salt, and pepper and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth.
• Add cheese and remove pan from heat.
• Whisk sauce until cheeses are melted.
• Thinly slice mushrooms.
• In a skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saute mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden and any liquid given off by mushrooms is evaporated.
• Season mushrooms with salt.
• In each of 4 ovenproof individual serving dishes top 1 slice of toast with 2 slices turkey or chicken.
• Diagonally halve remaining slices of toast and "bracket" each sandwich with 2 halves.
• Ladle cheese sauce over sandwiches and broil 4 to 5-inches from heat until sauce begins to bubble and brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Crumble bacon.
• Top each sandwich with bacon and mushrooms.
• Serve sandwiches immediately.

LOUISVILLE HOT BROWN

Steps:

• Make the cheese sauce:.
• In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook mixture, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add milk and continue to stir. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in cheeses, mustard, Tabasco sauce, and salt. Cover and keep warm.
• Cook the bacon:.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon over high heat until crisp and brown -- 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain. When bacon is cool, crumble or coarsely chop.
• Make the sandwiches:.
• Preheat oven broiler. In a large ovenproof dish, arrange toasted bread slices and layer them with turkey and tomato slices. Sprinkle with pepper and spoon cheese sauce on top. Place the sandwiches under broiler and cook until sauce begins to brown lightly -- 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with bacon, and serve immediately.