Bakin’ With Bacon and the King

Welcome to the Castle Kitchen!   Are You Ready To Make Something YUM?

I have a REAL treat for you today.    Some of you know my Mom was born in Louisville, Kentucky MANY YEARS AGO (eeek) and while she has NEVER had this yummy sandwich before, she is going to allow me to make it for her – it’s rather famous and you MAY have heard of it before.  Decadent doesn’t even begin to describe this open-faced sandwich of turkey, bacon and creamy Mornay sauce, an invention of the The Brown Hotel in Louisville in the 1920s. The story goes that guests of the hotel’s nightly dinner dance began to grow weary of the usual menu, so chef Fred Schmidt created this dish to keep the dancers happy. The Hot Brown is now Kentucky’s signature sandwich!!   If you want to try something different and yummy – this is it!

The Famous Kentucky Hot Brown

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
• 14 oz. sliced roasted turkey breast (sliced thick)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half
• 4 slices of bacon
• 4 slices of Texas toast (crusts trimmed)
• Paprika
• Parsley
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined to form a thick paste or roux. Continue to cook roux for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino-Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
2. For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven-safe dish and cover with 7 oz. turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and two toast points and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. Pour half of the sauce over the dish, completely covering it. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove and cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley and serve immediately.

I know it sounds complicated and it is a TAD beyond most of the simple recipes I try to give you but just TRUST me – it’s so very worth the effort.    I’m sure you can do some improvising for some of this recipe as well as maybe some of the ingredients (like not everyone has access to Texas toast but it’s extra THICK bread)……….but you all can get creative.   Main thing is to try this combination because it’s YUMMY.

Yep – that’s what you’ll say when you wrap your mouth around a fork full of this – trust me. 

Nothing like a good laugh with a good meal!

Your King of Bacon………..Sir Teddy