Cooking Lesson #1087: The Hot Brown (Open Face Turkey Sandwich)

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

The Hot Brown

How you doin’? The Hot Brown is not your average hot turkey sandwich. The Hot Brown was invented at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky to absorb the local bourbon that guests enjoyed well into the night.
 
A Hot Brown sandwich is an all-American hot turkey sandwich originally created by chef Fred Schmidt in 1926. It’s a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit and was one of two signature sandwiches created at The Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. It was created to serve as an alternative to ham and egg late-night dinners.
 
The Hot Brown is simply an open-faced sandwich of turkey breast and bacon, covered in creamy Mornay sauce and broiled until the bread is crisp and the sauce begins to brown.
 
The Hot Brown remains a local specialty and favorite of the Louisville area—even after 100 years and is popular throughout Kentucky.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour, 15 minutes (well worth time)
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the Turkey (Enough for 4 portions)
2 pounds boneless turkey breast with skin on
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon oil
8 slices bacon
 
For the cheese sauce
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon brown mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
 
For 4 Hot Browns
8 slices toasted white bread
12 slices tomato
8 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese, or to taste
1 pinch paprika, or to taste
4 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley, or to taste
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Season the skinless side of the turkey breast with 1/2 of the kosher salt and herbes de Provence.
3. Season the skin side with the remaining kosher salt.
4. Place the turkey skin-side up into an oiled baking dish.
5. Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the turkey registers 148° F, 45 to 60 minutes.
6. Remove the turkey from the oven and let cool.
7. Place the bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
8. Bake the bacon in the hot oven until about halfway cooked, 10 to 15 minutes.

To make the cheese sauce

1. Melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in flour until combined to make a roux.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until roux smells like a cooked pie crust, about 3 minutes.
4. Whisk in the cream and mustard all at once.
5. Cook until the Mornay sauce is thickened and starting to boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately turn off the heat.
6. Season Mornay sauce with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese until combined. Add nutmeg and stir briefly.

Put it all together

1. Cut the turkey into thick slices. Pull off the skin.
2. Stack 2 bread slices on top of each other and trim off the crusts.
3. Cut 1 slice into 2 triangles.
4. Place bread in a small baking or rarebit dish set on top of a sheet pan.
5. Top the bread with 3 slices of turkey.
6. Place 3 tomato slices in between.
7. Ladle 1/4 of the Mornay sauce all over and cover with 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese.
8. Sprinkle with paprika.
9. Lay the partially cooked bacon across the top.
10. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 3 more servings.
11. Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
12. Broil until bacon is crispy and the tops are well browned, about 5 minutes.
13. Place on napkin-lined plates and sprinkle parsley over each dish.

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ChefSecret:  You can use thick-cut deli turkey, so you don't have to roast the turkey yourself. You can substitute Parmesan cheese or a sharp Cheddar for the Pecorino Romano, if desired.
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Quip of the Day:  What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter on Thanksgiving Day? Quack, quack!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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