Tell Me About a Hot Brown...

I'd like to know the history of this sandwich and if there is a good one to be had in the Chicago area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Brown

http://www.suntimes.com/recipes/sandwic ... ich.recipe

Wow I so hope somebody finds one of these things.

Hi Donna,
I'm assuming you probably watched tonight's episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" on Food Network. I had no idea of what a hot brown was either before tonight's show, so I actually looked it up on wikipedia while I was watching it. It doesn't look too difficult to make, but the history of it is what interests me. I did find the website of the Brown Hotel, where the Castro Brothers cook. The site provides some nice history as well as the original recipe:

http://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown.html

And I'm with Donna, I know I could make it at home, but I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I have a fridge full of bacon and cheese sauce...Apparently Bobby Flay makes it in his NY restaurant, maybe someone does here in Chicago?

Sharona

Hi Sharona,

Yes, I cannot tell a lie...I watched the "throwdown" and was fascinated by a sandwich I had never heard of. And now I want to know if any restaurants here serve them. How can anything with bacon and cheese be bad?? Not in my world. Thanks for the link.

Donna

The Lovely Donna wrote:Hi Sharona,

Yes, I cannot tell a lie...I watched the "throwdown" and was fascinated by a sandwich I had never heard of. And now I want to know if any restaurants here serve them. How can anything with bacon and cheese be bad?? Not in my world. Thanks for the link.

Donna

It isn't bad at all, it is one of the best tasting "sandwiches" ever, but it is a true heart attack on a plate. The original honestly has about 1.5 - 2" of mornay over the turkey and bacon. You really have to clear your afternoon if you want to clean your plate. On the other hand, I've never seen it offered outside of the Louisville area, save for Bobby Flay's (that I heard about all of 2 min ago in this post). The good news is that, outside of the mornay sauce, it isn't very hard to make at home. The mornay sauce isn't that bad either. I could put up the recipe from the New Professional Chef if anyone needs it. Beyond that just put a open face turkey sandwich in a buttered casserole, douse liberally with sauce and put under the broiler. Add cut tomatoes half way through and you are set.

A similar sandwich call a "Horseshoe" is made in Springfield, IL. It's made with a gloppy cheese sauce over your choice of ham, turkey, hamburger....whatever they have available. Very popular in Central Illinois.

dukesdad wrote:A similar sandwich call a "Horseshoe" is made in Springfield, IL. It's made with a gloppy cheese sauce over your choice of ham, turkey, hamburger....whatever they have available. Very popular in Central Illinois.

Dukesdad,
I lived in Central Illinois for quite a while and did have a few horseshoes in my time. Although the Hot Brown seems similar to the horseshoe, and maybe it was the old money-Southern feel of Louisville, but I would have to dare to say that the Hot Brown seems a bit more high class. After all, it was invented at a pretty swanky hotel. Maybe it's also the fact that the Hot Brown cheese sauce is a fancy mornay and the horseshoe cheese sauce is made with beer (I used a 40 oz. of something pretty skanky when my friends and I made horseshoes in college)

And to the Lovely Donna, I love watching the Throwdown just for the sole reason to see Bobby Flay lose--haha

I also read about a vegetarian version of the Hot Brown, but what would be the point in that ?

Sharona

Growing up just a river away from KY, and having married into family from there, "Hot Browns" are a gooey staple, part of Derby day if you're out of ham. Most diners on I-71 between Louisville and Cincinnati serve one form or other. I've heard of humble Hot Browns with canned pimiento or fancier ones with asparagus instead of tomato, but they all seem to include openface turkey smothered in gooey white cheese sauce topped with bacon.

Make sure you have time for a nap afterwards.

I had a Hot Brown last summer at the place where they were said to have been invented, The Brown Hotel in Louisville. I thought it was really delicious but nothing particularly transcendant. I mean, there's nothing not to like about them and when made to order and served piping hot, they really do satisfy. From a conceptual point of view, the Hot Brown is essentially the lunch counterpart to Eggs Benedict -- and similarly -- it's not overly difficult to make at home. It's just a lot of steps and a relatively big clean-up.

Overall, I prefer sandwiches in which the individual components are more distinctive (turkey and bacon are fairly ubiquitous). I also lean toward sandwiches that can be picked up and eaten out of hand. But the Hot Brown is certainly no slouch.

=R=

dukesdad wrote:A similar sandwich call a "Horseshoe" is made in Springfield, IL. It's made with a gloppy cheese sauce over your choice of ham, turkey, hamburger....whatever they have available. Very popular in Central Illinois.

America's Test Kitchen has an article featuring Springfield's Horseshoe Sandwich.

There was a link to the cheese sauce, which lead you to an article in the Illinois Times written by Julianne Glatz. The sauce is one Julianne researched carefully, because it is a far better sauce than offered in Springfield restaurant versions today. It is true to the original inspiration for this sandwich: Welsh Rarebit.

I was dreading what was behind the cheese sauce hyperlink. I was so pleased they went for the real deal.

Regards,
Cathy2

Seeing this pop up reminded me of a trip to Louisville a few years ago for the IACP conference. They had an event where a dozen different restaurants created dishes based on the elements of the Hot Brown -- a couple of salads, one chowder I think, but mostly appetizers and main courses. I think the tortellini stuffed with bacon and turkey in a mornay sauce came closest to using all the ingredients, but it was a fun and tasty challenge -- though as rich as everything was, I don't know if anyone actually tried every version. But lots of fun.