An open-faced sandwich of turkey breast, bacon and tomato on toast, blanketed in a creamy Mornay sauce and broiled until golden. Louisville's signature plate.

Chef Fred K. Schmidt invented the Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in 1926 to feed the late-night dancers at the hotel's 1,200-guest dinner balls. Schmidt riffed on traditional Welsh rarebit, replacing the bread foundation with toast and turkey and finishing with bacon and tomato. The sandwich quickly became the choice of 95 percent of the hotel's restaurant customers and has anchored Louisville hotel menus and lunch counters ever since. Recipes have been published widely, but the Brown Hotel's J. Graham's Cafe still serves the original.

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Make it at home

Serves 445 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 thick slices of white bread, toasted
  • 500g roast turkey breast, sliced thick
  • 8 thin tomato slices
  • 8 slices smoked streaky bacon, cooked crisp
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 60g plain flour
  • 500ml whole milk, warmed
  • 100g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 100g grated sharp cheddar
  • Kosher salt, white pepper, pinch of nutmeg
  • Paprika to finish

Method

  1. Heat the broiler to high. Place a slice of toast in each shallow ovenproof dish.
  2. Top each toast with thick-sliced turkey, then two tomato slices.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux; cook 1 minute.
  4. Slowly whisk in warmed milk; simmer 4 minutes until thick.
  5. Off heat, whisk in Parmigiano and cheddar until smooth. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
  6. Ladle hot Mornay sauce over each dish, covering completely.
  7. Broil 3 to 5 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.
  8. Cross two crisp bacon slices over each Hot Brown. Dust with paprika and serve immediately.

Editor tip. Use real Mornay (Parmigiano-Reggiano and cheddar), not a quick cheese sauce. The Brown Hotel's original recipe is published; follow it close.

Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten.