Learn the history behind Louisville's Hot Brown

During the height of the Roaring Twenties, the Brown Hotel was a hub of Jazz Age revelry. On weekend nights, the fashionable crowd, dressed in beaded gowns and tuxedos, packed the Crystal Ballroom, where they danced the Charleston as the hotel orchestra played jazz and waiters glided by with silver trays of cocktails discreetly poured despite Prohibition. In the wee hours, after the last note was struck, the famished partygoers would retreat downstairs to the restaurant.

One such night in 1926, Chef Fred K. Schmidt broke from the standard menu of ham and eggs. From the night’s leftover roast turkey, slices of toast, and a pot of Mornay sauce, he layered an open-faced sandwich, placed it under the broiler until golden and bubbling, and topped it with crisp bacon.

Chef Schmidt’s creation, perhaps inspired by Welsh rarebit or the croque-monsieur, was an immediate sensation, and word of “the Brown Hotel’s new hot sandwich” spread throughout the city. It soon became known simply as “the Hot Brown” and quickly became an iconic Louisville dish, as much a part of the city’s character and culture as Bourbon and the Kentucky Derby.

The Hot Brown has been featured in publications like “The New York Times” and “Southern Living,” celebrated by chefs from Bobby Flay to Alton Brown, and included in the world’s finest cookbooks.

A century after Chef Schmidt first served the legendary late-night creation, you can still savor a bite of the Jazz Age in the original dining room where it was first served or at restaurants across the city, where you’ll find not only the classic Hot Brown but creative new twists highlighted during events like the annual Hot Brown Week and this year’s centennial anniversary. In a city renowned for culinary excellence, Louisville chefs are sure to delight diners with their take on this classic dish.

How to make the world-famous Hot Brown

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Whole Butter
• 2 oz. All Purpose Flour
• 8 oz. Heavy Cream
• 8 oz. Whole Milk
• ½ Cup of Pecorino Romano Cheese (plus 1 Tablespoon for Garnish)
• Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• 14 oz. Sliced Roasted Turkey Breast, Sliced Thick
• 4 Slices of Texas Toast (Crust Trimmed)
• 4 Slices of Crispy Bacon
• 2 Roma Tomatoes, Sliced in Half
• Parmesan Cheese
• Paprika and Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). Continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream and whole milk 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.

Assembly:

For each Hot Brown, place two slices of toast with the crusts cut off in an oven safe dish – one slice is cut in half corner to corner to make two triangles and the other slice is left in a square shape - then cover with 7 ounces of turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and two toast points and set them alongside the base of the turkey and toast. Next, pour one half of the Mornay sauce to completely cover the dish. Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese. Place the entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and serve immediately.

For more on the Hot Brown, watch this episode of "Bourbon & Biscuits: Hot Brown and Whiskey Sours."