Hot Brown
 The Hot Brown was first served at Louisville's Brown Hotel | |
| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Created by | Fred K. Schmidt, Brown Hotel |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Turkey, bacon, Mornay sauce |
| Variations | Some versions also use ham, pimentos and/or tomatoes |
A Hot Brown Sandwich (sometimes known as a Kentucky Hot Brown) is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit and was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. It was created to serve as an alternative to ham and egg late-night suppers.[1]
Ingredients
The Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich of turkey and bacon, covered in Mornay sauce and baked or broiled until the bread is crisp and the sauce begins to brown. Many Hot Browns also include ham with the turkey, and either pimentos or tomatoes over the sauce, and imitation Hot Browns sometimes substitute a commercial cheese sauce instead of the Mornay.
More common alternatives to the Hot Brown include using Cheddar cheese or American cheese for the sauce. Alternatives for garnishes include tomatoes, mushroom slices, and, very rarely, canned peaches.[1][2]
When Fred K. Schmidt created the Hot Brown, its sliced roast turkey was a rarity, as turkey was usually reserved for holiday feasts. The original Hot Brown included the sliced turkey on an open-faced white toast sandwich, with Mornay sauce covering it, with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, completed by being oven-broiled until bubbly. Pimento and bacon strips were then added to it. After its debut, it quickly became the choice of ninety-five percent of the customers to the Brown Hotel's restaurant.[1][2]
The dish is a local specialty and favorite of the Louisville area, and is popular throughout Kentucky. It was long unavailable at its point of origin, as the Brown Hotel was shut down from 1971 to 1985.[1]
Variations
The "cold brown" was baked poultry (chicken or turkey), hard-boiled egg, lettuce, and tomato open-faced on rye bread, and covered with Thousand Island dressing. It is rarely served anymore.[1]
In St. Louis, the Prosperity Sandwich is a similar dish, with origins at the Mayfair Hotel in the 1920s.[3] It is still served in the area today, and sometimes called a "hot brown".[4]
The Turkey Devonshire, first served in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1930s, has been described as being similar to the Hot Brown.[5]
Hot Brown on TV
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2015) |
On the Food Network, the Hot Brown was featured in an episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Joe and John Castro, chefs of the Brown Hotel in Kentucky, competed and won against Flay in a cook-off. It has also been featured on episodes of the network's shows Chopped and Southern Fried Road Trip.
On the Travel Channel, the Hot Brown has been featured on the show Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo as well as a Louisville-themed episode of Man v. Food Nation.
On PBS, the Hot Brown has been featured in the documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like as well as the program The Mind of a Chef, where Chef David Chang presented his interpretation of the sandwich.
On an edition of NBC's The Today Show, Top Chef champion Hosea Rosenberg ascribed the origin of the Hot Brown's name to it being "hot and bubbly brown".[6]
See also
- Cuisine of Kentucky
- History of Louisville, Kentucky
- Melt sandwich
- List of American sandwiches
- List of regional dishes of the United States
- List of sandwiches
References
- ^ a b c d e Kleber, John E. (I) The Kentucky Encyclopedia. UP of Kentucky. p. 443.
- ^ a b Kleber, John E. (II) Encyclopedia of Louisville. (University Press of Kentucky). pg.404.
- ^ Patricia Treacy (2005). The Grand Hotels of St. Louis. Arcadia Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7385-3974-4. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ "Prosperity sandwich is a longtime favorite in St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 3, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
- ^ Cathey, Dave (2 February 2011). Food fight: Pittsburgh, Green Bay recipes go head to head, The Oklahoman
- ^ Hosea Rosenberg appearance on The Today Show
External links
- Hot Brown Recipe — from the Brown Hotel (includes some history)
