Kentucky Derby Hot Browns
As part of our Kentucky Derby celebration, we present this adaptation of a Derby classic: Kentucky Derby Hot Browns. Close to Churchill Downs sits the Iconic Brown Hotel. Many visitors of the Derby stay here. After drinking Mint Juleps all day, they wake up with a decent hangover. The chefs at the hotel designed this sandwich to help with that morning after feeling. Hot sliced turkey on thick toast topped with bacon, tomato, and a bubbling cheesy mornay sauce will absorb anything in your system. Thus was born the Kentucky Derby Hot Browns.
But, why wait until the morning after. You know you are going to have a good amount of whiskey. Let’s get a base to absorb that liquor. We propose to adapt the hot brown to an appetizer. We can present a miniature version to be served as a passed hors d’ouevre or hot on a food station. This is comfort food at it’s best. And, nothing says southern comfort like bacon and cheese. The traditional hot brown is quite messy. We make it a little more finger friendly here.
You may not be up to running a derby. But, you may feel healthy as a horse. Probably not. Either way. You will be ready to throw back a few Juleps.
Table of Contents
Kentucky Derby Hot Browns
Ingredients
- 6 Slices Thick sliced Sour Dough Bread
- 12 Ounces Fresh cooked turkey breast
- 4 each thick sliced bacon
- 12 each grape tomatoes
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp AP flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Tbsp Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Roast the bacon on a sheet pan about 10 to 12 minutes until crisp.
- Make the cheese sauce: Melt butter in a heavy gauge pot, stir in the flour over medium heat. Cook until pale brown.
- Heat the heavy cream in a separate pot. Pour into the pot with the "roux" (flour and butter). Stir vigorously and reduce a bit, until it is slightly thickened. Add Nutmeg, cheeses, and salt and pepper. Whisk until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is relatively thick. Adjust the seasoning and fold in the sage.
- Cut the bread into small pieces, Circles are nice. Or you can do triangles, diamonds, or squares. Mix and match if you like. Spray with pan spray and toast on a grill or in a pan.
- Slice the turkey thin enough to make sandwiches.
- Split the tomatoes in 1/2
- Assemble the "canapes": toast, turkey, bacon, and tomato. Top with the cheese sauce and pop under a broiler to bubble the top. Or, you can use a torch. The broiler works better here, though, as it gets heat into all the ingredients. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve hot.