Louisville, Ky. – Finding that perfect something to eat after a long night of partying is really tough in any place but Las Vegas, Buenos Aires and certain sections of your mom’s refrigerator. You know what I mean. You need something to soak up the booze, anything that will explode the taste buds and not just keep the Montezuma tequila from exploding in your stomach at 3 a.m.
The problem at that hour is you’ve lowered your bar to the approximate height of a Denny’s door jamb. The munchies keep you from thinking and seeing straight, let alone eating straight, causing hallucinations that make a pair of golden arches look like a brasserie in Paris.
I’m firmly convinced that if they re-enacted Prohibition, IHOP would go out of business in 90 days. After fraternity parties in college I’d go to IHOP at 2 a.m. and order two of everything, one of each for the drive home.
However, here in Louisville they have not sacrificed flavor for starch, style for substance. In a city where bourbon runs nearly as fast as the horses, I found the perfect late-night dish that won’t require a 5K to run it off the next day.
It’s called the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich. It’s not quite as old as the Kentucky Derby, but in Louisville it’s almost as famous. Here is the description (preferably read after three hours drinking martinis in LoDo): two pieces of white toast topped with white turkey meat, a creamy white Mornay sauce with Gruyere cheese, then topped with parmesan, slices of lean bacon and tomato. It’s placed under a broiler so the cheesy sauce melts into almost a thick soup.
How would that sound at midnight? Think it beats a Whopper?
The Kentucky Hot Brown dates to 1923, the Roaring ’20s, when the war was over and America was falling in love again. Americans were partying and eating. In Louisville, the opulent Brown Hotel had opened in 1920 and had dinner dances every night.
About 1,200 people were cutting the rug into the wee hours, but when the band took a break, the munchies hit. Yes, they even had munchies then. (It is believed history’s first case of the munchies occurred when Adam and Eve ate the apple after a night of imbibing palm wine.)
Chef Fred Schmidt wanted to offer something to patrons that was hot, hearty and fun. Bored with traditional ham and eggs, Schmidt considered turkey, which, at the time was only served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why can’t a night at the Brown be a holiday too?
Thus, the Kentucky Hot Brown was born, and it has remained at the Brown since.
Two weeks ago I found myself looking for a late-night snack the night before Louisville’s college football showdown with West Virginia. I went down Fourth Street Live!, Louisville’s mini-version of LoDo. Picture Larimer Street with a neon arch and higher-end bourbon and you have Fourth Street Live!
I needed something to make up for a failed drinking experiment. After all, “When In Rome…” doesn’t only apply to food. In light of that, will someone please explain the appeal of Kentucky bourbon? I tried it for the first time and it tasted like a tumbler of boat fuel. Secretariat wouldn’t drink this stuff after going 10 furlongs in August.
And I will drink anything. Tequila. Gin. Vodka. Rum. Wine. Beer. Anything but Miller Lite, without question the worst brew on planet Earth. And now bourbon. I tried the top of the line, the Woodford Reserve, and it tasted as vile as the rotgut house bourbon the next bar over.
So I walked into the lavish bar at the Brown Hotel, now known as the Camberley Brown Hotel, to wait for a table. The bar featured chandeliers, a self-playing piano, leather high-back chairs and a bartender with a British accent. Framed prints of horses adorned the walls. Sipping my drink with patrons in town for the Breeder’s Cup, I felt very Southun.
But sipping a bourbon monstrosity called a Manhattan, I also felt very disgusted. I needed something to eat. I took a seat in the Thoroughbred Restaurant, a small room with more framed horse pictures. Horses adorned lamps. Horse statues sat on shelves. About 100 horses were staring at me.
I felt like a carrot.
I was a perfect candidate for the Kentucky Hot Brown, and now I’m its biggest fan. It’s not nearly as heavy as I expected. It came out piping hot, and the tangy parmesan cheese and luscious Mornay sauce provided the perfect topping for thick turkey slices and nice lean bacon. The excess sauce soaked into the white toast by the time I reached the bottom of the dish.
It was only $14 and left room for a slice of Derby Pie, a pecan pie with Kentucky walnuts replacing pecans.
As I drove back to the hotel, I saw a pair of golden arches. I immediately shifted into fifth gear.
Staff writer John Henderson covers sports and writes about the food he eats on the road. He can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
From whatscookingamerica.net, makes 4 servings of 2 open-faced sandwiches each.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, room temperature and beaten
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup prepared whipped cream
8 slices toasted white bread, crust trimmed off
1 pound cooked turkey breast, thinly sliced
Grated parmesan cheese for topping
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
8 bacon slices, fried crisp
Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly, until smooth and free from lumps. Gradually stir in milk until sauce comes to a gentle boil, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted and well blended.
In a small bowl, beat egg. Gradually add 1 cup hot sauce, 1/3 cup at a time, to egg, stirring constantly. Gradually add egg mixture to remaining sauce, stirring constantly until well blended; add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in whipped cream.
For each sandwich, place 2 slices of toasted bread on a metal (or flameproof) dish. Cover with a liberal amount of turkey. Pour a generous amount of sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until the sauce is speckled brown and bubbly. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with diced pimientos, cross 2 pieces of bacon over the top, and serve immediately.
