A sandwich tribute to the Kentucky Derby

 

A Kentucky Hot Brown
made with cheddar cheese

What a weekend coming up! Locally in Fort Worth, the weekend will see the first Mayfest celebration after a two-year hiatus due to covid. Festivities begin Thursday and run through Sunday in Trinity Park. Details and calendars are available online. This is the fiftieth celebration of the riverside, family-oriented festival that’s designed to bring families together for fun.

Looking at the bigger picture, families across the nation will be celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday. If you haven’t made brunch reservations yet, you may be out of luck though a few restaurants might still have openings. Maybe flowers? Although various cultures tracing back to the Greeks and Romans have had celebrations honoring mothers, the holiday as we know it began in 1908 when a West Virginia woman, Anna Jarvis, held a private memorial for her mother. The idea spread, and by 1914 President Theodore Roosevelt signed It into law. Today many, including the late Ms. Jarvis, bemoan the commercialization of this tribute. It’s become a bonanza for restaurants, florists, and the greeting card industry. Still, it’s nice to thank Mom for all she does.

Don’t overlook the big event Saturday night: the Kentucky Derby, often called the “Run for the Roses” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.” Three-year-old Thoroughbreds run a mile-and-a-quarter track in about two minutes. If you blink, you’ve missed it. It’s the first of three races for the Triple Crown—next is the Preakness Stakes and then Belmont Stakes. The race goes back to 1875 and has been held every year since, even during covid.

I’m not much of a fan of horse racing and not a betting person at all, but I enjoy the celebration, with its ceremonial pomp and the outrageous hats and outfits on the ladies, the blanket of roses draped over the winner. The excitement in the air is so palpable you feel it sitting in your living room watching it on TV. So I’ll be watching, and in honor of the race I’ll be serving Kentucky Hot Browns.

There is not really a connection between the sandwich and the Derby, except that both are based in Louisville. The Kentucky Hot Brown was created by a chef named Frederick Schmidt in 1926 at Louisville’s Brown Hotel. Intended to be a late-night substitute for ham and eggs or for classic Welsh rarebit, it is generally an open-faced sandwich of sliced turkey, covered in Mornay sauce and decorated with bacon and grated Parmesan. Of course, these days there are variations—you can add tomatoes or mushrooms, you might want cheddar in your Mornay sauce instead of Parmesan. You can find recipes online for canapes called Hot Brown Bites or for Hot Brown casseroles. Some people make Hot Brown Sliders. One interesting note: the sandwich got attention because in the Twenties no one ate turkey at any other time of the year than Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A note about options: some recipes use milk, others chicken broth; some use Parmesan, others cheddar. I think it’s a question of pairing: if you use Parmesan, I’d use milk for liquid and add a pinch of nutmeg; if you prefer cheddar, use chicken broth and add ½ tsp. Worcestershire.

Here’s the basic recipe:

Hot Brown Sandwich for four

For the sandwich:

4 slices artisan white bread, toasted (if the slices are small, use 8)

1 lb. roast turkey breast, thick slices

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

8 slices bacon, cooked and crisp

For the sauce:

¼ c. butter

¼ c. flour

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup whole milk (or chicken broth)

½ c. grated cheese (see note above for type of cheese)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toast the bread, lay it in a large, flat casserole dish, and top with roast turkey.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour, making a roux. Gradually stir in the cream and milk or chicken broth, stirring almost constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, seasoning, and salt and pepper.

Cover sandwiches generously with the sauce and broil until cheese bubbles and begins to brown—do not let it burn! Remove from oven and garnish with sliced tomatoes and crisscrossed strips of bacon. Serve hot as the name implies. And raise a glass to the Derby winner!