Hot Brown

Hot Brown is an unusual open-faced sandwich consisting of Mornay sauce-covered roast turkey and bacon that is baked or broiled with bread until it gets crispy, and the sauce starts to brown. Louisville, Kentucky's culinary icon started its way to stardom during the 1920s in the Brown Hotel, when chef Fred Schmidt created this unique sandwich to satisfy the guests who were tired of dancing in the ballroom and craved something more glamorous than the usual ham and eggs. The sandwich was a huge hit and it quickly became the top choice of 95% of the hotel's customers. As the dish gained popularity, numerous variations have been made such as Hot Brown tart, Hot Browns with fried cheese grits, Kentucky Hot Brown cornbread skillet, and biscuit Hot Browns. Because the Brown Hotel had been shut down from 1971 to 1985, the sandwich was unavailable for a long time, but today anyone can enjoy it, preferably with some tomatoes and mushroom slices placed over the flavorful sauce.