The Hot Brown

Sometimes, SoupAddict doesn’t know where her head is. If SoupAddict were smarter, she would be way too embarrassed to admit this, but since she isn’t, she will.

For many years, SoupAddict thought a Hot Brown was some kind of open-faced, roast beef sandwich smothered in gravy. Now, SoupAddict is not particularly a fan of roast beef, smothered in gravy or not, and therefore ignored the Hot Brown option on menus that offered it. That’s right, people. Ignored it. Outright. So, now you can join SoupAddict in thinking, “what is wrong with her?”

But, skipping to the end of that sordid story, and thusly avoiding the plot twists and tedious doings of minor characters who only serve as distractions to the real tale, SoupAddict has been set to rights. The Hot Brown, in fact, contains many of her very favorite sandwich ingredients: turkey, bacon, tomatoes, bacon, bread, bacon. Oh, and cheese sauce. Poured over bacon.

Yes, indeedy. SoupAddict is officially a reformed Hot Brown detractor. She has, in fact, served them two weekends in a row, which is unheard of, since there are many, many new sandwiches to be discovered in this crazy world. (For the full story behind the dish’s name and the original ingredient list, visit the Brown Hotel’s web site.)

SoupAddict is still happily plowing through her 2009 store of vegetables. She doesn’t have any small onions, but this shallot will be the perfect substitute.

The original recipe calls for a 1/2 tablespoon of chopped onion, whereas the shallot yielded a full tablespoon. Does this blatant doubling of ingredients worry allium-lovin’ SoupAddict? That would be no.

The recipe also calls for a mere 3/4 cup of shredded cheese, shown here, for the cheese sauce. Now, here’s the thing, people. The great chefs of the world know to exert ingredient self-control, because it’s the light and delicate balance of flavors that produces an elegant dish. SoupAddict, however, is not a great chef of the world, and “elegant” is not part of her repertoire. No, SoupAddict is 100% certain she will never be preparing a dish for POTUS. (That’s President of the United States, for those of you who never watched West Wing.)

And if she were tapped to prepare, say, this Hot Brown, for POTUS, she’s certain the dish would not make it past Secret Service, because they would immediately detect that she put waaaay too much cheese and shallots in the cheese sauce. Which is inelegant.

But, while you’re here, you might as well watch as SoupAddict prepares her inelegant cheese sauce. Shallots and butter go in first. Then flour. Then milk or half-and-half.

Heat the inelegance until thick, stirring frequently.

Add salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Stirstirstir.

Strain the white sauce to remove the shallots and other inelegant clumps.

Finally, add cheese and a splash of dry sherry. What’s elegant dry sherry doing in SoupAddict’s inelegant cheese sauce? She’ll never tell; she’s complicated like that.

(Okay, SoupAddict changed her mind and will tell: Gourmet magazine said to add the sherry, and because SoupAddict is highly susceptible to suggestions made by Gourmet magazine, she did what she was told.)

Now to the assembly. Toast your bread lightly and arrange the slices on a broiler-proof pan.

Pile on the turkey. You can use either deli turkey, shown here, or turkey leftovers. It’s all good.

SoupAddict nearly ran over a small, besweatered child with her cart when she saw a stack of Cherokee Purple tomatoes in the produce section at Kroger. An heirloom tomato. In January.

Oh my. SoupAddict had been on the fence about including nasty winter tomatoes, but the Cherokee Purple stole her summer tomato lovin’ heart. Look how pretty and juicy. No mealy, pale pink tomatoes here, no sir.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet (in which case SoupAddict must wonder where you’ve been – not on this blog, that’s for sure), SoupAddict loves bacon. This is turkey bacon, which was all she had in the fridge, but it still counts as bacon in SoupAddict’s book. Especially when there’s no other bacon of any sort to be found in the house, and she’s far too lazy to go back to the grocery store for the third time today.

Spoon on the inelegant cheese sauce.

Sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Then broil until hot and bubbly.

SoupAddict laments having spent all of those years Hot Brownless.

Look at all of that cheesy goodness. Far too cheesy and inelegant for discerning palates.

Yup, too cheesy. And bacony.

But no worries, SoupAddict will fall on her sword and take this rich, cheesy, bacony, inelegant sandwich off your hands. Yes [chomp] indeedy [nom nom nom]. You’re welcome.

Karen xo

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Hot Browns

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Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hot brown sandwich

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat half-and-half
• a pinch of cayenne
• 1 tablespoon dry Sherry
• 1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
• 4 slices homemade-type white bread , toasted lightly
• 1/2 pound cooked turkey breast , sliced thin
• 4 thin slices of tomato
• 8 slices cooked bacon (pork or turkey)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

• In a small saucepan cook the shallots in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, stir in the flour, and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the half-and-half, scalded, in a stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened to the desired consistency. Strain the sauce through the fine sieve into a bowl and add the Sherry and Cheddar, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
• Arrange the toasts in a baking pan and divide the turkey among them. Top each sandwich with a tomato slice and 2 slices of the bacon and spoon the sauce evenly over the sandwiches. Sprinkle the sandwiches with the Parmesan and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tops are brown and bubbly.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.

Adapted from Gourmet, February 1990 issue