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When I travel (and I do travel, often!), I always make it a point to try the local delicacies. If the restaurant we’re eating at has a famous dish or drink – that’s what I’m ordering. So you can bet that if I was at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, I’d be ordering the Hot Brown!
I must admit, though, I didn’t know too much about this delicacy before I sat down to write today’s post, and I still have never tried it myself. Who’s in for a Southern Weddings field trip to KY?
Photos from Seven Spoons, One Lovely Life, and MyRecipes.com
I love the story of how the Hot Brown was born, so throw on your longest strand of pearls, your grandmother’s long white gloves and your favorite shade of red lipstick, and let’s head back to the 1920′s! Back then, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dances (whoa!). Guests, dancing into the wee hours of the morning, would take a break from Charleston-ing and head to the hotel’s restaurant for a bite to eat. According the Brown Hotel, their resident chef, wanting to offer party-goers something besides the standard ham and eggs, devised an open-faced turkey sandwich complete with bacon and Mornay sauce. Voila – the Hot Brown was born!
If you’d like to try your hand at whipping up a Hot Brown, we suggest first heading to the Brown Hotel’s website, which lists the original recipe here. We also found a few fun variations of the recipe, including Hot Brown Cheese Grits and Hot Brown Biscuits. Yum! I think I might need to pop on my seersucker apron and start trying some of these!
For those who are more into aesthetics, we also found this neat version of the Kentucky Hot Brown at Stately Sandwiches. Kelly’s on a mission to make a sandwich for each of the 50 states, and the hot brown was her pick for Kentucky! You can see other states, including Southerners Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, here!
Image courtesy Stately Sandwiches
Do you have a Kentucky Hot Brown recipe? Have you tried the Hot Brown? Let us know in the comments below!
Still hungry? You will be after you read a few more of our Southern Delicacies!
Sweet Tea
Deviled Eggs
Chicken and Waffles
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Mary Kate F., June 25, 2012 12:27 pm reply Absolutely love this- As a Louisville native, it is wonderful to see Kentucky culture getting some limelight :) The Brown Hotel definitely has the best Hot Brown, and the atmosphere can't be beat! Thanks ladies for sharing!
Marissa, June 25, 2012 1:43 pm reply So glad you love it, Mary Kate! I can imagine the Brown Hotel is quite the place to be!
rachel, June 25, 2012 1:20 pm reply As a Louisville Native, and bride getting married in downtown louisville with all the local flair, I will be having a Chicken stuffed hot brown for our main course at our reception with beat and biscuits (country ham biscuits) and local pies from the pie kitchen! Thanks for featuring Louisville! And check out the Galt House hotel (it is the only still owned by a local louisville family hotel) in louisville!
Marissa, June 25, 2012 1:44 pm reply Oh Rachel, that sounds so divine! My mouth is watering just thinking about all that yumminess in one place! I'm sure your wedding will be wonderful! Best of luck! xx
Ruff House Art, June 25, 2012 5:14 pm reply ... Wow. That looks... Incredible! Would love to sink my teeth into that! Yumyum. - Noëlle
Brynn Snyder, June 25, 2012 6:05 pm reply We would love you to come visit Kentucky! If you come I would love to take you to get a hot brown! When my mom came to visit, I took her to try one, they are great! Now I just need to learn how to make one!
kimber, June 25, 2012 7:52 pm reply After leaving my beloved Tennessee home, KY welcomed me with open arms and the deliciousness of this open-faced lovefest on a plate. The Brown Hotel has a great hot brown, but Ramsey's in Lexington has a good ol' down and dirty hot brown that does the trick and it's closer to home. Mini-hot browns at my wedding...Yes!
Melissa C., June 25, 2012 10:24 pm reply I don't even know what to say about that first picture, but when is the first flight from Reagan to Louisville? Y-U-M.
Sierra, June 27, 2012 9:54 pm reply Have y'all ever tried a Hot Brown at a Chick-fil-A Dwarf House?
Nicole, June 28, 2012 1:16 pm reply Sierra, I've never been there! Is it delicious?
Katherine, June 28, 2012 11:36 am reply Hands down, my favorite version of this is the Southern Living take on it, and it's "light" too! I love making mini versions with pumpernickel squares you can find near the deli counter. http://www.southernliving.com/food/healthy-light/healthy-light-try-these-smothered-sandwiches-00400000007418/