Psalms 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalms 9:1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

There are countless hotels in Kentucky but probably one of the most famous is The Brown Hotel located in beautiful downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

The Brown Hotel was funded and owned by James Graham Brown, a local entrepreneur.

(get the full story here) http://www.brownhotel.com/about-the-brown.htm

Opening it’s doors in 1923, six years before The Great Depression, the hotel quickly became the hot spot for local socialites.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Lloyd George, was the first person to sign the guest register. Queen Marie of Romania visited as well as famous soprano Lily Pons, whom was allowed to bring her pet lion with her, and it roamed free in her room. Actor Victor Mature was an elevator operator at the hotel before becoming famous.

Early in the 1930’s  the Prohibition and the Great Depression led to hard times for the hotel.  In 1937 a great flood hit Louisville and the first floor of the Brown Hotel was flooded.

Many famous people have stayed at the hotel during Kentucky Derby week. Celebrities such as The Duke of Windsor, Harry Truman, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, Gene Autry, Eva Marie Saint, and Muhammad Ali, just to name a few!

More recently, the hotel was featured in the film Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst.

On March 20, 1969, James Graham Brown died.

In 1971 after financial shortfalls The Brown closed its doors.

The building housed many businesses until the 1980’s at which time the city of Louisville began to revitalize the downtown area.  Restorations were made to the hotel.

In 1993 the Brown was purchased by a hotel company who returned the hotel to its former glory.  The Brown was once again sold in 2006.

For personal stories of guests and staff members of the hotel in years past visit this link, http://www.brownhotel.com/files/290/HistoryoftheBrownHotel.pdf

Although the hotel has seen its fair share of hard times it remains a staple in downtown Louisville.

Perhaps one of the most famous sandwiches to be born from the Brown is the Hot Brown.  Created by Chef Fred Schmidt as an alternative to the same ol boring ham and eggs.

(get the full story here) http://www.brownhotel.com/dining-hot-brown.htm

So, that’s just a brief history lesson about the Brown Hotel and the Hot Brown sandwich.

This is our version of the Hot Brown.  Although we are sure it’s probably not as tasty as the original, it was really good!

Hot Brown

Ingredients

Mornay Sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Sandwich

• sliced roasted turkey breast
• 4 slices of Texas toast (crusts trimmed)

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked

• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

• Italian Parsley, chopped

• Paprika

In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined to form a thick paste.

Continue to cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

Whisk milk into the mixture and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino-Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

For each Hot Brown, place one slice of Texas toast in an oven safe dish and cover with two slices turkey.

Take the two slices tomato and place on top of turkey.  Place under broiler and toast.

Remove from oven and pour sauce over the dish, completely covering it. Sprinkle with additional cheese.

Place entire dish back under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble.

Remove and cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top.

Sprinkle with paprika and parsley (we added a little extra Mornay sauce over the top just because it’s sooooo creamy) and serve immediately.

Doesn’t that look delicious?  We can tell you ……………….. it was DIVINE!

We served ours with a side of potato salad.

While your here check out out Derby Hat Contest where you could win a 1-year subscription to TASTE OF HOME magazine!