Sometimes, simplicity and just working with what you have is all that you'll ever need in order to concoct a dish that will become of historical relevance. This exactly what chef Fred Schmidt did while working in the kitchen of Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926. With limited resources on hand and a hotel full of dinner-dance party guests working up an appetite, Schmidt improvised by taking a single slice of toast topping it with sliced turkey, dousing it in Mornay sauce, topping the toast with perfectly-sliced Roma tomatoes, toast points and running it under a steaming hot broiler until brought to a slow simmer. That's not all after removing the dish from the broiler adding several slabs of crispy bacon to close out the meal.
This open-faced sandwich has become a staple not only at the Brown Hotel but all throughout the state of Kentucky. The dish, now known as 'The Hot Brown' has become such a spectacle it now garners its very own annual best-of competitions. This dish is easily re-creatable at home and an easy meal to throw into your regular rotation of meals to make throughout the week.