Hot Brown Sandwich
I have never been into horse races, but my mom did briefly live in Berea, KY before I was born and she talked about the horses & farms in that area and how many of them were tied to the Kentucky Derby. I'm familiar with mint juleps and Kentucky Hot Brown sandwiches from Alton Brown's tv show. So I decided to look at some recipes and see what was out there.
The Hot Brown sounds like a tasty American twist on a
Croque Monsieur.
Kentucky Hot Brown
4 slices toasted french or italian bread
8 slices tomato
12 slices fried bacon
1 1/2 pounds sliced or leftover turkey
4 slices ham (if desired)
1 recipe Mornay Sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Heat oven broiler. Place 4 slices of toast on baking sheet, or, if available, 4 single baking/serving plates. Pile turkey atop each piece of toast, followed by a slice of ham. On top of this, pour your Mornay Sauce, and sprinkle each with a bit of cheddar cheese and bacon. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and oozing. Remove from oven, add the fresh tomatoes, and enjoy!
Simple Mornay Sauce
3 ounces Butter
3 ounces All Purpose Flour
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup shredded Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (Gruyere if you have it)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Begin by making a simple roux by combining the four and butter over medium heat until smooth. Add in cream and continue to cook until lightly simmering, whisking constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add in cheese, whisking until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Croque Monsieur
Ingredients:
2 slices white bread
1 Tbsp clarified butter (or unsalted butter), soft
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup grated Gruyère cheese (Jarlsberg or Monterey Jack may be substituted. See variations below.)
2 Tbsp béchamel sauce
2 oz. sliced ham (1 slice)
Preparation:
Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.
Spread both slices of bread with butter, then flip them over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.
In a bowl, combine the cheese and béchamel sauce and mix until the cheese is fully coated.
Spoon the cheese mixture onto the bread, half on each slice, and spread it evenly. Lay the sliced ham atop one of the sandwich halves, then press both halves together. You should now have a sandwich that is buttered on the outside, with a slice of ham between two layers of the cheese mixture.
Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over a medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.
Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.
Use a nonstick spatula to flip the croque monsieur over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown and the cheese inside the croque monsieur is fully melted.
Slice the croque monsieur diagonally and serve right away.
Now, what about those frosty cold beverages? Let's jump over the cheese curl and talk about some more Derby favorites!
Classic Mint Julep
Ok, I promised a frosty cold beverage:
Classic Kentucky Mint Julep
Ingredients:
2.5 ounces bourbon
25–30 mint leaves
1 ounce simple syrup
ice cubes
crushed ice
For the mint simple syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 large bunch mint leaves
Instructions
1. First, you’ll make the simple syrup. Combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Place the bunch of mint leaves in an old mason jar (or other heatproof container) and pour the syrup over the leaves. Place the jar in the fridge and let the leaves steep in the syrup for at least one hour. Strain the leaves from the liquid and set the syrup aside.
2. Place your 25–30 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker and pour in the 2.5 ounces of bourbon as well as one ounce of your simple syrup. Top with a few ice cubes and stir. Fill your chilled silver cup with ice about halfway. Strain the liquid from the cocktail shaker into the cup. Pack crushed iced on top of the liquid to the top of the glass. Garnish the drink with a sprig of mint leaves and a straw.
Here's another Derby dish that I did not know of:
Burgoo
Kentucky Burgoo
Kentucky Burgoo
Ingredients
2 lbs. beef round or shank, flank steak, or skirt steak, cut into a 1-inch dice
1 lb lamb shank, shoulder, or flank, cut into 1-inch dice
One 41/2-5 lb. chicken, quartered and skinned
2 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 lb. slab bacon or 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
6 serrano, Thai, or other dried chiles, stems trimmed, slit down their sides, seeded, and flattened
2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Merlot, Cabernet, or Syrah
6 cups beef or chicken broth
4 cups cold water
1/2 lb. dried great northern beans, small lima beans, or butterbeans
1 3/4 lbs. Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes) peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (about 4 medium onions)
1 cup finely diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob (about 3 ears)
10 oz. fresh okra, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (2 cups), or one 10-ounce package defrosted frozen sliced okra
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 3 large tomatoes)
2 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes and juice
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 small lemon, thinly sliced
5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and crushed
Instructions
Season the beef, lamb, and chicken all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Scatter the diced bacon in an 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, move the pieces around until the bacon is firm and just golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with the slotted spoon. Pour off and reserve all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pot and return it to the burner. Add the chiles and gently toast until they release some of their fragrance, about 30 seconds on each side. With tongs, remove and reserve in the bowl with the bacon.
Add the beef to the pot in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and sear, turning the pieces with tongs as each side becomes golden brown (about 2 1/2 minutes per side), until all the beef has browned. Add reserved bacon fat (or extra-virgin olive oil, peanut oil, or canola oil, if you prefer) by teaspoons if the bottom of the pot becomes dry. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the bacon and chiles. Using the same technique, brown the lamb and then the chicken, transferring both to the same large bowl when they are browned.
Add the wine to the pot. With a wooden spoon, stir in tight circles, scraping up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Bring the wine to a boil and boil until it has reduced by one quarter, about 6 minutes. Add the broth, water, beans, and reserved beef, lamb, chicken, bacon, and chiles to the pot and cover. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer vigorously for 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are just tender and the stew base is a meaty, concentrated stock.
Add the potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, okra, bell peppers, tomatoes, and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Return to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, uncover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally to meld the flavors, for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat, Stir in the parsley, lemon, and garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in deep bowls.