What to do with leftover turkey.
We have a tradition in my family, post-thanksgiving, we eat these. Recipe first, then the story:
Make cheese sauce:
Make a roux of 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour, melt butter over low heat, add flour, stirring constantly. Add a cup and a half of hot milk, a half teaspoon each of salt and pepper, (dashes of cayenne and nutmeg optional) whisk vigorously. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, for about a minute. Add 1 cup parmesan cheese. (Feel free to substitute some with shredded gruyere or swiss.) Stir some into an egg yolk, then stir the egg yolk/sauce mixture into the whole. Stir the final sauce till smooth.
In small, single-serving casseroles:
Lay down a piece of toast, a thick layer of sliced turkey, 2 slices of cooked bacon, some sliced tomato, and cover with cheese sauce. Broil till bubbly, and serve. The sauce should be enough for 6-8 servings.
Mom would make batches of these post-holiday, (We'd often have turkey for Christmas or other events, not just Thanksgiving.) She had a set of casseroles just for the purpose. Extras could be refrigerated, and reheated later.
This dish comes from a famous historical hotel/restaurant in Louisville, KY, The Brown Hotel, so these are called "Hot Browns". Back when it was invented, roast turkey was quite an unusual ingredient, so this was an exotic treat, and became regionally famous, i.e. the central Ohio river valley. I don't know if mom knew about it from her own childhood in Indiana, or learned about it from my father's mom or sisters, who came from even closer still to Louisville.
Make cheese sauce:
Make a roux of 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour, melt butter over low heat, add flour, stirring constantly. Add a cup and a half of hot milk, a half teaspoon each of salt and pepper, (dashes of cayenne and nutmeg optional) whisk vigorously. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, for about a minute. Add 1 cup parmesan cheese. (Feel free to substitute some with shredded gruyere or swiss.) Stir some into an egg yolk, then stir the egg yolk/sauce mixture into the whole. Stir the final sauce till smooth.
In small, single-serving casseroles:
Lay down a piece of toast, a thick layer of sliced turkey, 2 slices of cooked bacon, some sliced tomato, and cover with cheese sauce. Broil till bubbly, and serve. The sauce should be enough for 6-8 servings.
Mom would make batches of these post-holiday, (We'd often have turkey for Christmas or other events, not just Thanksgiving.) She had a set of casseroles just for the purpose. Extras could be refrigerated, and reheated later.
This dish comes from a famous historical hotel/restaurant in Louisville, KY, The Brown Hotel, so these are called "Hot Browns". Back when it was invented, roast turkey was quite an unusual ingredient, so this was an exotic treat, and became regionally famous, i.e. the central Ohio river valley. I don't know if mom knew about it from her own childhood in Indiana, or learned about it from my father's mom or sisters, who came from even closer still to Louisville.