The Kentucky Hot Brown is a legendary open-faced sandwich with deep roots in Louisville, Kentucky. It was created nearly 100 years ago in the 1920s by Fred Schmidt, the head chef at the iconic Brown Hotel. As the story goes, the hotel hosted lavish dinner dances, where guests would dance the night away and then indulge in a late-night meal. One evening, Chef Schmidt decided to switch things up from the usual ham and eggs and crafted a new dish using ingredients available in the kitchen. He named his creation the “Hot Brown” after the hotel; the rest is history.
While countless versions of the Hot Brown have emerged, the original remains the gold standard. If you ever find yourself in Louisville, visiting the Brown Hotel to try the classic Hot Brown is a must.
The recipe I’m sharing is my take on this iconic dish, reimagined as a Keto-friendly option. It’s rich, satisfying, and perfect for a taste of Kentucky from the comfort of your home. Give it a try—you won’t be disappointed!
Instructions
For the Mornay Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup Carbquik (or other low-carb bake mix) or flour
1 cup milk
1 pint heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
1 cup Swiss or Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
For the Sandwich:
Bacon, cooked crisp
6-8 slices of Keto bread, or your choice of bread
Smoked or Roasted Turkey breast – leftover from a roasted turkey or thick sliced from the deli
Ham – leftover from a roasted ham or thick cut from the deli
Roma tomatoes, sliced
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Smoked paprika for garnish
Instructions
To start, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Set on paper towels to drain. Set aside.
Make the Mornay sauce first. In a frying pan, melt the butter.
When the butter is melted, whisk in the Carbquik. Stir until the Carbquik and butter become thick and paste-like, but do not brown it.
Slowly pour in the half and half and heavy cream, whisking until smooth. The sauce will be thick initially but will become thinner once all the half and half is incorporated. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens again. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon—season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir and heat for a minute or two.
Add the white cheese and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until melted and the sauce is thick, but not too thick. If it becomes too thick, thin it with some milk. Then, remove from the heat and set aside.
Place toast on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Top with slices of turkey and ham.
Top with tomato slices.
Spoon some of the sauce over each sandwich. For this open-faced sandwich, more sauce is better. The turkey and ham should be well covered. Just when you think you have put too much sauce on it, it is just right. Place the sandwich under the broiler for three minutes.
Place two slices of bacon in an X formation on top and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
This is a knife and fork sandwich. The perfect bite has all the elements in it: the buttery toasted bread, the turkey, tomato and bacon all covered in the creamy sauce. Perfecto!
If you like this recipe, you may also like the following recipes:
Portabello, Broccoli and Pepper Melt
Chicken with Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
Keto Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
Keto Kentucky Hot Browns
Equipment
- Measuring spoon
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 cheese grater
- 1 frying pan
- 1 Toaster
- 1 knife
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 whisk
- 1 Large spoon
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- For the Mornay Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup Carbquik or other low-carb bake mix or flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pint heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 cup white cheddar shredded
- 1 cup Swiss or Gruyere cheese shredded
- 3 cups Parmesan cheese shredded
- For the Sandwich:
- Bacon cooked crisp
- 6-8 slices Keto bread or your choice of bread
- Smoked or Roasted Turkey breast – leftover from a roasted turkey or thick sliced from the deli
- Ham – leftover from a roasted ham or thick cut from the deli
- Roma tomatoes sliced
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- Smoked paprika for garnish
Instructions
- To start, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Set on paper towels to drain. Set aside.
- To make the Mornay sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan,
- When the butter is melted, whisk in the Carbquik.
- Whisk until the Carbquik and butter become thick and paste-like, but do not brown it.
- Slowly pour in the milk and heavy cream, whisking until smooth. The sauce will be thick initially but will become thinner once all the half and half is incorporated.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens again. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon—season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Stir and heat for a minute or two.
- Add the white cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Whisk until melted and the sauce is thick, but not too thick. If it becomes too thick, thin it with some milk.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place toast on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
- Top with slices of turkey and ham.
- Top with tomato slices.
- Spoon the sauce over each sandwich generously. More sauce is better.
- Place the sandwich under the broiler for three minutes.
- Place two slices of bacon in an X formation on top and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
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