Hot Brown Casserole-for-the-Soul

(From Nancy Tarrant, Owner of The Cheddar Box in St. Matthews, Louisville, KY)

Before we dive in, you must know this dish is hands down a favorite of everyone I know. I learned about it one day by accident when I was blowing into Cheddar Box to pick up something for dinner. (Hunting and gathering my primo talent, thanks to training from my friend, Judy, plus per Fannie Flagg’s Mother’s advice which she reports has served her well: “Oh no, darling…you must never learn to cook or clean or they will expect you to do to it!”)

A gal in front of me was ordering a few servings of the Hot Brown Casserole. I had no idea this was available, much less in any number of servings you’d like.

Well worth the experiment, I ordered two servings for John and me for dinner that night. Oh my, the sauce alone is so good, you can almost feel it clogging your arteries going down. This was a very bad discovery!

I’m now in the habit of ordering entire 9 x 13 casseroles to feed a crowd for dinner or lunch. The Butter Babes, in particular, are forever fans.

Nancy Tarrant, Cheddar Box’ owner, and I are not only friends, we have a funny thing in common. She lives in a darling cape cod up the street from her store which happens to be the very first home John and I lived in. We brought our first baby home there. There’s just something special about your first home.

Nancy bought the house from the owner who bought it from us. One thing we realized, after the fact, was we’d forgotten to remove and replace a brass duck doorknocker (say that fast five times) which had been a wedding gift we’d hung on the front door.

It was too late to ask the owners for it, but once we learned years down the road that Nancy had bought it, John mentioned the doorknocker to her. Next thing we knew she had it waiting for me the next time I stopped in her store. We now have it on the front door of John’s Man Cave. So dear of Nancy.

Those of you living in Louisville know you can’t go wrong with any dish you try from the Cheddar Box. It’s the best go-to-venue this cooking impaired gal could have in her hunting and gathering arsenal.

Nancy makes all of us look good for guests which is a treasured gift. Read on, now, for one of the best recipes your friends and family will begin begging for once you serve it:

Ingredients:
For a 9 x 13 Casserole:
2 pounds of roasted turkey, sliced thin
12 slices of bacon, fried and cut into small pieces
6 slices of toasted white bread (She uses Pepperidge Farm’s white bread)
Sliced tomatoes – enough to cover the top, maybe 2 or 3 whole tomatoes…
1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese (She suggests aged New York cheddar, not Wisconsin)

Cheese Sauce (TO-DIE-FOR, TRUST ME!!!):
¼ pound of BUTTER
1 Tablespoon chicken base paste (or chicken bouillon cube)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 ½ quarts heavy cream
3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

  • Melt BUTTER over medium heat.

  • Add flour and chicken base paste. Whisk until fully incorporated. Cook for about 5 minutes. Don’t brown.

  • Add cream and salt and pepper.

  • Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.

  • Once the mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat and gradually add the 3 cups of cheddar cheese.

  • Allow to cool overnight.

To assemble:

Many of you from Louisville may remember Harper’s Restaurant. We went a lot when it was open. It was a fun place to take our boys or to meet up with friends, with really good, affordable food. Diane somehow got their recipe for a killer pasta dish (do not count the number of cheeses in this and do not consider the potential calories. Just indulge one night. Whoever you serve will think you’re wonderful.)

  • Place slices of toast into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

  • Layer turkey over the toast

  • Spread cheese sauce over the turkey

  • Top with sliced tomatoes

  • Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese over the top of the tomatoes

  • Sprinkle bacon pieces over the top of the cheddar cheese

  • Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes. Let rest for about 20 minutes before cutting.

THANK YOU, NANCY! FOREVER INDEBTED!!!

***You cannot begin to fathom how many friends you’ll make from serving this dish!!!***