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.
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.