Winning recipe from Harry Dillard

Kentucky Hot Brown, Carolina-style

"Your editor says his is the 'Best Kentucky Hot Brown,' but I disagree as a native Kentuckian who has served or been served Hot Browns since the early '40s. So here is my Carolina makeover of the Brown Hotel's (Louisville, Ky.) famous dish."

The Hot Brown sauce

1/2 cup European-style butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups of organic half and half

1 1/2 cups of whole organic milk

(total of 3 cups of milk and cream)

1/4 inch slice from a white onion

2 bay leaves

5 to 6 cloves

2 to 4 tablespoons of dry sherry (to your personal taste)

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt

1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions for sauce: Over medium heat melt butter, add flour and create blond-colored roux whisking constantly. Remove from heat add the 3 cups of cold milk and cream and return to medium low heat (again whisking constantly). Add onion slice with the 2 bay leaves attached to it by the cloves. As you whisk the sauce will begin to thicken. When sauce will coat the back of a wooden spoon and hold its line it is nearly finished. Remove from heat and strain into a large measuring 2 quart measuring cup or bowl. Return strained sauce to pan and add sherry, pepper and salt, stir until mixed into sauce. Under low heat add Romano and Parmesan Cheese and quickly whisk until cheese is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Hot Brown

Toast points (trimmed) for each ramekin (1 to 1 1/2 pieces of Hearty White Pepperridge Farm Bread)

Left over turkey (sliced thin and include dark meat) placed on top of bread. Amount of turkey depends on how much was left over.

Place 1 to 2 tomato slices at end of each toast point. I used organic tomatoes and/or ugly tomatoes for taste.

Pour sauce over the turkey and toast points until covered

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top (to taste)

Place under broiler (high Setting) until cheese is melted. Cheddar cheese may show a slight darkening.

Remove from broiler and place several 1/2 inch cooked squares of country ham on top (4 or 5 per dish).

The country ham has been cooked in a fry pan according to package directions with the pan bottom being covered with apple juice. This should take less than 5 minutes to cut ham, pour apple juice in pan and cook covered over medium to low medium heat.

Finish off dish by adding two sprigs of Parsley.

Best served piping hot.

Note: It is easiest to prepare your ramekin with the toast points, turkey, tomatoes and have set up before you begin the sauce. Then when sauce is done, you can inform your guests and family that dinner is almost ready.

Runner-up recipe by Maureen Woltermann

Woltermann challenged Gibbons with a letter:

"Dear Goober (that's right, goober, as in peanut),

I have to admit, with that hat on, you look like King of the Turkeys. I wouldn't be caught dead in that hat and I'm a girl (okay, so I'm an old girl, but still a girl!) So, you think your turkey hot shots (where's the creativity there?) are the best things you could serve Aikenites the day after Thanksgiving? Wrong! My Turkey Encore with Yam Biscuits will put your hot browns to shame. My Turkey Encore is comfort food; rich, creamy and succulent. The yam biscuits are delicious and unusual, in a good way, not like your hat. Come on, Mikie, lets have a face off; you with your hot browns (I won't say what they sound like) and me with my just out of the oven mouth watering turkey and ham casserole with buttery yam biscuits. I think you will agree to stick to newspaper reporting and leave the culinary expertise, not to mention the fashion sense, to the real pros.

Your ACP buddy,

Maureen Woltermann

P.S. If you don't let me win this contest, I will make you and your ridiculous hat the subject of my next 10-minute play for ACP Coffeehouse, and I guarantee you won't come out on top in that! The pen is mightier than the spatula, Turkey Boy!"

Turkey Encore with yam biscuits

Serves six (can easily be doubled)

¬½ cup chopped onion

¬½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

1 ¬½ cups chicken broth

1¬½ cup ¬½ and ¬½

2 cups diced leftover turkey

2 cups diced ham

8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon. MSG

¼ teaspoon salt

dash pepper

Cook onions and celery in butter until tender but not brown. Blend in flour. Stir in broth and half and half all at once; cook and stir until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Add cooked turkey, ham, mushrooms and seasonings; heat through. Pour into un-greased 11¬½-by-7 ¬½-by-1 1/2-inch baking dish. Top hot mixture with yam biscuit batter. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes until biscuits are done.

Yam Biscuits

1 cup of mashed, cooked yams

1/3 cup melted butter

1 beaten egg

1 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

¬½ teaspoon salt

Combine yams, butter and egg. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and blend into yam mixture. Drop by tablespoons around the edge of hot casserole.

Michael Gibbons

Ingredients

5 ounces butter

Flour to make a roux (about 8 tablespoons)

3 cups whole milk

1 beaten egg

8 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping

1 ounce whipped cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. thyme

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 cup sauteed mushrooms

1 whole tomato, sliced

1 cup green onions, diced

Heapin' helpin' of leftover turkey

8 to 12 slices of Texas Toast

8 to 12 strips fried bacon

Directions

Melt butter and add flour, maming a thick roux. Should anyone try and taste the sauce before you are done, scream, "NO SAUCE!" and shoo them away. Add in milk and Parmesan. Stir. Stir like the wind. Next, stir in egg, garlic salt, thyme and red wine vinegar. Continue stirring, windlike. Heat, but do not boil. Others may try and taste. Select one lucky family member for tasting. Use only a wooden spoon for the tester, as that makes it classy. Remove the sauce from heat. Fold in whipped cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

To make the hot brown, toast the bread. Place tomato on top of toast. Add a mound o' turkey. Drizzle with sauce. Add onions and mushrooms. Top with more sauce. Place hot brown under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until sauce begins to become slightly brown and bubbly. Criss-cross bacon on top. Make in a shape of an M in honor of Mike Gibbons. Eat. Pat tummy and make groaning noise. Sleep.

Richard Edlund

"As I said to (Mike Gibbons) the other night, 'I'm gonna take it to you' with a recipe that will blow his Gibbons Kentucky Hot Brown away - if only to upstage the turkey that thought up the contest. Winning presents a problem though, as I'll not have any leftovers 'till the day before opening night. None-the-less, my entry is attached.

May the better turkey win!

Turkey Croquettes

¼ cup butter

¾ cup flour

¬½ teaspoon sea-salt

¬½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoon dried minced onion

¾ cup evaporated Milk

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cup cooked turkey, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped parsley

1¾ cup bread crumbs

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoon water

Vegetable oil

Left-over gravy

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir-in ¬º cup flour, salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, nutmeg, onion and blend. Gradually add milk and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add mixture to bowl with chopped turkey, thoroughly mix with parsley and 3/4 cup bread crumbs. Chill in refrigerator. Shape into 8 - 10 croquettes. Roll lightly in ¬½ cup flour, dip in beaten egg and water; roll in 1 cup bread crumbs. Fry in 1 inch of oil, turning until golden brown. Serve, topped with hot gravy.

Preston Woodard

"The reason why my recipe is the best is because it is flavorful, excellent varieties in taste like sweet, savory, and warming. It is very aromatic and great smelling. It has a wonderful color and is extremely mouth-watering. The texture is fabulous and the dish is plenty hearty for any person."

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, cut into thin slices

1-1/2 teaspoons dried sage

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

2 teaspoon salt

1/4 pounds green beans, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1 pounds turkey cutlets, cut into approximately 1 1/2-by-1/2-inch strips

In a large pot, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the onion and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Transfer half the soup to a food processor or blender and puree. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the green beans, the remaining teaspoon salt and the pepper. Simmer until the beans are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the strips of turkey. Cook until the turkey is just done, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Sonia Montini

Turkey lasagna

Ingredients:

2 pounds turkey white/dark meat cooked and chopped

32 ounces diced tomatoes

2 bags fresh spinach

1 8 ounce package bacon bits

4 ounce pepperoni, chopped

1 small basket mushrooms, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons Italian seasonings

8 ounces each feta cheese , goat cheese, swiss

8 ounces provolone (for topping)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 box precooked (oven ready) lasagna noodles

Directions

Preheat over to 350. Mix turkey, tomatoes, spinach, bacon bits, pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, and the feta, goat and Swiss cheeses in a large dutch oven.

Break noodles into dish and mix well.

Top with provolone.

Cook for 40 minutes.

Peter Cech

Cech said his recipe is best because:

"1. It's original.

2. It's prepared from scratch.

3. It's healthy.

4. It's for every age.

5. It's only mine."

Bohemian turkey breasts

Makes four servings

Turkey and marinade:

4 skinned, boneless turkey breasts

1 cup tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, shaved

Preheat over to 400.

Place breasts in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water.

Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over turkey.

Bake for 50 minutes.

For sauerkraut:

2 pounds sauerkraut

1 large onion chopped

6 tablespoons pure canola oil

2 cups water

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoons caraway seed (whole or ground) (not cumin)

3 bay leaves

5 teaspoons allspice

1 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoons pepper

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Drain sauerkraut. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add chopped onion and brown. Add sauerkraut. Stir. Add 2 cups water. Stir and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Whisk 1 tablespoon flour in 1 cup buttermilk. Stir into sauerkraut. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well and cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes.

For dumplings:

2 cups Wondra Quick Mixing All Purpose Flour

1 cup puffed rice

3 eggs

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons buttermilk

12 cups water for cooking

Whisk eggs in buttermilk. In mixing bowl combine flour, puffed rice, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk mixture. Kneed well until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide in half. From each half form a roll 7 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.

In a large saucepan boil 12 cups of water. Place dough rolls in boiling water. Stir rolls from bottom. Cover with lid leaving small open space. Cook over medium heat for 17 minutes turning rolls frequently. Keep water all cooking time boiling.

Remove rolls on cutting board. Pierce each roll with wooden skewer 5 times from side to side.

Cut rolls into 1/2 inch think slices. One serving = 4 slices

Before serving pour some marinade over dumplings, or serve with potatoes.