Sheila'S Derby Day Hot Brown - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 slices smoked bacon
fresh coarse ground black pepper
light brown sugar
cayenne pepper
1 small onion, chopped
8 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
8 slices hearty white bread (I used Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Soft Hearty White)
1 lb sliced deli turkey
1 large beefsteak tomato

Preparation

Prepare bacon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Lay out slices of bacon (do not overlap). Sprinkle with black pepper, brown sugar and cayenne (as your taste dictates - I only used a touch of cayenne for a hint of heat). Bake for 10-12 minutes until nice and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
Meanwhile, while bacon is cooking, make cheese sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add onion and mushrooms. Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft. Stir in flour, 1 T. at a time, and cook for about 1 minute. Season with salt and white pepper. Slowly stir in milk (about 1 cup at a time) until it is fully incorporated and flour is well-blended. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened. Add cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to blend well. Remove from heat and set aside.
To assemble sandwiches, Preheat broiler. Toast bread slices to a medium-golden color and lay out on shallow-rimmed baking pans. (You will probably need 2 to fit all the bread slices.) Divide sliced turkey breast evenly among the bread slices, folding to fit on the bread. Ladle reserved cheese sauce over turkey and toast. (I used a ladleful for each sandwich.) Slice tomato in 8 slices and place on top of sandwiches. Slice bacon slices in half and set aside. Place each baking pan under broiler, one at a time, and broil until browned and bubbly. After removing from broiler, put bacon slices on top (arranged in an X) and serve.
Note: Any leftovers reheat very well. You can just run them under the broiler again or bake in a 400-degree oven for a few minutes.