Unusual Sandwiches

[Dannyalcatraz]

Oyster dressing is a Creole fave often made on Thanksgiving. And sometimes we make sandwiches with it, most commonly with some kind of ham or deboned pork chop, and a little mayo. In New Orleans, you’d typically get that on the ubiquitous french bread.

But this week, Mom & Dad took some of the Thanksgiving leftovers to make a variation on that traditional favorite by using roasted garlic bread and using our guest’s veal schnitzel*. I haven’t seen Mom eat a sandwich that large in a while, and she pretty much wolfed it. Poor thing didn’t stand a chance...

I had a similar one on sourdough the next day.

Tonight, I took one of the last pieces of schnitzel and paired it with my Aunt’s strawberry/pineapple glazed ham, some Swiss, mayo and Dijon mustard on french bread. It needed a little more mustard and some sliced pickles, but I’m not complaining.





* my cousin brought her boyfriend, and between them, they brought an excellent roasted duck, a pair of bacon-topped Apple pies (delish!), and a pile of homemade veal schnitzel.

 

[EmberGod]

I like grilled sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS

– Wisconsin Gouda (Marieke brand)
– White Mulberry Jam (by Underground Butcher)
– Virginia Ham
– Pickled Peaches
– King’s Hawaiian Rolls
– Salted Butter (I only use Kriemhild!)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Looks like a lot of sweet & salty going on!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Tip: Brie melts almost as quickly as butter.

Found that out today making a Brie & tomato sandwich with some cracked black pepper on toasted Tuscan bread. I only meant to slightly warm the cheese in the microwave, but it melted almost completely.

Messy...but good!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I tried making a sandwich with some herbs De Provence bread that Dad brought home.

It wound up a long fly ball as opposed to a home run.

I toasted the bread, then layered ham, turkey and salami, stacked with Colby jack cheese, spinach, spicy brown mustard, ground pepper and Italian dressing. That last bit was the oops. The dressing in question was tasty, but it was a tad sweet. Soooo close.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) I’ve been using a lot of tarragon vinegar (a blend of malt and distilled white vinegars with the addition of tarragon flavoring) on sandwiches lately. It adds a nice tang without being too dominant a flavor, so it works well with poultry, pork and beef based cold cuts with equally decent results.

I know red wine vinegars marry better with beefy meats, but recently, I’ve been making a lot of club style (i.e. various different meats) sandwiches, and the tarragon works with a broader flavor spectrum.


2) I also made a beer-braised corned beef for my Mom. The whole saga can be seen here (post #178):

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?427694-Cookin-again/page18&p=7371399#post7371399

The relevant core to the tale is that I tried it as a sandwich, and was impressed. I don’t care for corned beef at all, but my beer-braised version tasted like a slightly saltier bacon. That in mind I took inspiration from the venerable BLT: I toasted some sourdough, spread some mayo on it, added a generous layer of baby spinach, some sliced tomato, and finally the beef. I have to admit it was something I would happily eat again.


3) Because it is a Friday in Lent, I must abstain from meat. So for lunch, I made a grilled cheese sandwich, a simple but tasty comfort food I have made many a time. But today, I gave it a twist.

I’ve tried a variety of cheeses before, and sometimes I even use 2 or 3 different ones. Today, I used American cheese...to accent the akkawi that was the main cheese. As you may or may not know, akkawi is an Israeli cheese, similar to but slightly more strongly flavored than mozzarella.

Let’s just say that it worked out just fine. But that wasn’t the twist.

I was introduced to akkawi in a nice local Lebanese restaurant that has since closed its 2nd and location nearest me. They served it as an appetizer in the form of little cheese pizzas @6” last time I was in that restaurant, our waiter suggested we try dipping the tiny slices of cheesy Heaven in honey. Cloud 9 City!. The salty and sweet combo was a hit with the entire table.

Remembering that, I decided to pu a little pool of honey on my plate into which I could dip my sandwich. A couple undipped bites in- had to taste the base flavor, of course- I went for the honey. Paradise flashback!

Dipping turned to dragging as I made my sandwich disappear like a magic trick. I’m not saying I’ll do this every time in the future- after all, I won’t always be using akkawi (though it should work with other cheeses)- but it is definitely something I’ll do again. And as I write this, I can see this working with other dipping options, sweet or savory.

For instance, I could see using the mix of honey and Chinese hot oil* should be a powerful combo. Or going in a different direction, using a good fig or date preserve should be good. On the savory side, there’s a tried & true dipping sauce I make: a 50/50 mix of yellow mustard and A1 steak sauce, mixed with black pepper and Tabasco to taste.

I did NOT need to know.




* in my case, I’m thinking of a particular hot oil a restaurant nearby makes, infused with pan-seared ginger & garlic in addition to the usual pepper flakes, (I need to learn to make my own,,,how difficult can it be?)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Tried McCormick’s California style garlic pepper on a sandwich tonight. Unlike most seasoning mixes I buy, it wasn’t salt-free, but ignore was only 85mg per serving.

The sandwich was liverwurst and Swiss with mayo, brown mustard, and spinach on oatnut bread. As a side, I had sliced tomatoes with salt, pepper and tarragon vinegar.

The spice mix definitely worked on the sandwich. A nice light bite from the pepper, plus the mix of garlic and other spices played well with those in the mustard and liver without overshadowing the base flavors.

 

[Darth Solo]

Honorable mention: Pancake Burger.

It's everything you imagine

 

[Nytmare]

My wife's favorite sandwich is peanut butter, butter, banana, and mayonnaise.

I've never had the strength to ever try a bite of one and see why she likes it so much.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I bet it’s that sweet+salty thing. I’ll say that I can understand it- look no further than post #106 in this thread. I’ve clearly enjoyed other such combinations myself. And as I get older, my culinary adventurousness has increased.

But I probably still wouldn’t try that one, even though I like all the ingredients.