Pastrami Monte Cristo

Pastrami / Dijon / Gruyère / Black Cherry / Egg Bread

From The Book of Sandwiches

MAKES 2 SANDWICHES

I spend a lot of time in the UK, and when I’m in London, one of my favourite places to spend a Saturday morning is Borough Market. It bustles with people and teems with butchers, fishmongers, cheese makers, and spice traders. Not only can you get all your groceries from local purveyors, but there is an endless amount of takeout food stalls, with offerings from freshly shucked oysters and a glass of Champagne (be prepared, the lineups for oysters are always the longest) to paella, falafel, raclette, and much more—make sure you arrive with a healthy appetite.

The idea for this sandwich came about when my friends and I stopped at the market one Saturday morning and had breakfast. My pick was a duck pastrami Monte Cristo. It was a delight. I would have loved to include duck pastrami in this recipe, but it’s simply much too hard to find; if you can find it, though, or better yet, if you can make it, go ahead and include it! This sandwich comes together quite quickly and would be great not only for a weekend brunch but also for a weeknight dinner.

ASSEMBLY

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 slices egg bread
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 12 slices pastrami
• 4 slices Gruyère
• 4 tbsp black cherry jam
• 2 large eggs
• Kosher salt and cracked black
• pepper
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread mustard over one side of two slices of the bread and mayonnaise over one side of the other two. Divide the pastrami between the two mustard-slathered slices and top each with two slices of Gruyère. Evenly spread a few tablespoons of black cherry jam over each and then top with the other slice of bread mayo side down.
• Crack the eggs into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
• Melt the butter in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Carefully dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, letting each side soak for a minute or so, and then fry until the bottom is nicely golden brown, about 1–2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for another 1–2 minutes.
• Transfer the sandwiches to the prepared baking sheet and into the oven to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the sandwiches rest for 5 minutes before digging in and enjoying!

The Pretty One

BBQ Salmon / Pancetta / Cucumber / Lemon Garlic Aioli / Ciabatta

From The Book of Sandwiches

MAKES 4 SANDWICHES

She’s pretty, isn’t she? Not all sandwiches can say they wear a billowing crown of cucumber ribbons, but this one sure can! A lot is going on here; some may be tempted to say too much, but trust me, dear readers, every part of her is meant to be there. The tangy citrus BBQ sauce that the salmon has been encased in kisses the aioli, and let me tell you, if you’re a fan of saucy sandwiches, this one will have you singing! Not to mention the crunch and salt from the pancetta and the freshness of the cucumber. I just decided this sandwich might win best in show!

Like some of the other sauces in the book, you’ll have some left- over BBQ sauce after you make this sandwich. But that’s okay; store it in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and use it on everything from wings to burgers and even homemade pizza. The aioli is another one of those recipes-within-a-recipe. It’s wonderful with this sandwich but can be used in so many other ways, like on your favourite sandwich or even as a dressing for roasted vegetables. It’s like your favourite three-for-one sale, but in a recipe (is three-for-one a thing?).

CITRUS BBQ SAUCE

• 1½ cups ketchup
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• ¼ cup dark molasses
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sriracha (optional)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp liquid smoke (optional)

LEMON GARLIC AIOLI

• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt

SALMON

• 4 (4–6 oz/115–170 g) skin-on salmon fillets
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

ASSEMBLY

• 4 ciabatta buns, sliced in half and toasted
• 8–12 slices pancetta, crisped
• 1 cucumber, shaved into thin ribbons

METHOD

• Let’s begin by making the BBQ sauce. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the ketchup, lime and orange juices (not the zest quite yet!), molasses, vinegar, sriracha (if using), Worcestershire, Dijon, paprika, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and liquid smoke (if using). Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for about 20–25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lime and orange zest. Set aside.
• Next up is the aioli. Place the egg yolks, garlic, Dijon, and lemon juice in a large mason jar or the container of your immersion blender. To make the aioli, you need to emulsify it. Emulsifying is taking two liquids that do not usually mix—in this case, the oil and the egg yolks (yolks are 50% water)—and turning them into a semi-stable mixture. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and use your immersion blender to blend, moving it up and down until the aioli has thickened. Add the lemon juice, blend for a few seconds more to combine and season with salt and set aside.
• Now it’s time for the salmon. Crispy skin is what we’re looking for here. Pat the salmon fillets with a paper towel, ensuring all sides are nice and dry. Rub a bit of oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil in the pan begins to shimmer, place two salmon fillets skin side down in the pan, pressing them down firmly, and cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes; you want to make sure that the skin is crispy and releases from the pan easily.

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For Carm

Roasted Purple Grape / Whipped Goat Cheese / Pistachio / Mint / Sourdough

From The Book of Sandwiches

MAKES 4 SANDWICHES

I remember when I was a kid, my family and I would visit my godmother Carm’s place in Toronto all the time. From the moment I was born Carm and I shared an unbreakable bond and her influence on me is reflected in the person I am today. To say that she played an enormous part in my life would be an understatement. She was the person who first introduced me to the fantastical world of cookbooks, and I know that if she were here today this would be the only cookbook on her shelf. Carm, I miss you every day.

Carm’s entire backyard was covered in Concord grape vines. Every summer we would make the trek up, and one of the jobs my twin brother and I had was to help her harvest the grapes. The owners of the house before Carm had planted them to make wine, but she was certainly not interested in that. Concord grape jam or jelly is nice, but you need only so much of it in your life. So what did she do with the extra grapes? She roasted them and ate them on toast, a sort of shortcut to jam, you might say.

I’ve taken this idea and added to it. Here the roasted grapes sit on a pillowy bed of whipped goat cheese and sweet honey, and a crowd of pistachio pieces and fresh mint are balanced on top.

Finish with a wispy drizzling of olive oil, and she’s ready for her close-up. I think Carm would approve.

ROASTED PURPLE GRAPES

• 1 or 2 large cluster purple grapes, stems removed
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt

WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE

• 11 oz (310 g) goat cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of ½ orange
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

ASSEMBLY

• 4 slices sourdough, toasted
• ½ cup pistachios, roughlychopped
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mint

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
• First, let’s roast the grapes. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, toss with vinegar and oil, and season with salt. Roast the grapes for 15–20 minutes or until they have blistered and shrunk in size. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• To make the whipped goat cheese, combine the goat cheese, honey, olive oil, orange zest, and pepper in a bowl and mix well, until fully incorporated and smooth.
• To assemble, spread or pipe (if you want to be fancy!) the whipped goat cheese onto the toasted sourdough, then top with some roasted grapes, a scattering of pistachios and mint, and a bit of the drippings from the roasted grapes. Enjoy!