Basted Egg and Fried Parsley Sandwich on Gougère

By Cookbad

After my earlier gougère fail, I still had some of the dough left. . . or is it batter?

I decided to make large scale failing gougères, which turned out quite nicely, cheesey and between popover and brioche.

Then I basted some eggs, which is my new favorite way to make them.

You melt much more butter than is healthy to consume into a pan ocer med to low medium heat and let it melt.

Crack and egg into the pan and baste them by pouring the hot melted butter, spoonful by spoonful over the top of the egg until just as the very top of the yolk turns white, like in the below pict. Then it's done and can go on top of the sliced open gougère.

perfectly finished basted egg. Remove from heat when the top of the yolk shows white.

Then sautee up some chopped fresh parsley in the butter for 1-2 minutes, throw it on the egg, salt, eat.

How to make Mayonnaise

Delicious homemade mayonnaise

By Cookbad

Just testing out the recipe we are using in the upcoming Fresh Eggs Don't Float book.

And hooray! It's good.

Makes about 2 cups:
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard or 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard
1.5 cups of virgin olive oil or canola oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
salt, pepper

You can make it in a blender, with a hand mixer or a standing mixer. You can make it by hand if you think your arm will hold out.

It's good to have all these ingredients as well as the bowl and whisk at room temperature, but I didn't and it worked out just fine.

Whisk the egg yolks and mustard until they are pale yellow. Put your oil into something that will allow you to pour it very slowly. While the egg yolks are being beaten slowly pour 1/2 teaspoon on oil into the yolk. When if has emulsified add another 1/2 teaspoon and so on. Towards the end, you can start to pour in the oil a bit faster, but if you incorporate it too quickly, the mayonnaise will break. Add salt, pepper, the juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 -1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

All told it took me about 30 minutes to make. I wouldn't have had that sort of patience or stamina if I wasn't using the standing mixer.

From mayonnaise you can make all sorts of sauces and spreads:

Aioli
Andalouse
Bacon Mayonnaise
Blue Cheese Dressing
Cambridge Sauce
Chantilly Mayonnaise
Gloucester Sauce
Green Goddess Dressing
Gribiche
Curry Mayonnaise
Remoulade
Rouille
Sauce Vert
Tartare Sauce
Thousand Island Dressing
Sauce Vincent

If you want very quick recipes for each of these sauces, click onto the mayonnaise family tree chart, find you sauce and add on to mayonnaise whatever ingredients are called for. Here is the chart. Click on it to see a much LARGER version:

double click for a bigger verison

All the chart recipes are the ingredients listed + 1 cup of mayonnaise

Joy of Cooking says that you cannot make mayonnaise in a thunderstorm, because it will not bind. I am so looking forward to testing that theory out.

Let me know if that chart is weird or hard to understand or just plain wrong.

MEGA Sandwich Chart

by Cookbad

As part of an ongoing effort to make our upcoming book, Fresh Eggs Don't Float (buy it now!) as awesome as it can be, I'm asking for a little input on a beta sandwich chart I'm been working on. The sandwiches included are:

Bánh mì, barros jappa, bacon lettuce & tomato, chip butty, cheesesteak, choripan, club sandwich, croque-monsieur, croque-madame, cubano, cucumber sandwich, dagwood, francesinha, french dip, gyros, hamburger, hero, submarine, hoagie, grinder, italian beef, hot dog, hot brown, lobster roll, loose meat, monte cristo, muffuletta, pan bagnat, panino, peanut butter & jelly, po' boy, primanti, ruben, sandwich de miga, smörgåstårta, sliders, sloppy joe, st. paul sandwich, tea sandwich, & torta.

The chart lays out what the sandwich is made of, entomology, variations, & origins.

I'm SURE there are spelling mistakes. Please ignore them.

The information is pretty solid, but sandwiches are very subjective. Any advice, opinions, ideas, blazing omissions, thoughts, design improvements, or fan mail would be greatly appreciated and might even land you a thank you in the book. Seriously.

CLICK ON THE CHART TO SEE THE ENTIRE THING

Thank you!!

Open Faced Ruben sandwiches

We made these with the left over Corned beef here.

You need
Corned beef
rye bread
Sauerkraut
Russian dressing (or Thousand Island if you are in the UK)
Swiss Cheese (Emental)

Toast the bread, assemble the sandwiches, and put under the grill til the cheese melts.

These rocked! I love them and I haven’t had one since we left the States. It was really great to have one again. The boys kind of liked theirs, but they weren’t so fond of the sauerkraut. Whenever I have a corned beef, I will save some aside to make these.

Really Good Sandwich

A grilled Brie cheese and ham sandwich with Thai sweet chilli sauce.

You make it just like it sounds. Try it. So good.

Turkey Bacon sandwich w/ Walnut Rocket Pesto

or Sandwiches a la Anthony!


PS Rocket is British for Arugula

“For a quick tip , take some arugula , a few pine nuts , or almonds , or even walnuts (they work best) with some garlic , maybe 1 clove to 2 cups of arugula , and 1/4 cup walnuts. and put it all in a food processor , and blend away while adding a good olive or canola oil in a steady stream. It makes an awesome pesto. Put it on a turkey sandwich with some bacon , and OH MY GOD...So Good!!”

I got this suggestion from my brother-in-law, and let me tell you, he’s not wrong. So Good! The spicy-ness of the rocket and the substantial flavor of the walnuts go perfectly with the always wonderful combo of bacon and turkey.

We added cheese to our sandwiches because my older son demands cheese whenever there are sandwiches (even peanut butter and jelly, though in that case I tend to put it on the side). I think this would have been good with a big crusty type of bread, but we just used what we had in the house and it was still fabulous.

As always, Anthony rocks!

Eggs Mc Meg

This wasn't the best bread for this sandwich, but it was what I had

recipe # 182

Recipe coming soon

tags technorati : breakfast, sandwich, eggs

Lentil on Lentil

terribly healthy and lentil heavy dinner, but that isn't really a bad thing.

recipe # 181, 182, 183

Last week I tried to make a recipe for a romaine salad with lentil croutons from the Cafe Pongo Cookbook. The recipe called for soaking lentils for 8 hours. I let them go over night figuring that there would be no difference. I was quite wrong. When I finally got around to them they had all sprouted. I guess, that this is a good thing. Lentils become a very complete food after sprouting. From what I read on the internets it is one of the most wonderful fantastic life giving, cancer curing, you see the holy mother mary after eating them sort of food. They don't taste awesome. The internets is also lacking good recipes for sprouted lentils. I kept finding one called Curried Lentil Salad that had ketsup and mayo in it. Meh.

lentils that have been sprouting for about 4 days, I guess eating them after sprouting for 2-3 days is ideal.

This is what I ended up doing with them:
heavily modified from the Cafe Pongo Cookbook:
Sprouted Lentil and Mint Salad with Tahini Dressing
dressing
zest of one lemon
juice of 2.5 lemons
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

mix all tahini dressing ingredience together in a food processor.

2 cups of sprouted lentils
2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber
2 handfuls chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped blanched greenbeans

Mix up, pour dressing over, let sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Lentil Patty Sandwich
lentil patties
8 ounces dried brown lentils soaked for 8 hours
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
8 scallions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable, peanut or canola oil

puree all ingredience for lentil patties together in processor. Form patties, fry in oil. Drain on newspaper.

Toast pita or crusty bread (I used wheat free boring bread). Smear all interior or bread with tahini or hummus. Squeeze some lemon on that. Add a tomato slices and romaine lettuce. Throw in a few slices of raw sweet onion. Pop in the patty. Eat.

I also made this but neither of us ate it. It might actually still be in the oven.


From epicurious:
Butternut Squash, Hominy, Corn and Bell Peppers Stew
3 tablespoons butter ( I used olive oil)
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
1 15-ounce can whole golden hominy, rinsed, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add red and green bell peppers; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add squash; stir to blend. Cover; cook until squash is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in hominy and corn. Cover; cook until corn is tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Transfer to bowl; serve.

Serves 6.

The sandwich and salad were good. I felt healthy. It was basically falafel only in a patty form and made with lentils. I might make it again.

Bacon Fruit Sandwich aka BFLT

the need for bacon is so powerful I try to turn tofu into it

recipe #170

In an attempt to loose the last 10 lbs. of baby weight I been hauling around on my ass for the past 16 months I have decided to stop cooking with dairy, meat (not including fish), sugar, wheat, white rice and potatoes. My dad has lost 40 lbs. in the past 5 or 6 months this way (he has also cut out salt and all booze).

I started this diet with the philosophy I wasn't going to try to substitute cheese with vegan cheese or hot dogs with not-dogs. I would just skip that. I didn't want to make a vegan/gluten free mac and cheese because that would just make me miss the real thing even more. This policy is working well, so far until. . .

About 20 hours ago I was hit with a powerful need for a BLT. I ignored and ignored. I put on my I heart Bacon tee shirt to keep me warm. This afternoon, maybe an hour ago it was clear a BLT was going to have to be consumed.

So here is what I did:
Bacon Fruit
I took some firm tofu that I had dried and pressed. I'm not sure I really get tofu yet, but I think it has an interesting texture after it has been pressed. I then sliced it lengthwise into 1/3 inch wide squares.
I took about 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
around 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
some salt, some pepper
a wee bit of hong you oil (recipe for that here)I dragged across the country and had to use for something
2 tablespoons of olive oil

I let this marinate for a very short time because I really wanted a BLT. Maybe 10 minutes. Then I threw everything in a shallow glass pan and put it under a broiler. I think I left it there for about 10 minutes per side. the 2nd side cooked much faster than the first and looked like it was seconds away from being fully burned.

Toasted bread, romaine lettuce, tomato, loads of mayo (screw you, diet), bacon fruit.

bacon fruit

It worked. Sort of. It reminded me of a BLT. It was greasy because it was cooked in so much olive oil. It was smoky. It was, unfortunately way too sweet.
I think next time I will use ketsup or BBQ sauce instead of maple syrup. It had more of a sausage flavor than a bacon flavor.

If I don't loose 2 lbs. simply by eating this sandwich, there is no justice in the world.

So, if you have recently become vegetarian, kosher or a muslim and still crave the sweet sweet taste of bacon, you can give this recipe a shot. Just think of it more as a cousin or brother-in-law of bacon.

tags technorati : vegan, sandwich,

Grilled Spam & Cheese with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Simple, to the point, terrible for you, but quite good:

Grilled Spam & Cheese with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

The sandwich
Sharp or extra sharp cheddar
spam - orginal or spicy
hearty wheat bread
olive oil

assemble sandwich, heat pan, add a touch of the oil and grill until cheese melts.

dip:
2 tbs. good quality honey
6 dashes hot sauce

combine.

Spam, kimchi and Egg Sandwich

surprisingly good sandwich

recipe # I don't know

So I got off the flight from the mainland to Kaua'i in an ativan haze and the first thing I did was head to the grocery store to load up on supplies. I had done some researching of hawaiian recipes, but for the most part I put things in my cart that I had not seen before or had 'produced in Hawaii' on the label. One thing I did get that was neither, was spam. As far as I've seen spam comes in the following varieties: low fat, low salt, garlic, spam and cheese, spicy spam, turkey spam, hickory smoked spam and regular spam.

All I knew was that Hawaii is the number one consumer of spam of all states in the U.S..
mmmm. . . .

So this is what I made my first morning:

Spam, Egg and Kimchi Breakfast Sandwich spam, any kind you like, but original is what I used--sliced thin and fried in a bit of oil. spicy kimchi, any brand you might have eggs--I used only egg white as I felt guilty about the spam. flat bread, pita, wrap - toasted or warmed. Assemble as you would any sandwich.

It is actually quite good and I feel secure also putting it into the hangover cures category. I think it wouldn't suffer if a bit of cheese was added. Maybe cream cheese. . . but that might be pushing it too far.

Sandwich

More soon:
MOROCCAN SANDWICHES WITH GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE For carrots 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 lb medium carrots (8) For tapenade 1 1/4 cups green olives (6 to 7 oz) such as Cerignola or picholine, pitted 3 tablespoons drained bottled capers, rinsed 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 flat anchovy fillet, chopped 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil For sandwiches 12 slices good-quality pumpernickel sandwich bread 6 oz soft mild goat cheese (3/4 cup) at room temperature Special equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer Prepare carrots: Whisk together sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt, and oil in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Halve carrots crosswise on a long diagonal, then, starting from diagonal ends, cut into 1/16-inch-thick slices using slicer. Cook carrots in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 45 seconds. Drain well in a colander and immediately toss with dressing. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then marinate, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours. Make tapenade and assemble sandwiches: Pulse olives with capers, parsley, anchovy, zest, lemon juice, and pepper in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then scrape down side of bowl with a rubber spatula. Pulsing motor, add oil in a slow stream and continue to pulse until mixture is finely chopped (do not pulse to a paste). Spread tapenade on 6 slices of bread and goat cheese on remaining 6 slices, then make sandwiches with carrots. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Herring Smorrebrod

recipe # 131 & 132

Smorrebrod is, according to the food network: [SMUHR-uh-bruth] Danish open-faced sandwiches.

Not to be confused with shmorgusborg--if that is even how you spell it.

I have a bunch of recipes for different smorrebrod that I am going to try. This is the first and from epicurious:
Mustard Herring & Beet Smorrebrod
Pickled beets
3 (8-oz) jars herring "party snacks" in white-wine sauce
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup créme fraîche
2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons drained and rinsed green peppercorns, chopped fine
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
8 slices rye bread

make pickled beets (recipe below)

Rinse and drain herring, discarding any onion. Pat herring dry between paper towels and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Whisk together mustard, créme fraîche, sugars, water, onion, dill, and peppercorns and stir in herring. Chill, covered, 2 hours to allow flavors to develop.

Spread butter evenly on 1 side of each bread slice and arrange herring mixture over half of slice. Drain beets well and arrange over remaining half.

Makes 8 open-faced sandwiches, serving 4 as a light main course

Garnish: 8 fresh dill sprigs

Make pickled beets:
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon pickling spice
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 onion, halved
1 small bay leaf (not California)
3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 bunch fresh dill
3 beets (1 lb without tops)

Bring all ingredients except beets to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Cool marinade, then chill, covered, 1 day to allow flavors to develop. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Cook beets in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Drain and cool. Slip off skins and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Stir together beets and marinade, then marinate, covered and chilled, 1 day.

Makes about 3 cups.

This sandwich takes 2 days + to make if you make your own pickled beets.

Bánh mì Nem Nuong

recipe #123

This is my second attempt at a great Bánh mì. Bánh mì version #1 is here.

I'm a tiny bit ashamed of where I got this recipe, but after looking at a few other recipes for these meatballs they appear to be very authentic.

Nem Nuong aka Vietnamese BBQ Pork Meatballs
* 1 1/2 pounds lean pork meat, such as loin, trimmed of any gristle or membranes and cut into small dice
* 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
* 3 tablespoons minced garlic
* 4 teaspoons sugar
* 2 1/2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce (Nuoc Nam)
* 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
* 5 tablespoons short-grain glutinous rice, such as sushi rice
* 4 ounces pork fat, cubed
* Vegetable oil
* 6 to 8 (8-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes
In a small bowl combine the pork, shallots, garlic, sugar, fish sauce and pepper. Stir to combine well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is partially frozen.

Place the rice in a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until rice is toasted, golden brown and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool. When cool, place rice in a coffee grinder and process to a fine powder. Measure 3 tablespoons of the powder and set aside. Save any remaining powder for another purpose or discard.

Transfer the partially frozen meat mixture to a food processor and process to a completely smooth but stiff paste. Add the pork fat to the processor and process until smooth or finely chopped. Add the roasted rice powder and pulse several times to combine the mixture. Do not over process or the mixture will become sticky.

Preheat a grill to medium-low.

Transfer the meat mixture to a small bowl. Lightly oil your hands. Divide meat mixture into heaping 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls and roll each into a smooth ball. Recoat your hands with oil, as necessary. Thread the meatballs onto the bamboo skewers, fitting as many as you can on each skewer.

Coat the grill lightly with oil and grill the skewered meatballs, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: about 25 meatballs

As I live in a small apartment in Brooklyn, I have no grill. So, I used the grill side of my griddle and cooked these babies in duck fat left over from the vit quay I made last week. Pork and duck fat. Almost as good as actually grilled pork and duck fat.

This sandwich was very good. But really, it needs that layer of pate. And it needs a lighter baguette.

Over the next few days I'm going to be making the pate that goes on these sandwiches and trying out what Corinne Trang calls a Bánh mì or Siagon baguette.

And today I'm going to Sunset Park to search out the cold cuts that go on the most standard of Bánh mì.

tags technorati : Bánh mì, vietnamese food, pork

Why would a recipe name annoy me so?

a not annyoing sandwich

recipe #122

When I first saw this recipe, it annoyed me. Pretty much everything that mentions right off the bat that it has roasted red peppers annoys me. Esspecially if the roated red peppers aren't a very important part of the dish. There is something very faux-fancy/mid-90s about it. I guess soon I will be annoyed when recipe titles announce that a dish has fennel and shallots in it.

Or maybe I was just in an annoyed mood.

Anyway.
This recipe is annoying. It is much more picky and precious than it needs be. You can replace the RRP with anything you like or skip them all together.

Recipe wording aside, the sandwich is tasty. Mighty tasty.

Here is the annoying recipe from epicurious.com
Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich with Cilantro Relish
10 cups water
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 1/2 lb)
4 large yellow bell peppers
2/3 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeño including seeds
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
12 slices good-quality whole-wheat sandwich bread

Poach chicken:
Bring water to a simmer in a 4- to 5-quart pot, then add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool completely, then cut diagonally into thin slices.

Roast bell peppers:
Roast bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes. (Or broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.) Transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then let stand 20 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and cut lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips.

While peppers are standing, pulse almonds, garlic, and jalapeño in a food processor until finely chopped. Add cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, sour cream, and salt and blend to a paste.

Spread cilantro relish on each slice of bread, then make sandwiches with chicken and roasted peppers, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

a not annoying sandwich spread

Avocados in this 'relish' make it extra good. I also used chipoltes instead of suggested peppers.

tags technorati : sandwich, cilantro, roasted red peppers

Sandwich of Shame

try it. . . you know you want to. . .

recipe #115

Bacon at breakfast made me so happy, and Joy of Cooking from the 70s so interesting and full of such great retro food I thought I would make a good lunch from it.

That is when I found the Sandwiches of Shame.

I could only bring myself to make one of them, but I will post both shocking recipes.

The first is innocently named:
Peanut Butter and Tomato Sandwich *
Preheat broiler
Toast on one side:
a slice of bread
Spread the untoasted side with:
peanut butter
mixed with:
Chopped cooked Bacon
Bacon Drippings
You may top this with:
A thick slice of tomato
Season the tomato with:
1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar
salt and paprika
Put the sandwich under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Then, you are supposed to eat it. . . which I did. . . and . . . I . . . liked. . . it. . . .

If I were drunk I would have loved it so much I would have sat down and written a strongly worded thank you letter to Irma Rombauer and fallen asleep at the computer before I was finished.

My son liked it too, but he will happily drink his own bathwater, given the chance.

* Just so you know I made it will all organic ingredients on whole grain bread with tons of omega-3 to make myself feel less gross.

This sandwich is even more shocking, simply called:
Peanut Butter and Bacon Sandwich
Combine:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pickle relish
1/4 cup minced bacon
Toast on one side
4 slices of bread
Spread the untoasted side with 'mixture'. Broil the sandwiches until the tops are brown. Slice them diagonally.

Irma suggest to, "try this combination on the unconverted." Ha!

I would try this as a closed sandwich, then deep fried. But again, only if I'd been drinking.

tags technorati : sandwich, shame, bacon, wrong

A Requiem for my Blenders

monochromatic soup and sandwich

Today, I finally burned out my 10+yo. hand blender while making mayonnaise. Although I never used it much before stated this project, I did pack it and move it with me to at least 5 different apartments. It will be missed. Sadder still, its demise comes less than 24 hours after my daughter dropped my blender on the kitchen floor taking a huge jagged chunk out of the top of it.

Long story. . . I had to use my 16 oz. baby food maker/food processor to blend the cauliflower soup. Huge mess. No more homemade mayo either.

I made the soup because I had never used white truffle oil before. It was also the only cauliflower soup that wasn't heavy on the milk fat.

Both of these are from Epicurious.com, but I modified the sandwich.
Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 pound cauliflower florets (about 5 cups)
2 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon white truffle oil

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and sauté 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and purée until smooth. Return soup to pot. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle truffle oil over.

Serves 6 as a first-course.

Grilled Cheddar and Fennel Sandwich
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons curry powder (hot)
butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 baguette
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 lb Grafton Cheddar
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fennel bulb

Cook shallot and curry powder in oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, 2 minutes, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Wipe skillet clean and set aside.

Cut 16 (1/4-inch-thick) diagonal slices (about 6 inches long) from baguette. Spread 1 side of each slice with butter, then turn over and spread opposite side with curry mayonnaise. Cut cheese into thin slices no wider than bread slices. Divide cheese among 8 slices of bread, then top with fennel and remaining slices of bread, buttered sides up.

Heat skillet over moderate heat until hot, then cook sandwiches in 2 batches, turning over once and pressing occasionally, until browned and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes per batch.

Makes 4 servings.

If I make this sandwich again I'm going to use major grey's or mango chutney instead of the curry mayonnaise.

Homemade Bánh mì

Bánh mì made in my own tiny kitchen

recipe #108

I really cannot believe that I have never had a Bánh mì before last Thursday. I feel somehow more complete now.

Today I made not a bad substitute for the real thing. This one was with chicken (as the recipe called for). Next time I will substitute a pork chop that I pound to about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. I also will not skimp on the mayo.

I modified this recipe but it is originally from epicurious.com:
Bánh mì
Marinated carrots
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
6 cups shredded peeled carrots

Sandwiches
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 whole star anise ground in spice mill or crushed to a rough powder
6 large skinless boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch
or
pork chops bone removed and pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch

6 6-inch-long pieces baguette, split lengthwise, some of soft centers removed
Mayonnaise
1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 6-inch-long 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, halved through stem, thinly sliced crosswise, rinsed, drained well
12 fresh cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

For carrots:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl until dissolved. Add carrots; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Drain well.

For sandwiches:
Mix first 8 ingredients in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Add chicken or pork; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour, turning often.

Broil cut sides of bread until lightly toasted. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguette pieces. Top with cucumber slices. Top each with 1 chicken thigh, drained daikon and carrots, then onion slices and cilantro sprigs. Sprinkle with jalapeño slices, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Place top baguette piece over, pressing to compact, and serve immediately.

Makes 6.

I made this sandwich after having a few really disappointing Bánh mì experiences on Brooklyn over the weekend. I went to 2 different Bánh mì shops. One was fine, the other was terrible. I tried a grilled pork, a shredded pork, a BBQ pork and a standard pork roll pate version. The shredded I took a bite of and gave up on. I'm not sure what was mixed on with the pork. But it was some sort of intestine or organ I just didn't feel up to.

shredded pork and something 'else'

The grilled one was terrific.

yum

Both those were from Ba Xuyen at 4222 8th ave in Brooklyn. It was a nice shop, the women behind the counter were helpful and friendly and they make a mean thai iced bubble tea. Next we swung by Thanh Đa Inc. II at 5624B 8th Avenue. Small shop, kind of mean guy behind the counter. We get sandwiches and start on the long long drive upstate. 2 hours in I get hungry and try the #1 aka classic Bánh mì. I ate 1/4 of it before I was overwhelmed by mayonnaise (and I love mayonnaise). I had to put it down. 45 minutes later I still had the ever more disgusting aftertaste of bad Bánh mì lingering. My sister had to lie down for a while after she ate hers. Avoid Thanh Đa Inc.

Banh Mi Thit Cha and Green Tea Candy

UPDATE: recipes for banh mi here and here.

I found a recipe for a 'vietnamese sandwich' on epicurious.com and was planning on making it later this week. This is what prompted me to order what was called the 'vietnamese sandwich' or banh mi thit cha at lunch today from Nha Trang Palace in Brooklyn Chinatown (good, friendly, fast restaurant). The sandwich was $3.00. It was fantastic. There was a layer of something mayonnaise/pate like on the bottom of the sandwich and the shredded carrots were pickled. I think that the 2 different kinds of meat on it are both pork.

I'm going to try every vietnamese sandwich I can find from now on.

We also got some fantastic greet tea candy that reminds my husband of milk duds.

highly recommended

kind of chewy, not too sweet

We are going back for more of both tomorrow.

mad good

recipe #79 and 80

Cemitas de Carne Enchilada

For chile-marinated pork
6 dried guajillo chiles
1 dried ancho chile
4 thin (1/2-inch) rib pork chops (1 lb total), bones discarded
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 whole clove
1 (1/2- by 1/4-inch) piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, quartered
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For sandwiches
4 Mexican cemita rolls
2 ripe California avocados
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
6 oz Oaxacan string cheese
4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (optional), finely chopped
1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced crosswise

Prepare chiles and pork:
Discard chile stems and cut guajillo and ancho chiles open lengthwise with kitchen shears. Discard seeds and ribs.

Heat a dry 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet or griddle over moderate heat until hot, then toast chiles, a few at a time, turning and pressing down with tongs, until softened and fragrant, about 10 seconds per side.

Transfer chiles to a bowl, then cover with hot water and soak until softened, about 20 minutes.

Flatten pork while chiles soak:
Trim fat and sinews from pork and pound between 2 sheets of wax paper with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin until meat is about 1/8 inch thick.

Marinate pork:
Heat skillet over low heat until hot then toast cumin, peppercorns, clove, and cinnamon, stirring constantly, until fragrant and cumin is a shade darker, about 1 minute. Transfer hot spices to a blender and add vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and soaked chiles with about 1/3 cup soaking water, then blend until smooth. Transfer half of chile paste to an airtight container and chill or freeze for another use, then put remainder in a small bowl.

Spread a thin layer of chile paste in middle of a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to wrap all of meat and put 1 pork chop over paste. Spread a thin layer of chile paste on top, then continue layering meat, spreading each piece with chile paste. Wrap stacked pork in plastic wrap and marinate, chilled, at least 2 hours.

Cook pork and assemble sandwiches:
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Season pork chops with salt and sauté, in batches, adding more oil as necessary, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer chops as cooked to a sheet of foil and keep warm wrapped in foil.

Preheat broiler. Cut rolls in half horizontally and arrange, cut sides up, on a large baking sheet. Broil buns about 6 inches from heat until golden, about 1 minute.

Halve, pit, and lightly mash avocados in peel with a fork, then spread thickly on cut sides of rolls. Season avocado with salt, then top with papalo. Make sandwiches with pork, cheese, chipotles (if using), onion, and tomato, pressing sandwiches together.

Cooks' note:
Pork can be marinated up to 2 days.

This looks very long and intricate, but it isn't too bad and the chilie sauce can be used for so many other things. It is a great sandwich. I loved it.

I looked pretty hard for the cemita rolls (well, not that hard really) and never found them, so I used a brioche instead. goooood.

For the plantians, which I never made before I put them in the brunch sandwich, You just slice up very ripe ones and fry them in oil. Add salt. Serve with lime wedge and sour cream.