Now, I was contemplating the
@Rikki Gins sandwich for a while. He mentioned a club he had years ago. So I figured I'd do that. But I didn't want to do a basic club sandwich. Not that there's anything wrong with those. This is Rikki we are talking about! Look at the gems he's provided to forums. Interesting, informative, palate cleansers to the typical forum format. Anyway...
I racked my brain. I wanted themes, flavors, what matches and doesn't. I wanted something unique. I came up with a few ideas but kept going to Italian style ingredients. So, I stuck with that and hopefully this is a winner.
First the bread. White bread. Preferable an artisanal type. (I hate the way that word - artisanal - is thrown around, but whatever) Thick slices, toasted. Oh, and the crust will be trimmed off. It will be cross-cut like the average club sandwich and will have some long frill picks as well to hold it together. Fun!
No bacon. You say "Whaaat?" Don't worry about it. I'm using Prosciutto di Parma. Salty and nutty, also leaner. I'm using turkey as well. Brined as usual and cooked. I try to do my own meats if I can. (No jokes) Of course, the prosciutto will be purchased. The turkey will be brined in 2 cups water, half a lemon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 peppercorns, and 2 heavy pinches of salt. Boil, take off heat, add 2 cups of ice, put turkey breast in, chill for 4 hours in fridge. Then bake covered until done. Set aside and chill. Slice thin.
Procure a small wedge of Black truffle Pecorino cheese from your deli. Get some sliced provolone as well. We'll also need a big Beefsteak tomato, some crisp Romaine, fresh basil, fresh garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan. Those last 5 are for the pesto. We also need some mayo, honey, and a good Dijon mustard.
Sorry. ShayP is lazy in his method and measurements today. I beg forgiveness. That being said, let's make some pesto. Place about a cup of basil in a processor or blender. Add 1 tbs of pine nuts, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbs of grated parmesan, and start blending while drizzling the olive oil into the ingredients. We want it to be a paste and not too oily. A little runny is fine but you don't want a loose mess. Set aside and chill pesto.
Slice your tomato and season it with salt and pepper. Wash a couple romaine leaves and trim of the thick parts. In a small bowl combine 2 tbs Dijon mustard and 1 tsp of honey. Get out a grater of some sort. You will need it for the Truffle Pecorino. Have the mayo on hand and get that bread toasted...3 slices.
Let's build it:
Place the 3 slices of toast on the cutting board. One one slice, which will be the bottom, put a heavy smear of mayo on the toast. Then grate an ample amount of the Truffle Pecorino. Enough to give it a good layer of coverage, but not so much it becomes overpowering. About 2 tbs. Top that with the thinly sliced turkey breast. About an inch and a half of meat. Place a slice of that tomato on the turkey. Then, take another slice of toast and spread pesto on it. Lay the toast (pesto side down) on the turkey. Bottom half done!
Okay, place a slice of provolone on that middle piece of toast and then top that with 2 to 3 leaves of romaine lettuce...depending on the thickness of the lettuce leaves.
Place a slice of that tomato on the lettuce. Then put several folded slices of the Prosciutto on the tomato. 4 or 5 to make it the same thickness as the amount of turkey.
Add one more slice of provolone on the Prosciutto. Take the remaining slice of toast and give a good coating of the honey Dijon mixture. Place that top slice of toast mustard side down.
Lightly press sandwich together and insert 4 frill picks. You know where they go! Then cross cut it into triangles and then push the picks in further to hold it together.
Here is my thought on the flavor profile. No need for bacon. Maybe the crispiness will be missed but the salty richness of the Prosciutto di Parma makes up for flavor and is leaner. The buttery flavor of the provolone and the sweetness of the honey Dijon mask the saltiness of the ham without losing taste.
Lettuce and tomato are a given. Fresh crispy juiciness. The pesto gives the herb component with a little richness from the oil. I think it balances well with the lettuce and tomato.
On the bottom half, the boldness of the truffle in the pecorino cheese will awaken your taste buds and is a perfect accent for the turkey. The cheese is grated on the mayo to mellow it a bit and give a good mouth-feel with the mayo melding with the turkey. Pesto above for the same reason as listed previously. the texture, herbs, and garlic will accent and bring together both halves.
So when you bite into this you will taste different notes one at a time from top to bottom that will satisfy. Nothing too overpowering but very savory with salty hints.
I want to add some pickles on the side, so I'll go with some Whiskey Cornichons. Pick up a jar if you see them. Not your usual pickle but a nice abstract compliment to most sandwiches.
If
@Rikki Gins doesn't enjoy this maybe someone else will. I'll eat it all myself dammit! LOL!
Cheers all!
I have to add the disclaimer about rambling on with the overview, blah blah blah.
If I made some error or wasn't clear just curse me under your breath before getting up from your computer.