Election 2012 in Sandwiches

The Romney/Ryan Sandwich

PB&J, crusts removed for the fussy, childish, and wasteful.

On "wheat bread." Claims to be wholesome but in fact processed, tasteless, and unhealthy.

What is jelly? Contains no real fruit.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich conceived prior to 1940. 

Does not mix well with other foods or flavors.

Tiresome; provincial.

The Obama/Biden Sandwich

Pâté, tomato-onion chutney, greens, and hot mustard on baguette seeks balance of different flavors. 
Engaged with the present; reflects current food trends.
Not fearful of innovation, change, or global influences.
Comfortable with messy, complex realities; chutney and mustard will drip down from sandwich.
Good for women. Iron-rich liver pâté lowers anemia risk.

Leek Bread Pudding: Putting Stale Bread to Good Use

From Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home comes this holiday side dish or hearty lunch. 

This is bread pudding as it should be: simple and rich. It features leeks and chives, those underappreciated relatives of the glorious onion. Certainly not a health food. But a slice or two accompanied by a bitter green salad (to cut through the richness of the pudding) hits the spot on a cold winter's day. 

Since its early origins, bread pudding has helped cooks use up stale bread. Sweet or savory, this tried and true method has stayed the same for centuries: bread cubes soaked in a custardy bath of eggs and milk. Keller's version takes a little over an hour to bake but prep is fairly easy.

You will need to own or buy:

• 5 cups sliced leeks (about 2 large leeks)
• Kosher salt
• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 cups 1-inch cubes of crustless brioche or pullman bread. (I used brioche hamburger buns and left some of the crusts on.)
• 1 Tbs. chopped chives
• 1 tsp. thyme leaves
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups whole milk (use low fat if you prefer)
• 3 cups heavy cream (use half and half if you prefer)
• freshly grated nutmeg 
• 1 cup grated Comté or Emmenthaler

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced leeks in a large bowl filled with water and swish around to remove grit. 


Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add drained leeks. Season with Kosher salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that leeks don't stick to skillet. As leeks begin to soften, lower heat to medium-low. Stir in butter to emulsify and season with pepper to taste. Cover pan with a piece of parchment paper and cook for 30 minutes, until leeks are very soft.

Meanwhile, toast bread cubes in a baking sheet in the oven, until golden brown. About 10 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through. Transfer bread cubes to a large bowl.






Add leeks to bread. Then add chives and stir well to incorporate. Add thyme and stir.

In another large bowl, lightly whisk 3 eggs. Whisk in milk and cream. Add a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a generous pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle half the cheese (1/2 cup) on bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Add half the leek and bread cube mixture on top. Pour enough custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently with the back of a spoon. Allow to sit and soak for 10 minutes so that bread absorbs liquid. Then add remaining bread and custard mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a sprinkle of salt.

Bake for 60-75 minutes, until pudding looks set and top is brown and bubbling.

Brussels Sprouts with Kimchi

From David Chang. Spicy, crunchy, and suitably fall-like. Recipe below.

So, what's the deal with Brussels sprouts? (Asked in Jerry Seinfeld voice.)

Are they really Belgian? Actually...only in English and French do the cabbages that every child loves to hate bring to mind Belgium. Turns out "Brussels sprouts" dates back to the 16th century when the first large-scale sprout cultivation took place in the Low Countries. Yada yada yada.

Momofuku Brussels Sprouts. Feeds 3-4. 

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, rinsed, outer leaves removes, and halved (through core)

1/4 lb. smoked bacon, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch long pieces

1 cup napa cabbage kimichi, puréed in the blender

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup julienned carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook bacon pieces in a oven-proof skillet over medium heat, stirring until just about crisp, approx. 7 minutes.

With slotted spoon, transfer bacon pieces to paper towel-lined plate. 

Wipe bacon fat from skillet and add Brussels sprouts, cut side down. Raise heat to medium-high and cook about 3-4 minutes, until sprouts are seared and dark brown. 

Place skillet in oven and cook 8 minutes or so. Then shake skillet, or with a spoon, stir sprouts. 

Cook another 10 minutes until sprouts are bright green and tender when pricked with a knife.

Return skillet to stove. Add butter, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate.

Divide puréed kimchi among bowls. Layer Brussels sprouts on top, then add julienned carrots. 

Miso Grilled Cheese

Ahhh miso. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. The rich saltiness of fermented soybean paste is one of those umami flavors that defies description. Miso is often a major component in soups, sauces, and salad dressings. Occasionally it shows up in desserts. How such a bold flavor also manages to stay subtle is precisely what makes miso so special. 

Which brings me to my next point. Add a generous slick of miso to your grilled cheese. Miso gives the old-school comforts of buttery crispy toast and soft oozy cheese a modern sweet-salty touch that is delicious. For two sandwiches, I use three teaspoons of yellow miso, which is milder than the red or brown varieties. A container can happily hang out in the refrigerator for months.

Miso Grilled Cheese (2 sandwiches)

• 4 slices bread
• 3 tsp. yellow miso
• 6 slices tomato
• 6 basil leaves
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
• butter    

Set 4 slices of bread on a work surface. Bread choice is up to you but I like a good country loaf to ensure crispiness. 
On 2 of the slices, spread 1 1/2 tsp. miso. On top, place 3 slices tomato and 3 basil leaves.
Then add 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar. Top with unused bread slices. Press down. Butter the top of each sandwich.
Heat skillet over medium-low heat. Add sandwiches, butter side down. Cover. Grill 4-5 minutes on each side, turning once. 

Wow, Mr. Latte's Almond Cake is GOOD

On a recent visit to the Berkeley Bowl, arguably the world's best grocery store, a special item caught my eye. Not the bargain basement heirloom tomatoes or the 45 varieties of apples, but the bricks of almond paste piled high in the bulk section. I am always on the lookout for quality marzipan after a year's sojourn in Berlin, where I gorged on the good stuff, so a light bulb flickered in my head.

What to do with a pliable lump of almonds and sugar?? Then I remembered a recipe filed away long ago: Amanda Hesser's almond cake. (Actually her mother-in-law's cake.) The recipe first appeared in the pages of Hesser's food memoir Cooking for Mr. Latte, and has since then reached celebrity status, at least on the baking blogs. Almond paste imparts a sweet, nutty flavor that is reminiscent of marzipan while the cake's sugary-ness is kept in check by the addition of sour cream. 

I am picky about cakes and prefer them not too sweet, rich, or artificially flavored. This one is a real winner. Plus, it lasts at least a week and miraculously stays nice and moist. Recipe can be found here with one important caveat: watch the typo. The ingredients suffice for 1 cake (not 2), which should be baked in a 9-inch springform cake pan. (Btw, I used my electric mixer - not a stand mixer with a paddle attachment - and did not encounter any problems.)

Back to marzipan...How did Germany's Baltic coast became famous for a confection made of almonds which, last time I checked are not cultivated anywhere in northern Europe? Turns out the candy's origins are old and very much in dispute. One theory has marzipan entering Europe from Persia through present-day Turkey, making a pit stop in the Republic of Venice before traveling north to the Hanseatic city of Lubeck. Today, the designation "Lubeck Marzipan" is protected by the European Union.

The other theory, probably more convincing, is that medieval cooks in Toledo, Spain are responsible for marzipan. One Thousand and One Nights features "a mixture of almonds and sugar" eaten for the duration of Ramadan. Yum.

Kimchi Quesadillas

These spicy, cheesy hybrids come from a Los Angeles food truck chef and recently appeared in Gourmet magazine as one of Ruth Reichl's favorite October recipes. Kimchee, quesadillas, and Ruth's seal of approval? Really, there's nothing not to like here.

The original version calls for shiso leaf. Unless you are running a sushi joint out of your kitchen, I can't fathom why you'd have this herb on hand. I substituted spinach, which worked beautifully. For two quesadillas, you will need:

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 cup cabbage kimchi, drained and chopped (look near the pickles; these days most grocery stores carry it)
• 2 8-inch flour tortillas (standard size)
• 8 spinach leaves 
• 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted (warm these in a small saucepan over medium heat for a couple of minutes, making sure not to burn seeds)
• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp Cheddar
• 1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack
• canola oil for brushing

First, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add kimchi and cook for 5-7 minutes, until kimchi is warmed through and edges are browned. Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Next, take a tortilla and on the bottom half, place spinach leaves. Layer kimchi, sesame seeds, and cheeses on top.

Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel and return to medium-high heat. Brush a couple drops of canola oil to coat skillet. Wait a minute or two for oil to become hot.

Fold quesadilla in half and add to skillet. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, flipping once.

CSA Plug

This is what happens when you join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). You leave the house in the morning with an empty refrigerator. $35 later, a box containing this (and more) appears at your doorstep. 

Puff the Magic Pastry

Puff Pastry is one of those magical ingredients that levels the playing field, presenting everyone with an equal opportunity to be master chef. Pull out a package from the freezer, roll it out a couple of times, slap on a baking sheet and prick with a fork all over, and in 20-30 minutes you get buttery sheets of crispy paper-thin dough. It's that simple. 

Available at any grocery store for just a few bucks, puff pastry can take up residence in the freezer for 6 months. And the list of possibilities is overwhelming. With puff pastry, you can make fruit tarts, savory pies and pizzas, cheese straws, apple turnovers, palmiers, strudels, and mini quiches. 

Pictured here is an improvised provençal pizza called pissaladière. If you're like me, one of those weirdos who can't get enough anchovies, this dish offers delicious contrasts: juicy, sugary-sweet caramelized onions, briny fish, salty olives, and bright notes of fresh thyme. Recipe follows.

Nachos Libres! Free at Last from Fake Cheese Sauce

In the thick of MLB playoffs, football weekends, and World Cup qualifiers (right...who is watching those) excuses abound to consume gastric-distress inducing foods. Nachos are the ultimate treat, designed to be shared among spectators and fellow travelers. (Or with racoons.) Most ballpark nachos feature soggy piles of those strange overly salted round chips and rubbery globs of fake cheese sauce. Check out the Franken-gredients in one version of velveeta-based stadium goo: MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ALGINATE, SODIUM CITRATE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ALGINATE, SODIUM CITRATE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE, MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, WHEY, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE, MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, WHEY, WHEY.

The travesty here is that nachos are easy to make, highly customizable, and not so junky or processed when prepared at home with real cheese and vegetables. Sure, tortilla chips are not exactly a health food. But in your own kitchen, you determine the chip to sauce ratio and whether to use blue corn chips, which which are purported to have a lower glycemic index than chips derived from yellow or white corn. 

Here's how to do it right. Recipe feeds 4-6 people and is easily doubled for a larger crowd. Go giants!
Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 red onion, chopped 
• 2 jalapeños (use one for less heat), finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 
• 2 Tbs. + 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half and half (milk also works)
• 1 12-ounce bottle of beer (a lager is best here) 
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (an 8-ounce bag)
• 2 cups grated monterey jack cheese (an 8-ounce bag)
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• sliced black olives
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• tortilla chips 

*Ideas for additional toppings: 1/2 can black beans; a sliced avocado; pico de gallo; halved cherry tomatoes; cilantro; sliced radishes

Bar Tartine's Fabulous New Sandwich Shop

Clearly the people at Tartine (Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson) know what they're doing. The buttery confections at San Francisco's Guerrero and 18th streets keep hungry visitors waiting in long lines all morning. Now the pastry chef and master baker have opened up a lunchtime locale inside their Valencia St. restaurant Bar Tartine. If you're like me, the many attractive offerings will send you spiraling into a crisis of what to order. Multiple visits will be necessary. See here the $15 Danish-inspired smorrebord, or open-faced sandwiches, topped with hen of the woods mushrooms and kale (L), smoked salmon, horseradish cream, and dill (C), and beef tartare and quail egg (R). Other sandwiches arrive like flatbread pizzas on crispy potato bread. Unusual drink options include fig leaf kefir and fermented sodas. Call me a heretic but I love this place even more than Tartine.

Bar Tartine Sandwich Shop: 561 Valencia St., San Francisco, 94110
Open: Wednesday through Sunday, 11am - 3pm

Delicious Biscotti that Won't Break Your Teeth

You should make Smitten Kitchen's almond biscotti. One recipe yields three dozen so bring some over to your friend's place and you'll still have leftovers to enjoy with coffee in the morning. A pet peeve of mine is biting into a twice-baked Italian cookie and wondering whether you cracked a tooth. That will not happen here. Deb's version, a riff on an old Bon Appetit recipe, is slightly chewy, crumbly, and wonderfully almond-y. 

Smitten Kitchen's Almond Biscotti

You will need to own or buy: 

• 3 1/4 c all purpose flour (406 g)
• 1 Tbs. baking powder (Use aluminum-free baking powder for better flavor.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c sugar (375 g)
• 10 Tbs. butter, melted (This is 1 1/4 sticks, or 142 g.)
• 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg white for egg wash
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract*
• 1 Tbs. orange liqueur (I used Cointreau, which comes in little bottles.)
• Zest of one orange
• 1 c sliced or chopped almonds, lightly toasted

Bucatini alla Lipari (Bucatini with Raw Nut Pesto)

Some like it spicy. This modified version of a Mark Bittman recipe that appeared in the pages of The New York Times years ago is easy to prepare with a food processor or blender. This dish from Lipari, the largest island in the archipelago just north of Sicily, has the spice factor that distinguishes southern Italian food from the grub farther north. 

While most versions call for canned whole tomatoes, this lighter recipe makes use of the current glut of cherry tomatoes. "Bucatini" comes from "buco," i.e. hole, as in the needle-thin hole that runs through the center of this noodle. Created in central Italy and popularized in Rome, bucatini has enough bite to stand up to thick sauces and bold flavors. (Pasta shapes should not be arbitrarily selected. It's all about finding the perfect balance of pasta and sauce in each bite.) See this Pasta Dictionary for a rundown of shapes and sauces. 

Bucatini alla Lipari

You will need to own or buy: 

• 1/4 cup and 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (one green basket), sliced in half
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups mixed whole nuts (I used 1 cup pistachios, 1 cup walnuts but pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds work as well)
• 2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
• 4-5 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 lb. bucatini
• freshly grated parmesan

White Whole Wheat Flour

Have you ever heard of white whole wheat flour? What? I thought this was a typo until about a week ago. Turns out, white whole wheat flour comes from naturally occurring albino wheat, hence the name and lighter color. Sweeter than the usual whole wheat variety, this flour is whole grain (containing all the fiber and nutrition) but the taste is far superior to the dense and slightly bitter flavor of whole wheat. Ever more popular as bakers embrace whole grain alternatives to all purpose white, this flour is now widely available, even at Trader Joe's. Following a trial run with pumpkin-banana-walnut bread, I will now be using this flour that offers the best of both worlds: it is white and whole.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread

slightly adapted from King Arthur

1/4 c canola oil

1/4 c plain yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt too)

2/3 c brown sugar, packed

2 Tbsp. honey

2 large eggs

1 c canned pumpkin (be sure you have pure pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix)

1 c mashed banana (about 2 small bananas)

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c white whole wheat flour

1/2 c all purpose flour

3 Tbsp. almond flour (also called almond meal)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c chopped walnuts

raw sugar and zest of one orange for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray standard loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place canned pumpkin (1 cup) in a strainer to get rid of excess liquid.
3. In a medium bowl, use whisk to combine canola oil, yogurt, brown sugar, honey, eggs, banana, orange juice, vanilla extract, and pumpkin. 
4. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle walnuts on top. (I prefer to sift dry ingredients to make lighter; but by no means necessary)
5. Add pumpkin-banana mixture to dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir no more than 15 times to combine ingredients. Batter should be barely incorporated. 
6. In a small bowl, mix 2 tsp. sugar and zest of one orange. Sprinkle on top of batter to create a thin crunchy crust.
7. Bake loaf 55-65 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out cleanly and loaf is golden brown.

Best Dessert Ever

Random PSA: If you haven't already, try some Turkish Delight! 
These arrived straight from Istanbul, courtesy of a generous relative. It doesn't get better than these sugary rose water treats.

Pumpkin Eater

Make no mistake, slicing a pumpkin is a real pain in the ass. It requires a large chef's knife, patience, and vigilance. If you have all three, this toasted pumpkin recipe with dipping sauce (adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty) yields a snack or dinner fare that is full of vitamin A and fall flavors. After slicing your gourd, the rest is easy. 

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. 
Next, hack 1-2 lb. pumpkin into wedges and generously brush pumpkin with olive oil. 
Then, prepare pumpkin topping.

In a small bowl, mix together: 

1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/2 c parmesan cheese
2 smashed garlic cloves
zest of one lemon
2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. salt
few grinds fresh black pepper
Sprinkle topping on pumpkin, creating an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, until pumpkin is soft.

While pumpkin bakes, prepare dipping sauce. In a small bowl, mix together: 

1/2 c sour cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. olive oil
zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
Eat pumpkin slices with generous smear of dipping sauce.

Apple Flow Chart

This is awesome.
From Slate.com

Eggs for Carrie Mathison

If Carrie Mathison, the flawed anti-Jack Bauer protagonist of Homeland wandered into my home, we would eat Shakshouka together while I broke the news that she was right about Brody. As far as I know, the CIA hasn't yet dispatched Carrie to North Africa, where this dish originates, but hey, I just learned that Julia Child once served as an officer in the OSS (predecessor to the CIA). 
Shakshouka, or poached eggs in peppery tomato sauce, is one spin on a global phenomenon that includes huevos rancheros (Mexico) and menemen (Turkey). This version is my favorite. Its heat and bold flavors suit Carrie's wide-eyed intensity. Savor it family-style, with bread to mop up oils and juices. Will Carrie ever be redeemed? 

Shakshouka Recipe