Sandwich-making at Jean's: Who says you don't "cook" a sandwich?
So I had a very “gourmand” day yesterday. As Camille mentioned a while back, I’m working on a sandwich cookbook called (inventively) The Big New York Sandwich Book. In theory, this is really exciting. In practice, my co-author Jean and I have to test about 100 sandwich recipes between now and April. One solution Jean has come up with is something she calls Super Sunday Sandwich Socials: Each guest or couple is responsible for testing one sandwich; everyone gets to eat, drink, and mingle. Because of the holidays, I’d missed the first two, so yesterday was, actually, my indoctrination into the world of recipe testing. I could get used to this.
The recipe I picked was submitted by Alex Guarnaschelli–an amazingly accomplished lady chef who, in addition to running the kitchen at New York’s Butter restaurant, hosts not one but two Food Network shows (The Cooking Loft and Alex’s Day Off). She’s also competed on Iron Chef America, and appeared as a judge on Chopped. Having just written about the detox benefits of apples and lemons, too, I loved the idea of putting my money where my mouth was.
I’m going to admit: Once I actually studied the recipe, I was skeptical of a sandwich made with raw lemon slices–not to mention raw hot pepper. It all seemed, well, very raw. This, it turned out, was my first lesson in the rules of recipes: Don’t judge until you’ve tried. The sandwich was a huge hit. It was crisp and fresh and flavorful. And this surprised me: I wound up snacking on the leftover apple-lemon-jalapeno mixture pretty much all afternoon. Below, the how-tos (with my very first “official” recipe-tester tweaks commentary).
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s Seared Tuna Sandwich with Apple, Jalapeno and Mint (Makes 3 sandwiches)
Jean shows off some sandwich spoils
Ingredients:
*2 small, firm and crisp apples, like Pink Lady, washed, dried, cored and thinly sliced
*1 jalapeno pepper, washed and thinly sliced (Note: if you want your sandwiches to have less “heat”, remove the seeds from the jalapeno before slicing)
*1/2 lemon, peeled and thinly sliced, all pits removed from the slices
*2 packed tablespoons mint leaves
*Kosher salt
*Freshly ground white pepper (I used pre-ground and it was great)
*Appx 2 tablespoons cooking oil (Guarnaschelli suggests Canola, but extra virgin olive oil–or even antioxidant-rich grapeseed oil is great)
*12 ounces raw tuna, bloodline and skin removed skin removed
*6 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
*Mayonnaise for spreading (or substitute a Greek yogurt–I’m personally addicted to Total 0%)
Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, combine the apple, jalapeno, and lemon slices with the chopped up mint leaves. Mix to blend, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil. When it begins to smoke lightly, season the tuna with salt and white pepper. Place the tuna in the center of a skillet and sear it for 1 minute. Using a pair of metal tongs, flip the fish over and and cook for an additional minute. Repeat for an additional minute one each side (you’ll have cooked the fish for a total of four minutes; two on each side).
3. Remove the tuna from the pan and place it on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to cut it into thin slices. Set aside.
4. Toast the bread in a toaster or conventional oven (just arrange on a baking sheet–you can drizzle with a little oil if you like–and let cook on “broil” until bread is light brown). When done, arrange 3 slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread a touch of the mayonnaise (or yogurt) on each. Top with slices of tuna and the apple mixture, add salt and pepper to taste (note: I used black pepper here)–and finish off with another slice of bread. Repeat with the other 2 sandwiches. Cut in half and serve immediately.
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