The Cook’s Kitchen

One of the blogs I read on a regular basis, mental_floss, posted an article the other day where the author was reminiscing about sandwiches past. It seems that at one time he was rather poor and had to resort to eating things such as mustard sandwiches — poor fellow! But, that wasn’t even really the point of the post. Rather, he and his wife were remembering some rather interesting sandwich combinations growing up:

• onion sandwiches
• banana and pineapple
• bacon, tomato, and sugar (BST).

S, he wanted to expand his palate and present it as a challenge for a t-shirt. I entered because, well, what self-respecting food blogger wouldn’t? And, then, I thought, as a new contributer to The Cook’s Kitchen, it seemed a fitting first post. Not too difficult, and something rather tasty to set the tone for all future posts. So, dear reader, I present to you:

Entry 52 (aka, Prosciutto and Pear Sandwiches)

Ingredients:

• 1 crusty roll
• 2 thin slices of prosciutto or deli-ham
• 1 thin slice of pear, seeds removed
• brie, rind removed
• coarsely ground mustard

Procedure

Split the roll in half and spread a thin layer of mustard over both halves. Layer the ham on the bottom half, then top with the pear slice. Finally, spread the brie over the mustard on the top half of the roll. Combine both halves, and enjoy.

Some observations: when I envisioned this sandwich, I wanted the roll to have a sturdy crust and a light inside. My comment was “[a]n English muffin, but with a slightly firmer crust, comes to mind.” However, in the middle of South Central Indiana, a good crusty roll is hard to find at 7 p.m. on a Sunday. My grocer did have some Vienna Rolls, so that’s what I went with. For this sandwich, it actually turned out very well, so I think this is an appropriate choice.

Additionally, tonight prosciutto was a little expensive for my wallet, so I opted for regular ham. I did not skimp on the brie; you can, just choose a soft, spreadable cheese. Mild cream cheese or neufchatel with a bit of pepper could suffice.

Furthermore, my wife does not like ham, and until tonight, did not like pears. It seems that her only memory of pears is from a can — I can’t blame her, because, most of the time, that mushy stuff has no place on my plate. So, this sandwich would not work for her. She does, however, like turkey; and, you can get pre-made cranberry relish year-round (I looked desperately for fresh cranberries, but, again, this is South Central Indiana on a Sunday night ). Thus, to satisfy another palate, simply exchange the ham for turkey, the pear for warm whole-berry cranberry relish, and omit the mustard. I might also suggest that you use a softer bread, such as a croissant. These sandwiches are delightful departures from a regular ham and cheese or a plain old PB and J.