National Sandwich Day

Every day is sandwich day for me but today is officially National Sandwich Day. I celebrated with a ham and brie sandwich. Cheers!

 Ham and brie for National Sandwich Day

My Week in Sandwiches 4/26/2013

I going to play a little culinary catch-up. So many sandwiches!!

Big Roast Beef - Creekside Bakery

Homemade -Tuna, Avocado and Tomato on Thomas's Thin Bagel

Roberto's Italian Special - Belli Deli Novato.

SF 49ers Road to the Superbowl Sandwich

Saturday was a great day. We celebrated Avril's birthday, Christmas part two for away kids, and the 49ers playoff win. What a day! In honor of  the win Avril concocted the '49ers Road to the Superbowl Sandwich.' This is a big, bold, the underdog kicks butt sandwich. It consists of meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, sliced provolone and cheddar cheese. A swipe of barbeque sauce on buttered bread and the sandwich hits the George Foreman. When the cheese begins to bubble out, it's sliced and eaten. Go Niners! Cheers to "The Catch 2012."

49ers Road to the Superbowl Sandwich
Assembling the sandwich

Culinary Rock Star

The Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich has become a culinary rock star of late. Locals Cookiecrumb and Renate have done blogs recently and LA's nom nom banh mi food truck was runner up in the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. I've eaten many but have never made one at home. I thought it was about time I did.

My first experience with banh mi was in San Francisco in the early nineties. I was on the 30 Stockton Muni Bus when the driver suddenly stopped in the middle of Stockton St. and bolted out the front door. I thought it must be the call of nature but moments later he jumped back on board holding a bag of sandwiches. I inquired about them and he said they were great sandwiches and very inexpensive. The next day I stopped at Little Paris Coffee Shop (939 Stockton St. San Fran.) and was hooked. My recollection was they were under $2 at that time. It has been a bit since I was there so I expect the price has gone up.

I used the recipe from Viet World Kitchen, an outstanding blog on Vietnamese Food. I made mine on a soft baguette with a swipe of pate, mayo, ham, cucumber and cilantro. I topped it with pickled carrot and daikon radish called do chua. A splash of soy sauce sealed the deal. I tried to source the more traditional Maggi Seasoning but failed. Next time I'm at Ranch 99 I'll pick some up.

The results were wonderful. I have been feeding them to family for two days and they love them. The only deviation from recipe was substituting pickled jalapenos for fresh. I like the less painful mild version. Good food cheap!

As Gouda as it Gets

I decided to expand my cheese horizons today. The rain is pounding down and my taste buds crave comfort food. What is more comfortable than a grilled ham and cheese sandwich? I have a habit of using medium Cheddar but today I thought I would put Dutch Gouda to the test. I grilled some Westphalia ham. The package said it was ninety nine percent fat free so I fried it in butter to compensate. With a small nod toward the healthy, I used whole wheat bread to complete the sandwich. The cheese melted to a nutty, soft mass of goodness. The ham provides a salty, caramelized component. My homemade bread and butter pickles add a touch of acid and sweetness. Looks like I'll be adding this sandwich to the menu.