Date I made this recipe:
April 12, 2016 – National Grilled Cheese Day!
Roadfood Sandwiches –
Recipes and Lore from Our Favorite Shops Coast to Coast by Jane &
Michael Stern, authors of the best-selling Roadfood
Published by:
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 13:
978-0-618-72898-5; © 2007
Purchased at Powell's
Books - Chicago
Recipe: Grilled Gruyere with Braised Leeks on
Multigrain Bread from Clementine, Los Angeles , California by chef/owner Annie Milar who hails from Minnesota
Folks, April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day
(who knew?) and I did my part by making this delicious grilled cheese
sandwich. I like to be all in on these
things, you know?
And this cookbook – Roadfood
Sandwiches by Jane and Michael Stern
- who many of you may know from their stints on the radio show, The Splendid Table, were just the couple
to tell us all about sandwiches and sandwich lore and the places that produced
these wonderful delights.
I was beyond excited to look through this book because I've
been to many of the places listed, I've eaten some of the sandwiches mentioned,
and I came "this close" to shaking hands with the Sterns when they
came to Minneapolis one in advance of our Minnesota State Fair and gave a talk
at the downtown Minneapolis library. The
talk, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (also host of The Splendid Table), took place over the lunch hour and alas, I had
to leave before the program ended. They
are more hilarious in person than they are on the air (Jane is an absolute
stitch) and we could have listened to them for our.
Although the Sterns are food reporters more than they are
chefs, I think of them as culinary royalty.
Their first book, Roadfood,
is considered a classic for showcasing great eats at great and sometimes out of
the way places. Now what I say next will
shock you – it shocked me – but it turns out I do not have a copy of that
book. Say what? The scary thing is that I thought I did. I mean, I keep all the Sterns books together
on my shelves but I looked at the shelves and then looked at my cookbook
catalog and...no.
Well this will be rectified immediately, never mind that the
book is now woefully out of date (1977) such that the places mentioned might be
long-gone; collectors don't care about such matters.
Happily, I can report that I DO own the following*:
- Goodfood (1983) – (Not a cookbook)
- Square Meals (1985) –see post from December 31, 2008 where I made their Cheese Ball – p. 257-258
- Real American Food (1986) –see post from July 5, 2009, where I made their "Queen of Chilis" recipe on p. 244
- A
Taste of
- American Gourmet (1991)
- Eat Your Way Across the USA (1997) (Not a cookbook)
- Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food (2006)
- Roadfood Sandwiches: Recipes and Lore from Our Favorite Shops Coast to Coast (2007) (see today's featured recipe – Grilled Gruyere with Braised Leeks on Multigrain Bread)
*Note: not all the Sterns books contain
recipes.
Now usually when I peruse a book, fixin' to make something
from it, I jot down page numbers of recipes that sound good. Here though, I jotted down random notes about
some of the sandwiches listed and places they and I have visited. And I applaud that their table of contents
made it so easy for me to do that as they listed all sandwiches in alphabetical
order by sandwich name, then noted the place where they had the sandwich or the
place best known for the sandwich and the city and state. So this book is one-part travel guide and
one-part cookbook. Who can argue with that?
So notes on places I've eaten:
Katz's (delicatessen), New
York , New York
Ann Sather, Chicago ,
Illinois
Mother's, New Orleans
Louisiana
Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis ,
Minnesota
"Loosemeats"
(p. 137) is a sandwich known and loved across Northwest Iowa and although the
Sterns did not include a specific place to stop, you should check out a Maid-Rite
establishment in northern Iowa . A loosemeat sandwich is like a Sloppy Joe and
it is delicious. This sandwich was also
featured recently in a storyline for the TV show, The Good Wife and it was pretty hilarious (Season 7, episode 11 –
"Iowa ")
Also in Michigan although
it's the part the people in the U.P. refer to as "downstate" is Zingerman's
Deli in Ann Arbor , Michigan Sandwich " (p. 192).
I opted for the more traditional brisket sandwich and have to confess
that I wasn't enamored with it or the price (the place can be expensive) but
the experience was great so it was a trade-off.
So those are places I've been and you should check them out,
too. But I also made notes on some of
the sandwiches listed, some of which also triggered fond memories:
"Baked Beans on Brown Bread" (p. 15) from Massachusetts . Turns out this was one of Julia Child's favorite "go-to"
sandwiches when she was tired of eating gourmet. I recall seeing it in a few of my Boston cookbooks although
I never made it. There's time though
folks, there's time.
"Beef on Weck" (p. 18) – One of my husband's
favorite restaurants used to be BW3
which stood for "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck," the precursor to
modern-day chain, Buffalo Wild Wings. One of the sandwiches they served was a beef
on "weck," short for kummelweck (roll). The sandwich, and the bread, originated in
western New York state and my brother and
sister-in-law live in Rochester
so they've eaten them a lot (although not necessarily at Buffalo Wild Wings). So one day, the four of us were having dinner
at a Buffalo Wild Wings (I think we were in Ohio attending a family wedding)
when Andy started talking about the beef sandwich at the former BW3 and when he
said it stood for Buffalo Wild Wings, my brother said "and weck?,"
referring to the original name. It took
me a minute, but yes, Tom - "and weck." (Sadly, the chain does not serve beef on
weck anymore. Shame, that.)
"Chicken Vesuvio" (sandwich) from Harry Caray's restaurant in Chicago , Illinois Chicago
and have never stopped (mostly because it is so crowded) but one of these days
I will and when I do, this is the sandwich I'm going to have. For those of you who don't know, Harry Caray, may he rest in peace, was
an announcer for the Chicago Cubs
baseball team and an enthusiastic one at that.
Among his many memorable sayings, the one that stands out the most is
"Holy Cow!" If you have a hankering to hear that phrase used in a
broadcast, go to YouTube.
"Chow Mein" (p. 48) – Talk about your retro
sandwiches! I remember seeing recipes
for it and hearing about it but I've never eaten it. Perhaps it's time? This is basically a chow mein casserole on a
bun and believe it or not, it sounds pretty good. But then again, I grew up eating this casserole
so....
Although I could probably comment on each and every
sandwich, let's wrap up the road food reminiscing to get to an upscale version
of an old standard and today's featured sandwich: grilled cheese.
Back in the day (my day), a grilled cheese sandwich with Campbell's Tomato Soup was the winning
ticket, especially on a rainy Saturday. At
the time, "fancy" cheese was no where on the radar so the cheese was
either American slices (say what you will, but they melt well) or Velveeta. But now folks, now that grocery stores
everywhere carry a billion and two kinds of cheese, now we can make ours with
Gruyere. How exciting! And topped with braised leeks – even
better! And made by a Minnesota transplant to LA, Annie Milar, who
owns and operates the Clementine restaurant that produced this wonderfully
yummy sandwich. Just the ticket!
So I say if you plan to observe next year's National Grilled
Cheese Day, put this recipe in your tickler file so that you have it at the
ready. Meanwhile, who cares if the big day has come and gone because what, you
need a reason to eat a grilled cheese?
Grilled Gruyere with
Braised Leeks on Multigrain Bread – makes 4 sandwiches
Ann's Note: Reserve about an hour to braise the leeks
2 medium leeks
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup water
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Butter for spreading
8 slices dense multigrain bread
10 ounces Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
To braise the leeks, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim off the root end of the leeks. Slice them lengthwise and remove any tough,
dark green portions by cutting away from the rot end on an angle and peeling
them off. Clean the leeks thoroughly
under running water to remove any dirt.
Pat dry.
Heat a large skillet and add 2 tablespoons of the olive
oil. When the oil is hot, carefully
place the leeks in the pan, cut side down.
Cook for a few minutes, just until they are golden brown on one
side. Remove the leeks and arrange them
cut side up in a casserole dish. Add the
water, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle the lemon zest, thyme, salt, and
pepper over the top. Cover tightly with
aluminum foil and place in the oven.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes. The liquid will reduce and the leeks will
caramelize. Let them cool. (The leeks can be braised up to 2 days ahead,
covered, and refrigerated.)
To assemble the sandwiches, thoroughly butter 1 side of each
slice of bread and arrange the slices butter side down. Divide the cheese evenly among the bread
slices. Cut the braised leeks diagonally
into 2-inch lengths and arrange them on 4 of the cheese-topped slices of bread. On each of the other 4 slices, spread about 1
tablespoon Dijon
mustard over the cheese (use more or less according to your taste and the
strength of your mustard). Place the 2
slices together to make ach sandwich. (The sandwiches can be assembled up to 1
day ahead and refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic.)
Place a batch of sandwiches in a large skillet over low
heat. When they are brown and crispy on
one side, flip them over and cook until brown and crispy on the other side,
about 10 minutes per side. Keep warm in
the oven while you cook the remaining sandwiches. Cut in half and serve.
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