National Sandwich Month - Part 3
Café MoZU offers a very delicious Lobster Salad “BLT” sandwich. This is their longest running menu items. The decadent lobster is combined with avocado and bacon and presented perfectly on a toasted brioche loaf with cherry tomatoes to top! Lobster Salad “BLT” Sandwich recipe: Ingredients: 4 pieces brioche loaf Pullman 5 oz cooked lobster meat 2 oz ripe avocado 1/8 oz baby arugula 1 ½ oz pancetta ½ oz mayonnaise, extra heavy pinch wasabi horseradish powder ½ oz key lime juice 2 ea cherry tomato 1.5 oz mesclun spring mix Method: Toast the four brioche slices. Cut into 4” discs. Fan avocado and place on the 2 brioche toasts. Place a few small pieces of arugula on top of the avocado. Combine lobster, wasabi, mayonnaise, celery and mix well. Taste for correctness of seasoning. Form lobster into 2 small “burgers” and place on top of the arugula. Top with crisped pancetta slices and the final toasted brioche discs. Place a cherry tomato on top of each burger for garnish. Serve with a mesclun salad or French fries. Acadiana’s Fried Oyster Po’ Boy from Acadiana’s Chef de Cuisine Chris Clime. Acadiana is coming up on its 3rd anniversary (September 12th), and this has been on the menu since the beginning. In fact, this was one of two po’ boys served at Acadiana’s opening day fundraiser for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. This sandwich has also brought a New Orleans tradition to lunchtime in DC Ingredients 2 quarts peanut oil (or vegetable oil), for deep frying 1 9-inch loaf New Orleans-style French bread (Leidenheimer suggested) 12 each Louisiana oysters, shucked .5 cup corn flour salt, to taste 2 tablespoons mayonnaise .5 each ripe tomato, sliced 1 cup chiffonade of Iceberg lettuce Tabasco sauce, to taste Procedure Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To a large, 1-gallon pot, add oil. Heat to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook loaf of bread in preheated oven for 2 minutes, until warm and crisp. Reserve. Dredge shucked oysters in corn flour and shake off excess. Carefully, add to hot oil; do not crowd the pot. Fry until golden brown and crisp, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and blot on paper towels. Season immediately with salt. Split loaf of bread lengthwise. Spread mayonnaise on both sides. On the bottom half, place sliced tomatoes. Top the tomatoes with lettuce and then with oysters. Splash with Tabasco sauce to make the sandwich spicy. Place top half of bread on top and secure with two picks. Cut in half to serve. Ceiba’s Hot Pressed Cuban Sandwich from Executive Chef Jeff Tunks. This recipe rocks because the marinade for the brined pork loin has a special ingredient in it – guarapo – raw sugar cane juice pressed in Ceiba’s kitchen. (You’ll also find guarapo in your mojito at Ceiba.) (MONICA’s note – Since it will be hard to find pork-loin brined in guarapo, I think we can still make this delicious sandwich with traditionally roasted pork shoulder). The sandwich is made using a Cuban sandwich press, best described as a heavy waffle iron with a griddle surface that is both smooth and flat, rather than patterned. The sandwich is filled with its delectable cargo of smoked ham, gruyère cheese, and the cured and guarapo-soaked pork loin slices. Into the press it goes; the handle brings the top griddle down, and clamps the sandwich between the hot irons under perfect pressure. It emerges crisp and smooth on the surface, warm and gooey with melted cheese on the inside, and fairly flat and easy to eat – just like they make ‘em in Havana. No wonder it’s a lunchtime favorite at Ceiba.
RECIPE BELOW On 1 8-inch Cuban bread (baguette), spread 2 ounces Creole mustard. Layer on: 3 ounces roasted pork shoulder, sliced 3 ounces applewood smoked ham, sliced 4 pickles, sliced 2 slices Gruyere cheese Press and serve warm to melt the cheese. Serve with plantain chips.
