Monday, Mar. 02, 2009

The Ultimate Sandwich

On Tuesday, February 24, Crooked Tree Breadworks of Petoskey hosted their annual Ultimate Sandwich class, exploring creative flavor combinations and non-traditional methods of assembly. There were sixteen in attendance, including staff and helpers. Greg Carpenter, owner and baker extraordinaire, had designed five sandwiches for the class enjoy. He featured six of his bakery's bread offerings and a host of interesting ingredients. I was honored to be invited to attend again this year in my role as "beer guru." Since three of the attendees (including Greg and myself) are members of the HOPDEVILS (Homebrewers Of Petoskey Devoted to the Enjoyment of Various Intoxicating Liquid Substances), our club donated craft-brewed beers to pair with each sandwich. Coffee and bottled water was also available for those not wishing to sample the beers.

Greg welcomed everyone, made introductions and gave some general guidelines for building a superior sandwich. Before each sandwich was sampled, Greg explained his ingredient choices, design experiments, and construction strategy. I introduced the beer we had matched with each sandwich, and described how we had chosen brews which would either complement or contrast with the unique characteristics of each sandwich.

Class members watched the sandwiches being prepared, took notes, asked questions, and made suggestions. Everyone got to try all the sandwich selections and a two ounce sample of each beer. A few classmates had attended previous sandwich classes and were back for more innovative ideas.

All the selections were delicious. Everyone had his or her favorite, and we all learned something new. I hope to be invited again next year!

GREG CARPENTER'S SANDWICH MANIFESTO

Make it your way - Think of a food you really enjoy. Make it into a sandwich.

Build it well - Think about how the sandwich will be held in your hands as you eat it. Spread ingredients evenly around the available space so that every bite is a great bite.

CHOOSING BREAD

Use good bread - You cannot make a good sandwich on bad bread. Soft-crusted, hard-crusted, sandwich roll, whatever you choose, choose it well. Avoid bread products that are made with ingredients you cannot pronounce. White bread that has a shelf life of more than five days should be approached with suspicion.

Use the right thickness - Too much bread can ruin a sandwich. Hearty breads such as sourdough, rye and 100% whole wheat should be sliced fairly thin. Softer, lighter breads can be sliced thicker.

Choose the right texture - Chewy fillings such as roast beef or pastrami require more toothsome bread. Soft fillings work well with soft breads and hearty breads.

Match the "strength" of the bread flavor to that of the sandwich - Don't overwhelm a mild-flavored filling with a strong-flavored bread (for example, egg salad is best on milder breads unless it's strongly seasoned). Don't use mild breads on sandwiches that have rich fillings. The bread will be lost.

CHOOSING FILLINGS

Use the best ingredients you can get. Sandwich meats can be sliced to any thickness you like. A good deli will have good, flavorful cheeses, meats, and fresh vegetables.

Nontraditional ingredients make for interesting sandwiches. Try these:

Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry relish on white or whole wheat, cold or grilled
Osso Buco on Italian bread with goat chevre
Pot Roast with carrots, potatoes, and horseradish on sourdough
Barbequed chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo on just about anything
Polish sausage and sauerkraut on rye
Caesar Salad leftovers on whole wheat

Keep it moist - Much of our flavor perception relies on the level of moisture in our food. A dry piece of turkey has much less flavor than one that has been spread with mayonnaise (or, better still, turkey gravy). Sandwich spreads can be as easy to make as mixing some mayo with a jar of pesto. Prepared salad dressings are also a great, convenient addition to many sandwiches.

THE ULTIMATE SANDWICH MENU

TWO-FACED - Sauteed Fennell, Red Peppers, Onions and Chopped Spinach with Ricotta, Oregano Vinaigrette on Toasted Pepper Parmesan Bread (side one) and Toasted Rosemary Olive Bread (side two)

Paired with Duvel Belgian Golden Ale