As he leafed through the pages of Snacks & Sandwiches, Matt kept saying: “That’s not a sandwich . . . that’s not a sandwich . . . that’s not a sandwich!” He doesn’t believe open-faced sandwiches are sandwiches.
As a long time fan of the open-faced hot turkey sandwich, I have no such quibbles. But even so, this page stopped me in my tracks. In fact it was the deal closer, in deciding whether or not to add this book to my collection or to give it a pass.
It’s not just the attention to detail. Although it is impressive. Sigh. Look at the way the meat is trimmed to exactly fit the bread, the repeated groupings of three, the radishes sliced to translucence. Such artistry!
It is another translucent ingredient that made me realize this was a keeper. An ingredient I have long been fascinated by, though I’ve never eaten it. It is used here in a way I had never seen before. From the caption:
A coat of clear aspic is spooned over French gourmandises. […] Chilled until firm, the aspic will provide a shining surface for the open faced sandwiches, and will hold the elaborate garnishes in place.
Who knew aspic could be so functional?
I am afraid that I must agree with Matt. The whole point of a sandwich is that you can pick it up and eat it with ease. The "open-faced sandwich" such as the beef and turkey Manhattans—not the best of Manhattans at all—are sandwiches only by courtesy.
ReplyDeleteApparently, Scott Meyer agrees with you and Matt.
ReplyDeletehttp://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2010/5/16/how-to-suffer-for-your-beliefs.html
He suggests "Bready Meat Pile" as an alternate name.