the ‘wichcraft trials

I quickly learned that there aren’t really any easy sandwiches in the ‘Wichcraft book. In fact, even the PBJ one requires an overnight soaking of the rhubarb to make jelly. The first thing I made from the book in preparation for my first sandwich was lemon confit.  Confit is a French term which comes from a word meaning to preserve, which is done by immersing food in a liquid (usually oil). You may be familiar with duck confit, which is one of the greatest things ever!

To make the confit, I dropped three lemons into boiling water for 1 minute then washed them under running cold water and dried them. You do this to get rid of the waxy layer that might be present.  The recipe calls for 12 lemons and makes 4 cups. I didn’t need nearly that much hence the reduction. Next, I finely minced a large shallot and 2 large cloves of garlic. I also made a mixture of kosher salt and sugar.

Then, I took my trust Japanese mandolin and made thin slices of lemon, but not before I cut off about 1/2 inch from the end which is all rind and no juice. The first couple of slices were too thin so I adjusted it so they would be a bit thicker. It was a challenge because I’d hate to bite into a thick piece of lemon in my sandwich but if you have it too thin, it does not hold its structure. Still, next time I would make them thicker.

I removed the seeds which sounds easier than it really was. Remember, the seeds are embedded in the fruit and with a sharp enough mandolin, they are now 1/16” thick. After I got out as much as I could, I took a small Tupperware container and put down a layer of lemons, making sure not to overlap them. Then I sprinkled on the shallot and salt mixtures. Then I put another layer of lemons down and repeated. I covered and put it in the fridge for three days. You are supposed to flip them halfway through but I forgot. Oops.

After 3 days, I removed them and drained them in a colander for 15 minutes. Then I put it into a repurposed jar and covered them with olive oil and labeled it.

Resources: Small lemons (Vons); Garlic and shallots (Trader Joe’s); Olive Oil (Costco); Maldon Sea Salt; Hiromoto Nikiri; Benriner Japanse Madoline Slicer.

About a month ago, my good friend Dave Barcelona asked me if I wanted a copy of Tom Colicchio’s new book `Wichcraft. I was familar with the name, making a point of dining at one of the locations when I visited Las Vegas a few years ago. Of course I said yes, I’d love one. Fast forward to last week when Dave was in town visiting and handed me the book in the Williams-Sonoma parking lot. Seeing who Tom made the book out to made me laugh and Dave’s wife Jessica told me how hard Tom laughed when she told him I dressed up as (Top Chef winner) Hung for Halloween.

I love food and appreciate it in all its forms. I will not lie and say I am the biggest sandwich afficionado. I will say however, that I thnk there are many sorry excuses for sandwiches out there. You know what I am talking about. You may have had one today at your company catered lunch. It probably was some soggy bread, generic cold cuts, and labeled simply “Italian.”  The difference between a well-crafted sandwich and one that has thrown together is like night and day.

When I dove into `Wichcraft I knew it was something I would keep out so I could refer to it, rather than only take out occasionally. Not only are there multiple categories of sandwiches (everything from breakfast to dessert) but also sections discussing sandwich architecture and even a reference section full of recipes for pickles, roasted onions, and jams. That very day, I went out and bought ingredients and made the BLT with Avocado you see above. In the days that followed, I must have made it a dozen more times, making slight tweaks along the way. I changed the order of the ingredients as to not make the bread soggy. I also added some cheese and while that did not stay true to the recipe, it did not hurt it.  In fact, it made it extra yummy.

My goal is to make every sandwich in the book. I know the idea is not original and of course not as difficult as some books others have tackled, but challenging nonetheless.  I want to stay true to the techniques and flavors that Tom and Sisha have presented. Is this possible? Probably not. There will be times where I’ll be forced to stray and other times where I simply will make mistakes. Regardless, I promise you, I’ll try my best.

So, if you like sandwiches, bookmark this site or subscribe to the RSS feed. I’ll take you on a sandwich making journey and you’ll see classics as well as new `wiches that you may end up liking and adding to your repertoire.  Look for posts filled with picture and sometimes video, honest reviews of the technique and recipes, and guest contributors to change things up a bit.

Welcome to The `Wichcraft Trials.