Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

sandwiches

Beet Buns for Valentine’s Day

beet bread for valentine's day | Jessica's Dinner Party

Hello again, it’s been awhile.  Seven months seems like a long time to have been away, but it sure did go by fast. The last time I posted I was getting ready to move back to New York, and now here I am! It’s been such a whirlwind with so many lovely happenings that I don’t even know where to begin.  I can only start by saying I’m really enjoying being back in the city, meeting new people, reuniting with old friends, and learning more about food everyday. It could not be better.  And I’m cooking more!

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Roland Garros Sandwich aka St. Moret, Cornichon, and Jambon Sandwich

Roland Garros Sandwich | Jessica's Dinner Party

A couple years ago I wrote about being a tennis fan with my sister and going to the US Open.  I’ve since left New York and haven’t been back, but lucky for me I moved across the world only to land in another city that hosts a Grand Slam. Roland Garros, or the French Open, is played on a clay surface, which makes it different from the more familiar hard court surface of the US Open.  My sister and I loved going to the US Open together, so it only made sense that her Euro trip to visit me coincided with Roland Garros (which ended last Sunday).  I had been to the tournament the previous year and remembered how mediocre but expensive the food was so I decided to pack some sandwiches for us.

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Tomato, Egg, and Goat Cheese on Poilâne

Le pain Poilâne is the most well known bread in Paris.  Ironically, it is not a baguette, but rather a round and rustic sourdough loaf.  Even if Poilâne isn’t a family’s local boulangerie, or bakery (which is the case for the majority of people), everyone has had Poilâne.  It is served in many bistros and restaurants, most often as the base bread for tartines.  I also feel that in some ways Poilâne is very representative of the essence of French boulangeries.  It is a family business passed down from generation to generation and operates under the philosophy of tradition and quality.  Although the small shop has now grown into a worldwide business (they export to at least 11 different countries), everything, except the kneading, is done by hand.

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Mom’s Chicken Salad Sandwich

Throughout high school my mom packed my lunch everyday.  I went to the same school for ten years, so after awhile the food gets a little old.  I have to admit though, my school had a pretty good cafeteria.  We had a selection of both Western and Korean food, and there was rarely anything we would call “mystery meat.”  Most people just bought food from the cafeteria, but I liked bringing food from home.  My mom usually packed me a sandwich and a sliced apple.  The sandwiches were always simple and clean on a soft bread, but very good.  My friends would always ask for bites and I would end up eating only about half the sandwich.  But it was fine, it always made me happy to share my food with them. One of the sandwiches my mom made was a chicken salad sandwich.  So, when the idea of the summer picnic came up I thought I should ask my mom for the recipe.

  

Chicken salad is almost a must at picnics.  It’s easy to make, easy to bring, and easy to eat.  However, I rarely find a chicken salad that I like.  Most often the chicken is drenched in mayo and everything tastes slimy and goopy.  I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise but don’t mind it when it’s used in moderation.  This is a very healthy chicken salad and uses only a little bit of mayo as a binder rather than a main ingredient.  If you like a heavily mayo-fied version, then this sandwich will not be what you expect.  However, I think you should give it a try anyways because it really is good.

 

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Roasted Tomato Sandwich With A Feta Twist

To enjoy the dog days of summer, I thought it would be nice to go on a picnic with some friends.  Cold drinks, food, and a nice spot in the shade seemed like a good idea.  I didn’t plan on making most of the food myself, but my secret wish came true.  I don’t go on picnics very often, so if I was confined to one dish, I think I would’ve had an even harder time picking out what I wanted to bring.  I mean, I thought about the picnic menu for days and ended up with almost two types of everything.  It probably didn’t help that I went to Whole Foods without a definite plan or grocery list.  My friend kept on telling me to get inspired by the seasonal ingredients, but I couldn’t!  I’m just not experienced enough to know what I can do with what.  Every time I get something, thinking I can make a certain dish, I end up having to run to the local deli in front of my house midway through a recipe because I don’t have fresh chives, tarragon, or heavy cream.  Well, after more than an hour I finalized what I was going to make, and bought almost everything I needed.  I did end up going to the deli once though.

  

The first sandwich I made is made with roasted tomatoes and onions with feta, black olives, and oregano.  It was inspired by Martha Stewart’s amazing Tomato Hand Pies.  I made them a couple of weeks ago for a potluck and everyone devoured them.  I wanted to make them again but didn’t really want to be bothered by the Pate Brisee again.  So I decided to make it into a sandwich!  It was really incredible.  The roasted tomatoes were sweet and savory while the soft onions really provided a depth to the flavor.  The feta, olive, and oregano topping gave the sandwich a nice greek twist.  I thought about using mozzarella instead of the feta and olive combination, but just decided to stay closer to the original recipe.  Next time, I may lay a piece of mozzarella on the bottom of the sandwich because my bread did get soggy by the time I got to the picnic.  But I think it was good, soggy bread and all.  The juices were all soaked up in the crusty soar dough slice.  If you have the time and patience, I really recommend making the hand pies, but if you want a faster and easier version, make this sandwich!

 

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