The Ultimate Reuben Sandwich with Bacon Fat Fried Rye Bread, Russian 1,000 Aioli, Honey Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, Peppered Bacon, Melted Emmentaler Cheese, + Sauerkraut

The Ultimate Reuben Sandwich

I might lose some followers because of this, but I am a self-proclaimed Reuben Sandwich hater. It's true. I never could get on board with the idea of boiled, pickled brisket... the pungent rye bread... that weird cabbage stuff (a.k.a. sauerkraut)... and that kinda bitter, extra sharp swiss cheese. Just not my thang. I do, however, love Russian/Thousand Island Dressing. I mean it's great on just about everything. Although Reubens look delicious (in theory), I just strayed away from them. Well, that was until my Mountain Man + I moved back to Atlanta and started eating lunch at our favorite, little sandwich cafe/gourmet market, Star Provisions. If you ever come to visit ATL, go to Star Provisions. Their sandwiches are TOP-KNOTCH... our favorites are the Shrimp Po'boy, Reuben, & Pork Belly Banh Mi. Anyhoo, my Mountain Man decided to order one of those-sandwiches-that-I-used-to-hate. I was instantly pissed. I mean, how could I eat half of his meal if I didn't like it. Boo hiss. He kept urging me throughout the meal to try it and he wouldn't stop raving about it/moaning throughout the whole process. Okay, I thought, the worst that will happen is that I have to spit it up. Not very classy, but gets the job done nonetheless. I bit into the buttery Reuben and it's like the heavens opened up and welcomed me into the "cool kid club". Since then, I have been hooked. What I especially love about Star Provision's Reuben is its' slight differences than a classic sandwich. Their fresh-baked rye bread had been fried in butter (score) and it featured a cheese other than swiss (double score). I had never heard of this dairy product before, but apparently it's just a higher quality swiss. Luckily for me, they carry blocks of it in their dairy department, so I snatched up a block to recreate them at home. Using their sandwich as inspiration, I concocted the Ultimate Reuben Sandwich (well, in my eyes). I purchased some seriously peppered bacon because even though bacon doesn't go this normally, it probably should. With the cut of brisket, a heavy pepper presence only enhances the taste of the meat, so I really believe it gave it a nice spice and smokiness. After that, I fried my rye bread slices in the peppered bacon fat, ya know, 'cuz you have too. You could also just fry them up in some Irish butter if you haveeeeeeee to. This week, I already posted the recipes to the Homemade Russian 1,000 Aioli and the Honey Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, so take a gander at those for the rest of the components. All that is left is to add on the Emmentaler cheese and sauerkraut. This Ultimate Reuben is gooey, cheesy, saucy, spicy, vinegary, and everything else wonderful in the world. So go make it, NOW!! Enjoy :)

Honey Mustard Glazed Corned Beef + Peppered Bacon

Sliced Up + Ready to be Sandwiched

Sliced Emmentaler Cheese

Take a big 'ole bite of this hot mess...

For One Sandwich:

2 Slices of Peppered Bacon, Cooked until Crispy

2 Thick Slices of Rye Bread, Fried until Golden Brown in Bacon Fat

Honey Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, Thinly Sliced

Thin Slices of Emmentaler Cheese (or Swiss cheese can be substituted)

Homemade Russian 1,000 Aioli, For Spreading

Sauerkraut (drained of excess liquid)

Directions:

1.Cook the slices of peppered bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, but reserve the fat. Fry or toast the slices of rye bread in the bacon fat until they turn golden brown and begin to crisp. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Preheat the broiler to high on your oven.
3. Assembling the Sandwich: Spread one slice of fried bread with a thick slather of Russian 1,000 Aioli, and then top it with slices of honey mustard glazed corned beef, peppered bacon, and Emmentaler cheese. Toast the sandwich until the cheese just begins to melt and is gooey. Remove the sandwich from the oven and top with a pile of sauerkraut. Smear more aioli on the other slice of toasted bread and mash the sandwich together.
4. Cut the sandwich in half and enjoy its’ messy glory!!

"Southern Style" Crispy Pork Belly Cubano Sandwich with Ham, Smoked Swiss, Homemade Garlic Aioli, + Green Tomato Pickles on Grilled Bread

"Southern Style" Crispy Pork Belly Cubano Sandwich with Ham, Smoked Swiss,
Homemade Garlic Aioli, + Green Tomato Pickles on Grilled Bread

Raise your hand if you love Cuban Sandwiches! I'm raising my hand, and y'all should be too. They damn good delicious. Why are they so mouth watering-ly "cravable", you ask. Well, they have two kinds of pork products... typically ham and roast pork. I made it a tad bit gourmet by adding crispy pork belly because pork belly is the leader of all porky products. Add in some smoked swiss cheese, sweet + tangy green tomato pickles (god love the south), mustard, and a homemade garlic aioli. You load all of the goodness onto a cuban baguette that has be schmeared with lots 'o butter and grill it until crispy and the cheese is oozy. I love that the crispy pork belly gives the sandwich some bites of almost fried pork rind puffiness... chicharrones anyone? I know most of y'all don't live in the South and might not be able to find green tomato pickles. That's okay. You can make your own at home, like we do, or just buy some regular 'ole pickles at the store. And as for the smoked swiss, which can be difficult to find, that can be substituted for just aged swiss instead. OH HEY, and don't forget to go heavy on the mustard and mayo, y'all!! Enjoy :)

For the Homemade Garlic Aioli:

1 Egg Yolk

1t White Vinegar

1 ½t Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¼t Dijon Mustard & Sugar

2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced

1 Head of Roasted Garlic, Cooled & Garlic Pulp Only

½t Garlic Salt

¾C Canola Oil

For the Crispy Pork Belly Cubano Sandwiches:

1 Baguette of French Bread, Sliced Lengthwise

Yellow Mustard & Homemade Garlic Aioli, For Spreading

Cubes of Crispy Pork Belly

Thinly Sliced Black Forrest Ham

Slices of Aged or Smoked Swiss Cheese

Green Tomato Pickle Slices

Softened Butter, For Grilling

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Garlic Aioli: Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, roasted garlic pulp, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C of the oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ½C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Season the mayo with sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

2. For the Crispy Pork Belly Cubano Sandwiches: Slice open the baguette bread down the middle. On the topside of the bread spread on some mustard and on the other side spread on some garlic aioli, evenly across. And then place 4 green tomato pickles on top of the mustard. You then place some sliced of Swiss cheese on top of the pickles, followed by the sliced ham and crispy pork belly. You then join both halves of the sandwich. You are now ready to grill your Cuban sandwich.

3. Grilling the Sandwich: Use a sandwich grill if you have one, a waffle iron if not. Spread butter on top of the bread evenly. Close the grill, smashing the sandwich. Leave sandwich in the grill until top of bread turns to a golden brown, and top is crisp. Approximate time is 4 to 6 minutes. After the sandwich is crispy and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich carefully and slice it diagonally, from corner to corner.

Frisco Patty Melts with Double Patties, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Spicy Thousand Island Sauce, & Texas Toast Fried in Bacon Fat

Frisco Patty Melts with Double Patties, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Spicy Thousand
Island Sauce, & Texas Toast Fried in Bacon Fat

I feel so bad that my posts have been less than stellar mediocre while I've been sick. I'm just not in the mood. But have no fear, I'll keep sharing my recipes. Today is a perfect recipe to make inside on a cold fall day. And hey, the men of the house can make it for ya. That's a perk right? Yep. It's my take off of the Friso Patty Melt from Steak n' Shake. I love patty melts... they are so much better than burgers in my opinion. I mean, there's no fluff. Just meat, cheese, bacon, sauce, caramelized onions, and buttery bread. I would pick it over any burger any day. It just melts in your mouth people. I mean the bread fried in bacon fat... send me to heaven because there's nothing left in this world that I need to try. So, next time you are about to make a burger, remember this recipe and try something new. You won't regret it!! Enjoy :)

Look at the sauce spilling over the side... that's the best bite.

For the Spicy Thousand Island Sauce:

2T + 2t Mayo

1T Ketchup

1T Candied Jalapeno Relish

½t Sugar & White Vinegar

¼t Paprika & Garlic Powder 

Hot Sauce, Optional (to your liking)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Patties:

1lb Ground Chuck, 80/20

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Small Tabs of Butter

Vegetable Oil, For Grilling

For the Frisco Patty Melts:

4 Pieces of Thick Texas Toast, Fried until Golden Brown & Toasted in Reserved Bacon Fat

4 Burger Patties, Cooked & Warmed (make sure they are very flat)

8 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cooked until Crispy (reserve bacon fat)

4 Slices of Swiss Cheese

4 Slices of American Cheese

Prepared Spicy Thousand Island Sauce

Caramelized Onions (I used a homemade caramelized onion jam that was delicious)

Directions:

1. For the Spicy Thousand Island Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper to your taste.

2. For the Patties: Roll ground beef into four golf ball sized balls. Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add ground beef balls, about 2-4 to a pan, 2 if you have a medium sized pan, or 4 if you have a large pan. Season each side with salt & pepper very well. Flatten the ball with a spatula. The meat should sizzle when you add it, if not, your pan is not hot enough. Let cook for one minute, then flip over and using the back of your spatula, smash the burger flat more into a thin patty. After a short time and the ground beef is mostly cooked through, flip once more. Place on a paper towel to drain fat. Keep warm until ready to serve.

3. In a deep sauté pan, cook your thick bacon until crispy, and there is a significant amount of bacon fat in the pan. Remove the bacon and set aside. Keep the pan at medium heat and add the pieces of Texas toast and fry the bread until it is golden brown and buttery (you can either do just one side or both sides).

4. Assembling the Frisco Patty Melts: Top each slice of fried Texas toast with a thick layer of the Spicy Thousand Sauce. On the bottom slice, place a warm, cooked patty and cover with caramelized onions. Top the onions with a slice of American cheese, followed by another patty, caramelized onions, and a slice of Swiss cheese. Finish the patty melt with another fried Texas toast with the special sauce. Repeat with the same ingredients to make the other burger. This will make two large patty melts.

5. Serve immediately with some homemade Sour Cream & Onion Fries.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Cheesy Mustard Béchamel

For dinner tonight, I decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu with a Cheesy Mustard Béchamel. Clayton has never had Chicken Cordon Bleu, even though it has everything that he loves. He ended up loving it! I served it with some balsamic broccoli and caramelized onion-roasted mushroom cous cous. But you can chose other sides. Enjoy :)

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Cheesy Mustard Bechamel

For the Chicken:

2 Chicken Breasts, Butterflied & Pounded

4 Slices Ham, Cut into Strips

2 Slices Swiss Cheese, Cut into Strips

¼C Honey Mustard

1T Dijon Mustard

½C Italian Bread Crumbs

 Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Cheesy Mustard Béchamel:

2T Butter

2T Flour, Sifted

1 ¼C Milk, Heated

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

¼t Ground Mustard

1T Honey Mustard

1T Dijon Mustard  

½C Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded 

Directions:
1. After you have butterflied and pounded your chicken, lay them out flat on a cutting board, so that you can stuff them. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey mustard and Dijon mustard. With a brush, spread the mustard mixture on the top surface of the chicken breast. Now, start to layer your strips of cheese and ham. I like to do a layer of cheese, a layer of ham, and then another layer of cheese. Once you have layered, roll the chicken breasts, so that the cheese and ham are securely rolled inside the chicken. Brush a little more mustard mixture on the outside of the stuffed chicken breasts and then roll them in the breadcrumbs.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking dish with tin foil and spray with Pam. Place the stuffed chicken breasts on the baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the breasts and the heat of your oven. The chicken should no longer be pink, the cheese melted, and the breadcrumbs browned.
3. While the chicken breasts are baking, make the cheesy mustard béchamel sauce. Start off by warming the milk in a small pot. In a separate pot, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes (do not let it brown). Next, whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, then lower down to simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. During this cooking period, add the shredded cheese, honey mustard, Dijon mustard, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Make sure you constantly whisk. Set this sauce aside until you are ready to serve.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, cut them into slices and spoon some of the béchamel over.
5. Serve immediately with the balsamic broccoli and caramelized onion-roasted mushroom cous cous.