Explore great art of sandwichmaking

As you may know, James Beard was the first celebrity chef to host a television program. His show, I Love to Eat was broadcast in 1946, a few years after his cookbook, Hors D'Oeuvre and Canapés was published. After working as a caterer, he opened a cooking school in 1955 and from then until his death in 1985 he built his reputation as the founder of the American culinary tradition. 

Beard published 20 cookbooks and dozens of essays in newspapers and magazines. An enthusiastic and tireless teacher, he mentored hundreds of talented chefs. His legacy lives on through the James Beard Foundation, which awards scholarships to aspiring chefs from around the world. 

The JBF purchased and renovated Beard's Greenwich Village home, now called the James Beard House. This historic culinary center regularly invites chefs to come to the House and prepare their signature dishes for guests and paying customers. The coveted James Beard awards annually recognize American chefs, restaurants, journalists, cookbook authors and restaurant designers. 

A few years ago, I became a "friend" of the James Beard Foundation primarily to join their mailing list. Monthly newsletters and weekly emails arrive full of recipe ideas, culinary trends and details about events and dining opportunities at the James Beard House as well as JBF programs scheduled in other cities. 

One of the more prosaic topics covered in a recent publication was a favorite of mine - the sandwich. From his 1974 book, Beard on Food, they excerpted his "sandwich manifesto" in which he writes "One of the great American arts, which varies from being a triumph to being a disaster, is the art of sandwichmaking." 

He insists that success is not always easy, but certainly more likely if you begin with "firm bread and sweet butter." He doesn't have a favorite filling and even gives a nod to the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich - provided you have chosen the best nut butter and fruit spread available. 

Since he began his culinary career in the catering business, it comes as no surprise that the sandwich recipe Beard is most well-known for is an elegant canapé he calls an onion sandwich. The recipe on the JBF website has been changed to specify challah bread; his original instructions included butter and simply called for firm white bread. 

In his comments he mentions several familiar constructions and notes the changes from the original version of the club sandwich. Instead of the multi-layered tower made with three slices of toast, the earlier "clubhouse sandwich" served at members-only dining rooms at country clubs needed only two slices of toast. 

Originally made from sliced chicken, lettuce and tomato, the club sandwich we know today substitutes sliced turkey and adds bacon (and sometimes ham, too). As with any flexible recipe, there have also been variations, such as the vegetarian club sandwich, made with avocado, bean sprouts and long, thin carrot slices to replace the bacon. 

I've included James Beard's recipe for onion sandwiches and a modern club sandwich recipe. The roast beef sandwich in the photo has been upgraded with roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes and stacked between slices of heritage loaf from Old World Breads. Made with organic whole wheat, yeast, agave and walnuts, this delicious vegan bread is also appreciated by carnivores.

Onion Sandwiches* 

8 slices firm white bread 
softened unsalted butter 
1 sweet onion** 
fleur de sel 
mayonnaise 
4 T finely minced parsley 

Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 2 or 3 rounds from each slice of bread. Retain trimmings to make bread crumbs. Arrange the circles in a single layer on a piece of wax paper. Spread butter on the slices. Peel the onion and use a mandeline to cut the onion into paper thin slices.

Place several slices of onion on one half of the buttered bread circles. Sprinkle onions lightly with salt. Place the remaining bread circles, buttered side down, on top of the onions. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise around the outside of each sandwich. Place the minced parsley on a piece of wax paper on a flat surface. Roll the sandwich edges through the parsley to coat. Arrange sandwiches on a serving plate. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Yield: 20 sandwiches. 
*adapted from James Beard 
**choose Vidalia, Walla Walla or Maui onion

Club Sandwich for One 

3 thick slices white bread 
2 T mayonnaise 
2 Romaine lettuce leaves 
4 tomato slices 
2 cooked bacon slices 
4 oz sliced roast chicken 
salt & pepper, to taste 

Lightly toast the bread slices and arrange on a single layer on a piece of wax paper. Spread mayonnaise generously on each slice of bread. Fold 1 lettuce leaf in half and place on first bread slice; top with 2 tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break 1 bacon slice to fit and arrange on tomato; cover with half the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place next slice of bread on chicken, mayonnaise-side up.

Layer remaining ingredients in the same order, ending with the final slice of bread placed mayonnaise-side down. Secure the towers with toothpicks and cut into quarters on the diagonal.