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We are in the home stretch. With just forty-eight hours between us and the most delightfully indulgent holiday, there is a lot to be done.
Chances are you already have your menu planned, and if you have already done your marketing, well there’s some extra points for you.
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Growing up we always had spectacular Christmas breakfasts. The offerings would vary slightly from year to year, but sausage, eggs, sparkling cider, and the "red seeds" I loved so much (pomegranate arils) would usually make an appearance. It was splendid.
Read moreI’m all the way in. In my mind, the holidays have begun and I want everything to taste like Thanksgiving. I am making cranberry sauce by the quart and putting it on anything and everything. Peanut butter and cranberry sauce sandwiches? Oh yes. Stop laughing at me. I just really like the holidays, mostly for the food.
Before you ask, yes, I know about Turkey and Stuffing potato chips and I’m eating as many as I possibly can before Trader Joe’s rudely discontinues them for another year. Ahhh, why are they so good?!
Confession: I’m not good at lunches. I am not super enthusiastic about lunch - unless of course I have leftover soup, in which case I’m all into it. But generally, I struggle a bit. When it is just me, this isn't as much of an issue, but when guests enter the equation, the midday meal has to be a bit more sophisticated than cheese and apples.
That's when I start shoving my favorite things in between two pieces of bread.
This sandwich combines tangy cranberry sauce, creamy brie, and peppery arugula. Turkey, because it’s November, and mustard for a little spice.
We are definitely in the season of cheese trays and this sandwich is an excellent way to use up all those annoying, tiny leftover wedges of brie.
We begin with homemade cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is one of those things that I refuse to buy. First, the flavor is simply incomparable and second, because it’s so easy that there is really no excuse for not making it yourself. Trust me, ditch the can this year. You can do it.
Pour everything - cranberries, orange zest, water, and sugar - into a saucepan and boil away until the berries have burst and the syrup is relatively thick. I like to use an immersion blender to puree the sauce because I like mine to be fairly smooth, but you could use a potato masher if you prefer a rougher sauce.
Cranberry sauce goes on one side of the bread, and mustard on the other. Next, we layer our turkey and brie. After the sandwich has been toasted on both sides, we reopen it and add the fresh arugula. This prevents the greens from getting soggy.
Taadaa!! Thanksgiving in sandwich form.
Lunch is served.
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
for the cranberry sauce
Combine cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until all the cranberries have burst and the syrup has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to roughly puree the sauce. The sauce will appear thin, cover and refrigerate until cool and thickened.
for the sandwich and assembly
Butter both sides of bread and spread a thin layer of mustard on one side and a layer of cranberry sauce on the other. Layer the cheese over the cranberry sauce and the turkey over the mustard and then press both sides of the sandwich together.
Drizzle the arugula with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry sandwich for 3-4 minutes on one side, and then flip and fry on the opposite side. The sandwich should be deep golden in color and the cheese melted. Reopen the sandwich and add arugula, close the sandwich and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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