This pastrami gruyere sandwich took me back ages, back to the years I lived in California, when I discovered wheat thins and golden grahams cereal, I also ate pastrami for the first time. Later in life I would discover it here, though I never got into eating it.But during those two years, I travelled back and forth from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles a lot. It was a long trip, involving some fourteen hours to LA, due to stops in
Peru and Mexico, a domestic flight to San Francisco, and then a car to Palo Alto. So it’s fair to say that between leaving my house in the southern hemisphere and arriving to the one in the northern, a whole day was spent, during which I ate very little. So little that I always arrived to my final destination very, very hungry.
Peru and Mexico, a domestic flight to San Francisco, and then a car to Palo Alto. So it’s fair to say that between leaving my house in the southern hemisphere and arriving to the one in the northern, a whole day was spent, during which I ate very little. So little that I always arrived to my final destination very, very hungry.
I have a habit of not eating much on planes. It has nothing to do with the food itself, though it adds to it since it’s only good to quell the hunger, and through the years it’s getting worse. And scarce, both in amount and flavor. I just don’t like to eat on planes. Period.
So these day-long flights had me fantasizing about good food for hours. I would think a lot of eating what we here call ‘grilling sausages’, which are thin and shaped into a spiral. I don’t know why, but I always landed thinking about them, probably because of the salt.
When I’m really hungry I need salt.
Many times, before arriving to Palo Alto, we would stop at some deli or coffee shop, I don’t remember it now otherwise I would give you the name, and eat a warm pastrami and gruyere sandwich with mustard. Imagine my food-deprived-self
reaction to those first bites. Pure bliss.
reaction to those first bites. Pure bliss.
So whenever I see pastrami, I always think of this sandwich, which I tried to spruce up a bit with red wine mustard, a recipe I saw a friend of mine make on tv a few months ago. And of course I made a rye bread with caraway and cumin seeds. Both
are worth a post of their own.
But somehow they come together so well in this sandwich. I had been wanting to make a go-to rye bread for a long time now. This is good, with caraway and cumin seeds and
is a straight dough method, so you don’t need ferments, or overnight stays in the fridge. Just a regular loaf of bread with the slight tang of rye which is enhanced by buttermilk. And the seeds that impart that peculiar german quality to it.
is a straight dough method, so you don’t need ferments, or overnight stays in the fridge. Just a regular loaf of bread with the slight tang of rye which is enhanced by buttermilk. And the seeds that impart that peculiar german quality to it.
With this bread book I made the mistake of judging it by the amount of pictures inside (none) and waited ten years to finally start using it (ridiculous I know). It’s full of fantastic recipes for every bread you might want; this is just the first I share with you.
The red wine mustard is quite interesting. First of all it’s the perfect way to use some leftover red wine. I usually make cake with it, like this red wine velvet cake, but this is another great alternative. And it keeps in the fridge for a long time. Use it on cold roast beef, ham or whatever you like to put regular mustard on. You can make it smooth or chunky too.
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Ingredients
For each sandwich:
- 2 slices rye bread (recipe below)
- 5 oz. 150g pastrami
- 3.5 oz 100g gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
- 1 or 2 Tbs red wine mustard (recipe below)
For the rye bread:
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbs dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 Tbs wheat germ
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (crushed or coarsely ground)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (crushed or coarsely ground)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (at room tº)
- 2 Tbs malt syrup (or molasses)
- 1 Tbs honey
- 2 Tbs canola oil
- 1 cup bread or all purpose flour (approximately)
For the red wine mustard:
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 1 shallot
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½ green apple
- 3.5 oz 100g dijon mustard
- Salt
- 1 or 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
Instructions
For sandwich:
- Lightly toast bread in an electric oven or regular oven.
- Spread one side with red wine mustard. Top with cheese and return for a few minutes to the oven until the cheese begins to melt.
- Arrange pastrami slices on top of the other bread slice.
- Top with the cheese slice.
- Eat.
For the bread:
- Grease one 9×5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl mix yeast and water and let foam for a few minutes.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, put rye and whole wheat flours, wheat germ, buttermilk, honey, malt, oil and yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes to come together.
- Attach the dough hook and start mixing on medium low speed until a shaggy dough is formed.
- Add seeds and the bread flour, a few tablespoons at a time. Beat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic but not too stiff. If it’s too sticky add a few more tablespoons of bread flour, but don´t overdo it. It needs to retain some stickiness.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. It can take more time depending on the tº of your kitchen.
- On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough down, and then roll it tightly, pinching edges to seal.
- Place in the prepared pan, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- About 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375ºF / 190ºC.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let cool compeltely on wire rack before cutting.
For red wine mustard:
- Chop shallot and peel, core and chop apple. In a medium saucepan, mix red wine, peppercorns, shallot and apple. Let boil until the wine is almost completely reduced.
- Process together with the mustard or use an immersion blender. Or leave it very chunky.
- Add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste.
- Keep refrigerated.
Bread sligthly adapted from Bernard Clayton´s New Complete Book of Breads
Mustard recipe from Roberto Petersen
I can only imagine that this was the best sandwich ever! I love Palo Alto – there is a wonderful chocolatier there! It is one of my favorite places that my work takes me!
Paula, you made mustard too…only this time it has red wine…and you baked your own bread…quite an "ambitious" sandwich I must say. Gruyère is wonderful, of course, but we do not really get pastrami around here at all. What a Monday treat!
Love homemade bread! That sandwich looks incredible. The back story behind it is great too!
I'm salivating over your sandwich! Yum!
I’m sitting here looking at that sandwich and wishing I could reach through the computer! Not only do I love your beautiful bread, but RED WINE MUSTARD sounds amazing!! I will be making that!
First of all – YES! That is a fantastic book…I have it and dream of baking so many of the breads inside. This sandwich looks insanely delicious with that melty gruyere and the mustard…oh yes, my mouth is watering!
I am afraid I'm not a rye bread person but that mustard sounds intriguing. May have to add it to my mustard collection!
your homemade rye looks delicious, paula. i can imagien it with a good wedge of cold creamy butter.
and i shall pass your red wine mustard recipe on to my mother – she is the condiment maker in our family!
My goodness, Paula!!! You made your own bread, AND your own mustard!!! You. Are. Amazing!!! Rye, with seeds, is one of my favorite breads that carries such wonderful memories from childhood, weird, with my Italian heritage…so I really love rye! Great post!
I rarely have pastrami, either, but I love it! This looks like a healthier option to a corn beef sandwich…at least in my book! YUM!
This is just weird – I told Keith yesterday that I was craving a Reuben. Guess how many Reubens I've had, ever. Zero. Just the flavor combination sounds so good. This seems Reubenesque, but better. It's a sign! 🙂 Definitely trying this sandwich…
I will have to try your red wine mustard. It sounds fabulous.
Oh yes please!!!
Mary x
OMY I love pastrami and this look awesome!!
awesome, youve made it from scratch
Wow that red wine mustard sounds fantastic! What a sandwich 🙂
My husband would adore the red wine mustard with pastrami! He worked in Palo Alto for six years, commuting four days a week from Salinas where we live. I'm happy to say those days are over. But that trip pales in comparison from your journey!
Paula,
I love everything about this sandwich! And you made this rye bread yum! I will have to try this red wine mustard. . it sounds so intriguing! Although, we never seem to have leftover wine. 😛
And re: planes, I am the opposite. I have to eat and watch a movie or something but I know what you mean. It can get messy and then you have to get up and squeeze into the tiny lavatory!
Best pastrami sandwich I've ever seen. Hands down.