Loathsome Luncheon - The Classic Limburger Sandwich

I released the proverbial feline from the confines of my satchel the other day, in my post on Macaroni with Cauliflower & Taleggio, when I mentioned that I loved cheese with some stank to it.  I was not kidding.  So, I am coming clean about one of my food consumption habits of questionable social acceptance.

I love Limburger Cheese.  I don't get it very often, cause it's difficult to find, so when I DO find it, I relish every last slice.  And no, I don't wear a clothespin on my nose when I eat it.   ;) 

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Limburger use to be extremely popular around the turn of the century.... The other century, not the recent one. (which is technically the turn of the millennium)  My great-grandpa Wes use to eat it at the Round House in The Dalles all the time.  It was so popular back in the 20's that there were multiple manufacturers in the United States producing upwards of 10 million pounds every year; and they could barely keep up with the demand.  Sadly, only the Chalet Co-Op of Monroe Wisconsin remains.  Though they still make over 800,000 lbs of the stuff every year. So somebody, other than myself, is out there eating it too.

First made by Trappist monks in the historical Duchy of Limburg, which now days constitutes parts of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, it's name is actually derived from the town of Limburg where is was sold.  This washed rind cheese, similar to real Muenster (American versions are much more mild in flavor) or Appenzeller, enjoys extreme popularity in Germany to this day.  After the curd is formed, it is salted and placed out on pine boards in the aging room.

(Image courtesy of Farm to Table Wisconsin)

Then it is washed down with a bacterial solution of brevibacterium linens. (which is also used in making Raclette, Muenster and Port-du-Salut)  This goes to work on the cheese curd, turning it from a crumbly acidic chunk of something similar to feta, into a soft creamy unctuous block of deliciousness.  Sure is smells.  The bacteria used are the same ones that live on the human body and are partially responsible for body odor, but once you move past the smell, (which really isn't THAT bad) the flavor is so unbelievably mild that it's amazing.

Now I will warn you, that after the cheese reaches 6 months of age, it's a little to pungent for me as well.  My favorite age is between 4 and 5 months.  If you have an issue with the smell, you can greatly reduce the aroma by cutting off the rind as soon as you bring it home, and disposing of it in your outside garbage can.  Then you should be able to simply keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Me?  I like the rind, so I do what my Great-Grandma Ruby would have done.

Once I have opened the wrapper, and released the dogs of war, I simply place it in a sealed Mason jar to contain it's odoriferousness and prevent my refrigerator from smelling like the Chalet Co-Op's aging room. 

So how do I eat my Limburger?  I prefer the classic way.  Besides, it gives me an excuse to imbibe a good German Dopplebock.  :)

Classic Limburger Sandwich

Dark Rye Bread
Spicy Brown Mustard
Sweet Onion (be it Maui, Mayan, Vidalia or Walla Walla)
Chalet Limburger Cheese
German DoppleBock

Lay out your slices of Dark Rye Bread (you can use a lighter Rye, but "Dark" Rye or Pumpernickel are the best) and spread with Spicy Brown Mustard.

Lay out slices of Sweet Onion on one side.

Slice the Limburger, as best you can, cause it can be REALLY soft, and lay them on the other side.

Bring both pieces of bread together and there you have it.

The Sweet Onion, spicy Mustard and Limburger on hearty dark bread just play so unbelievably well together.

But they are topped off by a nice dark German beer such as a Dopplebock.

MMMMMMMMMM!

If you will please excuse me, I must return to my Corrupt Canape, my Repugnant Repast, my Fetid Fodder, this most Malodorous of Meals....  Heaven on bread! 

Mangia!!
~~

Public Service Announcement From "Processed Cheese Free America"

This is Cheddar......


This is Cheddar on Sourdough.....


Any Questions?

I mentioned this, back on my "Lets Talk A Little Turkey" post. So it is time to visit that tried and true sandwich loved by so many.... Yeah Baby! I'm talkin' 'bout Grilled Cheese. My particularly favorite grilled cheese sandwich involves Sharp Cheddar cheese, which, while not quite as smooth when melted as say oh, "American Cheese" or even Mild Cheddar, gives you that punch of flavor as only good sharp cheddar can.

There are 4 things, in my opinion, that can take a Grilled Cheese to a whole new level:

• Sourdough Bread
• Prepared Horseradish
• REALLY Soft, slightly melted Butter
• Raw Cast Iron

There is just something special about grilling a sandwich in raw cast iron pan that cannot compare to any other form of cookware. Even enameled cast iron doesn't do the job as well. I think it has to do with the seasoning on the pan itself. Even a well seasoned cast iron pan is pitted. I think it facilitates better browning.

Awesome Grilled Cheese

Begin heating a Cast Iron Pan over medium flame, with a little pat of butter to season it before hand and to let you know when it's ready for your sandwich (when it foams, you know the skillet is ready)

OK, Brush both pieces of Sourdough with melted butter.

Spread with Horseradish on both pieces, I am pretty sure I use about 2 tsp (it might be a Tablespoon)

Lay down the cheese...

Press the two halves together, and brush the top facing slice with more melted butter.

Lay into the hot pan, buttered side down and brush the facing sourdough with the butter.

After about 1 1/2 -2 minutes, flip the sandwich over.

Grill for another 1 1/2 minutes.

Slice in half on a slight diagonal and serve warm... With Tomato soup... mmm Comfort Food!!!

Horseradish is an excellent accompaniment to the sharp cheddar, it goes even better with extra sharp. For a little extra zing - I sometimes mix the horseradish with a little Brown Mustard. So how do you like YOUR grilled Cheese??

Mangia!!
~~

The Pursuit of Happiness - Perfecting the Reuben

Food Origin: The Reuben Sandwich… this is going to be long.
Debate continues as to the origin of this sandwich. Some swear it was 1916 when Arnold Reuben, owner of Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York served the first Reuben. Others swear it was Reuben Kulakofsky of the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha Nebraska circa 1925. Still others claim it was Fern Snider of the Rose Bowl Restaurant, still in Omaha, in the 1956 National Sandwich Contest. Well, after a lot of reading and digging I have deduced, with my keen senses, the true origin of the Reuben sandwich.

It was Colonel Mustard in the Billiard room with a Candlestick.

Regardless of the WHO, the WHERE, or the WHEN, the Reuben is one of the quintessential sandwiches. This is noticeable by the fact that you can refer to it as “A Reuben” and people know you are talking about a sandwich and not the guy next door. All GREAT sandwiches have experienced this phenomenon, a Monte Cristo, a Grilled Cheese, a Muffaletta, and a BLT, just to name a few. Yes, like all these, the Reuben has taken the world by storm and can be found everywhere. Now that is not to say that all Reubens on the menus of the world are *good* Reubens, just that they exist. But truly great Reubens can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places. After all, one of the best Reubens I have had in my life came from a little “Chinese” deli in Riverside, California. Go figure.

There is yet another mystery regarding the famed Reuben… The Dressing… I was raised with Mayonnaise gracing my rye bread. Thousand Island, which seems to be the accepted norm now days, was not allowed in the house for my mother abhorred all things with hidden sugar, and let’s face it, Thousand Island dressing might as well be dessert it is so sweet. In my research, however, I discovered that the original Reuben was made with Russian dressing…

This presents its own set of issues…. There is NO single recipe for the elusive Russian dressing, from which Thousand Island was derived. Oh yes, there are recipes claiming to be original but they range from Mayonnaise based to Yogurt based to Oil based and back again, containing everything from caviar to chopped boiled eggs and yes, even sweet pickle relish and ketchup. (Thus, the connection of Thousand Island dressing is made.) One thing was abundantly clear though; Russian dressing is spicier than Thousand Island, since it contains Chili sauce or Cayenne pepper, an ingredient that was a standard in almost all the recipes I found.

It was at this point, however, that I realized that I was not going to really be able to produce a Traditional Reuben sandwich at home, since no one seems to know what one *really* is. So I have resigned myself to producing what I THINK is as close as I can get in the modern age…

I decided to tackle this by concentrating first, on the individual ingredients.

Corned Beef...
This year I was privy to the idea of steaming instead of crock-potting it. I decided to experiment after a little internet browsing through the LA times.

Simply place water and the spice packet, if you have one, in the bottom pot. (I used my wok, cause it has this nifty steamer grate… THANKS DAD!!! My dad is the guru of kitchen gadgetry)

Line the steamer basket with cabbage leaves (I use a Napa cabbage)

Place the meat on top with the fat facing up.

Cover and Steam for 50 minutes per lb.

Remove and slice after cooling slightly…. YUM!!!

I snitched some… Tender, Juicy and delicious!!!!!

Ok, the Corned Beef completed!!

Now, Dressing...I had purchased Annie’s Organic Thousand Island dressing as a base… Why? There were four reasons:

• It contains no High fructose Corn Syrup like all the others (It’s sweetened with good old fashioned sugar)

• It is based on Yogurt instead of Mayo or just oil, which I feel more closely resembles the Russian Salad dressing.


• Well… It’s organic, which always makes me feel better, since none of the other stuff is.


• Finally, it was on sale and actually cheaper than Wishbone, Kraft, Girards or Ken’s Steak house.

So, to my Thousand Island I added some Cayenne pepper (I resisted using Chipotle powder)
Dressing designed……

Cheese...

OK, Swiss is the cheese. There is no doubt about that. But I was being stubborn, if I was going use Swiss cheese, I wanted SWISS cheese… Thus I needed Emmental… The Original, that most U.S. Swiss, as well as the Norwegian Jarlsburg are modeled after.

Cheese chosen.....

Saurkraut….

Being of German, Dane, and Swiss descent; or DaSwiGerm, if you will (The 'w' is pronounced like a 'v'). I know my Kraut… Whether it be Zuurkool, Surkal or Kapusta (which is actually Polish). The point is that I love Sauerkraut; mixed in mashed potatoes, served over knockwurst/bratwurst, eaten directly from the jar with a fork, or on my Reuben. Love it!!! But I am picky…

A little about kraut… Sauerkraut is cabbage that has been lacto-fermented. The same way as cold process pickled cucumbers (Barrel Pickles). This process is performed in 3 phases utilizing the beneficial bacterial beasties (they are small) already contained in the cabbage leaf, lactobacillus being one of them. This family of beneficial bacteria is responsible for producing buttermilk, Sour Cream, Creme Fraiche, Yogurt and changing the 'pH' of most Cheeses. Thusly, sauerkraut should really only contain the following:

Cabbage, Water, and Salt, maybe with caraway seeds and a little sugar for those Bavarians out there.

My choice is usually Bubbies because is contains only those three ingredients.

Sodium Bisulfate, Sodium Benzoate and High Fructose Corn Syrup have no business in sauerkraut. For all the touted health benefits of sauerkraut, I would think the presence of artificial preservatives and HFCS would pretty much cancel those out.

Sauerkraut Selected……..

Bread…
Kimmel Rye bread made with Caraway seeds… This is where I deviated a little, I love Sour Dough, and I found a Sour Dough Rye with Kimmel (Caraway Seeds) so I was good to go!!!

Bread bought....

That's everything... WHEW!! Finally, on with the Sandwich…….

The Reuben

2 sliced Sour Kimmel Rye Bread

Unsalted Butter

Thousand Island Dressing (with added Cayenne) or Russian (if you can find it)

Emmental

Sauerkraut

Corned Beef

2 Skillets (sorry but your gonna need 2)

Sandwich knife (or a bread knife and a butter knife)

Let us begin….

Butter the bread slices on both sides and lay on a little waxed paper.

Slice your cheese fairly thin.

Portion out your Sauerkraut if making more than one sandwich. (this is heat and eat, no waiting)

Heat up both skillets. Please DO NOT use Raw Cast Iron for the corned beef and kraut, it will react and taste funny. I do, however, like to use cast iron for the bread and cheese.

Begin grilling or pan searing the bread in one skillet while heating the corned beef in the other.

When the beef is just about heated through move it to the edges of the skillet and add the kraut in the middle. (My skillet was too small so I removed it and tented it to keep it warm)

Flip your Bread and add cheese to 1 slice, then cover to foster melting.

Heat sauerkraut thoroughly, this will steam off some of the excess juices and dry it out a little so your bread will not become soggy half way through your sandwich.

Remove bread from skillet and apply dressing to the un-cheesed side.

Lay Sauerkraut on the cheese covered slice.

Lay down the Corned Beef next,

then the dressed slice of bread on top.

Press down lightly and slice with your knife on the bias…
Move to a plate and serve immediately with a chilled Harp or Guinness….

Mmmmmmm..... Happiness IS a well made Reuben.... and a Cold beer.
Yeah, the final pictures weren't great, but after smelling this thing cooking, I could not wait, so I only took two in hopes that they would come out, then I began eating with great exhuberance...

Mangia!!!
.

"Gyro my Hero!!", said the Po' Boy

See, I told you. Just wait until tomorrow's "lamè de résistance" title.

The Gyro was my first "Greek Cuisina" experience, without even knowing it. Gyro makers abound in malls with their slowly turning spindles of pressed and formed meat, thinly shaved and served on flat bread with copious amounts of Tzatziki, Red Onion, Tomato and Feta.

The first time I had one, I was in smitten, and had no idea what culinary course my love of the Gyro would eventually take me on. But in all honesty, what is available in the Mega-Malls and/or "Shopping Towns", across America, is a mere penumbral shadow of what can be achieved by the home cook. (most of them are only 20% lamb)

Take it from me, the only thing better than a homemade Gyro is 2 homemade Gyros; and a stomach big enough to hold both of them, of course. It really is surprisingly simple to make a great gyro at home.

There are mixes available in the store, but most of these contain fillers, at which point you are really making a Greek meatloaf. I urge you to try this at home, it is actually very simple, throw everything in to the food processor, bake and press. Granted, gyro meat is base on the "doner kebab" of Turkey and requires roasting on a vertical spit, but this is the next best thing, and it still tastes better than the Mega-Mall. I read a blog where a guy built a vertical spit, but I wont be trying that until spring or summer...

The process I am currently using is "a la Alton Brown". I use to form a tube, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and and chill, then spit on my Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie... But my motor burnt out. It was a DARK day.... So I took my queue from Alton and now press with a couple of bricks to get the proper density to the meat.

Before I slip into my actual recipe, I would like to talk about meat. I already mentioned that most commercially produced Gyro meat is 80% beef or even more. Personally, I think the best combination is Goat and Lamb in equal parts. The Cheven (goat) meat has more body and gives you a firm toothiness while the lamb lends a tender velvety mouth feel from the lanolin in the fat. Seriously, it's THAT good... But since I don't know anyone raising cheven in Southern California, I have used beef here, as I usually end up doing. True, you can use all lamb, but I find that to be a little TOO velvety.

OK, I am done babbling at you now.

Gyros

1 Red onion; Chopped
1 lb ground Lamb
1 lb ground Beef (85/15)

2 TB Garlic; finely Minced
3 TB Fresh Oregano or Marjoram; Chopped (1TB Dried)
3 TB Fresh Thyme; Light Chopped (1 TB Dried)
2 TB Fresh Mint; Chopped (2 tsp Dried)
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 TB Fresh Dill Weed; Chopped (2 tsp Dried)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Mace
1/8 tsp Clove
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Serving:

Plain Pita
Tzatziti
Red Onion; sliced
Tomatoes; sliced

Greek Feta (Usually made with Sheep or Goat Milk; Not Cow milk)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor with the blade attachment, process onion until fine, move to a tea towel or cheese cloth, gather the ends and squeeze out as much onion juice as possible.

Then return the onion to the processor,

along with the Lamb, Beef, garlic, marjoram, thyme, mint, lemon zest, dill weed, cinnamon, mace, clove, salt and pepper. (Basically everything)

Process this into a kind of paste.

Press the mixture into a loaf pan with wet fingers .

Bake in a water bath for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. (Temp should be about 170 degrees).

Prepare your weight... Take to heavy bricks and wrap in foil.

When Gyro loaf reaches 170 degrees, remove from the oven and pour off any residual liquid fat.
Place pan on a stable surface and cover the surface with a double layer of foil,

then place your brick or cast iron bacon press with pantry cans placed on to compress the meat while it rests for about 20 minutes (The internal temp should climb to about 175).

Remove weight, turn out the meat “loaf” onto a cutting board, slice thinly,

Brown lightly in a skillet over medium heat with just a little olive oil for a little extra crispiness.

Then combine with tzatziki, tomato, red onion, and feta on plain pita (not pocket pita).

Mangia!!
~~