The Heat’s on Sandwiches

Hot sandwiches, once the province of the coffee shop, diner and luncheonette, are becoming so stylish that they have made the leap onto serious menus. With our increasing interest in casual dining, this was bound to happen.

Still, who would have predicted the enormous popularity of Anne Rosenzweig’s chimney-smoked lobster club sandwich at her elegant Arcadia in New York? One of the greats of the sandwich world, it has been served since opening day. Wood-smoked bacon, juicy tomato slices, house-made mayonnaise, tender young greens and sweet chunks of lobster are served between slices of fresh-baked, grilled brioche. How could it miss?

But a sandwich doesn’t need to be luxurious--all it needs are good ingredients in the right combinations. And if the sandwich is warm, the ingredients can be simple and the bread a little less than fresh.

The warm sandwiches that follow show how simple these compositions can be. The Albuquerque Open is a combination of cream cheese, avocado and salsa, layered on a bagel, gently heated in the microwave oven until soft and warm. The Grilled Vegetable Sandwich With Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil shows how good a warm sandwich can be without any cheese or meat. And finally, the classic Croque Monsieur, the French version of grilled ham and cheese, is slightly updated with honey mustard.

It’s hard to say why this sandwich tastes so good, lacking the cheese that usually makes a grilled vegetable sandwich work. The sauteed sweet onion and roasted red pepper together with the black olive mayonnaise seem to be a perfect foil for the fresh basil leaves. The fresh basil must be tucked into the sandwich after it is grilled; otherwise, the basil looses its punch. Serve with herbed potato salad and fresh, tiny green beans tossed in a mustard vinaigrette. A chilled light red wine would make this meal perfect.

GRILLED VEGETABLE SANDWICH WITH FRESH BASIL LEAVES

2 tablespoons minced Kalamata olives (or Olivado spread, commercially available black olive paste)

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil

1 large sweet onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large sweet red pepper

6 slices whole-wheat bread

2 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Coarsely cracked pepper

1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed

Combine olives and mayonnaise in small dish. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion with salt until just tender, about 6 minutes, stirring often.

Stand red pepper on board and slice 1 side vertically. Place whole red pepper flat, skin side up, on foil-lined pan. Broil 6 inches from heat until skin is blackened. Wrap in foil until cool enough to handle. Slip off skins.

Spread mayonnaise evenly over 6 slices bread. On 3 slices, place pepper, onion and tomato slices, dividing evenly. Gently press to compact layers. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Close sandwich, mayonnaise side down.

Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Arrange sandwiches in single layer and lightly compress. Cook, covered, until browned on underside, about 4 minutes. Turn, and cook, uncovered, until well browned, about 4 minutes more. Place on serving plates.

Open sandwiches and arrange basil leaves over tomato slices. Close sandwiches, cut in half diagonally with serrated knife. Serve warm. Makes 3 sandwiches.

Here, green onions and cream cheese, sliced avocado and salsa are layered onto a toasted bagel and microwaved until just warmed through and soft. The garnish of cilantro gives this open-face sandwich a final zip. Serve with a salad of julienned carrots and sliced green onions tossed in a sweet, spicy vinaigrette. Chilled light beer is a good beverage choice.

ALBUQUERQUE OPEN

1/4 cup light cream cheese

4 small green onions, thinly sliced

Red pepper flakes

2 plain bagels, cut in halves and lightly toasted

1/2 firm-ripe avocado, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons salsa

Cilantro leaves

Combine cream cheese, green onions and red pepper flakes. Spread on toasted bagels, dividing evenly. Arrange thinly sliced avocado in single layer on each. Put 1/2 tablespoon salsa on each, spreading over avocado.

Place bagels in single layer on microwaveable plate. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM power until just warmed through but not hot and steamy, about 30 to 40 seconds. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve warm. Makes 2 sandwiches.

The more familiar version of Croque Monsieur includes dipping the bread in an egg mixture and sauteeing the sandwich in butter once it is assembled. However, the French also make it with plain, buttered bread. Whether-egg dipped or not, it’s always a thin sandwich with a good Swiss-type cheese, preferably Gruyere, and high-quality ham, both thinly sliced. Firm, fine-textured white bread with the crusts removed is the traditional choice, but thinly sliced rye bread would also work well. Serve it with a sauerkraut relish or coleslaw and sliced tomatoes, lightly dressed in a vinaigrette. Chilled beer or light red wine would both be excellent choices. Cut into quarters, the sandwich makes delicious hors d’oeuvres.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

Salt, pepper

2 teaspoons honey mustard or Dijon-style mustard

4 thin slices firm-textured bread, crusts removed

4 thin slices each: Swiss cheese, smoked ham, all cut to fit bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine

Combine egg, water and salt and pepper to taste in shallow pie plate. Use fork to mix until frothy.

Spread thin layer mustard on 1 side of each bread slice. Place wax paper on work surface. Dip bread quickly, 1 at time, in egg mixture and place on wax paper. On 2 slices, mustard side up, layer 1 slice cheese, 2 ham slices, 1 cheese slice in that order on each. Close sandwich, mustard side down. Gently compact sandwich.

Heat butter in 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add sandwiches. Cook until well browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting into diagonals or quarters. Serve warm. Makes 2 sandwiches.