I’ve been writing about hoagies a great deal lately. It must be something in my subconscious. Too early for a pun? I think not. In fact, my dear old father used to spend hours, alongside my Uncle Tom, spouting off pun after pun after pun.
I have since picked up the torch with my uncle and it brings nothing but joy to those in the room with us. Well, I’m assuming that eye rolling and groaning are signs of approval. Tears? Those are tears of joy. In hindsight, maybe those tears on my wife’s face have to do with the “eternal” part of our vows. An eternity of puns.
The boys in the family, now in our forties and fifties, make it a point to constantly remind others of our lineage, and when Uncle Tom gets involved, it gets ferocious. The ability to turn anything into a mundane stream of puns never eludes us as much as it may try.
Given a string of photos of toilet seats in the shapes of various guitars, there was seemingly no ending to the fun, with even our sister, Mary, jumping in to join the fun. Unfortunately, most if not all of those puns are not fit for print, just for the World Wide Web from which it will never be erased. But, at least my editors won’t zap it out.
As I sit and think about the myriad recipes I’ve done over the past few months (trying to think of something new) I realize that my blood sugar must be dropping. I fall in and out of a stupor and start getting a bit dizzy. Always one for melodrama, I realize that I’m just hungry.
Fishing through the icebox, I see the Brie cheese that I picked up at the grocery store, chortling at the fact that I went shopping when I was hungry, a bad habit. But fortune favors the brave, or hungry in this case, and I pull the Brie out and reach back for a Pink Lady apple. These are great, sweet-tart little apples that will fit the bill perfectly.
Since I stopped at the deli counter and picked up some good, dry, oven-roasted turkey. Things just click naturally. Reaching back into the icebox, I grab the Kerrygold butter and mayonnaise and get to work.
There is nothing that a good warm baguette smeared with butter, mayo and Brie won’t cure. Adding some turkey doesn’t hurt either.
A short stint in the oven yields an aroma that fills the house with the smells of the bucolic French countryside, which is always welcome in our house. My wife has travelled there, but the closest that I’ve come to France is Germany, and the food is just a touch different.
So back to the sandwich, there is not too much to talk about. I like to spread a thin layer of Kerrygold butter on the baguette. As a grass-fed butter, it is much richer and sweeter than bulk commodity butter and it adds a great layer of flavor to the dish.
With some mayonnaise on top of that, you will have a French classic that you could even wrap in foil and save for lunch later in the day. The butter and mayonnaise act as a waterproofing layer between the bread and the fruit.
Which brings me to another thought, one that has absolutely nothing to do with this article, but, hey, it will serve you well so it’s now here. I had heard of this trick from my sister-in-law and online, but I didn’t try it until a month ago, and it is fantastic. When you make your coffee in the morning, put it in a good blender with about 2 teaspoons of grass-fed butter and mix until well blended. It makes the richest, creamiest coffee I’ve ever had. But I digress.
Back to the task at hand, enjoy the sandwich and get the kids involved. Believe me, this will not be subpar work.
I have since picked up the torch with my uncle and it brings nothing but joy to those in the room with us. Well, I’m assuming that eye rolling and groaning are signs of approval. Tears? Those are tears of joy. In hindsight, maybe those tears on my wife’s face have to do with the “eternal” part of our vows. An eternity of puns.
The boys in the family, now in our forties and fifties, make it a point to constantly remind others of our lineage, and when Uncle Tom gets involved, it gets ferocious. The ability to turn anything into a mundane stream of puns never eludes us as much as it may try.
Given a string of photos of toilet seats in the shapes of various guitars, there was seemingly no ending to the fun, with even our sister, Mary, jumping in to join the fun. Unfortunately, most if not all of those puns are not fit for print, just for the World Wide Web from which it will never be erased. But, at least my editors won’t zap it out.
As I sit and think about the myriad recipes I’ve done over the past few months (trying to think of something new) I realize that my blood sugar must be dropping. I fall in and out of a stupor and start getting a bit dizzy. Always one for melodrama, I realize that I’m just hungry.
Fishing through the icebox, I see the Brie cheese that I picked up at the grocery store, chortling at the fact that I went shopping when I was hungry, a bad habit. But fortune favors the brave, or hungry in this case, and I pull the Brie out and reach back for a Pink Lady apple. These are great, sweet-tart little apples that will fit the bill perfectly.
Since I stopped at the deli counter and picked up some good, dry, oven-roasted turkey. Things just click naturally. Reaching back into the icebox, I grab the Kerrygold butter and mayonnaise and get to work.
There is nothing that a good warm baguette smeared with butter, mayo and Brie won’t cure. Adding some turkey doesn’t hurt either.
A short stint in the oven yields an aroma that fills the house with the smells of the bucolic French countryside, which is always welcome in our house. My wife has travelled there, but the closest that I’ve come to France is Germany, and the food is just a touch different.
So back to the sandwich, there is not too much to talk about. I like to spread a thin layer of Kerrygold butter on the baguette. As a grass-fed butter, it is much richer and sweeter than bulk commodity butter and it adds a great layer of flavor to the dish.
With some mayonnaise on top of that, you will have a French classic that you could even wrap in foil and save for lunch later in the day. The butter and mayonnaise act as a waterproofing layer between the bread and the fruit.
Which brings me to another thought, one that has absolutely nothing to do with this article, but, hey, it will serve you well so it’s now here. I had heard of this trick from my sister-in-law and online, but I didn’t try it until a month ago, and it is fantastic. When you make your coffee in the morning, put it in a good blender with about 2 teaspoons of grass-fed butter and mix until well blended. It makes the richest, creamiest coffee I’ve ever had. But I digress.
Back to the task at hand, enjoy the sandwich and get the kids involved. Believe me, this will not be subpar work.
Turkey-Apple-Brie Sub
Serves 3
1 full baguette
6 oz. Brie cheese
Mayonnaise, as needed
Butter, as needed
1 ea. Pink Lady apple
12 oz. Good oven-roasted deli turkey, sliced
Spinach, as needed
1. This is so simple that it can be a great project with the kids, assuming, of course, that your kids eat Brie cheese, which ours will not
2. Slice the baguette lengthwise but be careful not to cut all of the way through. You want a hinge so that you can open up the sub roll to build the hoagie
3. Spread a thin layer of butter on the inside of the roll followed by some mayonnaise
4.Spread so maple slices evenly along the entire baguette
5. Follow with some turkey
6. Place in an oven set to 400 for about 5 minutes or until the baguette starts to toast, the turkey is hot and the Brie is melted. As you can see in the picture, you can easily throw this on a piece of foil before you put it in the oven. This will make cleanup a breeze and removal from the oven very easy.
7. Remove and top with spinach
8. Close the baguette carefully and cut into three portions
2. Slice the baguette lengthwise but be careful not to cut all of the way through. You want a hinge so that you can open up the sub roll to build the hoagie
3. Spread a thin layer of butter on the inside of the roll followed by some mayonnaise
4.Spread so maple slices evenly along the entire baguette
5. Follow with some turkey
6. Place in an oven set to 400 for about 5 minutes or until the baguette starts to toast, the turkey is hot and the Brie is melted. As you can see in the picture, you can easily throw this on a piece of foil before you put it in the oven. This will make cleanup a breeze and removal from the oven very easy.
7. Remove and top with spinach
8. Close the baguette carefully and cut into three portions