Special Club Sandwich Recipes

LORRAINE'S CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• Place bacon in a heavy skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Spread each slice of bread with mayonnaise. On one slice of toast, place the turkey and lettuce. Cover with a slice of toast, then the bacon and tomato. Top with last slice of toast.

CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread mayonnaise on one side of a piece of toast; add layer of American cheese, ham, two slices of tomato, two leaves of lettuce, and two pieces of bacon.
• Spread mayonnaise on second piece of toast and place on top, mayo side down.
• Spread mayonnaise on top of that second piece of toast.
• Layer Monterey Jack cheese, the rest of the tomatoes, lettuce, turkey and bacon on top.
• Spread mayonnaise on third piece of toast and place on the stack mayo side down.
• Slice the sandwich in quarters diagonally.
• Skewers or long toothpicks may be used to hold all the layers together.

HOW TO MAKE A CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• Fry 2-3 slices of bacon until they're crisp. Add bacon to a cold, flat-bottomed skillet and heat it slowly on low-medium heat, turning the bacon frequently. Fry the bacon until it's crisp and foamy. Blot the bacon with a paper towel to remove the grease, then set it aside until you're ready to assemble the sandwich. If you'd prefer, you can also use pre-cooked or microwavable bacon for a quick alternative. Turkey or soy bacon are lower-fat alternatives. Be careful when you're frying the bacon, since the grease can splatter and burn you! Use a good pair of tongs to help you turn it safely.
• Toast 3 slices of white sandwich bread. Club sandwiches are usually made from plain white sandwich bread, toasted until it gets crisp. To make a traditional double-decker club sandwich like the kind you'd get at your favorite diner, toast 3 bread slices so you can place 1 in the middle of the sandwich. Or, if you prefer a simpler single-layer sandwich, use 2 slices instead. If you want to cut the calories of this sandwich down, eliminating the middle slice of bread is a good way to do it. It'll still taste great! Lay the slices of bread out in a row on a clean surface when you're done toasting them.
• Spread mayonnaise on 1 slice of bread. Use a table knife to spread a thin layer of mayonnaise onto 1 side of the bottom piece of toast, to taste. The mayo helps to keep the sandwich moist, but if you don't like it, or don't want the extra calories, it's perfectly fine to leave it off. Some recipes also call for a layer of butter on both sides of each slice of toast, which will make your sandwich even more rich and moist.
• Layer on the sliced chicken or turkey. On top of the bottom slice of bread, add a few pieces of thinly sliced poultry. Chicken is the traditional choice, but turkey is also commonly used. Use deli meat, or slice up your own freshly roasted chicken or turkey breast if you want a thicker sandwich. The meat on a club sandwich is almost always cold. If you want to roast your own chicken or turkey for a club, all the better, but let it cool to at least room temperature before making the sandwich.
• Top off the first layer with some lettuce and tomato. Add 1-2 leaves of crisp iceberg lettuce, and 1 or 2 slices of fresh tomato. If you don't have iceberg, romaine, bibb, or other crisp lettuce varieties work perfectly fine. Spinach and other greens are also great substitutions, but iceberg lettuce is most traditional on a club. If you like, season your ingredients with a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.
• Add another slice of bread and mayo. You're halfway there! To start the second layer, you can add another slice of toasted bread, with mayo on both sides, if you're feeling indulgent. If not, feel free to hold the mayo, or leave the middle slice off entirely. If you choose not to add the middle layer of bread, add mayo to just 1 side of your second piece of toast. Put the bacon on the sandwich, top it off with the second bread slice, and you're done.
• Place the bacon on the second layer of bread. Start the second layer of the sandwich by laying the 2-3 pieces of cooked bacon on the top of the center piece of bread. You can break up the pieces if they're a little too big for the sandwich. Alternatively, you can also put bacon on the bottom layer.
• Add another layer of chicken or turkey, tomato, and lettuce. On top of your bacon, complete the second layer of the sandwich. Start with chicken or turkey, then put the lettuce and tomato on top. Go a bit easier on the second layer, so the sandwich doesn't become top-heavy.
• Top the sandwich with the final piece of toasted bread. When you've got your tower built up, top it all off with another slice of bread, pressing down slightly to get the sandwich under control. If you want, you can add mayo to the top slice before stacking it on.
• Cut the sandwich along both diagonals. Now comes the fun part. One of the most famous features of the club sandwich is the way it's cut. Use diagonal slices to make those classic little triangles and show off all the good stuff inside! To start, cut your sandwich from corner to corner, across one diagonal, and then again across the opposite diagonal, cutting it into 4 triangle-shaped slices. Use a sharp chef's knife for the best results. If you made a classic double-decker, you've got a lot of sandwich layers to cut through. Some people like to cut the crusts off before slicing the sandwich along both diagonals, so the sandwich slices are perfect triangles. Push a frilly toothpick down through the middle of each piece of the sandwich to help hold the sections together.
• Serve your sandwich with chips or fries in the middle of the plate. Arrange the sandwich sections on the plate, spread out slightly with a gap in the middle, which you can fill with your side. French fries and potato chips are probably most common, but you could also pair a club with potato salad, coleslaw, or a green side salad, and a pickle spear. For a warm and soothing side, add a cup of chicken noodle or tomato soup. You can even dip your sandwich in it!

THE CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, arrowroot, sage, salt, thyme, pepper, and baking powder in a large bowl to blend. Whisk in the soy milk to form a smooth thin batter. Cut the Seitan Dough into 4-inch squares that are 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick. Dip the seitan squares into the batter to coat completely, then dip into the panko crumbs to coat. Arrange the coated seitan squares on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Heat 1/2-inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the coated seitan squares and fry for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until heated through, crisp and golden brown. Using a metal spatula, transfer the seitan squares to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
• Spread the veganaise over 1 side of each slice of toasted bread. Top 6 toasted bread slices with the fried seitan, bacon, avocado, tomato, and lettuce. Top each with a second slice of toasted bread, veganaise side down. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
• Stir the gluten flour, garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Puree the beans, 1/2 cup canola oil, tamari, and sauteed onion mixture in a blender until smooth, adding some of the water to create a smooth and creamy consistency. Whisk the bean puree and the remaining water in another large bowl to blend. Quickly stir the bean mixture into the flour mixture until a very wet dough forms. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Place the pan of Seitan Dough in a larger roasting pan. Add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan of seitan. Bake for 2 hours, adding more water to the roasting pan if necessary, or until the seitan is firm on top. Cool the seitan to room temperature. Quarter the seitan into 4 equal (1-pound each) squares.
• The seitan will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated. Wrap the seitan squares separately in plastic wrap, then enclose them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze them up to 1 week, if desired.
• Mix the maple crystals and salt on a large plate. Dip the tempeh into water, then into the maple mixture, turning to coat both sides evenly. Wrap the tempeh pieces with plastic wrap and place them on a small baking sheet (such as one used for a toaster oven). Place a small baking dish atop the tempeh. Weigh the baking dish down with about 3 pounds of weight, such as with 2 (28-ounce) cans of tomatoes. Refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Prepare a stovetop smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Smoke the tempeh over medium heat for 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Cool the tempeh. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Lightly coat the foil with 2 teaspoons of oil. Using a very sharp large knife, cut the tempeh lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips. Arrange the tempeh strips in a single layer over the prepared baking sheets. Brush 2 teaspoons of oil over the tempeh strips. Bake the tempeh strips for 20 minutes, turning the strips after 10 minutes and brushing them with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, or until they are crisp and golden brown.
• The tempeh bacon will keep for 1 week. Cool it to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container at room temperature.

CLASSIC CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• Toast the bread in a toaster, or under a broiler on both sides. Cut the lettuce leaves in half crosswise and form into 8 neat stacks.
• To make a double-decker club: On a clean work surface, arrange 3 bread slices in a row. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise over 1 side of each bread slice. Place a lettuce stack on top of the first bread slice, top with 2 tomato slices, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place 2 slices bacon over the tomatoes (broken to fit neatly if necessary) and top with 1/8 of the turkey (without letting any hang over the sides). Season the turkey with salt and pepper, to taste. Repeat with the second bread slice. Carefully place the second layered bread slice on top of the first layered bread, turkey side-up. Cover with the third bread slice, mayonnaise side-down.
• Pin the sandwich's layers together by piercing them with 4 frill picks or cocktail swords through the top bread slice, in 4 places in a diamond-like pattern, all the way to the bottom bread slice. Repeat entire process with the remaining ingredients to form 3 more sandwiches.
• Using a serrated knife cut each sandwich, diagonally, into 4 triangular pieces (each piece should be secured in the center with a pick or sword). Serve with potato chips and pickles.

SPECIAL CLUB SANDWICH

Steps:

• For each sandwich, spread 3 toast slices with dressing.
• Cover 1 toast slice with cheddar cheese, chicken, lettuce and second toast slice.
• Top with swiss cheese, tomato, bacon and third toast slice.
• Cut into quarters, secure with toothpicks.