My Son's Favorite Brisket Sandwich

My son gets so excited when we have leftover brisket. He loves bringing home lunch to school and his current favorite is Grilled Brisket-Muenster Cheese Sandwich made with thickly cut brisket, pan-fried until the sides are crispy.   I like brisket with steamed jasmine rice but he prefers crispy, shredded brisket in a sandwich. This Grilled Brisket-Muenster Cheese Sandwich sticks to your sides.  It's spicy, hot and flavor-packed....Brisket + Siracha (a hot, red pepper sauce) + Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce makes a great combination.  We've been using Bulls-Eye Barbecue Sauce ever since our dear friend, Gary M, slathered Bull's-Eye on grilled burgers when they invited us for a barbie at their condo in Branson, MO three years ago!

Did you know?

Although brisket is a tough cut of meat, it has lots of connective tissue that gelatinizes and moistens the muscle fibers rendering the meat very tender when slow-cooked in a smoker, oven or braised a crock pot. It is a great cut not just for barbecue, pastrami and corned beef  but also for Korean and Chinese braised dishes and making beef bacon. How do you cook your brisket? How do you serve leftovers?  

Grilled Brisket-Muenster Cheese Sandwich

brisket slices (pan-fried then shredded)
honey whole wheat bread
Siracha sauce
Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
Muenster cheese
mayonnaise
lettuce
Assemble the sandwich. Use butter or spray canola oil on the surface of a cast iron pan and grill the sandwich till golden brown on both sides. Enjoy!


                                

Amazing Chevre Crostini

I was at Food Pyramid yesterday and espied a variety of goat cheeses.   I settled for Ile de France’s Le Chèvre. This cheese is made from the rich milk of grass-fed goats grazing in the Rhône Alps. It rated highest in overall quality in the 2008 ChefBest Awards for its texture, flavor intensity and aroma.  Its natural sour, salty and sweet notes make it wonderfully unique.

I enjoyed it in pasta and mixed greens salad but it is fantastic too as an appetizer.  With such a superior ingredient, I asked myself--what is the best way to use it? My principle has always been: simple is best --enhance it...don't mask or overwhelm the flavour.  I decided to make Ile de France’s Le Chèvre the star!  My Chevre Crostini has three basic ingredients: Ile de France® Le Chèvre, Thai basil leaves and smoked paprika oil.  Chevre Crostini is one of the deceptively simple but very delectable appetizers I’ve made--- the flavor combination is amazing!!

Ingredients:

4 baguette slices or 2 slices honey whole wheat bread, cut into 4 pieces
Ile de France® Le Chèvre
a sprig of Thai basil, finely slivered
smoked Spanish paprika oil*

Lightly brush the baguette slices or wheat bread with oil and lightly toast them on a hot grill pan for a minute on both sides.  Spread goat cheese on each toast.  Add finely slivered Thai basil (this imparts a delicious licorice note) and drizzle with smoke Spanish paprika oil.  Serve and enjoy these goat cheese crostini!


*Smoked paprika oil is made by heating 1/2 c canola oil in a pot, adding smoked Spanish paprika to it and turning off the heat so the paprika does not burn. It is important to use the best quality Spanish paprika you can get.  The one I used is the best paprika there is!!!  It’s from The Spice House, a mom and pop Chicago operation by Tom and Patty Erd.