Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--From Thursday Nights at Campanile: A Cookbook

By Teri Gelber, Nancy Silverton, Teri Gelber

Book Overview

When Nancy Silverton began serving sandwiches one night a week at Campanile, her and husband Mark Peel's award-winning restaurant, she envisioned a laid-back and intimate evening when she'd be able to relax, chat with customers, and have some fun devising new and creative recipes. Well, she hasn't had much time to relax: Sandwich Night became one of Campanile's busiest nights, a vastly popular weekly tradition in Los Angeles and the place to be on Thursdays. And since then, sandwiches have become the latest craze to hit the American food scene.

The reason for Sandwich Night's success is easy to understand: the sandwiches are incredible. They're gourmet meals that happen to sit on bread, the furthest thing away from the boring old sandwiches that we usually content ourselves with. Instead of PB&J or tuna salad, how about Braised Artichokes, Ricotta, and Mint Pesto with Pine-Nut Currant Relish? Or Eggplant, Seared Tuna, and Ancho ade? Or even Bacon, Avocado, and Watercress? These open-faced sandwiches are innovative dishes that taste wonderful, look beautiful, and are perfect for entertaining.

The closed-faced sandwiches are delicious new takes on well-loved standards like the Croque Monsieur, the Monte Cristo, the Reuben, and, of course, everyone's favorite, the Classic Grilled Cheese. Also included are Nancy's creative sort-of sandwiches--Fondue the Swiss Way, Snackbreads, and Skewered Mozzarella--and tea sandwiches, wonderful creations that will banish memories of limp watercress and insipid egg salad forever. As if this isn't enough, there are the mouthwatering sandwich cakes and cookies, like the Open-Faced Berry Brioche Sandwich, Chocolate Cake Club Sandwich, and Almost Oreos.

There are recipes for some truly addictive bar snacks, like Cheese Fritters and Candied Spicy Walnuts, to serve before the meal. And there are also recipes for tantalizing spreads and condiments that go well beyond the ordinary. Finally, for the cook who wants to make everything from scratch, Nancy has included recipes for different breads, from Brioche to Hot Dog Buns, based on those from her world-famous La Brea Bakery.

Written in Nancy's charming, down-to-earth style, these recipes are versatile and easy to follow. As good to look at as they are to eat, these sandwiches offer a new, creative solution to entertaining and will be a valuable addition to the home cook's repertoire. The result: Sandwich Night is sure to be a hit in your home, too.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375711147
• ISBN13: 9780375711145
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One step further in redefining my palate

I love cooking, in a real serious aficionado kind of way. A few months ago, I became obsessed with sandwiches and I bought this book . At first when I got it, I started reading it and became a little "are you out of your mind" but then decided to give it a chance. I made the Fried oyster sandwiches, the monte cristo, the remoulade sauce and bagna cauda (relatively easy recipes) and WOW, I was hooked. I guess my problem at first was that I supposed I was buying a Subway or Quizons do it at home book but was I wrong. These sandwiches are top of the notch gourmet food for a refined and balanced eating experience. Atention to detail is essential and most of the recipes require a lot of pre preparation beforehand for the final assembly (culprit to my initial drawback). The desserts are dazzling (I tried the Not Nutterbutter cookies and the Blums Crunch cake) and I hold this book now amongst my most treasured ones. If you love fine food, don't mind slaving a little for a worth while dazzling finale, buy this book, it will change your outlook on sandwiches forever.........

And the cookies are to die for!

I picked up this book because I have baked from Nancy's La Brea Bread Book before and I love her attention to detail. But what sold me was the recipe that the book fell open to: "Not Nutter Butters". When I read that this was her take on a Girl Scout Cookie that the entire family loves, I just had to check it out.The cookie was everything I hoped for and even more work than I expected. But worth every hour of it. Now onto "Almost Oreos" for the chocolate lovers in the clan.Oh, and the sandwiches....simply amazing! Nancy has done it again.

Excellent- Very classy and well put together book!

I just got this book today, and I think it is just superb. I didn't get a chance to look through it thoroughly, but I am already excited just by looking at some of the pictures. They all look so scrumptous. I am really looking forward to this one in particular with "Ham & Creamed Spinach & Leeks". I'm quite inspired by Nancy Silverston's introduction. She explains how she got so into sandwiches when she visited Italy. Just know one thing, this is not a typical sandwich book. I would describe it as high-end, gourmet, and highly likeable by all kind of book. The book is hardcovered, and it seems too pretty for me to bring in my kitchen with me. I am going to try to make at least 1 sandwich every 1-2 weekends. (I'm a busy gal) Great buy for it's price! I suggest you buy if you are interested in investing in a classy, well put together recipe book, not to mention, beautiful pictures. I just love it!!!

A new dimension for epicurean excellence

Nancy Silverton belongs to a select group of elite American artisanal bread bakers whose work makes me regret that most of this clan is located in New York or California. Even my local megamart seems to draw a blank when I ask them for brioche.I believe the quality of this book far exceeds it's ability to provide very good recipes for sandwiches.First, it will clearly arouse a greater interest in buying or even baking at home the types of high quality breads this book recommends. I'm not suggesting everyone start making Pane Toscana, but, acquiring the skill needed to make a simple country bread on a regular basis will bring with it an enormous joie de vivre. For the simplest Italian technique, see the bread making exercize in the volume `Jamie's Kitchen' by Jamie Oliver. For more elaborate results, you can start with the bread recipes in the back of this volume or in Nancy's `Bread from the La Brea Bakery'. I cite the Jamie Oliver source because Silverton makes no bones about the fact that her recipes are advanced. Simple breads can be very easy. Artisanal breads require a level of commitment to the task far beyond what is required to make cupcakes or cookies.Second, the book fills in a big hole in the epicure's repertoire. For those of us who have cultivated an interest in food to enrich our lives by avoiding at all possible the overly expensive or overly processed products of American food industries, this provides a means of enjoying all the virtues of sandwiches with the bonus of a new reason to enjoy some of the world's great cheeses and some of the garden's great greens. What is the use of coveting a wedge of Italian Fontina without a preparation in which to fully enjoy it. And, not just any preparation, but one which is reasonably quick and easy to prepare.Lunch and poker snacks need never again be devoid of character.