The art of the sandwich: stuffed with style and substance, these creative combinations are the ultimate "square meals".

A Southerner seldom turns down a good sandwich. Whether our favorite filling is summer tomatoes sprinkled with garden-fresh basil, hearty ham and cheese, or chicken salad, we know it will be flavorful and satisfying. The easy snack is so entrenched in our lifestyle that we cannot imagine doing without it. And with so many elegant and exotic bread and filling options now available, the sandwich has been practically elevated to art.

The custom of sustaining oneself with bread and a tasty filling had a colorful beginning. In 18th-century London, it was stylish for men of a high social class to meet at private clubs to talk politics, enjoy excellent food, and engage in gaming.

Some clubs were more exclusive than others, but London's Beef Steak Club at the Shakespeare Tavern was considered the most elite of all. The Prince of Wales himself was included on its membership list.

Another distinguished member was John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who was First Lord of the Admiralty and patron of Captain James Cook. According to Linda Stradley in her book I'll Have What They're Having: Legendary Local Cuisine, the Earl was an enthusiastic card player who disliked being interrupted for any reason, including meals. He solved the problem by asking his valet to bring him a piece of salt beef between two slices of bread. Other club members followed his lead by ordering "the same as Sandwich," and the quick snack became a favorite of patrons.

The popularity of sandwiches spread to the United States in 1840, when Elizabeth Leslie gave instructions for making a ham sandwich in her cookbook Directions for Cookery. The easy meal became so well known in America during the 1900s that bakeries began making pre-sliced sandwich bread.

At the same time, sandwiches were holding their own in Europe. The traditional French sandwich known as the Croque Monsieur was first served at a Parisian cafe in 1910 and quickly became popular as a "fast food"-style menu item. Working patrons with only a short time for lunch couldn't get enough of the hot ham and melted cheese, all wrapped in bechamel-sauce-soaked bread. Today, many restaurants in France serve an open-faced version of the sandwich. Our take on this rich and filling recipe just might make you feel like you're spending the summer on the Left Bank.

The ease and versatility of sandwich making is especially welcome in summer. What could be simpler than preparing a hot or cold sandwich for lunch or supper when vacationing at a beach house or mountain condominium? The Goat Cheese and Roasted Tomato, Chicken Focaccia, and Crabmeat and Bacon sandwiches in this article have few ingredients and are easily assembled in an unfamiliar kitchen without your usual array of tools. For the Italian Meatball Sandwiches, try baking the bread before you leave home and then assembling the sandwiches at your vacation spot.

For a beach picnic or poolside lunch, use your imagination and ingredients on hand to create unusual sandwich combinations. Orange marmalade substituted for mayonnaise in a sliced chicken sandwich adds exotic flavor. Substitute an unexpected cheese like goat cheese or feta, and you have given another dimension to your chicken sandwich.

Perhaps the most enjoyable way to eat a sandwich in summer is with a tall glass of iced tea or a soda in a bottle. It is guaranteed to provide an energy surge that will last through the muggiest day. Try it with any of these recipes.

BRISKET REMOULADE
SANDWICHES

  1 beef brisket, cooked (recipe follows)
    Freshly ground pepper to taste
  1 large yellow sweet pepper, cut into
  8 strips
  2 French-style rolls or Kaiser rolls,
    split and toasted
1/2 cup arugula or fresh spinach leaves

Spread Remoulade on bottom and top
halves of rolls. Fill with amgula, brisket
slices, and pepper strips. Yield: 2 sandwiches
(plus additional beef for later!).

BEEF BRISKET:

1 (5- to 6-pound) beef brisket (flat cut),
  trimmed
  Celery salt, garlic salt, onion salt to taste
3 ounces liquid smoke
  Worcestershire sauce
6 ounces barbecue sauce

Place brisket in a glass baking dish;
sprinkle with salts and liquid smoke.
Cover, and refrigerate for at least
5 hours.

Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce, and
cover loosely with foil. Bake at 275
degrees for 5 hours. Uncover and pour
barbecue sauce over meat. Bake, uncovered,
for another hour. Slice and serve.

REMOULADE:

  2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  1 tablespoon sweet pickle,
    finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  Dash freshly ground pepper

    Combine all ingredients in a small
bowl; mix well. Cover and chill.

PARTY SANDWICH LOAF

  1 loaf very fresh unsliced bread (white
    or wheat or both)
3/4 to 1 cup deviled ham
3/4 to 1 cup pimiento cheese spread
3/4 to 1 cup chicken salad
 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
About 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Food coloring of your choice
Sliced olives for garnish (optional)

Remove crusts from bread. Slice
lengthwise to make 4 long layers. Place
bottom slice on a serving platter, and
spread generously with deviled ham.
Cover with next slice. (Bread slices
should be layered alternately in a ribbon
fashion.) Spread with pimiento
cheese, then cover with next slice.
Spread with chicken salad, then cover
with top slice.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese
until fluffy. Add milk a tablespoon at a
time until cream cheese reaches spreading
consistency. Make sure cream cheese is
not too runny; it should be the consistency
of a creamy cake frosting. Tint with
food coloring. "Frost" sandwich loaf decoratively
(like frosting a cake) with tinted
cream cheese, using the back of a spoon.
Garnish with sliced olives if desired. Chill
until 10-20 minutes before serving time.
Slice and serve.

www.RecipeCottage.com

BACON, DATE,
AND PECAN
CHICKEN SANDWICHES

(filling shown in jar at right)

  1 cup chicken, cooked
    and diced or chopped
1/2 cup dates, finely chopped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup crisp bacon crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
 12 slices thin white bread,
    buttered and crusts trimmed

Mix all ingredients except
bread in a medium bowl.
Spread on buttered bread
slices. Cut each slice into 2
triangles, and serve. Yield: 24.

Dining By Fireflies

Junior League off Charlotte, North Carolina 

CRABMEAT AND BACON
SANDWICH

1/3 cup fresh lump crabmeat
  2 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
  1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
  3 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
  3 slices crisp bacon
  2 to 3 lettuce leaves
  2 slices white or multi-grain bread
  Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together crabmeat, celery, onion,
and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Toast
white or multi-grain bread according to
taste. Spread one slice of toast with crabmeat
mixture, and top with bacon slices
or crumbled bacon pieces and lettuce
leaves. Spread other slice of toast with
remaining mayonnaise; sprinkle with salt
and pepper to taste; and put on top of
sandwich. Slice in half diagonally, and
serve. Yield: 1 sandwich.

The Cloister, Sea Island, Georgia 

A Traveler's Table

John Izard 

Wimmer Cookbooks 

ITALIAN MEATBALL SANDWICHES

1 package frozen cooked meatballs
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Italian Herb Bread (recipe below)
8 slices mozzarella cheese

Heat frozen meatballs in spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Slice Italian Herb Bread into 8 even slices. Place half of bread slices onto a baking pan, and spoon meatballs and sauce on top. Top with cheese slices. Broil for 30-45 seconds or until cheese is melted. Top with remaining bread slices, and serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.

ITALIAN HERB BREAD:

  1 tablespoon shortening
  3 cups self-rising flour
  3 tablespoons sugar
  1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
 12 ounces beer, at room temperature
  2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with shortening. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, dried herbs, and cheese, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir in beer a little at a time to produce a stiff batter.

Turn batter into greased pan, and gently spread. Brush melted butter on top of batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Turn out of pan, and allow to cool on a rack.

GOAT CHEESE AND
ROASTED TOMATO

  8 large plum or Roma tomatoes,
    halved lengthwise
  Salt and pepper to taste
    cup extra-virgin olive oil
  8 slices Italian or other
    rustic bread
  8 to 10 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce
  3 tablespoons fresh rosemary,
    finely chopped
  1 tablespoon unsalted butter,
    softened

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a large rimmed baking
sheet with non-stick cooking
spray. Remove seeds and juice
from tomato halves. Arrange
halves, cut side up, on pan.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and
pepper, then drizzle with oil.
Roast tomatoes for 45-50 minutes
or until slightly charred
and tender. Cool completely.

For each sandwich, spread
goat cheese evenly on one
bread slice. Spread pesto on
top of cheese. Top with 2
tomato halves, and sprinkle
with chopped rosemary. Top
with a second bread slice. Spread
butter on top of each sandwich,
and place buttered side down in
a frying pan over medium heat.
While first side is grilling, butter
second side of sandwich. Cook
until golden and crusty, about
3-4 minutes. Carefully flip, and
cook about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Yield: 4 servings.

CROQUE MONSIEURS

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  2 cups whole milk, heated
  Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  Pinch ground nutmeg
  8 slices bread (round or rustic loaf if available)
1/2 pound Black Forest ham, thinly sliced
  3 cups (about 1 1/4 pound) Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated, divided
  Additional butter, softened, for spreading

To make bechamel sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat
until it just starts to bubble. Add flour, and cook, stirring
constantly with a whisk, until smooth but not brown (1-2 minutes).
While still whisking constantly, gradually add milk, and continue to
cook and stir until sauce thickens and begins to simmer. Remove from
heat, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Transfer to a bowl, and cover.

Preheat broiler. For each sandwich, brush one bread slice with a small
amount of bechamel sauce. Top with 1/4 of the ham and 1/4 cup grated
cheese. Cover with another bread slice, and spread butter on top of
sandwich.

Place sandwiches on a hot griddle or skillet, and cook for 3-4 minutes
on each side or until golden brown. While first side is grilling,
butter second side of sandwich.

Transfer sandwiches to a broiler pan or baking sheet. Spread additional
bechamel sauce on top and sides of each sandwich, then top with
remaining grated cheese. Broil for about 2 minutes or until top is
golden brown and bubbly. Yield: 4 servings.

Variation: To make a croque madame top each sandwich with a fried or
poached egg.

CHICKEN FOCACCIA SANDWICHES
WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER AIOLI

  1 loaf focaccia
  1 cup Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
    (recipe at right)
  4 ounces Havarti cheese, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
  Roasted red peppers (optional)
  1 rotisserie or roasted chicken
  2 cups mixed lettuces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bread
in half, and place on a baking sheet, cut
sides up. Spread 1 cup Roasted Red
Pepper Aioli over both halves. Place
cheese on one half. Sprinkle other half
with pine nuts and roasted peppers. Bake
for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove meat from chicken, and chop.
Sprinkle over bottom half of bread. Top
with lettuce, and cover with top bread.
Cut into 6 pieces, and serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AIOLI:

  1 cup mayonnaise
  1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1 (5.2-ounce) jar roasted red peppers
  1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
    Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food
processor or blender until smooth.
Aioli may be made 2 days ahead and
chilled, covered.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG CAMPBELL