The Ultimate Bistro Sandwich 👏

3 recipes in one 🍅

I have this unshakable craving for sandwiches pretty much every day. I can’t figure out where it came from, or why it literally haunts me, but sandwiches are the absolute perfect meal and no one can change my mind about that. This sandwich is a product of another one of my cravings for sandwiches, and it’s definitely going on the roster for spring!

Over on socials we have a series called “I went to Le Cordon Bleu so you don’t have to” and this sandwich recipe is a new proud member of this series. You might be thinking, why on earth would I need to go a French culinary school to make a sandwich? And the answer to that is simple, understanding flavor, and making your own aioli (one of the first things they teach you). Luckily, this cooking club literally exists because culinary school isn’t for everyone, and I truly believe that delicious food made at home should be a god given right and not cost an entire career and hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt (we can talk about that later).

This sandwich is *so* good and tastes like something you’d get at a French bistro in your favorite city. It would of course pair perfectly with a bottle of champagne, a park and someone gorgeous to share it with. 🥂 Make your own aioli, get down with your very own tapenade and enjoy king oyster mushrooms nestled inside of a beautiful baguette - no culinary school required.

Makes 1 incredibly long baguette sized sandwich. Feeds 2-4

THE GOODS:

For the pesto aioli (mayo):

• 1/3 cup Aquafaba (liquid from a can of garbanzo beans)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp agave

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp granulated garlic

• 1 handful basil leaves

• 3/4 cup avocado oil, poured into a squirt bottle if possible

For the olive/artichoke tapenade:

• 1/2 shallot, peeled

• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled

• 8 oz jar of pitted black olives, rough chopped

• 8 oz jar artichoke hearts, rough chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped

For the seared mushrooms:

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 3 (8oz) packages king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

For the bistro sandwiches:

• 1 sourdough baguette or bread of choice

• 1-2 large tomatoes, sliced

• 1-2 handfuls of arugula

• pickled red onions, (optional)

  

THE METHOD:

1. First off, make the pesto mayo. Add the aquafaba, salt, agave, ACV, garlic, and basil leaves into a large 32 oz jar. Use an immersion blender to blend it for about 45-60 seconds, or until everything is blended and fluffy.

2. If possible, place the avocado oil into a squirt bottle or something that you can control the pour. For this part, be sure to take it slow. Grab the immersion blender again and start blending again, but this time slowly begin to pour in the oil.

3. Take about 2-3 minutes to pour in the oil. You are emulsifying this so if you pour too much oil too quick, it will “break” the mayo and there’s no going back. Making mayo is one of the first things they teach you in culinary school, and for good reason…it’s a labor of love and patience. Keep blending as you add the oil.

4. When all the oil had been added to your mixture, pull the immersion blender in and out a few times to get some air in there to get the texture just right. Once the texture is whipped like a fluffy mayo, transfer it into a jar and place it in the fridge as you finish the rest of the recipe. The mayo will thicken the more it rests in the fridge also.

5. Next up is the tapenade. Grab a high powered blender and toss in all the ingredients, and turn on low using an accelerator stick to help get everything moving around inside. Do this for about 1 minute. You don’t want to fully puree it, rather you just want everything to be mixed up without any large visible pieces. Place this into a jar, and place in the fridge as you finish the rest of the recipe.

6. For the mushrooms, heat a large cast iron skillet with a dash of avocado oil on medium high heat. Once hot, add all the mushrooms, salt and cook down for 3-5 minutes. You can use a heavy weighted cast iron press to help press down and release the water from the mushrooms. When the mushrooms have reduced in size and start to turn golden brown, pour in the balsamic vinegar and sauté everything for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

7. This recipe is great as a meal prep because you can pre-prep the pesto mayo, tapenade, and mushrooms beforehand to have this sandwich ready in a pinch.

8. To build the sandwich, grab your bread, slice in half, and toast if desired. Smear the pesto mayo on one side of the sandwich, and the tapenade on the other side. Place a few generous slices of mushrooms, tomato slices, a handful of arugula, and optional to add pickled red onions.

9. Viola! You have yourself the best vegan bistro sandwich you’ll have all year! Save the extra portions of mayo, tapenade, and mushrooms in the fridge for more sandwiches whenever you want.