The Uncertain Jungle That Is Sandwich Craft

Updated 1/31 at 2:57

This week in Apps and Hors d' Oeuvres we are discussing the art of the sandwich.  Normally represented as 2 or more slices of bread with a filling between them, the exception that proves the rule is the open-faced sandwich which is way too mind blowing to be discussed in this post.  Our assignment is to come up with a sandwich plate and 2 tea sandwich ideas.  As this is Hypothetical Cookery, the recipes below are untested so stay tuned for results and critiques.

Sandwich Plate - Blackened Chicken Salad on Cornbread Waffle

I've always liked the 'idea' of chicken and waffles but feel they should be more thoroughly combined, instead of the traditional waffles with chicken on top.

I think I'm going to blacken the chicken with a traditional Cajun spice blend and toss it in a Parmesan mayo.  For crunch I'll toss with a julienne of the Creole Holy Trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers)

Then for the bread portion cook up some lemon-jalapeño cornbread waffles.

Recipe and pictures of the success or failure will follow

::UPDATE::

The Cajun chicken and waffle sandwich was a moderate success.

The bulk of the waffle was hard to accommodate when it came to plating. maybe splitting it horizontally and grilling or pan frying the cut side would help make the salad stand out more.  The taste was there, still needs some tweaking.

Also- I need film for my camera so expect crappy cell phone pictures until I can run that errand

Blackened chicken salad with jalapeno- lemon cornbread waffles

4ea Skinless chicken breasts
3tbsp Vegetable oil
1ea Green Bell Pepper, julienne
1ea Onion, julienne
2ea Celery stalks, julienne
5oz Parmesan Mayo (recipe follows)
5tbsp Cajun seasoning blend (recipe follows)
4ea Jalapeno-lemon cornbread waffles (recipe follows)


-Parmensan Mayo


4oz fresh mayo
1oz Parmesan cheese, grated
TT Salt, Pepper


-Cajun Seasoning


1tbsp salt
2tsp paprika
2tsp onion powder
2tsp sugar
2tsp black pepper
1tsp white pepper
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp ground oregano


-Jalapeno-lemon cornbread waffles


1 ½c   cornmeal
½c   all-purpose flour
2 ½tsp   baking powder
2tbsp   sugar
¾tsp   salt
1ea   large egg
1 ½c   milk
¼c   butter, melted
1ea Zest  and juice of lemon
1ea seeded diced jalapeno


Jalapeno-lemon cornbread waffles

• Sift first 5 ingredients together
• Combine egg, milk and mix into dry
• Stir to incorporate jalapeno and juice and zest of lemon
• Bake until crisp

Blackend chicken salad

• Preheat oven to 350
• Get oil close to smoke in skillet
• Coat chicken in Cajun seasoning
• Sear chicken until dark on both sides
• Remove to oven until cooked through
• Rest until cool, chop
• Toss with parmesan mayo and julienne vegetables
• Assemble sandwich