Bobby Flay's Throwdown! (36 page)

3.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

4.
Heat the grill to medium-high.

5.
Remove the steak from the marinade, discarding the marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare, or to your desired doneness. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes while you cook the vegetables.

6.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, green onions, remaining 1 clove garlic, a tablespoon or so of the reserved marinade, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes.

7.
Slice the steak into thin pieces across the grain. Spread each tortilla with some guacamole and top with 4 to 6 slices of meat, some vegetables, some sour cream, and a drizzle of the reserved marinade if desired. Say a “Grace Before Meals” and enjoy the feast!

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Demo version limitation

Name: Lynn Archer
Establishment: Brass Compass Café
Hometown: Rockland, Maine
Phone: (207) 596-5960

I went up to Rockland, Maine, for some heaven between bread: lobster club sandwiches.

Mainer Lynn Archer knows the ropes when it comes to lobster. Starting at the age of ten, Lynn and her six siblings would often rise before dawn to join their fisherman father and reel in the catch of the day. Her great-grandmother taught her to cook and instilled in her a “made-from-scratch” motto that, combined with Lynn’s passion for cooking, helped her to create one of the most popular restaurants in Maine, Rockland’s Brass Compass Café.

Hailed as the “king of clubs” by the
New York Times,
Lynn’s lobster club sandwich is about as all-American as you can get: fresh Maine lobster, perfectly toasted homemade white bread, smoky bacon, beefsteak tomatoes, and crispy green-leaf lettuce. This is an attention-grabbing sandwich, and it certainly got ours. Lynn thought she had been called by Food Network to take part in a special called “Taste of Summer.”

Of course the most important part of a lobster club is the lobster, and using the freshest lobster you can find is key; frozen just won’t do in this sandwich. The ideal size is about 2 pounds; smaller ones don’t really yield a lot of meat and larger ones can have meat that’s a little tough. Having steamed my lobster and separated its meat from the shell, I was ready for its salad phase. I turned to Spain for my inspiration, adding a little saffron, vinegar, honey, and garlic to the mayonnaise I used to bind the sweet hunks of lobster meat.

I knew that I was going to have to bake my bread from scratch if I wanted to compete against Lynn. I decided on a French classic, brioche, and because I love spice in my food, I folded in a little pureed chipotle in adobo for flavor and a beautiful color. I mounded the lobster salad high on the bread and finished it off with crispy Serrano ham instead of bacon, to follow my Spanish theme, and a final handful of peppery watercress.

I showed up at Lynn’s “Taste of Summer” party, and though she seemed surprised to see me, she barely blinked when I challenged her to a lobster club Throwdown. She was actually worried for me! And as I began to assemble my lobster salad, I understood why: the home crowd slowly started to turn on me. It seems that ingredients such as saffron, garlic, and celery are all looked down upon when it comes to lobster salad in those parts. Lynn thinks those ingredients all have their place in other recipes, but not in a lobster salad. Lynn tried my sandwich and while she thought it was good, she said she couldn’t really taste the lobster. One bite of Lynn’s sandwich and I had to agree with her and the rest of the crowd; really great, fresh Maine lobster needs nothing more than a little bit of mayonnaise and some salt and pepper.

Judges Sam Hayward, a well-known restaurateur, and Annie Mahle, a cookbook author and chef, were grading our lobster clubs on taste, our bread, and whether or not they inspired thoughts of “must have seconds.” Lynn’s sandwich was up first. Annie and Sam loved its big chunks of lobster and homemade bread as well as the nice, slightly smoky bacon flavor, which they felt didn’t overwhelm that of the lobster. They felt her club was straightforward and simple, and that is what Maine cooking is all about. Moving on to my sandwich, the judges felt that my lobster was chopped finer, and while they couldn’t figure out the Serrano ham, they loved it—whatever it was. They also took notice of my herbs. So overall, I did pretty well, but as for the winner, that was Lynn, all the way.

Looking back, I don’t think there was one moment that Lynn didn’t think she could win this competition—I love that! She is a woman who is confident in her ability as a cook and delivers an amazing dish; and
that
is what
Throwdown!
is all about.

MAKES 4 SANDWICHES

1.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Carefully add 4 slices of the ham and cook until crispy on both sides, about 40 seconds per side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining ham.

2.
Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, add the saffron, remove from the heat, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain, and let cool.

3.
Whisk the mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, and garlic together in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the celery, onion, and lobster meat, and gently fold to combine. Add the tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

4.
Top 4 slices of the bread with the lobster salad, crispy Serrano ham, and watercress. Top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread.