Foie gras and truffle-filled sandwiches showcased at international snack show
Sandwiches get the red-carpet treatment at the Sandwich and Snack Show in Paris this week, where the lunchtime staple gets stuffed with foie gras and truffles. — AFP picPARIS, Feb 15 — When France hosts a sandwich and snack show in Paris, you can bet that there are few bologna sandwiches on display.
Instead, Michelin-starred chefs transform the humble, portable lunchtime staple into creations worthy of being served on gold-gilded plates.
At this year’s Sandwich and Snack Show in Paris, fine dining chefs like Guy Martin, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Jean-François Piège avail themselves of truffles and foie gras to lend a gourmet touch to the sandwich.
Martin, for instance, has a gourmet fast food shop in the city’s oldest department store Le Bon Marché, where baguette sandwiches are filled with ingredients that range from goat cheese, eggplant caviar, tomato-honey, shrimp and wasabi.
For the trade show’s collection of luxurious gourmet sandwiches, Martin will be showcasing a baguette with foie gras, mango chutney and marinated vegetables.
New York-based French chef Vongerichten will also be showcasing a miniature version of a pizza he serves at his Paris restaurant Market, topped with Fontina cheese and truffles, while chef Yannick Alléno of famed five-star hotel Le Meurice will prepare a club sandwich with roast chicken, tomato confit, lettuce hearts, ibérico ham, and mustard mayo.
The chef’s bread of choice, meanwhile, may surprise, as he likes the sliced, grocery store brand Harrys.
“I’ve tried everything but I haven’t been able to find anything better,” he said.
Gourmet sandwiches and snack foods have become a growing trend in France where good food and gastronomy figure high in the national consciousness.
In a profile of the country’s fast food market, the trade show points to retailer Cojean as the market leader in upscale quick-service food which has kicked off a larger trend among upstarts and even Michelin-starred chefs who are opening their own sandwich shops.
The trade show, which is expected to attract more than 12,000 visitors between February 15 and 16, will also highlight industry trends in snacking and sandwiches. — AFP-Relaxnews
