You Only Need 3 Ingredients To Make One Of France's Most Legendary Sandwiches
You don't have to be Joey Tribbiani to love a good sandwich. These handheld, portable meals are both convenient and delicious. Not to mention, there's a lot of variety. They can be loaded with lots of veggies, meats, cheeses, sauces, and spreads, or they can simply require just a few ingredients. The point is if you can smash it together between two pieces of bread, you're in business. But if you like to keep this meal effortless and sans the frills of a meatball sub (sorry, Joey), you need to try the French, three-ingredient under-the-radar sandwich you might not know exists: the jambon-beurre.
Also known as the Parisian, the jambon-beurre sandwich requires a chewy baguette, creamy, salty butter, and slices of ham. This sandwich, which is served cold and with cornichons, has long been a French staple. It was born out of necessity for the working class in the 19th century, and its popularity has not waned. In fact, it was estimated that French people ate 1.2 billion of these no-bells-and-whistles sandwiches in 2018 alone. It's both easy to make and tasty to eat; however, the jambon-beurre isn't a sandwich where you skimp.
Quality is key
The jambon-beurre is a sandwich where simplicity doesn't necessarily equal frugality. It requires quality French ingredients for your taste buds to get the full experience. While you can buy a baguette at a local grocery store, finding a French bakery or artisan bread baker will make this sandwich even better. An authentic French baguette will be sweeter and chewier than those made en masse at a supermarket.
While there are a variety of types of butter, knowing when you should use them can be confusing. When it comes to a jambon-beurre, the butter needs to be salted – and European. European butter has a higher butterfat compared to its American counterpart. It can be as high as 90% with a max of 16% water. This makes it a rich and creamy complement to the ham. That said, if you don't have European or salted butter, you can create your own seasoned butter with whatever type you have available. Just allow it to soften up a bit so you can blend it well.
And for this sandwich, the ham shouldn't be just any ham. You need to skip prepackaged ham if your pocketbook will allow you to opt for French ham or jambon de Paris. Jambon de Paris is a wet cured ham that is sweet and not as salty as American ham. The taste is pure nirvana when the ham and butter meet your mouth. So, embrace the simple and bon appétit!