With BA offering up to 17 daily flights between London and New York, the route is one of the airline’s most iconic. So The Club asked two chefs from steakhouse Smith & Wollensky – one from either side of the pond – to share their transatlantic twist on the classic

New York-based Matthew King is the corporate executive chef at Smith & Wollensky. UK-based Sean Marshall is the executive chef at the London branch

What makes a great Club Sandwich?
Matthew: It’s all about the bacon. At Smith & Wollensky in New York, I’ve developed an amazing beef bacon for our Club.
Sean: A sandwich is nothing without quality bread and a carefully considered moisture content. Too wet and it all falls apart, too dry and it doesn’t hit the spot.

Where’s the most unexpected place you’ve eaten a Club Sandwich?
Matthew: At Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. They make it with flying fish, avocado and rum-cured bacon smoked over sugar cane.
Sean: At a hotel in Jerez in southern Spain where the kitchen used Iberico jamon instead of bacon. Divine.

How does a UK Club Sandwich differ to one in the US
Matthew: The Brits have the bread nailed: it’s hard to find a fresh crusty loaf in the US. But Americans know their bacon. The perfect Club would be a mixture of both.

How would you give the sandwich a transatlantic twist? 
Sean: Our transatlantic Club recipe (below) combines classic US ingredients, such as pastrami and Monterey Jack cheese, with a very British cognac mustard sauce. 

The Smith & Wollensky Transatlantic Club Sandwich

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

3 leaves of iceberg lettuce

1 red onion, sliced

38ml cognac mustard sauce (recipe below)

1 hard-boiled egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp chopped chives 

3 slices of brioche

2 peeled plum tomatoes

80g pastrami

120g turkey, sliced

100g Monterey Jack cheese

Salt and pepper to season

For the cognac mustard sauce (this makes 200ml):

½ tsp Colman’s mustard powder

160ml mayonnaise

300ml Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Smith & Wollensky steak sauce 

20ml semi-skimmed milk

1 tsp kosher salt

3.5ml cognac 

Method:

1. Whisk together all the ingredients for the cognac mustard sauce, then combine the lettuce and sliced red onion with a quarter of this sauce and toss in a bowl.

2. Roughly chop together the hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise and chives, and season.

3. Toast the brioche.

4. Put the chopped egg on the first slice of toasted brioche, followed by the tomatoes.

5. Grill the pastrami for 30 seconds, then layer on top of the tomatoes.

6. Add the second slice of brioche, then place on the sliced onion and lettuce, followed by the turkey. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese.

7. Put the third slice of brioche on top and slice sandwich in half. Serve with french fries.

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This article has been tagged Food + Drink, Destination