Cuban Sandwich Bites Food

CUBAN SANDWICH BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Mix yellow and Dijon mustards together and spread evenly over baguette slices. Top 1/2 of the bread slices with 1/2 of the Swiss cheese and place on the rack on the baking sheet. Top each with pickle slices, ham, pork loin, and remaining cheese. Top sandwiches with remaining baguette slices.
• Spread mayonnaise over the tops of the sandwiches and sprinkle with garlic powder. Spray the bottom of a second baking pan with cooking spray and place upside-down on top of the sandwiches. Weigh down the top pan with a heavy, oven-safe item such as a cast iron skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove top pan and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes more.

ORIGINAL CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Cut Cuban bread to desired size, common size is 7 inches. Next, slice open the bread down the middle. On the topside of the bread spread 1-ounce of mustard, evenly across. Then place 4 pickles on top of the mustard. You then place 1 slice of Swiss cheese on top of the pickles. Slice ham to desired thickness, recommended size is 1 1/2 ounces per slice, the thinner the better. Now fold each slice of ham in half and place evenly on bottom of bread. On top of the ham, place slices of roast pork, 1 1/2 ounces per slice. You then join both halves of the sandwich. You are now ready to grill your Cuban sandwich.
• Use a sandwich grill if you have one, a waffle iron if not. Spread butter on top of the bread evenly. Close the grill, smashing the sandwich. Leave sandwich in the grill until top of bread turns to a golden brown, and top is crisp. Approximate time is 4 to 6 minutes. After the sandwich is crispy and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich carefully and slice it diagonally, from corner to corner. DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE OVEN!

CUBANO IN A BLANKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the ham slices into strips about 1 1/2 inches by 4 inches. Cut the cheese slices into strips about 1 1/2 inches by 3 inches.
• Separate the dough into triangles, then slice each triangle in half lengthwise so you have 32 triangles. Place a slice of ham onto each triangle. Brush the ham with a little mustard. Place a slice of cheese on each ham slice, then a cocktail frank and finally a sliced gherkin. Roll up each starting at the wide end of the triangle and rolling towards the small tapered end. Place on a lined baking sheet with the small tapered end on the bottom.
• Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve with mustard for dipping.

CUBAN LUNCH CANDIES

Steps:

• Melt together the peanut butter, butterscotch and chocolate chips in top of double boiler.
• Add crushed potato chips and peanuts.
• Mix together with melted chips.
• Spoon into mini cupcake paper cups.
• (You do not even have to put these into mini muffin pans as they do hold their shape while they are being filled. It is best to put the mini cupcake papers on a plain cookie sheet to make them easier to move before chilling.) Chill until set.
• You can also add ½ cup coconut to melted chips and peanuts.
• To speed up chilling time, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
• Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
• Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
• Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
• Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
• Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
• Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
• Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
• Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
• To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
• Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
• Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
• Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
• Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
• Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
• Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
• Repeat the process for each sandwich.
• Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
• Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

CHEF JOHN'S CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne together in a bowl to make the sauce.
• Trim off ends of bread. Cut loaf in half and evenly split bread to make tops and bottoms of 2 sandwiches. Spread each half on both sides generously with the mayo/mustard sauce.
• Divide sandwich ingredients between the two bottom halves in this order: 2 slices Swiss cheese, 3 slices ham, hot cooked pork, pickle slices, and 2 more slices of Swiss cheese. Place tops on sandwiches.
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and press down with a heavy weight (such as another skillet or foil-wrapped bricks). Toast sandwiches until bread is crisp and filling is heated through, 3 or 4 minutes per side.