Le Jambon-Beurre "Fait Maison"
(luh zham-bohn-burr fay may-zohn)
Chapter 4 — The Cheese & Bread Course
There is a specific moment at a quarter to noon in SoHo when the morning pastry rush fades and the pewter bar is wiped down for lunch service. The air smells of espresso, faint anise, and the sharp tang of sourdough. This is the habitat of Le Parisien. In France, they sell over a billion of these a year, and because there is nowhere to hide, every component must be structurally perfect. You need a shatteringly crisp demi-ficelle that fights back. You need true, wet-cured Jambon de Paris. And above all, you need cultured, 83-percent-fat butter—which you are going to churn yourself. When you finally bite into it, the textures of the blistered crust, the tangy butter, and the delicate ham will make you say, yes, this is exactly what Spring Street tastes like.
Before you start
Plan your timing carefully.
The cultured butter and cold-fermented dough both require an overnight rest; begin the recipe the morning before you intend to serve it.
Ingredients
- heavy whipping cream1 qt
- cultured buttermilk2 tbsp
- fleur de sel1 tsp
- ice water4 cup
- bread flour500 g
- water375 ml
- fine sea salt10 g
- instant yeast1 tsp
- Jambon de Paris12 oz
- cave-aged Gruyère4 oz
- cornichons1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Culture the heavy cream at room temperature for up to twenty-four hours.
Whisk the cream and buttermilk in a glass jar, cover loosely, and let it sit until it thickens like crème fraîche and smells sour, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- 02
Mix the bread dough and autolyse for twenty minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the warm water and yeast, mix in the bread flour until shaggy, then let it hydrate before pinching in the sea salt.
- 03
Build gluten strength and cold-ferment the dough overnight.
Perform a series of stretch-and-folds every thirty minutes for an hour and a half, then cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for twelve to eighteen hours to develop the organic acids.
- 04
Churn the chilled, cultured cream in a stand mixer.
Whip the cream on medium-high speed, draping a towel over the mixer to catch splashes, until the fat solids clump together and separate from the liquid buttermilk.
- 05
Wash the butter in ice water until it runs crystal clear.
Drain the buttermilk, pour ice water over the solids, and press the butter against the bowl to squeeze out the cloudy milk proteins—if you skip this, your butter will spoil rapidly.
- 06
Salt the washed butter and form it into a log.
Pat the butter entirely dry with paper towels, fold in the fleur de sel for a crystalline crunch, wrap it tightly in parchment, and refrigerate.
- 07
Shape the cold dough into four demi-ficelles and proof for one hour.
Divide the dough into equal pieces, roll gently into twelve-inch cylinders, and let them rise on a floured surface.
- 08
Bake the bread with aggressive steam to achieve a blistered crust.
Preheat a baking stone and a cast-iron skillet to 475°F. Score the loaves, place them on the stone, immediately pour a cup of boiling water into the skillet, shut the door to trap the steam, and bake for twelve minutes before removing the pan and finishing at 425°F.
- 09
Construct the sandwiches with an unapologetic layer of butter.
Slice the cooled loaves lengthwise, spread a thick layer of cultured butter on both sides, and gently fold in the Jambon de Paris to create volume before topping with Gruyère and cornichons.
Notes
Sourcing Jambon de Paris is non-negotiable.
Ask your deli for unsmoked, low-sodium sweet baked ham or Italian Prosciutto Cotto if you cannot find true wet-cured Parisian ham, but avoid heavily smoked American hams at all costs.
Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream.
The high heat process kills the natural structure needed to churn properly; seek out standard pasteurized heavy cream with at least 36 percent fat.