My Second Favorite Cookbook

I attended high school and college in Dallas and one of my friend’s for my birthday gave me the Neiman Marcus Cookbook 2000 edition. I love to cook and have many cookbooks, including one my late mom made for each of her daughters (I’ll share that one soon as that’s my all-time favorite cookbook). I have held on to this cookbook for almost 25 years (look at those pics!) and you can tell just by looking at out how much I have loved cooking my way through it.

I have very fond memories of eating at The Mermaid Lounge at Neiman Marcus in NorthPark in Dallas. I would always stop and get a Spiced Tea to go and if I had the chance, get the incredible chicken salad sandwich and a cup of the knock your socks off Chicken Tortilla Soup. Even as I type this I’m drooling just thinking about it. Fast forward 25 years later and now I’m taking our two daughters to The Mermaid Lounge and still getting the sandwich and soup and it’s still amazing!

I wanted to share those recipes here from the book plus one of my FAVORITES, the Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich. I don’t know what makes this so good, but it’s foolproof and perfect for a family or even entertaining with a small side salad and a good glass of dry, red wine.

NEIMAN MARCUS CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

Neiman Marcus has earned a reputation as King of the Chicken Salad Sandwich over the last fify years, and this is a recipe that dates all the way back to our earliest days in the food business under Helen Corbitt. It's a comfort-food sandwich, and customers tell us they will make a special trip to our stores just to eat one. I think this is so popular because it's obviously got more to it than the straightforward chicken salad most people make at home. Another reason for its success is that we have been so -nsistent with the recipe. We make it exactly the same, time after time, and it's one of the few classics that is made exactly the same wa,

p, we of our restaurants.

2 ¾ cups diced poached chicken breast (page

274)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup minced celery

¾ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 ½ teaspoons salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

8 slices whole wheat bread

4 large leaves green leaf lettuce

1 large tomato, cut into 8 thin slices

SERVES: 4

Transfer the diced chicken to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with the vinegar. Add the celery, mayonnaise, and cream, and season with the salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients gently to combine and adjust the seasonings to taste. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator.

Place four slices of bread on a clean. CHEF'S NOTE: Among the variations on this sandwich that we offer, and that you can try, are adding cooked bacon slices and using different kinds of bread.

Really, any bread will work just fine, but some of our stores find that cheese buns Cor Cheddar biscuits are particularly popular options work surface. Top each slice with one-quarter of the chicken salad (alout I The texture of this sandwich is cup per slice) and top with a lettuce creamier than you might expect, leaf, two slices of tomato, and another owing to both the mayonnaise sandwiches success!

TURKEY MEATLOAF SANDWICH

FOR THE TURKEY MEATLOAF:

• I tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1½ cups minced onions

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• I teaspoon dried oregano

• ½ teaspoon ground allspice

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 1½ pounds ground turkey

• 1 cup plain fine bread crumbs

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• ¼ cup minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

• 1½ tablespoons kosher salt

• 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SANDWICHES:

• I cup Red Onion Ketchup (page 210)

• 4 slices Texas toast (thick bread, toasted)

• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 thin slices

To prepare the meatloaf, heat the olive run a paring knife around the inside of oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed the loaf pan and invert the meatloaf onto sauté pan or skillet set over medium

clean platter to unmold. Cover in plas-heat. When the butter is melted, add tie wrap and keep refrigerated unf ready the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 or to use. 4 minutes while stirring, or until trans-

Prepare the Red Onion Ketchup.

lucent. Add the thyme, oregano, all-

Reheat the oven to 350° F. Cut four

spice, and heavy cream, and bring to a large slices of the meatloaf and place simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring them on an ungreased baking sheet. Top

frequently, until the liquid is reduced each slice with 2 tablespoons of the

by one-third and has the consistency of ketchup and one slice of the mozzarella

oatmeal. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake

let cool. When cool, add the turkey,

for about 4 minutes or until the meat-

bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, ketchup,

loaf is warmed through and the cheese is

salt, and pepper, and mix well. Transfer melted. Place the toasted bread in the

the mixture to a 1½-quart greased loaf

center of warm serving plates, top with

pan (measuring 8½ inches by 4½

the meatloaf, and serve open-faced.

inches by 2½ inches.)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Bake the meatloaf in the oven for about given to thick-sliced plain white bread-

I hour or until the internal temperature

probably because everything is big in

reaches 165° F. on a meat thermometer.

Texas, and toast should be no exception.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and

You can use any thick-sliced bread for

let cool. When cool enough to handle,

this recipe.