The craft cocktail boom of the past decade has given rise not only to creativity behind the bar, but also in the kitchen. Just ask young-gun baker Zack Hall, the one-man team of Clark Street Bread in Los Angeles. This month, he's teamed up with Redemption Rye to create an open-faced sandwich where everything, and we mean every thing, is given a huge boost of flavor using rye.
It starts with the loaf: Hall uses a classic Danish rye bread, nodding to Denmark's beloved smørrebrød, or open-faced sandwich. For his whiskey-whispered version, however, Hall soaks whole rye berries in water and whiskey overnight. The Redemption rye he uses boasts a mash bill that contains 95% rye (the minimum to be considered a rye is just 51%), doubling down on the slightly floral nuttiness of his bread. Then there's the mustard, whose black and yellow seeds are similarly soaked overnight with a mix of whiskey, water, and vinegar, and the whiskey-infused dill pickles.
Once the infusions are complete, the hard part is over. Hall simply layers the sandwich with butter, mustard, roasted pork, dill pickles, and a fennel frond garnish. Watch the video to see how it's made and head to Grand Central Market in Los Angeles through the month of March to try it.
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