Lately I've been kicking it at the house, coming up with sandwich combos and trying to find that perfect bite to bread ratio; the balance between too wet and too dry. Looking into the annals of my sandwich history for inspiration, I came across this surefire survival sandwich. I dub it 'The Geneva'; a simple combo of Danish salami and Boursin(soft cream cheese with herbs and garlic). In the high school days, many a Friday night was spent hanging out on the streets, in parks, or on a really good night in a forest (will explain this another time).
With my teenage coin mostly spent on beer and whiskey, not much money was left for food. But, as the evening progressed, the hunger struck and a mission would be made to one of the only open tabacs (newsagents) in town. We would re-up on a few more beers and combine funds to score sandwich materials. The limited options of the small store left us with a baguette, a pack of Boursin and some Danish salami. Returning to our spot, we cracked open new beers and in the cool of the night set about constructing our meal; cheese spread, meat layered, bread pressed and finally portioned out. Every chew a satisfying delight.
The bread was nothing special, but helped absorb the intense saltiness from the brilliantly pink Danish salami. The Boursin also had a overbearing punchy attitude that the bread and beer did a great job in quelling. That's what made this sandwich work. You have two ingredients with plenty of firepower and you have the bread playing the part of a neutralizer. I guess thinking about it now, this relationship in a sandwich is what we should be looking for - explosive insides and a calm containment vessel.
I recently made this sandwich and amped it a little by using some really nice sourdough, with a great crust and insides that were bubbly and almost elastic in consistency. I also slipped in some sliced, sweet pickled chipotles. This had the effect of leveling out some of the high salt levels that came from the meat and cheese. The sandwich played out on a more sweet and sour riff. If you're at home then you have the luxury of messing about, but if you are out on the streets, go for the bare survival basics. Boursin/Danish Salami/Baguette = The Geneva.
Don't forget the beer-"G.N"