Turkey Sandwich With Savory Blueberry Jam

Recipe from Matt Cahn

Adapted by Eric Kim

Updated October 10, 2023

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
5(360)
Comments
Read comments

Inspired by summer lunches in Maine, this beautiful turkey sandwich comes from the chef Matthew Cahn of Middle Child sandwich shop in Philadelphia. A spiced, savory blueberry jam anchors turkey and cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll. When it comes to this dreamy sandwich, the devil is in the details: Dressing peppery arugula with vinegar, oil and raw grated onion lends yet another layer of flavor that balances the comforting richness of the other ingredients. Store-bought garam masala works in a pinch, but for the full effect, try making your own from whole spices (see Tip). —Eric Kim

Featured in: The Secret to an Excellent Sandwich

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Ingredients

Yield:1 to 2 servings

FOR THE BLUEBERRY JAM (SEE TIP)

  • 2 pints blueberries

  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • Fine sea salt or coarse kosher salt

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 teaspoon garam masala (see Tip), plus more to taste

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • Pinch of ground cloves

FOR THE SANDWICH

  • 1 ciabatta roll, split

  • 2 to 3 slices Gruyère or other Swiss cheese

  • Mayonnaise

  • 4 ounces deli turkey slices

  • Handful of arugula (about 1 cup)

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • ½ tablespoon red-wine vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated red onion (optional)

  • Salt and pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the blueberry jam: In a large saucepan or medium pot, combine the blueberries, raisins, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Zest the lemon directly into the pot. Halve the lemon and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice into the pot. Reserve both lemon halves. Using a fork, mash two-thirds of the blueberries.

  2. Step 2

    Bring to a boil over high, then stir in the garam masala, cinnamon stick, cloves and the juiced lemon half. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn’t stick, about 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and lemon half from the jam. Cool jam to room temperature. Taste and add more lemon juice, garam masala and salt if desired.

  3. Step 3

    Make the sandwich: Heat the oven (or toaster oven) to 450 degrees. Place the ciabatta halves cut sides up on a sheet pan. Place cheese on the top piece of the bread. Bake until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Spread a generous layer of blueberry jam over the cheese. (Refrigerate any leftover jam for up to a week.) Spread a generous layer of mayonnaise on the other half of the bread and top with the turkey.

  5. Step 5

    In a bowl, combine the arugula, olive oil, vinegar and onion, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Place on top of the turkey. Close the sandwich and, if you’d like, slice in half before enjoying.

Tips

  • To make Mr. Cahn’s garam masala, in a small pan, lightly toast 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon black peppercorns until fragrant. Add ½ teaspoon ground cardamom. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle.

  • If you don’t want to make homemade jam but want to try this sandwich, you can stir a spritz of lemon juice, a sprinkle of garam masala and a generous pinch of salt into 2 to 3 tablespoons store-bought blueberry jam.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
360 user ratings
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Comments

MAS

Looks intriguing! But the cheese could be melted under the broiler instead of heating the oven to 450 degrees to use for 3-5 minutes, which is wasteful.

DJ

I am reading this recipe at breakfast time and it sounded so good, I jumped up and made it as I had almost all of the ingredients. I didn't have ciabbata bread, but I used a roll that I had but I toasted the bread with the cheese in the toaster oven and had blueberry preserves and added the lemon juice, a tiny pinch of cloves and cinnamon and had spring mix and use basalmic vinaigrette and turkey - delicious! Will make again!

Richard

Or use a toaster oven... like the recipe suggests.

anna

This is an awesome recipe! Highly recommend and I'd not skip any of the steps. All ingredients can be bought or prepared in bulk, refrigerated and used when needed. Few notes: 1) Oil+vinegar+onion is a basic vinaigrette. You could simply prepare 1-cup worth of vinaigrette and store it in the fridge. I used NYTC Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette (JM) 2) Instead of deli turkey I used chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper and sautéed in the pan. Cut in strips, and refrigerate until later use.

Steph

I had some homemade blueberry jam that I wanted to use up, so I reheated it over the stove with the spices - worked beautifully and this sandwich was absolutely delicious.

Michelle T.

All the ingredients are fantastic - until that horrid mayo That totally ruins the entire sandwich, and makes it incompatible with the arugula/oil layer. (A thin layer of ricotta or shmear of cream cheese would have added to the decadence much better). Also, there's no real need for cheese here

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Credits

Recipe from Matt Cahn

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