Fruit Sandwich

Published Aug. 28, 2022

Fruit Sandwich
Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Total Time
20 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Rating
4(351)
Comments
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The origins of the fruit sandwich are believed to go back to Japan’s luxury fruit stores and the fruit parlors attached to them. This version comes from Yudai Kanayama, a native of Hokkaido who runs the restaurants the Izakaya NYC and Dr Clark in New York. Fresh fruit — fat strawberries, golden mango, kiwi with black ellipses of seeds, or whatever you like — is engulfed in whipped cream mixed with mascarpone, which makes it implausibly airy yet dense. (In Japanese, the texture is called fuwa-fuwa: fluffy like a cloud.) Pressed on either side are crustless slices of shokupan, milk bread that agreeably springs back. The sandwich looks like dessert but isn’t, or not exactly; it makes for a lovely little meal that feels slightly illicit, as if for a moment there are no rules. —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: Behold the Fruit Sandwich

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Ingredients

Yield:2 sandwiches (2 to 4 servings)
  • ¾cup plus 3 tablespoons/200 grams mascarpone
  • 1tablespoon honey
  • ¾cup plus 2 tablespoons/200 grams heavy cream, chilled
  • 4slices shokupan (milk bread) or any fluffy white sandwich bread
  • 8 to 10pieces cut fruit (1-inch chunks), such as strawberries, banana, mango and kiwi
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

787 calories; 68 grams fat; 40 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 523 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Chill a mixing bowl and the beater attachments of a hand mixer in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. (A metal bowl will chill more quickly than glass.) Meanwhile, in a separate large bowl, mix the mascarpone with the honey until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Place the chilled mixing bowl in another, larger bowl filled with ice water, to keep it cold. Pour the chilled heavy cream in the mixing bowl. (The colder everything is, the less time it will take to whip the cream and the lighter and fluffier it will be.) Using a hand mixer with the chilled beater attachments, beat the cream until stiff enough to hold peaks, 5 to 8 minutes on medium.

  3. Step 3

    Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone and gently combine. The mixture should be fairly firm, so it won’t squeeze out the sides of the sandwich when slicing. (If the mixture is too soft, chill briefly until firmer but still spreadable, about 5 minutes.)

  4. Step 4

    Take the 4 slices of bread and cut off the crusts on all 4 sides. Using a spatula, spread about ⅓ cup of cream filling on each slice of bread. (It will be thick.)

  5. Step 5

    Pat the fruit dry with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Arrange the fruit on top of the cream on 2 slices of bread, keeping in mind that you will be cutting along the diagonal and showing off cut sections of fruit. Make a mental note of which diagonal you will be using.

  6. Step 6

    Cover the fruit with the remaining cream. Then put the other slice of bread, cream side down, on top of the fruit to make the sandwich.

  7. Step 7

    Wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap, very tightly, making sure there’s no air inside. Mark your chosen diagonal on the plastic wrap, so you will know where to cut. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

  8. Step 8

    Hold a serrated bread knife under hot running water for 15 seconds, then wipe dry. (A warm knife cuts more cleanly than a cold one.) Unwrap the sandwich and cut along your chosen diagonal line. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
351 user ratings
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Comments

Consider wrapping your knife in a hot towel to warm it instead of running it under hot water. (Wet a towel and microwave it.) In most homes 30 seconds of kitchen faucet flow equals roughly a gallon of water (at avg flow rate of 1.8-2.2 gallons/min). Almost half the US is in drought with much of the west coast in extreme drought. That gallon of water has better uses than warming a knife. (That said, I'll be trying this recipe this weekend, albeit with a different knife warming method!)

For water conservation, I suggest a tall narrow vase/water bottle filled with quite hot water into which one can plunge and keep the knife. Looking forward to trying the recipe this weekend!

Worrying about 15 seconds of running water is penny wise and pound foolish. One strawberry plant uses about 20-25 gallons of water per season to produce 20-40 berries, equating to roughly 0.5-1 gallon per strawberry. My suggestion is to make the sandwich and then eat the sandwich and then attend a water board meeting about allocation.

Er, No! This was bizarre. Palatable with no bread, perhaps, but even then...

I discovered these in 7-11’s in Japan and was immediately obsessed. I’m partial to the strawberry only ones. I’m super excited to try this!

Fond remembrances. When I was a (very) little girl Mommy used to make me special sandwiches for lunch: softened cream cheese on Wonder Bread topped with cut pieces of fruit. Eaten open-faced. Now I often do the same for breakfast Stir up a little ricotta until creamy, add a bit of honey, spread it on anything other than Wonder Bread. Finally arrange (not just plop on) my little cut pieces of fruit(s) in a nice design. Simple, "pretty" and delicious.

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Credits

Adapted from Yudai Kanayama

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