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Saturday, May 12, 2012

Weekend Cooking from Marshall Fields for Mom

The grand Marshall Fields department store on State Street in Chicago was bought out by Macy's in 2005 and re-named to Macy's in 2006. But, for my mom, "Fields," as they called it, lives on in the form of the "Marshall Fields Sandwich."

She and my dad have one at least a couple times a week. So, in honor of Mother's Day, I bring you The Marshall Fields Sandwich. (From lakemagazine.com)

This post was written as part of Weekend Cooking over at BethFishReads.com. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to head over to Beth Fish Reads, grab the button, and link up anytime over the weekend.  (The button is on your right...)


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MARSHALL FIELD'S SPECIAL SANDWICH

Source: Deborah Loeser Small, Lake Magazine
The Walnut Room. Marshall Field's Special Sandwich. Some things cannot be improved upon. In the 1970s I learned to make "Field's Specials" at a part-time job in the kitchen of Field's Old Orchard store, Skokie, Ill. These "sandwiches" are in fact mountainous, delightful salads. Two or three outside corporate owners later, the Special doesn't appear on any Field's menu (although the Walnut Room will make them on request)--but here is the step-by-step way to make it at home. I've also included my personal recipe for Thousand Island dressing. FYI: This is fantastic use of after-Thanksgiving turkey.
One fresh, crispy head iceberg lettuce
Three to five thin slices of freshly roasted turkey breast (white meat only), room temperature
Three-fourths cup thousand island dressing (recipe to follow)
One thin slice of aged Swiss cheese
One fresh slice of Jewish or other mild (but flavorful) rye bread
One to two teaspoons butter, softened
Two slices of your favorite bacon
Slice of hard-boiled egg
Slice of tomato
Olive and parsley garnish

Butter rye bread and place on a large cold serving plate. Cover bread with Swiss cheese slice, followed by one or two slices of turkey. Take a nice large outer lettuce leaf from the head of iceberg and set aside. Slice the iceberg lettuce in a few large sections and arrange a section on top of the turkey and Swiss cheese.
Cover the open-face "sandwich" with big lettuce leaf. Top with several slices of turkey. Pour a very ample amount of dressing over the lettuce, allowing it to puddle slightly all around the plate. Place a slice of bacon and an olive on either side of sandwich mound. Place tomato slice and egg slice atop mound with parsley sprig. Serve immediately.

Yield: one Special Sandwich

Yield: One entree-size serving

Thousand Island Dressing

One cup real mayonnaise
One-half cup Heinz chili sauce
Two tablespoons sweet pickle relish
Two large green olives, pitted and finely chopped
One-half teaspoon dried tarragon
Dash Tabasco
Dash Worcestershire sauce
One hard-boiled egg, finely chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Serve.

Yield: One and three-fourths cups dressing

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Did you gape when you saw that you put 3/4 cup of Thousand Island on each sandwich?!? We don't use that much. After all, my parents are still ALIVE and they are in their seventies!



Here is what it looks like after the butter, cheese and first turkey layer have been added.


Now we have added the multiple lettuce and turkey layers.


And Voila!


While searching for this recipe, I found out that Fields also had a famous chicken salad recipe, a famous meatloaf with red pepper sauce recipe, and several other specialties. Apparently, there is even a Marshall Fields cookbook!

I also found famous recipes from other department stores - many now defunct - from across the nation. This is what the 'ladies who lunch' ate while shopping. This is what the Mad Men's wives had for lunch!

So, Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there and to all you sons and daughters of mothers too!













40 comments:

  1. I grew in Ohio, and we know Fields too. My mom has that Marshall Fields cookbook, but I don't have a copy. :(

    The sandwich looks awesome. I'm booking marking the page for next time I make a turkey breast.

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  2. No Field's for me..but I would eat that! Lol

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    1. LOL - thanks for coming by and commenting!

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  3. The sandwich looks great! No Fields here but I do remember when I was a kid going shopping with my mom, we always stopped at the restaurant at the dept store for lunch, didn't love to shop back then but I always loved lunch.

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    1. Yea, when I was researching this, I found a lot of cool department store special recipes!!

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  4. That sandwich looks soooooooo good! Thanks for the thousand island recipe too. Yum yum yum. I'm feeling a little deprived because I've never been to a Fields store; the cookbook looks interesting!

    Happy Mother's Day!!

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    1. That was THE store for a long time in Chicago. A lot of people were super bummed out when it became Macy's...

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  5. I have heard dof Marshall Fields but cannot say I have been there. That sandwich does look good. Neimen Marcus has a good cookbook too.

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    1. I will have to check it out. Remember the weird urban legend about the $250,000 Neiman Marcus cookie recipe? It was years ago...

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  6. That looks terrific! I'd eat it. I might even give it a shot with the full amount of dressing- once.

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    1. LOL! I have probably been fed it with the full amount of dressing as a kid - and told to clean my plate! Haha!

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  7. That looks delicious! I dip my pizza in Thousand Island dressing (bad habit I started when I was a kid) but it never occurred to me to put it on a sandwich.

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    1. My son dips his pizza in ranch dressing!

      I think the Big Mac "special sauce" is some variation of Thousand Island dressing...

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  8. I"m glad you put in those photos as I was having trouble imaging how this made a sandwich. Open face. Nice idea. I do think my mom would enjoy a sandwich like this. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Yea...it is hard to picture with the layers and the sauce on top...

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  9. That looks like a work of art, though the idea of dressing ‘puddling’ around the plate may be a little too much!

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    Replies
    1. I know! I thought everyone would freak when they saw that you use 3/4 cup dressing - LOL!

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  10. Happy Mother's Day. Looks delicious, perfect for the warm days coming. Thanks for sharing this slice of history :)

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    1. 'Slice' of history *wink* !

      Glad you came by! Thanks!

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  11. That is so pretty! I love that it's a sandwich, but really a salad. Yum!

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    1. Thanks, Joy...Its kind of a salad on a slice of rye bread!

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  12. almost a cup of dressing, lol that's practically soup!! i definitely don't blame you for using less!

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    1. I know! I thought everyone would FREAK when they saw that measurement - LOL!

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  13. Now that is my kind of sandwich. It seriously looks SO GOOD! I'm a huge lover of homemade Thousand Island on many types of sandwiches. THIS one is my next endeavor...thanks! =) Beautiful post for mother's day.

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    1. I see you're in South Bend. Did you ever get to Marshall Fields in Chicago before it closed?

      Thanks for the nice comments, and I hope you like the sandwich :)

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  14. Dropping by from the Ultimate Spring Blog Hop Event to say Hello and wish you a very Happy Mother's Day :)

    Your food photos are making me hungry already!

    Cheryl at The Lucky Ladybug

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    1. Thanks so much for the kind words, Cheryl, and Happy Mother's Day to you too!!

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  15. Well I thought I was slightly hungry until I read your post, now I'm ravenous! :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh, well, I am glad you liked it! They are easy to make and 3 generations of my family really like them!

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  16. I'm bookmarking it too! I remember eating at the counter in the old Woolworth Store. Post the chicken salad too!

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    1. OK - I am kind of psyched about these recipes!

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  17. The sandwich is a beaut, but what really caught my attention was the dressing recipe. It looks so tasty. Just bookmarked to try this week. Thanks.

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    1. Cool! If you think of it, write back and tell me what you think :)

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  18. Holy Moley! You've reminded me that I'm STARVING. Wishing I could get out instead of eating cardboard SmartOnes lunch. Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I've had plenty of those - LOL! Well, I appreciate you coming by and commenting, and I hope you get something good for dinner tonight!

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  19. Now that looks great!! Wonderful presentation!

    Cheers, Jenn

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  20. I worked for Marshall Field's as a waitress and also helped in the kitchen The "Special" sandwich used a dome of lettuce that covered the bread, turkey and cheese. The dressing was ladled on and the garnish of tomato, egg and a black olive was held in place with a tooth pick.

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