'Top Chef' judge Tom Colicchio creates mustard braised steak sandwich for new condiment campaign

The campaign will accept jars of mayonnaise as payment for the sandwich.

March 3, 2021, 4:07 PM

Any sandwich aficionado knows the importance of condiments, but one chef has a new recipe for mustard lovers that makes the tangy, yellow spread the star.

New York City chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality Tom Colicchio teamed up with French's to develop a sandwich recipe that perfectly plays up the ingredient for braised flank steak.

On Wednesday, the brand announced its new MustSwitch campaign that encourages people to make a healthy switch from mayo to mustard.

The collaboration came out of an idea to give consumers "a new and healthier option to indulge without feeling guilty about their ingredient choices," the brand said in a statement.

Yellow mustard has no fat and zero calories, while mayonnaise -- its tangy, off-white condiment competition -- contains 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per tablespoon, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Additionally, the brand is asking for people to take a pledge online or in person, by swapping their personal jars of mayo as a method of payment to enjoy a MustSwitch sandwich.

The mustard braised flank steak is topped with garlic butter mushrooms and marinated cauliflower, plus a final hit of mustard, all piled inside a ciabatta roll.

French's and Colicchio's CRAFT NYC will offer the sandwiches, in exchange for a jar of mayo, at a pop-up location in New York City on March 6 and 7, as well as nationwide online, at no cost, while supplies last.

Check out the full recipe below to recreate the "Top Chef" head judge's new sandwich at home.

French's mustard braised flank steak sandwich with mushrooms and marinated cauliflower

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 hours
Makes: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
Mustard braised flank steak
1 pound flank steak
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Sea Salt Grinder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick Black Peppercorn Grinder
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cups unsalted beef stock
3 tablespoons French's Classic Yellow Mustard, divided, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon McCormick thyme Leaves
4 ounces arugula
4 ciabatta rolls, split
For the mushrooms
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms, such as hen-of-the-woods (maitake), oyster, or Cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
For the marinated cauliflower
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and quartered
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large heavy-bottom ovenproof skillet on high heat. (Pan should be just large enough for the flank steak to fit flat on the bottom.) Add flank steak. Cook five to seven minutes per side, until well browned. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add carrot, onion and garlic; cook and stir just until vegetables are lightly browned but still firm, about three minutes. Return steak to pan. Mix beef stock, 2 tablespoons of the mustard, tomato paste and thyme in large bowl until well blended. Pour over steak and vegetables. Cover and transfer pan to oven.
Braise about 2 1/2 hours, until steak is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add about half of the mushrooms to skillet. Cook two minutes without stirring. Turn mushrooms over. Add half each of the butter and garlic; cook about two minutes longer or until mushrooms are tender. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining mushrooms, butter and garlic. Set cooked mushrooms aside.
Cut each quarter of cauliflower into very thin slices. Place remaining ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Add cauliflower. Cover. Marinate at least one hour or until ready to serve.
Remove steak from pan; transfer to clean cutting board and let rest. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard onion and carrot. Return pan to stovetop. Bring braising liquid to simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer until reduced by about half. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon mustard until well blended. Coarsely shred steak using two forks, then chop into 3-inch pieces. Return steak to pan, stirring to coat with sauce.
To assemble the sandwich, spread additional mustard on cut sides of rolls. Layer bottom half of each roll with steak, mushrooms, cauliflower and arugula. Top each with remaining half of roll. Cut in half to serve.

Recipe reprinted courtesy of chef Tom Colicchio of CRAFT NYC

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