IT'S WICHCRAFT!

Top Chef Tom Colicchio's Summer Sandwich. Another example of simple elegance and creativity with fresh ingredients and a fusion of flavors like Star Anise, Fennel, Apricot and Pistachio. Nothing like taking something plain and mundane like the sandwich and making it something extrodinary. Then eating it for lunch! HA... me thinks me shall never look at an apricot or fennel root in quite the same way.
And of course, Pistashio. What other nut (aside from myself) has the earthy, mellow qualities necessary to elevate the palate to places unknown with a simple concept like this crafty sandwich. Visit Tom's website "Wichcraft" to get a flavor for other things this guy does between two slices of bread.
CRAFTY, SUMMERY SANDWICH

This sandwich comes from Tom Colicchio, restaurateur, five-time James Beard Foundation medal winner and head judge of Bravo's "Top Chef"

An open-face sandwich great for breakfast, brunch, a light lunch, an afternoon snack, even as a dessert; it's sweet but not too sweet. It's from his book, "'Wichcraft: Craft a Sandwich Into a Meal - And a Meal into a Sandwich."

Colicchio recommends using slightly underripe apricots - you can stew them longer than riper fruit, so they absorb more of the flavors of the spices. Other stone fruits such as plums work well too. The stewed fruit can be prepared in advance and kept refrigerated in its own syrup for several days.

APRICOT & FENNEL SANDWICHES W/RICOTTA, PISTACHIOS & BLACK PEPPER

Ingredients

1 cup each: sugar, water 4 star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, roughly crushed
6 apricots, pitted, quartered
1/2 bulb fennel, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch strips
4 slices country bread
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. Combine sugar, water, star anise, cinnamon and crushed pepper in a saucepan; heat to a boil.
Reduce the heat; simmer 2 minutes. Add the apricots and fennel. Heat to a simmer; cook until the apricots are soft and the fennel has just a slight crunch, about 10 minutes.

2. Grill or toast the bread on both sides. Spread the ricotta on each slice; top with the apricots and the fennel. Finish with the pistachios; season with the salt and pepper to taste. Cut into halves.
Nutrition information
Per serving: 414 calories, 21 percent of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 74 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 268 mg sodium, 3 g fiber