French Dip
Some of my favorite California stories are the ones that come with an argument, and the French dip is the best kind of argument: two Los Angeles institutions, more than a century of friendly feuding, and nobody willing to give an inch.
Here is what everyone agrees on. The sandwich was born in Los Angeles around 1908, a French roll piled with thin-sliced roast meat and served with the roasting juices for dipping. After that, the claims split. Philippe the Original says its founder, Philippe Mathieu, dipped a roll in the roasting pan, maybe by accident, maybe for a policeman who asked. Cole’s says it dipped the bread in jus to soften it for a customer with sore gums. Both opened around the same time, both still serve it today, and both will tell you, with total certainty, that they are the original. I love that the city never settled it.
What makes it California is the plainness of it: good beef, a good roll, and a cup of jus doing all the work. No sauce to hide behind. Here is the version I make at home.
Recipe: French Dip at home
Ingredients: French or sturdy sub rolls; 1 lb thin-sliced roast beef (deli roast beef is fine); 2 cups beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1 clove garlic, a splash of soy, and black pepper; optional provolone and caramelized onion.
Simmer the broth, Worcestershire, garlic, soy, and pepper for 10 minutes; this is your au jus.
Warm the beef in a ladle of the jus just until hot, about 60 seconds, so it stays tender.
Pile the beef on the roll (melt provolone under the broiler if you like), and serve a cup of hot jus alongside for dipping.
