John Taus, chef at Snackbar in Philadelphia, sent us a recipe for his fig mostarda.  The sweet and tangy mostarda is typically paired with Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese at the restaurant, but Chef Taus told us the mostarda would also work perfectly as a condiment on any type of prosciutto sandwich.

Snackbar tweets its specials each day, so follow them on Twitter and see what Chef Taus has cooking up.

Ingredients

one pint dry figs, stems removed
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole grain mustard, preferably Maille brand
Salt to taste

Directions

Put dry figs in small pot with sherry and sugar.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
Reduce cooking liquid to a syrup consistency.
Place fig mixture in a blender and blend on high until completely smooth.
Use water to thin out the consistency of the purree in order to make it spreadable.
Remove mixture from blender and whisk in mustard. Season with salt to taste. Adjust mustard and sherry to your personal liking.

Snackbar
253 S. 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Chef John “Chainsaw” Taus, formerly sous-chef at Zahav, has developed a new burger that brings a taste of Mexico to Snackbar in Rittenhouse Square. Following his approach to create fresh, innovative takes on classic dishes, Chef Taus has found a winner with his south of the border inspired Mole Burger.

The secret to the succulent burger is that the beef is imbibed in mole sauce before grilling. The outer edges are grilled to a char, and the medium-pink center is moist and juicy with a subtle hint of the sweet, chocolatey mole. The burger is served on a fresh Metropolitan Bakery brioche bun, grilled crisp, with bibb lettuce, queso fresco, creamy avocado, and a heaping spoonful of pico de gallo. The pico is fresh and flavorful, consisting of chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, shallots, cilantro, lime juice and a touch of olive oil. The plate is rounded out with a crisp, vinegary pickle and fries with a spicy Mexican kick.

Read our interview with Chef John Taus and see more photos after the jump.

Q&A with Chef John Taus

Unbreaded: What kinds of sandwiches do you make at home?

John Taus: I’ll slow cook a beef shoulder or whole chicken and break it down into pieces and put it on bread. Sandwiches at home have to be very messy.

UB: What are some of your favorite sandwich places in Philadelphia?

JT: Veracruzana’s tortas, John’s Roast Pork, Moe’s Hot Dogs

UB: Would you tell us what is in your mole sauce?

JT: Onion, figs, chipotle and ancho chiles, tomato and 64% dark chocolate.

UB: How often will you add a new sandwich to the menu?

JT: As soon as we’re inspired to try something, we add it and see what happens. So far, our regulars have really enjoyed the Mole Burger.

UB: We aren’t quite sure your new corndog qualifies as a sandwich, but it’s interesting. Tell us about it.

JT: The entire thing is made from scratch: a pork hotdog, cornmeal wrapper and pickled sauerkraut made on the premises.

Gallery

Get your sandwich on:

Snackbar
253 S. 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)