This Broiled Brie Sandwich With Pecan Crumble Is Pure Genius

You may have never heard of the restaurant La Copine — a favorite of vacationing celebrities, it's a charmingly minimalistic destination tucked away in California's High Desert. But if you love produce-driven, farm-to-table, locally sourced food, it's about time you put its cuisine on your radar.

The new cookbook, La Copine: New California Cooking From an Oasis in the Desert, is the perfect entry point, no matter where you are in the world. In the book, owners Nikki Hill and Claire Wadsworth (who are also life partners) include instructions for an incredibly vibrant salami and melted brie sandwich that gets extra crunch from a simple pecan crumble. It's an easy lunch that doubles as an introduction to desert fare.

Hill and Wadsworth refer to the sandwich as a "gauloise." That's French for cigarette — likely inspired by the slim shape of the baguettes. Whatever the name, it’s simply a very good sandwich.

"We spread a sun-dried tomato pistou on the bread, follow it with a layer of sliced Brie and salami, and broil it open-faced until the cheese melts and the edges of the meat are nice and crispy," Hill and Wadsworth write. If you're unfamiliar, pistou is a French sauce similar to pesto. "We add pecan crumble, which is simply pecans toasted with a little sugar to emphasize their flavor, to complement the hot cheese and meat and finish the sandwich with shredded lettuce, olive oil, and vincotto." As for vincotto, that's a traditional Italian condiment made from cooked grape juice; balsamic glaze is an excellent substitute.

You can expect a rich, textural sandwich that balances sweet, savory, and crunchy elements in every bite. Here's how to make it.

Val’s Gauloise Sandwich

Warm salami and brie sandwich with sun-dried tomato pistou, shredded lettuce, and pecans

Serves: 4

* gluten-free option with GF bread

Ingredients

For the sun-dried tomato pistou

• 8 ounces (226 g) julienned sun-dried tomatoes
• ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¾ cup (180 ml) sunflower oil

For the sandwiches

• 4 small baguettes or 1 large baguette, cut into 4 pieces
• 12 ounces (340 g) Brie cheese, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
• 1 pound (455 g) thinly sliced salami
• ⅓ cup (40 g) pecan crumble (see below)
• 2 cups (94 g) shredded iceberg or gem lettuce
• Olive oil, for serving
• Vincotto, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the sun-dried tomato pistou: In a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, nutritional yeast, thyme, salt, and 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the sunflower oil. Pulse and puree in bursts to chop and break up the tomatoes. With the machine running, drizzle in the remaining 6 tablespoons (90 ml) sunflower oil and run the processor for about 30 seconds, until smooth and homogenous.
2. Make the sandwiches: Preheat the broiler on high. Alternatively, preheat a toaster on broil. Split each baguette horizontally. Open each baguette and spread both sides with the sun-dried tomato pistou. Divide the cheese and salami among the baguettes, then place them on a baking sheet open-faced. Place in the oven for about 2 minutes and toast until toasted on the inside and the cheese is starting to melt.
3. Remove the sandwiches from the oven and sprinkle each one with pecan crumble and a handful of shredded lettuce. Drizzle with olive oil and vincotto, close each sandwich with its matching top, and serve warm.

Pecan Crumble

Makes: about 1 ½ cups (165 g)

Ingredients

• 1 ½  cups (170 g) chopped pecans (6-ounce package)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons organic cane sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Remove the sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the toasted pecans to a small bowl and toss with the salt and sugar. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Reprinted with permission from La Copine. Text copyright © 2026 by Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill. Photographs copyright © 2026 by Gentl & Hyers. Published by Abrams.