Note to self: I want to make homemade butter.

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I don’t know how I came up with it - mostly by doing a mashup of several of the sandwiches on the lunch board at The Virgin Olive Market yesterday.  I’ve dubbed it “The Mushmerry,” because it’s a totally random name that makes no sense.  Here’s the build:

• Smoked turkey
• Fresh mozzarella cheese (must be fresh, not slices)
• Crispy bacon
• Mixed green lettuce
• Bartlett pear slices
• Croissant

Now, this sandwich might sound a little weird, but let me explain. 

First of the all, the trick ingredient is the pears.  I’ve had turkey sandwiches with apple slices before - usually with some sort of cranberry chutney or something - but in this case, the pears provide a lovely crunch, a sweet but crisp texture that gives the whole sandwich I fresh taste you can’t emulate with lettuce or tomato.  

It also serves as a beautiful complement to the salty bacon.  Bacon makes everything taste better, and when you use real thick cut bacon, it’s just that much better.

The fresh mozzarella is also briney, but soft and rich as well.   I don’t know if there’s a better cheese than fresh mozzarella balls.  Although pretty mild in flavor, the texture is killer.  

The mixed green lettuce is perfect with it.  Rather than standard iceberg lettuce, which is good, but mostly bland and tasteless, this is like a small but elegant salad atop your sandwich.  The grassy green flavor adds a subtle complexity.    

Lastly, the sandwich is served upon a croissant, the second most regal of the breads (behind brioche, natch), which is buttery enough to sustain the sandwich without something as offensive as mayonaisse, something as greasy as oil and vinegar, or something as strong as mustard.  

Yes, the Mushmerry is my new favorite sandwich, and I’d highly recommend you try it too.

Update: Behold, the Mushmerry!

 

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“Halfway Homemade chicken soup” starts with a mirepois. Then you add pre-made chicken broth and two leg quarters of a chicken and egg noodles. The grilled cheese is hand wrapped fresh mozzarella and peasant bread lightly brushed with grapeseed oil griddled until golden brown. A perfect rainy evening combo.

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I am very excited, because today, my lovely wife bought me a new grill. It was precisely the one I wanted. I do a lot of cooking and really enjoy attempting grand recipes, and it’s going to be a lot of fun using this beast.  With 42,000 BTUs across three horizontal burners, porcelain-coated cast iron grates, and a 25 year warranty, this might be the last grill I buy for the next few decades.  

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Sunday night was steak night at our house, and I decided to go with an old favorite and a new experiment. On the right, Jenn was served as silly-sized black angus ribeye, supposedly from a noted black angus farm, cooked a blissful medium rare. We are big ribeye fans in our house, as we generally agree the ribeye is the most flavorful steak in the steer, with its marbling and tenderness.

Although I rarely cook the cut, I coated a Flintstones-sized porterhouse with chimichurri and grilled it. As always, it re-affirmed my belief that the porterhouse is far from "king of the steaks," largely because as good as the filet can be - as tender and juicy as possible - the strip is never as good as I imagine it could be under other circumstances.

I consider myself pretty particular when it comes to beef, and I believe that short of preparing it over wood smoke on some 1100 degree grill, I don't think the strip can be prepared to taste as good as several other steaks. Like many cuts of sirloin, it really requires marinade or a rub of some sort to bring out any powerful flavor, and with some sort of aid, it's usually not natural steak flavor. In general, if a steak can't be seasoned with just extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper, it's a second class steak in our house. That doesn't mean we won't eat it, it's just second tier. Nonetheless, it was plenty tasty enough to accompany the meal.

Lightly sauteed asparagus, tri-color cous cous, and fresh pretzel bread accompanied the steaks and rounded out a great meal.


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Tags: Fooooooood, Food
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