sandwiches: round 04: monochrome theme

The Contenders:

Dave's Yellow [the Plum Loco Crabby Curry] (buckwheat bread with crab, masala curry, and plum shavings)

Angelica's White on Black (shaved oven roasted turkey, Packham pear, cow's feta, slivered blanched almonds, the whites of green onions, mayo base, open face grilled on buckwheat bread)

Angelica & Dave's Yellow Meets White on Black [suggestions for other names?... the So-So-Gouda] (mustard, shaved turkey, mushrooms browned in butter on buckwheat bread, closed with melted smoked gouda on outside top layer)

The sides:
Purple Royal Olives
Deep Red Sangiovese Wine

Sandwich Making Soundtrack: Beirut

The Showdown:

Angelica on White - this is one of my favourites of my sandwiches so far...a surprising medley of flavour packed into normally unassuming white. Just enough sweet to offset the sharp and just enough sharp to balance the savory in this blizzardy sandwich. I do realize my sandwiches require extra handling due to their layering and structurally unsound construction, but the extra effort to get all flavours in one mouthful layer by layer was certainly worth it.

Dave - though this was the first bite i'd had in hours, and might have benefited from my being hungry, it's greatness through to the last bite was of an extraordinary nature. this was a seriously tasty offering that i wanted more of. if there were more of it, i would have made myself full before getting to my own sandwich. my favourite part was the almonds - nice touch.

Angelica on Yellow - a minimalist sandwich by comparison, but lacking in nothing. Bright and cheery, like its colour inspiration. This was a fine, fine creation.

Dave - i was afraid that this creation would suffer from the subtle nature that some of my previous efforts failed to punch beyond. in this case, i would say that the curry could have - but shouldn't have - been stronger, and the plum, though tempting to be strengthened, might have otherwise overpowered the crab foundation. preparing this sandwich with sushi-making sensibilities brought even taste distribution to each bite and may be the reason that i would not change a thing about the proportions next time. i am proud of this one, especially considering it's spontaneous conception in Caper's a mere hour earlier.

Angelica on Yellow & White - good, but not a wow. A solid and hearty lunch sandwich, but it paled in comparison to the two stars above. Unlike the Number 2's so far, I suspect the pan fried mushrooms will make a return appearance.

Dave - bring on the pan-fried mushrooms anytime... make them side even. this 'wich was solid in more ways than one. four hours earlier in the day, i would have been happy to have eaten both halves and not worried about eating again for a while. could have certainly used more gouda, and if so, might have threatened a tougher decision. bring back the gouda too.

The Verdict:
AS: I'd eat both yellow and white again in a heartbeat - my tastebuds call a draw.
DM: agreed... though if pressed, i would admit to being more likely to make the white more often than the yellow down the line. what can i say? i like cheese. (and i'll bet that the crab and plum curry would taste great even without the bread around it.)