Our theme was supposed to refer to some ingredient that might be forsaken from a familiar sandwich. In DM's case, the traditional pork and apple sauce of Britain (home of Number 6) was transposed to canape format and coupled (strangely?) with cranberry. In the case of our appetizer, marmelade is not the most popular of condiments (in spite of repeated effort over the decades, i still cannot tolerate it).
Dave's Alt_Brit P&A Canapes: Rosemary Ham; Golden Delicious scratch apple sauce with cinnamon and rosemary; on white rice bread; topped with the nicest cranberries i could find in the bulk aisle.
Angelica's Cozy Chicken & Pancetta Dinner Sandwich: rotisserie chicken wrapped in pancetta, pan fried Japanese eggplant brushed with Ponzu, shredded Asiago cheese mixed with mayonnaise, homemade red pepper jelly.
Appetizer: Orange Whisky Marmalade atop cream cheese and rice crackersSides & Drinks: oven roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine and yellow zucchini tossed with olive oil, red Hawaiian salt, fresh ground pepper and herbs de provence; port in rollie-pollie glasses.
Sandwich Making Soundtrack: Phontaine (DJ)
AS on AS: Hearty, complex and packed with flavour, this sandwich was a self contained meal all on its own. I had worried about the structural soundness given its height and weight, but it held together well, resulting in a perfectly proportioned mix of flavours in every bite. And every ingredient came in complementing flavour/texture pairs: sturdy chicken wrapped in delicate salty pancetta, tender eggplant brushed with lively citrus ponzu, sharp asiago blended with smooth mayo, and both spiciness and sweetness in the red pepper jelly.
AS on DM: another blending of contrasting flavours in these small sized, but large flavoured canapés. What impressed me the most was their versatility...their savory flavours came out when eaten pre-other sandwich (more like an appetizer) and their sweetness came out post-other sandwich (more like a dessert). In fact, every flavour could be easily isolated due to the skillfulness of this sandwich's creator.
DM on AS: i begin with the meal-sandwich. reading AS's own review of her sandwhich, i don't know how to proceed; she says it all and says it well. (it's high time i produced the the first set of reviews.) indeed, it was a hearty creation whose size belied its integrity and whose complexity seemed boundless - i'm sure that each half tasted a little different, as each combination of distinct tastes manifested novel impressions. i was impressed with the taste to be sure, and that comes as no surprise at round 09, but it was especially marvelous to have everything hold together through the final bite. this was a blue-ribbon special.
DM on DM: i was very happy with how this came out. i have to give myself a pat on the back for avoiding my typical pitfalls (i.e. not enough 'pop,' buried flavour in the case of one component). everything appeared to shine through the way i had hoped, and one of my favourite meals was interpreted well to the appetizer format. what can i say? i am happy with how things went and wouldn't want to improve on this one.
The Outcome:
AS: how does one choose between two sandwiches that were so clearly complimentary to each other, rather than competitive? Each sandwich simply made the other better.
DM: it might be the pre-blog talk we had together... i again agree with AS that these were compimentary and not competitive pieces. if i had to put them up against all the creations to date though, i think Angelica's sandwich would take teh prize. as much as i loved my work this time, her meal-worthy creations deliver on taste as well as the time:satisfaction ratio. but kudos to the both of us for concocting a four course masterpiece for the evening.
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