sandwiches: round 17: Red

Being Valentine's Day and all, we decided on a theme of red.

Sides: no room for sides following the sea bass and Chinese parsley congee and bbq duck.

Drinks: An old Pinot Noir, hand carried back from Germany in 2003.

Angelica's Ginger Beef Sizzle: thinly sliced beef rib-eye marinated in soya sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil, pomegranate-habernaro jelly and toasted black and white sesame seeds in a yogurt sauce, all served on on brown rice focaccia bread
















Dave's Salmon Don: Italian meets Japanese in this piece that combines lemon-dill pan-seared salmon on a bed of sticky dill rice between brown rice focaccia bread.

















AS on AS: while each ingredient on its own was packed with flavour, somehow together it was like they cancelled each other out. Somehow the flavours just mellowed out too much, which was surprising given that the garlic and ginger had bite and the pomegranate-habernaro jelly was burning hot. There were still some hints of the flavours there, but in the end this one did not come together for me.

AS on DM: the first flavour I tasted was sour lemon and it set the stage for the fantastic flavours that followed. The salmon was the real star here and the rice was a nice surprise sandwich ingredient. I would never have guessed that rice could go so well in a sandwich, but it did.

DM on DM: The original concept was to press the rice into pan-fried patties, between which would sit the salmon. Reason won the day, so focaccia became the foundational piece. I was very happy with this sandwich because the flavours balanced well; nothing was overshadowed. And in spite of seeming to be a typical meal translocated between bread, the result felt like a sandwich in its own right. Filling, tasty, and not heavy.

DM on AS: Hearty, tasty, and it had character! I really liked this one, and without minding the "mellowed tastes." This sandwich brought a great taste combination together into one flavour that was distinct and mysteriously delicious. Writing about it now, weeks later, I could go for one.

The Verdict:

AS: an easy win for DM. His sandwich had the right flavours and the right proportions. It was simple yet innovative. A superb way to end out the official season end.

DM: i liked mine a little better this week, but i might be biased by AS's own assessment of the comparison. This was another great meal collaboration - the end of a great season, the beginning of a great series.