Meat, Cheese, Bread, Perfection.

Tired, stressed, hungry and a little bummed. This sums up my attitude last Thursday night.

Tired, as I had been up since 3am, driving to and from Fresno, CA where I was tasting our newest pasta sauce production.

Stressed, as I had just approved 12,000 jars of sauce to be run, and wasn't sure that the tastes were exactly what I wanted.

Hungry, as I had foregone eating anything substantial 1.) to help keep my palate intact, 2.) because I simply ran out of time.

A little bummed, as I was 30 minute away from my reservation at the French Laundry, knowing full-well that I was likely going to devour anything that made its way onto my table. This was not going to be me carefully tasting the delicate and thoughtful expressions that are a cornerstone of the restaurant. Instead, this was going to go down a la the 'I just took a huge bong rip and now I can't cram this shit into my pie hole fast enough' approach.

Enter my wife, to save the day, with a baguette, prosciutto and pepper jack cheese. No condiments. Basic.

The take-away was 2-fold.

1.) My wife is the best, coolest, most rad person that I have ever met, and I feel like the luckiest person alive to have her in my life. Being more tired than I, she - without a moment's hesitation - was gone and back with a simple solution to the problem.

2.) Less can be more.

Without the addition (perhaps distraction?) of flavors typically provided by mustards, dressings, sauces, vegetables, etc. I was able to focus on the 3 ingredients. Bread, ham and cheese. Balance was found. This sandwich was perfection at that time. Often times I find myself so embellishing the hell out of sandwiches, that I lose sight of why they can be great. Simplicity, of course, is the answer.

Although not always right for every situation, I will definitely be more inclined to simplify things if this is the end result. I just need to continue to remind myself to do this. Just use the simplest, freshest and best ingredients. Let the food do the work.

Hmmm...seems like I've heard that somewhere before.

Caribbean Aioli Recipe

1/4 cup lime juice

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

2 t kosher salt

6 T garlic, minced*

6 fresh habanero peppers, minced (less chile is OK, but less chile = less heat & less fruit note)

6 peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/2 cup EVOO

Whisk first 7 items together.  Once well blended, slowly add EVOO while whisking.  Garlic is a natural emulsifier, so it will take, but your arm(s) might get tired.  Resist the urge to add egg or mustard.  (If you want to get sleezy, use a blender on low speed.)  Taste.  Correct the salt content, as needed.  Refrigerate.

*Fresh garlic is going to taste different than the jarred stuff.  It will be a milder flavor that will grow over time.  It most likely, however, will not ever reach the amplified mega-garlic flavor of the jarred stuff, as that usually has citric acid to help preserve it.  Citric acid sharpens tastes.  Depending on the application, I vary between fresh and jarred.

Current Top 5

Current Top 5:

1.) Cuban

2.) Meatball Parmagianna

3.) Italian Grinder

4.) Club

5.) Grilled Cheese