Faces of Children in Myanmar

When I hopped on that 7:30 am flight to Yangon back in December, the guide-book in my hand was brand new. Apparently I wasn’t prepared and of course didn’t know what to expect. I certainly did not expect to have such connection with children in Myanmar– on their faces I saw this sort of genuineness that’s almost ancient….

This boy at the food stand was probably more professional and attentive than a lot of other adult servers. He said thank you and gave me this great smile after I showed him pictures I took for him.

The most heartbreaking moment

We saw these two girls as soon as we walked into the village. They were curious about our presence and lingered (even helped) when our guide was showing us the water pump.

We offered to buy some candies for the children in the village. They waited patiently they were shy and polite. When Alan gave a boy an extra pack of snack, he said to our guide that he’s got one already…..

On our way out the village, we heard “hello hello!” We turned around and saw this adorable picture.

Khantoke

My first Khantoke feast was humble and romantic I remembered– under the cool Chiang Rai mountain weather, in a brisk December evening with stars and breeze. And I was green and ambitious, ready to conquer the world.

Fast forward 7 years– ambition rounded, and the world remained unconquered.  I am back in Chiang Rai. Thank goodness the Khantoke feast is still humble and romantic as I remembered.

Spicy Cilantro & Peanut Sauce — heaven’s food

The non-vegetarian version: crispy pork skin, Sai Oua (Northern Thai Sausage), Fried Chicken, Northern Thai Pork Curry, Vegetables, and sticky rice in bamboo basket

While eating bamboo rice on the mountain trail, I talk to Ming from Mae Salong. He tells me about his school days in Taipei; my thoughts drift to that painful history of the lonely, defeated KMT army who took refuge in Mae Salong. “It is really beautiful.” Ming says, showing me pictures of breath-taking scenery from his iPhone.

The scent of bamboo rice lingers. I reminisce about the years in between the two visits. I think I finally arrive at a state of mind that allows me to slow down and appreciate the serene temples and the water of Golden Triangle.

關於那50塊

最近最值錢的50塊應該是鼎泰豐那朝令夕改的50塊; 一枚硬幣帶出了很多哲學議題社會辯論, 然後一定會順道帶入經濟議題薪資水準踐踏人才. 我覺得這倒還挺台灣餐飲的縮影- 業者與市場皆然.

我一個熱愛鼎泰豐, 視鼎泰豐炒飯為神物的法國朋友剛好趕上這熱潮, 他聽完面無表情地說 “so?” (意思就是, 這麼好吃的東西如果多了50塊可以把它變成我更喜歡的味道, 這是值得的). 然後他又問 “你覺得問題在哪裡？”

我覺得? 是待客哲學 (hospitality)的問題.

因為鼎泰豐給的答案是: 通常一個師傅一次可以炒4份的炒飯, 如果要”客製“加醬油加辣椒, 會增加成本所以要額外收費. 這個回答跟各大媒體的計算其實都挺無謂的.

路邊攤的確一份炒飯就也才50塊, 鼎泰豐加個醬油就要50塊, 鼎泰豐又已經有收服務費了, 所以這是史上最貴醬油. 這種蘋果比橘子的邏輯謬誤其實沒有什麼好討論的. 至於鼎泰豐的這個決策, 點出的是餐飲業者與管理者長久的兩難. 我們看來有可能是師傅們不堪其擾, 所以覺得可以”以價制量” 或是提高門檻讓客人自己打退堂鼓. 這個策略在社福, 保險常用, 在餐飲界常見的方法就是很高的開瓶費.

我不曉得鼎泰豐客制化炒飯的量是不是有多到每一家店每一班到最後都要有一個師傅專門去炒這些特別炒飯那樣的程度, 但是其實一般會犧牲到的應該是客人拿到食物的速度而不是實質金錢 (因為要另外炒所以要等比較久, 客人自己去決定要不要接受). 這個決策不曉得真的是要以價制量還是鼎泰豐真的經過極精密計算後的結論, 不過這讓我想到我很多年前在北京的一場面試.

面試我的是某北京藝術才女與餐廳名人, 她飄逸的氣質突然在談到“客人的金錢責任”時市場了起來. “妳說, 客人在我店裡打破酒杯是不是該賠？我用的都是挺好的RIEDEL酒杯, 破一個就是我人民幣80塊錢, 要賠啊！妳再說說, 這麼多人進店裡都要喝熱水加檸檬片, 還要個蜂蜜！我應該要收他們5塊8塊的…..“

我說, 客人如果是故意打破大量的酒杯當然要賠. 但是如果是不小心弄破的, 一瓶酒賺的mark-up是遠超過那人民幣80塊的. 如果覺得蜂蜜檸檬水的量大到影響營運了, 就放上酒水單, 不要為了5塊8塊的破壞了餐廳的形象, 不值得. 我離開那個面試時內心的那種奇怪感覺這麼多年了都還在, 後來他們遠大的擴張計劃當然沒有執行, 而原本的名店聽朋友說後來也關了. 她的藝術與美感還是飄逸, 可是待客哲學或許不是最適合用在餐廳經營上.

就是那5塊8塊的定了格局啊….

不然其實星巴克extra hot, 西餐廳裡硬要煮爛的義大利麵跟硬要烤到全熟到不行的牛排其實都是增加廚房的時間還壞了原本的食譜, 但基於(時間)成本考量都要額外收費. 這個議題先不要扯專業人員, 因為真正辛苦的師傅們不會看見這50塊的結果反應在他們的薪資單上.

老爸老媽有一次在台南某老攤子吃炒鱔魚, 等了很久都不見出菜. 有客人等得不耐煩跑去問老闆, 原來是老闆非要等到有5份點餐他才要一起炒, 於是客人跟老闆就吵了起來, 最後老闆拿著菜刀追趕客人出他的鱔魚攤.

其實這種事情呢, 要嘛就有那鱔魚攤老闆的愚與魯莽, 要嘛就相信自己的決策貫徹下去

Grilled Sardine in Hamburg

I was told here’s good seafood in Hamburg. I doubted it of course. Then after another chaos created by Air France, after 20 hours of travel and no sight of luggage, we stumbled upon this neighborhood Spanish/Portuguese restaurant in St. George. Snow, sunshine, fatigue. In a strangely good mood, I ordered grilled sardine and was pleasantly surprised.

Salted and grilled to perfection, paired with buttery potatoes. Something so simple can just bring so much satisfaction…. beautiful!

Floating Market — Bangkok

This time in Bangkok, I landed with minimum planning. I even joined a long-tail boat package tour. We sailed through the divine temples, the grand hotels, then entered the locals’ area, into the floating market.

My Lonely Planet says: “In olden times, central Thai farmers would deliver their goods to market abroad the only transport they owned: the family boat.” Though this tradition is now more a attraction than reality, I still think  this is  one of the most romantic ways of trading.

Our tour guide ushered us onto the dry land, and that’s when I realized how drastically the floating market has been scaled down. “You know, because of the flood last year and pollution, not many floating markets in Bangkok anymore.” Our tour guide said. I didn’t know, it’s a shame, but I completely understand why.

After enjoying the grilled plantain dipped in coconut syrup, beating the Bangkok heat with unbelievably refreshing lemon grass water sans sugar and being chased away by the King of Fruit Durian, our tour guide was ushering us out. Then that’s when I finally saw the romantic.

A smiley Thai lady doing made to order papaya salad! Fresh ingredients in clay jars, color all too vibrant.

Hopping back to our long-tail boat, papaya salad in hand…. the aroma of freshly crushed chill.

This time in Bangkok, I landed with minimum planning. I even joined a long-tail boat package tour. But it was a pleasant surprise.

慢煮羊肩 / 12-hour Shoulder of Lamb ● Trio of Summer

低溫烹調當初會被發展出來, ㄧ邊是為了利用牛肉比較便宜的部位, 一邊是為了在烹煮過程中多留住一些昂貴的鵝肝. 我最近喜歡鑽研“便宜肉”的這一塊. 羊腿sous vide 12小時後煎香,再配上自製的綠莎莎醬,酪梨起司沙拉,烤櫛瓜與馬郁蘭番茄. 雖說羊肉需要花點時間, 但是過程完全不費力. 至於配菜…. 非常簡單！基本上就是橄欖油, 檸檬汁, 海鹽與胡椒搞定所有的調味; 是一道適合夏天的菜.

There’s one fun fact about sous vide: it was developed as a solution to both expensive and cheap ingredients. Recently, I’ve been playing sous vide on cheap(er) cuts of meat and couldn’t be happier.

I pair the 12-hour shoulder of lamb with home-made salsa verde, grilled zucchini, avocado & feta salad and marjoram cherry tomatoes. It takes some time to prepare the lamb but no sweat at all. As for the garnishes… well, pretty much just olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper all the way. Great summertime dish.

TO PREPARE

• 羊肩排/ Shoulder of lamb
• 香料: 孜然, 海鹽, 黑胡椒, 薑黃粉, 肉豆蔻, 辣椒粉/ Spices: cumin, sea salt, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, chili flakes
• 百里香/ thyme
• 大蒜/ garlic
• 櫛瓜, 黃綠各一/ zucchini：yellow and green
• 菲達起司/ feta cheese, 150~200 g
• 2顆酪梨/ 2 avocados
• 馬郁蘭草/ marjoram
• 小蕃茄/ cherry tomatoes
• 綠莎莎醬: 2瓣大蒜, 半根紅辣椒, 香菜, 西洋芹, 羅勒, 薄荷, 2顆檸檬, 橄欖油/ Salsa Verde: 2 cloves of garlic, half fresh chili pod, cilantro, parsley, basil, mint, 2 lemons, olive oil
• 橄欖油/ olive oil
• 2顆檸檬/ 2 lemons
• 奶油/ butter

TO MAKE

• 在羊肩排上淋上些許橄欖油並抹上香料後, 放入冰箱一個晚上.
• 把醃好的羊肩排與百里香, 大蒜(約2~4瓣)一起真空包裝後, 放入63度的水浴中煮12個小時.
• 綠莎莎: 把所有的香草只取葉子部分, 與大蒜, 辣椒一起放入食物處理器或果汁機中. 加入約2茶匙的海鹽, 黑胡椒, 檸檬汁後開始攪拌. 一邊攪拌一邊加入橄欖油 (每一次約ㄧ大匙的量). 注意要間歇性地攪拌才能留住香草的口感, 切勿打成泥.
• 烤櫛瓜: 把櫛瓜切成長方形片狀後淋上橄欖油, 海鹽與胡椒; 以華氏375度烤15分鐘.
• 酪梨沙拉: 把酪梨與菲達起司切成一口的方塊後與橄欖油, 檸檬汁, 鹽與胡椒拌勻即可.
• 馬郁蘭蕃茄: 把小蕃茄切對半以後加入馬郁蘭的葉子, 與橄欖油, 胡椒, 海鹽與檸檬汁拌勻備用.
• 裝盤: 用奶油把sous vide好的羊肩排煎至焦香後, 與綠莎莎, 烤櫛瓜, 酪梨沙拉和馬郁蘭蕃茄一起裝盤就可以了.

• Rub all spices on the lamb with some olive oil. Let is rest in the fridge to marinate overnight.
• Vacuum pack the lamb with few cloves of garlic and thyme. 63℃, 12 hours
• Salsa Verde: put all herbs with chili in a food processor or blender, add in some sea salt (about 2 teaspoon), black pepper and lemon juice. Pour in olive oil as you pulse until all leaves are moderately chopped. Do not puree the salsa.
• Grill zucchini: cut zucchini into rectangles. Grill with olive oil, sea salt and pepper in 375℉, 15 minutes.
• Avocado salad: cut avocado and feta cheese into cubes. Mix lightly with salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice (about 1 lemon).
• Marjoram cherry tomatoes: cut cherry tomatoes into halves. Mix with marjoram leaves, salt and pepper, olive oil and one lemon of lemon juice.
• To assemble: melt some butter in a pan. Pan fried the sous vide shoulder of lamb till it’s golden brown. Plate all elements and enjoy.

MARKT AM MAYBACHUFER

On Tuesdays and Fridays, it is the Little Istanbul in Berlin they say. Those grape leaves all seem too tempting under the much too dreamy sunlight. I too long to shop like this. At the far end of the market, music playing, children smiling, people dancing. I somehow want to shout out “dolce far niente!”  On my way out, this amazon-looking flower stares down at the shoppers…. “Flowers are gay!! haha!!” this man encourages me to take some more pictures while packing grocery onto his bicycle. Oh life is fun!

開心的白蘆筍季 White Asparagus! White Asparagus! White Asparagus!

白蘆筍季又到了. 我一向認為要是可以拿到大又肥美的白蘆筍, 就該大肆慶祝！而最好的慶祝方式當然就是找群好朋友們來吃吃喝喝. 在計畫菜單的時候, 我希望可以原味地呈現白蘆筍同時還有時間可以“加入”派對 (而不是一直卡在廚房裡), 所以就先sous vide了一批白蘆筍, 然後做出三道變化穿插在其他的菜中.

So it’s the white asparagus season again! My motto is, if you can get a hold of these beautiful babies, you do something with them. And what else is better than throwing a party?

When putting together the menu, I wanted to showcase the juiciness and the delicate flavor of white asparagus without having to be stuck in the kitchen and miss out on all these conversations and fun. So I sous vide a batch and did a white asparagus three-way.

Sous Vide White Asparagus 

• 清洗, 去掉底部太硬的部份以及削掉纖維粗的外皮/ Clean and peel. Snap off the tough bottom part.
• 把處理好的蘆筍放入真空袋裡, 淋上橄欖油後密封/ vacuum pack with drizzle of olive oil.
• 82℃, 40 ~ 60 分/ minutes.

White Asparagus . Proscuitto . Parmigiano 

• 把白蘆筍裝盤, 先淋上一些橄欖油, 放上帕馬火腿, 削幾片帕馬森起司, 然後撒上少許的鹽之花或海鹽以及新鮮黑胡椒就可以了.
• Take white asparagus out from the bag, plate with drizzle of olive oil, slices of proscuitto, parmigiano, then a pinch of fleur de sel (sea salt will be just fine as well) and some freshly ground black pepper. That’s it! (Could be served chilled or hot, it depends on your preference).

 

Salad . White Asparagus . Grapefruit . Serrano Ham .  Dijon Vinaigrette 

這道食譜的靈感來自於在柏林時造訪的 Kochhaus . 因為買不到嫩芝麻葉, 所以就用芝麻葉混上frisee (捲鬚萵苣)做底去中和 芝麻葉的味道.

This recipe is inspired by Kochhaus in Germany. I couldn’t somehow get any baby arugula, so I mixed arugula and frisee as the salad base.

PREPARE 

• 芝麻葉/ Arugula 
• 捲鬚萵苣/ Frisee 
• 5-6支sous vide過的白蘆筍切小段/ 5-6 sous vide white asparagus, cut into 3cm pieces  
• 2顆葡萄柚(只取果肉) 2 grapefruit, sectioned 
• 1顆檸檬的汁/ 1 lemon, juiced
• 西班牙serrano火腿/ serrano ham 
• 海鹽及黑胡椒/ sea salt & black pepper 
• 牛至少許/ oregano 
• 2大匙的第戎芥末/ 2 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• 橄欖油/ olive oil 
• sous vide蘆筍的湯汁/ juice from sous vide asparagus 

MAKE

• 將生菜洗淨後徹底濾乾
• 第戎芥末沙拉醬: 在大碗內加入橄欖油, 芥末醬, 檸檬汁, 蘆筍湯汁與鹽和胡椒後拌勻直到醬汁變得有一點濃稠
• 將沙拉, 蘆筍, 葡萄柚果肉與切碎的牛至葉與沙拉醬拌勻後裝盤, 最後再放上西班牙火腿即完成將生菜洗淨後徹底濾乾
  • Clean and dry the arugula and frisee thoroughly. 
  • Dijon Vinaigrette:  in a mixing bowl add in olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, juice of asparagus. Mix well until it reaches a good consistency. 
  • Combine the salad base with white asparagus, chopped oregano, grapefruit sections, vinaigrette and salt & pepper. Plate with serrano ham on top of the salad. 

 White asparagus . Soft Boiled Egg . Sprinkle of Spring

• 先sous vide蛋 (64度, 40分鐘). 因為蛋的味道會完全展現, 強烈建議使用品質較好的蛋. 裝盤時先擺上蛋, 然後淋上橄欖油, 鹽之花或海鹽, 新鮮黑胡椒, 少許七味辣椒粉, 最後是在Kochhaus發現的乾燥花瓣.
• Sous vide egg: 64℃, 40 minutes (you will really taste the egg, so high quality egg is highly recommended). Plate white asparagus with the soft boiled egg, drizzle on top some olive oil, pinch of sea salt/fleur de sel, freshly ground black pepper, some Japanese 7-pepper spice then sprinkle of dried flower petals. Another easy one.

走進大食譜/ Walk-in Recipe Book: Kochhaus, Berlin

我其實是個很愛逛超市/市場的人. 但即使如此, 常常還是會陷入繞了超市十圈卻找不齊所有材料, 或是瞪著某個新奇食材卻不確定自己會不會處理的窘境. 出發到柏林之前正好讀到Kochhaus的介紹, 這麼有趣的地方怎能不去看看？

走進Kochhaus比較像走進一本大型的立體食譜而不是超市. 深色的木頭桌子各以一食譜為主題, 陳列著所有需要用到的材料：小至雞湯塊, 貼心到連搭配的葡萄酒都挑好了！要是想要保留食譜, 一份0.5歐元.

Okay!! Grocery shopping. My experience often involves circling around the (super) market, trying to locate all ingredients I need (and forgetting one thing or two during the ordeal) or staring at an interesting looking ingredient yet have no idea what to do with it. So when I read about Kochhaus before headed to Berlin, I knew I gotta go check it out.

Kochhaus is a walk-in recipe book concept. Upon entering the store, I see dark wood tables each devoted to a single recipe. And on the table, there’s pretty much all the ingredients you will need to execute the recipe, including something as tiny as chicken stock cubes and even….. wines to pair with!! Hallelujah.

( Also, you could pick up a copy of the recipe for €0.50).

To me, this is better than Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meal and definitely much better than the corner take-out or even the prepared food isle.

四週的牆上有食譜區(包括與食物相關的書寫), 調味料, 葡萄酒, 餐具與廚房用具, 店裡也有現做咖啡與一些輕食. 雖然不是琳琅滿目的大規模超市, 但是卻很有魅力與特色. 即使不能像個柏林人一樣在下班回家的途中挑個食譜回家作頓晚餐, 我買了份食譜, ㄧ瓶裝滿春天氣息的乾燥花瓣與一瓶Barolo後開心地漫步在Schoneberg的街道上.

回到台北以後我查了一下, Kochhaus其實是幾個年輕的創業家開發出來的新概念. 在這個大家抓破頭只求下一個飲食新點子的時代, 這樣一個簡單卻實用的存在不知道為甚麼很振奮人心. 紐約時報在2010年Kochhaus剛起步的時候曾經報導過他們, 行銷總監Stober說Kochhaus的每一道食譜(ㄧ人份)都在10歐元以下, 不超過12道步驟, 準備時間也不超過1小時— 這樣的設置的確讓在家做菜又簡單了一些.

而幾個星期後, 這些在柏林的靈感與收穫都進了白蘆筍派對食客們的肚子裡.

On the walls surround these recipe tables, a wonderful collection of cookbooks/food writing, spices, wines, cookware and tableware completes the display. Not a mega store, but there’s an intellectual epicerie kind of feeling to it. It was end of April, and the store was featuring white asparagus. I picked up a copy of recipe (White Asparagus Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette and Parma Ham), a tiny jar of dried flower petals that screams Spring and a bottle of Barolo. Despite the fact I do not have the privilege of being a Berliner to go straight home and cook myself a great dinner, I felt inspired.

After returning home, i did some research on Kochhaus and found out it’s actually a young start-up. New York Times did a piece on them in 2010, Stober, Kochhaus’ Marketing Director says: “The rules we make for ourselves are strict and easy to understand: no dish costs more than €10, about $13, a serving; no dish takes more than one hour to prepare; there are no more than twelve steps to any recipe; there are never more than twenty recipes to choose from in the store, although two new ones are rotated in each week.” In the world where all F &B ehnthusiastics and professionals are pulling their hair out to come up with new concepts, I have to say this one is simple, straight forward and well executed.

Few weeks later, I happily took the inspiration and recipe to cook for  my White Asparagus Party!

Kochhaus Schoneberg/ Akazienstrabe 1 10823 Berlin 

煙燻火雞肉三明治+羅勒烤薯條：Frank Bruni Inspired Turkey Sandwich + Lemonade Wannabe

雖說都已經三月了, 台北還是灰暗陰冷. 沒有春暖花開, 夏天感覺更加遙遠. 默默肖想可以在游泳匙畔戴著大墨鏡吃火雞肉三明治喝檸檬水~ 只是這樣不親和的天氣, 窩在家裡似乎是比較實際的想法; 索性看完手上Frank Bruni從紐約時報餐廳評論家退下以後寫的 “Born Round”

紐約時報的餐廳評論比米其林評鑑有趣多了, 除了叉子星星的數量外以外, 還有毒舌描述. Bruni的風格尤其獨特, 而且有時毒得令人拍案叫絕. 雖說這些評論家都會用化名, 假電話甚至變裝來掩蓋身分, 但是其實在意自己評鑑的餐廳都默默地知道進門的是誰, 還會同業間互相通風報信. 我之前工作的紐約上東城餐廳裡, 衣帽間就釘著一張Bruni的照片. 

當紐約時報要二度評鑑我們餐廳的時候, 據說當時是非常緊張的一段時期. 怎知在其中一次(紐約時報都謹慎地不會ㄧ次定生死), 一個非常緊張的busser竟然把整個tray的酒杯砸到Bruni旁邊的冰桶裡. “他嚇死了!” 告訴我這個故事的老牌法國Maitre D’笑到都要摔下椅子. “但我們還是四顆星”

這就是徫大餐廳獨有的自信和幽默感.

Bruni在這本自傳體的書裡寫了自己, 寫了家庭, 寫了他與食物之間幾經拉扯後終於達到的平衡. 也寫他和母親深厚的情感. 書裡一段寫母親為他做火雞肉三明治的文字很深刻; 所以就照著Bruni太太的堅持做了個三明治, 配上酥脆又沒油煙的薯條和帶有夏日檸檬水風格的調酒. 

And if she were indeed home and turkey sandwiches were what we wanted, she’d make them for us. Not because she was some meek, doting servant: Mom drew too much attention to her exertions and was too transparent in her bid for plaudits to be taken for  meek, doting servile. She made the sandwiches for us because she knew we wouldn’t slice the turkey as strategically as she did, in narrow but meaty slivers. we wouldn’t arrange those strategically sliced slivers on the bread so that each bite of the sandwich pulled out some but not all of the meat. we might not take the time to clean and dry a leaf of lettuce for the sandwich, and we might not remember to spread the mayonnaise on the meat, not the bread, because bread too readily sponged it up, lessening its rich, fatty say. 

She made the sandwiches, in short, because she was better at it. but she also made them because doing that, and presenting them to us, was her shorthand for telling us that she was rooting for, and watching over us. that she was rooting for, and watching over, me. 

Frank Bruni, Born Round 

It’s almost mid-March, and it’s still gloomy cold in Taipei. No sign of Spring, and I long for a sneak peak of Summer: Turkey Sandwich and lemonade by the pool. And shades- the larger the merrier.

Too bad umbrella is the only option of accessory, so I retreat back to Frank Bruni’s secret history of a full-time eater. Bruni is probably my favorite Times restaurant critic; his whimsical, bitchy and sometimes cruel style just suites me perfectly. I’ve missed him so since he retired from the post, and the dining section is never the same. Oh the Times restaurant critics. Yes we all hear about their camouflage attempt. Yes back in the coat room of a Upper East side star restaurant that I used to work for, there was a picture of Bruni pinned on the wall. Yes if Bruni is in the house, it’s code red alert.

But I can never get tired of the story, told by one of the greatest Maitre D’s in the City, in his French accent. When Bruni was in to review us for the second time, of course everybody knew who’s sitting at Table 56. The nervous bus-boy lost his balance and dropped the entire tray of glasses down into the ice bucket- right next to him. “Oh boy, Bruni’s face says horror!!” The Maitre D’ laughed so hard then continued, “but the dinner went well, and we were again a four-star.” Remarkable sense of humor and confidence.

I flip over the last page of Born Round, happy with the fun and personal journey he again took me through, and decide to make some turkey sandwiches, following Mrs. Bruni’s tips, served with crispy baked potato wedges and a lemonade wannabe. Maybe summer isn’t too far away after all.

準備/Prepare (兩人份/Serves 2)

火雞肉三明治與烤薯條/ Turkey Sandwich & Baked Potato Wedges

• 4片土司 (白吐司或全麥都可以, 不過經驗是感覺奶油,牛奶越多的烤起來越好吃）                                   4 slices of toast (White or whole wheat, depending on your preference. But the buttery ones turn out great after toasting!)
• 1顆番茄, 切片                                                                                                                                                                 1 beef or large vine tomato, slice
• 1條小黃瓜切成長方型片狀 (我就是Bruni媽媽口中懶得去清洗生菜還一片片擦乾的人,但是小黃瓜不但省事,而且口感味道都很好)                                                                                                                                          1 English cucumber, cut into rectangle slices  (too lazy to dry the lettuce but definitely love the crunchiness and freshness)
• 美乃滋/Mayonnaise
• 含籽帝戎芥末醬/Whole grain Dijion mustard
• 火雞胸肉(一人大約2-3片)/Several slices of turkey breast (2-3 slices per person)
• 切片起司數片                                                                                                                                                      Several slices of semi-hard, creamy cheese of your choice (Cheddar,Emmental, Montary Jack, Provolone will all be great. I use Tomme de Savoie for a change)
• 海鹽及黑胡椒/ Sea salt & freshly crushed pepper
• 2顆馬鈴薯,切塊/2 potatoes, cut into wedges
• 2大匙鵝油/2 tablespoon goose fat
• 紅椒粉少許/Paprika
• 10-15片羅勒葉/10-15 basil leaves
• 辣椒片少許/Chili flakes
• 1茶匙赤楊木煙燻屑/1 teaspoon Alder wood chips

開始/Cooking

• Sous Vide溫度設定到85度, 將切好的馬鈴薯淋上少許橄欖油後密封(中高壓力), 煮90分鐘.                                    Set water bath to 85℃, drizzle some olive oil over the potato wedges and vacuum seal them on medium to high, then cook for 90 minutes.
• 在等馬鈴薯的同時, 把火雞肉與起司放進可密封的容器裡, 以赤楊木煙燻後放入冰箱裡入味.        While waiting for the potato wedges, put turkey breast and slices of cheese in a container, pipe in enough smoke, cover the container tightly then let it smoke away in the fridge.
• 把薯條從袋中拿出後平鋪在烤盤上, 加上鵝油, 海鹽, 胡椒, 紅椒粉跟辣椒. 以攝氏400度烤20分鐘, 或直到表面呈金黃色為止. 出爐前, 撒上切成絲的羅勒葉再烤1分鐘; 上桌前可以再撒上一些海鹽跟胡椒. 這樣做出來的薯條可以媲美有費工地先水煮, 然後過兩道油溫的薯條！                                                   Take potato wedges out from the bag and lay the them on a sheet pan, add goose fat, sea salt and pepper, sprinkle with paprika and chili flakes, into the oven of 400 ℉ for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Before serving, shred the basil leaves, sprinkle them on top of the potato wedges and bake for another minute. Pinch of extra sea salt and pepper to taste. The result- almost as good as the double or triple cooked fries! 
• 把吐司烤到表面金黃                                                                                                                                            Toast your toasts.
• 組合三明治: 要記得Bruni媽媽說的, 美乃滋不能抹在麵包上！我的順序是: 火雞肉, 起司, 美乃滋, 芥末, 小黃瓜, 然後番茄. 蓋上麵包前再撒上一些海鹽跟胡椒. 這樣出來的三明治可以從第一口吃到最後一口都不會散掉.                                                                                                                                            Assemble the sandwich: gotta follow Mrs. Bruni’s tip- mayo and mustard on the turkey, not the toast! I start with turkey breast, cheese, mayo and mustard, then cucumber and tomato, pinch of sea salt and some black pepper to finish.
• 與烤薯條一起裝盤就可以享用了！                                                                                                                  Serve with baked potato wedges and maybe some extra cucumber sticks on the side.