Thin Crisp Flat Bread
and
The Open Faced Sandwich

If sliced bread is the carrier or, more prosaically, the "delivery vehicle" for what goes in the middle of the everyday sandwich, then thin crisp flat bread is sliced bread's naughty cousin. Those skinny little things that like to parade topless with all sorts of tempting treats on display.

As mama used to call them, "open faced" sandwiches.

We envision a groundswell resurgence in popularity of the "open faced" sandwich. Better term would be canape. Pictured above is just the tip of the iceberg for ideas of how to create an open face sandwich.

We heartily recommend Wasa Thin and Crispy Flatbread. Get the one pictured. It is as thin as a postcard with a nutty flavor. So called mouth feel is excellent, breaking apart quickly with a bite.  

The Chinese Chef Knife

Our friend David Wronski has a standing volunteer assignment to sharpen the knives at a vegetarian kitchen at an undisclosed location somewhere in the Big Apple. There, some two dozen+ knives see a lot of service. Inspired, we brought out our set of cutlery for a much needed sharpening. Among them, the trusty Chinese chef knife.

We rediscovered the joys of this unique implement.


If you haven’t used a Chinese chef knife and you are a home cook, we highly recommend you get one. This type of knife is usually made with a carbon steel blade and takes a sharp edge. The heft of the large blade itself behind the sharp edge makes for very precise slicing and speedy dicing. The square far point of the blade gives a nice pivot for the medium length edge for mincing. The large flat surface of the blade makes for easy pick up of the prepped ingredients.


It takes a little getting used to, but it will be a friend for life. (NB: Not to be confused with a cleaver, which is similar but built for chopping dense foods and through bone.)

Please don’t go off and spend hundreds of dollars on a Chinese chef knife. Somewhere around $25 or so should get you as good a one as you could ever want. If you want a better knife, Wüsthof makes a nice one. Be sure the handle and blade are attached with a sturdy bolster (we like a brass bolster on the less expensive versions) or full tang with riveted handle on the better/pricier ones.


Here is master chef Martin Yan showing how it is done . . .

And more . . .

Pêche Poussé

A friend went out to a fancy French restaurant looking for an amazing meal, spare no expense.

“Please won’t you prepare your very best dishes for me, chef’s choice.”

Course following course. Every one, a triumph. Each, better than the other.

Finally, the dessert course . . .

The maître de arrives tableside with a cart on top of which is a pyramid of the most exquisite, colorful ripe Peaches — Texas Peaches — precisely placed on a gold tray surrounded by pink roses. He is accompanied by a gorgeous young lady wearing a peachy pink outfit with a short skirt with lots of ruffles and petticoats. The maître de selects the prime most Peach, inserts a fork into it and proceeds to peel the juicy fruit in one deft movement. He then smugly presents the peach to the diner.

On cue the young lady lifts her skirt. It is clear to be seen that she is not wearing any panties. And, as smooth as a peach herself. The maître de gently places the juicy peach between her soft ingénue thighs, whereupon she proceeds to wriggle and writhe, squirming and gyrating around the peach between her legs.

After quite a long time she stops and the maître de lifts up the peach and exclaims, “Voilà, monsieur, Pêche Poussé!”

Shocked, the man blurts out, “No way am I going to eat THAT Peach!”

The maître de diplomatically rejoins, “Ah, monsieur, the PEACH . . . you do not eat.”