roasted turkey with Denver sourdough

The bread for this sandwich, pictured in the post below, was made by capturing and cultivating airborne organisms and then using them as leaven for ordinary dough made from flour, water, and salt. That is all. The capturing was done a few years ago via a slurry also made from flour and water but no salt and the cultivating has been done repeatedly since. I usually let the starter languish between feeding which is not recommended so I rejuvenate it with warmth to help it revitalize faster. This would not be necessary if I fed the starter more frequently. After reviving the starter and building up the sponge at room temperature in increments that double with each feeding and then stopping when I feel I have enough, and this is always pure guesswork, I arrest the yeast portion of the sponge by putting it into cold storage, the refrigerator or outside on the balcony if it's cold enough, allowing the sponge to ferment for a few days, at least two sometimes more, while the bacterial portion of the culture within the sponge continues to impart its unique characteristics. The longer it ferments, the tangier and stronger the flavor becomes. Days later it is removed from cold storage, divided into loaves, and encouraged again with warmth. It always explodes into rapid expansion much faster than if left at room temperature, although room temperature works perfectly fine. Then the loaves are baked in a process that resembles a commercial bakery as closely as possible, as high as the oven will go either between pizza stones or within a closed vessel, a stoneware cloche or a cast iron or anodized aluminum pot with a close-fitting lid.

This is kick-ass bread, of the sort that has been made all through the history from the beginning of wheat cultivation to about fifty years ago, and although so simple even an early Egyptian could do it, and they did, you can see it takes a small bit of planning, that is, one's gratification is delayed by three or so days. It has ruined me. I am now a hopeless bread snob, and have been for years, and I sniff at anything less than purely authentic.

The mayonnaise was whipped up just for this sandwich with a surplus pint from one large egg. I used olive oil and vegetable oil mixed, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, ginger, honey, S/P. It's unspeakably delicious, therefore, I shall extol its virtues; it is better than any mayonnaise you have ever tasted. It is properly an aioli, given its enhancements. It is smooth, tangy, and sweet without being overbearing, unctuous or saccharine. Its uses are many, limited only by imagination. It lasts easily a good week refrigerated, longer if carefully heated.

Commercially roasted turkey breast.

Orange bell and poblano pepper sautéed in bacon fat.

Swiss mountain cheese.