The Chinese are unanimous in their appreciation of shark’s fin soup, and this very nutritious soup is rightly considered to be one of the most exotic examples of Chinese cuisine. A fin of the best quality is, however, extremely expensive and takes four days to prepare. The fin used in this recipe is sold in a package consisting of the cartilage with some fin needles and is already processed and then dried again. By itself, shark’s fin has little taste, but when combined with other ingredients in a prime stock, it makes the perfect soup.
Like shark’s fin soap, bird’s nest soup reaches the heights of Chinese cuisine, though Westerners are often put off by the name and the fact that it is produced by swallows’ saliva. Alone, bird’s nest is bland, and its function is to provide texture, rather than taste, to the soup. A very rich prime stock is therefore essential as a base, as is the chicken velvet. And yet, without the bird’s nest, no amount of prime stock or chicken velvet could produce the unique quality of this soup.
These sandwiches are great for those cold and snowy days when you need a little more comfort than just hot soup. Toasted in a pan, they come out warm and crisp, filled with smoky ham and the sharp bite of cheddar cheese. I like to use Black Forest ham, a German variety, because it has a perfect balance of smoky, salty, and sweet flavors. Into the mustard, I mix cranberry sauce to add a tart, colorful twist. Dark brown pumpernickel bread matches the German theme of the ham. The sandwich goes really well with Cauliflower, Potato, and Cheese soup.
