Remember that episode, Season 5, Episode 33 to be exact, of Cartoon Network's Adventure Time where everyone's favorite half-dog, half-magical alien makes his perfect sandwich? It was a sandwich that have stumbled scholars for a millennium, something so revered and yet seen as witchcraft, and only Jake the Dog have cracked the code to reach sandwich-nirvana with its 12 components— a creation so magnificent it glows upon assembly.
      In the episode, before Jake could begin to start cooking, he opens his mind for the 'Realm of Creation' to possess him and let the creation gods dictate his actions, then he twists the knob of a vintage, 1930s Cathedral Radio to play a piece of classical violin, these are crucial steps, for one needs to be 'in the zone' to affectively conceive a masterpiece as brilliant as this. Be in a sour mood or a hectic atmosphere, and you might fail in this ritual.
      After he succeeds in achieving the right mindset, he moves on to wash two yellow organic onions as tearjerking as it is sweet, two roma tomatoes as red and ripe like they're harvested by an experienced gardener, and three carrots. Although washing these carrots are a bit redundant since Jake does not end up using any in his sandwich, but alas, one should adhere to whatever he does for optimal results. Then he sharpens his knife exactly six times using a honing steel, which I assume is the adequate amount to cleanly slice a loaf of bread without tearing apart large crumbs.
      Then, he prepares a beautiful boneless ribeye with sprigs of rosemary and thyme before sealing it in a plastic bag, sucking out all the air (vacuum sealing), and submerging it in a pot of water precisely maintained at 135 degrees Fahrenheit. This process is called a sous-vide, a cooking method achieved by placing food in a plastic or glass container, and cooking it in a temperature-controlled water bath for a period of time. If it is meat that is being sous-vide, then this method ensures even doneness all throughout, locks in moisture, infuses seasonings deeply, and results in better nutrient retention.
      Next, he slices his loaf of bread in two, many have interpreted this as a baguette, however any loaf that could encase this loaded sandwich will do—Binging with Babish, the YouTuber who reimagines food in fiction and brings them to life, uses sourdough bread in his. Jake toasts both slices with a blowtorch, the flame painting it an enticing golden-brown, sure to give a satisfying crunch with every bite. And at last, we're ready for assembly.
      Jake spreads cream cheese on both slices of bread, sprinkled on picked dill on one slice, then he puts three pickles from 'his boy, Prismo', who is a wish-granting cosmic entity manifested from an old man's dream, however, since we have no means of travelling to the center of the multiverse to access the time room, then a humble sliced dill pickle will do the trick.
      After hard-boiling an egg, slicing it, and laying it on the side with the pickles, he captures a bird from the window and adds its meat on top. Since this ingredient might be hard to find (and not to mention a potential health hazard), Binging with Babish has substituted this for a Cornish Game Hen, however, some chicken thighs will also suffice. He prepares this by deboning it, brushing on some bacon fat, and then broiling it until crispy and cooked through.
      Jake continues by laying down a few slices of cucumber, roma tomatoes, and sweet onions atop the bird. Almost done with the sandwich now, he cries at how gorgeously it's all coming together, using a couple drops of his tears to spritz them over his creation for the salt. The sous-vide steak goes next, along with some strips of fried bacon, I could imagine how the tender ribeye contrasts wonderfully with the crispiness of greasy bacon.
      Before we could close the sandwich, here comes the most important ingredient, the soul of a lobster. In the show, Jake boils a lobster alive in a roiling pot of water, ushering the soul to imbue it with the sandwich, but this step surely would cause some trouble to emulate it in real life. That's why Babish have taken this to mean as a lobster aioli, using the shell to stew it with some oil, infusing the flavor into it, then emulsifying it with a few eggs. However, if you have the ability to see and wield the soul of a lobster, then feel free to skip making the aioli.
      If you have done everything correctly, then the sandwich would immediately emit a heavenly glow upon closing, and like Jake, being in the mere presence of this masterpiece could cause one to faint. Similarly, Babish was stunned upon the first bite and he visibly paused before processing the symphony of flavors dancing on his tongue, he described it as a "pretty damn good sandwich", and that the absolute behemoth of this meal was enough to be enjoyed as a four-course dinner. There is no doubt now why Jake and his friends went to great lengths to rescue this sandwich from a manic magic man, even if that means making peace with a one-sided rival while crying emotionally to break a time-manipulated dome.
