The Best Meal I Ever Ate

Hi Friends:

I know I have been neglectful of my little blog of late. I could shower you with excuses, but I won't. I'm sure you all understand. I'll be back in action soon, with new recipies, like Snickers cake (!), delicious things with blueberries, and stuffed zucchini. Yes, I have been eating well during my hiatus, even though I am supposed to be on a diet of sorts (my first one ever).

What I wanted to talk about today is some of the most memorable meals I have ever had. Possibly it's the diet, but lately I am rather nostalgic for meals long past. I could mention home-cooked meals of my childhood, some favorite food memories being a cold, dreary night repaired by my mother's porcupine meathballs and and a creamy mashed potato dish with Ritz crackers on top, followed by some brownies; or a warm summer's day, with steaks on the grill, fresh corn on the cob, and glasses of ice-cold coke. I'm sure there were vegetables served, but as you can see, I have no recollection of them. This memories are special not simply because of gustatory pleasures, but because they are ideal representations of my childhood. But some memorable meals are special because they really can't ever be reproduced in the kitchen, hard as we might try.

One such occassion was during study abroad in college. We were visiting Rome during fall break, and a friend of a friend of a friend of my friend was kind enough to treat us to a lavish, exquistite meal in his restaurant, free of charge (I know!). If I can find the name and location of the restaurant, I will certainly let you all know, because the town (just outside of Rome) is worth a visit by itself.

One reason why this particular meal was so memorable is that it gave me a first opportunity to try some foods that I never had before. It was a tasting menu, served family style, with lots of bread and wine. I believe the meal consisted of this:

First Course:
Melon and Prosciutto with Parmesan
Mussels (in a garlic sauce)
Hardboiled Quails Eggs with Sundried Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes with Fresh Bufala Mozzarella
Raw, Marinated Salmon with Lemon Wedges and Cracked Black Pepper
Risotto with Eel

Pasta:
Penne with Sausage and Black Truffle
Pasta Carbonara

Dessert:
Pastry Trio (one chocolate, one lemon and one vanilla), served with a candy trellis and a dollop of whipped cream.

Espresso and Biscotti

I'm not writing all of this to show off. Reading down the menu, I am shocked that I remember all of this, as I ate this meal nearly six years ago. The other thing I noticed is that I am much more familiar with many of these items today; for instance, I was not even aware that I was eating a risotto at the time, but I make them frequently, now. This was also the first time I had ever eaten mussels. Since then, I order them in restaurants all the time. And I would love to have the chance to make something with truffles. With the exception of the candy trellis, this meal has really shaped how I eat and cook.

I imagine that other people attempt to mimic memorable dining experiences, too. For instance, my fiance, Sean, says that his favorite dinner took place at the beach, when he was in middle school. His parents bought a bushel of whole, fresh crabs and cooked them at the beach house they were staying at. Sitting in the dining room, listening to the waves and cracking the fresh crab over newspaper, the family was utterly content. Now, when I suggest that we go out to dinner to celebrate something, Sean frequently requests going somewhere for crab.

Such memories and stories really get me motivated to start cooking and recreating. What are some of your best food memories?

Blessed by the Elephant Man

Mr. Ed’s is an interesting place. It’s part store, part museum and part pure experience. Mr. Ed himself is apparently a little “different.” They say he’s a very flamboyant and outgoing older guy. I don’t really know though. I saw him only once. He was standing near the store one day watering marigolds. He never looked up as I passed. He was wearing earrings. Any other time I’ve visited the place, Mr. Ed is out. The place is called something like Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Store. Ed loves elephants. He sells huge sacks of peanuts. They’re priced at only 15 cents a pound, if you want a 50 pound sack. A peanut now and then is good, but 50 pounds? I don’t have an actual elephant. But then neither does Ed. There are no real elephants in the place, but loads of elephant statues, pins, pens, pictures, walking sticks, fly swatters. I’m sure he has elephant earrings in there somewhere. Ed will buy and display anything even remotely related to elephants.

The store is kind of a rambling place. Ed has a unique style in all he does. He has an addition on his building that consists of a truck body bolted to a hole in the wall. The cab is still attached to the truck. Today an employee was furiously shoveling gravel under the truck cab trying to keep it level. I guess Orrtanna, PA doesn’t have a building inspector.

You enter Mr. Ed’s via an enclosed porch. The porch is stocked with out-of-date items or simply candy that nobody wants. It’s sort of an “aisle of misfit candy.” This is my favorite part of the store. The museum part I don’t get at all, but the misfit candy buys can be incredible. I once bought an entire case of Fisherman’s Friend Throat Lozenges for $3.00. Sure they were expired, but they still worked. They were even more expired when I used the last one four years later, but how much can you really expect from a throat lozenge anyway?

Today they had something really different. They were selling 1 kg bags of Drogistendrops for only $1! I never heard of Drogistendrops either, but they were one dollar! They had a very European look to them. I’m proud to say that I limited my purchase to only one bag. I figured I would try some in the car and then go back in for 5 more bags. But I think one bag of this should do it for me. The taste is very distinct. It’s kind of shocking in fact. Describing any flavor is tricky, but I’d say there is a definite licorice aspect. The first thing that strikes the tongue is a sort of menthol/pepper sensation. Then the licorice kicks in. Then there’s a taste reminiscent of the odor of a spray marketed in the 1960’s by the Fuller Brush Company. The spray was very effective at killing houseflies, but had to be pulled from the market when it came to the attention of the Food and Drug Administration. In the end, after consuming Drogistendrops, you have the feeling that you’ve just taken some sort of medicine that will do absolutely nothing for you.

Curious about what I had ingested, I tried to look Drogistendrops up on the internet. I couldn’t find them directly, but I did learn that “Drogist” essentially means “Druggist.” It seems that this flavor is marketed in various European products that are intended to ease throat pain. One site referred to the flavor as “A blessing for your throat.” This was very timely since one of my daughters is currently complaining of a sore throat. Drogistendrop “tablets’ come in both black and white. Daughter debated for some time as to which color to try. After being assured that it made no real difference, she popped a white Drogistendrop into her mouth. A brief but clearly recognizable look of shock crossed her face before she spit the tablet out into her hand. Her description of the flavor included words like “awful,” “horrible” and “crap.” I don’t know. I’ve eaten several now and they’re kind of growing on me. And I don’t even have a sore throat---yet. I’ve still got about .97 kg of these on hand, so give me a call the next time your throat’s feeling a bit off.

One Hundred Things to Eat (If You Dare!)

Adventurous eating is something that I don't do much of these days. I have found myself getting into a fairly comfortable rut when it comes to trying new things. Below are my answers for a list of one hundred food items that I have or have not tried. Some of them are pretty exotic; I had to Google many of the items. Others are not so rare to some of us, as this list has been distributed internationally. The items with an asterik are some of my favorites; those that are crossed out are items that I would never eat. Which of these have you tried? How was it? What would you never eat?

Y 1. Venison

N 2. Nettle tea
N 3. Huevos rancheros (would like to try)
N 4. Steak Tartar
Y5. Crocodile (have eaten alligator)

Y 6. Black pudding
Y 7. Cheese fondue*
Y 8. Carp
N 9. Borscht
Y 10. Baba ghanoush*
Y11. Calamari
Y12. Phở
N 13. PB&J sandwich

Y 14. Aloo gobi

Y15. Hot dog from a street cart (I guess I have)

N16. Epoisses (not sure)
Y 17. Black truffle*
Y 18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (Pear wine*, cherry wine, blueberry wine, peach wine)
N 19 Steamed pork buns
Y 20. Pistachio ice cream
Y 21. Heirloom tomatoes
Y 22. Fresh wild berries*

N 23. Foie gras
Y 24. Rice and beans
N 25. Brawn, or head cheese
N 26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
Y 27. Dulce de leche

N 28. Oysters ( I am assuming they mean on the half-shell)
Y 29. Baklava*
N 30. Bagna cauda (anchovy and garlic dip--this might be ok)
Y 31. Wasabi peas
Y 32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (if you had it at Panera, does this still count?)

N 33. Salted lassi
Y 34. Sauerkraut
Y 35. Root beer float*

N 36. Cognac with a fat cigar ( I haven't had these two things together)
Y 37. Clotted cream tea*
Y 38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
N 39. Gumbo

N 40. Oxtail
N 41. Curried goat
N 42. Whole insects (It goes without saying that I would not eat this)

Y 43. Phaal (I’m not really sure what Indian dishes I’ve had or haven’t)
Y 44. Goat’s milk
N 45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/€80/$120 or more

N 46. Fugu (Japanese Pufferfish)
Y47. Chicken tikka masala
Y 48. Eel
Y 49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

Y50. Sea urchin (sushi)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (Japanese pickled Ume fruit)

N53. Abalone
Y 54. Paneer
Y 55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
Y 56. Spaetzle*
N 57. Dirty gin martini (never the gin kind)
Y 58. Beer above 8% ABV
N 59. Poutine (French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy!)
N 60. Carob chips
Y 61. S’mores*
N 62. Sweetbreads
N 63. Kaolin This is clay. I’d have to be pretty hungry to eat this.)
N 64. Currywurst (might be good)
Y 65. Durian (nauseating!)
N 66. Frogs’ legs (I want to try these)
Y 67. Beignets*, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
N 68. Haggis
Y 69. Fried plantains (even though I hate bananas!)
N70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (There is no way I would eat pig butt)
Y 71. Gazpacho
Y 72. Caviar and blini
Y 73. Louche absinthe
Y74. Gjetost, or brunost
N 75. Roadkill
N 76. Baijiu
Y77. Hostess Fruit Pie
Y 78. Snail*
Y 79. Lapsang souchong
Y Bellini
N 81. Tom yum (sounds pretty good)
Y 82. Eggs Benedict*

Y 83. Pocky
N 84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
Y 85. Kobe beef (or so the menu said)
N 86. Hare (I have always been curious)
Y87. Goulash
N 88. Flowers
N 89. Horse
N 90. Criollo chocolate
N 91. Spam
Y 92. Soft shell crab*
N 93. Rose harissa
Y 94. Catfish
Y 95. Mole poblano*
Y 96. Bagel and lox*
N 97. Lobster Thermidor
Y 98. Polenta

N 99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

Y 100. Snake (Rattlesnake-Cactus Pierogi—It was ok)

That's a total of 56 for me. I would love to try some of these items, and some of them I wonder why I haven't tried yet! As a result of this exercise, I am going to set a new goal to try new things--in both cooking and eating. I'll be sure to report here when I get the opportunity.

It Goes with Everything

The first cookies that I remember making entirely on my own were some chewy gingersnaps (is that a contradiction?). My mother found the recipe in Yankee Magazine. I always thought the cookies were best when baked to a very light brown and allowed to cool completely. I then would eat them with a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream. To me, it always tasted perfect.

The magazine article in which the recipe was contained suggested peach ice cream with the cookies. I think some nice, ripe peaches in season would be even better. Gingersnaps are also great with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or even chocolate icing. They really do seem to go with almost anything for dessert. And I have noticed that non-dessert eaters (I will never understand these types)love fresh-baked gingersnaps.

I have since looked for the recipe on the Yankee Magazine website, but none of the gingersnap recipes available match what I remembered. For the past month or so, I have been looking for the perfect gingersnap recipe. I personally don't like cookies that have whole pieces of ginger in the recipe, as I think this makes the flavor overwhelming. The cookies should also not be too hard, as this reminds me of the kind that you buy in the grocery store, in the brown bags. They taste stale, in my opinion.

The fist gingersnap recipe I tried during this search called for 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Normally, I prefer to use butter more than any other type of fat. But the end result of these cookies was a batter that was too thin. I put the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour to try to remedy this problem. While this made the dough more pliable, the cookies were too thin when they came out of the oven. As you can see in the picture below, the they spread pretty badly in the oven. I wasn't happy with their looks, and the texture was way off.




A gingersnap should have nice cracks in the surface. They tasted great, though. As I remembered that the original recipe containing shortening, this was the ingredient that I turned to for a rebake.

Gingersnap Cookies

This is adapted from a recipe that I found on the Yankee Magazine website. I made a few adjustments so they would be similar to the cookies I had in mind.

3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


In a mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add the molasses and egg and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, soda, salt, and spices. Add to the creamed mixture and blend well.

Refrigerate the dough for an hour to one day.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease three or four baking sheets. Place about one cup of sugar on a plate or shallow bowl.

Roll dough into a ball about the size of a quarter. Roll the ball in sugar. Continue this process, placing the balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Do not press the balls down.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch the baking cookies carefully, as they will burn rather easily. Allow to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Serve with your favorite ice cream, coffee, fresh fruit, or whatever else you like.

An Apology for Absence

Between wedding planning and various social obligations, I haven't gotten much of a chance to try any new recipes. I also seemed to have picked up a new dependent: something that is erroneously called "Amish Friendship Bread Starter" (they have nothing to do with it--it's just a catchy name). If you've never experienced this new responsibility, it basically involves ten days of kneading and feeding. On the tenth day, you bake, and if you don't pass along at least three cups of the starter, something bad happens to you and your family--per my copy of the instructions. I haven't passed any on, and I am getting worried!

The Instructions I Recieved:

Amish Friendship Bread
-Do not refrigerate.

Day 1: Do nothing
Days 2 through 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup of milk to the bag. Mash the bag.
Days 7 through 9: Mash the bag.

Day 10:
Pour entire contents of bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of flour, and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Measure out 4 separate batters of about one cup each into four gallon size Ziploc bags. If you keep one for yourself, you will be baking every ten days.
Keep a starter for yourself and give the other three to friends, along with a copy of the recipe. Only the Amish know how to create a starter so if you give them all away you will have to wait until someone gives you a starter back.
Using the remaining starter (about one cup), follow a recipe for bread.

But seriously, the instructions make the entire process out to be a lot of work. Since receiving a cupful from a coworker exactly 21 days ago, I have been coddling mine. I think my cat may be getting jealous.

With the amount of work that seemed to be involved, I did some internet research, and I subsequently found that most food blogs claim that you don't have to bake every ten and feed every six. You do, however, need to knead or stir the starter everyday. If you will be on away vacation, or otherwise not available to the needs of this concoction, you can freeze the starter. You don't even need a starter-sitter. I think that's quite a relief. Furthermore, you don't have to give all of it away, and it is probably healthy for the starter if you throw some away every so often.

And so, since the starter isn't nearly as high-maintenance as it might seem, I've decided to turn mine into a sort of science experiment. This might worry some of you. Who eats their experiments? But don't be scared, it's just active yeast. You eat it all the time!

The bread is really quite delicious, especially with a ribbon of brown sugar and cinnamon running through it. The more mature the starter is, the easier it is to take care of. Just make sure to discard any starter that looks pink or brown, or smells bad. In the near future, I intend to experiment with the starter by making muffins, coffee cake, and maybe pancakes. Apparently, the starter also works well as a replacement for sourdough. Does any one else know of other uses for the starter? I'd love to hear some more ideas.

P.S. Dear Mom, sister and aunts: let me know if you would like a cupful of starter and some instructions! There are also tips for making a starter from scratch here, or purchase one here. But really, I think that buying some starter really defeats the purpose, don't you?

S'More Pie, Please

Last Saturday, Sean and I attended a picnic that a co-worker was having at a local park. With no refrigeration or even running water available, it becomes something of a conundrum to decide what to bring. I have to assume that many people have a similar problem, since there was a glut of brownies and pasta salads. Everything was very good, but it got a little monotonous. However, I wasn't much more creative myself: in situations where there is no refrigeration, I almost always bring a dessert.






But I still need to show off a bit.







This pie is easy to make, I promise. Regardless, people who see the finished product simply won't believe you. I found the original recipe here. The finished product looks delicious, and I love the idea. But there is no way that I am going to make my own marshmallow for the topping! I also got lazy and simply bought a graham-cracker pie crust. This was for the best, since it meant the pie had a disposable pan that I could leave behind at the picnic, with no worries. I also decided to make the top of the pie resemble more of a fruit tart, with the marshmallows arranged in a circular patten over the chocolate layer. With a little browning under the broiler, the whole marshmallows make for a more dramatic finish, I think.

That said, when you brown the marshmallows, watch carefully! On my first attempt, I stepped away from the broiler for literally 30 seconds. When I came to retrieve the pie, the marshmallows were on fire! It blew out easily, but it gave me quite a scare. I only wish I had a picture of that for you. If your marshmallows catch on fire, blow them out promptly and carefully remove from the broiler. With a pair of tongs, remove the marshmallow, being careful not get charred bits on the chocolate. It should come off in one or two pieces. Then begin again.


S'more Pie

Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006

Ingredients:
7 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, no more than 70% Cacao and not unsweetened, finely chopped or broken into small pieces
1 cup (or one pint) heavy cream
1 large egg, beaten and placed at room temperature for 30 minutes
Pinch of salt
1 graham cracker pie crust
Mini-marshmallows, for topping. Have a whole bag on hand, in case of charring.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the cream to just to a boil in a heavy-bottomed sauce-pan over low heat, stirring frequently. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in the egg and a pinch of salt until combined. Pour the chocolate into the pie crust (place the pre-made crust on a baking sheet, like the packaging says!). The crust will be half-full. Cover the edge with a pie shield or foil and place in the oven, and bake until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. When the pie is fully cooked, the filling will tremble only slightly when gently shaken. Cool for about an hour, and then cover and refrigerate, three hours to one day.

Take the pie out of the refrigerator and allow to come closer to room temperature, about five or ten minutes. Place the marshmallows in a circular pattern (or however you would like) over the chocolate. Place the pie shield or foil over the crust so that it doesn't burn in the broiler. Place the pie back on the cookie sheet, if you have removed it, and place in the broiler. Watch carefully and turn the pie frequently. When the marshmallows are appealingly browned, promptly remove the pie from the broiler.

Slice the pie with a knife that has been dipped in warm water, and then dried with a towel, if possible.

Notes:
Marshmallows can be browned with a creme brulee torch, instead of in the broiler. Before adding the marshmallow topping, the pie can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day.