Last night Ralph and I went to fish for their Maine Event, a seven course meal featuring fare from Maine in each dish. Each course was served with an Allagash beer (also from Maine). There was not one bite that wasn’t outrageously delicious. The first dish was clam chowder, which was so perfect that it got me ready for the other delights that I was about to eat. I don’t know if there was a sea creature that I didn’t eat last night! A few highlights were the peekytoe crab dish that had avocado and a bright citrus notes, the scallops with beef cheek and red beet (and I don’t even like beets!!), and the blueberry buckle served with honey ice cream. I’m angry at how fiendishly incredible that meal was; I wish I were eating it right now. I didn’t even take any photos because I was in a food trance. Go there immediately.
There are a ridiculous amount of peppers in the garden right now; jalapenos, cubanelles, bananas and a pepper so devilishly hot that a brief touch to my tongue sent my face on fire. With the excess of peppers, I though it might be wise to pickle some and save up for winter. I was looking for fermenting crocks and stumbled onto
this website, which has something called the picklemeister.
I want it based on the name alone, but I think it would be perfect for pickling small amounts of stuff in case your harvest of let’s say cucumbers was less than abundant (it is).
Another reason not to be a pear-shaped loser: they are dumber in both shape and mind. http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=641116
I had a delicious weekend! First on Saturday afternoon, we did a little harvesting of green beans and one jalapeno (we were too excited to try the pepper and pulled it before it was entirely ripe). I did a light saute of the beans and chopped pepper in olive oil and threw salt on. It was simple and perfect.
Later that night Ralph and I attended my friend’s wedding, which was lovely and she looked fabulous. The (food) highlight of the evening was the mini cheesesteak bar. They had a person frying up the meat and onions to order and they had whiz, pickles, American cheese and other fixins. I thought that was just the cutest idea and it was a hit.
Sunday, after a very rough start (I may or may not have drank all the wine in Philadelphia), I grabbed some food at Parc. I had the quiche lorraine and haricots vert, both were rich and tasty. The quiche was cooked beautifully; still moist and soft and filled with cheese. I didn’t order a bloody mary, but I did have a sip of Ralph’s and it was really good with just the right amount of spice. It came with a lime, mini pickle wrapped in a paper thin carrot slice and an olive. Next time I go, I’ll definitely be ordering one.
I went to Paris with Ralph in March and I never did get a chance to put the photos up, so here are a few of my favorite food photos from Paris. Honestly, I was underwhelmed overall, but I’m glad I went.
Except for brussel sprouts, I’m down with German foods. It’s in my blood I can’t help it. So when a coworker brought me a baby packet of German candy, Brause-Stabchen, I was thrilled. At first bite of the cola flavored stick, I thought it was good, but then it delighted my tongue with fizzing action very similar to Zotz centers (thank you sodium hydrogen carbonate). It has 5 flavors: apple, orange, lemon, cola and himbeer (raspberry?!) You can buy them at a German Deli, once they restock on my new favorite treat.
I can’t believe it’s been almost an entire year since I last wrote. I am the worst blogger ever! A lot has been going on though. I’m still making chocolate at the same company but I’ve been accepted into Drexel’s Masters of Human Nutrition. Yay! I’ve been super busy with prerequisite classes; right now I’m taking bio, physiology (online-it’s awful) and statistics. I’m a real snooze fest, but excited to start with nutrition stuff.
My new best friend is the crockpot; we hang out all weekend then part ways by Monday with little more than a tupperware container of leftovers. So far, my favorite dish has been beef stew. There is something so comforting about beef stew on a cold and snowy day and we’re had plenty of those this winter.
Crockpot Beef Stew:
Throw in 2 pounds of cubed beef (raw or browned), 2 chopped carrots, 3 chopped celery stalks, 16 oz beef broth, 1 onion chopped, 2 white potatoes cubed, 2 TBS tomato paste, 8 oz red wine, mushrooms (however many you want). I let mine hang out on low for 12 hours before digging in. Serve with a nice crusty bread and you’re happy, full and warm! When there was just a little stew left, we threw it over some beef ramen noodles and it was awesome.
So i was “testing out” i.e. eating the sh*t out of a product (icing) that has our cocoa powder in it and it’s really yummy; I must have eaten about a cup of it and then I saw it: high fructose corn syrup! Rats. Guess I won’t be cramming any more into my gullet. I can’t believe I didn’t read the label first, I always do. Sigh, it’s a shame because that was some serious yum.
A friend just sent me this incredibly comprehensive list of chocolate and chocolatiers. It even goes so far as to tell you which chocolate brands are carried at specific grocery stores. It’s awesome, but it only covers NYC and boroughs, so those of you still in the area should take advantage of it!! Go forth and eat chocolate.
I went to visit the Kate-N-Gabe this weekend in NYC, which was awesome and they rule all the schools. They just so happen to live right next to Doughnut Plant, who make the most amazing donuts (I like to spell it donut, not doughnut, even though that’s the more proper spelling). We had an assortment, but my favorite had to be the coconut cream, which is a cake ‘nut and not a yeast-raised one. Maybe that’s why it was so good albeit dense (the yeast donuts have a lighter texture if dense isn’t your bag). Also, the cream distribution was really good in the coconut cream; evenly deposited throughout the donut, not just a big gooey wad in the center. My favorite part about the experience was when a woman asked for a Boston Creme donut and the DP guy said, “You’re in New York, no Boston Cremes.” Haha, nice work, Doughnut Plant.
