November 7: Bittersweet Chocolate and Almonds

As a card-carrying member of the female club, I too have a chocolate addiction. Maybe I don't need it, but the people around are, I'm sure, much happier when I don't have chocolate-lacking wrath shooting in their direction. As such, I can think of about a million things that could go well with chocolate. (Except for chocolate covered collard greens, as I heard proposed the other day. How is that appealing?) When I say chocolate I mean the the darkest, most bitter chocolate that I can find that dries out the back of your tongue and gives the deepest possible culinary satisfaction to your veins. I do not believe in milk chocolate. Yes, I know that it "exists", but why would I put that sickenly sweet, diluted wannabe in my mouth when I could have chocolate? (Don't get me started on white chocolate.)

Then there is almonds. Officially they are my favorite of the nut family (unofficially it is its fattier counterpart, the cashew) and we tend to meet each other at least few times per week.

I decided to simply melt down the chocolate, throw in the almonds, and delicately slip in a few raspberries for good measure. After popping these in the freezer for a few minutes, the result looked like it came out of the wrong end of an animal, but it sure was delicious. The nutty crunch of the almond, the fruity and sour sweetness of the raspberry, and the deep, round and all-encompassing bridge between the two combined for a very satisfying dessert.

November 6: Nachos

Nachos are an American classic that really can bring us back to our gut-teral roots. Crunchy, cheesy, fatty, meaty, warm, robust, cold contrast from condiments, and who doesn't have a recurring dream about plucking a tortilla crisp from the top of a nacho pile, cheese fighting to keep its cohabitant all to itself?

This set was fairly classic: A layer of tortilla chips with black beans, green chilies, and monterey jack cheese. A second layer of chips followed with italian sausage, more green chilies and cheese, and 'salsa autentica'. This was broiled in the oven until the cheese was browned and crispy. After the nachos were ready for their debut, they were topped with sour cream and avocados.

The perfect guilty pleasure for a fall Saturday. When do the Vols play?

November 5: Doughnuts

November 5 was National Doughnut Day. I was slightly intimidated by this one because I wasn't quite sure that I would be able to replicate the cloud-like quality that most good doughnuts possess. As I often do when presented with a culinary quandary, I consulted one of my favorite websites, Foodgawker. My original idea was to make an autumnal pumpkin delight, but after perusing through mouth watering pictures of past successes, I stumbled upon this blog post that discussed its experience with the birth of its own doughnuts. I really liked the idea of making baked doughnuts because the whole fried doughnut thing doesn't happen for me very often (I spend most of my days in a Nutrition classroom), save for the Krispy Kreme Challenge. I think I made a fantastic decision...these could rival most fried counterparts.

I only made a quarter recipe, but they were gone fast! The dough was a lot thicker than any that I normally deal with, so I was a bit worried, but fret not! They turned out perfectly.

4 C flour

1 C milk

1 T butter

1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 t active dry yeast

1/2 t cinnamon

Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Separately, heat milk and melt butter together until the mixture is warm to the touch. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Mix well and then knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be very stiff and dry, but as long as you can make it hold together, it will probably be ok. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

After the dough has risen, punch it down. Knead it back onto a flat surface. Roll out until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes as you like. I decided to give my more neglected cutters a spin. Cover and let rise for 30 more minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. After the dough has gone through its second rise, put them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.

After they come out, dip them in melted butter and then into a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Add as much sugar as fits your fancy, but I found that the amount I added was candidate for instant diabetes (the dough itself has sufficient flavor).

After shaking off some of the excess sugar, these doughnuts were perfect for my taste. They were light and airy and had enough butter flavor that you would never miss its fried twin. These doughnuts gave me the nostalgic feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace with my family on Christmas morning, stocking in hand, scarfing down Monkey Bread. With a soft and light, yet somehow dense texture, just the right amount of sweetness, butter and cinnamon-y spice, these doughnuts could satisfy a craving for both a doughnut and a cinnamon roll in one healthier-than-it-could-be bundle.

I highly suggest testing this recipe out yourself if you too have a doughnut craving that you can't kick. I mean, LOOK AT THAT CRUMB STRUCTURE!

November 4: Candy

So I'm sure that you have heard buzz about bacon lately. Its smoky aroma has infiltrated the culinary world from the renderings to the crisped up meat that gives its taster a feeling of comfort and other-worldiness.

Wait...why does the heading infer that November 3rd was National Candy Day when you're talking about bacon? It was...and I am...

I present to you: candied bacon. I made about a tablespoon of brown sugar using 1 T white sugar and just as much molasses as a spoon-dip in the jar would hold. I mixed this together and then added a pinch of cayenne pepper. This was spread over the top of a piece of bacon and broiled for about 10 minutes.

While the bacon didn't cook as evenly as I had hoped, the result transcended my lofty expectations. The bacon had the ever-present fatty crispness that we know to love when biting down on each cell. The sugar candied to the point where it just slightly adhered to your teeth, but was cleared as quickly as it landed by the strength of the bacon structure. The flavor hit the senses hard; sweet, salty, meaty, deep caramelization, fatty, and a warming spiciness from the cayenne.

Please do this. You will sleep better when your taste buds have been sufficiently worked out.

November 3: Sandwich

The sandwich: a proud invention that has transformed the world through its portable and oh-so-delicious (albeit sometimes messy) ways. This is a day that (some) people actually knew about. CNN.com even had a poll on their website trying to define the sandwich that their readers pine after with the most heartfelt lust. For me, this can change daily or with whatever has been set in front of me.

A meaty Reuben with a crispy and buttery rye exterior, a piquant shock from the sauer kraut, the sweet and salty corned beef; a classic and perfect BLT with thick and salty bacon, crunchy lettuce, a tomato at its peak ripeness and sweetness, enough mayo to lubricate the mixture, flowing down your face; European street fair at its finest- sweet basil adding the herbaceous stability to a masterpiece of creamy mozzarella, firm and motherly tomatoes, and a baguette that has poignant crispy crunch with an ever softening interior; the Gyro with its salty and peppery meat, chewy and warm pita, lettuce, tomato, and the cooling, cucumbery Tatziki to add the perfect contrast; a Panini with wild mushrooms that were sauteed in intoxicating butter, sherry, and sage, cheese clamping down on the jail bar-like bread that gives a reverberation when bitten that you can feel in your skull; even the childlike peanut butter and jelly sandwich that has a unique composition based on its exacting creator, best with the softest possible bread, a little more creamy peanut butter than its sweet berry counterpart, instantly lending arms to encircle and hug its consumer. How does one choose?

This was too much pressure. Which sandwich do you hold above all other sandwiches to make for National Sandwich Day? I couldn't decide and therefore went for what felt right.

This, dare I say, sexy sandwich had the following ingredients:

-fresh and soft rye bread

-eggplant that was thinly sliced and roasted

-caramelized onions

-crispy bacon

-heirloom tomato

-basil and arugula from our garden

I'm sorry you were not there.

November 2: Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs... a staple of Easter celebrations and summer potluck dinners everywhere. On November 2nd we had them for breakfast. The recipe was simple due to our supplies (a trip to the grocery was eminent), but they turned out even better than expected.

The eggs themselves were boiled for 10 minutes the night before and then dunked in cold water to stop the cooking process. It is important to do this for the right amount of time because overcooking can lead to a hard green yolk and under-cooking can of course lead to a soft egg. These were just right, striking the balance perfectly. I then peeled and halved the eggs and scooped out the yolks. I smashed the yolks (so satisfying) and added plain yogurt, Sriracha sauce, greek oregano, salt, and pepper. Ball the yolks back into the whites and they're good to go.

Despite their simplicity, these eggs were fantastic, even better than I was expecting! I think the real story here is free range eggs. In my opinion, there is no comparison between a conventional egg bought in the dairy aisle at the grocery store that came from a huddle of completely cooped (pun intended) up hens and a free range egg that can really tell you its story.

The latter has a shell that protects it and really isn't that fragile (I will give you fair warning that this does make them slightly harder to peel for deviled eggs), but also has a deep yellowy orange yolk that is plump and healthy. In the past, I thought that I wasn't a fan of anything with a runny yolk, but in truth, I realized that was only true for the conventionally grown population that coats your tongue in a revolting and flavorless way. Free range eggs add a creaminess and flavor that is perfect for salads that need a dressing or for breads that need moistening.

Once you go free range, you never go back.

November 1: Deep Fried Clams and Vinegar

Ok, so I am slightly back-dated, but better late then never, right? Nevertheless I started this project on November 1, which turned out to be both Deep Fried Clams Day and Vinegar Day. There's a vinegar day?? Well... let's roll up our sleeves and get started.

The clams came out of a can. I know I know... "a can?" but I got home late, these were cheaper and less work *whine, whine, whine*, and let's be honest... I was frying them. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, it's what's in the batter that counts the most. I prepared the clams for their impending re-death by fried by first rinsing and soaking them in water to get the oceanic funk off and then dried them so that we could get the best fry possible. (Note: I had just finished my obligatory ice cream scooping shifts at the North Carolina State Fair for the Food Science Club... nothing fried seemed weird.) I then coated them in flour so I could maximize the batter adhesion... you're not actually supposed to taste the layers under the fried, right?

Here is the batter I used.

1 C flour

6 oz. Yuengling

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

pinch cayenne pepper

Mix everything together and then let the little divers dive. After they are thoroughly coated, plunk them in hot oil until sufficiently browned.

I started to run out of oil towards the end, but for the most part they were crispy and chewy with a slight hint of heat. I made a sauce for dipping using Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise. Yum.

Admittedly, the vinegar might have been a bit of an afterthought, but it still did the trick. Ryan made a side dish using millet and rice wine vinegar turned out to be a great topping.

There was also one secret added bonus in this meal. The broccoli was sauteed with pecans, giving homage to National Georgia Pecan Month.

Check, check and check.

A New Project: 365 Days of Food Holidays

Have you ever heard of those tiny little holidays that are devoted to seemingly insignificant things such as bread pudding or chocolate covered bugs? Sure, you might hear some mention about it from time to time, but really did you know that there is an actual food holiday for just about all of the days of the year? Do you know which culinary delight you were destined to be eternally connected to simply because you were born on that holiday? My day: National Cheese Souffle Day. You can't tell me that's not destiny.

In order to better acquaint myself and whoever cares to listen with these black sheep of the holiday family, I have entered into a new project (because as a graduate student I certainly don't have enough) that seeks to add some awareness about the food that our great country has sought to make shine. Some of the dishes are definitely easier than others, but I am going to try my hardest to make each from scratch, or at least in a semi-homemade (no, I did not just reference Sandra Lee) kind of way. There are also certain weeks and months that are devoted to various gastronomic eccentricities and I will likewise try to hit on all of these at least once throughout their hour of spotlight.

I'm foreseeing weight gain in my future...

Happy eating!

Pretzel Bites: the perfect Super Bowl snack

(graffitioto courtesy of Jenn Johnson)


Of course most people are aware that the Super Bowl was Sunday...I don't really want to talk about it... I am an avid football fan, especially of Peyton Manning. Fortunately for me, I am also an avid food fan, which is the second most important component of Super Bowl Sunday. I was supposed to go over to a friend's house and so fairly early in the day, sporting my University of Tennessee jersey, I got to mixing up a tasty treat for all to enjoy. It's actually becoming sort of a tradition for me to make soft pretzels for the Super Bowl, stuffed with various objects of deliciosity. This year they came in bite-sized form and were stuffed with pesto and brie because well, everything is better bite-sized and is there anything better than pesto and brie?? I've said this before- pesto would be included in my last meal if I could choose.

Start off by fermenting 2 teaspoons of yeast with 1/4 cup warm (about 105 degrees F) water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until it gets frothy and cappuccino-like,as in the following picture.




At this point, combine the yeast mixture with 1 cup warm milk (about 105 degrees F) and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Then add 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time. At this point the mixture should have a good dough consistency. If it is too dry or too wet, add ingredients accordingly. It's time to knead!!



This is the best part, so don't skimp. Add all your love, soul, frustration, anger, happiness, boredom. Try to remember to add at least one good thing though, lest it turn out sour. push out the dough, flip, gather and repeat for about 10 minutes. Then you are ready to turn it into a bowl that is greased with olive oil and to cover it with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

At this point, punch down the dough and cut it into 4 pieces. I just quartered it off right in the bowl and then took out the first section. Lay this out on a lightly floured work surface and role it out into a 12x6 rectangle (this size can vary based on how thick you want your pretzels). Cover the rectangle with your toppings. I chose pesto and brie because those are mouth wateringly delicious, but you can go whatever route you like. I made sure to have a very thin coat of pesto across the whole rectangle and a thick line of brie through the center.




At this point, it's time to role up the dough. I did mine roly-poly style and then pinched the ends to close it up. Then, cut the snake of ambrosical contents into 1-inch pieces. It makes it easier if you run your knife under cold water before cutting.




Place the pieces on a flat surface and let them rise, covered with a towel, for about 30 minutes. Toward the end of this period, start boiling about 6 cups of water. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and reduce heat to a simmer. Carefully add the little pups into the water, turn, and remove after 30 seconds. It's slightly tricky getting the timing right for this, so only go as fast as makes you comfortable.



Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the dunked pieces of sunshine on a GREASED cookie sheet or stone. Here I actually did half on a baking sheet and half on a stone to test the differences.



I applied a thin layer of egg wash that I had leftover from lunch on each little morsel before they entered the inferno. This isn't a step that is exactly necessary, but it will certainly add a little shine that adds the the eye appeal. (cream can also be used) Enter the inferno. I like to rotate my masterpieces halfway through baking, just to make sure there aren't any adverse effects caused by hot/cold spots in the oven.

Take out the little pretzel bites after about 15 minutes when they are golden-brown and smell like heaven. I mixed up 2 T melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt and brushed it over the top after they came out to add a bit of undertone and buttery/salty goodness.



My experiment with the baking sheet and baking stone had some interesting results. The baking sheet made the bites cook and brown faster with a crisper exterior, while the stone made them take a bit longer to bake, but with a soft, luscious interior and delicately crisp exterior. Score one for the stone team.

The result was a sweet and salt soft pretzel bite that was easy for people to grab and snack on in a roving situation. The brie melted to leave a creamy tone to the inner crevices that seeped slightly into the other layers. The pesto was exquisite and distinguished as always, with an unmistakable tone that makes your eyes role back.

Mmm try them! Really easy and so good! They even made me (almost) forget the horrors that were occurring in front of me on the TV.

Cheers

February: Hot Breakfast Month Applied

For all those who are unaware, February is National Hot Breakfast month. I know…get excited. In order to celebrate as I should, I woke up extra early every morning this week in order to prepare a warm meal to start the day off right. As a result, I have perfected the art of single serving biscuits and gravy. Tarragon lends an added sweetness to the biscuits that instantly classes them up. I also gave birth to cocoa French Toast in which I added a bit of cocoa powder to increase the depth of flavor. I topped each piece with a black raspberry compote that was all at once sweet, sour, and a full serving of fruit. The result may have looked like tar, but it tasted like heaven. Who doesn’t need a bit of chocolate in the morning? Other days were slightly less exciting with oatmeal and things of that nature, but I certainly have plans for other dishes that I am extremely excited to concoct.



Now…quick trivia question. Which breakfast food item has the highest transformation in goodness based on its temperature? Unless you answered the Krispy Kreme doughnut, you are wrong. A cold Krispy Kreme doughnut is good, but too sweet and frankly not that special. Its counterpart is light and doughy with a sweet, unobtrusive finish. They melt in your mouth and can only be enjoyed with your eyes closed, so you can more intensely focus on each chew before it leaves you. Well, it is very convenient that these pillows of sugary goodness have this transformative property in this month, because this morning was Raleigh’s Krispy Kreme Challenge.



What is the Krispy Kreme Challenge? It is a test of physical ability and digestive fortitude. Run 2 miles. Eat 12 doughnuts. Run 2 miles back. Of course I had to sign up, I had heard of this race long before I moved to Raleigh and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to subject myself to such masochism. As I woke up this morning, I questioned my decision to sign up for something so outlandish that was taking place on a cold and drearily soggy day in February. After steadily ticking through the excuses in my head and realizing that none were worthwhile, I laced up my shoes and headed into the abyss, gaining enthusiasm with each step forward and each future challenger passed. There is something refreshingly beautiful about walking around on a crisp morning before the world has gotten out of bed.

As I neared the race sight, booming music and crowds of people started swarming my senses. People in full body speed skater-like suits, people dressed up as doughnuts, fishing poles with doughnuts hanging from them, people jumping, and techno music blaring. Since when did raves become morning, outdoor activities? After a few announcements and formalities including the ceremonial giving of $40,000+ dollars to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, the race was off. Hoards of people inched across the starting line and after a few minutes, the group spread out a bit. People all around had an air of excitement, there was even a guy dressed up as a banana and a guy dressed up as a gorilla chasing each other around.



Tension mounted with the final approach off the Krispy Kreme. The crowd started to thicken and tables of white boxes lined the oasis. As I grabbed my dozen, I noted people all around me at various points of the race. There were some people who had smashed their doughnuts- four at a time into piles to wantonly shove down their gullets as quickly as possible. Other people calmly sat with their boxes, chatting away. There were television cameras and people shouting words of encouragements through megaphones. I nonchalantly chowed down one doughnut…and then a second. I believe that is officially the most I have ever eaten at one time. I was hungry! I could have gone for a third, but then decided that I didn’t want to consume more calories than I would burn by running. Ok…so maybe they weren’t hot, but I still think it counts under the month’s breakfast pattern.



I tucked the remaining 10 doughnuts under my arm and was on my way again a few minutes later. While the return trip was a bit more difficult for me, I don’t think it was nearly on the same level as some of my fellow competitors. While I was experiencing a bit of fatigue, they were experiencing severe gastro-intestinal issues. There was an added challenge of dodging the land mines of bile and sugar along with the occasional keeled-over runner. There also were crowds of people screaming their support for each subject to such a crazy game. I crossed the finish line as Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ played. I felt so good.



I can’t help but wonder what an outsider from a foreign planet, or even a foreign country would think as he observed this morning’s events. Surely they must be running from something, right? Surely they won’t get more food for a long time, right? Wrong. 4 miles, 1 hour, 12 doughnuts, 2400 calories. Mostly just fun supporting a good cause. I walked home feeling good and listening to proud racers regaling stories of their gustatory failures and triumphs. There was a sense of comradery that clung to the air…we all knew there was some crazy in the midst. I passed one guy who asked,
“Did you eat all 12?”
“No, just 2. How about you”
“Well I ate all 12…and then un-ate all 12”
How often do you get a young guy who is so eager to tell recount his last hour, spent upchucking, to a foreign young girl? It’s all in a day’s work.
As a made my way back to my house, flurries started to fall. I imagined each flake as a sugar crystal, blessing my morning’s activities.

There is a video by ESPN that features my Exercise Nutrition professor and students from a past section of my Exercise Nutrition class, relating to the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

Best Bites of 2009

This year has been filled with one adventure after another for me including travels, graduations, new beginnings, and full-on good times. As with most things in my life, it only seems fitting to relate a reflection on my past year to food. Yep, it's no secret, I love food. So, here, it is: my best bites of 2009. This is a compilation of foods that have made me intensely happy for one reason or another and is in no particular order.

(the picture above is me with a tuxedo strawberry, dipped in white and dark chocolate, that we made in culinary school)



While on a foodie outing in Atlanta, Jennifer had her heart set on trying some live lobster sushi. Basically, they behead the animal just seconds before you eat it. Upon showing up to the restaurant, we found that this wasn't exactly plausible for us, but what we did find might have been better. Unending appetizers flooded out from the kitchen that kept us happily occupied. Then, this huge platter of some of the freshest sushi I have ever tasted came down to us from the bar. The flavors were clean, fresh, uninhibited...sushi (alongside nigiri and sashimi) the way it should be. It was a wide selection of fish in its purest form, the way God must have intended for it to be tasted.



This same foodie adventure in Atlanta landed us at a restaurant called The Flying Biscuit in a cute little area of town with lots of eclectic shops surrounding. I know the biscuit is supposed to be the big hit here, and yes it was decent and is admittedly very beautiful. It is, however, the dominating character in play that constantly tries to edge out an even more brilliant star, the grits. These grits were, without a doubt, the best that have ever passed my lips. They were creamy and flavorful, yet hearty and melodious. This was one bite that literally made my world halt like a Saved By the Bell episode, as only my tasting and sensorial reactions continued.



When one of your roommates is from Hurricane, West Virgina, you learn an array of facts that you never knew to search for. This list includes muddin', graveyard tag, and one of the best biscuits to ever try to clog your arteries. Tudor's Biscuit World makes sandwiches with names supporting their local universities including the Mountaineer. This particular biscuit has country ham, a hash brown, American cheese, egg, and as much butter as you could churn in a year. While I find it is best to split with a friend, it is good enough for a Jenn Johnson certified song. "Tudor's Biscuit World, Gotta have a biscuit, Wanna have a biscuit, Give me a biscuit now!" Now it is impossible for me to drive by and not stop in for a meal that makes me forget about all of my nutritional goals.




My next adventure took me during spring break to Costa Rica with some of my favorite people. At a little grocery in San Jose, we found these little gems, the amply named 'baby kiwis'. These fruits looked and tasted very much like a kiwi, but were even better because of their lack of the astringent aftertaste, added sweetness, and being encased in an edible shell. These quickly shot their way up my list among my favorite fruits. Who knew they even existed? This is one that keeps me excited because I know that I can never know everything.




Casados: a Costa Rican specialty that will fill you up and leave you smiling. While the ingredients vary wildly, there is a general mixture of meat, rice, beans, yuca mashed potatoes, beets, egg, and fried plantains. It is classic Central American cuisine at its best, heartily waiting to sustain you for your next rock climbing or beach hiking adventure. While not pictured, gallo pinto was also one of my favorites. Translated to 'spotted rooster', this dish combines black beans with a wide array of peppers, tomatoes, and onions, resulting in a surprisingly flavorful dish that will light you up like a firework.



This next meal is contained in my best bites of the year for its sheer simplicity more than anything else. Baguette, avocado, white cheese, tomato, a little bit of sand resulted in one of my favorite sandwiches of the year during a humble picnic on the beach in Montezuma, Costa Rica. (ok maybe minus the sand) The ingredients were all on their best flavor behavior, the location was nothing less than paradise, and I was amid incomparable companions. What more could a lady want?




A trip to Havana Cafe in Knoxville, Tennessee made me aware of one of my now-favorite foods, yuca fries. They are not dissimilar to regular french fries, but have a slight creamy sweetness that makes them all the better. The cilantro-lime-mayonnaise for dipping makes for a perfect compliment, adding acid and herbs to a delicate base. This picture was taken in our attempts in recreation of the original. We found that yucca is a stubborn tuber that doesn't cut easily, but is certainly worth the efforts.




I had the opportunity to pass through London this summer and on my way met up with a long lost friend of mine from English teaching days in China. He took me to a market that sprawled with a huge array of cheeses, meats, bakery items, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and ready-to-eat items. I was in complete awe throughout the entire experience, tasting my first raw oyster with a hint of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, drinking a cappuccino with steamed milk that was lighter than clouds, and eating this sandwich with chorizo, roasted red pepper, and delicate greens on a rustic roll. It was simple, yet bursting with flavor, and was a perfect compliment to a walk by the Thames.



Pain au chocolat is one of those delights that was love at first bite for me when I tasted it in my younger years. The buttery, flaky crust, the layers of dough that get softer at each circle inward, the treasure chest of dark chocolate that lays hidden in gentle pillows of butter and flour. I was very fortunate to enjoy these as often as my waistline would allow this summer, ecstasy in every nibble. Cue romantic French tunes such as 'La Vie en Rose'.




Meet the illustrious tarte flambee, an Alsacian specialty that I was first introduced to during a visit to Strasbourg. It is a flatbread that I can assure you is unlike any other. While resembling a pizza, the dough is paper-thin and has a playful resistance to each bite. It is crispy, a result of its time in a brick oven, yet it is almost chewy in places. The typical topping includes lardons, onions, and fromage blanc. My preferred version is 'gratinee', adding gruyere cheese to result in a creation that is perfectly balanced between salty, savory, sour, and mouth-watering.




During a visit to Avignon, a little city in Provence, I stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a bite to eat, honing in on moules marnieres frites. These mussels are stewed in a pot with a sauce that includes copious amounts of white wine and butter. It is a dish that warms your heart and mellows your soul. It forces you to savor each bite as you fish each piece of meat from its homely shell, dunking it unforgivably in as much sauce as will fill its pores, and then placing it in the tender loving care of your mouth, a smile of contented satisfaction crossing your lips. Just hope there is enough sauce leftover so that your baguette has something to soak up!




Stumbling into a sleepy little bakery in Avignon, I first discovered the 'gourmand'. It is a sort of French bread that has lardons and rosemary tucked throughout its inner crevices. The raw bacon pieces melt during the baking process, releasing fatty deposits that have a boisterous flavor and leave behind chewy bacon pieces that complement a woodsy rosemary perfectly. I was sitting on a park bench next to a fountain during a sunny morning, watching the town wake up as I was eating this. I took my first bite, stopped, and then just stared at the bread, struck by its audacity to be so delightful.




No food tour of my past year could be complete without this specialty of my summer landing ground, Nantes. It is a buckwheat flour version of a crepe called a 'galette' It may be filled with any variety of savory delights, often including a poached egg. My favorite version included smoked salmon and cream cheese, a fishy and soft complement to its buttery and savory shell.



I owe Audrey a debt of gratitude for being my tour guide through the food markets of Nantes...and also being the inspiration for one of my future projects. I want to take portraits of people while they are reacting to the initial bites of some of their favorite foods. For Audrey, this was a lemon meringue tart. The lemon custard was smooth and dense, with a citrusy ping that sent lightning bolts all over your tongue. This was contrasted by a soft, pillowy meringue that comforted the flavors and was somewhat what I envision living in a cloud might be like. The compilation combined to form the perfect storm of flavor that is destined for a Sunday afternoon.




Langoustine......dear, dear Mr. Langoustine. Choosing between the market's mountains was laborious, but I finally found you and you did not disappoint. A few minutes boiling in water and a quick peeling of shells revealed your inner beauty. A sweetness resembling lobster combined with the unpretentious air of shrimp. The inner workings of your mind being salty and cutting. It was very nice knowing you indeed.



It was is San Sebastian, Spain where Ashley and I first discovered the splendor that is true tapas. Unending rows of medievel-like bars squirrled around, each with its own set of appetizers sprawled out over its bar counters. We walked in and out of a select few, amazed by the opportunity. A glass of cheap Rioja, a bite of mushroom, a cup of Sangria, blue cheese crostini, a hard cider with a long and precision pour, a piece or chorizo. Could I be in love? No worries exist except for how to choose between the endless number of places to go. Complete relaxation.




Jennifer came to Raleigh for a visit and we chose Olde Time Barbecue for our introduction to North Carolina barbecue. After we ordered, we sat at our table with slight apprehension when tasting their sauces. "I mean I knew it was supposed to be vinegary, but is this still barbecue sauce??" I thought. All doubts were pelted to the side with one bit of the meat of that pulled pork sandwich. The word that can best describe its texture is velvet...just think of velvet. Soft and light, with an air of aged refinement. The meat was lean, but showed no sign of weakness. The flavor was meatily abundant, but was true to itself. The sauce really was not worth the effort of contamination. The apple and sweet potato sticks that came alongside were also surprising, delicate cases that held meltingly soft, warm interior. We shook the cook's hand at the end of the meal.




The more I run amuck throughout the world, the more I find myself continually forcing myself to happily come back to my roots. Many people know that my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. The relaxation, the laughing, the football, the wine, the cooking, and of course the eating. The turkey is the centerpiece of this occasion that commands an immediate audience to its every need. This year, my efforts to return home for the holidays were more pressed than ever. However, when I finally got there, the culmination rested with this bird. A sage butter laced its skin and leached its juices into each pore of the turkey, bursting with moisture, and reminding me that all was good and that I had so much to be thankful for.


The past year has been an eventful one for me where I endured trials and finished degrees, laughed a lot, and was unquestionably lucky and blessed.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 2010.


Cheers.