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!