I mentioned some posts ago about some unfinished meme business that I am determined to accomplish. That was one down...and now more to go. The two meme's that follow I owe the warm, sweet, and oh-so-kind and lovely Angelika of The flying Apple. Sorry for being tardy Angelika...here they are...
You Are What You Eat Food Meme:
My 10 Favorite Foods
I would have to echo Angelika's sentiments on this and say that it is extremely difficult to choose only 10! I just love too many things! Anyway, here goes...
1. Chicharon - By now, this is no surprise. Pork crackling in other parts of the world, total bliss to me. I eat this little bit of cholesterol heaven only if it has laman, i.e. the fat still on. This is one of those things that can make me go into foodie-nirvana. It really transports me to a better place. I'm dead serious.
2. Pork - My favorite meat. This covers BACON, lechon (roast pig), crispy pata (um, deep fried pig's trotter?), slow roasted pork belly in all manners of sauce, sisig (um, chopped up parts of pig's ears and cheeks served on a sizzling plate), and nearly any way you can serve it up! Ok, I am so cheating by naming all these dishes :) You may be wondering though why I separated Chicharon from this pork category. Well, it is in a class all its own...at least in my life.
Ok, let's pause. You must be thinking that I am some huge, club-swinging ogre that strikes fear into the hearts of pigs everywhere. Well, I am here to tell you that...it's not just pigs!
3. Foie gras - Oh yes. I once spent all my grocery money on a little block. I would do it again. I love it pan fried best. Maybe with some candied walnuts and apples. Oohlala!
4. Bone Marrow - Nice and hot. Ooof! Hmmm, is it me or is the cholesterol count in this list shooting up at an alarming rate? It must be me.
5. Tongue - I love tongue, or lengua as we call it here, when it is prepared right. So soft and tender. I will pass on excellent steaks for this, I kid you not.
Ok, another pause. I realize that my list so far does not really paint the "audrey-hepburn-esque" picture of me that I want to portray. Hmmm...perhaps some...
6. Chocolate - What more can be said about chocolate that hasn't already been said by people much wiser and more eloquent than me? I like mine dark. The darker the better.
7. Mangoes - The sweetest mangoes in the world can be found in the Philippines. But that's just my humble opinion. Mangoes are the reason that, even though I moan and groan quite a bit about it, it's not a total tragedy that I can't get a good fresh peach or fresh berries here.
By the way, I'm not a total meat eater...
8. Sushi - In a Japanese restaurant you will almost always find me at the sushi bar. The first time I tried sushi, when I was a young girl, I was mesmerized by the taste and texture. I dreamt about it for days after. It has never lost it's appeal.
9. Tinapang Bangus - Smoked milkfish. I can eat this for days on end. Just the smell has me sighing...
Oh no, running out of slots! Can I make a grand sweeping gesture and include a geographical area?
10. To find my favorite flavors in a cuisine you just have to make a triangle with one point in India, one point in Greece, and one point in North Africa. I love the powerful taste experience of the dishes found in those regions. Actually, it's more than the taste...it's the whole sensory experience of those spices. I will eat anything that falls in that triangle.
Ok! Now on to the 2nd meme I owe Angelika...the Cookbook Meme:
A disclaimer: I don't really have much cookbooks. My mother and I have a communal pot of cookbooks that we share, but nowhere near the wonderful collections of other food bloggers out there.
1. How many cookbooks do you own? We own about 40 I would say. But it's been growing...especially with the wonderful recommendations I read about on your blogs!
2. Which cookbook is the one you bought most recently? There are two: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and Donna Hay's The New Cook (which was 50% off!). Martha's book came highly recommended by a baker I admire. I had also been wanting to get one of Donna Hay's book after the success of those cupcakes, so when I found one that was 50% off I didn't waste any time.
3. Which cookbook is the one you read most recently? The New Cook. I'm deciding which recipe to try first! Always a lovely process :)
4. Name 5 cookbooks which mean much to you.
- Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook - It's a 1950 first edition. This was probably the first cookbook I ever used in my life. You can see a picture of it here.
- Egyptian Cooking - The cookbook I brought home from Egypt. More than the recipes it is really a momento of a fantastic experience.
- A cheap, ratty, pasta sauce recipe book from where my mom developed her tuna pasta sauce which is loved by everyone in my family and is now a favorite of C's.
- The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook - I have never cooked anything from this book, but it is so filled with wonderful sentiments and inspiration. Plus, it was a gift from a 2nd hand book bin which graciously yielded it up for only just over a dollar. I love rooting through stacks of 2nd hand books and this cookbook reminds me of the nice surprises you can find. I enjoy just leafing through it and reading the recipes...one day...
That's only four, I know. We have other cookbooks that are excellent but I wouldn't say that any one had more meaning than the other. Perhaps I can apply this extra cookbook quota to add another favorite food (category) to my list?
Favorite foods I miss and cannot get here: Oliebollen from The Netherlands (but now I can make it!), Dallaspulla from Finland (but I found the recipe and I will be attempting it soon!), Horchata from Spain, Greek yogurt, and Maison du Chocolat chocolate truffles.
Not tags for this one since I'm so late...but if anyone wants to answer it, feel free!
Thanks for the tag Angelika! :)
Mushroom Tart
I have written before about my little fixation with Vogue Entertaining + Travel. Aside from combining two things which I love (food and travel), the food is always on supermodel mode. Yes, lovely to look at even if some of the recipes do not come out quite at the bombshell level. I don't mind. I like looking at nice things. In any case, some recipes do deliver. This was one of those times. I spotted the Apple cider vinegar-glazed onion tart in the same issue as my Moroccan inspired meal (August/September 2005). It involved little baby onions, ricotta, thyme, and (as the name implies) apple cider vinegar, and it was absolutely exquisite. However, due to the laptop crash of October '05, all pictures were lost, and the onion tart was just a sweet memory.
Not one to stay forlorn for long, I let the past's memories inspire the present's lunch. I gave the recipe another go, this time with mushrooms. Truth be told, a big part of the recipe's essence is gone as I didn't use any apple cider vinegar. But the apple cider vinegar was more for the little onions and not my big portobellos. I did keep the chedder cheese crust though. Although in the original, the pastry had apple cider vinegar as well, which I likewise nixed for this version. So this one's got a whole other flavor going...
Here's the recipe:
Mushroom Tart
(inspired by the Apple cider vinegar-glazed onion tart of Vogue Entertaining + Travel's August/September 2005 issue)
Cheddar cheese pastry:
- 200 grams flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 100 grams grated cheddar cheese (I am thinking this might also be good with a mix...part cheddar part Old Amsterdam...hmmm, for another day perhaps)
- 130 grams butter, diced and frozen
- 4-5 teaspoons water
Mushroom filling:
- 220 grams portobello mushrooms (weight without stems), sliced
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion sliced
- 3-4 sprigs of thyme
- 150 grams ricotta
- 1 egg
Here's what you do:
- Make the pastry first. Combine the flour, salt, and cheese.
- Add the butter in pieces and cut roughly with a pastry cutter.
- Add water gradually, still going at it with the pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. (You can do this whole bit in a food processor...I just don't have one)
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl and knead (yey!) until it forms a ball.
- Flatten the ball into a disc, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight).
- Now for the filling. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and sautee until they are nice and soft.
- Add the mushrooms and sautee for a couple of minutes. Add thyme and toss a bit until mushrooms are cooked through.
- Now to assemble the tart. Preheat oven to 180C.
- Mix the ricotta and the egg until well combined. Set aside.
- Fetch your pastry dough and cut in half. Roll both pieces of dough on a lightly floured work surface into a rough oval shape around 2 mm thick. (note: I only used one piece of pastry for the mushrooms, the other I topped with dried figs, walnuts, and brie de Meaux...oohlala!)
- Transfer the pastry to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the ricotta mixture on the pastry, leaving a 5 mm border (more or less).
- Top with your mushroom mixture and fold over the border to sort of give your filling a little "hug".
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges of your pastry are golden.
This was delicious! It makes for a perfect light lunch (not the whole tart though!) with a simple salad. I used portobello mushrooms but you can substitute this with any mushroom you feel like having...or even a mix of different kinds. As I mentioned, I didn't make enough filling for both tarts, thus the fig version...also yummy. This recipe has the potential to transform itself infinitely I think...savory, sweet, sweet/savory...any suggestions?
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