Crystal Tofu

Lots of people run from tofu and still others decline to eat it because of its rather bland taste. Having lived in Asia I like tofu, in its varied forms. One of my favourite ways to eat and prepare it though, is my take on Crystal Tofu. It makes a great side dish for a Japanese meal or just a fine use of tofu. It is packed with protein and is gluten free. Best of all is that it is something even the kids will enjoy. It's a great summertime side when served nice and chilled.

Dipping Sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs sake
5 Tbs dashi broth

1 block firm tofu (10-12 oz)

Toppings
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbs fresh grated ginger
 1 sheet nori, cut into strips

Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a small pan and heat till sugar is dissolved then chill.
Drain tofu and cut into bite sized pieces. Place in serving dish.
Prepare toppings.
You may serve the tofu individually with small bowls of dipping sauce or pour the dipping sauce over the tofu and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes, then serve. Sprinkle toppings over tofu and serve.

Serves about 4 people.

A Charcoal Interlude

Well, now that grilling season is upon us, (not really. Like most of us I grill year round), the hunt for charcoal begins. The stores around me are just now starting to get restocked in that area and I managed to get three bags of Royal Oak 100% All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal for the fantastic price of $7.00 per 17.6 lb bag at my local Super Walmart. Great deal. While this is normally my go to charcoal I am currently coming off of using a bag of Kingsford Charcoal Competition Briquets, (bought after being recommended to me by Chris Lilly, the pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, Alabama). While this is Chris' go to for competition grilling, I was less than impressed by it. It didn't impart much flavour to the meats being cooked and it just didn't seem to produce the same high searing heat that Royal Oak Lump normally does. It also produced copious amounts of ash. It seems to work out well for Chris, though. They keep winning competitions.
   I do believe that I'll be sticking to the lumpen goodness for the foreseeable future. I've never really cared much for standard briquet charcoal and the more expensive Competition grade just didn't light my fire. Sorry, Chris. For those of you who like lump charcoal you might want to give your local Walmart a check. At $7/17.6# this is a deal that cannot be beat, (that deal may not be the standard at all Walmarts, but you never can tell).

Velvet Corn Soup With Crab Meat

Back when I was still working in the restaurant business my favourite food to create and cook was soup. Always loved coming up with something new and different for my customers. But my absolute favourite soup recipe comes from the 1977 cookbook "Chinese Cooking, The Easy Wok Method", by Karen Lee Aland. This soup was a family favourite and one I always looked forward to eating.
   It is simple to prepare and the ingredients aren't hard to come by. You can easily substitute fresh crab for canned. And the soup may be made in a pot or a wok. And the recipe scales up very easily, as you may well want to, as this soup demands coming back for seconds. Or thirds.

There are still a few copies of the cookbook out there at Amazon.com and other online retailers. It's well worth adding to your library.


Velvet Corn Soup With Crab Meat


Ingredients

1 cup crab meat, washed and drained
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups sweet corn, cream style
2 eggs, separated; yolks lightly beaten, whites stiffly beaten

Seasoning

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Marinade

1 slice ginger, minced
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dry sherry

1. Marinate the crab meat in the ginger, cornstarch and sherry for about 1 hour.
2. Heat the chicken stock. Add the corn and bring to a boil.
3. Add the crab meat mixture and return to the boil.
4. Turn the heat down to a simmer and stir in the egg yolks. Then fold in the egg whites. Simmer for a few minutes and then serve.

A Few Dressings For Salad Season

With the coming of Spring we get to look forward to the crisp, fresh salads that are coming our way,
(I really don't look forward to the bagged offerings of Winter). And with the salads comes the dressings. While I use a handful of quick dressings, I'd always rather make my own. They're not difficult and they are way tastier than the mass produced offerings. Here are a few of the favourites at our house. They can easily be made in a bowl, but sometimes a blender or food processor will help the job along much better.

This is an old favourite around here and usually gets made all through the year. It goes great on a nice, fresh taco salad. Do use a blender or processor for this one. It will go a lot easier.

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 green pepper
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1/4 small onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put ingredients in blender or food processor and blend till everything is combined and vegetables are finely chopped.  Makes about 2 cups.

                                                         ------------------------


French Dressing

1/2 cup neutral oil (canola or any nice salad oil)
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Just a quick dash of cayenne

Add all ingredients to processor or blender and mix till combined. Chill and shake before serving.

                                                          ------------------------

I saved the best for last. It's a favourite of everybody's and is just flat out delicious. This recipe originated from a 1984 version of the Campbell's Great American Cookbook, but got some major modifications from me over the years. I think you'll like it.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
a few dashes of Tabasco sauce
buttermilk

Combine all ingredients, except buttermilk, in small mixing bowl. Mix till combined. Thin out with buttermilk till desired consistency is reached. Chill. Serve over your favourite salads or use as a dip.

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cornbread (Gluten Free)

Like many people out there I have a spouse who is wheat sensitive. This cuts a lot of foods out of the rotation,  but one bread does get to stay. Buttermilk Cornbread is a Southern staple and one of the first things I learned to bake as a youngster. The gluten free advantage is an advantage these days, for me and many others. It doesn't take a lot to be successful in baking cornbread and requires few tools that you probably already have (or should have).
   One of the more necessary items to make cornbread is a seasoned cast iron skillet. This is the perfect implement to make cornbread in, as well as other foods) and is something every kitchen should have. That's about it for implements. See?
   Let's take a second to talk about the star of the show, the cornmeal. Just about any cornmeal will do, but the Southern go to for cornbread is white cornmeal. It is lighter than yellow and produces a better product in my opinion. Personally, I like a nice stone ground and unbolted (also called Old Fashioned) cornmeal. Unbolted cornmeal is unsifted and has a grittier texture and a slightly larger grind. It also contains all of the grain, leading to a tastier cornbread. If your local market doesn't carry unbolted, stone ground cornmeal, don't worry. Any white cornmeal will do. Or you can order online through any number of sources, like Amazon. (I like the folks at Weisenberger Mills in KY. I've used their products many times over the years). Just don't get confused and use a cornbread mix. These all contain wheat flour.
   While you can use vegetable shortening as your fat of choice, I prefer lard. It's moderately healthier than most vegetable shortenings, but it adds an extra layer of flavour to the finished product. Taste is everything.

Buttermilk Cornbread

2 1/4 Cups White Cornmeal
2 Cups Buttermilk
1/4 Cup Lard or Shortening
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place skillet in oven to heat up while preheating.
Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Beat eggs into buttermilk.
Remove heated skillet from oven and drop lard into hot skillet, allowing it to melt.
Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk till blended. Add 3 Tbs melted lard to mixture and whisk till incorporated, (keep at least 1 Tbs of the melted lard in the pan to help the cooking).
Pour ingredients into still hot pan and give a short shake to even out the mixture.
Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or till golden brown.
Remove from oven and remove cornbread from skillet to a plate.
Cut and serve!

Makes 8 single servings.

New: Barilla Pronto Pasta

First, let it be said, I am not receiving anything from the good folks at Barilla for this post. I just like their products and think this new one is rather interesting.

   Barilla has come up with a new pasta, (in a variety of shapes), called Pronto. It doesn't require quarts of boiling water to make. Just a pan and up to a couple of cups of water. It supposedly cooks to al dente doneness and then you can just add sauce and viola,  pasta.
   I must admit, I find this kind of cool. It would certainly make things a bit easier in the kitchen to be able to let my big pans take a rest from pasta duty and get things down to a much smaller pan. And the time savings is not minuscule. I think I'll definitely be giving these a try at some point and will report back, (even though I'm not a huge pasta fan). I'd love to know what they've done differently with the pasta to make it cook in less water. The science geek in me is curious.
   If you've tried it leave a comment and let me know how you liked it.

  

Smoked Trout Salad

One of my favourite appetisers that I have made over the years is Smoked Trout Salad. It is a nice start to any evening or just a great snack for anything you're doing. It's pretty easy to put together and keeps quite well, so you can make it well ahead of time and it will be ready when you are. It can be served over any nice cracker or flat bread, but I really think it shines when served on fried Won-Ton wrappers lightly dusted with Old Bay seasoning.

Trout Salad

2 Smoked trout fillets, skin removed.
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
2 green onions chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon capers, drained and roughly chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Optional

Won Ton wrappers, cut into triangles
Old Bay seasoning


Remove skin from trout fillets and flake or chop. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Cut won ton wrappers into triangles and fry in oil till crisp. Remove to paper towels and allow to drain. Dust lightly with Old Bay Seasoning. Top wrappers with trout salad and serve.

Dak Jim (Korean Chicken And Vegetables)

Many folks can remember their first cookbook. Mine was the Peanuts Cookbook, way back in the early 70's. But, the first cookbook that I actually went out and bought when I was old enough to actually get some use out of it was Foods of the Orient: Japan and Korea. I bought my copy a couple of years after it came out, while I was in South Africa. This cookbook has followed me all around the globe and it has provided many a great meal. While I was already familiar with Japanese cuisine, having lived in Japan, this opened my eyes up to a number of dishes I wasn't familiar with and allowed me to cook them myself.
  I have many favoured recipes from this well worn book, but my hands down, absolute favourite is the recipe for Dak Jim (Steamed Chicken and Vegetables). I have looked at and tried other versions of this recipe, but I always return to the one from this cookbook. It is the best I've run across. Now, I'm going to share it with you. This version of the recipe is in American measurements. All the recipes in the book come in two versions, Metric/Imperial and American. That makes this cookbook an international multitasker. Sadly, it is long out of print, but is available in the used market.

This recipe scales up quite easily if you need to make more, which I have had to do at times. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Dak Jim (Korean Steamed Chicken and Vegetables)

1x 4lb chicken cut up into 8-10 pieces
2 carrots, cut into thin strips  (I use a peeler and shave them)
3 dried mushrooms, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained and thinly sliced
1 bamboo shoot, sliced (or 1 can sliced)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. soft brown sugar
1 Tbs. roasted sesame seeds, ground or crushed
salt and pepper

Garnish (Optional)
2 eggs, seperated

Put the chicken pieces in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender. Drain and reserve the stock. When the meat is cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into bite sized strips.
   Put all the remaining ingredients, except the garnish, into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the chicken strips and reserved stock, cover ans simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked but still crisp.
   Meanwhile, make the garnish. Beat the egg yolks and whites separately until they are both well mixed. Lightly oil a frying pan and heat it over moderate heat.Pour in the egg white and spread over the bottom in a thin layer. Cook until the bottom is firm, then turn over and cook until the other side is firm. Slide on to a warmed dish and cook the egg yolks in the same way. Cut the cooked eggs into strips.
   Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a warmed serving bowl and scatter over the garnish before serving.

Serves 6 

Preparation and cooking time: 2 1/2 hours

The Wonderful Paste, Hummus!

Well, I said I would put up a recipe for this wonderful food and here it is. I ran across this recipe a few years ago and adapted it for my own use. It is a truly good recipe and well worth the time it takes to make. Easily the equal of anything you can get at a Middle Eastern restaurant or even in the Middle East, and certainly better than anything you'll get from a grocery cooler. If you have access to a Middle Eastern store , (like our local grocery/eatery, Al Basha, in Fishers, IN), I would encourage you to get your ingredients there. Especially if they carry good quality ingredients from the Middle East. It will make a difference in the final product. I use a Syrian tahini and a Turkish olive oil and am fortunate enough to have access to Al Basha's great fresh baked pita. Terroir makes a difference in almost any recipes. So, without further ado, here you are.


Hummus

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbs plus 1/4 tsp baking soda
Salt (to taste)
Olive Oil
Fresh Italian Parsley
Paprika (optional)

Directions:

Rinse chickpeas in cold water to remove any dirt or dust. Place chickpeas in  2 qt. pan and cover with water, adding 1 Tbs of baking soda. Let soak overnight.
Drain soaked chickpeas and rinse.
Return to pan and cover with water. Add remaining baking soda. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 1-1 1/2 hours, adding more water, if necessary. Cook till chickpeas are soft and easily squashed. Drain, reserving a portion of the cooking water. Give chickpeas a quick rinse to remove any foam or skins. Let cool to room temperature.
Place cooled chickpeas in a food processor and pulse till well chopped.
Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic and cumin. Mix all ingredients. Taste. Add salt to taste and mix till smooth. If the paste is too thick add some of the reserved cooking water and mix till the desired consistency is achieved.
Remove hummus to small plates or bowls. Create a small, shallow well and add olive oil. Garnish with chopped parsley or paprika. Serve with pita bread and olives or your favourite scooping food, (some folks in the Middle East like to use onion petals). Enjoy!

The Beautiful Paste

Here's one from the always amusing Remy, on that most luscious of pastes...Hummus. I think I'll have to post the recipe for the worlds best Hummus here very soon. Until then, enjoy the lyrical and funny musings of Remy!

Bub's Burgers

This past Friday we took ourselves out to visit a place new to us, Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream in Carmel, Indiana. It's located in the heart of downtown Carmel, right along the Monon Trail. When we arrived the place was already busy and we had a wait of about 25 minutes, (a bit longer than we'd usually put up with). Being as we wanted to try the new place we sat down and enjoyed the view of all the people passing by.
After our wait was up we were seated inside the restaurant and ordered our food. I wanted to try their 1/4 lb. elk burger and I split a large order of onion rings with the kids. My wife had the same. I also ordered sweet tea which turned out to be a mistake. The food arrived in a decent time and was served on tin pans. Every burger comes with lettuce, tomato and onion on the side and the bun is buttered and grilled. I like that. Condiments are on the table. If you want sides, those are extra.

My medium rare elk burger was good and cooked just as I had ordered it. Tasty, with a nice char grilled flavour from the flames. Definitely one of the better burgers I've had in a while. The onion rings were a tad greasy, but tasted pretty good. I'm not the biggest fan of beer battered anything, but these rings weren't shabby. The kids certainly liked them well enough. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for their sweet iced tea. Whoever made that was afraid of using too much sugar so they erred on the side of too little. Next time I'll either bring my own sugar or order something else. All in all it was a good experience where the food was concerned.

One drawback to the inside dining area is that it is quite noisy. Be prepared for that. It's difficult to talk with people at your table without raising your voice and is pretty hard to hear any responses. If you can get past that (or eat outside) you'll likely enjoy your meal, I did and we'll likely return at some point in the future.

T-Balls Strikes Out

I love a good hot dog, so it was no surprise that I decided to take the kids out to visit T-Balls Hot Dogs in Noblesville for a hot dog dinner. I had heard a couple of folks say that their dogs were pretty good, so off we went. The kids got standard dogs with their usual condiments and fries. I decided to go with a chili cheese dog with onions to get a real feel for what T-Balls could do. I also chose a tamale from their appetiser menu and a sweet tea.
The dog did manage to tell me a great deal about T-Balls. It told me that they were very fond of food service canned goods and tasteless hot dogs. My chili cheese dog was unremarkable. A Vienna Beef hot dog that had been around for awhile. No snap and very little flavour. The chili was a non-remarkable canned hot dog chili with very little taste and no spice to speak of. The cheese...well, the cheese was a glob of canned cheese food product that covered the chili and added nothing to the experience but a mess.
I tried a few of the kids fries while I was at it and they were also unremarkable. Crunchy, but lacking much in the way of flavour. Typical frozen fries.
All in all I was really disappointed in T-Balls dogs and it is unlikely that we will return there. Too much of the experience rested on canned food service grade ingredients with no real quality in the equation. It's sad. I was expecting an experience at least as good as your standard cart dog and we received far less than that.

(Update: T-Balls is now out of business. Can't say I'm surprised.)

Saying Goodbye To The Last Cannery

Tomorrow is the last day for the people who work at the Stinson Seafood Plant in Maine. The last sardine cannery in the country is being shut down for good by their owners. No more will people see the venerable Beach Cliff's sardine can in their grocers aisles and, if they do, the sardines will be sourced from other countries. A sad day indeed. Myself, I like to indulge in a nice sardine snack, now and again. I have fond memories of sharing them with my grandfather. A tin of sardines and a handful of saltines was all we needed to make an impromptu lunch. These days I tend to gravitate more towards smoked herring, than sardines and I guess that's one of the problems. Americans appetites have changed over the decades. We've moved away from the sardine and moved towards tuna and, perhaps, herring and other fish and abandoned that old staple, the sardine.

I sure will miss those Beach Cliff sardines and will likely go out tomorrow and buy a small stock of them to tide me over till I find a suitable replacement. It won't be Chinese sardines, that's for sure. Hopefully, Canada and Morocco will pick up the slack. In the meantime, I'll keep all those folks in Maine in my thoughts as they see their livelihood and local industry go to the grave.

A Toasty Event

OK. It's not really toasty, more a "grilly" event that will be held in Los Angeles April 25th.

The 1st 7th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational will be held in downtown Los Angeles this year, organizers said Monday.

The cheese-lovers' Mecca will be held at Los Angeles State Historic Park (map) on Saturday, April 25.

The Grilled Cheese Invitational "is the largest, craziest, and most exciting grilled cheese cooking contest in the country and is the best thing to happen to sliced cheese since sliced bread," according to the event's website.

Doors open at noon, and admission is only $5.

However, if you think you got the chops to make a top-shelf grilled cheese, the competition fee is $10. The cook-off goes from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Competitors can register at grilledcheeseinvitational.com.

An event like this could almost make me want to go out to California to attend or compete. Almost. It sounds like a load of tasty fun! I can't help but wonder if we couldn't organise a like event in my area? Mmmm...grilled cheese.

Technorati Tags
Food, Grilled Cheese, California

A Parting Shot

It looks like now ex-President George Bush gave a parting shot at the EU and American foodies. He increased the tariff on Roquefort cheese by 300%. That's rough. And it's a decision that will probably be allowed to stand by the incoming Obama regime.

ROQUEFORT, France (AFP) — People in the southern French district of Lozeyron are having a hard time swallowing US President George W. Bush's parting gift:a tripling to 300 percent in import duty on their world-famous Roquefort cheese.

"Tonnes of produce are going to go up in smoke," protested one of the seven local producers of the distinctive soft blue cheese. It was a hammer blow to the local region, he said.

The swingeing tariff increase, part of a longstanding trade row between the United States and the European Union, has effectively priced them out of the US market, say producers.

"The aim of the Americans is that there is not a gram of Roquefort sold in the United States," said Philippe le Guen, who handles sales at Papillon, one of the best-known brands of the cheese.

His mark alone accounts for nearly 10 percent of total production, exporting 50 tonnes of Roquefort to the United States of a total 1,700 tonnes produced.

And with the world economy in trouble this latest US move has raised the spectre of a trade war.

As a fan of Roquefort cheese I must say that I am dismayed by this blatant attack on the free market and free trade. I guess I'll just venture out and get a taste of the current stocks before they run out. It's a sad day in Foodville.

Technorati Tags:
Food, Cheese, Politics

Eatin' Bad In The Neighbourhood

As my wife is wont to point out, "There are times when you have to eat at a restaurant just to remind yourself of why you don't eat there". This has never been proven more true than during the return journey from our recent vacation to the Outer Banks. We pulled off the road reasonably early in order to secure a nice room and relax after a long day of traveling and chose Beckley, West Virginia as our stopping point. We acquired our room and then went in search of dinner. Now, Beckley doesn't really have much to offer in the way of fine dining, or even mediocre dining for that matter. What they do have are lots of "off ramp" restaurants, like Outback, Cracker Barrel, Chili's and Applebee's. Unfortunately, we chose Applebee's, a place we had not graced with our presence in well over a decade.

Now, for those of you who have failed to see the many commercials for Applebee's, I'll clue you in on what they are doing. Currently, they are offering a menu based around the cuisine of celebrity Chef Tyler Florence. I imagine this is a lucrative side business for Chef Tyler. Unfortunately, the recipes leave a great deal to be desired. My wife and I both had "Tyler's New Yorker"- "A juicy strip steak with garlic butter and thick steakhouse-style onion rings served with a Hearts of Romaine appetizer salad."

We should have known what we were in for when the service started going bad and our waitron disappeared. After an interminable wait and multiple excuses our "food" did finally arrive and I wasn't overly impressed, to say the least. The salad was mediocre, at best. (Hint: Croutons should be crunchy, not hard.) Then came the moment of truth . The Select grade New York Strip Steaks arrived. While they were cooked close to the requested degree of doneness, the "aroma" which wafted from the food was a precursor of the horror to come.

The onion rings were not the best I have had by a long shot. They actually had a hard crust, rather than a crispy exterior. And having only 3 of them was a sure sign of stinginess on the part of the restaurant. The steak was slathered with a ball of "garlic butter" that managed to do to that steak what should never be done to meat. It changed the flavour completely from grilled beef to something that approximated a garlic sausage. The steaks literally tasted like a sausage. It was disgusting, to say the least. They were not finished, as they were nigh on inedible. I would be ashamed to serve such a dish to someone.

Applebee's and Chef Florence are pushing the envelope...of inedibility and bad service. Tyler Florence's recipe for a NY Strip steak leaves a great deal to be desired. Taking a mediocre Select grade steak and making it taste like sausage might be a great feat for some, Chef Florence and Applebee's do it with great ease. Frankly, I could have had a better tasting meal if we'd killed a cat and roasted it over a flaming turd. That's just how bad it was.

Perhaps, in another decade we will return to Applebee's to remind ourselves of what we haven't been missing. Then again, as bad as this meal was it's doubtful that the passage of ten years will suffice.

Technorati Tags:
Road Food, Applebee's, Food

Sam And Omie's - Finest Kind

Just off the main drag in Nag's Head, North Carolina is a small joint called Sam and Omie's. It has a 70 year history in Nag's Head, so the folks there must be doing something right. We stopped in for a quick brunch on our way to Avon, in the Outer Banks and got there just in time for the beginning of lunch. Perfect timing, since it switched us from a breakfast mood to a lunch mode. The waitress was nice and friendly and was right on the spot when we needed her.

As is my usual M.O. when I get to eat out in the OBX I started with a cup of chowder. No disappointments here. That cup was brimming with clams, potatoes, carrot, onion and bacon. The broth was slightly salty, so it needed nothing other than a touch of pepper and it had an nice herbal flavour to it. Pretty yummy stuff and I'll be sure to get it again when I go back.

I treated myself to a combination seafood platter that had fried Shrimp, Scallops, Flounder, Onion Rings and Slaw. The Flounder and Shrimp were excellent and well seasoned. The Scallops were OK. Not great, just OK. A little too moist and the batter coating had no crunch to it. The Cole Slaw was not the best I've had (or made), but it wasn't the worst by any means. Sam and Omie's does have a decent Onion Ring, tho. That goes a long way. Their sauces (Tartar and Cocktail) are a wonder, too and have a nice homemade taste to them. If these are commercial I'd love to know the brand, they taste homemade.

The highlight of the meal was when I got a taste of my wife's Crab Cake. Folks, this may well be the best danged Crab Cake in America. The outside is crisp and the inside is a juicy, crab filled culinary wonder. Every bite is a delightful taste of crab goodness, with little interference from any filler that might be there. It's simply the best Crab Cake I can remember ever eating and I have yet to find another Crab Cake that is its equal. The only drawback to my meal was that their Sweet Tea wasn't quite strong enough or sweet enough for my taste and that's not reason enough to keep me from returning.
We will certainly make Sam and Omie's a stop on our future excursions to the Outer Banks and I highly recommend them to anyone who likes a good Crab Cake.

The rest of the family enjoyed their fare, as well. Club Sandwiches for the kids were a big hit and my wife's Flounder was also well received. Good eats all around!

Technorati Tags:
Sam and Omie's, Seafood, Outer Banks, Road Food

Not So Hot Hot Shotz

The family and I decided to try out a new place in Indianapolis this past week. Hot Shotz, a beer and food restaurant much admired by the local home brewing and beer connoisseur community. They do sport an admirable selection of micro brewed beers, both bottled and on tap. My wife, the home brewer and connoisseur of beers in the family, was suitably impressed and delighted by their list of draft and bottled beverages. I contented myself with a bubbly lemon lime soda, like the kids.

It was a rainy Friday and the place wasn't crowded at all, so the service was really good and our waiter was right there. No abandonment issues ever arose during our dinner. We ordered our drinks and appetisers (my wife had a card for a complimentary appetiser). We ordered their smoked Hot Wings and I treated myself to a pair of Virginia Oysters on the half shall, (the manager brought an additional oyster to me at no charge. A truly nice gesture). The oysters were what you would expect, being as far inland as we are. They were nice, but not ocean fresh.

The wings....well, the wings were a different story. I like Hot Wings and the flavour in these wings was good. They are smoked for awhile then fried and drenched in a Frank's based hot wing sauce that is kicked up by adding additional heat via jalapeño sauce, according to our waiter. These wings have a unique flavour and a sneaky kind of heat that would make these a winner in any category. But....there was one problem. They were underdone. Still showing some pink at the bone. When I mentioned this to our waiter I was told that it was the result of the smoking. Perhaps some people might buy that. I'm not one of them. As someone who enjoys smoking their own meats I can tell you one fact, vis a vis the smoke rings. Smoke penetrates and colours from the outside in, not from the bone outward. If you order the wings, at Hot Shotz, check for doneness.

As an entree I ordered the Chili and Cheese Pie, a casserole of chili, topped with a cornmeal and three cheese topping. The chili is made from smoked brisket pieces with dark red kidney beans. There was no true spiciness to this dish and no heat to speak of. The overriding taste was one of sweetness that really didn't do a lot for me. I spent most of my time picking out pieces of brisket to eat and avoided the overabundant cap of cheese and the way too sweet chili. Even adding a good dollop of tasty jalapeño sauce couldn't save this dish. The Chili and Cheese Pie gets crossed off my list as too sweet and too overladen with cheese.

My son made a slightly wiser food choice in ordering the Pulled Pork Sandwich. This smoky pork sandwich was really quite tasty, (thanks for letting Dad have a taste!). While it's certainly not a BBQ joint style sandwich it was better than I expected. Sadly, Cole Slaw is an additional side and not the standard which we Southerners use in place of the lettuce, tomato and pickle Hot Shotz uses as condiments. The BBQ Sauce was a bit of a disappointment. It was just a small container of K.C. Masterpiece and not a signature house sauce. That's something they should definitely work on. The thick cut Brew Fries they serve with their sandwiches are thick wedges of potato goodness. Quite nice.

My wife had the Monster Burger and was happy with it. I didn't taste it so I cannot comment on it. Hot Shotz also offers a variety of hot sauces for those who like something a bit spicier in a condiment. They even have a sauce that's almost pure capsaicin at 1 million Scovile units for the truly brave. I'd love to see a larger selection of hot sauces on their rack, tho. Given the numbers of sauces out there I expect that selection to grow.

Even given the quality issues we experienced I would likely be willing to give Hot Shotz another chance. Of course I'd be choosing different menu items and avoiding the wings.

Technorati Tags:
Hot Shotz, Food, Indianapolis

Sharing Can Be Good

As kids we all learned the axiom that it is nice share and I believe that's true, when it's voluntary sharing. So, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes before I reviewed a couple of places around the Indianapolis area. First up is the recipe I've been using for bread the last couple of weeks. I finally gave up on finding any bread that doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. Even many of the whole wheat and so-called "healthy breads" have it in them. Enough is enough. Baking sandwich bread doesn't take an enormous amount of time or effort, especially if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer or even a food processor. I made a batch yesterday while making breakfast for my youngest.


Sandwich Bread:

3 cups All Purpose Flour (King Arthur is the absolute best)
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup hot water (perhaps less depending on conditions)
4 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons sugar (1 in your dry mix, 1 in the liquid you put your yeast in)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 package active dry yeast (dissolve in your milk)

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix till it all comes together and leaves the side of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly oiled surface and knead for 8 minutes or so. If using a mixer with a dough hook knead at medium speed for 8 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Remove from bowl and shape into a log about 8 inches long and place it in an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Cover the pan loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hour or until the bread has risen an inch or so above the rim (more if you like big bread!).
Once bread has risen place in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool your bread on a wire rack and enjoy! Store it wrapped in plastic or bagged once it has cooled so no moisture will form on the surface.


And, while I'm at it let's make some marshmallows. Using this recipe you will insure you never buy marshmallows again! This recipe uses metric measures, if you do not have metric measures...get some. A set of measuring spoons costs about $1. And cups not much more. Or use this. This recipe is also free of Corn Syrup and uses Lyle's Golden Syrup which taste 1000% better!

Marshmallows:

400 grams sugar (500 ml)
pinch of salt
12.5 ml Lyle's Golden Syrup
250 ml water

20 grams gelatin (30 ml) soaked in
100 ml cold water

2 eggs whites (beaten stiff)
3 ml vanilla extract

100 ml powdered sugar
50 ml cornstarch

Mix sugar, salt , syrup and water. Heat slowly without boiling, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved completely.
Increase heat and boil to softball stage 115 degrees C (239 F).
Stir in the gelatin.
Pour the hot syrup mixture onto the stiff egg whites, beating constantly until mixture is thick and creamy.
Add vanilla, (you may also add colouring at this point if you wish). Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape.
Mix powdered sugar and cornstarch together and sift a layer into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan. Dust with cornstarch and sugar mixture. Let sit till firm.
Dip a knife into warm water till blade is warm. Dry knife and cut the marshmallow into strips 25mm wide. Using scissors or a warmed blade cut the strips into 25mm pieces. Dust with sugar/cornstarch mixture. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!!!

Technorati Tags:
Bread Recipe, Recipe, Marshmallow Recipe, Food, High Fructose Corn Syrup

Heading Home

The trip home from the OBX took us through the heart of North Carolina with as few stops as possible. We made one lunch stop at a favourite "road food" destination so we could feed the kiddos and ourselves. Somewhere along the way we stopped in at a Sonic for some burgers, tots, Barq's and cheddar peppers. Yummy stuff in my book! We are unfortunate to not have a Sonic anywhere near our home, they all managed to close up due to incompetence in management. Sad thing, too since we love their food. I don't think there's much better than being on the road and hitting a Sonic for a Barq's and some drive-in food! I love those Cheddar Peppers, even if they don't love me!


We also made a stop at Mackey's Ferry Peanuts to buy some boiled peanuts. While we were there we also sampled and bought a few other treats we hadn't run across before like their Blister Fried Peanuts and their French Fried Peanuts. Maaaaan! These were finestkind peanuts and I am sad that they are gone, now. Mmmm...I can't wait till the next trip! Not only were their Boiled Peanuts just great, those fried nuts were a treat unlike any other. Top quality, local produce prepared with love and pride. That's a product worth selling and certainly one that is worth buying!

The Blister Fried Peanuts on the left were just deep fried peanut goodness. You can see why they're "blister" fried when you look at them. The French Fried Peanuts on the right...man, just when you thought it couldn't get any better it does.


These peanuts are lovingly fried to perfection, skin and all and are salted just right. Both of these peanuts are like handfuls of peanut crack. You'll find yourself going back time and again for just another little handful. And another. And another....

We did go a little out of our way for a post breakfast snack the next morning in Asheville, NC. We sought out a local Krispy Kreme for coffee and doughnuts for the next leg of our trip (Lexington, KY). As usual, the Krispy Kreme's were just right and the coffee was great. I admire a doughnut joint that has a good coffee and KK's blows Starbucks out of the water where a cup of Joe is concerned. After all was said and done our trip out to the Outer Banks was a good one. It had its culinary ups and downs, but that's part of the trip. Now if I could just manage to find some decent BBQ next time....


Next up: Local food in the Indianapolis area and some recipes! Stay tuned!!

Technorati Tags:

Sonic Drive In, Mackey's Ferry Peanuts, Krispy Kreme, Road Food
North Carolina, Outer Banks