Foods to Try before you Die...
By Cynthia Bowan
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Ainsley Harriot of the BBC-TV, asked his viewers in March of 2004 to vote for the top 50 things they believe everyone should try a bite of in their lifetime - or eat before they die. After the votes were all in and tabulated, this is the list his viewers came up with. The last two items were #49 - Caviar and #50 - Cornish Pasty.
I checked the list out, finding the dishes I didn't know on the Internet, and realized that I have eaten all but 8 of the list. (Those are 11, 22, 32, 36, 37, 40, 42, and 48). I just haven't been able to find them in my local grocery store.
And of course, there are some on the list that I wouldn't even consider eating. Granted, guinea pigs may be a delicacy, but when Holly's Zelda died, I cried…she was a loving little animal.
Moreton Bay Bugs are like lobster. They have a sweet delicate taste, and the meat has a medium firm texture. So I would try that one. And Barramundi sounds delicious. It seems to be more of a game fish, and the fillets are very delicate, and best served with lemon and butter, and maybe a bit of fresh dill.
Kangaroo? Haggis? Reindeer? - No way…well, I have eaten Elk, so maybe that comes close to reindeer, but still, what about Christmas?
By way of explanation, Cream Tea is a Devonshire delight. We're talking about true Devonshire cream, of which there are three types: single, double and clotted. I love to take part in a tea, a true tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches and other delights.
Ah, but there is one thing on this list that I ALMOST had last weekend. I am in North Carolina at my son Doug's home once again. I had asked him to make his chicken biryani for me (the recipe is in my October 2001 column on this site). So Sunday morning, he checked his cupboards and found out that he was low on certain necessities: meat masala (seasoning spice powder), ginger and garlic paste, and curry powder. So obviously, we needed to go out and find these important items. He stopped first at an Indian grocery store - and they only had the small boxes of masala.
Back in the car, we headed out to - don't laugh - the grocery store which is in the same little strip mall as Ly's Vietnamese Restaurant. The store is a Mexican-Oriental grocery, and that says it all. <G> We always have fun there. We picked up the curry powder, fresh baby bok choy, lemon grass, a tin of Japanese hard candy in fruit flavors, some cookies - and a Durian. Doug carefully looked them over, trying to find one that didn't feel soft. I think the fact that they were being sold for $1.50 should have told us something.
He began working his magic in the kitchen, and soon the entire house had wonderful fragrances going through it. Once he had the biryani going, he went upstairs to the computer and checked out Durian fruit on the Internet.
He came downstairs with a puzzled look and said he had found out tons of stuff, but not how to open the fruit! If you've never seen one, well…it's very large, oval, and has a hard husk covered with sharp thorns. The Durian is infamous for its, ummm rather pungent odor. But if you can get past that, the fruit is said to be glorious, with a custard and strawberry taste to it. Many places like airports have banned it, for obvious reasons.
So Doug got out his large cutting board, best knife and went to work…the inside was moldy. Now, he is like 6'4", I am 5'4". So we are both standing there, looking inside this thing, and he says "I don't think it smells as bad as they say". I leaned over a little and was almost knocked out by the odor. Of course it didn't smell bad to him, because he was taller than me and farther away!
The Durain remains were wrapped up in a couple garbage bags and put out in the garbage can ASAP.
Darn! And I SO wanted to cross that one off my list. Well, cross it off I did, but for the wrong reasons.
But since then, I have had a chance to think over the food experiences in my life, and I believe I have been more than fortunate to have experienced so many wonderful foods over the years. I've known wonderful cooks and chefs, and learned from many cultures. So what would my personal list of 50 include?
The first time I had duck, in a little restaurant somewhere near San Francisco. It was served with a brown gravy and several types of mushrooms. My first meal at Angkor, a Cambodian restaurant near Pittsburgh, PA, where I had a wonderful coconut soup with shrimp (instead of chicken) - and their version of fried ice cream, mango ice cream surrounded by thin pound cake slices and dipped in batter. Chef Billy Sy's Mongolian Beef - I have never had it the same way since he closed his restaurant and moved to Arizona, where he began a culinary school for chefs. His version uses cabbage instead of
green onions.
Crabcakes at Monterey Fish Grotto on top of Mt. Washington across from the city of Pittsburgh. Veal Miceli at Hoffstot's Restaurant in Oakmont, PA, and their fried ice cream with amaretto fudge sauce and cherry sauce, half and half.
Russian Apricot Tart, made by the priest who had an epiphany in Greece, and ended up in a Greek church in Monroeville, PA, putting on a huge feast with members of his parish every year - including the best stuffed cabbage, pierogies, and nut horn cookies and...
A Caesar Salad with fried oysters at The Bank (now closed) in Beaufort, South Carolina the afternoon following Bethany's graduation from Marine Corps training at Parris Island. Ah, and also in Beaufort, again from a place no longer there: Baked Big Mouth Bass with a mayonnaise-based sauce, served at the Tidelholm guest house, along with Mrs. Miles for dessert. Our friends Jackie and her husband Gerry - their eye of round roast. And how could I forget the Pirate's House in Savannah, GA, with Oysters Savannah and Mile High Lemon Pie? Or the Tournedos Rossini at Lina's Restaurant in Santo
Domingo, with Gateau St. Honorine for dessert. Also, the chicken with green olives we had when we were on a medical mission in the Dominican.
Then there's a true North Carolina pork BBQ sandwich from the Cook-Out, a drive through experience, complete with hot fries and a watermelon milkshake. Fresh peach ice cream like friends Robin and Mark made at their home for us; he is Doug's former boss. And I would love to experience once more a true Carolina oyster roast, like we had at Parris Island when my husband was in the Navy.
My mother-in-law's cheese pockets, my Aunt Viv's grasshopper drinks and her spinach soufflé, my aunt Freddie's Berry Bavarian dessert, and another aunt, Annie Gene, and her lemon chiffon cake and Batesburg cake. My grandmother Bacon's rolls and my grandmother Mitchell's biscsuits. My Dad's lemon meringue pie. My son Mark's version of Ratchanee's General Tso's chicken, sadly another closed restaurant that we loved. Our Jonathan's linguini with clam sauce made with fresh lemons, Holly's lo-cal chocolate cake with the apricot-peach-passion fruit filling and no icing…Bethany's dirty martinis
<g> or berrytini or her salad she makes like the ones she used to serve when she and Holly worked at Woodloch in the Poconos.
Well, some of these wonderful recipes can be found in my columns on this list. Some cannot be duplicated, because I learned the hard way what I often preach to others: get the recipe when you can, because a recipe can be something that is taken with you when you die…and then folks will have to search to find something even remotely close, to bring back the memories.
What about you folks? What would you love to taste again? What would you suggest for a top 50 list here in America? Try making your own lists, and see what you come up with.
But in the meantime, I share with you a few of the wonderful things I have just written about. I hope you will Enjoy! them and I hope you will enjoy the food memories that you have. And, as always, CYH - consider yourself hugged.
Bethany's Woodloch Salad
Raspberry Vinaigrette (see recipes below)
10 c. mixed baby greens
2 Red Delicious apples, cored, thinly chopped or sliced
1 1/2 c. Craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped, toasted
2 oz. crumbled Bleu Cheese
Combine greens, fruits and nuts in large salad bowl. Toss with just enough
dressing to coat. Sprinkle with nuts and cheese. Serve, and pass additional
dressing for those who want more.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
1/4 c. raspberry vinegar
1 T. chopped red onion
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. Canola oil
salt and pepper
Combine vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard in food processor or blender;
process until well blended. With motor running, slowly add oil; process. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to large jar or container with lid. This can be made 1 day ahead. Bring to room temperature and whisk before using.
Cranberry Vinaigrette
Substitute balsamic vinegar for raspberry in above recipe, add 1/4 c. fresh
or frozen cranberries, thawed. Follow directions for Raspberry Vinaigrette.
Original Cyn's Mongolian Beef (see note at end)
1/2 lb. round steak
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. Kikkoman soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 c. finely shredded cabbage
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. water
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. sesame seeds
Slice steak thinly and place strips in bowl. Add next 6 ingredients, stir
and allow to stand, covered, while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Shred or slice the cabbage very thin. Use a high flame, heat wok or large
frying pan. Add oil to hot pot and heat the oil. Add cabbage and stir fry, cooking for a few minutes. Add chicken broth, cover, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, stir and remove cabbage to another dish, set aside.
Reheat pan; add small amount of oil and heat. Add beef and stir fry. Add
cabbage, stir. Mix cornstarch and water, add to meat and cabbage. Cook until gravy thickens. Pour sesame oil over, stir well. Pour onto serving platter, Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serves 2-3; this dish also can be made with broccoli, celery cabbage or other
vegetables. Serve with steamed rice.
NOTE: This is my variation of Chef Billy Sy's wonderful dish, which he used to serve at Anna Kao's Restaurant in Fox Chapel, PA
This wonderful appetizer was one of my favorites when we would visit
Savannah...
Oysters Savannah
Topping:
1 bell pepper
2 stalks celery
1/2 lb. raw bacon
2 oz. jar pimientos
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp.Tabasco
2 doz. shell oysters or 1 pint, drained
rock salt
Chop all topping ingredients fine in food processor. Process until topping
is well blended and holds together.
Preheat oven to broil. Lay oysters on the half shell on a bed or rock salt
on a metal baking sheet with sides. Cover each oyster with 1 T. topping. Or place several oysters in individual scallop shells or metal crab shells. Spread a layer of topping over oysters and place on rock salt.
Broil 4-5" from heat until topping is browned and bubbling, 10-12 minutes.
Drain off any grease and serve immediately.
Note: Besides natural oyster shells, metal crab shells work best. The
topping sits above the edge of the shell and as it cooks, the accumulated fat runs off into the rock salt. If the sides of the baking dish are too high, the grease pools on top of the oysters and the topping will not get crisp.
From The Pirates' House Cookbook,
Savannah Ga.
This is it!!! The best lemon pie I ever tasted (well, OK, my Dad used to make his version of my Momma's lemon meringue, and it is awesome!!!)...
The Pirate's House Frozen Lemon Pie
Crust:
30 vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 c. blanched almonds, ground
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
4 eggs, separated
15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped
For crust: mix cookie crumbs, almonds and extract with butter or margarine.
(This can be done in a food processor.) Press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at
375F for 8 minutes. Cool on rack.
For filling: beat egg yolks with a whisk. Add sweetened condensed milk,
lemonade and lemon rind; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whipped cream into lemon mixture; then fold this into the egg whites. Pour into pie crust and freeze 8 hrs. or overnight. 10-15 minutes before serving, remove pie from freezer. Garnish if desired with sweetened whipped cream, twisted lemon slices and maraschino cherries. Serves 8.
Note: The true recipe uses a special almond meal which is now available in
some stores. Basically, almond meal is finely ground almonds. This recipe is a fairly close approximation of the crust.
From The Pirates' House Cookbook,
Savannah Ga.
Dad's Lemon Pie
1 baked 9" pie shell
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 T. cornstarch
2 c. water
1/3 c. lemon juice
3 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
2 tsp. vinegar
3 T. butter plus 4 T. butter or so, cut in small pieces
Meringue (recipe follows)
Mix sugar and cornstarch together in the top of a double boiler. Add the
water. Combine egg yolks with lemon juice and beat until well mixed. Add to the sugar mixture; cook over boiling water until thick, about 25 minutes. This will do away with the starchy taste. Add the lemon extract, 3 T. butter and vinegar; stir thoroughly. Pour mixture into pie shell and let cool. Scatter remaining butter over top of pie. (Dad said that was what he did - I have never tried it.) Cover with meringue and brown in oven.
Make a Meringue with the 3 egg whites, 2/3 c. sugar. Or use this one:
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water
1/2 c. boiling water
3 egg whites
6 T. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
Blend cornstarch and cold water; cook, stirring until clear and thickened.
Let stand until COMPLETELY cold.
With electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually
add sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry. Turn mixer to low speed; add salt
and vanilla. Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture. Turn mixer to high; beat well. Spread meringue over cooled pie filling. Bake at 350F, 10 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.
By Cynthia Bowan
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Bethany's Woodloch Salad | Raspberry Vinaigrette | Cranberry Vinaigrette | Mongolian Beef
Oysters Savannah | The Pirate's House Frozen Lemon Pie | Dad's Lemon Pie
