... just moving on. I've had a lot of fun blogging about food and the kitchen with you guys, but it's time for something a little bit different. I'll be joining intrepid reporter Joe Killian over at Culture Shock, blogging about one of my other favorite subjects, pop culture. You'll still be able to read past posts and recipes here, never fear -- it won't completely disappear. I'll see you guys over there!
The News & Observer has some great Harry Potter recipes that I might have to give a whirl. How excited am I about Harry Potter coming out on Friday??? And no, I'm not spoiled by anything, so please don't change that! :)
Sicilian chef Filippo La Mantia has sworn off using garlic in his trendy restaurant in downtown Rome.
"I will never use garlic!" declares the Sicilian chef as he demonstrates how to make a flavorful pasta dish -- octopus linguine with orange juice and almond pesto -- without the ingredient he hates.
It sounds like he feels like it is a common ingredient that overwhelms with its strong taste.
Luckily, not everyone feels that way.
"Garlic is the king of the kitchen," says Antonello Colonna, another prominent Italian chef. "To eliminate it is like eliminating violins from an orchestra."
I don't get it. To me, even if it has common origins, it's one of my favorite flavorings. I use it in tons of dishes, Italian and otherwise, and I have yet to find something it doesn't go well with or improve. I seriously hope this campaign doesn't catch on.
I have yet to decide how I feel about molecular gastronomy, a strange sort of culinary trend involving chemicals and processes usually found in a science lab. It's certainly neat, but I'm not sold on the taste of it -- how good can foam really taste? (Declaration: I have never actually tasted anything from this cuisine.)
Now it seems that it's invading the home kitchen. That seems downright silly. It's one thing in restaurants, but to now I'll have to create scientific experiments in my own kitchen in order to really wow the guests? Sorry, I'm just not joining the bandwagon on this one.
From a press release:
"Visit your local Krispy Kreme shop on July 13 to make your birthday the sweetest day of the year ... . This offer is valid only on Friday, July 13, 2007 and at participating locations. Customers must show valid identification to receive one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts."
And if you need a recipe to go with that, check out this artery-clogging beauty I saw on Paula Deen: Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce
When my mom used to cater, she would make these divine little key lime mini-pies for hors d'oeuvres (which I can never spell!). I called her to ask her for the recipe, and she told me what she could remember, and I used Google to fill in the gaps.
I'll be making these for a cookout I'm having on Tuesday afternoon for some colleagues, and I'll let you know how it turns out.
No-bake Key Lime Pie
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub Cool Whip (I'm using the no-fat kind)
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 graham cracker crust or pre-baked miniature pastry shells (freezer section).
Pour condensed milk and lime juice into a bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth (about 3 or 4 minutes).
Fold in Cool Whip. Now, at this stage you can do one of two things. You can spoon it into a pie shell and put it in the fridge for at least an hour, then serve it.
Or you can leave it in the bowl and put it in the fridge for about an hour. When it has firmed up, spoon the mixture into a pastry bag with a wide-mouth tip decorating tip on the end. Pipe the mixture into the mini pastry shells. (Make sure you follow the instructions on the box to cook the shells beforehand and let them cool.) Store the shells in a container with a lid in the fridge. I wouldn't do this more than a day before you are serving them.
I'm making these tomorrow, so I'll post pictures in the next couple days on how it went.
Kim Stacks Mills brings us another travel installment; last time, she wrote about Charleston delights, while this time she talks to us about Wilmington. In her words:
This year, my husband, Jeff, and I chose Wilmington for our annual anniversary vacation. We did a lot of the usual tourist attractions, but the best part of our trip was by far the restaurants.
We stayed in a condo called "The Gallery" in the historic district, just a block and a half from the River Walk. I requested a free guidebook from the Cape Fear Coast Visitor's Center and decided on The Gallery when I scanned the accommodations chart: The Carolinian: 61 units, The Wilmingtonian: 40; The Gallery: 1. I went to the Web site just to see if it was a mistake. But when I saw the place, I knew I wanted to stay there. We loved this place. The owners made it easy to feel at home there. They had bottled water in the fridge, a customized visitor's guide with their own restaurant reviews, a kitchen full of dishes, appliances and pots and pans, beach chairs and a cooler, toiletries in case you forgot something, DVDs and videogames, pretty much everything you could need. We parked the car and didn't move it again until it was time to go to the beach. We'll definitely stay there again.
But back to restaurants: Here are some of the places we liked best.
Have a great strawberry recipe? Consider entering it in the 2007 Strawberry Dessert Contest. Short notice, but entries will be accepted Thursday, May 3, All entries must be made with strawberries grown in North Carolina. For more information, visit the North Carolina Strawberry Association's Web site and click on Media.
Strawberry cobbler recipe
Strawberry Peach Pie
For the next few weeks, there are a ton of strawberry festivals all over the state, including one right here at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market on May 18. I will more than likely be there!
List of festivals
Rachel Ray, the interminably perky cook who seems to be everywhere these days, will be appearing on E! True Hollywood Story on Saturday, May 5. Now, every other THS I've watched has been delightfully trashy, bringing up the sordid behind the scenes details of shows such as Saved by the Bell and people like Anna Nicole Smith. What gossip will we get on Rachel Ray? Is she a Martha Stewart behind the scenes? Does she do takeout more often than not? Is she -- gasp -- grouchy when she wakes up?
