Tasty Tangents

Food, life and other morsels

June 24, 2009
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Hot diggity dog

I was super-excited when I saw an article called “Taste Test: All-Beef Hot Dogs” on one of my favourite food sites. With summer finally on the horizon, visions of hot dogs and hamburgers tend to dance in my head. I agree with their premise that a hot dog should be juicy, firm and have some snap. And I’m personally always looking for something to compare with the deliciousness of that hot dog from that vendor one time in downtown Toronto at 2 a.m. after a night of dancing.

I have to say I was a little let-down by the comparison though. While they rate the best of those available across the U.S. and give two runner-ups, there wasn’t any advice on what to avoid. Maybe that wouldn’t be kosher on a site that probably relies on ad revenue from numerous food conglomerates, but it seems to me the old idea of taking criticism to make a product better loses out here too.

June 23, 2009
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Olson’s Beet and Radish Salad

Olson's Beet and Radish Salad

Olson's Beet and Radish Salad

As part of that whole eating local and eating fresh thing, I tried this recipe from the “Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home” cookbook. Radishes are really in season, and I’ve been completely surprised by how much milder the local, fresh radishes have been.

I’m not usually a fan because they’re so strong and pungent, but when I tasted a fresh one in a salad I was completely intrigued. This salad also calls for chives, which are currently growing in abundance in my garden. I found the recipe to be delicious, and who can resist the look of a pink and purple salad on your plate? Here it is, along with the substitutions I made.

Ingredients:
-1 kg beets
-2 tbsp white vinegar
-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 bunch or about 10 radishes
-3 tbsp chopped chives
-2 tbsp chopped mint (I used parsley instead)
-1 tbsp lime juice (I used lemon instead)
-Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
-Bring beets to a boil in a pot with water and vinegar and then simmer for about 50 minutes.
-Drain and cool the beets, then trim ends, peel and slice into wedges.
-Toss beets with olive oil and refrigerate.
-Clean radishes and cut into wedges, then toss with chives, mint/parsley and lime/lemon juice.
-Combine everything and season to taste when you’re ready to serve.

June 19, 2009
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Soggy nuts

Okay, now get your minds out of the gutter, we’re talking ice cream here. There’s a new and expensive ice cream place in town. The Marble Slab Creamery claims to make all the ice cream on site, plus it makes the waffle cones fresh at the store as well. So if you’re someone who can taste fresh ice cream this is the place for you. I checked it out over the weekend with my hubby and a friend, The Nimble Assistant. The first real advantage here is the customization of your ice cream. You pick your base flavour (double dark chocolate if you’re me, maple if you’re my hubby) and the kind folks serving you will then mix in your fixin’ on an icy cold slab of marble (Skor bits and walnuts, respectively). The portions are far too large, but the second advantage is the freshness of the ingredient you choose to mix in, nuts especially, which can lose their crunch sitting in milky ice cream. But when they’re mixed in just before eating them, which was confirmed by both my ice cream companions, they seem to be far fresher and crunchier than in pre-mixed ice cream.

June 14, 2009
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Testing Bon Appetit

Orecchiette with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas and Ricotta Cheese

Orecchiette with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas and Ricotta Cheese

I picked up Bon Appetit magazine on a whim last weekend, it sold me with the 15 dinners in 15 minutes cover. I’ve since tested out two of the magazine’s recipes, in an attempt to decide whether a subscription to the magazine would be worth it. I tested the Orecchiette with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas and Ricotta Cheese and the Penne with Hazelnut Gremolata and Roasted Broccolini. Granted, neither of these were from the “Done in 15 minutes” category, but they both appealed to my pasta tooth.

You can compare my photo to one of the ones at the Bon Appetit site, if you’re wondering how close I came. I’d say both recipes were a success, though some of the discerning palates in my test group certainly had some tweaks they would have introduced into both recipes. Mostly the suggestions involved a little less basil and a little more ricotta in the first recipe, and a little less lemon and a little more olive oil in the second. I was also pleased to find that the recipes were both available online, with images included, though whether this makes me more or less inclined to subscribe is still up in the air. I think I’m going to try a couple of the so-called quick recipes before I make up my mind. As far as I can see the biggest obstacle would be trying all the recipes in the magazine before the next issue arrived.

June 11, 2009
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Comments Off on Grilled sweet potatoes

Grilled sweet potatoes

Grilled sweet potatoes

Grilled sweet potatoes

I never imagined I’d find so many fans of sweet potato fries out there. In that spirit, I have a little tip to share. Sweet potatoes are also fabulous on the grill. Cut them into slices of even thickness, then grill them on a low to medium setting on the barbecue. You can add a little oil or non-stick cooking spray before they hit the heat if you’re worried about them sticking. Then once they’re done (you’re looking for nice grill marks and a change in colour to a deeper orange) just drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and you’re all done.