gastronome fo' life

Cake Fix

gastronomefolife — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:14:09 +0000

so i seem to have misplaced during my move the cord to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer and from my phone. fortunately there is a card reader at my office so i can finally post some of my newer baking adventures.

I’ll start off with the TMNT cake that i made for my friend Jenn’s birthday. This was actually much easier than I would have thought and didn’t take much time at all.

The birthday girl cutting into her cake

after that cake i made a few other cakes which i dont’ have pics of at the moment, but keep an eye out for them. I decided that what I really needed was to make some cupcakes so I made some mini and regular sized dark chocolate cupcakes topped with either a milk chocolate ganache or a milk chocolate butter cream icing.

Chocolate Delight

After that came Meredith’s b-day and since she loves cupcakes and pink I decided that something special was in order. So I made a giant cupcake with some normal sized ones to keep it company. This was another dark chocolate cake, but i used a raspberry filling and a white chocolate butter cream icing. I got to use some new icing tips i bought so that was a bonus!

The cupcake gang

The big one

Her babies

Two other messy, but delicious cakes I made recently were a duet of mini cakes for Claire’s dinner party. There was a dark chocolate cake with a milk chocolate ganache and a butter cake with a vanilla buttercream icing. Neither one is quite as pretty as usually strive for, but i’m going to blame that on making them while in the process of unpacking after moving

Refrigerator cooking

gastronomefolife — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:42:00 +0000

my daily meals are based on what i call refrigerator cooking (basically i make meals based on whatever i have and see what happens). My most recent meal that went beyond tasty to sublimely delicious was what i’m going to call grilled italian chicken. Ingredients: chicken breasts, red peppers, zucchini, extra fresh mozzarella, and olive oil. I roasted the peppers in the oven using a new olive oil i bought at the Austin wine festival. Sikaurum Pearl olive oil (http://www.messinaur.com/Pearl.htm) is by far the best olive oil i have had in recent memory both for cooking or just plain dipping. I grilled the chicken to the point it was almost done and then placed it to the side while i grilled the zucchini. I then put the chicken back in my grill pan, topped it with the zucchini, roasted peppers, and some extra fresh mozzarella, and placed it in the over for a few minutes to melt the cheese. The simplicity of this entree allowed the flavors of each ingredient to stand out and yet still compliment each other.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

On a side note, my previous experiences with freshmozzarella had led me to think it was a bland cheese not worth my time. A visit to Whole Foods in Austin on a Saturday afternoon in summer will afford you the opportunity to taste truly fresh mozz (I mean watch it go from curds to the final product). If this experience doesn’t convince you to immediately buy some i can’t imagine what will. I can barely describe the warm, salty, and chewy morsel that was easily the best thing i ate my entire weekend.

latest Triple D adventures

gastronomefolife — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:35:42 +0000

So these are overdue, but i’m just now getting around to a stack (if you can call digital pictures that) of pics from culinary adventures i’ve had over the past few months. These are from my 13 hour drive to st. louis for leah’s bridal shower and second bachelorette party (yes you read that correctly).

Our first stop was a little joint in Dallas called Twisted Root. Burgers are their specialty so burgers were had by all. their website, http://www.twistedrootburgerco.com/, says they have sweet potato fries; however, when we arrived there were only sweet potato chips to be had Still, we soldiered on, placed our orders, and were given celebrity name cards with which to pickup our food.

the girls preparing to get our burger on

While there were a number of predesigned burgers, I selected the bison burger and topped it with mushrooms and goat cheese. i ordered a side of fried green beans to go with it.

The goat cheese was the best part, both smooth and flavorful, although the burger was a close second with its juicy goodness. My only complaint was that the mushrooms weren't fresh

as per sandwich eating rule #34b, if there are no potato chips or fries to put in your sandwich/burger substitute with something fried and crunchy

The next afternoon we began our adventure in St. Louis by stopping by iron barely (http://www.ironbarley.com/). As we get out of the car in front of an unassuming building we are greeted by the smell of meat grilling. my mouth waters as we enter and the smell intensifies.

being lured by the aroma of grilled meat

My first choice, the prime rib sandwich, has already sold out for the day but i am quickly lured by the promise of a strip steak sandwich with chili mayo. I am sure to order a side of their toasted barely with grilled veggies, i mean how can you go to iron barely and not have barely?

nothin' better than a piece of meat too big for the roll

My comrades are lured by the promise of a crab cake sandwich and some new england clam chowder. When their crab cakes arrive it’s clear there’s no skimping at iron barely. the cakes are tender, scarce on the breading, and covered with a delightful sauce which enhances rather than covers the taste of the crabmeat. The only question is if they can put their mouths around it

open WIDE

Our final stop in st. louis is Crown Candy Kitchen (http://www.crowncandykitchen.net/). We have been lured there by both ice cream and my father’s excited recounting of a man vs food episode where the host is unable to complete the store’s malt shake challenge. Crown Candy is a reminder of a bygone era inside and out.

I am cheered on by my friends and their faith that i can complete the challenge of drinking 5 24oz malts in 30 minutes and be listed on their wall of winners. Their cheers convince me i should attempt the challenge, but sadly (or luckily?) I am told they are too busy right then and i am denied my chance at glory.

preparing to enjoy our treats (note the other half of my malt is in a metal holder to my left just outside of the picture)

I quickly rebound, and join my friends for a tasty ice cream treat. i select the johnny rabbit special. This luscious concoction is a banana malt with whipped cream, nuts, and nutmeg. my friends time me, and with little effort i have finished the malt in under three minutes. it’s just as we thought, i totally could have done the challenge

post pigout

Sadly our drive home was not so lucky. i learned the first triple d location was only open for brunch on sunday and we were not going to make it in time. but we thought to power on a go another 100 miles to our second choice. as we arrive we notice a decided lack of customers and a sign informing us they are closed on sundays (never fear though i returned on another st. louis trip). Sadly we ended up at a chain because we were starving

Cake Time

gastronomefolife — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:53:07 +0000

So I like making cakes, or to be more precise, i like decorating cakes. I don’t have any formal training in cake decorating, but like most of my other culinary endeavors i approached cake decorating as more of a shoot first ask questions later activity. With each new cake i make i try to either improve a technique i’ve already done or try something new. So i thought make a post of my previous cakes and i will in future post pics of any new cakes I make.

Brice's moving to alaska cake

My first time decorating a cake with more than just normal icing. The figures and igloo are made of rice krispie treats covered in fondant. the fondant is a homemade marshmellow fondant (which actually tastes good in contrast to regualr fondant)

Halloween cake

This was my first try at both a multi-tiered cake and at cake carving (the jack-o-lantern). Bottom tier=brownie cake with peanut butter frosting, middle tier=yellow cake with chocolate frosting, top tier=red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

Devil Duck cake for Carol's B-day

Another go at carving cake, and first time using gumpaste (horns and beak). Cake is red velvet with cream cheese icing.

Double Birthday-Texas Cake=Kim & Cavaliers=holly

Very last minute cakes, no new techniques

Leah's Birthday Cake

Trying to make a somewhat accurate scrabble board. I suck at scrabble hence the mess up after the word birthday:P

Saber's cake for Jen

Birthday Cake for Nicole

This cake was created under the harsh scrutiny and time constraints that come with using my mother’s kitchen to make something. It’s not nearly as nice as i would have liked, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it coudl have been.

Lisa's B-day

picture of whole cake after some of the top decorations had been eaten

PSC open house cake

first attempt at piping. i had some trouble getting it as thin as i would have liked, but it turned out OK

back side

I made a cake for Leah’s Bachelorette party, but it’s somewhat explicit, so if you’d like to see it, just contact me. Basically, its a three tiered cake, with the top and bottom tiers covered in a dark purple fondant and handpainted cheetah print and the middle tier is which with her initial and stars. The topper is a cartoonhisly large part of the male anatomy.

My most recent cake topper was for leah’s wedding. It was the first time i made people, and it was much harder that expected to get the bodies even halfway like i pictured.

Leah's cake topper

And finally my most recent cake. This was inspired by my friend’s wedding in Key West. The had a small and intimate ceremony on the beach. This was for a party they threw after they came back. This was my first whirl at making water

Key West cake

The cake is a coconut italian cream, with a coconut/pineapple icing. The outer icing is a simple butter cream.

So those are my cakes for now, at least the ones that i can remember

Missing Plantains

gastronomefolife — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:43:23 +0000

I found myself going through plantain withdrawal after having them at most of my meals in Jamaica and decided i would give making them a whirl. Considering i had no real idea what i was doing I think they turned out OK. I would in future look for plantains which were riper so they would be sweeter, but otherwise not too bad.

Step 1: cut off ends and remove skins

Step 2: slice

Step 3: fry on medium heat until browned on both sides

Step 4: sprinkle with seasoning if desired (I went with cinnamon) and eat

Jamaican Vacation

gastronomefolife — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:57:02 +0000

On my Jamaican adventure, I, as usual, spent a large portion of my time exploring the local delicacies and just generally stuffing my face. I have to say ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica was wonderful, not just the taste but the awesome back story. Apparently it became the national fruit after some slave owners poisoned themselves by incorrectly cooking it. This led to rumors that the slaves who prepared the ackee normally had magical powers. Ackee tastes similar to eggs when cooked.

Ackee with saltfish, calaloo, dumplings, yam, cooked bananas, and fried plaintatins

unripened ackee

Another tasty delight was the curried goat. With it’s tender texture and rich taste, this was easily my favorite thing. Sadly there must have been a number of other people who felt similarly because I only got to have it once as it was sold out most of the places we ate at

dinner before

dinner after: curried goat with calaloo and rice and peas (beans)

And of course lets not forget the patties. There were both the type of patties you get at fairs here in the states and more homemade local forms. I prefer the local ones as they were something different to try; however, it is hard to pass up the deep fried deliciousness of a ground meat patty.

jerk chicken and vegetable patty

Finally let’s not forget the seafood. Since there is an abundance of both fish and shellfish in the waters around Jamaica there aren’t many places you can eat that don’t offer some form of seafood. I think my most generous portion came in the form of a seafood pasta dish that has crab, lobster, conch, snapper, squid, and scallops-all sauteed in a coconut milk sauce. Yummy! Claire had a number of tasty grilled and steamed snapper dishes.

pasta with an ocean full of seafood swimming in a coconut milk sauce

grilled curried snapper with dumplings (both fried and steamed), yams, and cooked bananas

Gustatory Goals

gastronomefolife — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:20:00 +0000

One of my food related goals is to hit as many of the places featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. With that in mind, while in San Antonio for a conference, I stopped by The Cove (http://thecove.us/cove/index.php). It’s a pretty hip place sandwiched between a laundromat and a car wash. I tried the lamb burger with a side of sweet potato fries as well as a fish taco (since that is what their shirts say they are famous for). Both were tasty, although the pesto burger my friend got was slightly juicer and more flavorful than my burger.

Inside the cove

lamb burger made with latin spices, topped with cotija cheese with sweet potato fries

tilapia fish taco with cilantro cabbage and spicy poblano sauce

beef burger topped with roasted red pepper, goat cheese, and pesto aioli