Gourmet

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I love getting mail that isn’t craptastic. This includes, but is not limited to: photos of my nieces and nephews, coupons, catalogs, samples, invitations to weddings, gifts, and the uberglory, magazines. Subscriptions come and go for various reasons, involving everything from freebies and hobbies to changes in barometric pressure.
Z usually picks up the mail. I think he half enjoys seeing what we get and half enjoys the joy that I derive from a really good haul. Last night we came home a little later than usual after heading to his folks for supper and a viewing of their London photos. He had an armload of things to bring up from the car, so I walked the breezeway to pick up the mail.
It is always a good sign to see a plastic wrapped package but as I unlocked the box, I saw that there it was, the final issue of Gourmet. I had seen an announcement several weeks prior that they were throwing in the towel, that the Thanksgiving (November) 2009 issue would be their last. And now, here it was, with a turkey gracing the cover, peaking out of the pile of envelopes and circulars. It is a cross between recipes and food porn, the beautiful and the strange, evoking both memories, dreams and desire. But it is no more.
I haven’t brought myself to tear into the plastic and devour the contents all the while knowing that this is the end. I have only just begun to sample and it is already time for dessert.

carolina burger

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My tongue on fire and Carolina on my mind (thanks Alice). Tonight I made the Carolina Burger – smothered in house made barbeque sauce (I’ll never buy it again – the book was worth it for this one recipe alone) and blanketed in green onion jalapeno coleslaw – this burger is a fiery mid-week treat with a toasted french style bun and waffle fries. Z even did the dishes.

louisiana burger

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We made it! Halfway anyhow. Tonight we hit the halfway point in the burger book and in honor of the mighty burger we invited a few people over for supper. We made the Louisiana.
This is the first burger with a spice ‘rub’ – a dry rub with a half dozen savory spices sprinkled on the outside of the burger making a bit of a crust. The burger was topped with a chargrilled red onion slice and house made remoulade which is a mayo based sauce filled with cornichons, flat leaf parsley and green onions.
Brian finished things up by making us toasted marshmallow milkshakes. Sweet.

garlic butter burger

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Wow! We have had a pretty busy week and it is only Wednesday. Yesterday I gave a tour to the two people who won 67 – 8 hour days of attractions in Orlando. Here is where they quoted me in their blog. Wow again. We were part 1 of day 41.
But, tonight I came home and made the garlic butter burger. It is utter simplicity and as probably strong as you might think. I made a thick paste of butter, raw garlic, flat leaf parsley and shallot and cooked the turkey burger in it.
The butter melting down over the burger infusing it with garlic. So great and so easy.
A pile of oven baked steak fries round it out.

I stand corrected

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Well. Starbucks introduced their new VIA instant coffee this weekend. So, because I currently have six coffee pots and an enduring interest in black gold, I figured I would go in for the free taste taste. Reminiscent of the Coke v. Pepsi Challenge in the 80’s, Starbucks put up their regular Pike’s Place offering head to head with their own new VIA instant and gave me a free shot size cup of each. I swished each on my tongue looking for differences of taste and texture.

I chose wrong.

The regular brew somehow tasted thicker to me and so I chose it because that seemed to make sense to me. But, because this new coffee is a superfinely ground bean that basically suspends in hot or cold water or milk instantly and stays suspended (so they say) from first sip to the last swallow. Kind of amazing really and I don’t throw that word around lightly.

left to right: Krups Electric Espresso, Risoli 2 cup stovetop Espresso, Cuisinart Electric 12 cup, Turkish pot with steamer stacked on top, Vietnamese Drip Pot, Bialetti 4 cup stovetop Espresso stacked on a Cuisinart Grinder and down in front, the Starbucks 3 pack Italian Roast VIA