Text 28619, 144 rader
Skriven 2015-06-29 01:57:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: weird things 896
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 ML> who was inclined to something that promised unspicy, such as
 ML> Cantonese or sushi. Well, the Thai place was closed, of course,
 ML> and lo and behold, the sushi joint a few doors down was open.
 NB> So I guess she lucked out...  ;)

Sure thing. There are plenty of Thai dishes that have little
or no heat - most things besides the curries, that I can think
of. There are always condiments and sauces that can be used to
heat things up.

 ML> I ended up spending twice as much as I would have on Thai for
 ML> okay sushi that I didn't really want to eat, made I think by an
 ML> assortment of Chinese and Koreans.
 NB> Sigh...  I think of Thai as relatively expensive, but I guess sushi
 NB> can add up fast

In my experience here, Asian food in general costs less than
European food, both in terms of price tag and value (no matter
how measured) for the money. Japanese is an exception, maybe
because of its nakedness; and sushi might be the most overpriced
genre of food there is, at about a buck a mouthful on average,
and that's if you have a small mouth. Speaking of which, the
Japanese have their own peculiar and self-contradictory etiquette
regarding the stuff. It's unclear whether you may use chopsticks,
for starters. The traditional way is to use your right hand. You
pick the stuff up, turn it upside-down, dip it once in your
soy-wasabi mix (I forget if you dip the rice side or the
ingredient side), and eat each in one bite (big mouth) or two at
the most (small mouth). You must not put down a partially-eaten
piece of sushi, though you may dip it again, if discreetly.
It is considered a great solecism to put wasabi directly on the
sushi, and in fact, you dishonor a proper sushi man by using
more than the tiniest dab - he is supposed to have decided which
types of sushi require wasabi and to have applied the proper
amount on each piece. But there are vast cones of green stuff
at every place setting - is that an invitation for you to make a
fool of yourself? In Japan, it's true, they give you less of it,
but the fact that they serve it is peculiar. The gari or whatever
you want to call it is a palate cleanser and also is never
applied directly to the food. It's an exhausting kind of meal
and provides way too few calories.

 ... given that it was only ok, sounds like it might have
 NB> been a bit overpriced for what it was, as well...?

It always is, but yes, this being the land of the rich. I'd
say Manhattan/Tokyo/Singapore prices in the burbs.

 NB> her day off) and I were planning to eat at Abyssinia (an Ethiopian
 NB> place), but it turned out Monday was their day off... we ended up down
 NB> a few doors at SEA Restaurant (Vietnamese) and had pho instead... Both
 NB> places have good food, fortunately... and I think that SEA might have
 NB> been a little less expensive than the other would have been...

SEA as in salt water or southeast Asia? Or neither? I presume
not Seattle airport.

 ML> I dislike raw cucumbers almost as much as I do raw zucchini
 ML> (which are worse than cooked, except that boiled are an
 ML> abomination).
 NB> To tell the truth, I (slightly) prefer raw zucchini...  Broccoli stems
 NB> are better than either of them...  :)

My x-b-i-l John invited me over for a break from my brother,
and because his wife (who hates zucchini) and stepson (who
hates zucchini) aren't around for the weekend, he got three
big zucchini from the farmer's market and had me stir-fry them
in olive oil with garlic. Out of politeness I accepted a portion.
I was glad that this stuff didn't have the bittery strange almost
animal secretion taste that most does; in fact, it didn't taste
of much at all, except olive oil and garlic. Still, broccoli
stems are better.

 ML> The only reason I'll eat wakame is because it has mirin
 ML> and sesame on it.
 NB> Is that seaweed salad..?

Yeah, the sweet-salty rubber-bandy dark green stuff.

 ML>> Thierry Dufour's rack of lamb
 ML>> categories: fancy, main, wtf
 NB>> Also fussy...  How would it taste...?
 ML> Too much like bell peppers, I imagine.
 NB> Rather unappealing...

I thought so; I've had lamb with peppers or ratatouille and
don't fancy the combination of flavors.

 ML> I have a hard time understanding why people take the trouble
 ML> to get prestigious and delicate raw ingredients (lambs whose
 ML> lives have been snuffed out in infancy, for example) and then
 ML> pile strong flavors upon them.
 NB> Just can't leave nice enough alone...?  I have a tagline about that,
 NB> but it's on the other computer... I'm up at the Pond overnight, having
 NB> delivered my son to his vehicle (Jeep) today... so am on the laptop...

That's the thing. Let the ingredients speak for themselves.
But a chef would be very lucky to be able to make a living
without applying vast gobs of ego to every dish.

 NB> But the tag talks about chefs being lily-gilders, etc...
 ML> Lobster medallion salad with saffron-and-vanilla sauce
 NB> Another despoiling, it appears...  

Lobster and vanilla achieved a certain vogue at the beginning
of the frou-frou age of Frenchified cooking, which sort of
coincides (coincidentally I hope) with my interest in higher-
end food. Lobster and whisky was, I believe, popularized at Le
Grand Vefour in the 1950s; whisky adds smoky and oak (= vanillin)
notes to a dish, so some smarty decided to cut to the chase and
use vanilla plain and simple, which is fine if you would be
pleased by a lobster milkshake. The combination has remained an
astonishment to the bourgeoisie ever since.

Lobster sandwich with crispy bacon & vanilla mayo
cat: sandwich, shellfish, vanilla
servings: 4

2 lobster claws (cooked)
8 slices white sandwich bread
16 sl pancetta
2 handfuls rocket salad
3 Tb good quality mayonnaise
1/2 vanilla pod

Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds.
Mix in with the mayonnaise and leave to infuse. Crack the
lobster claws and carefully remove the meat. Fry the pancetta
slices until nicely browned, then leave to drain and crisp
on kitchen paper. Toast the sandwich slices and quarter,
spread the vanilla mayo over, then layer with lobster meat,
rocket and pancetta before topping with another slice of
sandwich bread. Secure with a toothpick.

Serve with fries and a salad, if you like.

http://thepassionatecook.typepad.com/thepassionatecook/2005/02/
lobster_sandwic.html
Recipe based on Rick Tramonto's "Amuse-bouches"


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