November 2011
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11/30/11Ocean Pyramid To Go at Sekisui Pacific RimOn the spur of the hungry moment, I stopped by SPR Monday night for an Ocean Pyramid to go. It was snowing. I didn't care. I'd been thinking about the Ocean Pyramid for at least a week, and the dish didn't disappoint. To tell the truth, it was so beautiful I couldn't eat it out of it's Styrofoam packaging. I had to put it on a plate. From there, my meal kept getting better. Ocean Pyramid is, for my tastes, the perfect dinner-to-go. It begins with a generous base of short-grain rice and thinly sliced avocado, then builds into an impressive pyramid of yellowtail tuna, bluefin tina, and salmon (all raw) topped with generous dollops of green and black caviar. Be still my heart. Typically, I start eating the pyramid with chop sticks, selecting one lovely... |
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11/28/11Ripening Green Tomatoes: Any Suggestions?If you spent all day Sunday inside enjoying the rain and checked the weather in the evening, you undoubtedly saw today's forecast for more rain or snow showers. Ouch. For me, this meant one thing: Pick my green tomatoes. Picking got tricky, as I had to wait until 9 p.m. when the rain stalled to grab the last of the tomatoes. It was cold and wet. I also had to decide how to force the ripening. My friend Patti said she put her green tomatoes in paper bags and waited forever for them to ripen. "They were delicious," she confirmed. My sister Peg said, "You're supposed to pull the plants up and hang the vines upside down. Just Google it." And so I did, only to be more confused. This site suggested the cardboard box method: layer tomatoes in a... Posted at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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11/23/11Sausage Stuffing With Caramelized OnionsMy Thanksgiving assignment this year is “Bring the stuffing,” a contribution that provokes memories of my father and performance anxiety. Every Thanksgiving, Daddy made the stuffing (we call it dressing in Maryland). He used Grandma Alice’s recipe, but the ingredients never seemed as important as how he sliced the bread. First, he tucked a dish towel in his belt as a makeshift apron, stacked the bread, trimmed off the crusts and chopped each stack into precise squares that looked like sugar cubes. Next he spread the bread on cookies sheets and stashed it in an unheated oven to dry out overnight. The next morning, our kitchen smelled like warm yeast, and I loved how the turkey would transform such a simple ingredient into the best dish on the table. I... |
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11/21/11Cochon 555: A Prestigious Culinary Event Heads for MemphisCochon 555, one of the most prestigious culinary events in the country, is coming to Memphis in February thanks largely to Mark Newman's tireless promotion of the city as an up-and-coming foodie town. His great-tasting heritage pigs help a little too. "They were headed for Charlotte, but at the last minute they decided to come to Memphis," Newman says. Cochon (that's French for pig) and Memphis make a perfect marriage, he continues: "Memphis has always been about pork, but Cochon is about pork used in a totally different way." The "555" in Cochon stands for five chefs, five pigs and five winemakers. For the cooking competition, chefs prepare a remarkable array of dishes using all parts of the pig. ""It's not just... |
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11/16/11Alchemy in Cooper-Young: A Foodie Must SeeDon't like Brussel sprouts? If so, it's time to stop by Alchemy in Cooper-Young and give the nutritional powerhouse another try. That's what we did Tuesday night, and the six-dollar plate was a sweet and tender tasting of Brussell sprouts, bacon, pistachios, and Granny Smith apple reduction. Equally good were the roasted asparagus with Romesco sauce ($7), which wasn't a sauce at all, but a piquant chutney-like match for the asparugus' bold flavor. The veggie-centric plates were two of 30 choices on the menu of Alchemy, Cooper-Young's much anticipated newcomer. Hannah, Susan, and I - the food writing team here at CMI - and my husband Tony checked out Alchemy after an earlier stop at the Madison Hotel for the rollout of the new eighty3. (More on that... |
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11/14/11Chef's TV Dinner at River OaksI had dinner last month at River Oaks in East Memphis for the November restaurant review in Memphis magazine (be sure to check it out), which meant I also had lunch as part of the process. While I had trouble at dinner deciding what to order, I had no such problem at lunch thanks to the Chef's TV Dinner, a menu option that jumped off the menu and into my heart. "Look at this," I said to my husband. "A French chef with a sense of humor." Not that I was surprised at the menu whimsy, as the chef at River Oaks is Jose Gutierrez, whose years at Chez Philippe, in my mind a very serious restaurant, did little to dent his infectious personality. I asked the chef how he came up with the TV dinner concept. "It came from the plate," he said, referring... |
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11/11/11Sister Schubert Brings Cookbook To MemphisHere’s a big event: I just wrapped my first Christmas present. Even more impressive, it’s a present for me. On Thursday, I stopped by Palladio Antiques to meet Patricia Barnes, affectionately known as Sister Schubert, who was signing copies of her cookbook “Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters.” Between Barnes’ winning personality and the gorgeous book, I couldn’t help but buy one. And yes, there are plenty of recipes for rolls, along with recipes for butters, brunch, main dishes, veggies and holiday favorites like pumpkin mouse and Mamie’s cornbread dressing. I wasn’t the only fan to show up early. By 10 a.m., Barnes was signing a stack of cookbooks with inscriptions like the one in my book: “Be gentle... Posted at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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11/09/11Winter Farmers Markets Open in Cooper YoungDon't forget that the availability of fresh local produce continues well beyond Halloween. On Saturday, two farmers markets in Cooper Young kicked off the winter season with an abundant selection of seasonal vegetables and other local products such as honey, goat cheese and organic whole wheat bread. There were tacos and French toast too, thanks to the food truck from Fuel Cafe that pulled into the Cooper Young Farmers Market in the parking lot at First Congo Church. "I think we'll come back every Saturday," said chef Eric Proveaux, dishing up lunch for a hungry shopper. Two blocks down the street, local purveyors were also busy selling salad greens, kale, root vegetables, fresh bread, pork and beef for their third winter season in the parking... |
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11/03/11Try Memphis Marinades at Charlie's Meat MarketIn the crowded field of meat marinades, barbecue maestro Jim Boland has managed to create something unique: a dry marinade in four different flavors for beef, chicken, lamb and pork. Although they start out dry, these delicious concoctions - called Memphis Marinades - are not rubs or seasonings. Rather, they turn into marinades with the addition of one-quarter cup of water and five minutes of hydrating time. “We added the bubble that says Just Add Water to clear up any confusion customers might have,” says Boland, who spent more than a decade perfecting the recipes in his own kitchen and in barbecue cooking competitions around the world. At about $7 a jar, the marinades are affordable, easy to store and 100 percent natural.... Posted at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
