Elvis Wishes His Sandwich Was This Good

As I am sitting here writing today's Whip, I can't help but be jealous of last-week-Sonic.  He had a great dinner at Lamill Coffee, and I for one would not mind trading places with him in order to have that dinner again.  Last week, Sonic had a sandwich, chips, and some milk.  But it wasn't just any old sandwich, and certainly not Sandwich of the Trio.  "That is called cannibalism, my dear children," Willy Wonka would say.  "And is, in fact, frowned upon in most societies."

No, this sandwich was better, and definitely acceptable in most societies.  Actually, acceptable is a huge understatement.  This was a monumental, earth-shattering, mind-blowing, weak-at-the-knees, politics-changing, taste-exploding sandwich.

I could try and spend time trying to find words to describe this decadent creation.  But this sandwich was such an experience that mere words simply could not do it justice.  How can I describe the peanut butter without using such predictable words like "perfect consistency"?  How do I talk about peanut butter at all without suddenly flashing back to my five-year-old self, watching "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and eating peanut butter with a spoon?

And the chocolate?  Look at it.  Deliciously rich and milky Valrhona chocolate, direct from Tain-l'Hermitage, France.  What more is there to say?  Dare I talk about how its sweetness blended perfectly with the peanut butter?  Or how both of their meltedness provided a delightful contrast to the soft and chewy banana?  And that banana!  What can you say about a banana that hasn't already been said?

But the real kicker, the cherry on top of the sundae, the happy ending, was the milk.  This isn't your average in-the-fridge milk.  You dare not pour this milk over cereal, then toss it in the sink afterwards because it's gotten warm and cerealified.  No, this milk must be drunken, in tiny but effectively satisfying sips.  Too much and you're mouth will be spoiled and hate regular milk forever afterwards.  Too little, and your mouth will hate you for teasing it so.  This milk, this Madagascar Vanilla Milk, is why I am so so grateful that I am not lactose intolerant.  And even if I were, I'd suffer the stomachache later simply to be satisfied now.

Honestly, I can't find words to describe this meal.  Everything above only conveys my surface emotions.  There's more than meets the eye.  This meal changed my life.  It changed my beliefs.  It made me want to live.

Or, it's just all that chocolate and peanut butter and banana and milk messin' with my brain.  Put four fond comfort foods together in a meal like this and you're bound to go a little nuts.


- Sonic  

Trilogy of Flavors: Pineapple

Mix up Asian, Tropics, and French cuisine with pineapple, honey, and ginger infused crepes.

(Photo by Alan Richardson)

The wonderful meld of exotic flavors makes for a lovely breakfast when you're tired of the stand by toast or cold cereal. - Shortcake

Enjoy some of Sonic's favorite Hawaiian bbq, now with pineapple salsa at your next picnic.

(Photo by Bobby of BlogChef.net)

One day, we're eating Hawaiian Barbecue and I bite into a piece that's sweeter and slightly stringier than the rest.  I ask my dad why it tastes weird, and he tells me I bit into a piece of pineapple!  True story.  The actual recipe doesn't call for pineapple, but you can easily pine it up with the salsa recipe I linked to. - Sonic

Top off a favorite family barbeque essential with a citrus surprise in Red Robin's Banzai Burger.  

(Photo from flikr by mooshee85)

I love burgers, I love pineapple, put them together and you get the most amazing burger you've ever sunk your teeth into.  The sweet, citrus acid of pineapple helps "cut the fat" from the cheeses and hamburger patty, providing the perfect balance, making you want to shout out banzai! - Sandwich

Say Quiche!

For those that know me, the immensity of my fondness for brunch, cheese, and pastries is no surprise. So what happens when all three of those things marry to form one exquisite dish? I devour it, of course. Well, maybe not devour, but I do have a plan of attack that greatly satisfies my little tummy. What's more important is that I created a personal favorite recipe for said dish, my own version of the delectable Quiche Lorraine.

The traditional ingredients of this French, open (sans crust top) pie are: a pastry crust, eggs, and cream. A conglomerate of cheeses, vegetables, and meats are thrown in to the cream mixture as well, usually based on personal preference and taste. What makes a quiche "lorraine" is the addition of bacon. How can you go wrong with bacon, right? In addition to the myriad combinations of salty cheese and fresh veggies that are possible with quiche, the fact that the dish can be served at any meal - breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, even dessert if you're so inclined - adds to the recipe's convenience. 

There are numerous reasons for why quiche is so delicious. The foundation of a flaky, buttery crust; the silky, light texture of the baked egg/cream/cheese combo; the complimentary accents of salty meat and tender vegetables - when you have the perfect blend of ingredients, it's difficult to reserve quiche consumption to a mere one slice. Especially if you're like me and prefer an extra cheesy, rather than "egg-y," type of quiche. And the best type of cheese to use? Gruyere, of course!

Since I don't exactly share my quiche recipe with many people, I will share the basic recipe that I adapted from various cookbooks to use as a foundation.Quiche is all about experimentation, so feel free to change things up.

Traditional Quiche Lorraine

• 1 deep dish pastry crust (Marie Callander's is my personal favorite)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups half and half
• Pinches of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (I include other seasonings, so feel free to experiment)
• 1 cup Gruyere, shredded (I usually use more cheese than this and include other varieties)
• 6 strips bacon, fried and chopped (Smoked provides a lot flavor)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetables, optional (I always add various chopped veggies for color and crunch)

1. After you've shredded the cheese, chopped the veggies, and fried the bacon, preheat the oven to 375F

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and lightly whisk in the half and half and seasonings. Try no to over beat the mixture.

3. Line the crust with the crumbled bacon and veggies. Throw in the shredded Gruyere as well.

4. Slowly pour the egg mixture on top, making sure not to have it overflow.

5. Bake on flat baking sheet for 30 -35 minutes, until golden. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

6. Try to take a picture of a slice before devouring (The one step I always forget to do)
- Shortcake

The Rats in Les's Kitchen

Today we welcome guest blogger, Pedro, as he recounts an awesome Ratatouille themed story about working alongside a respected chef in New Hampshire. Enjoy this inspiring story! - The NJ Trio

Hello readers! My name is Pedro Hernandez, but I am better known around the internet as pap64, where I talk about movies and video games throughout various sites.  After reading this great blog about food and the emotional experiences tied to them, I was inspired to write about some of my favorite and most personal food experiences.

Mojito's in Dover, NH. Photo by Jonathan020

In the summer of 2007, I flew up to New Hampshire to meet up with my friends, as I did the past three summers. That summer we made some new friends in the form of “The Mojito’s Group.”  Mojito’s was a bar and grill place located in Dover, New Hampshire.  Despite lacking previous experience with the group, I was quickly accepted by everyone. The bartender, known as “Spyder,” even dubbed our group as “The Jedi Council.”  We did everything from participating in dance parties to playing Dungeons and Dragons with the bar’s owner.  It was a great experience to say the least.

For me, the one thing that made the summer very special and personally profound was my time at the Mojito’s kitchen headed by Chef Leslie Reynolds. He was from the Caribbean like me, and an expert cook. He was very friendly, calm, patient, and very knowledgeable about food and recipes. Everyone loved him, and it was hard to find someone who didn’t.

I felt very humbled in Chef Les’s presence, especially when we were allowed to work with him in his kitchen. It was an amazing learning experience for all of us, as we learned how to prep food, clean the dishes, and fry up tortilla chips for the nachos with cheese dishes.  But as much fun as we were having, I felt like I didn’t belong there. I kept messing everything up.  Chef Les was very patient with me, though, which in turn made me feel worse each time I went into the kitchen.

The awkward moment in "Ratatouille" of a rat cooking soup

And then, one fateful Friday in June, Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille was released to theaters.  Directed by Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles”), the film tells the story of Remy, a young rat with a heightened sense of taste, whose only dream is to become a great chef.  Since he’s a rat, he can’t enter a kitchen without being assaulted by the kitchen staff, save for Linguini, a janitor recently hired at Gusteau’s, a famous French restaurant.When Remy and Linguini meet, Remy realizes that he can control Linguini like a puppet by pulling on his hair. This allows Remy to use his expertise in Gusteau’s kitchen and be the best chef in all of France.

The message of the film is that “anyone can cook.”  This piece of advice works both literally and metaphorically.  At first, it is about how anyone can learn to cook and create amazing dishes. But if you look deeper, the message is also about how anyone can achieve a dream, regardless of who they are, where they come from or how the world perceives them. In Ratatouille, cooking is a metaphor for the dreams we wish to achieve in life, and anyone has the right to pursue them.  This message really affected me. At the time, I was not only learning about cooking, I was also going to enter the last half of my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, a major turning point in my life. On top of this, my friends were also in the process of becoming official video game developers. Needless to say, this was an important time for all of us. 

Sonic's French Pastry Experience

I love dessert.  It's my favorite part of any meal, and I don't ask for much.  A small dish of vanilla ice cream.  A humble slice of chocolate cake.  Cookies and milk.  I always feel a little weird eating fancy desserts, it doesn't feel right to enjoy bite size delights with exorbitant prices.  Occasionally, I'll come across a fancy dessert that is presented modestly, and yet has a very rich history behind it.  One such dessert is a raspberry almond babka I sampled and greatly enjoyed yesterday.

The babka is a sweet cake common to Eastern European countries, common mostly in Poland, Belarus, and Russia.  It's not generally considered a French dessert, however the French-German bakery that we bought the babka from had created and mastered their own French-German variation.  The bakery, Alsace Lorraine Fine Pastries, is located in Long Beach, California and got  its name from a small town in France that lies at the border between France and Germany.

Over the years, the area would revert back back and forth between French and German control, and the population thus comprised of both peoples, with culture and cuisine to match.  Like the town, the Alsace Lorraine Fine Pastries bakery comprises of recipes that are both French and German inspired.  Opened in 1947, the baker has changed ownership a few times and makes a variety of pastries and cakes, but the focus still remains exclusively on French and German.

The raspberry almond babka that I ate definitely tasted French, my first bite shattered the flaky crust quite easily, allowing me to first taste the moist almond cake.  There are wonderful swirls of raspberry that does not overpower the almond taste, allowing for a very healthy balance between the two flavors.  In addition, there was a heavenly-sweet almond glaze that was drizzled on top, giving a nice shiny look to the babka as well as giving the crust its own unique flavor.

When my aunt was telling me about the babka, she remarked, "If you know anything about the French, you know it's good.  If you know anything about the Germans, the measurements are correct."  It's like a perfect blending of both styles of cuisine, even just looking at it.  The babka itself doesn't tend to be on the heavy side, but at first glance, it does look like it has a heavy style.

-Sonic