I just got back from Thailand (which was awesome) and I took cooking classes at Blue Elephant.
But I wanted to talk about some of the most amazing foods I ate starting with the orange juice.
It was nothing like OJ in the states. The oranges are green on the outside and neon orange on the inside. The juice is a bit tart but really sweet. Everyone talks about how good the mangos are, but no one ever mentions the oranages.
I ate two fruits that I have never seen before:
Langsart grows in little clusters on the side of a tree and they look like Longan at first. But when you open them, it looks like a tiny white lychee orange with translucent segments. I could only describe the texture and taste as gummy bears.
Salak (or butt fruit as Mika calls it) looks like a spiky brown kiwi at first, but when you peel it, you have this bright orange butt shaped fruit. It has a hint of the jackfruit/durian/ripe banana scent, but not overwhelming. The taste I describe as sweet juicy white wine. If you look close you can see sugar crystals on the fruit. The texture of the fruit is perfect. It is also one of the more expensive fruits in Thailand.
By far, the best food I ate in Thailand was something called Pla Duk (Fried Catfish) from one of the street vendors. This one might have been Pad Ped Pla Duk. The catfish was mostly bones, but it was fried to the point where you can eat all the bones. It was in a sticky spicy glaze. I would describe it as the Thai fish version of baby back ribs. I saved this in the fridge for four days in a row so I could keep eating it.
And finally, something wonderful that Thai people do… fried eggs on everything. I love how they fry eggs. They drop the egg in a large vat of hot oil. The white rim of the egg becomes almost like a chip and the yolk is perfectly cooked.
Several months ago Monica and I went to the Bacon and Beer festival (which was awesome and we met Tiffani from Top Chef)
We had bacon milk shakes and cupcakes,
but the best thing at the festival was a pork belly dish from the restaurant 51 Lincoln.
Turns out that 51 Lincoln was doing a special event themselves called Soft Shell Crabs: 30 Days 30 ways… featuring a new soft shell crab recipe each day of this month.
We decided to check out the restaurant and it was probably the most exciting food experience ever. Our waiter told us that although we came in for the soft shell crab of the day, he suggests doing the 4 Course Tasting Menu ($55) because the chef, jeff fournier, personally comes out to your table and makes a menu based on your likes and dislikes. He also comes out to present every dish (just like on Top Chef). We also did the wine pairing ($28). This was the coolest thing ever.
The chef incorporated the soft shell crab dish of the day into the tasting menu (on request):
Crispy Soft Shell Shnitzel, Sunny-side Up Eggs, Capers, Garlic, Toast Points
which was the best dish I have ever had.
If you plan to go out for a semi-formal dinner or if you want to take someone out for a special occasion you should really check out 51 Lincoln. 4 amazing courses designed for you and delivered by the chef for 55 dollars is just awesome. And if you do the wine pairing (4 half glasses of wine) you may want to take the T:
Right off the Green Line D train Newton Highlands Station. There is also lots of parking.
i have finally met the eponymous wonderberry plant that inspired my website (and superhero) name. it was in union square on the way to see Vampire Weekend in central park. which was fantastic (and wet).
but i use this as an introduction to my blog as well as an introduction to my recent experience with guerrilla jam making (not gorilla jam making).
so while it’s still june you can follow my 15 easy steps to making your own juneberry jam.