100 Foods to Try...

In exploring some food blogs, I came across the "Ominvore's 100 Foods to Try" list. It's an odd list and I think it was established by a British blogger. Whenever I see these sorts of things (100 Things to Do Before You Die, 100 Places to See Before You Die, etc), I'm never quite sure of my reaction. On the one hand, I'm intrigued -- how do I stack up? On the other hand, these seem somewhat arbritary. Shouldn't I be creating my own list? Or rather, why have a list at all, shouldn't you just be open to new experiences? This time, the self-assessment curiosity factor won. Items that I've actually tried are in orange. However, I'm keeping my options open. After all, who's keeping score?

The Omnivore's Hundred (from Very Good Taste)

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (assuming alligator counts, biology aside)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (PB&Fluff is superior)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (although I did bite into a Haberno once)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (the bowl is overrated)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala (I'm having this for dinner tomorrow)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (meh.)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (sorry, only the vodka kind!)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (maybe?)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (how can fried dough not be on this list?)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (I prefer my soup hot, thanks!)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

16 Days of Glory: Part 4

The gymnastics competition is over. I only saw 1 event in the kayak slalom. I keep looking for the pink-haired Steeplechaser I watched in the Eugene, OR qualifiers, but haven't found her yet. Only a few more days of Olympics to go and I have to confess, I'll be ready for the conclusion. The Olympics have a good sense of timing in that they wrap-up just as they start to wear out their welcome. Beijing 2008, with all your conflicts and glories, it's been grand. Here's one final recipe to get you through the home stretch!

My friend brought these and qualified them as an afterthought at best. We make no claims that they are authentic Chinese, but will say that they were delicious!

Pan-Seared Scallops with Mango

• 6 large sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 mango, roughly diced
• 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar
• olive oil

First, make the mango sauce. Place the diced mango in a small pot with water and bring to boil. Once boiled, lightly mash the mixture until half the mango chunks remain. Remove from heat and add brown sugar to sweeten.

For the scallops, heat a large nonstick pan on med-high heat, add olive oil and add the scallops. Sear 4-5 mins for the first side, until they turn golden brown (try not to check them too often, or you'll ruin the finish). Turn over and sear the other side 2-3 mins.

We spooned some of the mango sauce onto Asian soup spoons (a bargain for $0.39/each at Super 88) and then placed one scallop on each. They are rather large, but delicious!

16 Days of Glory: Part 3

Continuing the Olympic celebration, this next recipe was my favorite item of the night. Brought by a friend, it combines Asian flavors with phyllo dough for an interesting twist. These disappeared off the platter very quickly and would be a huge hit at a cocktail party!

Phyllo Asian Wraps

Adapted from "Flaky Siew Mai Crossiants," Asian Tapas: Small Bites, Big Flavors

For the wraps:

• Flour, for dusting
• 4 sheets frozen puff pastry (11x24in) or croissant dough, defrosted for 2 to 3 hours before using
• 1 egg white
• Black sesame seeds, to garnish

For the filling:

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground chicken
• 2-3 fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 400 F. Make the filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside. Unroll each puff pastry or croissant dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into an 11x24 in rectangle, 1/8 in thick if necessary. Cut out approx 7 equilateral triangles, each with a base measuring 4 in, marking the base of the triangles along the length of the pastry sheet. Cut out a total of 25 triangles from the pastry sheets. Place 1 tbsp of the filling on the base of each triangle and roll the base over the filling, then roll up tightly into a cylinder, brushing the tip of the triangle with a bit of the egg white to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Brush the top of each croissant with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven at 400 F for 20 mins.

Makes 25 wraps.

Life Lesson: My friend used a package of puff pastry tarts, which were already pre-measured into small octagons, but had to be rolled out. As my friend says. "I would not recommend this... live and learn."

16 Days of Glory: Part 2

Continuing the celebration of the 29th Olympiad, we enjoyed some veggie fried rice. As my sister put it "it's a little bit like risotto", so maybe I should have let the rice dry out some more. Nevertheless, it was a solid addition. We packed them in mini ramekins and turned out on a plate for ultimate visual appeal. So fancy!

Vegetable Fried Rice

• 2 cups rice, cooked to package directions 1 day ahead
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 handful green beans (about 1/3 lb), cut into 1" lengths
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 handful peapods, cut into 1" lengths
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Make the rice 1 day ahead and refrigerate overnight. The next day, assemble the rest of the ingredients. Start by cooking the onion and 1 Tbsp peanut oil on high heat in a wok, stirring until translucent (about 10 mins). Next, add the yellow pepper and green beans, cook 2-3 mins, until the beans turn bright green. Add the corn and peapods to the wok and cook an additional 2 mins. Transfer to a bowl.

Next, crack the eggs directly in the wok and cook until they are looseley scrambled -- you want them to hold their shape, but still be wet. Add the rice, 1 Tbsp peanut oil and veggies back into the wok. Cook ~10 mins on high heat, turning frequently, until the rice is warmed through. Add the soy sauce, butter, salt & pepper and cook another 5 mins.

Serves 8 as a side dish, or 4 as a main dish.

16 Days of Glory: Part 1

To celebrate the opening of the 2008 Summer Games and to christen our new home, we had a few friends over to watch the Opening Ceremonies from Beijing. Dinner was a potluck theme: Chinese dishes that could be shared. Despite pouring rain and unseasonably cold August weather, we grilled, we cooked, we drank, we ate. It was a fabulous evening. With so much food to go around, the next few posts will be dedicated to the Opening Ceremonies feast. Grab a TsingTao, watch some Track & Field and enjoy! Beef Potstickers (Brought by my sister, the uber-chef)

Adapted from The Best of Gourmet: The World at Your Table

• 1/4lb ground beef (we used 93%)
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp minced peeled ginger
• splash rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 bunch scallions, chopped fine
• wonton wrappers

To assemble the dumplings: Stir together beef, oils, ginger and vinegar. Stir in scallions. Lay out wonton wrapper, place a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle. Moisten 2 edges with water. Fold over and press to seal. Do not over fill the wonton. Stand each dumpling seam side up and press down to make a flat base. Repeat to make more dumplings. Tip: Place on a dish dusted with cornstarch to keep from sticking while you make the rest.

Heat additional oil (preferably peanut oil) in a nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot. Remove from heat and arrange dumplings in circle-they should touch each other. Cook uncovered over moderate heat until oil reheats. Drizzle with 1/3 c water, cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove lid and shake to loosen the potstickers. For creative serving, put a large plate on top of the skillet and flip the pan over to remote in one fell swoop -- the wontons will come out in a star pattern. To ensure the wontons don't stick to the pan, add a little more water just before removing them to deglaze the pan and loosen them up.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (We used Trader Joe's Gyoza Sauce)

Makes ~24 potstickers.