• LAVA Moderator: Shinji Ikari

Fine foods -- what are you a sucker for?

OMG nice bump MC <3

Not a fan of the goose liver (or any liver) myself. But I live a damn block from a snooty specialty supermarket. Besides rent, food is my biggest expense. Some of the finer things I've enjoyed, both from there and in the past are:

-REALLY tender tri-tip roast
-Anything and everything from a specialty olive bar
-Salad bar at specialty markets
-Lobster and filet (this seems to be pretty universal) - my favorite way to do filet is similar to au poivre, with a very defined crust of tricolored peppercorns, with *just enough* bordelaise sauce - favorite way for lobster is just with garlic butter or Lobster Newburg
-Coquilles St. Jacques (scallops in creamy white wine sauce; add curry if that is your thing - it is mine)
-REALLY decadent homemade mashed russet or Yukon Gold potatoes with loads of garlic
-Mini-quiches
-Tea sandwiches
-Prosciutto di Parma with melon :) :) :)
-Home prepared Chicken Kiev with *real* herbed butter
-CocoaBella chocolates (see here - they make Godiva taste like Hershey's
-Truffles in season, particularly white
-Veal (sorry veggies!) in nearly any form - a veal florentine/feta roast has been one of my better meat-based experiments
-CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE, especially Brie and very sharp aged Cheddars
-Nigori sake (the milky, dry kind) ice cold

I could go on about food forever or I could go make some. :D
 
CHEESE!
Gouda,Asiago,Xtra sharp white cheddar,feta,gorgonzola,goat cheese..........
ANY aged cheese.....the older the better.
Jager Schnitzel -veal not pork
Rouladen
Any seafood-especially shellfish-crab,shrimp,clams.........yum.
Prosciutto + Rosemary Pizza with Red onions
Cannolis
Tira Misu
Sushi
Spicy pickles
Anything from an olive bar
Organic veggies

This list can go on forever- I love good food:)
 
My Mum makes rouladen to die for. I think that I'm going to try to reverse-engineer a veg version, but I doubt that I could pull it off.

Oh man, cheese and olives. I have spent in one sitting, no word of exaggeration, way too much money on cheese and olives at the local Italian market. Since then I've found out that most good cheese is made with rennet, and cried a single tear. Most notably-- parmigiano reggiano and proper mozzarella-- two of my favourite cheeses. Oh, just thinking about the big, juicy, stringy ball of proper mozzarella di buffalo...
 
a well aged, well marbled steak.
good beer.
dark chocolate.
salt.
and croutons, altho i don't think they are considered fine foods.
 
a well aged, well marbled steak.
good beer.
dark chocolate.
salt.
and croutons, altho i don't think they are considered fine foods.

Other than the steak, I agree with you 100% Especially with the dark chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
 
I love any kind of fish, especially shellfish and sushi.
I loooooove dark chocolate.
I love teriyaki beef jerky.
I love cookie dough ice cream.
 
FAO Dave and other cheese-loving vegetarians:

My farmer's market friends at Bravo Farms make ALL of their cheeses with raw milk and 100% vegetarian rennet. You can even eat many of them if you're lactose intolerant.

I know they ship everywhere in the US - they packed me a little cooler when I ordered from them online (which I kept) full of dry ice and cold, cold cheese. :) They may also ship to Canada, it doesn't say either way on the site. I doubt the cheese would keep en route to the other side of either pond, though. :( You'll just have to come visit me!

I hope they follow suit of other small dairies and start making European-style butter. Their award-winning Silver Mountain Cheddar is super sharp and just the right texture.

****, I am going on a cheese binge too.
 
Other than the steak, I agree with you 100% Especially with the dark chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

do you actually like the croutons part too? one of the best "salads" i ever had consisted of lightly toasted focacia bread cubes, tomatoes and basil drizzled with an aged balsamic vinegar. it was similar tasting to bruschetta except everything was bite sized.
 
I love making my own croutons out of different kinds of bread :)

And YES, YES, YES to balsamic vinegar. I can drink the stuff it's so good! :D
 
I have yet to try the really good (i.e. hundred-year-old, $700 for a two ounce bottle good) balsamic, but apparently you can get a good approximation by slowly reducing some grocery store balsamic until it is thick and syrupy. It won't be as good, but it's pretty close, or so I've been told.

Best serving method: over really good vanilla ice cream. Seriously. Also good over really good ice cream: spicy pepper syrup (just make a simple syrup, add a few hot peppers, simmer to infuse the flavours, allow to cool, and enjoy) or fresh, delicious strawberries and freshly ground black pepper. Combining spicy/hot/aromatic with sweet/smooth/cold is heavenly.
 
Lasagna (just call me Garfield)
Belgian Waffles
Prime Rib (end cut)
Quiche (spinach and bacon)
Sushi (caterpillar rolls and crunchy rolls)
Poached Pears with cinnamon sticks and chocolate drizzle
Wienerschnitzel (not the fast food place, I mean the real deal you get in Vienna)
Thanksgiving Dinner
Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate (of course)
 
oooo...Steak-Umms....mmmm.

LOOOL My mom used to make Steak-Umms when I was a kid. Holy crap, I haven't even thought about those for years.

My mom also used to make these things she called Pizza-Freits, basically a mini pizza with sweet crust kind of doughnut-esque. Slather it in homemade sauce or sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on and hold on, what a taste bud rollercoaster! I also miss moms cooking :(
 
Belgian Waffles

Oh. My. God. I could totally go some waffles right nowww!!! 8o 8o 8o

I love a good steak, doesn't need condiments, as long as it's cooked right (i.e. rare :)).

My grandmother will occasionally make some rustic old-school dessert like Bombe Alaska, or a profiterole tower with toffee, or a rich chocolate pudding. Mmmmm yum.

My mum makes the most amazing salads, and they're always really different. She's great at experimenting with different flavours that you normally wouldn't pair together.
e.g. watermelon, with pumpkin seeds and feta cheese. It's amazing! <3
 
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