UnTracked

101 Foods, West Coast Style

Not to be outdone by the Brits, Vancouver Magazine has just listed their 101 Foods to eat before you die...

 Van Mag's List

Some, well, a lot of them are Vancouver-centric; but if you take the list as a whole I think it's much more multicultural than the other list.

I only got 31 on this list; but it gives me a lot of good ideas when I go to Vancouver for a visit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Omnivore's 100

The Omnivore's Hundred is an eclectic and entirely subjective list of 100 items that Andrew Wheeler, co-author of the British food blog Very Good Taste, thinks every omnivore should try at least once in his life.

He offered this list as the starting point for a game, along the following rules:
1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: post a comment on Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

[Update: In response to the numerous questions his list raised, Mr. Wheeler published an FAQ explaining the how, the why, and the wherefore.]

Here's my list, 71.  Though I think some of the items on the VGT list are just plain weird...

  1. Venison
  2. Nettle tea  (Do nettles count?  They are quite good steamed and then sautéed with garlic)
  3. Huevos rancheros
  4. Steak tartare
  5. Crocodile 
  6. Black pudding
  7. Cheese fondue
  8. Carp
  9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower in a yellow curry.  It’s okay.)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (Talk about stinky cheese!)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes  (Cherry wine, plum wine which was particularly nasty)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (In Sarlat, the home of fatty goose livers)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper  (Raw, no.  Cooked, yes)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (In Oysterville, notheless)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (In Italy!)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl  (How can you go to SF without trying it?)
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 (Not on purpose, but I do know that my parent’s cherry tree has been know to harbour cherry fly larvae, and I have eaten my fair share. Don’t ask, don’t tell.)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut  (I don’t see the fascination.)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal  (The ultimate food porn.)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV  (A sip counts!)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (it's dirt, people.)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill  (Seriously?)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini  (At Harry’s Bar in Venice, the alleged birthplace of the 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

 

Peaches and Cream

I like to bake, but I don't really like pies.  I know it's practically sacreligious but there you are.  However, Colin loves pies (even though it violates one, sometimes two of his food rules.)  So with the glut of peaches I had off my tree I made him Peaches and Cream Pie.  It was pretty good, for pie...

Peaches and Cream Pie

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups peaches

1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter, chilled

½ cup old fashioned oats

In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and chopped nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly.  Set aside.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt together. Stir into egg mixture. Gently fold in peaches. Divide into 2 unbaked pie crusts.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center begins to set. Sprinkle with topping and return to oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.