Wednesday, November 26, 2008

photo by melanie dunea

i'm obsessed. i know. i've already admitted this to myself and others many times. yep...you guessed it...food. this morning on NPR i listened to Radio West and Doug Fabrizio. i was soooo happy that i did.

he was speaking to a photographer who interviewed and photographed 50 chefs and asked them this question. "what would you eat for your last meal?" she asked 4 other questions, but i don't remember what they were.

the book is titled "my last supper". i just previewed the photography and some of it really sucks. but i want to read the interviews and there are recipes too.

so my question for you is...what would you eat for your last meal? and this question isn't about dying or life ending. it's about what you choose and why.

the radio show went on to talk about the varied responses...few chefs chose elaborate meals. many were simple and reminiscent of their childhoods. the host often asks this question of many guests. one guest spoke of how before death we want comfort and how many people choose comfort food, whatever that is for them.

i knew my answer in 10 seconds. it took a little bit longer to choose my dessert, but not much. i chose a meal that my mom made alot for us growing up. i don't know if there is even a recipe for and other people have never heard of it. here's my meal:

spanish steak...there's not an appetizing way to describe this meal. it's hamburger patties made with onions, oatmeal, and evaporated milk. my mom just described it as a glorified meatloaf. the sauce for the patties includes ketchup, vinegar, and sugar. don't knock it till you've tried it.

rice pilaf...the ultimate way to make this is to toast the rice and noodles in the pan the hamburger was cooked in. then cook it on the stovetop in chicken stock.

canned green beans dipped in mayonnaise...i know...you think it's gross. my mom just told me my dad grew up eating that. maybe it's a northern utah thing. i'm going to research it and let you know.

wedge salad...this isn't something i grew up with, but for me it's the quintessential salad. chilled plate, ice cold iceberg lettuce, and a chuncky blue cheese dressing...roquefort preferably.

hot milk sponge cake...i'll get the recipe from my mom and post it. it's a light sponge cake with a toasted brown sugar, butter, and coconut frosting. AMAZING!!!

so that's my meal. what's yours? comfort food? fancy and upscale? something you've never had before and so this would be the perfect time? i'm soooooooooooooooooo interested to know your answer!

7 comments:

  1. j dawgs. duh.

    i mean, i love the dawg--of course. but that place holds more memories than i can count. we met there, we spent part of our first date cleaning there, we spent hours and hours there everyday as a newly wed couple, and continue to be completely immersed in it everyday.

    the place just makes me so incredibly happy. its made every dream of mine come true.

    and i can't be there for longer than 30 minutes without running into a dear friend or long time customer. that place is full of fantastic friends.

    and yes, the food is AWESOME.

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  2. My last meal would be a Tour de Adhis sampler plate.

    Main dish:
    -chicken tikka masala and naan
    -my or my mom's lasagna
    -hayacas with shredded chicken

    Side salad:
    green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cukes, garbanzos, sunflower seeds, Italian dressing, shredded parmesan

    Drink:
    A swig or two of cool water, no ice.

    Dessert:
    I'd take a couple bites of my cheesecake and end the meal with a petite serving of refreshing mango sherbet with toasted shredded coconut.

    Ahhhhh....
    kinda makes death sound a little appetizing.

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  3. After just having eaten a big Thanksgiving feast, that was my first thought, but it only took a few seconds to realize, I'd probably want my favorite dish, which I also had a lot growing up, and it is kaifan.

    Let me get the recipe for you, so you can get an idea of what it's like:

    Kaifan

    12-14 pieces of chicken
    1 medium onion, diced
    5 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
    Soy sauce, salt and pepper
    3 cups chopped cabbage
    2/3 cup oyster sauce
    ½ cup sliced green onion
    8-10 cups cooked rice

    Mix the chicken with onion, garlic and generous seasoning. Cook in a large pot in 2Tbs. hot oil until well browned. Cover and let cook until well done, adding cabbage for the last 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce and heat. Mix in the rice a few cups at a time until the sauce is evenly blended. Stir in the green onion. Serve with salad, red wine vinaigrette dressing and baguette

    And then for dessert, there's this delicious ice cream fudge cake, here I'll post it too:

    Ice Cream Fudge Cake

    INGREDIENTS
    1/2 cup light corn syrup
    1 cup heavy cream
    10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
    16 graham crackers, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
    1 cup toasted almonds
    3 tablespoons white sugar
    1/2 cup melted butter
    1 1/2 quarts ice cream, softened
    1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
    2 cups miniature marshmallows

    DIRECTIONS
    To make fudge sauce, combine heavy cream and corn syrup in heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.
    To make ice cream cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Finely grind graham crackers and almonds in food processor or blender. Stir in sugar. Add butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press mixture into bottom and sides of 9 inch spring form pan. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then spread 2 cups softened ice cream over crust. Spoon 3/4 cup fudge sauce over ice cream. Freeze until set, then repeat layering. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight. Refrigerate remaining fudge sauce.
    The next day, preheat the oven broiler. Warm the remaining fudge sauce in the microwave or a small saucepan. Place the cake pan on a cookie sheet. Spread the marshmallow creme over cake and sprinkle miniature marshmallows on top. Place under broiler until marshmallows are deep brown. Loosen cake with knife and remove sides of pan. Serve immediately with warmed fudge sauce.

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  4. Oh yeah, and that sounds like a great book! Does it come with the recipes too? LOL!

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  5. Mmmm, kaifan sounds good!

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  6. Hmmm, this is a tough one...I would definitely eat out. Sad huh? Either go to Texas Roadhouse or Red Lobster.

    We grew up on Ramen Noodles and Spaghetti. :) Definitely don't want either of those.

    For dessert I would have anything chocolate and raspberry.

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  7. Fried Chicken. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Thai Spring Rolls. Chocolate Cake and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. And a vanilla coke.

    definitely not gourmet.

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