the omnivore's one hundred

I was browsing through my favorite food blogs yesterday (when I should've probably been studying) and I found the most interesting article on Alicia's The Confessions of a Bakeaholic. It's a brilliant site with great stories, awesome recipes and amazing pictures. Please please do visit her site! I stumbled upon the Omnivore's One Hundred and this was a good break from seeing "25 Things" on facebook every other hour.

Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:
Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The Omnivore’s One Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
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
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
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
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
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
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
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
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

As a food lover, I would try anything at least once. The only exception to this is the roadkill mentioned up above. There has to be some kind of health sanction against eating roadkill. I can't even begin to imagine how unfit and unhealthy roadkill would be for consumption. Again I may be wrong but I don't plan on trying roadkill (or being offered any) any time soon.

Of the things that I haven't tried yet, I would love to taste crocodile, mole poblano, lobster thermidor and food at a 3 star Michelin restaurant. Lobster byitself is good so I can't imagine what it would taste like with an amazing cheese crust over it. Finally, I don't think I need to justify wanting to eat at a 3 star Michelin restaurant. :-)

spicy saffron prawn risotto

First and foremost, I apologize for the family style presentation but I didn't have time to plate and take pictures. You see, my wonderful friend Whitney held a Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday party yesterday and I had to come up with a dish that fit the theme. I wasn't too familiar with the traditions of US Mardi Gras aside from the fact that food is Creole based and that Bourbon Street gets absolutely ridiculous.

I came up with this dish on the fly while at school (I think it was calculations). I wanted to utilize bold, spicy Creole flavors and incorporate all 3 Mardi Gras colors into my dish (yellow, purple green).

I liked how the dish came out in general but this is definitely a dish that should be served right away (as is the case with all risotto). When I had the risotto cooked al dente, it was velvety, and creamy as it should be but silly me, I didn't take into account the 10 minute travel time to Whitney's. By the time the dish was served, it looked like jambalaya and lost its amazing texture. Secondly, the red onions (the purple color of the dish) lost its amazing color as the saffron began to color the risotto. I was hoping that the red onion would stay purple but I couldn't come up with a better purple, vegetable that would've gone well with the risotto.

Of course my lovely friends said it tasted brilliantly but it wouldn't have hurt my feelings at all to tell me that it wasn't up to standard. I would much rather hear the negatives of my food than how brilliant it was so I have something to go back and improve on. As far as other dishes go, Ashley @ hiking in stilettos made a red bean rice, Kayleigh brought Cajun/Chorizo sausages, Whitney/Eric hosted shrimp etouffee and king cake, Kara brought clams casino, Ashley 2 brought jambalaya, Summer brought peanut butter pie and Lindsay brought "beverages". We pretty much covered everything minus gumbo for our theme potluck.

Spicy Saffron Prawn Risotto
Original, Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1.5 cups risotto rice
- pinch saffron
- 0.5 red onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 0.33 cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
- 0.25 teaspoon cumin
- 0.25 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 0.5 lb prawns, shelled and deveined (or shrimp)

1) In a pot, heat the chicken stock and add 0.75 of the pinch of saffron to the stock. This will allow the saffron to infuse that amazing yellow color.
2) Add oil to a sauté pan and add the shallot and red onions. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 2 minutes and then add the crushed garlic.
3) As the shallots start to become transluscent, add in the rice, spices and the other quarter left of the saffron and toast the rice for about a minute or two.
4) Add in the white wine and cook until the wine is completely absorbed.
5) Add the chicken stock using a ladle until it just covers the rice. Simmer and let the rice absorb the chicken stock. Be patient, it won't become yellow colored right away. Keep adding stock as the risotto absorbs the liquid and stir the rice frequently to prevent sticking.

6) About 5 minutes before the risotto finishes cooking, add in your prawns, green peas and cover the pan.If you're using precooked prawns, skip to step 7 after adding in the peas.

7) Remove the lid and give the risotto a much needed stir. Check seasonings and add the tablespoon of butter as well as the Parmesan cheese. The risotto should be al dente.
8) Serve IMMEDIATELY and not 10 minutes later and it should come out perfect :)

bolognaise with sautéed purple sweet potato

I have a confession to make. I broke my risotto Sunday tradition. No smooth, velvety, creamy risotto but instead, I made the most amazing bolognaise sauce. Bolognaise sauce is a meat-based sauce for pastas that's usually served with tagliatelle. Bolognaise isn't usually served with angel hair or thin spaghetti because those pastas are too thin and flimsy to hold the rich meat sauce. I used linguine instead because I didn't have time or the eggs to make fresh tagliatelle. To accompany the tagliatelle, I sautéed some purple sweet potatoes.

Purple sweet potatoes are from Japan or Hawaii. They tend to be sweeter than their regular orange brothers but it still retains the great nutritional value. This linguine with Bolognaise and Sautéed Sweet Potatoes is quick and delicious making it a perfect weekday meal.

Bolognaise w/ Sauteed Purple Sweet Potato
Originally by Me, Serves 4

Ingredients: (Bolognaise)
- 1 large carrot
- 0.5 sweet onion
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- teaspoon dried oregano or Italian herbs
- 0.75 - 1lb lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- splash of red wine (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- about 0.25 cup milk

1) Grate the carrot and onion. This will help the vegetables cook faster and prevent bitings into large big chunks that can destroy a dinner. It should look something like this:

2) In a large skillet, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Put the grated onions and carrots into the pan over medium heat and season with salt and pepper. About 1 minute into the sweating, add in your crushed garlic cloves. Sweat off the vege for 3 - 4 minutes longer.
3) Add in the dry oregano or Italian herb mixture a minute before the vegetables finish sweating.
4) After the vegetables have been sweated off, make a well in the center and add in the ground beef. Break down the ground beef and to make sure all of the beef gets a chance to get colored. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
5) Make a well in the center again and add in the tablespoon of tomato purée. Cook out the purée for about 30 seconds and fold into the rest of the mixture.
6) Add in the red wine and cook off the alcohol.
7) Add in the can of diced tomatoes and the W sauce.
8) After about a minute, add the milk (you can use cream too). This helps the sauce get nice and creamy and also adds a little thickness.
9) Simmer the bolognaise sauce for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened to your liking and check seasonings. Serve with fresh, tagliatelle, linguine or some other wider/thicker pasta.

Ingredients: (Sweet Potato)
- about 1 lb purple sweet potato (or regular sweet potato)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- shake of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1) Get a salted pot of water boiling.
2) Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into half inch slices. It's basic mathematics, the smaller the potatoes, the faster it cooks. Boil for about 5 - 6 minutes until tender.
3) Drain the potatoes and dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces. About half inch cubes.
4) Throw in the spices and give the potatoes a toss to ensure the spices are well distributed.
5) In a hot pan, add olive oil and throw in the potatoes. Toss/sauté the potatoes for about a minute to a minute and half maximum until a nice and crispy.
6) Drizzle the maple syrup over the potato mixture and toss once more. Serve warm.

wordless wednesdays

Fold in the egg whites...

Time to flip...

Beautiful.

1 at a time takes too long. Get that maple syrup out in the meantime...

Absolutely delicious.

spiced apple cake

The more I make apple dishes, the more I miss my mandolin slicer back home. The mandolin and I have a complex, almost paradoxical relationship. I can't begin to tell you how many times that accursed blade drew my right thumb's blood (mine is so old that it didn't even come with the plastic safety handle it comes with now). Even though I end up cursing the plank for the rest of the cooking process, the end product it creates is absolutely beautiful. With that said, I apologize for the uneven apples but I have to tell you the taste of the cake is phenomenal.

This Spiced Apple Cake is low in sugar, fat and made with whole wheat flour. Sounds absolutely disgusting doesn't it? Here's the kicker: we're going to make our own apple purée to sweeten the cake naturally and make this an incredibly healthy apple cake. Full of fiber, dense and moist, this cake is a perfect example of how healthy food doesn't have to be boring food.

Spiced Apple Cake
From Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite, Serves 8

Ingredients: (purée)
- 5 or 6 (2lbs) of McIntosh or Gala apples
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter

1) Peel, core and slice the apples. The smaller the slices, the faster it cooks.
2) Place the apples in a wide pan with the sugar and butter. Cook over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes until the apples break down into a pulp. All excess water should be cooked off.
3) Transfer the apple purée to a bowl and cool completely. Set aside.

Ingredients: (cake mix)
- 2 Braeburn apples
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1.33 cups of whole wheat flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 0.25 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoon ground clove
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 0.25 cup light olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoons apricot jelly, to glaze
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water

**PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 325°F**

1) Line and lightly grease (with butter or spray oil) a 9' cake pan.
2) Peel, core and finely slice the Braeburn apples with a mandolin (or if you're ghetto at college like me, use your knife).
3) Place the apple slices in a bowl and add 1.5 tablespoons of the lemon juice with a splash of water and set aside. This will help prevent oxidation and keep the apple's color.
4) In a mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and ground spices. Mix with a whisk to make sure everything is well distributed.
5) Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the egg, olive oil and apple purée. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
6) Transfer the mixture to the cake pan and tap the cake pan onto the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Level the top with a spatula and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
7) Working quickly, overlap the sliced apples in concentric circles on the top leaving a little margin from the side. Brush the apple slices with the remaining lemon juice and return to the oven for another 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8) Cool the cake for at least 10 minutes. Mix together the apricot jelly with 1 tablespoon of hot water. Add more water to achieve desired consistency.
9) Brush the top of the cake with the glaze and serve warm.

A delicious way to end any meal, this cake is healthy, full of flavor and definitely delicious.

sunday breakfast

I'm a firm believe that everyone should have a proper breakfast on Sundays. Our lives are so busy and fast paced that we've degraded ourselves to fast food breakfasts and sugar-high junk foods (yes I'm referring to you Poptarts). I can relate, I have to wake up at the crack of dawn 5 days of the week to either go to labs or the gym (I refuse to be an overweight, fat cook) and that frozen toaster strudel or that drive-thru breakfast biscuit seems so convenient. But on a Sunday morning, there's no excuse in skipping a proper breakfast. So wake up your Mrs, girlfriend or your loved ones with the most amazing Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms.

Scrambled Eggs w/ Mushrooms
Original, Serves 1

Ingredients: (enough for 1 serving)
- 3 eggs, don't break the yolks
- 1 tablespoon butter, cubed into 4 pieces
- 0.75 to 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (adjust depending on preference for mushrooms)
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed whole by knife not by the crusher

1) Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and throw in the shallots. Give them stir for about 2 minutes or until translucent.
2) Throw in the crushed garlic and infuse the oil/shallots until nice and fragrant. About 30 seconds. Remove the crushed garlic clove.
3) Add in the mushrooms and more olive oil (butter if you're feeling dangerous) if the pan seems too dry. Add salt and pepper and sauté the mushrooms until they've given off excess moisture and reduced in size. About 10 minutes or so.
4) While the mushrooms are cooking away, add the 3 eggs and the cubes of butter into a cold pan. Over low to medium-low heat, stir the eggs frequently (thus breaking the yolks INSIDE the pan). Keep stirring and if the eggs are cooking too quickly, take the pan off the heat and keep on stirring. Bring it back onto the heat to continue cooking until the eggs are almost set. The eggs should be creamy, soft and a little lumpy.

**Give the mushrooms a few tosses/stirs here and there to prevent burning**

5) Right before the eggs are at that velvety texture, take it off the heat. It'll keep cooking due to the residual heat inside the pan. Season NOW with salt, pepper. If you want to make your eggs more extravagant or sexier, add in some fresh chives. I didn't have any fresh chives on hand so I added in some red pepper flakes and Italian herbs.
6) Now, if you've timed this right and tossed the mushrooms like I told you to while cooking the eggs, they should be done at about the same time. If anything, the eggs should be finished a little earlier so just leave inside the pan to keep warm if that's the case.
7) To plate, I toasted a robust, thick piece of sourdough bread and placed the scrambed eggs on top along with the mushrooms.

**I strongly recommend using a strong, dense bread like sourdough or rye to compliment the eggs. You could do regular wheat or white bread but I feel that it's too flimsy to hold the eggs and the flavors aren't accentuated**

If you're multitasking skills aren't up to par, this is a great way to spend time with your spouse/friend/family on a Sunday morning. Have fun in the kitchen, get excited and take control of what you put inside your body.

ny times chocolate chip cookies

If you haven't heard already, Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies are delicious. Possibly one of the best cookies I've tasted out of the oven. The secret is in letting the dough absorb the butter, egg and sugar in the fridge until the flavors are infused throughout. The dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days but from the countless times I've made these cookies, I really can't taste the difference between the 24 hour and 72 hour batches.

Assuming you can bake cookies correctly (and you will by the time I get through with you), these cookies come out with a nice crispy edge and a chewy, almost cakelike inside. Absolutely delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from NY Times by Jacques Torres

Ingredients:
- 2 cups MINUS 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1.25 teaspoons baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2.5 sticks unsalted butter
- 1.25 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.25 lbs bittersweet choclate chips

1) Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix together and set aside
2) Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy and creamy.
3) Add eggs one at a time and toss in the vanilla extract.
4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches mixing until just combined. Do not overmix as it will develop gluten and create tough cookies. I cannot overstress the do not overmix because we are using bread flour which has a high protein content.
5) Fold in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
6) Get some plastic wrap and wrap around the dough. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to infuse the flavors. Maximum of 72 hours.

**If you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F**

7) Scoop out a generous ball of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. If you have a ice cream scooper, use that. It'll create perfectly proportioned, round cookies to ensure everything bakes at the same rate.
8) Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the EDGES are browned. You do NOT want completely browned/baked cookies. The cookies will "finish" baking while cooling on the wire rack. If you don't listen to my advice and cook throughout, you'll end up with a rock-hard, stonelike discus and an appointment at the dentist.
9) Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes.
10) Serve warm with a tall glass of milk, milkshake or a good scoop or two of quality ice cream.

risotto sundays

Every Sunday afternoon, I make risotto and I'm confident after numerous failures, I've finally got it down. I still remember when I had my first risotto few years back. I had to wait 45 minutes for my main to arrive but it was definitely worth it. Creamy, velvety and delicious, this Risotto recipe is one of my originals.

Basic Risotto
Original, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 1.5 cup Risotto rice (Arborio or medium-grain rice)
- *5 cups low sodium chicken stock (you may need a little more stock so have some more on standby)
- 1 small package white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup onions, finely chopped
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.5 cup fresh peas, thawed if frozen
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 0.5 cup white wine or Sherry wine
- 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a pot with the lid on, bring the chicken stock to a simmer and keep in on standby.
2) In a large pan, add olive oil and sauté the onions, shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes.
3) Add in the mushrooms and add salt and pepper. The salt will help draw out the excess moisture in the mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are tender. Should take about 7 - 10 minutes.
4) Add in the rice and roast the grains for about a minute or two.
5) Add in your wine until the alcohol evaporates. Don't flambé, there's no need to lose an eyebrow making risotto.
6) Now, add in about a quarter of the stock using a ladle and cook while stirring occasionally until the liquid has been absorbed. When the rice is about to go dry, add in some more stock.
7) About 5 minutes before the risotto finishes cooking, add in your peas.
8) 2 minutes before the risotto finishes cooking, add in the Parmesan cheese and butter to get the risotto to a nice and creamy texture. Risotto should be cooked al dente like all pasta. Before serving, make sure the rice has a bite and check seasonings.
9) Serve on a warm plate and sprinkle some Parmesan over to finish.

maple crème brulée

Crème Brulée. I really don't know what it is about this dessert but it makes me quite excited to make and eat it every single time. The hardened sugar top with the creamy custard interior is a perfect way to end any meal. I had some maple syrup lying around in the fridge so I decided to deviate from the regular recipe and make Maple Crème Brulée.

Maple Creme Brulee
Original, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or half a pod of vanilla bean)
- Brown sugar (maple sugar if on hand) for carmelizing

**PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°F and have HOT water standing by**

1) Heat the cream and maple syrup in a small sauce pan and remove before boiling. It WILL spill over so keep a close eye on it.
2) While this is going on, mix the egg, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla in another bowl.
3) Get the cream/maple syrup mixture and slowly drip it into the bowl w/ the egg/sugar mixture while stirring. Don't add the cream mixture in too quickly or the eggs will curdle and we don't want that now do we?
4) After you get a nice smooth mixture without curdled eggs, pour into prepared ramekins or crème brulée dishes.
5) Place ramekins in a baking dish and fill the baking dish with the hot water until it comes up about half way.
6) Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes until the custard is firm and set but still jiggly when moved.
7) Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes.
8) By now, you should be able to touch the ramekins without burning yourself. Sprinkle brown sugar (or maple if you're lucky enough to have it on hand) over the custard and go over the sugar w/ the blow torch until the sugar carmelizes.
**If you don't have a blow torch, while the custard is cooling, turn up your oven to the highest broiler setting and place the custard w/ the sprinkled sugar in the oven again until the sugar carmelizes.**
9) Serve immediately

I didn't have any raspberries on hand so I had to use strawberries but just decorate your crème brulée to make it look nice. If you have some mint sprigs use that too. It's for show but do it anyways :)

More to come: my basic Risotto recipe, sirloin steak w/ mushroom Marsala sauce and carmelized onions and a step by step tutorial to making a basic sandwich loaf. Stay tuned...