Grasshopper, tongue - and why it's not about being a thrill seeker

Below is a shot from a recent visit to Oyamel, a tasty small bites style restaurant in D.C. where you can order up some really amazing food.

Like these grasshopper tacos. Spicy, crunchy, and just a great bit of food I classify this outing alongside last year's lengua guisada tasting - a food adventure. Why? Because we just don't always get to go around trying out not just grasshopper and beef tongue, but beautifully prepared grasshopper and beef tongue!

I am not a "thrill seeker", the excitement of eating these foods doesn't arise out of their being strange or foreign to the average American - the excitement follows when it tastes delicious. Which is just another reason you shouldn't be afraid to try this stuff. If things like bugs or unfamiliar cuts of meat are devoured the world over in a variety of preparations, odds are it's not out of desperation, it's because it tastes good.

When people say something "tastes like chicken", I've come to realize that they aren't referring to the flavor. Sometimes chicken doesn't even taste like chicken [should]. They're speaking to the comfort level of a particular food, to the texture (typically a greater barrier than flavor), to its overall familiarity. For a country of immigrants, there's a lot of food we haven't tried.

So you don't have to try something out of the norm for a culinary rush, try it because if there's a long line of people ahead of you to get at it, there's probably a good reason for that.

Chocolate Pie

Easy to make, scrumptious to eat - and oh yes, lighter on dairy than the average pie! If you're weird about tofu...don't be.

Chocolate Pie

1 c milk chocolate chips
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 c amaretto liqueur (or coffee liqueur if that's your thing)
1 block silken tofu
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs honey
1 graham cracker crust

1) Using a double boiler (or by placing a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water) melt the chocolate and liqueur.

2) Combine tofu, melted chocolate mixture and honey in the blender and blend til smooth.

3) Pour blender contents into the crust and chill in the fridge for a few hours (filling will set).

Dairy-Free Ice Cream - With One Ingredient

I'm not even messing with you. There is, of course, one catch: it's best if you're not allergic to bananas.

"Ice Cream"

Ingredients:
bananas

1) Peel your overripe bananas, break each into a few pieces. Pop in a ziplock, and freeze.

2) Puree frozen bananas in food processor (or blender, but I haven't tried that) for a few minutes - until it resembles soft serve.

If one ingredient is just too mind-blowingly simple for you, you could always get crazy and add things like peanut butter, cocoa powder, honey/agave...

Espresso Shortbread

Here are some tasty shortbread bars with a butterscotch glaze I made for the Populi guys. Really easy to make, I picked up the chocolate covered espresso beans from Starbucks and I don't even have a coffee maker so I bought an espresso shot the day before and popped it in the frig!

I really don't know whether this is better described as a savory dessert, breakfast treat, or dessert-y appetizer...

Espresso Shortbread

(24 bars)

- 2 sticks butter, room temperature

1/2 c and 1 tbs sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 1/4 c and 2 tbs AP flour

1 tbs finely ground espresso beans

1) Preheat over to 300 F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment

2) Combine the flour and the coffee grounds in a small bowl.

3) Combine the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy in a large bowl. This will take a few minutes with a stand mixer or, if you're me, a few more with a wooden spoon!

3) Add the vanilla and salt to the butter sugar mixture.

4) Add the flour mixture in 2-3 batches. Stir until just combined (will still be crumbly).

5) Dump the dough into the pan and press into a relatively even layer. Smooth with a drinking glass or small marble rolling pin.

6) Bake for 50 minutes. Shortbread will be light brown and firm. Remove and cool for ten minutes or so, then cut into 24 bars with a sharp knife (still in pan). Continue to cool while you prep the glaze...

Butterscotch Espresso Glaze

4tbs butter, room temp

1/3 c light brown sugar

1 tbs espresso

1 tbs light corn syrup

pinch of sea salt

24 chocolate covered espresso beans

1) Combine all ingredients except the beans in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Boil for two minutes.

2) Remove from heat and pour over the shortbread, then quickly spread in a thin layer. Place an espresso bean on top of each while the glaze is still warm.

3) Use a sharp, oiled knife to cut the glaze between the bars, then remove from pan.

Better Welsh Rarebit

The cheese portion of this recipe is great, because you really spread it on top of toast for rarebit or serve it as a cheese spread at a party. It's delicious. As a bonus, discovering this recipe meant I also discovered Quilter's Irish Death, which I think I'm in love with. Sorry I don't have pics, I made this most recently for the Populi guys and their Friday meeting so I was flying out the door!

If recipes had dedications, this one would go to Ruth and James. So here you go, guys, Welsh rarebit - better!

Better Welsh Rarebit

1 lb extra sharp cheddar, broken into smaller chunks

3/4 c dark ale

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tbs Dijon

1/2 tsp cayenne

few pinches salt

sliced bread, toasted

Roma tomatoes, sliced

1) Position an oven rack to the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler.

2) Throw the cheddar, ale, garlic, mustard and cayenne in a food processor and process to an even consistency. Add salt to taste.

3) Spread the cheese onto the toasts in a thick later. Place on a baking sheet and broil for a minute or two until the cheese is just browned on the edges.

4) Lay the tomato slices on top of the cheese and serve warm.

Mashed Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are really good for you with all sorts of good vitamins and dietary fiber. They're also a little confusing, so first a little sweet potato edumacation: The vivid orange potato commonly marketed as "yams" are sweet potatoes. So are the firmer, pale yellow sweet potatoes. They're both sweet potatoes and neither is really a yam! The orange ("yam") sweet potato is a little sweeter and has a creamier texture as well as more beta carotene. So when you're wondering which sweet potato to get think about the context, and for the recipe below use whichever you prefer!

The scariest thing about this recipe for me was not the sweet potato conundrum, but that there's no butter. No butter!! Blew my mind.

Mashed Sweet Potato

(servings: 6)

4 medium sweet potatoes

1/2 c orange juice

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1) Leaving the skin on, cut the potatoes into medium cubes

2) Steam potatoes until soft (40 minutes)

3) Transfer to a medium pan and mash to desired consistency over low heat

4) Add orange juice, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon

5) Serve topped with olive oil

The Manhattan

Mark's comment about dry vs. sweet vermouth over on the martini post reminded me of this classic cocktail, the Manhattan. It is the first drink to ever incorporate Vermouth as a modifier, but it uses sweet, not dry Vermouth. Of course, like the martini, the Manhattan has as many variations as there are drinkers, so if you were making a "Perfect Manhattan" you would use both dry and sweet Vermouth.

Contrary to its name, the "Perfect Manhattan" is not dubbed for being the most original. A "perfect" cocktail is one that uses both sweet and dry Vermouth in equal parts. So for those wishing to try out what I will boldly dub a "pure" rendition of the drink before tailoring to their own tastes try out the recipe below.

Often said to use Canadian whiskey, I side with rye whiskey. You will likely only find a couple options at local retailers that are strictly rye whiskey, so a Canadian or Bourbon is fine. You also may not have bitters on hand, so pick up some Angostura. They'll likely serve your bar stocking best - oh, and this recipe sets you up nicely for another classic: the Old Fashioned.

The Manhattan

(1 drink)

2 oz rye whiskey

1/2 oz sweet Vermouth

2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 maraschino cherry (garnish)

ice

chilled glass

1) Fill a shaker/glass half full of ice cubes.

2) Add all liquid to the glass and stir well.

3) Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with the cherry.