Foodish Ramblings

Yes I missed last Monday's (Memorial Day) post. But the week in North Carolina was well worth it! I got to reconnect with Suzanne Duplantis, a chef-friend from Louisiana – see her blog called Makeover My Leftover. We got to relax with a fabulous view. Sally got to spend quality time creating watercolor illustrations for the deer-rescue book we are editing and illustrating for NC friends Angela Zeiss and Keith Gilbert. We also got to eat some great food!

Tarta Liquida -- a baked to order molten marcona almond tart souffle with a quinelle of cherry sorbet

This dessert is what we shared after a fabulous tapas dinner at Curate, one of the best Spanish Tapas restaurants in the country. 

After our visit there last year, we were smart enough to make a reservation more than a month in advance. If you know you're going to be in Asheville, NC, do yourself a major favor and book a reservation at this restaurant!!

Sally and I and Suzanne and her husband Chris got to meet up at the Altapass Orchard, which has been around for something like 70 years. Every year they host several open-to-the-public events including the Memorial Day Pot-luck where we met up along with probably two hundred other folks. A really great small town kind of celebration with fabulous food and all-day music by local mountain/country/old time players. By request I took one of my dulcimers, and we sat in the shade of a tree while I played and sang.

We got back last Friday morning, and extended our vacation to Saturday morning when we went to Bowditch Point beach near Fort Myers Beach. For lunch we went to a favorite place called Big Hickory Seafood Grille and Marina, where they serve the best fish tacos I've every tasted (and I've eaten fish tacos in half a dozen states and at least two countries! 

 They have several kinds of fish tacos, but I prefer the Grouper version. Three huge, well-filled tortillas with lots of fish, and shredded lettuce, avocado slices and salsa fresco, topped with their signature Key Lime Aioli, along with a side of fries. Out of sight!

Best Fish Tacos Ever at the Big Hickory Seafood Grille and Marina, Bonita Springs, FL!

Sunday, Sally's Mum came for lunch and I made an apricot-stuffed pork loin (2.5 lbs) and assorted roasted vegetables from our Co-op box – parsnips, purple sweet potatoes, golden beets, onions, etc. Take a look:

For dessert I made strawberry-mango smoothies:

A friend has lent me a book on making Vegan/Vegetarian cheeses tht actually look, taste, and have the mouth feel and cook-ability of dairy cheeses; look for experiments in cheese making to come!