Cashews in their Shell
Cashew Fruit or Cashew Apple
Chulpe
Over the weekend we were able to turn 8 cashew apples into two very large jars of jam. Cashew fruit has a yummy sweet-tart flavor reminiscent of fresh ripe mango, green mango and under-ripe apricots all rolled into one yummy fruit. I can’t wait to schmear this on a freshly baked biscuit!
And, the chulpe… wow! The concentrated sweet corn flavor is incredible. These super-crispy kernels have the sweet toasty corn flavor of the freshest corn tortillas jammed into each small kernels. When toasted, these kernels simply swell and split. They don’t turn inside-out like ordinary popcorn. We’re already addicted to these! This bag won’t last long in our house.
Inspired by an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show, we decided to search for huitlacoche in Atlanta. Also known as corn smut or Mexican truffle, huitlacoche actually bares no physical resemblance to a truffle. It is a powdery substance made up of grey/black spores that grow inside an ear of corn causing the corn kernels to swell.
Huitlacoche appears on the starter menu at Rosa Mexicano as “Quesadilla de Huitlacoche“. Grilled in a flour tortilla, huitlacoche is generously combined with poblano chiles, corn and Chihuahua cheese. Only the most sparing amounts of crema should be added. And, the salsa verde cruda is best left untouched or it will overpower the delicate flavor of the huitlacoche.
With the first taste, we noticed a pleasant smokiness reminiscent of the smokiness present in roasted hazelnuts. And, with the second bite we notice the lovely mellow earthy/woodsy/foresty scent and taste that resembles a truffle. The underlying essence of cocoa or cocoa nibs is quite delicate, almost going unnoticed unless the huitlacoche hits just the right spot on your tongue. The presence of vanillin in the spores adds a hint of extremely subtle sweetness.
We both enjoyed this first taste of huitlacoche. And, we’ll pursue new means of sampling this unique taste.
Other food on this visit:
Mariposa de Huachinango — Roasted whole red snapper with guajillo chile served with a roasted tomatillo, garlic and jalapeno molcajete salsa. We both enjoyed this. The fish was quite fresh and cooked perfectly. Rich flavor, delicate flakes and extremely moist, we’d order this again.
Estallido de Sol — This chocolate brownie topped with a chocolate tuille-like cookie and chocolate mousse was insanely dense. Both the mousse and brownie were extremely dense, rich and chocolatey. The orange mezcal sauce adds a nice bit of contrast to all of that chocolate. And, the drizzle of chocolate sauce around the edge is delicately laced with chipotle. Only a hint of flavor and the tickle at the back of your throat alert you to its presence.
Rosa Mexicano — Atlantic Station
245 18th Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30363
404 347 4090
Including juried art, pottery, jewelry, and photography, Gwinnett County’s Art on the Square juried art event begins today.
When:
Friday — May 22, 2009 — 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday — May 23, 2009 — 10:00am to 5:00pm
For More Information: VisitLawrenceville
Historic Lawrenceville Square
(area surrounding Gwinnett Historic Courthouse)
Crogan Street
Lawrenceville, GA
Rum Raisin + Sweet Potato Pie + Sugar Cone = JOY
The absolute definition of comfort food in a cone. What a great way to turn all of the best deadly rich fall flavors into a deadly rich ice cream treat! This decadent combination is my current favorite blend of Morelli’s Ice Cream flavors. But, that won’t stop me from searching and sampling to find a new favorite.
Flavors Sampled (so far):
Rum Raisin — Sweet cream and rum-soaked sultanas! YUM! (And, I’m not even a rum raisin fan)
Sweet Potato Pie — Sweet potato pie spices blended perfectly into the cream base. I thought this might be overpowering, but, it’s not. And, it compliments the sugar cone perfectly. (Sweet, but, not too sweet)
Peanut Butter Rumble — This blend of peanut butter ice cream, bits of chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups might just be the best peanut butter ice cream I’ve ever been lucky enough to taste!
Chocolate Hazelnut — All of the roasted hazelnut goodness of nutella, but, with none of the overpowering sweetness. The delicate sweetness lets roasted hazelnuts takes center stage. Even the chocolate is used judiciously to highlight the hazelnuts.
Dulce de Leche Chunk — No chunks that I’ve seen, but, big swirls of cajeta and a hint of saltiness
Avocado — Cream and avocado work well together. This lightly sweetened flavor is the essence of avocado. The first taste is all about the avocado, but, then it mellows and grows more subtle with each bite.
Lavender Ginger — Instantly, the sweet ginger wakes up your taste buds. And, for me, it seems to dominate the lavender. But, I do like the taste of fresh ginger. The fresh taste reminds me of what you would get if chunks of fresh ginger were stewed in a sugar syrup. (Maybe, that’s what they do.)
Morelli’s Ice Cream
749 Moreland Avenue, SE — Suite B-102
Atlanta, GA 30316
404 622 0210
May 21-25, 2009
eyedrum
290 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
New work by Ryan Nabulsi
Two bodies of work will be presented. “Things Left Behind” and “Dead On Arrival” are two sets of work using Polaroid SX-70. These shows will investigate how polaroids can exist in an age of digital domination.
MINT Gallery
684 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue — Unit B
Atlanta, GA 30312
The Setting: This restaurant is housed in a bungalow just off of Decatur’s city square. Porch seating, indoor seating and large group seating on the lawn. Two good-sized squares of lawn border the entry walk, we take in the quiet surroundings and think this is great. We sit happily on the porch and take in the gorgeous evening. The smells from the kitchen are quite tempting.
Five minutes later there are approximately 10-15 small children yelling, sceaming, and playing on those pretty patches of green (This yelling, screaming, and playing lasted the entire duration of our visit.). About 5 minutes into the yelling and screaming (and unfortunately for us AFTER we’ve placed our order) we notice a sign near the patches of grass labeling them kid’s areas. I don’t know if this is a party, group event, or weekly occurance. But, this is one KID-FRIENDLY restaurant. You’ve been warned.
The Staff: Our server was very friendly. She was definitely busy and maybe a smidge distracted.
The Food: This is where the real bad luck kicks in. Now, the scent of yummy food was in the air and we see tasty morsels arrive at other tables (most notably an order of golden brown plantains drizzled with cream — we should have ordered these). But, unfortunately, we ordered:
Duck Carnitas — (extremely well-done chunks of duck tossed with barely sauteed onions) This was quite difficult to eat. The chunks of duck had very little moisture.
Tamale — (pork with red mole) The pork was tender, but, the mole had very little flavor.
Chile Corn — (The menu states fresh corn tossed with spices and butter. But, if it was fresh corn, it was seriously overcooked.) The first bite was incredibly salty. So, salty, that I couldn’t identify the citrus juice used… lemon or lime? My guess is lime.
Black Beans — There was very little flavor going on. Just the garnish of cilantro and onion added flavor.
Habanero Salsa — The taste was pleasantly spicy, but, the consistency was far too watery for our taste.
Maybe we were stuck in a bad luck rut last night. But, sadly, there were far too many misses for this first visit to tempt us into a second. Maybe someday… if we’re feeling lucky.
El Tesoro
129 Church Street
Decatur, GA 30030
Spruill Education Center
5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30338
770 394 3447
Mid East Food Festival 2009
Saturday — May 16, 2009 — noon to 9:00pm
Sunday — May 17, 2009 — noon to 4:00pm
Middle Eastern Food, Pastries, Music, and Dance
And, a specialty market offering food, books and cultural items for sale.
St. John Chrysostom Melkite Catholic Church
1428 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
404 373 9522
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