So here's a list of mine. They may not be the very top ten, but they sure are up there!
1. Those macarons. First tasted February 13, 2010. Life changing.
2. The caprese skewer our first full day in Florence. Best mozzarella ever!
3. The last meal with my step-dad at the table. I'll never stop wishing there was one more.
4. The Limoncello experience. An unexpected treat on the house. Unforgettable.
5. The first time grandgirl sat at the table with the rest of the family. A precious moment indeed.
6. My first figs. I'd had no idea.
7. The years son and daughter made their first Thanksgiving pies. Pride in a pie pan.
8. Mom's prime rib. She has the indescribable gift of seasoning.
9. Cakeballs. A revelation.
10. Ugali. Our Tanzanian friend cooked his native dishes in our very own kitchen. We were transported.
So there you go. Some foods and table moments I relish.
Foodie moments, oh my, ummm, okay, in no particular order:
ReplyDelete1. Meals at Les Lavandes, a small restaurant about 1/3 of the way up Mont Ventoux in Provence. The food there is all ultra fresh, either freshly caught in the sea a couple of hours away, bred locally or grown in their gardens. You get a very limited menu, which changes daily, but it's all fabulous, and the view from the terrace across the valley towards Carpentras and Avignon is amazing, especially at sunset.
2. Banons from the Provencal markets - local soft goats' cheeses either plain or coated in a gorgeous selection of flavours from herbs to ashes to honey and bacon!
3. Fresh seafood on the shore in Manly Beach, Australia - sun, sea, sand and seafood is a great combo!
4. The bread shop in the shopping mall next to my flat in Johannesburg, which sold the most delectable array of flavoured breads and pastries.
5. The traditional South African meals on safari, which featured an amazing array of local meats and vegetables.
6. The biltong from The Butcher's Shop restaurant across from my flat in Jo'burg, which was fresh and moist and delicious, and totally unlike the shoe leather they try and pass off abroad as being the same thing!
7. The meal at the 3 Chimneys on Skye with a couple of friends last October - absolutely amazing taster menu, again of local seafood, meats, vegetables, cheeses and fruits.
8. The last big meal with my friends and colleagues in South Africa, another taster menu experience, 10 courses (which the chef had never had the chance to do before!) with the most delectable selection of foods served in a truly elegant fashion.
9. Making the Christmas cakes with my mum when I was little, nothing better than being up to your elbows (literally) in fruity, spicy cake batter, squidging and mixing it all together (which is what happens when you try and make 2 cakes in 1 bowl and there isn't space for anything but little hands to mix it!)
10. Christmas dinners for the family, which I've been making since I was 17 (I hate turkey, so the deal was, if I didn't want turkey, I had to make the alternative!) so much fun to explore new recipes every year.
Another great post...putting Macaroons on the list to hunt down and try this week. Isn't it amazing how sometimes the food isn't all that memorable but the company you are with, is? :)
ReplyDeleteThe first time I grew and ate my own tomatoes. I was shocked at the difference from store bought. Amazing!
ReplyDeletePicking wild blueberries in Canada as a kid. I miss the berries, not all the mosquito bites!
My first cup of (strong)French Roast coffee with cream at an outdoor cafe in Santa Barbara.
Making bread...The whole process, mixing, kneading, baking, smelling, eating. Nothing better!
Making the move to cook with cream and butter. I'm never going back.
A huge plate of Carnitas in Mexico, with flour tortillas and a beer, shared with friends.
Thanks Debbie! That was fun :)
I have to be honest and say I'm pretty happy with beans and cheese on toast!! ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I feel like I've been around the world and the family memories are lovely.
Oh I do miss Florence!!
I am not really a foodie, and I am not one to try new things, but once in a while I do. And one of those was a passion fruit macaron! OH MY WORD! SO Fabulous! My chef friend had introduced me to (and hooked me on) passion fruit. She made a passion fruit filled white cake for my last baby shower that was delicious. That is the only foodie moment I can think of.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! What was the lemocello experience? I just bought my first bottle last Christmas, after finding out about it, but am not exactly sure what to do with it... I'm joining in on the fun!!
ReplyDeleteI remembered a few more moments after reading Becky's post. The first was a "What the heck! YUCK!" moment when I went to a friend's home in Louisiana for dinner. I had never had okra before and I never will again. :P The next one was at Crow's in my former home in Texas, where I had and became addicted to Fried Green Tomatoes. I still have not figured out how to make them myself. The last was my first taste of Chocolate Cobbler, also at Crow's and also have not been able to even come close to making it.
ReplyDeleteHere are my top 3:
ReplyDelete1. My parents' ravioli. Mom made the filling and sauce, Dad made the pasta. No other ravioli comes close.
2. Gnocchi with fresh tomato and basil in the shadow of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
3. Julia ordering (and actually eating) seppia (cuttlefish) with squid ink risotto in Venice.
In no particular order (and certainly not an exhaustive list):
ReplyDelete1) Gelato in Florence
2) Deep fried Snickers at the MN State Fair
3) My niece dying eggs at Easter
4) Apple pie with 4 hour old apple (from tree to pie) and homemade crust
5) Currywurst and fries in Berlin
6) Crispy Drunken Chicken at Terracotta Red
7) Grandpa Reuben's molasses cookies
8) Grandma's gravy
9) Mom's smoothies and Orange Julius'
10) Baking fish packets with Uncle Ger
I've had a bunch, but I was just thinking the other day that I could really go for some creme brulee cheesecake. We tried it on a whim at a Mexican restaurant where we used to live in Pennsylvania and it was amazing. We have yet to find it anywhere since.
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