Seaside Discovery

While staying a while in South Bristol, Maine this last June, I had a confectionery discovery. South Bristol is a small fishing village about an hour or so north of Portland.

One afternoon I walked into town and found Island Grocery, a self-proclaimed "country store" full of specialty groceries, everyday necessities, appetizing deli selections and (my favorite) homemade baked goods. There was a new pie on the counter every day, never the same flavor, and always a variety of freshly baked cookies. The cookies had excellent texture and were always moist. In the deli case was usually a combination of chicken salads, potato salads and other nice side dishes, along with pre-packaged ready-to-grill chicken breast and salmon or house-baked ham.

But the confectionery discovery I made had nothing to do with the home-made pastries or cookies. My favorite thing that I found there was Bequet Caramels. I'm always crazy about caramels, and love to try the freshly made candies at any stand or grocery that I can--the same way I like to try the pie or ice cream. I think it's a good measure of the place. And though these caramels were not made on site, they are made by hand in small batches. You can read thoroughly than what I've provided here and order them online. I highly recommend the Celtic Sea Salt and the Chipotle. Both are subtle and the added flavor does not overpower the texture or natural flavor of the caramel. The aftertaste is excellent, in fact I think it's the best I've ever had. There's no sugary sweetness rolling around the mouth, just a salty, buttery goodness.

Another nice surprise at Island Grocery was the fresh Frozen Custard. Growing up in Wisconsin, my taste for all things dairy and frozen is pretty snobby and I was excited to find it had the right density, intensity of creamy texture, without sacrificing flavor over to sugar. The flavor of the day the second time I went was something like Toffee Chip...I'm sure that wasn't exactly what it was called, but it was excellent. The staff was even kind enough to turn the machine on for us and get it ready, even though no one else was asking for it. It only took about 7 minutes, and it was worth every second.


Frozen Custard at Island Grocery

The only downside to the Island Grocery seems to be that the cost of many items caters more to the summering guests with a little more cash in the bank. There are little treats and mixes, sauces and condiments, sometimes at $16 a pop--which is hard to imagine spending on a container of cookies that might only last a day. In this area, Island Grocery should really be approached more as a gourmet grocery rather than a country store. But as long as you walk in knowing your adventure will be a treat with a little more on the price tag, you'll be happy with what you get!

Ham on the Bone

Well it has been quite some time since I've updated here. I've been all over the country and eaten a lot of food.* Here's a quick update, more to come soon.

The Emergency Food Hotline had an interesting call a while back about freezing meat, specifically ham on the bone. The caller wanted to know how long ham on the bone could be in the refrigerator before it needed to be thrown out, and, if after being in the refrigerator for nearly a week if it could be frozen and thawed later.

After comparing my own thoughts (my dad always had a ten-day rule for leftovers) with the FDA standards (7 days refrigerated if on the bone/whole, less if cut into slices) I've concluded that the simple answer is that yes, the ham is still good after a week, and yes, you can still freeze it. I think most foods are usually good for a bit longer than we might think, and a day or two longer than the FDA standards. After all, they have to be more careful than I do, since they're a lot more liable for their advice than I am.

Here is a link to a great resource from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. It includes tips on how long to store eggs and other animal products. Vegans, this site isn't for you. But Veggies and Omnivores alike will benefit from taking a look at the FDACFSAN's Safe Food Chart for fruits, veg and juices.

But if you are going to freeze meat, you want to be sure that you are wrapping and sealing it properly so as not to give it freezer-burn or lose all of the moisture naturally present. There are a variety of methods and opinions on this, but I think most people I have discussed this topic with have concurred that the following option is effective (if little overzealous):

Seal leftovers in plastic wrap, this helps to hold in the moisture. Then wrap in tin foil, which helps to insulate from freezer-burn and keep any liquid in that might sneak out of the plastic wrap. Then place in a ziploc, and don't forget to write the date on it!

Oh, and IF you have leftovers in the fridge for a while, and decide to freeze them, be sure to use them as soon as possible after thawing. Keeping leftovers in the freezer does extend their life quite a bit, but the overall amount of days they have been refrigerated (outside of freezer time) should not exceed 10 days if you can help it.



This nice meal, if it had gone unfinished (which it did not), could have lasted in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days (3-4 according to the FDA).


*apologies to anyone who I may have missed a call from--I think there was one--while I was out of cell phone range for many days on the coast of Maine.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

There is a lot to say about this subject, but for now I wanted to post an email that the Emergency Food Hotline received about a call that came in a couple of hours ago. It was regarding a vegan recipe and the timing of cooking the cupcakes. More will be filled in on this topic soon!

Dear Food Hotline,

Thank you so much for your advice on my non-springy - not sure if they
are done vegan chocolate cupcake emergency. I took your advice and cut
one open (after it cooled). It did finish cooking just as you said.
Just to be sure I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth and it was
fabulous. I'm going to send them to friends of mine who just had a baby
so they can enjoy a chocolatey sugar fix during their 3am feedings.
Actually the real problem was with my oven which is old and sad. When I
cooked the second batch for 18 min. instead of 12 they came out
perfect. I used to call my mother during these kitchen emergencies but
she doesn't pick up anymore because she's dead and has been for over 5
years now. It took me a long time to get over not having her there in
the kitchen with me but now I have you.

Yours Truly,

The not under or over cooked vegan chocolate cupcake master



vegan chocolate cupcakes, March 2006

Dear readers and callers,

I will be in New England for the next 8 days, and my phone reception will not be the best. But leave me messages, and I will return them!

Plantain update

The Emergency Food Hotline just received an email about another exciting way to use plantains. Here is an excerpt:

"Funny, I'd JUST written an email friend about plantains the minute before I read your most recent blog! I fell in love with them in Chicago, too. We lived in Humboldt Park and the little store by our house, Nuevo Puerto Rico, had them. The owner told me stories about how his grandfather, during fiscally thin times, would snap plantains from the tree and eat them while they were green and overripe.

The email to my friend was about a meal we're having Friday. I suggested we make the plantains in the way the store owner suggested: in a lasagna. You substitute the noodles with strips of plantain.

Have you done that? Usually, I eat them in the way you described on your blog, but I'm eager to try something new."

I think that's a marvelous idea, and I hope we will hear an update on how the meal went. I just remembered another way I've eaten plantains that is quite delicious:



The photo was taken at a Milwaukee restaurant called Cubanitas. These little chips are crisp and hot and soft in the center, and the sauce is onion-y and tangy. There must be some lime in there. And perhaps some garlic and sugar...?

Poaching

Poaching is as a process by which food is gently simmered in water or other edible liquids such as wine, broth or juice. The process doesn't drain the moisture out of eggs, poultry or fish, and preserves the delicate texture of each food item. How to poach anything, especially eggs, is very difficult to agree on. Almost everyone I've asked about it has a different idea of what's best for the taste, appearance and healthfulness of the little round protein. So about a year and half ago I tried it out myself, using aspects of a few different recipes/processes.



First I tore off two pieces of plastic wrap, large enough to cover the inside of a mug. I lined the insides of two mugs with the plastic, and coated the interior of the plastic with olive oil (a chef friend of mine recommends truffle oil if you have it on hand!), salt and pepper. At the same time, I started a pan of water to simmer. Then I twisted up the plastic around the egg (pretty snug-ly), used a twist-tie to keep it secure, and placed it carefully into the water. Watch the egg carefully, you want it to become opaque on the outside, but not cook hard all the way through. Make up some toast for yourself, and you've got poached goodness. I like a little butter and a little mayonnaise on my toast and a lot of pepper on the egg.

Also!
For those of you concerned about cooking plastic wrap around the egg while in simmering water...I did a little digging on that and so far all of the discussion points to it being pretty harmless. The temperatures needed to release toxins from the plastic are apparently quite a bit higher than that of water below the boiling point. Does anyone know anything different though? I'd be interested to hear more on this topic.

Reminder

The Emergency Food Hotline received a kindly voicemail reminder to pay the gas bill last week, and it was greatly appreciated. It would be terrible to have the gas turned off and be unable to cook. Thank you, dear caller!