Endless Simmer - A Food Blog

So you know the Dove “Campaign For Real Beauty” that gets all that press for showing “real women.” And before I move on, first of all - THESE WOMEN ARE NOT FAT. Good lord. How are people shocked by these women. They look totally normal.

Regardless, I now see the marketing genius behind this campaign. Dove wanted to promote flab so they could sell more of their ice cream.

Hence, the Dove Chocolate & Brownie Affair: Vanilla ice cream with brownie chunks and original Dove chocolate chunks - topped with a Dove chocolate ganache layer.

So, yes. I like it. The ice cream is really creamy and rich (great mouthfeel, as Tim would say.) There are ample amounts of both chocolate and brownie chunks - each adding a different element of softness and bite. And good lord - that ganache layer - who knew! I must have missed that description when unceremoniously snagging it from the 711 freezer. But, wow - this is a great addition, plus it’s fun to crack through this strong layer of hard chocolate and dive into the land of vanilla smoothness.

But, it still doesn’t beat the brilliance of B&J’s Cinnamon Buns ice cream.

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Always on the cutting edge, ES had traveled around the world (via the blogosphere) to bring you news of what we’ll all be drinking in the future:

- Japanese schoolgirls, who pretty much decide what’s cool in America one year in advance, have started drinking hot beer. That’s right. Beer - heated. [J-list, via SEats]

- For those of you who always wanted a little more Che in your brews, the answer is almost here: Yerba Mate Beer. ES prediction: Herbal-infused beers are the next big thing. [Slashfood]

- If you’re lookin’ for even more Latin flavor in your glass, here’s a crazy idea: try mixing your tequila with some spicy chocolate mole. One Chocomole coming up. But I wouldn’t recommend two, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. [Liquid Muse]

Photo: TFTS

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ES’s very own Gansie is the NEW FOOD WRITER for the Washington Post’s EXPRESS NEWSPAPER!!! And her first article comes out TOMORROW! You DON’T want to miss it!

DC people, grab a copy of the EXPRESS tomorrow, and non-DC people, visit the EXPRESS website later this week at: http://www.readexpress.com/

ES is SO PROUD of GANSIE!!!

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Don’t tell my mom, I’ve eaten brussel sprouts twice in a week.

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Gourmet magazine recently reworked their website to include sections on food politics, food-making videos and hoity toity advice. Now, this would not normally warrant a post on the anti-establishment ES, but they also added the section: “Vintage Gourmet.” This showcases ghosts of Gourmet’s past. And when I say ghosts, I just don’t mean pineapple, kiwi and goose pudding, or some other gelatin concoction. No, I mean seriously effed up dishes - VARMINT recipes. Yes, I said it. Gourmet actually published recipes for woodchuck, raccoon and squirrel.

Now this is where the fun comes in. ES will offer a guest blogging post to the most daring, most delicious attempt at varmint cooking and eating. AND, a coveted spot on our forthcoming Hall of Endless Eaters.

Please send recipes and photos to contests@endlesssimmer.com by March 3, 2008 (because the first is a Saturday and obviously we don’t work on Saturdays, we drink)

Good luck and Godspeed!

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Waiter, there’s an eyeball in my cheesecake…

Now there are two…

Setting: Junior’s, Brooklyn, NY.

No reported sightings of p. diddy minons or the mythical brisket-on-latke sandwich.

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Not that I’ve run out of ideas or anything, but this weekend I decided to revisit a recipe from the ghost of Endless Simmer past. Actually, it was the very first post in ES history, published EIGHT FULL MONTHS AGO! Can you believe it?

Here’s that first post, a brief write-up of my adventures with Eggplant Rollatini.

How embarrassing! I can’t believe I’m even linking to that post. Look at that awful photo choice! The misspellings! The run-on sentence recipe! It’s worse than looking at my 8th grade yearbook.

Well I made this dish again, with some new variations. But since I wasn’t cooking for my healthy, responsible parents this time, you can count on additions of carbs, cheese and plenty of oil.

After the jump, recipe for Eggplant Rollatini 2.0.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom - Where can I find a picture of you? I have looked online and really want to see what you look like in case I see you out at a restaurant! PLEASE!

Tom Sietsema: Folks, I don’t make these questions up.
Good morning, everyone. Thanks for shunning work to talk to me for the next 60 minutes or so.

That’s Tom Sietsesma, the Washington Post’s food critic. And I love him. I refer to him by first name only to all of my friends. Scarily, they know exactly who I’m talking about. “Tom’s been talking about this place a lot lately”…”Tom really hates the service at this place”…”Tom doesn’t really like chocolate desserts all that much.” I think you get the point.

On Wednesday, the nation’s newspaper food section day, Tom hosts a live chat. Every Wednesday at 11am I am glued to my screen and the “F5″ button (it refreshes the page.) I know what restaurants are hot. I know what chefs are leaving, returning or sucking. I know what Tom’s favorite place for sushi is. And, unfortunately, I also know that some lady from Virginia thought her steak came out too rare and was pisted when the chef told her it’d be a waste to overcook a beautiful cut of meat. And other similar complaints about etiquette, tipping and surprise ingredients.

I do not however, know what Tom looks like, as he is an allusive figure, roaming the District in costume, dining in secret. Maybe that’s why I love him so.

This is the first in a series of many, highlighting the funny, absurd and enlightening from Tom’s chats. Full transcript here.

Post jump: Ask Tom, Answer Gansie

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Somehow, this avocado hasn’t been eaten yet.

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