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by gansie

Follow the Leader: It’s All in the Twirl

Last summer I snagged an invite to a Bon Appetit book signing party for their 770-page Fast Easy Fresh. While juggling Sweetgreen‘s froyo in one hand, a glass of wine in another, and this book in between my arm and my boob, I made my way over to Barbara Fairchild for a signature. We briefly chatted about my oven’s inability to keep heat and then I was off, lugging this book back to my apartment, wondering where to fit this thick, heavy dead tree.

And that was the last time I touched the book. Until Monday’s dinner. I pulled Bon App and Gourmet’s March 2009 mags, plus this monster.

I had one ingredient in mind: parsnips. Ever since my pizza laced with parsnips, I’ve been wanting to cook them myself. Fast Easy Fresh had one parsnip recipe. It was bullshit.

It told me to peel the parsnips, cut them, season with oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 35 minutes. HOW IS THAT A RECIPE. That is crap. That is not interesting. That is not creative. It is not worthy of half a page. Bon App – I turn to you for inspiration. I could have found this on some generic Cooks.com site.

I roasted them anyway, cut in coins, with the addition of Herbs de Provence. But this was only part of my ad hoc meal. And actually the least important.

by gansie

Making Your Boyfriend Jealous

I know, we’re all sick of cheating for this week. Not only did we explain our cheating methods, but I had to get all Ombudsman and try to represent the feelings of the commenters on the subject.

Well, it just so happens I have a cheating vs. non-cheating story. But instead of parsing ingredients, this story actually ends in a delicious recipe.

And, how fun are the Warhol pasta pictures!

in Cheese / Recipe 1 comments

by gansie

Ombudsman: Degrees of Cheating

Earlier this week, BS wrote the post, “Classy Cheating Confessions,” about foods that automatically turn an eh dish into an awesome dish. Endless Simmer defines cheating liberally, and allows for multiple variations and degrees of usage. Some of the commenters on that post chimmed in about their “classy cheating confessions,” as prompted by BS:

Have classy cheating confessions of your own? What stand-by ingredients do you rely on to save a dish?

Commenter Tim, however, disagreed with our calling anchovy paste, truffle oil and ajvar cheating ingredients:

I still don’t see eye to eye with you all on this (surprise!). I don’t think of any of these as cheating. They’re just ingredients. Buying pre-made garlic bread in the freezer section, now that’s cheating! Buying pre-made anything in the freezer section – cheating! But truffle oil, anchovy paste, and prepared horseradish are, in my view, legitimate, delicious ingredients. This is all very subjective, but I think you can give yourselves a break!

Tim makes a good point. Utterly fantastic ingredients are just that: utterly fantastic ingredients. But what takes an ingredient into cheating mode?

in Rants & Raves 6 comments

by gansie

Artsy Photo of the Day

This is what happens when you follow directions.

Peanut Butter Cookie with Salted Peanut Caramel [David Lebovitz]

[Photo from ES reader westcoast]

in Desserts / Photos 0 comments

by gansie

Wanted

Can you tell stories?

Can you swear?

Can you get pisted about things like lettuce served under buffalo wings?

Can you cook?

Can you dedicate some time to Endless Simmer?

If you’ve got something to say about food, drinks, food TV, food-like products, or really anything even remotely food-related, holler at us. We’re always looking to add some new voices to the ES stew. As you may have noticed, we’re doing this for the love, not the money, so unfortunately there’s no pay. But you do get the chance to put your words in front of thousands of hungry readers every day. Interested in joining the team? Shoot us an email (info@endlesssimmer.com) with your first post.

(Photo: The Hamster Factor)

in Personal 4 comments

by gansie

Look What the March Brought In

I actually went through with it. I proclaimed that I would get my (hungover) ass to the Dupont Farmers Market and with a few nudging texts from friend, westcoast, I made it. What I didn’t realize during my original proclamation was that it would be stinkin beautiful in DC and all of the hibernating foodies in the city would also make the trek to the market. That wouldn’t have been an issue had we not arrived at the market only 30 minutes before closing. (One day I will start a farmers market that opens at 11 am and closes at 4 pm.)

Here’s what March looks like at the farmers market.

Celeb sighting! Recent James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Chef, Jose Andres of Minibar, also hits up the late-shift at the market.

I’ve been wondering what I’d find in early March. We’re about 6 weeks from the first asparagus stalks and ramps, right? So here we are with months-old apples. I tried a sample slice: sweet, juicy and a tinge mealy. We didn’t buy any.

There were sweet potatoes.

Lots and lots of sweet potatoes.

in Celebs / Photos / Veggie 3 comments

by gansie

Parsnips are the New Prozac

I’m cranky. Yea, I’m cranky. That’s what it is. It’s been a cold (but, I have to admit, awesomely snowy) winter. And a long winter. It’s March and I’m still cold.

I haven’t cooked anything worth a fucking dime. And I hate that expression. But it’s true. Sure, I’ve discovered cottage cheese and smoked whitefish, but then what?

Nothing.

I need the summer’s farmers market. I need to be surrounded with tomatoes and eggplants and zucchinis. I need spring.

While the warmth won’t be coming for many more weeks, I did find something to keep me happy about the abundance of root vegetables. And it was at my neighborhood pizza place. I know, weird.

in Cheese / Trends / Veggie 9 comments