Food, cooking, eating, and me

I switched to vodka when I was no longer able to drink beer and then discovered that wine was making my feet swell up, too. For a while this went ok, but eventually I found a brand of vodka that clearly was bothering me, and I decided to switch from grain-based vodkas to potato-based vodkas.

Previously I had drunk (and enjoyed) Luksosova, but this doesn’t seem to be available in Maine. What I did find at the local supermarket was Cold River brand potato vodka, made in Maine. Cool! I thought to myself. I bought a bottle ($21.99), and feeling flush, also bought Ciroc (France, grape, $26.99) and Vikingsfjord (Norway, potato, $10.99). Vodka-tasting time!

The Cold River vodka was twice-distilled. It was really harsh. I had to use it as a mixer. Ciroc was good, but it didn’t taste like vodka. (Since then I have acquired a boyfriend who is a bartender. He has a very low opinion of Ciroc.) But the real winner was the Vikingfjord. It was absolutely stunning, and the best-priced as well.

Then, passing through Vermont, we located two vodkas made by Vermont Spirits:

• Gold – from maple syrup
• White – from milk sugar

The gold has a delicate maple aroma and aftertaste. The white was interesting, too (had some in Simon Pearce), but for the price we only bought the one bottle.

If money was no object, I’d buy both regularly. For now, an occasional treat when I’m feeling wealthy. But otherwise, it’s Vikingfjord all the way.

Today I woke up with a bit of tummy upset, and thought it would be nice to make some rice batter waffles. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the cheap little Belgian waffle iron I had used most recently. I brought up the old-fashioned one from the basement, but the grids need to soak and be scrubbed with a wire brush (not teflon).

But there was a never-been-used ebleskiver pan looking at me on the kitchen shelf. I thought about someone’s blog entry I recently read describing the ebleskiver pan (which apparently had been promoted during the 70’s as a device to make round rather than flat pancakes) as one of the 10 worst inventions of all time. In fact, the writer described the resulting pastry in words we will not use here, labeling himself as someone who has never tried anything new in his life that wasn’t junk food. So, without further ado, the ebleskiver pan:

I whipped up some batter

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• enough water to make a spoonable (rather than pourable) batter

Then I heated the pan, brushed the wells with butter, scooped in some batter, and cooked. I tossed the first batch in powdered sugar, and they were ok. I ate them all—well of course I did, I was hungry.

The next batch came out and I thought that they might be better with a little jam in them. So Isplit them and spread in a little dab of black raspberry jam before the powdered sugar. I ate one, and it was an epiphany of a food experience. I realized that this would be not only good enough to write about (and I’m trying to be a good girl and post regularly), but they would be photogenic enough to try to take pictures of them with my nice new camera.

After taking the photos, I wolfed down the rest of them. Oh, my! One of those photos came out great! Click the last photo for a link to the full-sized original.

Boiled nuts help protect against illness

A research study has shown that boiled peanuts are much better for you than roasted or raw ones. Their “phytochemicals have antioxidant qualities that protect cells against the risk of degenerative diseases, including cancers, diabetes and heart disease.” For some reason boiling them makes more of these chemicals available to the body.

Back when I used to drive down to Florida every year, I would stop at roadside stands and buy containers of freshly boiled peanuts. Most Northerners have never tried them. You can’t even buy raw peanuts in the shell up here, as you can down South.

But don’t put them into the “Ew!” category. Shelled raw peanuts are readily available, and they make a great addition to soups and veggie stews. Also, if you blend them with some water until smooth, they make a creamy thickener that can take the place of dairy and flour, for a filling vegan “cream” soup.

The only drawback is, yes, the allergy thing. But if you’re not allergic, go ahead and try them out. I’ll come up with a recipe or two soon.