Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Carpe Diem Eating - The Land Sea and Air Burger

"Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."

Mark Twain

Carpe Diem Eating is about food combinations that shouldn't work but do; food creations that work so well, you're amazed they haven't been done before; and food creations so extravagant and extreme that you owe it to yourself to at least try it once. Today, the focus is on the various customer-created food hacks of the posted menu offerings at certain restaurants, such as...


The Land Sea and Air Burger

Description: This burger is comprised of every McDonald's protein - beef (the Land), fish (the Sea), and chicken (the Air).

Creation: Order a Big Mac, a Filet-O-Fish, and a McChicken. Put the McChicken and Filet-O-Fish patties inside the Big Mac along with however many buns you want, depending on how wide your mouth can open.

Cost: $14.87, plus tax; extra if you order fries with all that.

Comments: Thirty minutes afterward, I felt stuffed and slightly queasy from the tartar sauce - yes, I'm blaming the tartar sauce. Recommended for anyone needing to satisfy a large craving for Mickey D's.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Kick Your Ketchup Up A Notch

Now that the Great Cauliflower Panic has subsided, Canadians are now abuzz about another vegetable, specifically about a product made from it. Thanks to a Facebook post that went viral, and a social media induced reversal of a decision to stop carrying the product in one of the country's largest grocery chains, people can't get enough of French's ketchup. When rival Heinz closed its plant in Ontario in 2014, and French's decided to go into the ketchup business to fill the void, the idea of buying a quality product made with homegrown ingredients, while keeping Canadians working, was made all the more appealing. With Primo Foods now claiming their brand of ketchup is more Canadian than the others on the market, the ketchup one uses is quickly becoming a source of pride, and a badge of honour. For those who need more than nationalism to make their ketchup better, the infographic and recipes below show several ways to upgrade everyone's favourite condiment.

Indian Spiced

120 mL ketchup
40 g onion
14 mL canola oil
2.5 g curry powder
  1. In a small pan, heat the canola oil over medium flame. Add the onion and sauté until browned. 
  2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until blended.
Suggested use: Try it on roasted fingerling potatoes.

Bloody Mary

120 mL ketchup
5 mL Tabasco
5 g prepared horseradish
2.5 g celery salt
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until blended. 
Suggested use: Try it on eggs and home fries.

Mexican

120 mL ketchup
30 mL hot sauce
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until blended. 
Suggested use: Try it on huevos rancheros.

Secret Sauce

75 mL ketchup
75 mL brown mustard
75 mL mayonnaise
3 cornichons (small pickled gherkins), minced
  1. In a medium bowl, fold ketchup, brown mustard, and mayonnaise together using a rubber spatula. 
  2. Add in cornichons and mix until evenly distributed. 
Suggested use: Try it on veggie and beef burgers.

Chipotle Lime

120 mL ketchup
7-ounce can chipotles in adobo, drained
2.5 mL lime juice
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Suggested use: Try it alongside sweet potato fries.

Truffled

120 mL ketchup
30 mL black truffle oil
  1. Pour ketchup and truffle oil into a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. 
Suggested use: Try it alongside roasted potatoes or Tater Tots.

Southern

120 mL ketchup
75 g chopped onions
14 mL canola oil
10 g brown sugar
5 mL liquid smoke
  1. In a small saucepan over a medium flame, heat canola oil. Add onions and sauté until browned. 
  2. Pour onions, ketchup, brown sugar, and liquid smoke into food processor and pulse until onions are mostly (but not completely) pureed. 
Suggested use: Try it on a black bean burger.

Sweet + Sour

120 mL ketchup
60 mL apple cider vinegar
50 g brown sugar
  1. Pour all of the ingredients into a medium bowl, and whisk until thoroughly combined. 
Suggested use: Try it over the top of cooked meatloaf.

Cherry Pepper

120 mL ketchup
113 g pitted halved cherries
1.25 g freshly cracked black pepper
  1. Pour all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. 
Suggested use: Try it as a glaze for grilled chicken.

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHEN WILDISH


Random Thoughts About The I Heart Beer + Taco Festival Tour

The second edition of the two-day  I❤︎ Beer & Taco Festival rolled into Ottawa last weekend. I went to the second of three sessions, the...