Le fondue, and sushi in the desert

I like fondue, and will eat it every chance I get. What else can I say? So me, The Mister, and his childhood friend went out to The Melting Pot. I ordered an extra cheese portion for the table to ensure there’d be enough to go around, and I found a lovely Sauvignon Blanc to search for at home. Fruity, juicy, mouth-watering acidity, just how I like them.

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I’ve come to the conclusion that in most any civilized place these days, you can get the exact same Mexican food and the exact same sushi. Not saying there’s anything wrong with strong margaritas, boisterous music, and cheese-drenched enchiladas. And I love a good California roll and a miso soup regardless of the state I’m in. But I was hoping, especially for the Mexican food, for something a tad more authentic. The margarita was quite nice, though, and the company was spectacular.

Dining at Disneyland

We had a marvelous, spontaneous lunch at the Grand Californian Hotel’s, Storytellers Café. It’s not the uber-fancy restaurant at that hotel, so the prices were pretty decent. The styling was elegant, but relaxed. Green, and marble, but warmed up by some wood accents. The floor carpet was all letters and trains. A great place for both kids and adults to enjoy.

The food was fabulous. I had a simple soup and salad, but it was so flavorful and fresh that it was just lovely. My one beef with the vegetable soup is the menu said the veggies were to be “fire roasted,” but there was no roastiness to be seen or tasted in the soup. But, they floated a goat-cheese smeared crouton on top, so all is forgiven. The salad had bits of hard cheddar, and crunchy things that made it a taste and texture sensation.

Oh, and they had our anniversary wine. The Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee, a sparkling wine bottled just for Disney. Lightly sweet, but not cloyingly so.

It is my very favorite champagne.

We went in the mid-afternoon, so the restaurant was very quiet. Also, going outside the park to eat, where it was nearly deserted, was a wonderful idea. No ticket needed to eat there. I highly suggest getting to the Grand Californian to look around and eat at the Storyteller’s Café if you get a chance.

My other meal at Disney was not quite as good. We lucked out and got walk-in tables at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant in the Pirates of the Carribean ride. So, it’s all decked out like you are on the banks of the Missisippi in New Orleans at the turn of the century at dusk. Nice ambience.

The filet itself was fine. Cooked properly. But the béarnaise, dear god, the béarnaise. I didn’t mention this to my dining companions, because I didn’t want to offend them, but the béarnaise tasted like it had been made with, not butter, but yellow paint.

Blech.

I ate around the béarnaise and otherwise enjoyed the steak and potatoes, but I was sorely disappointed about the butter sauce.

Burgers for breakfast

Having never really been west of St. Louis, I had never had an In & Out Burger. So that was something on the “to do” list for our trip. Due to our packed schedule, the only time we could make it to In & Out Burger was for breakfast. Well…I was disappointed in my first In & Out Burger. Needed more salt, or more sauce, or something. I regret to inform you that I was too chicken to order it “Animal Style.”

The burgers I had at Hi Life were much better. The meat itself wasn’t as primo as the In & Out, but the thousand island was much better, and the bun was soft, fresh and sweet.

Ah, California.

Went to California for 8 days. It was lovely. I really wasn’t in California for an uber-culinary experience. I was there to relax and have a good time, which I did. For once, meals were secondary.

Nevertheless, there was some good food, good times and good memories. Over the next week or so I’ll be rolling out several short posts.

Here's the first.

Dodger Dog and Blinky Beer
The first thing I ate when in LA was a Dodger Dog and beer from a hard plastic pilsner that pulsated blue light. It was touristy, overpriced, and delicious.

Uses for Pesto, part 2

Update: Was on vacation in California. Food review of that trip forthcoming.

3. My garlic scape pesto is so concentrated with garlic flavoring that it's a great add-in when you need to, er, OK, I'll say it, kick it up a notch. Bonus: The scape pesto does not have a pronounced herby flavor like basil- or parsley-based pesto does.

I've used the pesto to enliven a bowl of canned tomato soup, to mix with sour cream for a chip dip, and as a topping for gaspacho.

4. Use it to make garlic bread.

5. Condiment for prime rib or other steak, instead of horseradish.

6. Add a little more olive oil, and use as green cocktail sauce.

It's good stuff. Next year, if you see those wierd curly-Q stalks at the farmer's market, dig out your food processor and give garlic scape pesto a try.

Uses for Pesto: Part 1

These aren't recipes. Too easy, too much room for experimentation.
1. Alfredo noodles done al dente, with a few tablespoons of pesto mixed in. No meat need apply.

2. Good quality crusty bread-French, Italian, or sub sandwich bread. Spread one side thickly with pesto, then top with good mozarella. The kind you slice yourself, that comes in globes, not bricks. Slice tomatoes thinly, place on other side. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Bring two sides together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Weight down sandwich for 10 minutes, or let it sit for an hour. Unwrap and eat.

Garlic Scape Pesto

The key to a really good pesto isn’t the freshness of the ingredients or the ratio of oil to nuts to cheese.

It’s a food processor.

Now, I’m sure that a large part of the reason that last night’s garlic scape pesto was so amazing was because the garlic scapes were locally and organically grown, the parmesan was real parmesan, and the olive oil was grown on a small family farm in Lebanon.

But the food processor was what allowed everything to come together quickly and homogeneously.

I tried to make pesto last year with my blender. Bad idea. The blades couldn’t stand up to the crunchy, chunky ingredients. And it made everything taste bitter. In fact, it was inedible, no matter how much parmesan I added into it at the end.

And as much as I like “slow” food, I wasn’t going to try the mortar and pestle.

If you’re going to make pesto, folks, a food processor is essential. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Now, onto the recipe.

Garlic Scape Pesto
A garlic scape is the shoot of a garlic plant which is cut off in early spring so that the garlic bulb will grow better. It’s kind of like a cross between a chive and a stalk of asparagus. It’s got a strong garlic flavor but is not as harsh as a clove of garlic. The scape season is pretty short, but they last pretty much forever if kept in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

A arge bunch of garlic scapes
about a cup of olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
two large handfuls of almonds
1/2 cup (at least) grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the ends of the garlic scapes. Make sure to remove the flowering end to avoid bitterness. Roughly chop scapes into 2 inch pieces or so.
Add scapes, almonds, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to food processor. Run processor until mixture is more or less uniform. While processor is running, drizzle in oil in a fine stream. Keep drizzling until the mixture starts to become more liquid and turns a lighter green in color. Stop the processor occasionally and check for thickness. Because the garlic scapes are tougher than, say, basil, this mixture will never be as smooth in texture as regular pesto. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Fold in grated Parmesan. Keeps about a week in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

If freezing, don't add the cheese. Put into freezer-safe container, and add a little bit of oil to seal the top. After thawing, add the cheese just before serving. (Cheese doesn't do well being frozen).

Expect some pesto recipes from me the rest of the week. I've got about 2 cups of pesto to use up, so we'll see what I can do.