A rare weekend at home after several long weekends out of town (and a week of mid-term exam hell) and, of course, my thoughts turn towards food. It’s Halloween this weekend – quite a big deal for adults by the sounds of the elaborate costumes being planned for weekend parties and workplaces on Monday. Folks also look forward to stuffing themselves full of lollies. There’s some terrifying-looking stuff in stores here called candy corn in the shape of pulled teeth, which is probably exactly what an excess of the stuff does to your choppers. For me, it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in some quality dark chocolate. You can buy Lindt easily enough here, and they’re wrapped in festive autumn-leaves/Halloween motif foil. Other cool new things spotted in stores include pumpkin cheesecake, toasted marshmallow-flavoured jelly beans, apple cider and pumpkin spiced ale.
Had to try out the pumpkin cheesecake for ourselves with our Saturday night roast. Nothing like a homemade meal after an afternoon of tramping through piles of golden leaves in Ann Arbor’s streets, admiring the Halloween decorations in front yards (animated ghosts, tombstones, glowing jack-o-lanterns). We roasted a pork loin in a crust of cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard and black onion seeds, made a gravy with a dash of balsamic vinegar, and roasted some pumpkin cubes in butter to have alongside Gerard’s mash and brussels sprouts. A perfect late autumn dinner, particularly with an interesting French bottle of Kuentz-Bas: a luscious golden blend of Alsatian varieties, including muscat. Great minerality and fruit, and it warmed the cockles of our slightly homesick hearts.
1 comment:
Dear Kimba,
this is Mark calling from planet earth. Jemima showed me for the first time your epicurean and brainiac diary. Can we have less of the brain stuff and more of the stomach stuff. For instance was the pork dish juicy and flavourful? Describe the felicitous nature and texture of the cherry butter in detail. You brushed over the pumpkin cheesecake - very disappointed in your journalistic overview. More please. Starting to get into preserves, chutneys, relishes etc. More info. We all know that Martin Luther King was a great man, what did he like to eat? Have you seen Sideways? I can't decide which character is you and which character is Gerard. I told Jemima tonight about a rose hued Pinot Noir that we must try and she replied "I'm not drinking f***ing merlot" (helps if you've seen sideways). Saw your photo on the blog, it reminded me of a young and nubile Sally Kellerman. This weekend I'm going to attempt to cook bragiole, are there any interesting Italian quarters in Michigan? Did you have money on Makybe Diva. Jemima did and she picked second but the horse me and Bunny picked came second last. This year for the first time on Halloween we bought some treats just in case any of the kids turned up and harassed us at the front door. No one turned up, we ate the treats. Unfortunately your mint has died and the rosemary becaue I think it was a victim of Puddin's sulphuric urine. Luckily he didn't piss on the lemongrass which is getting near high as an elephant's eye. Back in 1988 I went to America for the first time, New York to be precise and it's reined me in a good way for the rest of my life. Consider yourself ruined. Love Bunny, Kimba, Puddin, Miss X, Jemima & Mark - not necessarily in that order. PS This comment was typed out by Jemima recited by Mark in a stream of consciousness, not unlike Jack Kerouac. Amen
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