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Teaching and Tasting in Tucson


Kerry Beal

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So yesterday I spent a good part of the day making my way to Tucson Arizona to spend a couple of days teaching chocolate.

Patty - the woman who wants teaching - came up to Canada and spent a day with me in September and decided that she needed to learn more. So I've come down here with a bunch of molds and such to help her out.

She doesn't cook - which means there will be a combination of meals out and whatever I prepare which might prove interesting in a kitchen that isn't stocked for a cook - however looks like she has a nice liquor collection! Oh yeah - and an orange tree in the back yard.

So I arrived in the early afternoon - I've been following a jet lag program over the last couple of days to minimize the disturbance to my brain with travel - and it involves in part manipulating your meals. So on Saturday I ate a low calorie but high protein breakfast and lunch, and a low calorie but high carb dinner. I have only be able to have caffeine between 3 and 4:30 in the afternoon (perhaps that was why Friday was a grouchy day!).

So yesterday I had to be on the road at 5 am - and I worked on 3 cups of black coffee before 11 am. I survived! It was a high calorie day on the jet lag program - so I had brought along a bunch of nice salami and cheeses to munch at breakfast Tucson time - good thing - cause on two flights they didn't feed me as much as a bag of peanuts! For lunch I ate the filling from a Reuben at the Denver airport. Didn't think corned beef could be tough - wrong!

Dinner needed to be high calorie and high carb so it seemed like a good time to hit my first mexican restaurant in Tucson - I have with me a list of eG approved places - but top of my list is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The son of the woman I'm teaching suggested one of his favourite more casual places (his tastes seemed to line up with the eG list which was good).

So off we headed to Rosa's .

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To start the obligatory chips with a nice picante salsa.

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Bean burrito for me.

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And a very cheesy chili rellenos for Patty.

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Lovely warm weather for you.

I can't tell you anywhere to eat in Tucson, but if you have the time, the Desert Museum is one of the best places to visit. You can see a Boojum tree which looks as weird as its name. And the White Dove of the Desert Catholic Mission is not to be missed.

Have a great time. Bring back some Epazote if you can so at least one Northerner will have some.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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We lived in Tucson for a number of years and found it a delightful place. One "must do" that I'd recommend to you is the Arizona Inn. It's a historic old hotel in a lovely area. I realize you don't need a place to stay, but I definitely recommend you take an afternoon and go eat in its restaurant and wander the grounds a bit.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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There are some very good restaurants in Tucson. On our annual February visit we always go at least once to Cafe Poca Cosa. And always order the chef's choice Plato - a generous selection of three items from the daily menu. Mexican with a contemporary twist. Highly recommended.

The Dish is good too. Shares space with a good wine and liquor store called the Rumrunner and you can buy wine at retail and drink it in the restaurant with low corkage. Plaza Liquor is another well stocked shop.

In the university area the Time Market has an interesting selection of condiments, chocolate,salsas and other ingredients as well as pizza and other prepared food.

With 6 inches of snow on the ground here in Calgary I can't wait til the end of January when we are headed south too!!

Llyn Strelau

Calgary, Alberta

Canada

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I'd also strongly suggest you go with the Chef's Choice at Cafe Poca Cosa.

But for another singularly Tucsonion experience, take the short drive out to Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and have a meal in their dining room. That's also a good place for celeb spotting as they often entertain the rich and famous that are trying to get away from it all. Once, years ago, I saw Paul McCartney there.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Agreed with everyone telling you to do the chef's choice at Poca Cosa. And definitely don't miss the Desert Museum. Last time I visited my sister, the whole famiy enjoyed the botanical garden as well.

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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on second thought:

next time you go Tex-Mex look for this:

a carnita burrito "wet"

ask for the carnita to be on the crispy side,

the 'wet' will be a green salsa over the top with tex.mex cheese. melted.

then you go to the Salsa bar and slather Pico over that green cartina and then get two ice cold negra modelos

thats it. youre set.

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So today was a rather late start for chocolate - early start for me - I was up and around at 5, Patti didn't get out of bed until closer to 10. By the time we got started on chocolate it was closer to 11. Got lots of my book read though!

So today was molding -

Some figural molds as well as some plates of molds.

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A fine mess was made.

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Lunch was had quite late in the day the the golf club that Patti's home backs on to. It was myself, Patti and her daughter and we shared a prime rib sandwich, sliders and calamari.

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Edited by Kerry Beal (log)
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Dinner tonight - Mexican again - you can never have too much Mexican when you are in an area where it is done well.

Mosaic Cafe DOS. A small cafe, they make their own tortillas.

Of course the obligatory bowl of chips and salsa.

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The deluxe Sonora cheese crisp - tortilla with cheese and toppings.

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Patti and her daughter each had the chicken tortilla soup.

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For me it was the Cazuela - soup with potatoes, green chilis and shredded beef.

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Comes with fresh warm wonderfully lardy tasting tortillas.

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So the last thing we made yesterday was some bark. We had picked up some candycanes which turned out to be cherry which kinda sucks - so Patti's daughter smashed up some candies in the food processor that had been serving as a decoration for about a year in the living room. A bit mushy when done but at least mint flavoured.

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Patti's daughter started bedazzling a few things today - this is a ganache filled bonbon that she put on a stick, dipped in tempered chocolate then rolled in sugar.

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Bedazzling Santa didn't go so well - initially when it was just his hat it looked pretty good - but then she got a lot of fingerprints on him so decided he needed other parts covered.

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Gotta admit these look great - and I know the gold leaf is edible - but I'm pretty sure the copper isn't!

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Frogs

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Golf balls - upslope of the learning curve getting this mold sorted.

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Almond and dried cherry bark

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Truffle pops all wrapped

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So it's almost 2pm - I haven't been fed and I'm considering eating the dog. Need to see if I can get Patti out of her house coat and into the car so I can rectify this situation.

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So by the time we left the house it was 2:45 - made our way to the recommended Wildflower restaurant. I was past making decisions but I did see mussels on the menu so grabbed at the first thing I saw.

It was a good choice.

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Patti's daughter (I really should figure out what her name is) chose the grilled artichoke with a truffle oil aioli I think.

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And Patti the pastrami panini.

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From here we went to the post office to mail off a little something to another eG'er, then visited a chocolate shop that Patti wanted me to see. Well of course I got talking to the owner who turns out to be another eG'er. I had a lovely visit with her - need to track down her eG ID in order to invite her to the conference in March.

I fear I might not get dinner tonight as it's already so late and these girls apparently are still full a day after they've eaten a lot the night before. Damn - cause I really want to hit Casa Poca Cosa since it's finally open today and I'm heading home really early tomorrow am.

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Welcome to the Old Pueblo, my new home town. Sorry it is such terrible weather in Tucson right now--it is usually so gorgeous.

Had I known you were here I would have arranged to take you along to eat with us.

I was hoping I'd go home with a tan - ended up more worried I'd drown.

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So I'm a bit of a food Nazi - I insisted on dinner! Off we went to the J-Bar at La Paloma. We arrived well after 8:30 at night - certainly not a time I'm accustomed to be eating.

Started with the chips and guacamole.

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Followed by squash soup with chili popcorn for Patti.

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And for me - the roasted butternut squash and smoked mushroom tamales in yucca root masa, with tomatillo salsa, green rice and frijoles de la olla.

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A very satisfactory meal - albeit a bit much on the stomach that late at night - if only I could stop myself from eating all the tortillas - those are what call out to me the most.

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Glad you got dinner! Maybe you can come back to Tucson for a master class and get to Poca Cosa and other spots.

J-bar looks great. I haven't eaten at any of Janos Wilder's places since he closed his first place in the Bario years ago. I still have fond memories of my first meals there. A brilliant chef with elegant and creative interpretations of SW food.

Will have to go out to La Paloma in February.

Llyn Strelau

Calgary, Alberta

Canada

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kerry - can you describe the taste and texture of the yucca root masa tamale? Was it a blend of the yucca and corn as the image looks like there is the corn grittiness. Yucca root is comfort food to me, so this sounds intriguing.

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kerry - can you describe the taste and texture of the yucca root masa tamale? Was it a blend of the yucca and corn as the image looks like there is the corn grittiness. Yucca root is comfort food to me, so this sounds intriguing.

I haven't eaten a ton of tamales in my life to compare to - but I think it might have been a blend with corn because there was some grittiness to it. Nicer then most tamale doughs I've had.

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So last day of my report. I was awake quite late after our late dinner - but was woken very early by daughter making some molded spheres. The banging of molds on stone counters and the microwave - between the door slamming and the timer beeping was not conducive to sleep. I needed to get up in time to leave for the airport by 4:50 - I was up much earlier than that!

When we returned from dinner last night we discovered she had quite thoroughly painted the half sphere mold with ALL the colours that I had brought - she hadn't been around when I was explaining that you half melt the colours so they aren't too warm - so I was worried that there was going to be a problem with flaking - but I think the layer was so thick that it kind of tempered itself. She glued two spheres together to make 'alleys' to bag for some kids. By the morning she had packaged all the stuff we'd made, each bark had a turtle in the package, everything had bows and ruffles. I envy the people who can phoof packages - not a skill I possess.

Airport shuttle didn't show up - so we had to make a last minute mad dash to the airport. Got a call from the shuttle company about 5 minutes before I should have arrived at the airport to say they had never booked the reservation - funny how they had been able to give me a confirmation number and charge my credit card! Nearly missed the flight when my credit card was rejected - hopefully not because the shuttle company compromised it.

Arrived in Denver airport at breakfast time -

Keeping with the mexican theme I went to the Cantina Grill and ordered what they call Huevos rancheros - scrambled egg with stuff - not quite what I associate with the name - but still filled the gaping void.

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I had enough time to check out their rather sad selection of duty free - all very standard stuff, easy to obtain in Canada and while reasonably well priced - didn't seem worth the wear and tear on my back carrying it home.

Nice tail winds between Denver and Toronto got us here in just over two hours, but the delays in customs were record breaking - first time I've used the Nexus card in the airport - glad I wasn't over my booze allowance so I could take advantage of it.

So back home to a nice salami with mustard on bavarian sandwich bread.

So ends my adventure in Tucson - while I still want to hit Poca Cosa don't know if I'd survive the master class.

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....

Keeping with the mexican theme I went to the Cantina Grill and ordered what they call Huevos rancheros - scrambled egg with stuff - not quite what I associate with the name - but still filled the gaping void.

....

At last, something I think I could dig into. :smile: Reminds me of bibimbap for some reason. I would have made a miserable dining companion in Tucson I suspect. Much as I want to love this Southwestern/Mexican cuisine I would have been begging for Japanese/Thai/Vietnamese or maybe even, horror of horrors, a Big Mac. :shock:

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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....

Keeping with the mexican theme I went to the Cantina Grill and ordered what they call Huevos rancheros - scrambled egg with stuff - not quite what I associate with the name - but still filled the gaping void.

....

At last, something I think I could dig into. :smile: Reminds me of bibimbap for some reason. I would have made a miserable dining companion in Tucson I suspect. Much as I want to love this Southwestern/Mexican cuisine I would have been begging for Japanese/Thai/Vietnamese or maybe even, horror of horrors, a Big Mac. :shock:

Sorry, but I can't help thinking that the only reason you "want to love this Southwestern/Mexican cuisine," but have not yet been able to is because you haven't had an opportunity to give it a good sampling. It's so varied that it's impossible for me to believe that there exists a person on this earth that couldn't find something in it to love, given exposure to the width and depth and best of it. In fact, I read somewhere years ago that Mexico has more different, distinguishable, named dishes/recipes, etc., than anyone else on the planet, save for China.

Unfortunately, so many people think of "Southwestern/Mexican cuisine" to be nothing much other than heavy, yellow-cheese enchiladas.

Which, by the way, people in Mexico don't eat.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Your early-morning airport shuttle experience in Tucson is right up there with my early-morning taxi to the airport experience: we phoned it in the night before, I was waiting at the gate of the apartment complex in plenty of time, the cab didn't show, and when I called them, they told me that "nobody picked it up." I wound up having to wake my sister up at 4:45 to drive me to the airport, which was exactly what I didn't want to do.

Transit troubles aside, if you get back to Tucson, the Mexican food is terrific. I'll ask my sister the name of the market that she took me shopping to, which was very international and lots of fun to wander through. And glad to see that you found an acceptable breakfast at DIA, since early mornings aren't conducive to eating much of anything!

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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