How Do You Gild the Lily?

[divalasvegas]

I must admit that I can be at various times a gourmet, gourmand and a glutton (mostly the last two). Many years ago I was introduced to an excess I had never at that time conceived. I was at a meeting in a different part of the country and part of the breakfast menu was cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls and had always enjoyed them back home on many occasions in what I perceived was the "normal way" with a good cup of coffee and that was it. However, a fellow participant in this meeting proceeded to put both butter and cream cheese on his cinnamon rolls. At first I was horrified. But then I tried the butter and took a bite. Then I tried the cream cheese and took a bite. And, horror of horrors, as he had done, I put both the butter and the cream cheese on the cinnamon roll simultaneously and loved it!

Has anyone else ever "gilded the lily?" I've only been a member of eGulltet for a short while, but I have posted a few of "purist" opinions. I'm outing myself now. With certain foods, I will pile on more than the "necessary." For instance, I love Chesapeake Bay steamed crabs. But I, unlike other purists, need to have at my disposal melted butter, Old Bay Seasoning, Tabasco sauce, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and if possible, remoulade sauce in varous combinations. I may not actually even use all of these condiments, but in an OCD kind of way, I need to have them at my disposal. I know, I know, heresy, you say, you purists!

So, to get back to the beginning, exactly how do you gild the lily, if indeed you do?

Edited May 29, 2005 by divalasvegas (log)

[Pookie]

I have been known to put butter and parmesan and spices and salt and pepper on my popcorn.

[Daniel Rogov]

Hah!!!!!! As much as I adore oysters, I never overdo. In fact, like the Duc de Luynes, I consider myself a gentleman when it comes to oysters. When asked why he thought himself worthy of such a title, the good duke responded: "I am a gentleman because I never eat more than sixty oysters at a single sitting". Wise words!!!!

Smiling of course as I write......

[tryska]

a little extra butter is a good thing.

and you can't often go wrong with crumbled bacon.

[godito]

and you can't often go wrong with crumbled bacon.

how can you go wrong with bacon? Anything wrapped in bacon just tastes better. I also agree with ther butter. Almost every sauce I make has some butter added at the end, just for the extra richness.

Oooh oooh! what about bone marrow!

[zilla369]

Today at work I made myself a quick BLT out of the salad station mise: wheatberry bread, roma tomatoes, kosher salt, pepper bacon, romaine.

I took a bite; mmmm. Good. Then I opened it back up and added goat cheese, roquefort crumbles, and a healthy squeeze of reduced balsamic vinegar all over. Now you're talking.

[PurpleDingo99]

The only time I overdo is when Im trying to make a dinner out of leftovers. Green can of parmesan, sausage, cream, eggs, peso, thyme, oregano, pepper, more cheese, garlic.... oh shit!

[bleachboy]

I am a firm -- and I do mean firm -- believer in "enrichment".

Almost nothing doesn't benefit from a tablespoon of butter stirred in at the finish.

[Genny]

Brownies are heavenly on their own. But then add some chocolate chips, rum in the batter & walnuts. Once cooled (if you can wait that long) proceed with the frosting!

One of my favorites:

"Hey, that looks like something a fat kid would eat."

"If you haven't noticed, I am a fat kid."

[divalasvegas]

It's been a pretty stressful day, so I needed to do something silly and mindless.

More "lily gilding."

1. Butter and sour cream on my baked potato.

2. Several condiments on the side of my burger--ketchup, mayo, mustard, steak sauce, etc. to be added in different combos with each bite

3. Cream and butter on oatmeal

4. Chocolate milk made with chocolate syrup and chocolate Ovaltine--the one made with malt--and some ice cream too, if that's around

5. Perfectly innocent soft shell crabs that I just had to stuff with MORE crab before sauteeing

6. Strawberry sundae made with three scoops: vanilla ice cream, strawberry ice cream and strawberry sorbet, covered in sliced strawberries that had mascerated with a little sugar, and a few dollops of strawberry jam, bit of whip cream. Er, did I mention that I really like strawberries?

7. Only as a child, I swear: chocolate milk on my Cocoa Krispies. Okay, okay so maybe I have actually eaten this as an adult but only a couple of times, really.

Any more lily gilding out there?

[windydaze]

I love to make scrambled eggs on the weekend with a little bit of cream added to the beaten eggs and then scrambled in the pan with at least two tablespoons of President butter. The butter makes the eggs taste so creamy and rich. Yum!

[Luckylies]

Only occasionally do I un-gild the lily.

[jennahan]

My husband definitely is a believer in more is better.

His idea of hot chocolate: melt valrhona cooking chocolate, add whole milk (pref unpasteurized), add one large tablespoon of nutella, stir.

[Verjuice]

My husband definitely is a believer in more is better.

His idea of hot chocolate:  melt valrhona cooking chocolate, add whole milk (pref unpasteurized), add one large tablespoon of nutella, stir.

←

In the spirit of gilding the lily, I'll admit to occasional forays into plain and literal hot chocolate: Simply begin as directed above, then promptly delete all steps following the first. Pour warm, melted Valrhona into a warm mug. Swirl of cream optional. Drink deeply.

Very Augustus Gloop, I know.

[mhadam]

two that i can think of....

1. mac and cheese or carbonara topped with grated cheese after plating (mac and cheese is never baked.)

2. candied almonds to my club salad (adds a great sweetness and extra crunch)

[browniebaker]

I butter danishes and croissants. Isn't that gilding the lily?

[NulloModo]

I am all about guilding as well.

Perfect ice cream? Start with butter pecan, add chocolate syrup, honey, granola, crushed up toffee, marshmallows (melted), and whipped cream. (well, now I have to use SF varieties of all of the above, but it is still good)

Nachos? Gotta have chili, lettuce, tomato, refried beans, chopped raw onion, jalepenos, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and tons upon tons of melted cheese. Adding bacon, chicken, fajita meat, avacado slices and a couple other types of cheese never hurts either.

Want to talk about burgers? lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles (lots and lots of pickles), bacon, fried egg (gooey please), cheese, mayo, mustard, hot sauce, and sometimes kimchee and/or sauerkraut

pizza? Ive never gotten the neopolitan ideal, give me cheese stuffed crust, every meat and vegetable imaginable at once, two layers, and slices so loaded up that the crust practically disentegrates. Some blue cheese dressing and hot sauce poured on top is also nice.

miso soup is OK on its own, but it really shines when you swirl an egg into it (While it is boiling so the egg sorta cooks), add a couple tablespoons of cane vinegar, a dash of pepper sauce, and some fresh cracked black pepper on top.

[Marlene]

Butter, syrup and sugar on pancakes.

Butter and syrup on waffles

Butter and sour cream and bacon bits on baked potatoes.

Butter, sour cream and parmesan on pasta

Butter and gravy on mashed potatoes

butter and cream cheese on a toasted english muffin

Butter and peanut butter on toast.

Cream and whipped cream in a Bailey's coffee

Cream and brown sugar on oatmeal

Hmmm, do you think I eat to much butter?

[Toliver]

Butter and syrup on waffles

Butter and sour cream and bacon bits on baked potatoes.

←

I do the same with baked potatoes but I also add avocado.

Butter and gravy on mashed potatoes

butter and cream cheese on a toasted english muffin

Butter and peanut butter on toast.

←

Here I've been guilding the lily all this time and I didn't even know it.

Oh, Saint Mario!

[JEL]

sweet potatoes are a pretty healthy food, baked, and finished over the coals with your steak, chicken, chops or fish...........

toss a spinich salad, loaded with the summers best, and you've got a pretty healthy meal........

unless......

your thinking about how good some melted butter would be on that sweet potato, so you melt some. then you add some brown sugar and nutmeg, just because. it's carmelizing a little, acting quickly you slice a bananna, and a pear into the syrup. not stopping there, you grab some of those toasted pecans, and put theose in too......

turn the damn thing into a candy bar.........

it was great........

[Marlene]

Butter and syrup on waffles

Butter and sour cream and bacon bits on baked potatoes.

←

I do the same with baked potatoes but I also add avocado.

Butter and gravy on mashed potatoes

butter and cream cheese on a toasted english muffin

Butter and peanut butter on toast.

←

Here I've been guilding the lily all this time and I didn't even know it.

Oh, Saint Mario!

←

People are forever telling me it should be one OR the other, not both. I usually just look at them like they've lost their minds.

[peppyre]

sweet potatoes are a pretty healthy food, baked, and finished over the coals with your steak, chicken, chops or fish...........

toss a spinich salad, loaded with the summers best, and you've got a pretty healthy meal........

unless......

your thinking about how good some melted butter would be on that sweet potato, so you melt some.  then you add some brown sugar and nutmeg, just because.  it's carmelizing a little, acting quickly you slice a bananna, and a pear into the syrup.  not stopping there, you grab some of those toasted pecans, and put theose in too......

turn the damn thing into a candy bar.........

it was great........

←

Add some roasted garlic to that and you can pretend that it's healthy again

[Mallet]

dark molasses on vanilla ice cream

[lexy]

dark molasses on vanilla ice cream 

←

ooh, that sounds good. For gilding the lily, I like dark molasses (or golden syrup) with butter on my pancakes. And a snack I've gotten hooked on at work: slice a cinnamon biscuit in half, and give it a quick fry in butter on the grill - tasty!

[Toliver]

Butter and syrup on waffles

Butter and sour cream and bacon bits on baked potatoes.

←

I do the same with baked potatoes but I also add avocado.

Butter and gravy on mashed potatoes

butter and cream cheese on a toasted english muffin

Butter and peanut butter on toast.

←

Here I've been guilding the lily all this time and I didn't even know it.

Oh, Saint Mario!

←

People are forever telling me it should be one OR the other, not both. I usually just look at them like they've lost their minds.

←

Control freaks is what they are.

And I suppose they want us to only color inside the lines, too, and the trees can only be green.