eG Foodblog: Susan in FL - Food and Drink Celebrations

[Susan in FL]

The birthday man decided that he wanted the risotto and duck to be separate courses. By the way, he appreciated all the kind birthday wishes. Thank you! The choice was duck breasts, and we had none on hand. For them, I would have had to travel at least an hour to find them, so we did what we have begun to do when we haven't got any. Publix (yes, Where Shopping Is A Pleasure ) carries whole ducks, so we buy one and Russ butchers it. We saved the leg-thigh pieces for a dish for another dinner, and we will make stock out of the rest of it. We saved the fat we rendered and are accumulating quite a bit of duck fat. What we have in mind to do is save enough in the freezer until we can deep-fry homemade French fries.

Meanwhile, we had the first course of risotto with crabmeat and basil, and a bottle of J. Lohr Chardonnay. By this time it was dark, of course.

Often, this time of year, dinner is timed with the setting of the sun. Though we can't see the actual sun because of the trees in our yard, it does make for some nice scenery at dinner, and we enjoy watching the blue transform into pink Florida sky this time of night. I did take some pictures of what would have been our view at dinner if we had eaten about 45 minutes earlier. Michael, this is part of the answer to your question of what makes dining on our porch a special experience for us.

[Susan in FL]

We had done some prepping ahead, and after eating the risotto, Russ pan-roasted the duck breasts. I finished the sauce, which was a cherry and shiitake mushroom sauce, and blanched some zucchini and dressed it with a splash of grapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar. I used a little verjuice in this reduction sauce. It was part of my iGourmet order, and the first time I have used verjuice. I'm not sure if that was the "secret ingredient" giving it a special touch or what... but the sauce was sooooo delicious, as was the duck. Russ cooked it perfectly done, and full of flavor. Wine was Muirwood Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir.

His birthday cake was a surprise for him, and was not actually a cake. It's one of his favorites, chocolate truffle loaf with raspberry sauce. That was our late night dessert, with espresso and Strega.

Note our elaborate, state-of-the-art espresso machine.

[Chufi]

everything looks beautiful, what a wonderful birthdaydinner! There's something strangely soothing in watching you cook together and enjoy the food and wine on that lovely porch. Very romantic, too..

I'm interested in the chocolate truffle dessert.. is it like a semifreddo, or an actual cake (made with flour?)

[bleudauvergne]

Wow the duck looks delicious, Susan. I sometimes like to put a bit of cassis in the sauce. Did you eat a whole breast each or did you have some leftover?

[Jinmyo]

Susan, I've just noticed your foodblog today. And look forward to the unfolding of the following days of words and pictures.

[little ms foodie]

Susan what is Strega??

I think we have the same dessert glasses? Riedel tulips?

Gorgeous duck! Maybe you will think about doing the legs as confit?

[Smithy]

The birthday man decided that he wanted the risotto and duck to be separate courses.  By the way, he appreciated all the kind birthday wishes.  Thank you!  The choice was duck breasts, and we had none on hand.  For them, I would have had to travel at least an hour to find them, so we did what we have begun to do when we haven't got any.  Publix (yes, where Shopping Is A Pleasure  ) carries whole ducks, so we buy one and Russ butchers it.  We saved the leg-thigh pieces for a dish for another dinner, and we will make stock out of the rest of it.  We saved the fat we rendered and are accumulating quite a bit of duck fat.  What we have in mind to do is save enough in the freezer until we can deep-fry homemade French fries. 

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Whole ducks! Lucky you!

Remember to save some of that duck fat and those duck thighs and legs for duck confit, followed if you wish by cassoulet. Then you can make us drool with even more lovely pictures.

[Susan in FL]

Susan, what did the move to Florida mean for you, food-wise? What did you leave behind and miss? What did you gain and love?

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I knew that moving to Florida would mean changes in regard to food, and for the most part I looked forward to the changes. I left behind some fresh foods (most noteworthy, homegrown or locally grown vegetables), availability of certain ingredients, and good beer selection. I gained different fresh foods. Though it is growing season during most months of the year in Florida, the vegetables aren't as good as during the short growing season up north, and there is more focus on fruits in the produce markets. We think Florida-grown tomatoes suck and anticipated that, from vacationing here for years before we moved. We believe there are no tomatoes as good as those grown in New Jersey. What surprises me is that corn is not nearly as good. Then again, up there corn fields and other vegetables were grown all over. Here, the state is large and we don't live in a farming community, so that explains some of it.

Seafood... again the same only different. There is more selection here, but the crabs, clams, and oysters aren't quite as good. Sometimes we think that the cleaner water here doesn't help the flavor as much as the polluted water up north did. We can get just-caught fish more easily here, so we eat more fish. Last but not least, the change we love the most is the shrimp. It's locally caught, fresh, and delicious. I usually see the shrimp boats when I take walks on the beach, and I'll take some pictures if I see any this week. There were none out there yesterday morning; the ocean was too rough and restless from the storms at sea.

I miss the availability of good cheese locally -- cheese that is of utmost quality, has been taken care of, and is sold by someone who know, loves, and appreciates good cheese. If you are a cheese lover and have such a source, you probably know what I mean. I could find a good source in Orlando, but I don't like the drive over and the traffic. Besides iGourmet, I order cheese from DiBruno Bros. in Philly and Marky's in Miami.

We eat more tropical-style foods now, and use more chilis and Cuban/Mexican/Latino ingredients. We used not to enjoy fruits in dishes, along with meat and the like, but now we do and often have a salsa with fruit as part of the meal. That might be the biggest change in our taste.

What sort of food is 'regional cuisine' where you are? (Pardon this Canadian's total ignorance of all things Floridian ) Is there a lot of influence from Carribbean immigrants, or is Florida food more in the tradition of other southern states?

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Maybe the regional cuisine could best be described as "Floribbean." There is much more influence from the Carribbean than the south -- at least that is true for the food we eat at home and in restaurants. I'm sure there are many Floridians who eat southern-style and home-style, so to speak, but for the most part Florida is not thought of as a southern state. Food-wise, I can think of two exceptions to that notion of southern influence, grits (with seafood, especially shrimp) and ribs. There are probably five rib restaurants within a three mile radius of our house!

No pardon necessary for any ignorance of anything Floridian... Florida in a lot of ways is in a world of its own, and in some ways pretty weird.

I have a question Susan 

I have followed your dinners since I joined EGullet.. and I think your cooking has a very distinctive style..

I was wondering if you would like to tell us a bit more about that.. How did you develop your style of cooking, has it changed much over the years, and how did the move to Florida contribute to this? Not a question to answer in a couple of words, I understand, but maybe you would like to share some musings on this with us..

edited to add: just scrolled up and saw Chris' question.. ah well that makes it easier for you Susan! 2 questions = only one!

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My style of cooking..... I'm not sure what it is. Distinctive, thanks, I think that's a compliment. Any feedback to help me learn how to describe it would be greatly appreciated, in fact. Sometimes when people find out I'm so passionate about food and cooking, I'm asked what kind of food I cook. I've never been sure how to answer that. I cook good food! LOL, that just reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw in the bank parking lot yesterday. It said, "My tastes are simple; I love the best."

Anyway, my style has developed and expanded gradually over the years by being creative, trying as many new things as possible, and keeping a variety going all the time. There are very few dishes we repeat the same way twice or eat again within a short period of time. I am self-taught. I learned along the way by observing others, including my family when I was a kid. My parents were great cooks and loved food, and just about everything was centered around food, but they did not "teach" us about food or how to cook. I did get some Italian influence from my dad's family.

Susan, I know from your many photos on the Dinner thread that you and your husband often have your meals on the porch, an experience that is pretty foreign to a terraceless urban apartment-dweller like me. Perhaps you'd like to say a little about what makes that experience special for you. And what are those beautiful flowers in this picture?

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Those beautiful flowers are Mexican Bluebells, I thought. However, I just did a search to find out for sure, and didn't come up with anything that looks like these. I enjoy them so much in the morning, looking at the the blossoms when drinking coffee or eating breakfast or brunch. By dinner time, all of the spectacular blue blossoms have fallen off.

I already mentioned a bit about enjoying the view, as a special part of porch dining. It's being outdoors, enjoying the beauty of the environment, breathing the fresh air, hearing the birds sing (and the insects SCREAM during a certain few minutes every night)... Where's Rachel? She can put it in such poetic words.

Ah yes, the proverbial "Florida room" ... or at least my dad's generation used to call screened-in porches by that name ...

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I've heard that, but some folks describe a Florida room as like a porch that has been given glass enclosure. I'm not sure.

Yay, a Florida blog.  I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and Publix( where shopping is a pleasure) is my familys favorite market.  My BIL even works for them.

We'll be coming to FL next month so this is a nice preview.  Do you get a lot of great seafood? 

Do they still let people drive on the beach?  I remember as a child being fascinated by that.

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I do love Publix. Cool that your BIL works for them. Are they a good company to work for? It surely is where shopping is a pleasure, as the slogan goes.

As I've mentioned, we do get a lot of great seafood. Hopefully, I'll get a picture of one of our favorite seafood markets, Hull's in Ormond Beach.

We do drive on the beach. There are spots where driving is prohibited, to protect the turtles and all, which is good. It's a controversial topic among local politicians and talk radio, but I think it's good the way it is. Having some places to drive and other places to protect and save provides the best of both worlds.

[CaliPoutine]

The birthday man decided that he wanted the risotto and duck to be separate courses.  By the way, he appreciated all the kind birthday wishes.  Thank you!  The choice was duck breasts, and we had none on hand.  For them, I would have had to travel at least an hour to find them, so we did what we have begun to do when we haven't got any.  Publix (yes, where Shopping Is A Pleasure  ) carries whole ducks, so we buy one and Russ butchers it.  We saved the leg-thigh pieces for a dish for another dinner, and we will make stock out of the rest of it.  We saved the fat we rendered and are accumulating quite a bit of duck fat.  What we have in mind to do is save enough in the freezer until we can deep-fry homemade French fries. 

←

Whole ducks! Lucky you!

Remember to save some of that duck fat and those duck thighs and legs for duck confit, followed if you wish by cassoulet. Then you can make us drool with even more lovely pictures.

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Better yet you can make a take on Poutine. The Church/Belfry Restaurant in Stratford, Ontario serves Poutine made with Fresh Cut Frites Topped with Chevre, Confit of Rabbit and Sauce Poivrade. Yummy.

[Susan in FL]

It's a bit late to be saying Good Morning, at least in some time zones. It's been raining almost all day, and since I'm behind in blogging, I had morning coffee in my office at the computer today.

Russ went back to work today after the long weekend. Normally I work on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday, but yesterday we both took off. I do work tomorrow, so the blogging will start out differently. I don't have a job with internet access. I do own a laptop, though, and I'll take it with me in case there is time to look for wireless access while I'm on the road and make a post or two.

We were planning to go somewhere and have a picnic tonight! We have been known to do it anyway when it's raining, and use a pavilion at whatever spot we've chosen, but we're not sure. It would be more fun to have pretty weather... not to mention that the photos would be better.

For now, I'll sign off and do some housework and dinner planning. I ate so much last night, I have not yet been hungry today. (Lucy, we each ate a breast half, no leftovers from the plate. )

[Susan in FL]

Susan what is Strega??

First, what is Strega... It is a liqueur made from herbs and spices, put together in a "secret recipe," and colored with saffron. I just recalled this topic I started some time ago. It may be one of those drinks, you love it or you hate it.

Those glasses are actually liqueur glasses that came in a Strega gift pack!

[Susan in FL]

I'm interested in the chocolate truffle dessert.. is it like a semifreddo, or an actual cake (made with flour?)

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It is like a two pound oblong chocolate truffle with no coating! It is not as soft as a semifreddo or chocolate mousse, and not quite as solid as most flourless chocolate cakes. I make it in a loaf pan. Last night's was a little too soft because it should be refrigerated overnight. Decadently good... cream, egg yolks, butter, among other ingredients along with the chocolate. I think I might have originally found the recipe in a magazine ad for Baker's Chocolate. If I find it online, I'll link to it.

I really like the raspberry sauce, and for other uses. All it is is a 10 ounce box of frozen raspberries thawed, pureed in a blender, strained, and then mixed with 1/2 cup of light corn syrup.

[mhadam]

Susan -- that is the exact same brand of Strega I buy. I llloooooooovvvvvveeeeee it so. My bottle didn't come with the glasses though *pout*

btw -- love your blog

maggie

[bergerka]

Chocolate truffle loaf?

with raspberry sauce?

My cup runneth O-VAH.

Susan, I love this blog. I have never been to Florida, and your pictures are making me want to get on a plane NOW NOW NOW.

[little ms foodie]

Susan what is Strega??

First, what is Strega... It is a liqueur made from herbs and spices, put together in a "secret recipe," and colored with saffron. I just recalled this topic I started some time ago. It may be one of those drinks, you love it or you hate it.

Those glasses are actually liqueur glasses that came in a Strega gift pack!

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hmmm, that sounds like maybe a sort of Lillet blanc but for dessert?? I'll have to look for it!

[Susan in FL]

I failed to mention about the Strega that it tastes licoricey, and normally I don't like licorice. But it is smoooooth... I've never tasted Lillet. What is it like, Wendy?

This afternoon I went to the produce market where I usually buy tomatoes. This place has the best in town. It is one of two produce markets where I usually go for produce that I don't want to buy in the supermarket. We decided that we were rained out of the picnic. I went out to buy tomatoes and when Russ called at the end of his work day ("the bread and milk call"), I asked him to get shrimp, beer, and wine. Can you stand the suspense of what was for dinner???!

T's Produce always carries pickling cucumbers, which are what I prefer for everything. Today they were small, and the littler the better, so I also bought some of those and some baby red potatoes.

[Daniel]

What great pictures.. I am really looking forward to your blog..

[little ms foodie]

thanks Susan, Lillet blanc is an aperetif and doesn't have a licorice taste but is very herby...

I'm just going to have to taste the Strega and you'll have to look for Lillet, it's in the wine section of the stores and is best served on ice with an orange slice.

[Susan in FL]

I was crazy over the looks of those cucumbers, and kept taking pictures! I included them in dinner, in a cucumber and onion salad. I used EVOO, the new Reims Champagne vinegar from iGourmet, salt & pepper, and that's all. It was delicious.

Wendy and others on the Dinner! thread got me wanting to do something with figs, so I roasted some, and stuffed them with gorgonzola -- half with mountain gorgonzola and half with gorgonzola dolce -- and wrapped them in prosciutto. There was not a dramatic difference in the flavor of the two. They were good, but I'm not so crazy over figs, so I probably won't fix this often.

We made pizza. I have been wanting to make it since I had a similar pizza in a restaurant during happy hour Friday night. It was caramelized onions left from the weekend, tomatoes, shrimp, fontina cheese, and basil. Russ made the dough; I made the top. We usually buy pre-made dough or crust. This turned out really well.

Here we are making the most of our small amount of counter space. I was at one end making the stuffed figs and he at the other working on the pizza dough.

I cooked the shrimp ahead, using the "dry-fry" method we talked about in the Pasta Cook-off thread.

Here is the pizza making in progress.

Added some camembert to taste on the side...

and Peroni beer and/or Rioja wine to drink, and dinner on the porch was served.

[Jake]

Susan, just saw your blog and am really looking forward to the week. I am missing Florida and we're hoping to get down to visit family in November...maybe...if I can get a dogsitter....etc.....oh, I hope so, just in time for stone crab!

The duck looked wonderful, I'm doing duck with a sour cherry sauce for a dinner party on Friday. Belated birthday and moving anniversary wishes.

[Gifted Gourmet]

dinner on the porch was served.

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Susan, this photograph looks like something out of Gourmet Magazine! Beautiful, both the process and the finished product!

[CaliPoutine]

The pizza looks yummy. What dough recipe did Russ use? Did the pizza suffer from lack of sauce?

[mizducky]

Mmmmmmmm, monster shrimp ...

[Susan in FL]

Quickly, good morning to All. I'm ready to leave for work, I've got my coffee and water and camera. I'll try to steal some time for some posting today, so that I can continue with some of the discussions that have been started.

[Peter B Wolf]

From Central Maine to you Susan in FL.

Don’t know if you ever had, or even like “Jalapeno Pepper Jelly”, but about 15 years ago, while visiting my wife’s Grandmother in Daytona Beach (also a brother-in-law in Ormond Beach), I discovered the Farmers Market on Saturdays in Daytona .

At it was a vendor who had this Jelly, since then I was hooked.

Not getting to DB too often (Grandma passed), I have it shipped to me twice a year 12 jars. Delightful just great on Bagels over a fine Goatsmilk or Sheepsmilk Cheese.

Anyway here is the address:

Ocie (Al) McConnehead, 731 Heineman St., Daytona Beach FL 32019 386-290-4337

One more thing:

"Gaylords"(Sp?) on the road to Port Orange, past the Dunlawton Ave. Bridge used to serve the most outstand 'Prime Rib of Beef'. Does it still excist?