The Eyes of Silver Blue

Taste Bud Temptations

By Silver Blue | 2 comments

• Chorizo
• Ebelskiver
• food
• Pavlova
• Photography
• Scallops

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I make no apologies for my love of cooking. I love deconstructing recipes to their base flavours and seeing if there are ways to lighten the calorie count without compromising taste or texture.

Whether from the land or sea, food takes many forms that interest me. Here, I present some photos that didn’t make it to The Wannabe Gourmet, and some that did. As I say over there, I’m no food stylist, nor am I a professional photographer. To that end, what you see is what I eat. Most likely within minutes of taking the picture. There are no tricks of the trade (toothpicks, food dye, Photoshop) involved.

Ebelskiver, a pancake puff that can be made savory or sweet. Here, they’re filled with finely diced ham, feather shredded cheese, and sauteed scallions:

3 or 4 of these delicacies, along with a fresh crisp green salad is all that it takes for a filling meal. Of course, you need a specialized pan to make them (Williams Sonoma sells an Ebelskiver Pan, and Bed Bath & Beyond calls it a “Pancake Puff Pan.” You can guess which is cheaper. Ergo, you can also tell which will last you longer and gives you the more consistent results. (Because of the specialty pan, this didn’t make The Wannabe Gourmet.)

Scallops, two ways:

Baked scallops (topped with fresh breadcrumbs and fresh grated Parmesan cheese) along with sauteed veggies. Sweet as a nut, and so very tasty. Step up the class (and calorie count), and lower the amount you can comfortably consume with Coquilles St. Jacques:

Enrobed in a Bechemel sauce (a white sauce made of a roux (flour and butter) and cream), sauteed scallops and scallions are topped with finely shredded cheese and placed under the broiler just long enough to brown the cheese. A dish this size (a standard soup bowl) could feed two or even three comfortably when served with veggies, a salad, or even fruit.

Another dish that didn’t make it to The Wannabe Gourmet was this simplistic Chorizo based pasta sauce with steamed broccoli and fruit cup. The thing I loved about this photo is the glass the fruit cup is in. There’s no liquid in it. I merely chilled it before placing the fruit in it, and the condensation on the inside of the glass gave it an awesome look. Why didn’t it make the cut? The only recipe would for a pasta sauce (with sliced Chorizo). Angel hair pasta (fresh or dried), steamed broccoli, and a fruit cup need no recipes.

Finally, we need a dessert. Something light. Meringue is a classic light dessert, and when served with a whipped cream and fruit, becomes a Pavlova:

The hardest thing about this dish is finding the non-humid, non-rainy day to make it. They are so very tasty, however. 🙂

I’ve not even begun to scratch the surface with the food photos however…but we have lots of time ahead of us…no need in attempting to do it all in one sitting!

Silver Blue, who is in need of a good cup of tea.