Unexpected Deliciousness

[livius drusus]

You know when you order/make/get something you're highly suspicious of only to find it's one of the greatest things ever? I had one of those experiences a couple of weekends ago when I ordered tuna carpaccio for an appetizer at a really good sushi place.

The reason I was suspicious is that I generally dislike sushi tuna in anything but small pieces rolled in sticky rice. It's fatty, a bit slimy, and when cut thick it sort of jiggles on the plate. I've tried cooking it before just as a tuna steak and it sucked.

Well, as it happened, it made outlandishly good carpaccio. Like the best non-beef carpaccio I've ever had. I think it was the dressing that drove it into the stratosphere of deliciousness - some kind of garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar concoction, I do believe - but somehow even the jiggliness, relatively thick cut and richness all worked together.

Do y'all have any similar good surprises to report?

[LadyShea]

I don't like fish as a rule, but the trout I steamed with the tips learned here, was delicious. It was tender but firm....not too dry or too mushy or overly "fishy" like I have come to expect fish to be. The fact that I, a non-cook and non-fish eater, was able to enjoy fish from my very own kitchen, was almost mind blowing.

[RevDahlia]

Hubby and I are staying at my dad's place outside of Hondo, TX, while our sweet little cottage in Austin is having new doors put on. My dad is a notoriously mediocre cook. He is meticulous about following instructions, without knowing why he is doing so, and he usually picks dishes that end up swimming in Grand Marnier -- great once in awhile, but every dang night?

Anyway, last night Dad decided to dispense with the arty cookbooks for the first time in his life -- his wife had requested meatloaf. He made the loaf mixture as usual. Then he decided it looked boring, and he added GRAPES and APPLE SLICES, along with CHUNKS OF GRUYERE. I almost cried watching this process; it seemed like a wretched thing to do to perfectly good meatloaf.

To everyone's very great surprise, it was good. Not terrific, but good. The texture was much looser than you'd expect with meatloaf -- it was more like a really sloppy terrine -- but we all enjoyed it, and it inspired me to try the grapes and apples in a more cohesive loaf made with ground pork, turkey, and sausage. I bet that'd be really tasty.

NO Gruyere, though, or cheese of any kind. Cheese with meat grosses me out, unless it's a Quarter Pounder from Mickey Ds.

[livius drusus]

Grapes and apples in meatloaf?! I don't think I can wrap my head around that one. I had enough issues with my uncle's ketchup nonsense, and that's a pretty standard method of ruining a meatloaf.

God, I'm such a total curmudgeon when it comes to blending flavors and textures outside my usual range. Oh, that reminds me. Did you ever get The Elements of Taste, Rev?

[RevDahlia]

Grapes and apples in meatloaf?! I don't think I can wrap my head around that one. I had enough issues with my uncle's ketchup nonsense, and that's a pretty standard method of ruining a meatloaf.
Well, it was weird. Also, the meat used to be a grass-fed, corn-finished longhorn steer who was raised and slaughtered not half a mile from here -- it was extremely lean and had a very high, strong, almost gamy flavor. I think that the apples-and-grapes treatment would certainly ruin meatloaf made from supermarket beef; it'd be unbearably cloying. But my dad's creative mess was good, even if it did look a little like Purina doggie chow.

I will definitely be trying it with pig -- I imagine it'd also be good with ground venison, if I ever have any lying around.

(Oh yeah, I think ketchup is essential to meatloaf -- just a very, very small amount, like two tablespoons. The reason, I've heard, is that ketchup contains a vast amount of naturally-occurring MSG. But a little goes a long way, and loaf made with a half-cup of ketchup is gagsome.)

Did you ever get The Elements of Taste, Rev?
Not yet; I have to wait for my bookstore discount to kick back in. But I will, promise.

[livius drusus]

I will definitely be trying it with pig -- I imagine it'd also be good with ground venison, if I ever have any lying around.

I really like your comboloaf idea, actually. It reminds me of my mom's keftedes. Please post about it when you make it. I can't guarantee I'll have the nads to toss in the grapes and apples, but I'd love to try a multi-meat loaf product.

(Oh yeah, I think ketchup is essential to meatloaf -- just a very, very small amount, like two tablespoons. The reason, I've heard, is that ketchup contains a vast amount of naturally-occurring MSG. But a little goes a long way, and loaf made with a half-cup of ketchup is gagsome.)

It's that layer of spooge thing people do, you know? An inch of glistening redness coating the loaf, mocking me with its nastiness and ruination. What do you do with your 2 T of ketchup? Do you spread it on top or add it to the mixture in a more surreptitious fashion?

Not yet; I have to wait for my bookstore discount to kick back in. But I will, promise.

I'm counting on it. I really need to have a discussion about it with people who like to cook. Hell, I might even resort to bribes: anyone who'll talk to me about it gets the book for free.

[Socratoad]

I can hardly think of any meat or poultry dish that cannot be improved by the addition of apples, grapes ..... and onions. Ofttimes I sauté onions and apples together in butter as a side dish to damn near anything. Sauté very slowly the flavour and sweetness is divine. I'm going to try adding grapes but I fear the skins may become tough.

PS: granny smith apples are best for this purpose

[RevDahlia]

It's that layer of spooge thing people do, you know? An inch of glistening redness coating the loaf, mocking me with its nastiness and ruination. What do you do with your 2 T of ketchup? Do you spread it on top or add it to the mixture in a more surreptitious fashion?
I add it to the mixture. I usually smear a teeny amount on top, too, but that's more for the lacquery-surface aesthetic.

[Corona688]

Grapes and apples in meatloaf?! I don't think I can wrap my head around that one. I had enough issues with my uncle's ketchup nonsense, and that's a pretty standard method of ruining a meatloaf. Somewhere along the way, I think the standard meatloaf recipie must have gotten misrecorded. Ketchup baked onto a meatloaf is indeed dry, rubbery, and nasty -- but try applying ketchup to taste AFTER the meatloaf is baked. Delicious.

But then, I like ketchup on nearly anything.

[Socratoad]

But then, I like ketchup on nearly anything.

Ice cream? Creme Brullee? :D