The harvest season

With October just days away, the fall season is beginning to show its presence in just about every aspect of life.

My favorite thing about fall? Well obviously, the food.

The flavors associated with fall cannot be mistaken. Warming, flavorful dishes full of spices just scream fall. Pumpkins, squash, cinnamon, currants, sweet potatoes, game, root vegetables, cranberries, turkey and herbs have all created a special niche in the harvest season.

When I start seeing pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING I get excited about the months to come. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin lattes (yum!), pumpkin donuts-I just can't get enough of the stuff.

Weirdly enough, I actually prefer sweet potato pie to pumpkin, but I wouldn't turn down a slice of either. Sweet potato pie is actually one of my favorite things to make. Flaky homemade crust and a simple mixture of sweet potatoes, sugar and buttermilk is so uncomplicated but so delicious.

Fall also signifies the beginning of a time where I cook more than any other time of year. During fall and Christmastime I am like a whirlwind in the kitchen, baking more sweets than anyone could ever eat. I would suggest, if you are trying to lose weight, to stay away from October-December.

Visions of sugarplums (and pumpkins, roasts, turkey, fennel, cinnamon...) are filling my head.

Butterbeer and Bertie-Botts

For Harry Potter fans, I am sure it would be exciting to experience how Harry and his friends live in the books, including eating like them. When creators at Universal designed the new exhibit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is one thing they kept in mind.

Although I am not a Harry Potter fanatic, after receiving a press pass to the new attraction, I, too, was interested. I can’t say that I am familiar with what the characters in the series eat, but I was willing to find out.

The new attraction at Universal Studios opened in July and has attracted fans of the series from all over the world. Hogsmeade, the town out of the story, comes to life in the middle of Florida.

The creators wanted it to be so authentic that they only have certain food and drinks available, and Coke products are not among them. Apparently, they thought that since Coke wasn’t available in the real Hogsmeade, or anywhere else in the books, that it shouldn’t be for sale in the theme park.

I found this ironic, considering that Bud Light was on tap, but I get what they are trying to accomplish and it is a cool idea.

The first Hogsmeade delicacy I tasted was Butterbeer. The drink, which the young wizards drink in the series, was unfamiliar to me, but apparently well known with fans. It was sold two ways: frozen and slushy-like or cold and frothy like a beer. I tried both kinds and although I wasn’t a huge fan of either, I preferred the icy one.

It is not the flavor that I didn’t like; the “beer” tasted like cream soda flavored with a strong spike of butterscotch. I actually liked the flavor. What I didn’t like was the sugar content.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was 11 in the morning, but I could not handle the intense sweetness of the drink. It seriously tasted like it had the sugar content of two sodas. I only drank about half of my Butterbeer and guiltily threw it away.

The second drink I sampled was much better. Also straight out of the novels, the pumpkin juice tasted like liquid pie. Strangely enough, I felt like it tasted more like apple pie than pumpkin. I had the Pumpkin Fizz, which was the juice mixed with soda water, and it was surprisingly refreshing.

For lunch I visited the Three Broomsticks, a restaurant that is also directly from the pages of Harry Potter. The group I was with decided on sharing “the Feast” so I went along with the flow, although the place serves a variety of British inspired fare such as Cornish pasties, fish and chips and shepherd’s pie.

The feast was a meal of ribs, roasted chicken, corn on the cob, mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes all served with a salad. The salad wasn’t anything to write home about, and was soaked with oily dressing. Actually, come to think of it, it reminded me of a second-rate olive garden salad. But, I was hungry so it worked at the time.

I always love corn on the cob, so I definitely enjoyed that part of the meal, but other than that the ribs were the only thing memorable. The ribs were really good; the meat actually fell of the bones. I was shocked that a theme park restaurant had quality barbeque ribs.

For dessert, I wanted to try something from Honeydukes Sweetshop, another namesake from the series. The lines were ridiculous though, and the shop was so crowded I could barely even look at the candy let alone choose some to try. I was actually disappointed that they didn’t have more choices of unique and wizardly candies.

Honeydukes had Bertie-Botts Every Flavour Beans (the one thing I am actually familiar with from the books), chocolate frogs and cauldrons and Fizzing Whizzies candies that tickle your tongue. I know that the jellybeans are available in stores and I just couldn’t handle a solid chocolate frog that day, so I left empty handed.

All in all, I find the idea of keeping so strictly with the theme, especially with the food, appealing. I feel like it makes it that much more magical. But honestly, I think that there needs to be more creativity and more options and hopefully new ideas will be developed.

I would definitely visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter again, and maybe I’ll give Butterbeer another chance.

Endless Baskets Edie Gourmet Fromagerie

Prima Donna cheese with apple and strawberry compotes, pepperoncini and a mixed green salad

Another view of the above dish

Tuna Nicoise on Ciabatta bread with mixed green salad and olives

French Baguette with ham, salami and a variety of cheeses with salad and a wonderfully appetizing olive pit. (Sorry, I was hungry)

A step in the right direction

In big cities, quirky, one-of-a-kind eateries are not uncommon. In Ocala, however, finding an interesting and original place to grab a bite to eat can be quite the challenge.

I often write food reviews for my college newspaper and I try to think out of the box and try relatively unheard of restaurants. I just feel like many Americans, especially in more rural areas, have been sucked into a trap of chain restaurants and low-quality food.

So in my quest to find somewhere worth reviewing, I remembered a small place I had once seen downtown, Endless Baskets Edie Gourmet Fromagerie. I recalled that this place sold gift baskets as well as specialty and gourmet food products including imported cheeses, so I stopped in to check it out.

I was pleased to see that lunch was available and vowed to come back and try it out.

Since my first encounter with the “Fromagerie” I have been back on two separate occasions for lunch. Fromagerie is the French term for a cheese shop, and although calling Endless Baskets a Fromagerie might be a bit of a stretch, it is what the owner originally set out to create.

According to the owner, she once dreamed of selling a large variety of cheeses on a daily basis, but the clientele for such a place just doesn’t exist in Ocala.

The restaurant ended up being a mix of a European style café and a gourmet gift shop. The café aspect is what immediately caught, and held, my attention. Growing up half-German and shuttling back and forth between countries gave me a taste for good cuisine early on in life, and little cafés hold a special place in my heart.

Although the place isn’t an exact representation of a café or restaurant one would find in Europe, it’s about as close as Ocala is going to get. With only four or five small tables, and fresh air wafting through the open door, it has the laid back feeling reminiscent of a place you would run across in Paris or Florence.

There were obviously aspects that were more American in nature, like plastic silverware and kitschy “café” decorations, but the overall idea is there.

One thing I particularly liked was that the drinks, even sodas, are served in glass bottles and that Italian orange and lemon infused mineral water, San Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata, are available. My favorite, coffee, is also available.

The menu, also reminiscent of a French eatery, changes daily, and has about five different choices varying from soup, salads, sandwiches and other specialties. I really like this style of menu; it’s constantly changing and full of surprises.

On my first visit, I sampled escarole and sausage stew, Boudin sausage with a soft pretzel and artisan cheese with a croissant. Both the cheese and the sausage dishes came with a salad of fresh greens and fruit compotes.

My favorite part of the whole meal had to be the salad. It was tossed in a light vinaigrette and had little black olives scattered throughout it. It was the perfect complement to the Prima Donna cheese, which had a flavor profile that was buttery and nutty.

And I love soft pretzels and sausage, so that dish was an obvious hit with me. I especially liked that it was served with a mushroom pate, mustard and little gherkins. The flavors married perfectly.

The owner makes everything fresh and everything herself, including the fruit compotes that are served with just about everything. I am impressed with her ability to serve a a different menu everyday with so little in the way of customers. I would love to see that food order.

The meal was finished off sweetly, with a dark chocolate covered macaroon. The dark chocolate was infused with orange, and it had just enough of a citrus flavor to make the taste of coconut really pop.

My second experience at Endless Baskets was even better than the first. This time around, I decided to see what the sandwiches were all about.

I sampled both a Tuna Nicoise sandwich on Ciabatta bread and a baguette with a variety of cheeses and meats stuffed inside. Once again, these dishes came with the delicious salad. Both sandwiches were very good, and satisfying, so much that one half of either sandwich would have been enough.

The best part of the meal that day, however, was by far the soup. Chicken soup often ends up bland and unappealing, but the chicken and vegetable stew served that day gave the soup a new name.

What was so special about this particular soup? Among the vegetables simmering alongside the chicken in the broth, were chunks of sweet potato. This addition was something I never would have thought of myself, but it really added something special to the soup. The tiny pop of sweet that crept up at the end of each bite gave it a whole new dimension.

This restaurant will definitely become one of my lunchtime favorites in Ocala. There are many aspects of Endless Baskets Edie Gourmet Fromagerie that I find irresistible, and I am excited to see what menus are produced in the future. Also, it might be a good place to stock up on Christmas presents that just about anyone would be grateful to receive.

Tea-rrific

So I figured since I blogged about my love of coffee already and forgot to include his sidekick, tea, that maybe I shouldn't ignore the poor fella.

Although on most days I would choose coffee over tea, it definitely has its place. Most of that decision probably has to do with a lack of sleep anyways.

Tea, glorious tea. The many ways you present yourself keep me forever interested, which can be a hard thing to accomplish. Black tea with lemon? Sure. Earl Grey with cream? Bring it on. Chai tea? The more exotic the better.

Lately, I have had a "tea fetish" for somewhat out of the ordinary varieties. First came my affair with green tea, more particularly Matcha powder. This powder form of green tea is used in Japanese tea ceremonies and in about a thousand other things in Japan.

I love the versatility of Matcha. Not only does it make fabulous hot and cold tea and lattes, but it can be added to just about anything to give it a subtle green tea flavor and beautiful color.

I was first introduced to this delicious, and somewhat expensive variety of tea quite a few years ago, but somehow it faded out of my life until I recently rediscovered it. Now that we have been reunited, I will never let it out of my sight again. :)

My latest love affair, however, originates from another country entirely: Thailand. I fell quickly for the richly sweet, orange-colored, milk-laced tea called Cha yem. I first encountered the tea in a Thai restaurant and I just couldn't get enough.

Cha yem is extremely addicting, which is evident by the fact that people in Thailand actually walk around sipping this stuff out of a plastic bag: dialysis for tea addicts.

Seriously though, Thai tea is like the crack of non-alcoholic drinks. I am so in love with this stuff I find myself trying inhale the scent of the tea from the empty glass after I finish my drink. If you haven't tried it I definitely recommend you go down to the closest Thai restaurant and order the tea either hot or cold; both ways are satisfying. Be forewarned though, you might be visiting that restaurant a lot more often now.

I became so enamored with this stuff that I ended up ordering the real deal, straight from Thailand. Now I can brew my own Cha yem at home whenever I get the craving. Life is sweet: literally.

So, whether it is good old fashioned southern-style and sweet, or Oolong straight out of China, hot or cold, I am always up for a glass of tea.

Cream and sugar please

So I was going to write a review of a small downtown restaurant that I visited once last week and again today, but life happened.

Today was bi-polar; it started off badly, turned into a lovely afternoon and eventually, once again, turned sour.

Any day that starts off without coffee is doomed from the start. I am a true representation of a coffee addict. I don't even feel like the caffeine really affects me anymore unless I am dead-tired. I just LOVE coffee; I can't get enough of a cup of warm, strong coffee laced with swirls of fresh cream and sugar.

Just thinking about it makes me want a cup right now, and it is almost midnight.

I just had the realization that perhaps today went badly because I only had one cup of the sweet, sweet nectar.

No, probably not. And I probably shouldn't fuel my already ridiculous addiction.

From the archives

A few years ago on my mom's birthday I presented her with a surprise dessert.

In the weeds

So last night I had a dream. I often have dreams where the past merges with the future and makes a reality that only exists in my mind.

I haven't worked in a restaurant in over two years now but it is like my mind is wired to think that I still spend most of my time in the kitchen. I ALWAYS have dreams that I am in the middle of the dinner rush of the century, cooking on the line.

The dream last night was a mixture of two restaurants that I spent some time in; the dish I was preparing was pomegranate roasted duck breast, but the kitchen I was cooking it in was not the one that, in reality, served it.

The dream was so real I could almost feel the heat of the gas burners as I rushed in to to save a co-worker that had fallen behind, or was "in the weeds" as we call it. There were dirty pans scattered all over the place, and food was everywhere: my nightmare. Thank god I woke up shortly after this realization.

I almost feel like these dreams are my subconscious's way of trying to tell me where I belong. Am I insane to miss the long hours, the rush of cooking twelve things at once and the feeling of relief at midnight when the night is over?

Maybe some people are just meant for that kind of life. Some of us thrive off of high-intensity situations and keep coming back for more.

But just as I start thinking like this I remember that it is Friday night and I don't have to work, and the reasons I left restaurants start flooding back.