If there's one season that's all about food, it's summer. Barbecues, backyard parties, weddings and street fairs all get to make use of the freshest ingredients. So what's the most memorable thing you've eaten this summer?
Summertime is about eating things with a handle. Corn on the cob, popsicles, ribs. And in fact, a few years ago at my neighbourhood block party, corn on the cob ended up being the most memorable thing I ate the entire summer. It's years later and I still remember that magical Mexican street corn. Which we all stood around and gushed over on a hot summer night on a Canadian street. In fact it was so good I got the recipe.
It might not have been the BEST thing I ate all summer, or the most complicated or even the most delicious but ... it was the most memorable. I once at barnacles. Those were memorable too. They looked very much like tiny penises.
THIS summer my most memorable food came from an entirely different place. It wasn't a rustic, street food blazing with heat and spices cooked in the middle of a drunken crowd.
It was a tiny heritage chicken egg, dressed with tiny herbs and flower petals prepared by one of Canada's top chefs, Jason Bangerter - in the middle of a drunken crowd.
My friend Murray got married this summer and his wedding was at Langdon Hall, a beautiful country - compound? That doesn't seem right. It isn't an estate. It's a spa and hotel and I don't know, a generally relaxing VENUE! That's it. I guess it's a venue of sorts. The grounds include a huge vegetable garden the chef cooks from every night. As we were sipping wine and wandering around he was in the garden picking greens for the dinner.
I met him, liked him immediately and later, after eating his food, I fell madly in love. I feel like I can now say I've eaten exceptional food. Part of it was memorable because of the atmosphere, part of it was meeting the chef and seeing him in the garden and part of it was the visual presentation of it. But mostly? Holy shit it tasted great. All of it.
K, it's hard to get a good shot of saucy peas, but trust me it was delicious. This was a tenderloin with a sauce, topped with pork belly that melted in your mouth. I don't even LIKE pork and I had tears in my eyes eating this. Little singing angels danced across my tongue with every porky mouthful. One of the appetizers was a lamb lollipop chop. It was one of the most delightful things ever to pass over my tongue. I hate lamb. That's what an extraordinary chef can do. Make you love things you actually hate.
I guess I'm being a bit unfair to the rest of the dinner to say that the egg was the most memorable thing I ate all summer, but it is what sticks out in my mind the most for some reason. It's what I'll remember years from now.
That and french kissing a lollipop lamb chop.
Have you had a food revelation this summer? Was it a potato salad? Fresh caught fish? A reallyyyyy good bean dip? It doesn't have to be fancy, one of my most memorable meals EVER was a peanut buster parfait from Dairy Queen. You can read about the reasoning behind that in this post.
Let me know. Lay it on me. Tell me everything.
What's the most memorable thing (good or bad) you've eaten this summer. Let the hilarity and inspiration begin!
Have a good weekend!
Heather
After a long day helping with the demolition of the inside of an old farm house, we ate the most delicious Greek roast chicken. Recipe on Heather Christo's blog.
Fidalgoisland
Hay ice cream. 'nuff said. (The Inn at Langley, WA)
Vikki
Not this summer (it's been a boring one), but when I was younger we would pack some watermelon and a crate of unhusked corn and go to the beach. All afternoon, that corn and watermelon would float around in the ocean (tethered, of course). Come sundown, we would cut open the watermelon, grill the wet corn in its husks on the coals of a bonfire, pass around a stick of butter for the corn, and wallow in our food. Simple, but what good memories.
Suzanne Reith
That first home grown, sun warmed tomato of the summer. It always is.
Heidi
Amen!
Anne
Cuban sandwiches I'd been craving made with two year old pickles from my own home grown cucumbers.
Ham, chopped pork, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles; grilled in a frying pan with butter on those super thin sandwich buns.
It's neck and neck with a carbohydrate blowout from a restaurant including macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet cheesy biscuits, southern style chopped barbeque pork (no sauce) and finished off with a large banana pudding and whipped cream. Oh, and a glass of sweet tea. Not a green leafy anything and I'm still here to tell about it.
The doggie bag pork I took home was the inspiration for the Cuban sandwiches the next day.
Lin N
This summer?...hmmm I make this simple watermelon salad that is just so darn refreshing, mmmmm good. I've been known to eat a big bowl of it for a late dinner. Fresh Basil, cubed watermelon, sliced black olives, a dash of fresh lime juice, salt, pepper, Costco unpasteurized crumbled goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. The memory of the most fabulous thing I have eaten has to be a house made Limoncello sorbet ice cream I had in the town of Amalfi in Italy. It was such a rich hit of bright lemon, it was absolutely amaaazing!
Elizabeth Kays
Presented as a starter on the table instead of bread was a small dish of extraordinary Green Goddess dressing. One had to pluck tiny vegetables-onion, radish, lettuce and more from the green stuff on which was sprinkled kalamata olive powder, as if one was eating from the soil!
This was at a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina this summer. Yes, memorable!
SuzNKton
This place in Ottawa.
Choclats favouris.
Soft serve ice cream dipped in your choice of Belgian chocolate.
Totally decadent.
Melissa
I was just thinking of their maple soft serve dipped in chocolate - a glorious, delicious mess! Had it two summers ago on the last day of a trip toVictoria, after watching people walk around with these cones for days. Hard to know how many I might have gone back for if I’d had it on the first day...
Dd51
Fresh caught shrimp, deep fried at Virginia Beach VA. ‘curly “ dukes with a dash of salt, sprinkle of salt, and a drizzle of the vinegar of your choice. Fresh corn-on-The-cob, cooked in an instant pot
RJ
Funny you should ask/mention: finally I had Mexican street corn aka elote' (I think) and wow am I looking forward to having it again.
The person sitting next to me struck up a conversation, and I offered him half (arrived cut in half by my request.) Happily he passed. Once tasted, I definitely wanted to eat a whole one-- it is so yum. I'd thought of making it, and decided to to try it at Diego's first. What a YUM!!
RJ
Sandra Stevenson
The most memorable thing that I ate this summer was a bread pudding made with an almond liqueur, Earl Grey tea and orange topped with homemade blueberry ice cream and drizzled with a light caramel sauce. Fantastic!
This was served at the Heron Rock Cafe in Victoria, B.C. Great eatery!
Sandra Stevenson
The most memorable thing that I have eaten this summer was a scrumptiously elegant dessert at the Heron Rock Bistro in Victoria, B.C. It was a bread pudding made with an almond liqueur, earl grey tea and orange and topped with homemade blueberry ice cream and a light caramellized sauce......delish!
Erin
Unfortunately, that would have to be my foot!
Jane
Say what? Come again?
Karen Hamilton
Okay, there must be more to the story here...
Tina
Ok, I’m interested is this...
Anne
She "put her foot in her mouth" I'm guessing. To accidentally say something tactless, or offensive.
Jane
We figure that's what she meant. But what's the story behind to make it so memorable for summer? The facts, ma'am, just the facts.
MaryJo
Erin, 😂!
Eileen
I don't know about hilarity, but during this summer of endless hot and execrably humid days, my favorite cool-down-feel-better food has been watermelon: doused with fresh lime juice, sprinkled with some chopped fresh jalapeño, and a goodly amount of sea salt. So amazing. Bonus points if there's tequila in the house and the juice at the bottom of the bowl gets mixed with a shot over ice....
Jan in Waterdown
Omg there’s an uncut watermelon sitting on my kitchen counter right now.... gotta get me some reposado? añejo?
Eileen
Save the aged and fancy ones for drinking straight. I just use plain blanco for mixing. BTW: cut up a jalapeno and let it steep in a bottle of inexpensive tequila for 12 - 36 hrs (depending on heat of jalapeno and desired heat level of tequila). Spicy tequila is amazing in margaritas or bloody marias. Or even just as shots with lime and salt....
Sandra Lea
I never thought to eat watermelon that way, I have to try this. Oh and I have a few bottles of tequila in the house, I never am without.
lpc
cold seedless watermelon, the sweetest ever!
Ina
The black forest cake with fresh cherries which I made for my twin grandsons' birthday!
Suze Belyea
I had major surgery this summer. Not fun. So for me the most memorable thing I’ve eaten this summer was the pink popsicle they gave me after I got into a hospital room post-recovery. I hadn’t eaten in 36 hours at that point, and it was so sweet and cold and hydrating I almost cried. The Nurse who offered it to me remains an angel in my mind. I’m all recovered now, and can eat all my fave foods, including the marvellous tomato soup posted yesterday, but that popsicle? Ambrosia!
Jen
I went to Paris this summer for the first time and had oeufs a la neige, which, as a meringue and custard lover, was something I always wanted to eat. And it was all I hoped it would be. And I had it three more times.
Tina
Oh, I have a great recipe, it’s super easy to make and looks like you’ve spent a lifetime on it. Let me know if you want the recipe.
Susan
Hi Tina please post the recipe for oeufs a la neige. Thank you!
Tina
Ouefs A La Neige (Snow Eggs)
Makes about 8-10 servings
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
Sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, room temp, separated
1/4 tsp salt
In a large, deep skillet, combine the milk, cream, and 6 Tbsp sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
In a large mixer bowl, beat egg whites and salt. Gradually add 6 Tbsp of sugar and beat until very stiff.
Return milk to a simmer. With 2 large spoons, for egg whites into ovals and place a few at a time into the milk. Cook 30-45 seconds, carefully turn them over and cook another 30-45 seconds. It's easiest to do this with fewer ovals in the skillet. I like the whites cooked more, rather than less. Transfer each of the ovals to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining egg whites and then strain remaining milk.
In a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks until light and lemon colored. Slowly beat in the hot, strained milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour into desired serving dishes. You can serve these individually in small dishes or in a large, shallow dish. Cover and cool. Gently float the meringues on the custard.
In a smaller saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat until amber colored. Do not burn! Cook about 3 minutes until the caramel falls from the spoon in threads. Drizzle the caramel in thin threads over the meringues.
Cover and keep cool until ready to serve but do not refrigerate.
This makes an impressive and tasty dessert but is really very simple.
Tina
My DIL planted ground cherries this year that were so prolific and sweet! I nibble on a handful each night!
Cussot
Shiso leaves - they were in my last CSA box. I'd never had Shiso before and now I can't imagine life without them.
LisaG
Grrr. I had shiso seeds and not one germinated this spring. Don't remember where I got them either, so if anyone has a source next year, please Karen, do a post!
Ann Roberts
I grew both red and green shiso a few years back. Were not at all impressed, in fact found it vile. Sorry about that.
But our rabbits we raise for meat adore red shiso and ignore the green. The red reseeds itself freely in our garden now and we have some very happy rabbits, but I will never bother to eat it again
Paula
My husband laughs at my memorable moments with food but I'm just sorry that he doesn't have them. Seafood Oscar at a little restaurant on Anna Maria Island 30 years ago. The fried green tomato with Remoulade sauce and a crab cake at my son's wedding dinner. A Thai noodle dish that makes me tear up from the deliciousness and the spice. There are others. A lot of others. Some recipes that I find online and some from restaurants that I have to come home and figure out or go back again and again until I do. I love it!