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.
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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!
Dana
Corn the cob, slathered in mayo, rolled in parmigiano reggiano, sprinkled heavily with tajín, and lime juice.
KATHLEEN HARTZELL
Nectarines fresh from our neighbor’s tree. I never even knew he had a nectarine tree!
Store bought can’t compete!
Anne
It's a toss up between a super high carb blowout which consisted of macaroni & cheese, sweet cheesy biscuits, mashed potatoes with gravy, chopped BBQ pork, and finished off with a large banana pudding with whipped cream and sweet tea. Not a green thing in sight and I survived it all.
Next morning, I used the rest of the chopped pork to make a Cuban sandwich I'd been craving. Ham, pork, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on those sandwich thin bread rounds and grilled in a frying pan with butter.
Marcia
French Flan on our Rhine River cruise. So different from the Mexican Flan I'm used to (and don't like) here in Arizona. I immediately tried to find a recipe when we got home. First attempt, not that great. Second attempt when I just filled the Pate Brisee with my easy creme brulee ...heaven.
Lynne
That first lovely vine ripened tomato from our garden with nothing but a light sprinkling of Maldon salt is hands down the best taste of summer for me this year. So simple but so so good! I’m salivating just thinking about it 🤷🏼♀️ 😂
Christine Hilton
Mindy's rhubarb dessert is still wowing the crowds.l like to call her asshat Mindy because l will eat it until l have gained 5 pounds.
M'liss
First juicy peach of the season and a simple yet perfect Quiche Lorraine; buttery flaky crust, melt in your mouth silken custard. I first had it at a local upscale french restaurant & later followed a recipe which recreated it almost perfectly. Not quick, or easy, this one will remain a special occasion treat.
Karen Hamilton
A series of lovely cling peaches eaten over the kitchen sink just before bed
Carole Crate
Fresh oyster mushrooms sautéed in a bit of sesame oil.
Cathy Huber
A “boob” tomato from a local farm. I love tomatoes and they only taste like this at this time of the year. This local farm (Gmach) has produced an ingenious variety, they crossed a “beefsteak” variety with a “Roma”. The resulting shape is that of a boob. It has that meaty texture of the beefsteak, without the ripples or compartments and the firmness and fewer seeds like the Roma. Perfection.
I made a simple salad with sliced tomato, salt& pepper, fresh basil and a sprinkling of feta. Topped it with a lovely aged balsamic and olive oil. So good!
Mike Flegle
The most memorable (in a good way), was a grilled sandwich made with fresh sourdough bread, spicy peanut butter, and strawberry jam. That entered my pie hole two hours ago.
The most memorable (in a bad way), was a gigantic bug that flew into my pie hole while I was cycling this morning.
M'liss
Mine would be a simple yet perfect Quiche Lorraine; buttery flaky crust, melt in your mouth silken custard. I first had it at a local upscale french restaurant & later followed a recipe which recreated it almost perfectly. Not quick, or easy, this one will remain a special occasion treat.
Jennifer
No hilarious comment here, food is serious stuff!
Every year, Fresno (in central California) waits in eager anticipation for Fresno State sweet corn to come into season. Lines form at the University farm store. Local restaurants make dishes using it. That leads me to... Angliotti, with the aforementioned sweet corn inside. It has a light creamy, cheesy sauce. I tasted this ambrosia at a new organic restaurant, Heiritage. Mmmmmmm...
Helen Whaley
This is easy - barbeque ribs made in my new Instant Pot. Absolutely melt-in-the-mouth tender and tasty. I don’t know why I resisted getting an IP for so long!
PMMK
Two scoops of ice cream, yesterday, at Tomboi Homemade Ice Cream in Paisley, Ontario. I can't decide which I liked better, Lemon 3 (lemon, lemon zest and cardamom) dazzling lemon flavour, or Chester's Rhubarb with Raspberries and Cloves which tasted like Christmas cake without the bother of the cake. The menu changes daily. It's a one-hour drive to get there from here but I will l do it again for another taste. Maybe even take the Big Fella with me.
Phyllis krawmee
Curious as to what place is this that makes such a glorious combo.. I’ll be stopping on my way home on Tuesday!!
Jennifer Van Noland
vanilla ice cream topped with goober grape
Jan in Waterdown
Patatas Bravas, a Spanish tapas of small roasted chunks of potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce, lime crema and cilantro washed down with Negra Modelo @ Burro, a taco spot in Burlington Ontario.
And I too have enjoyed the food and ambiance of Langdon Hall (even stayed overnight for our 18th wedding anniversary in a previous century). It is truly a lovely place!
Emily (again)
Not this summer, but last winter, we were in Korea and got treated to a very posh very special dinner by the big boss of the Asia division of where my husband works. I've hosted many dinners here in the States for visiting Korean coworkers and clients, so the big boss wanted to honor me especially and rented a private dining room for just the three of us, he also ordered the meal which lasted for hours, every time he pressed a button, more food was delivered to the table. I didn't even know eating abalone was a thing, I thought they were just used for their shells. Three abalone were brought out per person and my husband tried it first and said, "Ooh, it tastes like the ocean." It did too, like the ocean when you are body surfing, wipe out and get a mouthful of saltwater and sand. Only more chewy. There was a lot of smiling and nodding going on while I desperately tried to remember if I had any antihistamine in my purse in case of an allergic reaction. Definitely memorable.
Emily
Butcher's Melt at Husk Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina...smoked brisket, ham and chicken with collards and cheddar cheese. Too bad I'd ordered the fried chicken, which was great, but not quite as amazing as the Butcher's Melt my husband got and let me try. Also the pork belly special at The Obstinate Daughter, on Sullivan's Island near Charleston. Really, everything we ate while vacationing in Charleston. The town is big on farm to table and each restaurant is competing with the others to do it best. At one place we asked for ice cream on the pecan pie, and were told they can't serve ice cream because they don't have a freezer. That's fresh!
Karen, thanks for publishing the Indian street corn recipe last year...it is one of our favorites among many favorites.
Sarah Padron
New England style clam chowder freshly made by yours truly! It’s was delicious hearty and fun. Also, Greek cheesecake that I made fresh as well. I don’t like cheesecake very much but I loved the one I made! I got the recipe from Akis’ kitchen on YouTube! It’s
awesome