what you're eating NOW

And how beautiful is THAT plate?! Last week's additional winners of "What You're eating NOW" are John and Bruce, bloggers at Bobofeed. I was lucky enough to meet these two down in Vieques a few years ago and our mutual love for food has kept us in constant chatter. And their crab cakes with grain mustard and cornichon tartar sauce with mesclun greens were no exception. Had to have the recipe (which you'll find below). And I think you'll find our Q&A part to be equal parts romantic and salivation-inducing. Hats off, fellas.

What's your favorite part about cooking?

Well, we’re both logistics guys, so planning a menu & shopping for the ingredients brings great pleasure. This is especially true when we travel; we love being inspired by & shopping in someone else’s backyard. We use cook books mainly for ideas & don’t usually follow recipes to the letter, so a lot of fun comes from the experimentation & tweaking inherent in the way we cook. And of course, when things work out really well, it’s especially gratifying, whether it’s for others or just ourselves. Generally though, the common element is that cooking is most enjoyable when it’s not a solitary endeavour.

Favorite Ingredient?

Wow, how to choose? There are many, so here are a few, in completely random order (and sorry, some of them are actually “foods” outright, but become ingredients in what we’re preparing): chorizo, arugula, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, Thai fish sauce, rice vinegar, champagne vinegar, good olive oil, shallots, demi-glace, tomatoes in season, good smoked bacon, real parmesan cheese; crème fraîche, unsalted butter, etc., etc.

Best food memory?

1. We were renting a farmhouse in the south of France with some friends and had invited another friend from home, who was in France at the same time, to come for dinner. It was market day in the neighbouring town, so we went in the morning & bought fabulous provisions, including fresh vegetables for ratatouille & a gorgeous gigot d’agneau (leg of lamb). Our friend arrived in the afternoon, and as we eased into cocktail hour a massive thunderstorm hit. We lost all power & as the storm raged on it quickly became obvious the electricity wasn’t returning anytime soon. Our kitchen was equipped with a gas cooktop, but only an electric oven. What the heck to do with a big piece of raw animal carcass?! As we searched madly for options, one of our group noticed that the large farmhouse fireplace had stanchions & a spit among its “decorative” accessories. Et viola, our solution! Naturally we already had a nice fire blazing, so the leg was quickly skewered onto the spit & we all took shifts at the manual crank, singeing our eyebrows, eventually turning out the most succulent lamb we’ve ever tasted in our lives. The evening was magical- the most evocative of French food cooked in a traditional manner, a candle-lit farmhouse table, copious local red wine, sweet choral music on Radio France courtesy of a battery-operated Walkman (yes, this was a long time ago!), and the company of dear friends!

2. Another one from France: We were staying with relatives in La Rochelle on the Atlantic. On Sunday afternoon we went to the local farmers market & purchased a seemingly impossibly huge quantity of mussels, which came from a village 20 minutes south. Back home, potatoes were julienned & popped into the deep fryer & the mussels were quickly steamed over a bath of vermouth, pastis & shallots. We all sat around a sunny backyard picnic table inhaling mollusks & frites with mayo, wiping up the broth with fresh baguette, and washing it all down with chilled rosé. Heaven!

3. Mom’s chocolate chip cookies, still warm on the rack, the chips still molten.

Last meal?

It would probably involve a really good steak, some form of potatoes (either a delectable mash or crisp twice-fried frites), a Caesar salad that wasn’t afraid of garlic or anchovies and was properly prepared with a raw egg, lots of nice Amarone, and there would have to be some really great cheese afterwards, with a fragrant washed-rind one figuring prominently. And we’d want to have it together, because good food is really not much more than an excuse to share great company.

Crab Cakes
Recipe Courtesy of John and Bruce
(all measures approximate)

1 170g can of crab meat (about 6 oz? kinda forget the old system)
leftover mashed potatoes (qty can vary- max. about 1:1 with the crab)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 egg, beaten
smoked paprika to taste
s+ p to taste
breadcrumbs- enough to bind- mixture should remain firm but moist

Blend all ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Chill for 15- 20 minutes. Working fairly quickly, form into 4-6 patties. Sauté using a light oil till golden & heated right through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with tartar sauce.

Grain Mustard & Cornichon Tartar Sauce

about 2 Tbsp of French grain mustard
about 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 cornichons, chopped
about 1 tsp sugar
about 1 1/2 Tbsp Vinaigre de Xérès (or sherry vinegar)
s & p to taste

Whisk sugar, salt & vinegar together till crystals dissolved. Add to remaining ingredients & whisk together. Thicken with a little more mayo, or thin with a few drops of water as necessary to get preferred consistency.

Drizzle tartar sauce over crab cakes & place a small pool on the plate. Garnish with a couple of small cornichons.

Serve with mesclun tossed in a simple vinaigrette (use a bit of Dijon to tie everything together)
et, voilà!

what you're eating NOW

Future applicants, take note. Is this not the sweetest submission y'all have ever seen? This week's winner of "What are you eating NOW?" is Miss Julia Wallerstedt. Her Sloppy Faux (HA!) was not only immensely creative but a recipe I personally can't wait to try out. Any way I can work a Sloppy Joe into my weekly diet without worrying about the aftermath is fine by me. And the carrot slaw on top? Like, get out of here, Julie.

Plus, her Q&A after the pictures just melted my heart.

As you'll soon see, Julie's a writer. And a damn good writer at that.

Be sure to check out her blog!

Dear Eat & Greet,


I'd like to be considered for your contest. I just indulged in a vegetarian sloppy joe, a recipe my roommate (a.k.a. mom) just threw together. A vegetarian sloppy joe? Some might scoff at such at notion. Well this creation, which I just renamed Sloppy Faux, was sufficiently sloppy & yummy.

Made from a mushroom-based ground beef substitute, tomato paste, crushed adobe peppers and onions, this sweet & spicy sandwich filling tastes like the real thing and has about 1/4 of the calories. Topped with a vinaigrette-based carrot slaw & extra BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's no doubt) and served with veggies and pop chips, you can't trick yourself much better than this. A side of ranch made from yogurt is optional for dipping. For dessert, I had a vitabrowine heated up with a dollop of dark chocolate fro-yo & organic frozen berries. What a treat. Delicious and nutritious.

I love your blog and read it daily. I hope one day to be able to eat, converse and photograph food like you do.

Your biggest fan,

Eat No Meat (Well, at least not tonight! I'm a flexitarian.)

What's your favorite part about cooking?

I know this sounds really cliché, but my favorite part of cooking is truly to make others happy (and fatter than me.) No, but really savoring food is one of the joys of this life and when you can share that joy with the people you love, there is no better feeling. It’s also a unique display of one’s creativity. The sensation you get when someone takes a bite out of your invention and says, “Oh my GOD this is the best thing I’ve ever had,” makes you as though you have brought something beautiful into this world that can be appreciated and it makes you feel good.Oh, and I have come to the conclusion that the old adage is true and that the way to a man’s heart is definitely through his stomach. Because one day the two of you are going to be old and wrinkly, but if you can still whip up that caramel cake he loves, he’s going to keep on smiling—even if it’s with a mouthful of dentures.

Favorite ingredient?

Well you know my least favorite ingredient is that controversial devil weed, cilantro. But I’m not the only one who’d rather go hungry than even sample this widely used member of the parsley family, one that Julia Child described as having "a dead taste”. See the whole story in the NYT.I think people overlook the wonderful vegetarian ingredients available to them. Tofu gets such a bad rap because it sounds like “toe fungus” but it really is delicious and healthy, especially in Asian flavors—think Kung Pao Tofu.

Best food memory?

One summer when I was about 12, my mom’s sleeping patterns were off and she’d wake up at 4 a.m. with nothing to do. So she baked. I would smell the aromas coming from downstairs and be automatically pulled out of bed. We’d sit on the back porch and eat homemade raspberry granola and watch the sun come up. I crave that taste to this day.4.

Last meal?

You mean my last meal on earth? I’d have to say dinner with my granddad, my dad’s dad. Dinner at his house is what he calls “simple country fare.” But sometimes fried chicken from an iron skillet, homemade gravy, a biscuit and some greens is all you need. “None of that organic crap,” would be his sentiment if he dared cursed in front of me. But that would never happen. Like always, we’d talk Shakespeare and Catechism by the numbers, between passing a pitcher of extra strong lipton iced tea.

what you're eating NOW

So last night was fun, wasn't it? I sent out a tweet asking you to send me a picture of whatever it was you were eating and/or drinking last night. And I've gotta say, I got some pretty great submissions you guys. Turns out, y'all can cook! (And some of you, can simply drink.) Not that I doubted that, but it was so much fun to see what you guys turn out, enjoy, groove on.

And with that, I present to you, the winning picture, submitted by Alex Schulten, food lover and member of competitive cooking team and caterers, Righteous Burn (who recently snagged First Place, People's Choice in the Brooklyn Brunch Experiment!):

Seriously impressive, no? Alex clearly got his grill on so I had a little Q&A via gchat with him to get the breakdown.

me: SO! what are we lookin' at?

Alexis: You're looking at beer, lime, and garlic marinated skirt steak that was rubbed with salt, pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika (as i do), garlic powder, mustard powder, and then grilled. Grilled pineapple, grilled red onion, grilled corn (that is rubbed with a chipotle mayo and cotija cheese and a hit of lime. There is also grilled watermelon that should be excluded bc it tastes like burnt water, it does look nice though. and the wine is a Chateau Ste Michelle Pinot Gris

me: yowsa. quite the spread. who did all the cooking? or was it delegated?

Alexis: I did everything and the green is a homemade chimichurri sauce

me: are you willing to share the recipe for your secret sauce?

Alexis: of course - 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, 6 or 7 garlic cloves (can't remember), 2 teaspooons smoked spanish paprika, 1 tablespoon dried oregano (fresh is ideal, wasn't available in my supermarket), 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste then you put it all in a food processor and let it go until smooth

me: gorgeous. will have to try that asap. thanks! what's your favorite part about cooking?

Alexis: I like being able to put my own creativity into a dish. When you work for a tanker company in oil shipping, there is not much room for creativity. So it is a nice break. But I've always been drawn to cooking and eating, I almost dropped out of college to go to culinary school.

me: did you?? what did you want to do with a culinary degree?

Alexis: Yea I did. My Junior year in college...delusional, but head chef into owning a restaurant. I still fully intend to own a restaurant, just don't want to be working in a kitchen.

me: i hear ya. it's what holds me back too. then i consider catering. have to figure that out. culinary idol?

Alexis: Wesley Genovart (Degustation) for chef & Zak Pelacio (Fatty Crab & Fatty 'Cue) / Jack and Grace Lamb (Degustation, Harvest Supper, Jack Luxury Oyster Bar, and Jewel Bako). Yea, we are trying to turn Righteous Burn (our cooking team) into a catering / cooking competition thing. We have catered for six point brewery and we have a graduation in June that we are also catering

me: LOVE it. aaand favorite ingredient (besides smoked paprika)?

Alexis: favorite ingredient, eh. I love garlic. is Pork Belly an ingredient?

me: i don't know what i'd do without garlic. pork belly sure as hell can be an ingredient. ok, final question. last meal. go.

Alexis: would it be lame to channel my inner bourdain?

me: never.

Alexis: I need to think about this for just a minute. Bourdain's is roasted bone marrow, sea salt, and an arugula salad I believe from the restaurant St. John in London. I cant use that. but i have had it many times and it is great but not my last meal. Can I say two?

me: absolutely n...yes

Alexis: The Zuzu's Gyro from Papa Zuzu's in Charleston, SC and .... Ribs, pulled pork, and growler of six point Brownstone Ale at Fette Sau

me: oh, hells yes. thank you for making me uncomfortably hungry way before lunch time.

Alexis: You should be in my shoes sitting here racking my brain for the best food i've eaten since freshman year of college

me: sorry for making you use your brain!

Alexis: well now im STARVING

me: err, i'm sorry? no, no i'm not.

Alexis: hahahaha, i want to add Chef Sean Brock to the list of culinary idols. he is the chef at McCradys in Charleston - my all time favorite restaurant and where I had my rehearsal dinner

me: lovely last minute addition. ok, i'm ending this interview before i start gnawing on my mousepad. thanks for your kick ass submission, alexis.

Alexis: You're very welcome. ASSchulten signing out

This is certainly not the last time we'll be playing this little game. I have too much fun getting insight into your lives and stomachs! To follow Alex and the Righteous Burn on Twitter, click here and here.

As for the rest of you, better luck next time! Can't wait to see what's for dinner...or lunch...or...?