Taste With The Eyes

Carnitas (pork shoulder) on a white corn tortilla topped with avocado, cabbage, cilantro, crema Mexicana, salsa picante fresca, and cotija molido chesse. The pork was braised, then I fried it just before serving to give it crispy edges.

A great trick I learned from Rick Bayless is to spray both sides of the corn tortilla with a light oil, then I heat it in a hot pan. The tortilla comes out soft, slightly browned, not greasy, and just delicious (unlike heating in the microwave, or frying with oil in the pan). Thanks Rick!

I served the tostada with a crunchy and refreshing side of radishes (rábanos) with olive oil, gray salt and a squeeze of lime.

We had a fabulous meal at Rick Bayless’ Topolobambo Restaurant in Chicago. Even though he was busy in the restaurant, he was very gracious and spent some time with us at our table.

Just “Topolo” – that’s what people-in-the-know call it. Frontera Grill’s sister restaurant, Topolobampo, shares the front door and bar. But then the sister flaunts her own. If Frontera rocks and claps, Topolo slinks. She is the quiet, sleek, classy sister. And she invites you into an elegant Mexican fantasy world and to dress up a notch for its incomparable, authentic, regional flavors.

“We began our lunch with a half-dozen oysters on the half shell.”

“Rouen is famous for its duck dishes, but after consulting the waiter Paul had decided to order Sole Meunière…perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.”

“Then came the salade verte with a slightly acidic vinaigrette.”

“We followed our meal with a leisurely dessert of fromage…”

“Paul and I floated out the door into the brillant sunshine and cool air. Our first lunch together in France had been absolute perfection. It was the most exciting meal of my life.” This is as she describes her meal to us in My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme, pages 17 and 18.

To make Sole Meunière: Season the fresh Petrale Sole, then dip it in a beaten egg. Dredge in flour and shake off the excess. Saute in a half butter/half olive oil mixture until light brown. Make the sauce in another pan; brown the butter, finish with lemon juice and chopped parsley. Pour sauce on the platter, then top with the fish. Garnish with lemons and parsley.

A special thanks to Lisa at Champaign Taste for hosting this Julia Child Birthday Event. Please visit her site to link to other bloggers celebrating Julia’s Birthday.

Chicken Livers – Italian and French: one process, two styles:

First, make risotto with a rich chicken stock.

Chicken livers are seasoned then dredged in flour and sauteed in olive oil and butter.

The livers are removed from the pan and kept warm while onions are cooked with Marsala wine.

The livers are returned to the pan with the onions and some chicken stock is added to finish cooking the livers. Fegato di Pollo alla Finanziera: the chicken livers and onions are served with risotto and garnished with parsley.

The next day, we take “leftover livers and onions” and process with crème fraîche and parsley.

Terrine de Foies de Volaille: our pâté is served here with challah bread, chopped eggs, and cornichons.

You know it’s Friday, all summer long in Rolling Hills, California, when the In-N-Out® Cookout Trailer pulls into the camp parking lot. Yay!

Every burger is made fresh to order from 100% pure beef that’s never frozen, then top it off with hand-leafed lettuce, plump, juicy tomatoes, onions, and real American cheese, all on an old-fashioned sponge dough bun with their special spread. The burger can be ordered with double meat and double chesse, it’s called a Double-Double®.

Cheeseburger anyone?