A Taste of an Epicurean Tour

A couple weeks ago I was privileged to take part in something so unique and special it had to be for a very special occasion.  And it was.  For my sister-in-law Anne's 30th birthday, she announced to her husband, my brother Paul, that in lieu of any kind of present, she wanted to go on an Epicurean Excursion with Portland Walking Tours.  So Paul, Anne, my mom, Jason, and I got all gussied up and headed up to Portland to do a tour of all things Epicurean. 

Anne and I both photog'd it up throughout the entire tour and since it was Anne's birthday, I was gracious (and bit the blogging bullet) and allowed her to be the primary blogger of our excursion.  (And that is my gift to you, sis.)  If you, dear reader, are like us and crave details and unique experiences, you can visit Anne's fabulous posts here (part 1) and here (part 2).

For my own post about our tour, I thought I'd focus on one of the highlight tastings of the trip: the Flying Elephant Delicatessen. 

Now, Flying Elephant Delicatessen is pretty much your standard delicatessen experience (which I happen to very much enjoy).  We shuffled in with our tour group, stood in line, and were given a sample of a unnamed soup which we then shuffled back out into the chilly Oregon sunlight to enjoy.

Now, our guide was smart.  He first had us taste the soup, then advise him what flavors we found.  Well, tomato was obvious.  Cream, onion, thyme... but the texture was different.  He had us guess as to what it was - what other flavor was in there, subtly brightening up the tomato.  "Orange," alerted a fellow tour-goer.  "Orange!"  Our guide bellowed out, gleefully, "Welcome to the Flying Elephant's famous tomato orange soup." 

It was lovely.

The recipe is so popular, our guide went on to explain, that the deli - tired of being hounded for it - released it to the public.

So when we got home, Anne located the recipe.  And so, I pass the tomato orange loveliness on to you.

This little Cuisinart guy isn't a standard part of the recipe, but I wanted to show him off anyway.  My immersion blender.  Best birthday gift ever.  Makes shakes and smoothies in glasses, purees soups in pans, does most of your federal income tax return (as long as you don't have too many deductions).  It's amazing.

So you toss the soup stuff together, puree it, and then get to the most important element of Elephant Tomato Orange Soup.  (It is not, curiously, elephant.)

Behold.  The orange.

I bought a nicely priced bag of oranges and squeezed them the old fashioned way (which is - halved, then forked).  I discovered that if I microwaved an orange for about 10 seconds (yes, I risked an orangey, pulpy explosion, I know - it's just how I roll), the juice came out even easier.

I then added my freshly-squeezed orange juice to the delicious tomato-y concoction bubbling happily on my stove.

I allowed it to cook up a bit, added some cream and... wait for it... waaait for iiit...

And my - oh my, do we have one delicious bowl of tomato orange goodness.

Look at the texture in the bowl below.  It's simply beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to eat.  I just love the bright tomato flavor.  It's marvelous.

Now listen, I understand that parts of this recipe - firstly the word "elephant" as a recipe descriptor - but namely "orange" can be a little off-putting for people who aren't too adventurous in their food involvements.  But I guarantee you this is a fabulous soup to try.  I'm so happy that our guide had us taste our way through this soup - I might have also turned up my nose at the words "elephant tomato orange" before the word soup.  But since I let go and opened my foodie mind a bit, I was rewarded with this new personal and family favorite (the Sweetheart heartily enjoyed several bowls).

Another odd ingredient in this soup is baking soda.  Do not leave this out.  The addition of the baking soda cuts the acidity in the soup, which creates a friendlier environment for the cream - in other words. the baking soda makes it so the cream does not curdle in the high acidity of the soup. 

Do yourself a favor - a unique, bright, and tasty favor - and make this soup.  It's perfect for spring (and summer) and so very lovely to eat.

 *   *   *

Elephant Tomato Orange Soup 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) 
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

In a saucepan, melt butter; add onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Puree in a food processor or blender (or with an immersion blender!). 
Return to saucepan and stir in orange juice. At this point, the soup can be refrigerated until ready to serve.
At serving time, add the cream and heat gently, stirring constantly, bringing to a simmer and adjust seasonings if necessary. Extra cream maybe drizzled on top of the soup immediately before serving for decorative effect.

*I doubled the above recipe for my family of 3 and had enough for leftovers over the next couple days.

Good Things: Posts, Cleaners, and Oh Look - a Recipe!

Good Things: some quick reviews on some of the newest - and quite random, I assure you - things I've lately discovered.

1., SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post

SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post

The SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post really is all it proclaims itself to be.  Gunther took to it quickly and in the month or so that we've had it, kitty-cat has generally ignored the other features of the house on which he was starting to sharpen those growing kitty claws.  

The scratching post is quite tall - tall enough that a cat can get in a really good, satisfying stretch as well as (as the picture indicates) do a bit of climbing.  (Please note: the cat in the picture is not my actual cat.)  

We also got the SmartCat Perch for the Ultimate Scratching Post which fits nicely on the top of the post and gives Gunther a place to climb to and, well, perch.  Since the post is so tall, he gets a good view of the house, as well as the birds and activities outside yonder window, and probably feels a smug reinforcement of that overall sense that he does indeed own his home.

The post is covered with a rough, jute-like material that he seems to really enjoy scratching.  

The Ultimate Scratching Post, plus Perch, was in all a bit more spendy than some of the scratching posts out there, but the craftsmanship of this post is so solid and the features so perfectly geared for Gunther that I've no doubt the Ultimate Scratching Post will far outlast most of the other like-minded products on the market.  Two thumbs up!

 

2., Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Products

In an effort to begin to steer my household toward more natural cleaning products, I discovered Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day.  

My first purchase was a countertop spray in a seasonal smell called orange clove and my-oh-my did it make wiping the counters into a whole new experience.  Even before my orange clove counter spray ran out, I was scoping the rest of the Mrs. Meyer's line-up for its replacement.  

Mrs. Meyer's product scent choices are incredible:  basil, lavender, lemon verbena, geranium, and several seasonal offerings.  I have to admit that the geranium scent is a bit too perfume-y for my taste, but I found the others so pleasant that it was very hard to choose.  I finally settled on basil and am very happy with my choice.  I routinely use the countertop spray and have now added the all purpose cleaner to my arsenal of household cleaners.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products do run a bit higher price-wise than the routine cleaning product; however, if you price them next to other natural cleaners you'll likely find the cost fairy comparable.  I started out with the countertop spray, just to test out the scent and the quality of cleaning.  As my other cleaners run out, I'll be replacing them with more natural cleaners and will likely continue using the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day line as cost and cleaning quality continue to line up.

Using Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products is a treat.  It's a little out-of-the-ordinary way to lend a big something special to a very ordinary thing: cleaning.  You're left with a beautifully clean and extraordinarily scented home. 

3., Recipe: Roast Sticky Chicken - Rotisserie Style

Now, if I'd been consulted prior to the naming of this recipe, Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style, I certainly would have pushed for a better - or just plain different - name.  Even now that I've made it, the name is still a quandary.  I get the "roast" part, and the "chicken" is a given, and the "rotisserie style" - yes, also important.  But the "sticky?"  

Let's move on.

This recipe is a fabulous roast chicken recipe.  And yes, it is the closest thing to a rotisserie style chicken (without the actual use of an actual rotisserie, or dropping by the grocery store) that you can get.  And the most important part?  It. Is. Fabulous.  

This is a recipe off allrecipes.com, which has been one of my go-to recipe sites for nearly 8 years now.  The most important part of this recipe is to add the seasoning to the chicken and then let it "marinate" in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours.  (I let mine hang out in the icebox overnight and probably will do it the same way the next time I make this.)  Another key to this recipe, besides letting it "marinate," is to stuff a quartered onion - and I also added a halved head of garlic - into the cavity.  The chicken is going to take a long time to cook - nearly 5 hours at 250 - but it is SO worth it.  (The recipe calls for two small fryers but I used one big one and it still turned out beautifully.) 

If you find yourself suddenly in the market for a smashingly good roast chicken recipe, do try this one.