One of the things I love best about what I do is the constant reminder that there is always something new to learn. A group of people from a class I taught in Cambridge decided that it would be fun to get together and share favorite recipes. Emails were sent, plans were made, and before we knew it, we were all cooking together.

The recipe swap took place at Bill and Qi’s beautiful loft apartment in Boston’s South End.

Qi wasn’t able to join us in person, but she left us a wonderful video welcome from Beijing, China. Bill held his own as host, keeping the wine and conversation flowing, and taking pictures.

Linda led the evening with pork and shrimp dumplings.

We also had a rich and flavorful lamb stew with unbelievably creamy mashed potatoes.

Empanadas were the third item featured in our evening.

It was an eclectic menu in a beautiful setting, and an all around great time.

I, for one, am looking forward to the next installment of our recipe swap.

2011 has been pretty fun and exciting, and it’s only February.

The big event so far this year was a flavor tripping party presented by Mystery Meet and me at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

What? You’ve never heard of flavor tripping? Flavor tripping is what happens when you combine taste buds, acidic foods like citrus, and a miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) or miracle berry tablet.

The miracle berry contains a glycoprotein molecule called miraculin which binds to the sweet receptors on your tongue, causing you to perceive sour things as sweet and sweet things as even sweeter. The effect lasts for as long as the molecule is bound to the sweet receptors, which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more.

You start by putting the miracle berry in your mouth and squishing it all around so that the pulp thoroughly coats your tongue. You do pretty much the same thing with the tablets. Then you taste a variety of foods to see how the flavors are changed by the berry.

Our menu, which was served family style:

Kiwi and Blackberry Salad

Citrus Salad with Mint and Yogurt

Shrimp and Strawberry with Meyer Lemon Mignonette

Fennel and Apple Salad

Tomato and Tamarind Soup

Cuban Sandwich

Butternut Squash Cannelloni with Parmesan Cream Sauce

Chicken Piccata

Spiced Hot Chocolate (which was served to go)

The most interesting thing about the whole evening was the different reactions people had to the berry and the food. For some people, the berry didn’t have much of an effect. Some people experienced the effect, but for a very brief period of time. Some people found that all the food tasted really flat. Some people found that the only thing they could taste was sweet. Some people thought that the all the food was really great. Some people thought the food was really terrible. It really highlighted the fact that “taste” is a highly personal and subjective thing. Truly interesting stuff.

We had a great time.

I’ll definitely be hosting more of these flavor tripping parties in the future. If you’re interested in trying this out for yourself, I can arrange a private party for you. Alternatively, I can provide you with miracle berry tablets (Greater Boston Area only) or point you in the direction of fresh berries if you send me an email.

Until next time,
Happy Eating!

The first night we were in Seville, we found ourselves in an all night diner-type restaurant where locals working the nightshift replenished themselves. It was a seedy little place, but the people were friendly and full of opinions about where we should go eat. One particularly opinionated patron suggested we go eat at a place called “El Ventorrillo Canario”. 

El Ventorrillo was located in a hotel across the street from the Roman ruins right outside of Seville in a neighborhood called Santiponce. 

 We arrived unfashionably early for dinner and sat outside on the patio. As soon as our wine arrived and it started getting dark, the patio started to fill up and we ordered. After consulting with the waiter, we ordered lamb 

and steak  ”a la brasa,” which is the specialty of the house. 

This was by far the simplest meal we had in Spain, and it was notably delicious.

After we stuffed our faces, it was time to go see how our meal was prepared. The majority of the meals served in the restaurant were cooked on the massive grill sitting at the back of the dining room.

The chef kindly took a few moments to talk to us about the grill itself and the ingredients that they use in the restaurant, and what it’s like to be a chef.

Full and happy, we decided to heat back into Seville and check out the nightlife. Sadly, we got incredibly lost, and by the time we figured out where we were, Seville was asleep for the night.

First thing in the morning, we went to one of the markets popular with the locals. The market was typical for Spain, with stalls selling fresh fruits

 dried goods

 and freshly caught fish.

After shopping at a few of the stalls for fresh fruit and tapas for the road, we went back to the hotel to start our usual routine. Check out of the hotel, get something to eat, and move on to the next destination. Our plan was to leave for Granada by late afternoon, which gave us time to do some sightseeing before hitting the road.

We had decided to go visit the Real Alcazar before leaving town, so we searched for a restaurant close to the building. Our first choice was so obviously a tourist trap that we fled as if we were being chased by a bull. After wandering aimlessly, we found a promising little spot called Robles Tapas, where we proceeded to eat our hearts out.

After lunch we toured the Real Alcazar, got in the car, and left for Granada.