When you are “in touch” with your taste buds as I believe that I am, I can explain why I dislike certain foods/tastes and why I am drawn to others.  My attachment for mangoes has one such explanation: The winter that our youngest was 6 months old, our oldest had suffered a catastrophic illness and our son was a going- concern, we were given an all expense trip to Hawaii.  We could not believe this blessing-a time to be a couple again as opposed to round the clock care-givers.  We loved the people of Kona, the typography of the Big Island, their coffee, macadamia nuts, pineapple AND my first taste of mango.  So even though I crave the taste of bowl-ripened pears and tart Mac apples, mangoes are my favourite fruit not only because of the taste but my entire mango experience.  Now you either get this or you don’t….

I always have a bag of mangoes in my freezer.  I plop mango chunks onto cottage cheese for a healthy breakfast or into a chicken wrap or salad for lunch.  In a pinch they are ready to build a fast dessert around.  Such was the case this past Friday when we were hosting our monthly young families’ group.  Daughter #2 had made pumpkin cookies for the kids but I wanted a dessert that the parents could linger with over coffee.

Ta da-Mango Upside Down Cake was born!  I sauteed 1/2 c of brown sugar with a 1/2 c of butter over medium heat until the mixture started to caramelize then I added  a bag of defrosted mangoes.  I poured this into the bottom of a buttered 9 x 12 baking pan and then made up a yellow cake mix according to package directions and poured it over top.  I shook the pan to evenly distribute the batter and then baked it (also according to package directions).

When I pulled it out of the oven, I immediately ran a knife around the edges and placed a platter of equal size as the baking pan over the cake.  I then turned it upside down and voila.  I intended to serve it with a cappuccino ice cream but was distracted by the gaggle of kids that D had already escorted downstairs for play time.

Kath’s quote: “The appetite is sharpened by the first bites.”-Jose Rizal

Ever since I had the pleasure of tasting a version of this dish at Dubrovnik Restaurant in Winnipeg, I have been on the look out for the recipe.  I saw in a FB post that friends made this for a dinner party this weekend and they were willing to send me the details.

 The addition of the pecans on this fish gives not only great flavor to this fish recipe but a nice crunch that really makes this Pickerel stand out.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:
12 oz pickerel fillets
1/4 c pecans, chopped and toasted 
2 T butter 
1 t fresh chives, chopped 
1 t orange juice 
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine butter, chives, juice and half the pecans in a small bowl and mix well. Preheat grill. Take a 12 inch square piece of aluminum foil and cut 2 inch slits into it every two inches. Spray with a nonstick spray and place on grill. Put the Fillets on the foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill for 8-12 minutes. The fillets are done when the fish flakes easily with a fork. One minute before the fish is done top with the pecan butter. Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining pecan pieces over top before serving.

Note: We used ground pecans instead of chopped… it coated the fish better.

We had Pickerel in our house this weekend too.  I served Pickerel cheeks as an appetizer before Sunday family dinner as not everyone had arrived.  Just dipped in an eggwash, floured and sauteed in butter with a squeeze of lemon-they were a wonderful treat. 

Kath’s quote: “There’s a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.”-Steven Wright

Having lived across the street for many years from Oscar’s on Hargrave St. in Winnipeg, I can safely say that I know good deli.  By this I mean, dill pickles with the right balance of crunch/vinegar/garlic, fresh rye bread and just shaved meats.  The truth is, in recent years I’ve tried to avoid processed and cured meats.  But we literally stumbled upon the Stage Door on a shopping expedition to Century 21.  And when in New York, do as the New Yorkers do…..

Sister #2 and I split 2 selections-their Signature Reuben and ginormous Meatloaf served wrapped in aluminum foil, a bag of chips and of course-a pickle.  The sandwiches were socked with meat and were delightfully messy to eat.  On the salty side, but I’m not complaining as I sweated it out that day looking for designer bargains next door.

Something was so familiar about the storefront of the place and then I remembered…there was a photo taken on 9/11 of a clock on a street that recorded the time of the attacks.  St. Paul’s Chapel that became the temporary headquarters of the rescue mission is near by.  Imagine the heartache that the staff of the Stage Door have lived through?  Serving regulars day after day and then in a single moment-they are gone.

The decor is non-existent, the service a little curt, but the “old school” food a must have.  You will be walking into urban history, a proud tradition started in 1937.  Good on you Stage Door-the show must go on.

Kath’s quotes: “New York is a gothic Roquefort.”-Salvador Dali

I found these photos in a place that I didn’t expect them and realized that I had never posted about Rooster Cafe.  We had our first of many fabulous meals on Isla Mujeres on February 28, 2010.  If you you are about to give me credit for having a razor sharp memory-I’m going to stop you right there.  I am famous (in my family) for running downstairs to the pantry for something and then shouting upstairs “Does anyone know why I’m down here?”  The secret is-I keep a travel journal.  I do this not just to record details of what I’ve sampled or what the location was but so that I can relive the moment.  I travelled Europe for six weeks some 35 years ago and when I pull out that journal-I can recall my first glance of the Mediterranean and taste the beer drank from a glass boot in Heidelberg.  

I can’t recollect (without consulting them) what my Isla sistas had but it looks good doesn’t it?

I do know that I had Creme Brule French Toast crusted with granola and served with butterscotch syrup.  The toast was crunchy on the outside but smooth and creamy in the centre.  We sat in the sun on Hidalgo and watched the early birds heading for the beach. 

Friends who were on Isla after me remarked about the kindness of the Rooster Cafe owners.  When Richard was there for breakfast after going down with a horrendous flu, the owner said “Don’t order from the menu.  I will make something to make you feel better.”  I’m guessing that it was a poached egg but it didn’t really matter.  His kindness was the key point and my friends went back for breakfast virtually every day of the rest of their stay.

Kath’s quote:   “It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.”-Dorothy Canfield Fisher

It is not unusual  in Manitoba to have snow that stays on the ground at Hallowe’en.  There are some years that we’ve had snow for Thanksgiving.  This year though, it is still summer on the prairies.  So when a couple of business friends suggested a Friday afternoon rendezvous at Mise on Corydon Ave., I was stoked to see if the patio might still be open.  Except for the wasp that landed in a glass of Malbec, it was a perfect way to kick start the Thanksgiving weekend.

Both my friends had dined at Mise previously so they already had thoughts about what to order.  I was tempted by the “Confederation Cove Mussels” but because I thought that it would be hard to top Inferno’s and 7 1/4’s “Moule & Frites”, I let my eyes wander further down the menu.  Food Musings readers know that I am crazy about both eggplant and artichokes so to haveboth in one pasta dish-bliss!  While we sat in the sun, a basket of chewy baguettes was served with sunflower oil (instead of the typical olive oil).

Lunch arrived.  The “Angel Hair Pasta with Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Red Peppers, Concasse Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese, Pickled Eggplant, Wilted Greens and Artichoke Hearts” was sublime. Salty from the olives and cheese, oily (in a good way), spicy (from the vegetable marinade I suspect) and smooth from the perfectly cooked pasta.  With such an explosion of tastes, I was content with the portion size which was generous for lunch but not excessive. 

I’m thankful for good friends, good food, fine wine and a lingering summer.

Kath’s quote: “ Grilling is like sunbathing.  Everyone knows it is bad for you but no one ever stops doing it.”-Laurie Colwin