Fresh Approach Cooking

Just a passing thought for the day.

Membrillo, kythonopasto or quince paste, whatever you call it, it is a sweet, jam like foodstuff made from quince, (a fruit that can only be eaten cooked,) that seems to have only one purpose. For years, I have wondered what else a girl could do with such a delicious thing as quince paste, (which I buy at Whole Foods or The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills) but other than finding (dozens upon dozens) of recipes for how to make it, (which is super easy, when quince are in season, in the late fall) the only recipe I have ever found for how to use it is this: Serve with cheese and crackers. I guess this is an instance where perfection was found, and has never been improved upon, because a slice of Spanish manchego cheese topped with a sliver of quince paste really is ambrosia. The zenith of food combinations.

What makes it so delectable is the combination of the sweetness of the quince paste (with a gelled mouth feel) and the crumbling smooth tang of the cheese. It may seem basic and humble, or fancy and a touch exotic (I guess that depends on where you live. Its quite common in Spanish speaking countries), but either or, it is worth trying.

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Don’t forget, today is the deadline for The (First) Really Big Cook-Off! Email a link to your recipe to me at TheReallyBigCookOff@yahoo.com, and if you are willing, include the cost of the ingredients…it would be fun to compare. Entries so far came from Sylvie and Kathryn. I hope you'll join in too!

B y happy chance, this post fit into the theme for this month's Blog Party at Dispensing Happiness. Fancy that! Heaven knows most of my posts fit into the catagory "Cocktail food" (Me being obsessed and all) so I am thrilled to be part of this!

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Jeff Grocott compares wines aged in inexpensive home wine coolers and those aged in cellars. The outcome of his simple tasting? The winners were all from his cooler, (which he had been fearing was ruining his wines) and not the fancy cellars. They also try out home deli slicers, and conclude the best bet for the home chef is (in the best value category) was the Heavy Duty Meat Slicer from Cabelas. A bargain at $99.00. Buy one, and see how, in the immortal words of Kramer, with home-sliced meats "The taste has no where to hide."

Labels: Tapas, Vegetarian