Last week, I posted some items on my culinary bucket list. Today, I wanted to review some bucket list items that I got to complete. These have mostly come in the past two years, and some predate the development of my photography skills. You live and you learn. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to review some of the food I sought out and got to try.

Lobster roll

This has been the most recent completion on my list. I tried it in Boston from Luke’s Lobster. These little shellfish sandies were on my list for a long time, and I’ll be honest, I was a little conflicted. It was in fact delicious, no question about it. But I can’t help but feel it was a little overpriced and overhyped for what it was. 

Escargot

About a year ago, I was on a date, and they had a gift card to a fancy steakhouse (I wish I could remember what it was.) In the nicest way possible, they were chicken strips/steak kinda person, which I truly have no judgment for. But, I was able to order the escargot to try and loved it! It made me think of mussels and I ended up using the extras in pasta the next day.

Absinthe

My friends and I had made four different plans to go to Green Hour, all of which fell through. So, the first time I ended up trying absinthe was at the Alice popup at the Fairlane. No one had ever explained to me that absinthe was an anise liqueur, so first taste was… shocking. It grew on my through the night, but that might have more to do with the other booze I had in hand. 

Make Tahdig

I even flipped it over! I followed Samin Nosrat’s recipe from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and it was love at first crunch. I served it with dilly lima beans, yogurt sauce, and fried eggs. Now, tahdig is in my regular “treat myself at home” rotation. 

Burrata

The night before graduating from Vanderbilt, a group of friends and I went to Fable for a night of merriment and food on Cornelius’s dollar. I ordered a tomato salad with burrata, Instagram’s favorite exploding cheese. In a few bites I bought into the hype. Like the rest of the meal, it was delicious.

Make Bread

Like everyone else in quarantine, I started making bread. Not sourdough, though, I went for focaccia. I loved baking the bread and decorating it with vegetables. My sister and her best friend would eat about half of it before dinner. I can see them in the kitchen with me, and it offers a little light in the darkness of the pandemic. 

Make Pasta

Also like everyone in 2020, I made some pasta noodles. I went full nonna and just used a marble rolling pin, no pasta machine. I did have to run out in the middle to go vote in the local school board election, covered in flour…

Make Dumplings

This past summer, my friend’s housing situation fell through at the end of the summer, so she came and stayed at my apartment for a while. While here, she wanted to cook a meal for me as a thank you. She made her family’s dumpling recipe and let me help prepare the hundred something little pockets of joy. I always love to help my friends, and learning some of her comfort food while she was under so much stress hopefully brought her some more joy. She is okay now, and we often talk about making a date to make more. I had already wanted to make dumplings at some point, but like all food I expect they taste better with love between the folds.

Khachapuri

Once again, the Instagram clickbait materialized. Khachapuri was randomly at the Richland Park Farmers’ Market in the middle of the summer. I found Leningrad and got the Georgian cheese boat. Bready, cheesy, eggy, there is really no room for error, taste wise.

Cook a Historical Recipe

Two weeks ago, I tried recreating a medieval almond cheese. For a through review of the ordeal, check out this post I wrote on the history and process.