Random Food News

Last night I had a friend over for dinner and Oliver and I made a feast. We made sweet potato casserole, greens, and pork loin with a mustard sage sauce. It all turned out fabulously. We also had blue cornbread. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I bought a bag of blue cornmeal (made from blue corn) on a whim at the berkeley bowl and I've been working my way through it. It tastes pretty much like regular cornmeal, perhaps a bit nuttier, but its blue, which keeps me entertained. The highlight of the meal was a berry peach crisp that Oliver made. He used frozen berries and peaches, since nothing is quite in season, and it turned out really well. And the frozen fruit was easy to use. This technique definitely bears repeating. Unfortunately our dinner guest had to pass out on the couch before he could finish (booze + fatigue). This has happened to me with dinner guests before, but usually they make it further into the meal and then go into food coma. This guy is an awesome cook, though. He makes the best mashed sweet potatoes I've ever had.