#liver pate is so good

[shutinlear53]

I want to grind the powers that be into a nice tasty pate

[mariacallous]

Goldie Finkelstein was just 13 when she was sent to Wiener Graben, a work camp that later became a concentration camp. The youngster lost her entire family in the war, and among the things she never learned from them was how to cook. She had no family recipes and, according to her son, when she married Sol Finkelstein, also a Holocaust survivor, she didn’t know how to boil water or cook an egg.

Eventually, other survivors taught Goldie the necessary skills, and she was a quick learner. She soon became known for the copious amounts of baked goods she would provide for any occasion. Her recipes, some of which are included in the “Honey Cake and Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors” cookbook, include cake mixes and other ingredients that wouldn’t have been used in pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe. Her whiskey cake, for example, calls for both yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding mix.

Goldie’s experience illustrates the ways in which recipes, including those we think of as quintessentially Ashkenazi Jewish, have changed over the years. Survivors lost the ancestors who passed along oral recipes. Families’ personal artifacts, such as handwritten recipes, were abandoned when Jews were forced to flee. 

Most significantly, perhaps, after the war, survivors had access to different ingredients in their new homes. Sometimes that was due to seasonality, such as was the case for those who moved from Eastern Europe to Israel and had access to more fruits and vegetables year-round, including dates and pomegranates. Other times, it reflected changing tastes or newfound wealth  — liver soup, pates with liver and offal were classic Eastern European dishes in the early 1900s, when there was an intention to use every part of the animal, but became increasingly uncommon. In other cases, like Goldie’s, packaged goods replaced homemade. Another survivor whose recipes appear in “Honey Cake and Latkes,”Lea Roth, detailed making noodles for Passover from the starch leftover at the bottom of a bowl after grating potatoes before the war. After the war, most people added “noodles” to the grocery list.

“Some of these recipes changed because of New World versus Old World,” explains Jeffrey Yoskowitz, author of “The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods.” Yoskowitz and his co-author Liz Alpern work not to replicate pre-war Ashkenazi Jewish recipes, but to reclaim and modernize them. To do that, they’ve had to examine the ways in which recipes have changed.

In the Old World, for instance, almost every recipe called for breadcrumbs. At Passover, the leftover crumbs from the matzah were used to make matzah balls, leaving nothing to waste. But when immigrants in the U.S. could use Manischewitz pre-made matzah meal, then recipes started calling for it to make matzah balls.Today’s recipes for kugels with cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream would not have been made in the Old World, where dairy products were expensive. Again, ubiquitous cows in the New World made that “celebration of dairy” possible, Yoskowitz says.

At first, recipes may not seem like the most essential thing to recover from Holocaust survivors, but they paint a picture of what life was like before the war. It is essential to see the Jewish experience as one that is not solely as victims, and learning what people ate and cooked is part of that.

“Bringing back recipes can help bring people back to life,” says Edna Friedberg, a historian and senior curator with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. “In particular, it was women who were in the kitchen in this period, and so this is a way to make the lives of women very vivid and real for people.”

The idea is not to romanticize Eastern Europe, says Maria Zalewska, executive director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, which published “Honey Cake and Latkes,” but to see the memories connected to togetherness, like picking fruit toward the end of the summer and using that fruit in a recipe, such as cold cherry soup with egg-white dumplings. 

In addition, examining recipes gives us a sense of what role cooking and food played in trauma processing, Zalewska says. “Remembering the foods and the food traditions of their lives before imprisonment were some of the ways that survivors coped with starvation,” Zalewska adds. These are things that survivors say they are not often asked about, but when asked they report remembering dreaming about food during incarceration. 

“We have quite a number of testimonies, where survivors talk about being in situations of starvation, and food deprivation and ghettos and camps and in hiding, and that dreaming about and remembering food from before gave them emotional sustenance,” explains Friedberg.

Exploring such memories have been meaningful for those survivors who were young when they lost their families.

New Orleans’ Chef Alon Shaya has been working for several years to recreate recipes from a book belonging to the family of Steven Fenves, a survivor and a volunteer for the museum. The book was rescued by the family cook, Maris, when the family was forced to flee their home on the Yugoslavia-Hungary border in 1944. The recipes are largely written without measurements, times or temperatures, and many of the ingredients are different from those used today. (Like the Fenves family, Goldie’s son, Joseph Finkelstein, says his mother wasn’t big on using measurements as we think of them in recipes today. She knew the quantity of an ingredient, for example, if it would fit in her palm.) Unlike Yoskowitz, who is looking to update recipes, Shaya has been working to replicate them as closely as possible  — and has come across a few surprises.

Many of the desserts use a lot of walnuts, for example, which, of course, are also used in contemporary baking. But Shaya is using what he says are “copious amounts of walnuts” in various ways, such as grilled walnuts and toasted walnuts. The Fenves family walnut cream cake, which includes both walnuts ground in the batter and in a cream in-between the cake layers, has featured on the menu at one of Shaya’s restaurants, Safta, in Denver.

For all the recreation, and Shaya’s goal to bring the tastes of his youth back to Fenves, he says “it is impossible that a recipe in New Orleans would be the same as one in Bulgaria. The seasons are different, what animals are butchered are different, and the spices taste different.”

Indeed, place matters, Yoskowitz says. Ashkenazi food has a reputation of being terrible, he says. Take mushroom soup, for example. “There is no good mushroom soup in a deli. It is made with mushrooms that don’t have much flavor. But if you have it somewhere made with mushrooms grown in the forest, then that is going to be good soup.”

Many Holocaust survivors settled in new lands with new ingredients, and little memory of how things were made before the war. They knew they used to eat mushroom soup but didn’t specifically remember the forest-grown and harvested fungi. So, dishes morphed depending on what survivors had in their new home. In Eastern Europe, veal was plentiful, but in the U.S. and Israel, schnitzel began being made with chicken instead (a process Yoskowitz calls the “chickentization” of cuisine). And the beloved Jewish pastrami on rye? The pastrami would have traditionally been made with kosher goose or lamb. It wasn’t until Jews came to the U.S. that beef was easily accessible. 

The same is true of what is likely the most iconic Jewish American dish. “Bagel and lox are what we think of as the most Jewish food. But the only thing that came over was the cured and smoked fish,” Yoskowitz says. “Cream cheese was a New York state invention. Capers were Italians. It was a completely new creation, and it became a taste associated with Jewish people.”

One of the most poignant recipes in the “Honey Cake and Latkes” book is a chocolate sandwich, a basic concoction of black bread, butter and shaved dark chocolate. Survivor Eugene Ginter remembers his mother making it for him in Germany after the war, to fatten him up after years of starvation.

Adds Shaya: “We have to continue to adapt, and I think that that is part of the beauty of it.”

[a-twistedheartslonging]

I find it endlessly hilarious that Rook Hunt invited Malleus to his birthday party and Malleus, guy who yearns to be included in stuff and to be invited, didn't go. To be fair, Malleus seems to find Rook annoying and Leona also didn't want to come though Ruggie was there for food. It's just funny that Malleus clearly has a bias and will not accept just ANY invitation.

Mally being like "only two people invite me anywhere 😔 (yuu and lilia)" when Rook Hunt is right there lol but then Malleus doesn't vibe with him so that's just how it is

Poor Rook Hunt, my fave lil guy

it's a bit sad in some aspects as well, of course. Guy invites two of people he finds super interesting and they don't want to come but such is life. And then another who rejects the invitation probably for fear of further alienation.

Still, very funny to think about Malleus having such a clear bias

Imagine Malleus ignores the invitation to Rook's birthday and goes to hang out with Yuu instead only to find out Yuu was hanging out with Rook. Rook offers some of his favorite food to Yuu (liver pate, basically a creamy spread made from liver, usually some type of poultry, blended with spices like onions, garlic, herbs. It sounds like a meat dip basically, sounds good, spread on buttered toast, he says he doesn't often get have it because it has to be fresh to taste good so he's very happy to have some and offers yuu some).

Here he is enjoying the fuck out of his favorite snack

Anyways i feel like Malleus would get so peeved and put out when he finds out his fave was hanging with Rook and Rook shared food with them at his party. He's extra annoyed with Rook now lol

Malleus may want to be invited to thing but even he has standards. 😑

But yeah, I feel kind of bad for Rook, People just don't seem to be able to handle the guy's silliness and whimsy. He's sweet and would be all happy likely with any gift you end up bringing too.

[v-anrouge]

IM SO SICK OF ROOK HUNT AND HIS CUTE FUCKIMG ANNOYING SELF LIKE WHY IS HE LIKE THAT WHAT MADE HIM START ACTING LIKE THIS HES SK FUCKING SILLY SO TIEPNIST AND OOOKIE IT MAKES ME SICK!!!!🤬🤬🤬

LOOK AT HIS SILLY ASS ASHE GETS HIS HAIR DRIED LIKE FUCK ARE YOU SO HAPPY FOR HUH?????!?!!! WHY ARE TOU SMILING SND GIGGLING LIKE THAT HUH GOOFY AS FUCK

WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS TO GO OUT LOOKING THIS CUTE APPRECIATING EVERY SMALL LITTLE THING ABOU LIFE HIS SWEET LITTLE SMILE AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WARM LAUFH MAKES ME WAN TTO KISS HIM AND MAKE HIM HAPPY AND GIVE HIM ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD I HATE IT HERE ANS LOKK AT HIM SOMEHOW MAKING HIS UGLY ASS BOB CUT LOOK CUTE AND FIT HIS DISGUSTINGLY PRETTY FACW AND HIS BEAUTIFUL GREEN EYES SO FULL OF LIFE

BUT THE WORST OF ALL OS THIS!!!!! THIS!?!?+?!3!!$$!!$! THIS FUCKIMG BITB ACTING ALL SHOCKED AND 🙀🙀🙀🙀 OVER A FUVCKEB SWEET POTETO AS IF IT WAS THE BEST THMG HES EVER EATEN IN HIS KIFE I HATE HIM SO MUHC I HATE HOW ADORABLE BE LOOKD WHEM HES GENEHINELY SURPRISED AND AMAZED I HATE THE LTOTLE SPARKLES I HATE HOW MUCH HIS EYES ARE SHINING I HATE HIS CUTE LITTLE MOUTH I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MAN

aND AGAIN THIS MAN ACTING ALL SHOCKED AMD SHIT AND TO MAKE THINGS WORST THIS TOME HE HAS A SEXONR VERSION OF HIMSELF THATS A FUCKING BEAN ANS RHAT IS SKNEHOW EVEN CUTER OT PISSES ME OFF FR BWCAJ THEY ARE SO WHOLESOME TOGETHER WALKINF AAROUND CAUSING CHAOS ENJOYING LIFE AND PRAISING PEOPLE LOOK AT GIS MAN SHOWINF HIS LITTKE TSIMTSUM A POCTURE LF VIL ANS THE TSUM LOKKI G ALL IN LOVE AND AHIT LOLE 🤬🤬🤬I HATE FRWNCH PEOPLE

AND THIS FUCKING ECEBT I HATE JT SO MUCH I HATE HIS CLOTHES I GATE HOW MUCB IT FITS HOM AMD HOW ADORABLE HE LOOKS JN THEM I HATE HOW LITTKE MAKEUP HES LOKING K HATE HIS CUTW LITLTE SMKLE I HATE THE FCAT TBAG HE LOKKS LIKE HE'S GENUINELY HAVIN GSO MUCH FUN I HATE HIM SO MUCH I HOPE HE SLIPS DROM THAG BOAT AND GET EATEN BY A SHARK

ADNT THIS...THIS GOTTA BE ONE OF THE THINGS I HATE THE KOST I HATE HOW DRAMATIC HE IS AFTWR WATING HIS FACORITE FOOD I HATE HOW APPRECIATUVE OF BIS DORMMATES GARD WORK HE KS I HATE HOW HAPPY HE KS TO BE CELEBRATED LIKE BTICH IS ACTING THIS GAPPY PVER FUCKING LICER PATE LIVER DOESN'T EVEN TASTE GOOD I GATE HOW PTETY HE LOOKS I THE BDAY SUIT AND HOW PRETTY HIS HAIR KS FUCK YOU

[rikeijo]

Today’s translation #724

Animestyle 2017/05, Staff's round-table discussion

Part 25.

Shishido: After the director's storyboards stage of production, the animation was decorated here and there with what you could call Yamamoto-san's 'kinks'.

Ito: Nah, there are heaps of Yamamoto-san's kinks reflected in the anime.

Shishido: Is it really okay to publish this? Us talking about Yamamoto-san in this way?

Abiko: No, but if we don't use this opportunity to talk about her, then it won't get exposed at all. No-one yet destroyed the image people have of her.

Oguro: So far, Director Yamamoto was known as a director that creates very stylish and cool anime, but in a sense, Yuri!!! is quite corny, isn't it? That was unexpected from her.

Ito: During a celebration party, after the first season of 'Shingeki no Bahamut' ended, for the first time, I've heard about the 'figure skating anime' project from her. She told me then: 'My head is full of nothing, but figure skating, so the only choice for me is to make figure skating my job, isn't it?' I think that before that, she was inserting into the anime that she was creating things that she liked here and there, but perhaps this time she made the decision to go all the way in this regard.

(A waiter comes to collect orders) [This is a recording of a conversation that they had at am izakaya]

Waiter: Your order?

Hiramatsu: Kanehachi [兼八] on the rocks.

Ito: Sansai [山菜] in tempura and liver pate.

Hiramatsu: Good choice. And chamame [茶豆], please.

Tatenaka: Oolong tea.

Shishido: Hiroki [飛露喜], please.

Abiko: Alcohol produced in you local area? (Editor's note: It's produced in Fukushima Prefecture, where Shishido-san's hometown is)

Waiter: Is that all? Okay.

[Notes: If you happen to be in an izakaya and you don't know what to order, next time, you can try out Yuri!!! staff's recommendations 🙃

[watsername]

tunnocks tea cakes are so good, haggis really is just described wrong. Like stop dwelling on the details and it's a pretty interesting dish.

AND THE SAME PEOPLE WHO CROTICISE HAGGIS WILL TURN AROUND AND EAT DUCK LIVER PATE OR STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE. like haggis is good yall just pussies

[the-one-who-lambs]

A bunch of random Narinder headcanons since @lilpuffyart begged me

I know I've said it before but he's autistic as hell. I will continue to say this forever because it's true. My credentials are I am autistic and I love him

He can unhinge his jaw in his eldritch form. This serves no real purpose other than to terrify anyone who challenges him.

On that note, you know how when cats yawn they look cute for like 2 seconds before they open their mouths wide and look briefly demonic? Narinder does this with extra steps including peeling his face back and splitting his jaw.

He's actually kind of a klutz. Only his siblings know about this though. If a follower ever saw him fall down some stairs or shit like that, he'd have no qualms sacrificing them on the spot to protect his dignity.

He is the tallest of the bishops.

He will deny it to no end but if you scratch him behind the ears he WILL melt

In the Lamb's cult, once he started needing to eat, he tried cooking his own meals because he hated the idea of the Lamb having to provide something for him and him being dependent on them… and discovered he was a semi-decent cook. Even so, he still likes to go out of his way to get something from Rakshasa's stand whenever he goes out.

His favorite foods are chicken liver pate and strawberries.

When he was imprisoned, he had patience to burn. Once he was freed and essentially had no motivation to stay patient for anything, he hated waiting on anything.

He still has small remnants of power from bearing the Red Crown post-game events, though not nearly enough that he would be able to defeat the Lamb. He can send occasional telepathic messages, and make some plants wither and die within a few seconds. However, neither of these powers are particularly useful anymore.

He has excellent sight. His three eyes give him superior depth perception and see in the dark, and he can see very fine details from a good distance away.

He's not the literal father of Aym and Baal, but he views them as his children. They've both accidentally called him "Dad" more than once. He has mixed feelings about this.

Back in his bishop days he had a TERRIBLE sense of humor. Think cringy dad jokes.

Has a very low pain tolerance, but toughs it out because he doesn't want anyone to know he's hurting.

No matter what stage of his life, he always has an arsenal of blankets so he can construct an impromptu blanket fort. Have you fuckin seen cats and the way they go crazy for soft shit? Yeah

He doesn't have to sleep, but he enjoys it sometimes.

Has luxurious tastes which he developed in his godhood. This made the humble lifestyle of Lamb's cult a very uncomfortable adjustment.

Ambidextrous, but prefers to use his right hand.

His favorite season is spring.

He keeps a journal and writes in it at least once, sometimes even twice a day.

Because of his imprisonment, after being freed, he has chronic pain flare-ups and developed a connective tissue disorder.

[fuckkbrunch]

A classic vietnamese sandwich. I've seen plenty of bastardized versions, even made some myself at past jobs, but never tried them. I had to make a batch of do chua for one of the salads, so I figured I'd line this one up too, so I wouldn't have to make multiple batches.

More chicken livers. Instead of butter, I used most of the leftover shmaltz I made a couple weeks ago. That stuff smells like bottled essence of KFC, but splatters so hard.

Zip those up into a loose chicken liver pate. It tastes as gritty as it looks, and gives flavours of ground up pocket change. Not my thing. Surprisingly, it meshes well in the sandwich though. A good contrast.

Beautiful spam stacks, I did these with my cheapo mandoline, very satisfying to slice. I didn't photograph the can, but I swear it's real Spam. Also pictured: finely sliced bird's eye chili in the background. Seeds mostly removed because I like tasting my food.

The julienne blade for my mandoline gave me so much trouble, my fingertips hurt from reefing on vegetables. That chainmail glove protects well, but the metal of the glove really fucks with your fingers.

I should've photographed it open faced, but this'll do. Tony says the bread makes or breaks banh mi, so I'm sure this is at least partly broken. I don't have access to a vietnamese bakery, nor do I trust my abilities to bake the buns myself. He says cheap French bread will do in a pinch, so I found these sub buns. They were okay.

| Banh Mi |

Taste is a 3 out of 5. Vinegar and salt are king here. Really wish I had the right bread.

Difficulty is a 2.5 out of 5. He even says you can buy pate instead of making it.

Time was about an hour. Make the do chua the day before so it can quick pickle overnight.

I don't like cilantro, so I put less than suggested on mine, and I could stand it. My partner really enjoyed it too. I'll be making these a few more times, until I run out of either buns or Spam.

[star-sim]

AAA IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU VANNIE!!! (can i call you that?)

you're literally slaying, and hot gf x nerd bf is a hill i will die on idc idc

also yes i'm viet!! it was so funny bc even though he didnt have my block i kept seeing him EVERYWHERE. plus, his entire friend group was staring at me LMAO (esp this one guy- like it was intense idk if it was cause i looked good or rly bad ngl). dw i made sure he saw my ao dai 😭 but it was technically dress down day- everyone still had to wear collared shirts and its actually so unfair that some ppl can just look like that. the short sleeves. im ruined. sobbing. but yes!! 60 degrees is warm for us if there is sun! i was fully sweating outside j w my ao dai

and it went abt as well as i expected- besides my friend group and his friend group, everyone is white, soo i got some strange comments

what's funny is i was teaching them to make banh mi, and they didnt?? know?? what?? pate?? was? so this one girl asked, and i told her it was liver, and the face she made was so funny to me bc she's literally french.. like girl.. your ancestors are the reason viet people put pate in banh mi

more examples: "is pork pig?" "is that radish? *is pointing to green onions*" and not a SINGLE person knew how to use a knife i actually fear for these rich spoiled losers when they grow up

but anyways i'm actually back to my "i hate him" phase rn sooo

-key !

HI KEY I SAW ALL UR OTHER ASKS IM GONNA ADDRESS ALL OF THEM HERE

VIET SOLIDARITY FR!!!

first of all ik u served in that ao dai... never seen a viet girl look bad in my life.. they were def staring at you because 1) u looked great and/or 2) they knew abt how he feels abt u..

like i always stare down my friends' crushes to intimidate them

oh girl im so sorry :( some ppl are so nasty for some reason... like how r we out here taking asian media and doing asian makeup but we cant respect asian people. i'd get so mad i'd start swinging

ok next ask

he seems at the very least interested in you

like hes listening to your conversations and making himself known to you

except he sounds like an asshole...

i mean if ur into that, by all means keep pursing him, but i am his biggest hater rn...

WHAT HAPPENED NOW DID HE DO SOMETHING

[mage8]

The Caprese Panini at The Bookceller in Lincoln Square Chicago. Melted provolone with fresh basil and tomatoes on a pressed panini. Which incidentally I recently learned from someone that John Green wrote looking for Alaska there.

Also the Liver Lovers from JB's deli. It's a gay Jewish Deli that sells overstuffed sandwiches and the Liver Lovers has liver pate and like half a pound of pastrami so fricken good. My lil iron deficient heart sings.

this is so real and never leaves me

[greedyapron]

15/6/2024 - Lunch

📍 Peking Chamber (四季民福), Beijing

They serve in-season lychees as an appetiser. I couldn't stop eating them

🍽 Five Kinds of Appetizers Platter, Beijing Style (RMB 52)

Jellied trotter was so good! It melts in the mouth. The other standout was the cucumber salad, so tasty. Other dishes on the plate was mustard cabbage (a wasabi feel), dried fish (quite salty) and seaweed.

🌱 Pea Sprouts (RMB 59)

Ordered the wrong item. We wanted to order the tall tower of greens with mini shrimps on top. This is normal pea sprouts, just not a fan of this vegetable in general.

❤️ Duck Liver Pate with Bread (RMB 69)

The pate has a nice red wine flavour. It melts in the mouth and has an extremely smooth and creamy texture. Definitely one o the standouts if you like pate.

🦆 Roasted Tender Duck (RMB 259 for whole)

OMGG SO GOOD. The skin was freaking crispy! And the duck is so tender. I still think about it a few months later.

Add on Duck Pancakes (RMB 6 for about 8 pancakes) - pancakes are good. They are kept warm.

🦴 Duck Bone Processing Fee (RMB 25)

It's to either deep fry the bones or make them into soup. We chose the soup. It's comes with veggies and is super comforting. I'd say it's worth it.

🧄 Condiments (RMB 6 per pax)

The fav combi for me is the sauce,. scallions, garlic with just a little bit of that haw jelly (sweet). The minced garlic is mandatory and completes the pancake :D

🍰 Snacks Platter - Dessert (RMB 69)

Large portion! Didn't really like them that much (it's just chinese sweets). Pretty sure they should be done well though. The ludagunr was quite interesting. It's soft with a red bean swirl.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBF-ej4yuFAUD-S9TvPSEP3ho0m88ptw6Dvg0E0/?igsh=MTY3N3FodDNqeTc4dA==

[mariacallous]

As a teenager, I was embarrassed about liking chopped liver. To be fair, I was embarrassed about most things — my parents, my lack of the coolest sneakers, and my freckles among many other things. But liking chopped liver was high up on the list. It was just one of those gross foods: aesthetically unappealing, greyish and mushy, and just plain weird. None of my non-Jewish schoolmates had ever heard of anything like it.

But it tasted so damn good. All of it did — my grandmother’s, made from beef livers and shimmering with schmaltz served weekly at Shabbat lunch; the mass-produced packaged stuff that was kind of gristly, in a not-all-bad way; the scoops of it sandwiched between two slightly stale slices of white bread at the kosher deli (which may well have been the packaged stuff); and best of all, the creamier pate-like offerings, topped with a sweet fruit chutney, served at Friday night buffets in Israeli hotels. Chopped liver was rich and didn’t require a lot of effort — you barely needed to chew it. It also sparked an iron-fueled rush of energy. It was my guilty pleasure.

I didn’t realize I had been so spoiled in the chopped liver department until I left home from England, to Israel, where it was actually quite hard to find. Israeli chefs were deep into a returning-to-culinary-roots movement but hadn’t really delved into the Ashkenazi kitchen yet, preferring the spicier, sexier Mizrahi dishes like kubbeh and upscale stuffed pita sandwiches. I could find chopped liver in haredi areas like Bnei Brak, but it was a real schlep.

So I did what any committed liver enthusiast would do: I started making my own. I had my grandmother’s recipe, but beef livers were hard to come by, so I set my sights on a chicken liver version I’d found in Geila Hocherman’s Kosher Modern cookbook. This was more a pate; it departed from tradition in some quite ballsy ways, like adding capers! And thyme! And chili flakes! I was intrigued.

Finding chicken livers wasn’t a problem — there were trays of them, slippery and pink, in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. And, like those my Ashkenazi ancestors cooked within Eastern Europe, they were cheap and sold raw. Back at home, I gave my grandmother a call and she, delighted by my culinary undertaking, gave me step-by-step instructions. First I had to rinse the livers, salt them, and broil them — this was going to take some time.

I tend to be an impatient cook — technique-heavy, complicated recipes bring out the worst in me. But the process of making chopped liver was unexpectedly enjoyable. Growing up in an Orthodox community, my role as a woman often felt passive, mostly consisting of watching the men participate in Judaism. So it felt new, and welcome, to take on the active task of preparing the livers, with instructions passed down through my matriarchs for generations.

Once they’d been sufficiently broiled on both sides, I added the livers to a pan with caramelized onions, capers, thyme chili flakes, and a splash of white wine. Then I blitzed the mixture and a few slices of soaked bread with a hand mixer and steeled myself for a taste.

While the unorthodox ingredients added a saline spurt and chili zing, the chopped liver tasted wonderfully familiar. It was my take on all the other versions I’d gorged myself on before — not competing with them, but adding something a little new. I was content and even proud. I sat at the kitchen table with a glass of red wine, a box of crackers, and a jar of mango chutney and ate half my homemade liver in one sitting. Not the healthiest snack, I grant you, but it was an important reminder to me that sometimes it is worth investing time in the kitchen to please only yourself. Making chopped liver began as an exercise in nostalgia but turned out to be much more — an act of culinary self-care.

[jasmineway]

Addison // 11-24-2023

Well, we did it, we managed to snag a reservation at the nearly impossible to get into newly-minted 3rd-star restaurant in Southern California (the only 3* in SoCal, may we add). Unfortunately for me, this reservation (on a holiday weekend!) happened to overlap with some dental shenanigans, but fortunately for everyone, the team here is so outstanding in their commitment to inclusivity that they managed to put out a meal I could mostly enjoy anyway (with slight modifications).

Setting:

Set near the golf course at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, you could be forgiven for mistaking the burnt orange exterior for the entrance to a spa or club lounge. That mistake would be quickly remedied at the site of the large wrought-iron door ornamentation, but the inspiration here is far from the quaint cottage of TFL or subtle doorway of Alinea. We passed the time pre-dinner putting on the green, working in a handsome library, and meeting Santa in the surrounding resort. The resort overall is fantastic, the restaurant a little McMansion looking on the outside but handsomely adorned. 8/10.

Service:

As I said, truly spectacular. Dishes were delivered in synchrony, doors were opened exactly on time, but there was a far more relaxed air compared to other places of this caliber that put diners at ease. Our sommelier and head server matched our energy and joked throughout our entire service, with a seamless transition to more formal tones at our adjacent tables. They didn't just go above and beyond accommodating my jaw pain (a huge issue! I could barely do jello!) but also in making us feel welcome and at home at an otherwise precariously nice dinner. Requests were met, service was precise, but never once did we feel under a microscope or fussed over in a bad way. 10/10, this is what fine dining should feel like.

Beverage Service:

Our sommelier and hosts both were very accommodating to our minimal drinking palette, but still paired us with a 99-point champagne that was, unsurprisingly, the best I have every enjoyed personally.

The birthday boy was very excited, his expression nonwithstanding.

Amuse Bouche: "Delivery"

"Oysters, Horseradish, Smoked Roe, Green Apple"

This was a masterclass in flavor. I have had oysters prepared many different ways, in infinite shades of "yep, that's the ocean." This was the first time I've had anything in the mussel, clam or oyster family that tasted spectacular; like a salad that actually clicked right. 10/10

Preludes:

Prelude 1: Sake Cured Kampachi - Nigiri

I wish I had a better photo of this, because the best way to describe this was "leaf-type Pokemon meets leaf-type Poke." Just a perfect semi-sphere of raw fish and fresh vegetables.

Prelude 2: "Chicken Liver Churro, Bitter Chocolate"

Prelude 3: "Sage Hill Ranch Garden Greens"

Chicken liver churro was a confusing choice, the textures were good but the ooze of the pate when taking a bite gave me pause. This dip was saved by the deep fried vegetable-laden pillow, featuring vegetables grown from a single origin local garden because of course, why not?

Prelude 4: "Wagyu Tartar, Squid Ink Cracker, Miso Mayo"

I'm not one for uncooked food, but chef Bradley knew how to prep them. This tartare had the perfect texture, and I did not get the classic 'sneaking into the cookie dough' ick factor with the meat's cold texture. Light and fluffy wafer. 8/10.

Prelude 5: "Iberian Ham, Crispy Potato, White Truffles"

Sadly I missed out on some of this fifth appetizer due to the ham, but wow was that texture amazing.

Main Tasting Menu:

Course 1: Kanpachi Sashimi, Preserved Pear, Golden Kiwi, Pichuberry Ponzu

This was hard-mode chopsticks challenge, and I was ready for the test after two weeks in Japan. I have never had better sashimi. 10/10.

Course 2: Shellfish Chawanmushi, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Celtuce

Most of my friends are aware of my disdain for uni. My philosophy is, "if you have to pulverize a food to make it completely unrecognizable for me to like it, I probably do not like it." This uni was prepared such that it was the star of the show but it WAS delicious. Perfectly cooked. No weird tongue texture. Amazing. 7/10 (mainly because I still really do not care for Uni)

Course 3: Regilis Ova Reserve Caviar, Koshihikari Rice, Smoked Sabayon

Okay, I understand why our server said "eggs and rice" is chef's most famous dish. This was unparalleled. This was divine. The caviar is from Thomas Keller's company (there was a letter from him on the kitchen wall, mind you). The rice had a toasted sesame undertone. These were the Dippin' Dots of caviar courses, with both the eggs and rice in perfect spheres. 10/10.

Course 4: Fish & Chips, Toasted Dill, Burnt Onion Dip

I tried this, I shouldn't have, since this and the bread were the only courses too firm for me. Flavor of the dip was tasty, but not special. 5/10.

Course 5: Splendid Alfonsino, Flavors of Fall, Clam Butter

I don't know what they did to this fish skin but I could eat ten more plates of this course alone. The fish flavor was good, the seasoning was the elevating factor. 8/10.

Course 6: Sourdough Bread, Goat's Milk, Browned Honey Butter

I love red fife sourdough. I had jaw issues. I did not get to enjoy the crush of this bread, but the inside was perfect.

Course 7: Rosemary Roasted Sweetbreads, Pine Nut "Riso," Little Gem

I am not sure if I or my friend got the replacement dish for this one, but whatever it was was really tasty, with breaded chicken served on the side. Everything was cohesive but overall not as memorable as other courses, 7/10.

Course 8: A5 Wagyu, Miso-Eggplant, Matsutake Broth, Black Garlic

Chef Bradley clearly has a talent for pulling together spectacular flavors, and cooking meats (mostly seafoods) in a creative and fresh light. Unfortunately, this wagyu (a $250+ supplement!) was not it. It was dry, it was not served hot (warm), and it was tough with poor marbling. I'm going to hazard to say the cut was bad rather than the kitchen did not prepare it well, but honestly I've had 5oz cuts in similar caliber restaurants for far cheaper than this supplement with five times the flavor. This was the only miss of the whole night and not part of the main menu, so the menu can still be judged on its merits as outstanding. Unfortunately, for this course, 1-2/10.

Course 9: Yuzu Custard, Mint, Ceremonial Matcha

This palette cleanser was light, flavorful, the perfect intro to sweet, and made with gorgeous ceremonial-grade matcha (which I now vaguely can differentiate after dozens of matchas in Japan). This is the Speak Now album of tasting menus - the perfect transition between Mains (country) and Desserts (pop). 9/10.

Desserts:

Everything we were served was good, rich, and seasonal. Was it as diverse as some other dessert menus we've had? No. Was it still a series of hit after hit? Yes. Everything was very elevated, but felt casually delivered (in a good way) and focused, mimicking the elegant-but-relaxed feel of the whole dinner.

Dessert 1: Cocoa Crunch, Mezcal, Passion Fruit, Toasted Fluff

It's chocolate mousse, with chocolate accoutrements. It was good. It is mousse. You all know my thoughts on mousse. No numbers, just 'good!'

Dessert 2: Berry-Beet Tartlette, Verjus, Vanilla

Oh my god the TEXTURE. Amazing. Delightful! You expect 'maraschino cherry' and get 'gelatinous galaxy cake and floral salad medley'

Dessert 3: Bitter Chocolate Wafer, Pistachio, Sour Cherry Jam

Oh yay, more mousse. Tasty, light. But mousse.

Dessert 4: Caramelized Honey Bonbon, Almonds, Ginger, Rosemary

I couldn't eat fast enough to bite into this at the perfect moment, but the flavors and textures were clearly the peak of this dessert course. Think of a frozen cream puff left to thaw, except made out of spectacular ingredients, infused with notes of lavender and rose water (these are not in it but these are the notes I tasted). Wow, 9/10.

Dessert 5: Tres Leches, White Truffle

It's crunchy, it has truffle, therefore it was less accessible to me than other choices tonight. That being said, Tony gave it a 10/10, so it has the foodie badge of approval.

Final Thoughts:

This dinner was divine. I feel proud to be a Southern Californian able to experience such an amazing achievement in my own backyard, and share sincere congrats to Chef Bradley and team for their (long-overdue, based on friends' reports) third star. If you want pretention in fine dining, this is not for you. It is not an instagram name-drop, there are not iconic indoor backdrops to peep, the name recognition isn't there with TFL and Alinea - yet. But if you want a spectacular meal, delivered by earnest people, who have a love and passion for the local and international landscape and want to deliver it to you? Yes, come here. Overall thoughts, 9/10, but as with all things that is subjective. I loved my experience, I would return for the people alone (just maybe not the wagyu). It took me months to land this one, and it was very well worth it.

Happy Birthday again to my foodie partner in crime, Tony!

[passiveagressivepoet]

thinking about this duck liver pate crosstini that i had the other night when i took a friend to dinner for her birthday. it was like $6 and i have never once enjoyed pate (i’ve worked in a lot of speciality food fancy shit) and it was so good. i need it now

[abellinthecupboard]

Cooking Class

when you've starved most of your life when commodities the metallic instant potatoes the hold your nose canned pork the pineapple juice that never dies the i didn't soak them long enough pinto beans the even the dog won't eat this potted meat potted as in should have been buried in a potter's field when the wonderful commodity cheese or terrible commodity cheese that winos tuck 'neath their pits and knock on your door trying to sell for $5 but taking $3 is all stored in the basement or in closets or left in the original boxes lining hallways of your hud house cause they're just no more room you wonder how can anyone starve with so much food but there are other starvations like developing the taste for lard sandwiches or mustard and commodity cheese sandwiches just cut the mold off the crusts of bread and boil the tomato juice until it's useable as a spaghetti sauce certainly don't use the tomato sauce for your Sunday morning bloody mary to accompany your blueberry blintzes or smoked salmon quiche unless you have a major change in attitude cause the dried egg product can quiche with the flour and powdered milk and if you're a northwest coast tribe salmon or sockeye or whatever fish thing is possible if not some rich people pay good money for the antelope or elk you can knock off in your back yard why bother with just goose liver pate when you can have the whole damn canadian honker blasted from its migratory path? pheasants and quail are roadkill all the time it's just tenderized it's all in the attitude and the presentation parsley does wonders for aesthetic contrast to macaroni and cheese again and again and again

— Nile Northsun (1951–)

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (2020)

[such-justice-wow]

I made chicken liver pate recently but improperly sealed it so half of it went off

That what I ate was good tho

I reccomend a good blender and a good sealed jar

Have you ever made pate? Like jackrabbit or rabbit liver pate? Fish liver pate?

I never have bit now I want to.