I did not exactly know what Tahini was when I bought it but I knew it’s an ingredient in hummus. I like hummus so therefore I bought it. Once i opened the jar, I realized it’s sesame seed sauce/butter. I thought tahini was a tan garlicky paste with a hummus like consistency instead it’s brown,smooth and oily. It has a nutty but off putting after taste. It ,quite frankly, does not taste like sesame seeds rather like a downgrade version of almond butter. While I do not enjoy tahini on it own, I definitely enjoy it in different dishes. I will be incorporating it into my cooking especially into my beloved hummus!

Although I’m not a vegan, on September 29th I attend my first vegan festival in Randalls.  I had the choco-nut waffle from Egloo. It was a rather regular chocolate ice cream waffle concoction. The waffle was rich and soft but flavorless with little to no sugar. The chocolate ice cream has a creaminess to it almost like gelato. The creaminess of the ice cream made me instantly thirsty. The banana slices on top were not yet ripen and the peanut butter sauce was the highlight component that brought everything together. This tasted like a banana peanut butter protein shakes offered at many health food stores and gyms. I must admit I was a bit disappointed because I expected more but this does not discourage me from trying out vegan foods and desserts.

The first time I ever heard of Baklava was on the show Bridezilla, in an episode where the bride was frustrated because she was not able to find fresh Baklava. That episode alone intrigued enough to make me want to try the dessert but I did not until our class visit to Artopolis in Astoria. Although pistachio baklava seems to be the most popular, I bought a piece of the walnut almond one because I’m not a fan of pistachios. I admit I was a bit surprised about the sweetness of it. I did not find it extremely sweet although it has a really sweet after taste and I would not eat more than two pieces in a day. The honey drenched filo dough was still a bit grainy very moist. The almonds and walnuts made a great combination and it tasted like a nut mix dipped in honey.The nuts gave it a crunchy texture while the filo dough added a chewy component. It was very tasty overall and I would recommend!

After an unsatisfying bowl of ramen in Port Jefferson, my boyfriend and I decided we needed an after dinner cheese plate. We went to the local cheese shop in Port Jefferson and I asked for the server to surprise me with a cheese that goes great with honey. Unluckily I had a server that was on her first day but she delivered the cheese the cheesemonger has chosen and left without any explanation of the cheese. Luckily Google is readily accessible and I found out that Cacio di Bosco is a Tuscan cheese made with both cow and sheep’s milk. Small truffles pieces are speckled within the cheese. It was hard, nutty, and was filled with truffle flavor. The small specks of truffles left me wanting more, but the intense truffle flavor embedded in the cheese was wonderful. It reminded me of a pecorino cheese. It tasted fantastic with honey and baguette. I will be happy to try this cheese again, maybe with a side of grapes or even cured meat.

Well, to be perfectly truthful, I did taste gooseneck barnacles some 30 years ago but let’s face it, I don’t have any memory of what they tasted like.  So this summer, while visiting Portugal, I read about a town that specialized in the things (percebes in Portuguese).  And yes they are barnacles, but really long ones.  I think they were cooked, but I wouldn’t want swear to it.  At any rate, what you do is snap the top off and a mussel-like thing emerges.  The taste is briny and strong, like a powerful whiff of a fishing harbor, a little like a mussel or a an oyster.  Delicious, if you like sea critters, which I do!

Went for dim sum at the Golden Unicorn today and, in following up the durian-banana ice cream I tasted at Morgensterns, I ordered what turned out to be a durianfilled fried pastry.  And now I can definitively say, I don’t like durian.  The texture of the pastries was terrific, a delicate, crispy exterior and a luscious creamy interior but the flavor?  To me it tasted like vanilla custard scented with rotting onions.  And some people apparently like this stuff.