Foods You are Embarrassed to Like

[Urbane Guerrilla]

De gustibus. . .

There are such things as rhubarb custard pies. They still possess the strength of that pie-plant (a regional name for it) but give a respite betweentimes.

[Sundae]

I dunno Mons, I hated carrots as a child, but it was impressed on me that they were GOOD FOR ME. I can't say I really enjoy them now, but I eat them on a regular basis. Because they're not all that bad and they are good for me.

I think palates develop over time anyway. One of the most sensible things Mum said to me was that some things she hated as a child, she loved as an adult and that the same thing would happen to me. She introduced to me the idea that at some point vegetables would be a tasty meal choice (in the mean time we ate them under threat - they were a cheap filler after all). And of course she was right. I'm not a vegetarian, but I often choose the option when eating out because I really enjoy the taste.

Cauliflower and brussel sprouts excepted.

And we had a LOT of tart fruit desserts as children, and I still love them.
Mrs Fox at the end of the path had a burgeoning garden. We used to go and visit her and Mrs Jones (her upstairs neighbour). If we got the bus home from town, we walked right past their flats. Over time, Mum came to talk to them and of course they were charmed by her two lovely polite daughters. So after a while of all three of us visiting, my sister and I went alone. They would give us warm flat Cream Soda and bags of produce to take home. Rhubarb, cooking apples, plums, gooseberries etc. And we loved picking blackberries.

So we were eating the fruit of our labours. And nothing tastes as good as something you worked for. Even if in some cases the work was simply sitting and chatting to an OAP for half an hour.

Then again - I prepared and cooked a cabbage when I was at Brownie camp. Brown Owl offered me a spoonful and I was well up for it. I had to spit it out. Gross! It really was disgusting. Needless to say I love cabbage now. And rarely eat choc, even tho it was rationed to buggery in my childhood.

[squirell nutkin]

Have you tried slowly cooking carrots in lots of butter until the begin to very slightly brown on the edges, then add a small amount of honey and a bunch of dried dill?

Even my 6 year old eats them. add a tiny smidgen on lemon juice and it's amazing.

BUTTER RULES111!1!!

[Pie]

I did (& loved) the carrots-butter-honey-dill thing, but we added lime instead of lemon. Delish!

[Pete Zicato]

I don't understand the hating on the rhubarb/strawberry combination. In my mind it is ideal. The strawberry tones down the rhubarb a bit without requiring huge amounts of sugar. It's a match made in heaven. It's true that you have to have the right proportions to get the right tart/sweet flavor. But Dad managed it.

Years ago, one of the guys gave my Dad a rhubarb plant. Dad planted it in the back yard, and as you may know rhubarb only escapes being a weed by being edible. So we had plenty rhubarb from then on. Dad experimented with a number of rhubarb pie recipes, but we all liked the strawberry rhubarb the best.

[Sundae]

Squir - I've slow baked baby chantenay carrots before and I admit they were gorgeous.
But I figured that was cheating.

[monster]

carrots wrapped in bacon ...just sayin'....

[squirell nutkin]

Absolutely. It helps the bacon keep its shape. After you toss out the carrot you can fill the opening with Boursin or something like that. Maybe a piece of sausage?

[squirell nutkin]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Squir - I've slow baked baby chantenay carrots before and I admit they were gorgeous.
But I figured that was cheating.

There is no such thing as cheating when you are eating good food. Cheating is when you eat margarine or something.

[kerosene]

Anyone here like German blackberries? I don't know what their real name is, but they don't look like regular blackberries...they are round and have tiny seeds in them and are purplish black. We have a little bush in the backyard and they grow easily where we live.

[squirell nutkin]

Mulberries?

[classicman]

Mmmmoar mulberries! Freeze 'em and then eat 'em - much less mess and sooooo good on a hot summers day!

[Shawnee123]

Orange popsicles.

Lime slushies

Totinos pizza.

[limey]

Originally Posted by squirell nutkin

Absolutely. It helps the bacon keep its shape. After you toss out the carrot you can fill the opening with Boursin or something like that. Maybe a piece of sausage?

Haggis!

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato

I don't understand the hating on the rhubarb/strawberry combination. In my mind it is ideal. The strawberry tones down the rhubarb a bit without requiring huge amounts of sugar. It's a match made in heaven. It's true that you have to have the right proportions to get the right tart/sweet flavor. But Dad managed it.

Good for Dad, then! No, it's not hating on it; it's that it's suboptimal. Strawberry shortcakes, made with sweet, tangy baking-powder biscuits (avoid second-rate ideas like using yellow sponge cake) are nothing short of ambrosia if the berries are not overripe. Then their flavor starts to fade away -- and so much for ambrosia.

Rhubarb goop makes pretty good shortcake too, if you've got rhubarb preserves and no strawberries and have just got to do something with this cream... all that soaks right in there.

All-strawberry pie is fine too. Fresh-fruity goodness piled high. Whipped cream optional. Can't go wrong with it.

But rhubarb to my palate does not need toning down. That misses the whole point of the thing. It is supposed to arrive with an overwhelming crash, to explode in your mouth, and be much sweetened to balance its tartness. This is dessert, dangit! -- it should act like dessert.