This heat will not end! It's relentless. Today was 108 or 112, depending on your location. Either way, it was too much. And on top of that, my larder was pretty bare. We've existed on salads, sandwiches, and cold soup for the last four days. And now most of my food staples are gone. That meant a trip out into the baking heat to the grocery store. Or, I could scrounge around in my pantry and see if I could come up with something, (anything) instead of leaving my somewhat cool house for the horror of a sweltering shopping center. Fortunately, I spotted a chunk of roquefort in the fridge and knew I was saved. Good cheese always saves the day. The result was a pasta dish that tasted quite nice. Too bad the picture makes it look like a cow patty.
So, the pasta was very good and easy to prepare. But, heat makes me cranky and I'm still annoyed with the Worst Dessert In The World that I attempted to eat this Saturday. Of course, I haven't eaten all the desserts in the world, but in Sher's World this was nadir, the bottom of the barrel, the epitome of awfulness, etc. My friend Lizz and I had lunch at Max's Cafe. It's the kind of place where you don't expect great things, just a solid meal. Our entrees were pretty average, but the desserts were...strange. Someone sat down and came up with the recipes for these two desserts and I'm wondering why? You may wonder why I'm so annoyed over dessert. Well, I rarely ever have dessert and when I do, I have great expectations. So, as John Belushi would say, "But, noooooo--I had the worst dessert ever!"
Lizz follows the South Beach Diet, so she ordered a special low carb, hot fudge sundae, which you see here. It was a puzzler. The sundae arrived stuffed in a tall glass, with hot chocolate sauce on the side. Lizz looked at me and asked how she was supposed to pour the sauce over it, as it was slathered with a mountain of whipped cream? She finally decanted the entire sundae into an empty bread bowl and poured the sauce on top of the ice cream. Not a bad tasting dessert, but an odd presentation.
I questioned the waitress about the strawberry shortcake and was told it was very popular. The menu described a shortcake with fresh strawberries and a light cream sauce. Here's what I was served: A large slab of soggy sponge cake, layered with an odd whipped cream that immediately coated my teeth with a waxy substance. The "shortcake" floated in a vat of sauce so sweet my teeth began to ache after one bite. I will bet money that it was strawberry jam thinned with corn syrup. Amazingly bad.
I'm just saying.
Linguine With Light Roquefort Sauce (Chef to Chef)
Yield: 2-4 (I say 2 servings)
Ingredients
1/2 onion chopped fine
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. linguine
4 - 6 ounces roquefort cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup skimmed or soya milk
nutmeg, grated ( I just eyeballed the amount, a light dusting)
1.5 ounces walnuts chopped coarsely
1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the oil in a small saucepan, add the onion, cover with a lid and
soften over a very low heat for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, set the
pasta on to boil.
Add the crumbled cheese to the onion and stir. Heat gently until it
melts. Then pour in the milk, a little at a time, and mix to a smooth
sauce. Season generously with freshly grated nutmeg.
Toss the well-drained pasta in the sauce along with the parsely, sprinkle with the ground
walnuts, and it is ready to serve. Hand the pepper mill around for a
twist of black pepper to go over each helping.
Don't you hate it with you make a great dish, but the pictures make it look unappetizing? However, I think the picture of the cake is pretty much dead on - it looks nasty. Make the bad people stop!
Posted by: Rosie | July 26, 2006 at 03:43 AM
Hiya Sher,
I know just what you mean. I get angry about terrible desserts too, especially when you can see they are just sooooo pleased with themselves for drizzling that pattern of syrup over the plate. *grumble, grumble*
Our global climate crisis seems to be hitting you little valley with particular force. I hope you get some relief soon. I would recommend shtshav, except the fragile little sorrel leaves would proabbly sublime directly into the atmosphere.
On a happier note, I love your pasta recipe. walnuts and roquefort--mmmmmmmmm.
Posted by: eqj (the chocolate lady) | July 26, 2006 at 06:27 AM
Okay those desserts? Are strange. And not appetizing-looking. I thought you were going to say that the "low-carb" sundae your friend ordered was just whipped cream with chocolate on the side...and no ice cream...because that's what the picture looks like! I hope the heat eases up for you out there. Geez. You must be melting, poor dear.
Posted by: Kristi | July 26, 2006 at 07:40 AM
Stay cool, dear!
Posted by: Shannon | July 26, 2006 at 08:29 AM
You can serve me cowpatty linguine any day. I love thought of roquefort and walnuts and nutmeg. Yum!
Yeah, the dessert looks bad. That's because they brought it in frozen on a truck. There's a special name for that kind of frosting and you think you were grossed out by the waxy feel on your teeth? You should see it before it's whipped. It comes (I'm not kidding) in a carton and pours out looking like viscous......I have to stop there. I'm grossing myself out.
Shudder. Save the world from ick desserts. Now if they'd had fried Twinkies...it could have turned out differently.
Posted by: Glenna | July 26, 2006 at 09:51 AM
whoa
that "strawberry" "shortcake" is an afront to nature!
Posted by: ann | July 26, 2006 at 10:18 AM
Roquefort and walnuts and pasta, oh my! Sounds delish. And the photo's not that bad, really.
Thanks for the heads up re Max's Cafe desserts. Won't go there!
Posted by: Christine | July 26, 2006 at 11:17 AM
eww and it looks like they shaved cheapo chocolate on top..NO, the pasta sounds delicious though. i'll take one cow patty pls. i'm hiding in th ac today too, it's too hostile out there :/
Posted by: aria | July 26, 2006 at 11:19 AM
Rosie,
I wonder if that dessert is actually popular? It would be pretty depressing if that's so.
Chocolate Lady,
The heat has crossed the line from annoying to very dangerous. The amount of people and animals dying each day is horrible. The most vulnerable appear to be elderly men who have no family. Three elderly men died yesterday from the heat. There was no one who checked on them, and they lived in a residential hotel with no AC.
Kristi,
Yes, my friend was stumped when they brought her dessert. At first she dipped spoonfuls of the ice cream into the chocolate sauce on the side. Finally, we decided that was ridiculous--so she dumped it into a bowl.
Shannon,
I'm trying!
Glenna,
Yes, I've heard some very unsettling things about how they make cakes and cookies in some bakeries. A friend of mine worked in a grocery store bakery where they whipped Crisco and powdered sugar together to make "buttercream". UHG!
Ann,
LOL!! Yes, It is!
Christine,
I think this is the place that is often called Max's Opera Cafe, but they got rid of the singers. They serve HUGE portions. My shortcake was the samll version. Shudder.
Aria,
Yes!! The chocolate was nasty. The whole thing was bizarre.
Posted by: sher | July 26, 2006 at 12:33 PM
Are you talking about the Max's on Van Ness in San Francisco or is this a local place? I suppose it doesn't matter, the desserts look like crap.
Posted by: steven | July 26, 2006 at 06:35 PM
I'm glad your Roquefort meal was good and it saved the day. I'm sooooo sorry your dessert was awful. That's the worst feeling to have a bad dessert. No one expects a bad dessert. :-(
Paz
Posted by: Paz | July 26, 2006 at 07:49 PM
Linguine with Rocquefort looks yummy! I love the look of that green pasta.
Is the roquefort [i haven't had this yet] similar to 'blue cheese'?
I'm like you, i rarely have dessert but if i do have one, it has to be great! Sorry this is not so for you recently. I'm puzzled too with the waitress' description and what's on the plate.
Posted by: Mae | July 27, 2006 at 05:56 AM
Just the thought of that sauce is making my stomache turn...
Posted by: s'kat | July 27, 2006 at 08:51 AM
Is there anything more discouraging than cooking something really good and not being able to get a decent picture of it? OK, there's lots of things more discouraging but the picture thing is a pretty big annoyance.
Temps between 108 and 112!! I feel for you guys. That is some brutal heatwave.
Posted by: Julie | July 27, 2006 at 11:06 AM
Sher,
I guess yours is spinach linguine then (?). I love linguine (love it love it love it!!!) Although I've already had pasta 5 days in a row, after seeing your dish (why linguine goes particularly well with creamy sauce?), no doubt I'll make it tomorrow!
The cream on your strawsberry shortcake... So much want to put it on a bbq stick ... it reminds me marshmallow!
Posted by: gattina | July 27, 2006 at 11:27 AM