Marketing Class

The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, AZ, is the epitome of class. Recently, I attended an event at Windows on the Green, the southwestern restaurant at the resort. I left my Tahoe with the valet and trotted upstairs to my event.

An hour later, I returned to retrieve my truck, and as I was driving away, I noticed a cream colored folded tent card on my dash. Here’s what it said:

“Thanks for joining us today! On behalf of Windows on the Green, we would like you to join us for dinner. Please bring this note, and we will treat you to either a Chef’s choice appetizer or dessert.”

The card was signed by the manager and the sommelier. Not only is it a classy touch, it’s really smart marketing on their part. The offer is valid through the end of 2008, so I’ve left it in my dash, and sooner or later, I’ll take them up on it.

Aunt Sally's Pork

"What one thing did you always ask me to make for you when you were growing up?" Aunt Sally prodded my husband. We were gathered in her country French kitchen at her adorable lake house just southeast of Atlanta. Jeff rattled off a litany of dishes, to which Aunt Sally drawled, "nope, something else."

Clearly Aunt Sally's cooking was a favorite pastime of my husband's youth, and she even influenced me when I joined the clan in 1989. I credit Aunt Sally and her mother, Jeff's granny, with inspiring me to quit my job and head to culinary school.

"Creamy fudge!" Aunt Sally blurted, and she brought out a pound of foil and wax paper wrapped chocolaty goodness. In an instant, my 47 year-old husband melted into a little boy as the fudge melted in his mouth. Aunt Sally thinks of herself as a simple country cook, yet her repertoire goes far beyond the basics of down home southern cooking.

For years, I've shared Aunt Sally's pork marinade with friends and family, and I've even featured it in my cooking classes. I found out on this trip, that the recipe actually came from Mary Jo, Sally's sister-in-law.

To me, it is and always will be Aunt Sally's recipe. Now I'm sharing it with you. Use it to marinate pork loin or pork tenderloin for at least 8 hours up to overnight. Put it on the grill and cook to medium. I promise you will love it as much as we do, and almost as much as we love Aunt Sally.

Aunt Sally's Pork Marinade

1/2 cup pine nuts, finely ground
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
Dash of cayenne (to taste)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together. Marinate pork at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Grill to medium. Discard used marinade.

Delta Does it Right

I’ve never enjoyed flying, and still don’t. The pressure on airlines today is tough. It seems every day there is a news story about how airlines are pinching consumers in their fight for survival. Editorial cartoons are poking fun at all the extra fees airlines are piling on, from baggage fees to charging for the miniscule bag of peanuts. Flight attendants are stressed to do more with less time, and somewhere along the way, many of them have not only lost their sense of humor, they’ve lost their customer service skills.

I wasn’t looking forward to my flight to Atlanta last weekend, but a wonderful thing happened. I had a pleasant experience, from start to finish (except for the turbulence, which isn’t the airlines fault). I flew Delta, and expecting the worst, I received the best. The flight attendants were warm and caring – and funny, using their skills to serve, sooth, and comfort.

Delta is trying to bring back the days when flying was fun. Even though you have to pay for meals in coach, Delta has printed gorgeous menus called “EATS” with a scrumptious shot of grilled shrimp on the front. Inside the menu is a picture of Todd English, the celebrity chef who consulted on the menu development.

Instead of relying on the harried flight attendants to tell you what’s in their cart, the menu allows you to see and read descriptions. Strawberry Cream Cheese Crêpe ($4) is “an indulgent blend of strawberry preserves, cream cheese and light brown sugar wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, served with a side of fresh fruit including honeydew melon, pineapple and orange sections.” Doesn’t that sound delicious?

If Delta can do it, I don’t understand why U.S. Air and American can’t. So, kudos to Delta for remembering that we do have a choice in airlines; I know that next time I fly, I’ll be checking the Delta schedules first.

Fool's Gold?

Is it possible that garlic doesn’t go with everything? I didn’t think so until yesterday. I opened a bottle of Garlic Gold’s new Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. It’s organic and good for people who are either allergic to vinegar or on a low acid diet. I’m neither, but I couldn’t resist buying it because I love Meyer lemons.

I sprinkled pork tenderloin with lemon pepper and grilled it, thinking a salad dressed with my new Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette would be the perfect accompaniment. I did something you should never, ever do. I skipped tasting the vinaigrette before I poured it on the salad.

Sitting down to a big pile of organic greens, dressed with an organic vinaigrette and topped with a pork tenderloin from a local farmer, I’m thinking all is right with the world. And then I take a bite. And nothing is right in my mouth. The garlic flavor is so overwhelming and it’s not a fresh, pleasant bite from freshly chopped garlic. It is a bitter, old flavor from garlic that’s a little long in the tooth.

This was my first experience with Garlic Gold, and so I don’t know if it tastes “normal” or if I got hold of a bad bottle. One thing is for sure. There will be no more Garlic Gold Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette dressed salads in this house. But just out of curiosity, I might pick up another product. I’d hate to declare Garlic Gold as fool’s gold until I give it another try.

Skewered!

Just got a cool little mini-magazine in the mail from Kikkoman, the soy sauce people, talking about the essentials of Asian grilling – very attractive little promotional package, indeed. The intro letter says that “K” will be published twice a year.

This issue is filled with pretty pictures of grilled food and recipes featuring, of course Kikkoman’s products (which by the way, I have a few in my pantry, and I’ll probably pick up their newest one, a line of Teriyaki Takumi Collection Sauces – the Triple Ginger one sounds delicious).

One little sidebar caught my eye, called “skewer savvy” and this being the height of grilling season, I thought I’d pass on to you a couple of their tips:

*Soak bamboo skewers in soy sauce flavored water for at least 30 minutes. I would add about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce per cup of water. (Although, didn’t I read in Gourmet Magazine that you don’t have to soak skewers?) Soaking skewers in flavored water makes much more sense than just plain water, if you decide to soak.

*Use two skewers, parallel to each other for fish and large sea scallops, to keep them from falling apart on the grill.

*Beyond metal and bamboo: The outer stalks of fresh lemongrass stalks make great skewers (still soak like bamboo). Fresh sugarcane skewers look great, too, but need some trimming to become thin enough to skewer foods. They impart a little sweetness to the food. Woody rosemary stems make great skewers, too.

He's back...

Just when I thought I was so over chipotle, he seduced me again.

But he didn’t do it alone this time. He called in the big guns – fried potato chips. Damn. He knows my weakness and exploits it, clever little chile, that one.

I lost interest in him, even with his smoky hotness, when every time I turned around, there he was. He was smothering me!

Chipotle mayonnaise. Chipotle salsa. Chipotle hummus. Chipotle, chipotle, chipotle. I was sick of the little smoked jalapeno.

But then, the brainy folks at Kettle Foods decided to pair my ex with evaporated sugar cane juice, and dust their thick, crunchy, organic potato chips with the powdery elixir.

Oh… my… goodness… resistance is futile… smoky… sweet …organic.

He’s back and I couldn’t be happier.

I only have one tiny comment for the folks at Kettle (OK, two). First, I realize you’ve trademarked Chipotle Chili Barbeque™, but did you know that “chili” means bowl of stew? “Chile” is the correct spelling when you mean the actual chile pepper, according to Webster's Culinary Dictionary of the Arts.

Never mind, I just have to thank you for coming up with a fantastic flavor combination that made realize that I really can’t live without him – my little hot, chipotle.

Chocolate to the rescue...

I was going to blab blog about summer zucchini, and what do to with them, since they seem to be multiplying in my crisper drawer, but then I sat down for a quick lunch and my whole world just came to a screeching halt.

I heated up some veggie beef skewers in a chipotle BBQ sauce (an item I picked up for a study I was working on), made by a company called it’s all good (liars). The picture on the package looks enticing, like real grilled beef kabobs. To be fair, the package gives directions for grilling and sautéing but I took the quick microwave route.

The first thing I noticed when I cut open the bag (once they were heated) was the smell. My two puppies noticed it before I did, thinking I was making them a mid-day snack. I can’t even describe how awful they taste. Vegetarians are never going to win me over with this kind of stuff. Thank goodness for the little bit of kick from the chipotle sauce.

The first ingredient is water, followed by soy protein, vital wheat gluten, natural flavors, and then modified vegetable gum. What the heck is modified vegetable gum? And honestly, I don’t know what natural flavors they put into this, enough to be the third ingredient, yet taste like anything but natural.

I had to eat a New Tree cinnamon-kissed chocolate bar just to wash the taste out of my mouth.

Where Is She?

I did not fall of the face of the earth, contrary to my lack of blog posts. I just happened to have bit off more than I can chew – or juggle – at the moment. I spent 26 hours this weekend racking my not-so-pretty little brain for a food trends study. And before that, I crammed in a few restaurant reviews for PHOENIX Magazine and The Arizona Republic. And before that, I researched and wrote a huge coffee story for the fall edition of Edible Phoenix. And before that…. You get the idea.

So, I’ve not forgotten about all you faithful readers (all two of you?) and I hope to get back on track here shortly. In the meantime, how about a quick little recipe for Lemon Carrots? Doesn’t that sound refreshing and healthy? I could use a little dose of healthy – I’m back on the review trail in a few minutes.

Lemon Carrots

2 cups baby carrots

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil carrots in water salted with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and pat dry. In a saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in carrots and cook until heated through about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4. (Recipe from The Great Ranch Cookbook, by me.)