Remy, from Ratatouille, ©Disney Pixar

The way in which Disney/Pixar chose to illustrate the way Remy experiences tastes as a combination of sounds and colors struck me as familiar – incredibly familiar. I had just finished reading “Born on a Blue Day” by Daniel Tammet, a brilliant autistic man with synaesthesia – a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In layman’s terms, numbers have colors, sounds have tastes, years have distances, and dates have personalities.

So naturally, as Remy describes how one taste complements the next, and impromptu jazz music begins in the background, I realized something that altered the way I perceive food.

Each subtle hint of flavor, from salty, sweet, bitter, or sour – and hell, even umami – strikes a pleasant chord, or is that last needed touch on a canvas. I was thinking about food as a balanced slate; loud foods such as peppers and spices needed quiet companions, a cheese perhaps. Swirly foods (custards, creams, etc.) needed some abrupt straight lines (a bit of toffee, a cookie.)

Thinking about food in this manner brought the process of completing a dish to a higher level than just food on a plate with the hopes that it tasted alright.  In my mind, I may as well be a culinary synaesthesiac.

Cashew Toffee Sandies

Ingredients

Directions

Now, I’d just like to point out that these eggs fulfill three of my favorite criteria for motivation:

• OHH COLORFUL!
• OHH SHINY! (Ok, that one’s a stretch, but still)
• MmMm DELICIOUS

The little girl inside of me, who delights in said motivators, decided I HAD to try it. Mom and I were going to hardboil eggs today anyway, so I figured I’d stash a few aside and pull out all the gel colors from our cake decorating box. The original website has the eggs sitting for several (seven, if I remember correctly) hours. Not I, because well, I’m impatient These sat for approximately an hour and a half, maybe two, I did take a nap in there…

Anyway, I would like to remark upon how difficult it truly is to gently crack an egg without breaking the internal membrane. That’s the best way to get the look (otherwise dye just seeps in, like some of the eggs show).

I used the boiling water I hardboiled the eggs in, adding more salt to the water before adding the water to the dye. I don’t know if that made much of a difference, but the directions mentioned salt water, so I went with it.

Here are my totally awesome crackled eggs, I can’t wait to make these into deviled eggs! (Several hours later…and deviled these eggs, I did.)

• Asiago-crusted chicken with creamy mustard sauce
• Asparagus with Hollandaise
• Buttered Brussels Spouts
• Potatoes Gruyére
• Watergate salad
• Homemade Vanilla Ice cream
• Make-your-own Sundaes featuring homemade strawberry sauce, hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream, wafers, and waffle bowls.

I have the sincere feeling I’m forgetting something, but that’s what edits are for

Beef Stew

Seeing as today was the first day in a week that I didn’t feel sick, I decided to jump on the opportunity. 

The ingredient list was pretty easy, except I made some changes:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 ounces chopped bacon
• 2-1/2 pounds boneless chuck
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 ounces thickly-sliced mushrooms, sauteéd in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, optional
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beef stock
• One 12-ounce bottle of beer (I used MGD)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon coarse-ground mustard (I didn’t add this during cooking time, we tried a little on the side at dinner)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

The directions had me cooking the bacon, set aside, drain pan. Brown beef, set aside. I differed here. 

The recipe went on to cook the chopped vegetables in the pan. There was no way I could waste those delicious brown bits of beefy goodness! I proceeded to make the fron in my cast iron, and sauté my vegetables in a separate pan.

I’d have to say the timing on everything went rather smoothly. Once I had finished browning the beef, I took the cast iron off the heat and set it aside. I chopped my vegetables, and sautéed them. I set that pan aside, and started the fron. Once I had my brown gravy going, I added the veggies, then the meat. There was no lag time.

Close up of my stew

My side to dinner was a rather yeasty Vienna Roll. These didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned, they could have used some extra time in the oven. On the plus side, I froze a few, so they’ll go back in the hot box and get that last bit of goodness during their next serving

Vienna Rolls

Irish Car Bomb Cupcake

Guinness Cupcake

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tb vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 -3/4 cup toasted cocoa nibs

Preheat oven to 350F; prepare a cupcake tin.
Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter.
Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa,sugar, and pudding. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture.

Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Add cocoa nibs.
Pour into cupcake papers and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Whiskey Caramel

• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. heavy (or whipping) cream
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. Jameson Irish whiskey

Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Boil until thick and well blended. Pour into bowl, let cool.

Bailey’s Icing

• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cream cheese, full fat
• ~2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Bailey’s Irish Creme Liqueur

Set butter and cream cheese to room temp. Blend butter and cream cheese until well blended. Start adding powdered sugar a little bit at a time, till well blended before adding next amount.

When half way through sugar, add Baileys. Finish adding sugar. Chill.

To make Irish Car Bomb cupcakes:

Once cupcakes have cooled, use a knife to cut a circle in the top. Dig out the center, set aside.

Pour caramel into the center of cupcake, reinsert cut top.

Frost with Bailey’s icing.

Enjoy

• *Cousin’s reception: “Simply delightful. This was quite possibly the most thoughtful birthday gift I’ve received. I ate two today. I wanted more but had to restrain myself! I will never enjoy another Irish Car Bomb without thinking of these cupcakes!“**

(Cupcake recipe based off of http://www.bigcitylittlekitchen.com/2007/07/06/beer-cupcakes/

Caramel sauce based off of Toffee Rum sauce from Steven Raichlen’s Miami Spice cookbook
Bailey’s icing my own variation of cream cheese icing)