books, Food, Gatherings, Stories, Uncategorized

Dairy Ephiphany

42 Comments

Thanks to Charles Dickens for setting the scene….

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way — in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

And in the midst of the chaos it sat, surrounded by its golden foil wrapper. Artisanal butter – a golden yellow color, soft and salty.  It made believers of us all.

Do you have a secret indulgence?

42 thoughts on “Dairy Ephiphany”

  1. You and Julia Child might be onto something there.
    Nothing in the world like real butter.

    Although I am beginning to appreciate real homemade mayonnaise too.
    ( haven’t made it myself yet.)

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    2. it makes you wonder what they put in hellmans that it can sit in the jay for a year before you open it and then another couple of months after you pen it. the home made stuff you get 3 days

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  2. On any given day, if you open my drawer for kitchen linens and reach back behind the towels, you will find some kind of chocolate lurking there. I don’t know why I hide it, Husband is the only other one here and he’s probably aware of it. There is also a little glass container at the front of the drawer, readily visible, with Werther’s hard caramels. A sort of decoy, I guess.

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  4. earl gray
    2.50 for a tea bag and hot water? give me a break
    4.50 for 20 tea bags at the store when liptons is 300 for $8?
    i buy a pound on amazon for $15 instead of $35 for bulk from the co op or hy vee

    wish i drank chamomile. you can pick that off the ground all summer long

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      2. When Pete Morton stays at our house, I have to be sure and have PG Tips on hand. To him flavoured teas, such as Earl Grey, are an abomination, and he wont drink it.

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        1. when i stay at someone’s house i bring my own tea
          i can’t imagine expecting anyone to stock their life for my taste and i quite honestly can not tolerate most off brand black teas

          i am not familiar with pg tips so i will likely pick dome up at target and see if it’s worth it

          i am fine with twinnings or bigelow but again 4.50 for 20 bags seems excessive
          oh tips appears to be 40 bags for $5 or $6 but the same basic deal

          i’ve always counted myself as lucky that i really like liptons
          300 bags for 7 bucks is the right price
          restaurant and non tea drinkers who buy the cheap tea to save a penny a bag are the best example of penny wise and pound foolish ever
          garbage for a penny less would never be acceptable for coffee but it seems to be prominent in tea offerings

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        3. Not so fast, tim. I didn’t say that Pete expects me to have PG Tips on hand, just that he abhors flavored teas. I love Earl Grey and Darjeeling, and made the mistake of thinking everyone does, so I was surprised the first time he was here, that he preferred the plain Lipton tea bags to my “fancy” teas. I’ve since made the point of having loose tea on hand that isn’t flavored, and because when Pete comes here, he stays for days on end, and makes himself tea whenever he wants, I make sure to stock up on tea that he likes. Any good host would, I think.

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  6. Although I don’t flaunt it, it’s hardly a secret either, but I do love stinky cheese. Gamle Ole is my favorite. It’s a Danish Danbo cheese that is best aged 40+ weeks. As I said, it’s stinky; Hans won’t even try it. Then, again, I don’t try to convince him, as I prefer to have all to myself. Some fresh bread, a little butter, a nice Cabernet Sauvignon and a chunk of Gamle Ole – heaven.

    Unfortunately, I have found only one place in the US where you can get it, Nordic House in Berkeley, CA, and they no longer ship their wares. But you can find it in the Duty Free shop at the airport in Copenhagen.
    Ingebretson’s sells a very poor substitute called Esrom; it’ll do in a pinch.

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        2. Ancestry just reanalyzed their previous DNA testing with new data, and now it seems that my DNA is much more Swedish and Norwegian than previously thought. No wonder I am drawn to Dala horses and sandbakkels! My dad’s DNA was even more Swedish and Norwegian than previously thought, too. He would be amused about that.

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  8. Since Saturday morning when I purchased this butter, I’ve already blown through all of the soft rolls and pretzel rolls that I bought to go with it. Guess I’ll just have to get some more.

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  9. My most recent indulgence is candied ginger and I sometimes add a piece of very dark chocolate and roasted almonds….all in my mouth at the same time.

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  11. Oh, you guys are killing me! I’m doing a Fasting Mimicking Diet in honor of Global Fasting Week this week for 5 days. It’s about 800-1000 calories per day, low protein, moderate carbs, no sugar or flour, no animal products. I’m tired and hungry with just one more day to go. I’m making really good specially designed meals, but it’s still hard. The Fasting Mimicking Diet is based on Dr. Valter Longo’s clinical research and his amazing book “The Longevity Diet” which I highly recommend. Best nutritional/diet book ever and I have many.

    Being from Wisconsin and having worked in a creamery between bouts of college — butter belongs on anything that resembles bread. Bread, quick breads, Danish, doughnuts, crackers, etc. Butter is the Best!

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  12. I indulge in chocolate, but it’s not a secret. Not just any chocolate, but the good stuff (e.g. no Hershey’s), preferably dark, although there are some good milk chocolates out there.

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  13. A bolognese sauce with butter, olive oil, and beef fat is heavenly. So is an extra sharp cheddar. White truffle oil. Ginger sauce on salmon. Riesen dark chocolate caramels. A fresh crusty baguette.

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