Conquering Coconut

 

It all started a couple of months ago when I realized that Zarah Maria and Martin were planning to spend far too brief a time in New York during their fairly pretty comprehensive tour of the US.   I simply couldn't allow my city to be given short shrift. 

 Zarah and Martin at Kalustyan's 

For certain questions, it's wise to choose your time carefully.  Sometimes early morning (when your partner is  still curled in fetal position and his consciousness level is questionable) is best:  "Honey?"  "Mmmphh."  "Can we have some food bloggers from Denmark -- well, actually, a food blogger and her boyfriend -- come stay with us at the beginning of May?"  "Mmmph. Sure."

Later that same morning:  the aforementioned partner is now both vertical and ambulatory, and has even had coffee, but this doesn't necessarily mean that the level of consciousness is particularly elevated :  "Sweetie? Do you remember that I asked you earlier if Zarah and Martin could come stay with us?"  "Uh huh.  Sure.  No problem." 

Sometime during the afternoon of the same day: "Did you ask me before if some people could come stay with us?" "Yeah, Zarah and Martin from Denmark.  You said yes."  "And you know these people how?"  "I know Zarah through food blogging.  We've been corresponding for quite a while, actually."  "Wait.  Wait.  You mean you've never actually MET these people and you've invited them to come stay?"

Despite repeated mutterings and dire predictions, Zarah and Martin (after an annoying mishap detailed by my dear chum Bakerina here) did indeed come to stay, and a lovely time ensued.  I was deeply embarrassed by the fact that I didn't cook for them even once during their 3 days with us, but in my own defense, I  a) had just returned from San Diego, and b) had to immediately start a rather challenging work week.  Food shopping and meal planning were not in the cards, nor were extended guided tours of the city. 

What we were able to offer was housing, and a couple of  evenings together, which turned out to be very lovely.  Conversation and laughs never lagged, even for a moment.  On their last night in the city, after a walk-through of Kalustyan's Market and a spin through the closing farm-stands at Union Square's Wednesday Greenmarket, we took them to a little Moroccan dive in the East Village, Cafe  Mogador, a place I've seen through many changes and of which I've remained a devotee.  Tuesday night we were all up to our own devices, since G was working late, I had a late class and we wouldn't be around at all until bedtime, more or less.   Zarah and Martin showed up even later, whereupon we learned that after yet another inexhaustible day of walking the length and breadth of Manhattan, they'd taken themselves off to Les Halles, where they bathed in Bernaise sauce and enjoyed peerless frites with their steaks.  But on their first night, Monday, ah Monday, our guests insisted on hosting us at the Bread Bar, which as readers of this site know, is one of my chosen places and G's absolute, world-without-end favorite restaurant, at least in NYC.  It was on Zarah's must-try list for their New York visit, so off we went.   

I always think that good restaurants know how to strike a balance between keeping enough of your favorite tried-and-true treats to draw you back, as well as enticing you with new things to try.  This time there were several new cocktails as well as new dishes on the menu.  We ordered lavishly, drank, ate and got acquainted. One new item (or at least new to us) was the Cauliflower Caldin, described as a Goan coconut curry.  I hesitated, knowing G's distaste for coconut.  I've broken down many barriers in the past few years.  Successes include rhubarb, lamb, leeks, and yogurt-based sauces.   Still in the column of hated foods are raw onions, avocadoes, olives, mushrooms, and, I had thought, coconut.  But G affably agreed to this dish. 

It dawned on me that recently he's eaten and enjoyed coconut-based curries in Thai restaurants, as well as my own coconutty version of mulligatawny soup, and the coconut rice that Luisa brought to my attention.  When I teased this out with him a bit, he told me that he still doesn't like coconut itself:  the texture, the shreddiness, the getting-caught-in-your-teeth quality of it.  But he now likes the flavor of coconut or maybe coconut milk, at least in savory dishes.  So much so that as he was scraping the bowl of cauliflower coconut curry at the Bread Bar,  he suggested that I make something like it at home.  "This would be good with that coconut rice you made a while ago," he said.  He was asking for two coconut dishes?  In one meal? 

Last night's dinner was the first time I've done any real cooking in more than a week.  My own bastardized version of Nigella's chicken tikka was on the menu, as was some spiced naan we picked up at Kalustyan's.  But the piéce de resistance was the cauliflower coconut curry, served over coconut rice. 

My only question is, if we can conquer coconut, can mushrooms be far behind?  Sadly, I think I know the answer. 

Comments

[lindy]

Sounds a great time. Most envious.

Re mushrooms: It always surprises me that many people reject mushrooms. Since the tastes are so subtle, I'm convinced it must be a question of texture.I wonder if he might go for some kind of sauce where the mushroom taste is there, but it is completely smooth?

Personally, I think most mushrooms, from plain old cultivated white ones, to chanterelles (which I only had fresh once, but oh, my..)are ideally set off by garlic and butter.

It's just that I hate to see anyone miss out on mushrooms.

[Julie]

Oh Lindy, I absolutely feel the same way. I love mushrooms, and while G doesn't raise strong objections about their occasional appearance in his food, he always picks them out and leaves a wistful little pile of mushroom corpuses by the side of his plate. I have actually done some "guerilla" mushroom-sneaking by using dried porcini, reconstituted and minced, in various sauces, and received no objections. But I'm just not sure I'll ever see him voluntarily order a dish of mushrooms...

[Ivonne]

What a great post, Julie!

It's wonderful that you got to meet and spend time with Zarah Maria and Martin. This food blogging business is best because it brings so many people together!

[Tania]

How wonderful to meet a fellow food blogger from so far away!

I think it's amazing how distances seem to shrink because of the internet and this lovely shared interest in food. A few weeks ago, I met a fellow food blogger for brunch, and it was like meeting up with an old friend. That still amazes me!

[Luisa]

Despite having lived in New York for over five years now, I didn't manage to get myself to the Bread Bar at Tabla until last week... and wow, what a meal. Funny that you should mention the caldin, because we ordered the version with asparagus and I couldn't stop eating it. Delicious! As for picky eaters, isn't it great when you can finally convince them that whatever they thought was inedible actually is, quite, edible? I'm still waiting to turn Ben's utter hatred for anchovies into, at least, a toleration of them ;)

[Julie]

Hi Ivonne and Tania -- yes, it's true; there's little that's more fun than meeting food bloggers. There's a prevalent fear that all of this computer-generated communication prevents people from actually going out and behaving as social beings. Just the opposite has been true in my experience -- blogging has expanded my world both virtually AND in real time. So if either or both of you do come to NY, I hope we'll get together!

Hold on a second here. Wait. Luisa, you're telling me that they made the Caldin with asparagus? That definitely wasn't on the menu the night we were there. Hmmm...how to integrate the delicate flavor of asparagus successfully into something fairly assertive like a coconut curry...

[Rebecca]

Hi, Julie--I'm just reading your blog for the first time and I love it; I'm glad to hear about your experience inviting fellow bloggers to stay. I invited someone I "met" through food blogging to get together later on this summer and then I worried she would think I was weird, but you do feel you are getting to know people through this shared love of food and cooking! And it's great the way you can get recommendations for restaurants and food purveyors all over the world.

[Bakerina]

That's a lovely, lovely picture of Zarah and Martin you took there, m'love -- and in Kalustyan's, yet! You did my little fresser heart proud. :)

You might be interested to know that G shares his leeriness of the texture of coconut with none other than Steve Almond, author of Candyfreak, who says that the texture of coconut gives him an unpleasant association I will not name here, but upon trying a smooth coconut cream at Lake Champlain Chocolates, he rethought the whole coconut antipathy thing. Sounds like G is cut from much the same cloth (if a slightly less neurotic bolt of cloth ;).

[ZarahMaria]

Tee-hee, so G was lured into it all, huh? But hey, when he got THIS out of it, then surely, everything must be okay!;-)

Thank you so much for having us stay over Julie (and G) - it was indeed the greatest time, and we enjoyed ourselves so much - and hey, you can cook the next time w're coming to NY;-D

[Gabriella True]

I never think of coconut milk as being all that coconutty so that is a great way to start! I cook with it all the time.

[ilana]

Hello again!
I too know how wonderful it is to meet several foodies. Family and friends are a bit cautious about it; but we foodies seem to have so much in common, like getting excited about the Microplane.
Anyway, just curious how you bastardized Nigella's chicken tikka?! LOL. I found that recipe lovely, esp. with the red onion relish.
I recently cooked coconut rice too, to go with chicken tikka masala (Tom Norrington-Davies). Mmmmmmm! The rice recipe was Bill Granger's; if you want the recipe for it drop me a line.

Cheers!
Ilana

[Julie]

Hi Rebecca -- thanks for stopping by. I too have nothing but good things to say about the serendipity of actually meeting fellow bloggers!

Bakerina baby -- I've been shaking and baking, as you can tell from the last post -- and you will also find that G has breached the shreddy frontier of actual coconut. I don't know about him, but I'm sure gonna go for those smooth coconut creams at Lake Champlain chocolates. Especially since we're planning a Vermont run soon; Burlington is only a few more hours north...

Awww, Zarah -- you know G loved meeting you as much as I did! We had a blast with you both, and are missing you and wondering where and how you are!

Gabriella, thanks for visiting! Clearly you're right, and coconut milk is indeed the right way to start on coconut as a new taste in the repertoire...

Hi Ilana! Thanks for taking the time to visit AFIEP. I can't wait to check out your blog, too! I "bastardized" the chicken tikka the way I usually do -- leaving out things I didn't have in the house, like fresh ginger, and throwing in things I did, like powdered ginger. Mostly I make it Nigella's way, although with just a little less chile...