Heavenly textures

[im_nomad]

I guess this one is the anti-"things that make you go gag" thread

I haven't met too many food textures that I haven't liked, and some are just downright blissful.

Taste aside, I had some avocado on a salad this evening, and the silken texture of a just right avocado is to die for. I'm sure it's the fat content but still.

Same goes for smoked salmon and sashimi. Divine.

I thoroughly enjoy the "pop" my quinoa or caviar makes between my teeth.

and who can dispute the feel of a really good milk chocolate or liquid caramel on the tongue.

and brie and other soft cheeses !!! oh dear.

I even tried, and liked, a parmesan foam...a texture i was certain I was not going to enjoy.

ok, warning, not sooooo glam entries ahead:
-peanut butter and bananas on white bread, or a fluffer nutter....simply full of squishy wonderfulness
-and mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes..........mmmmmm

[RealMenJulienne]

Mung Bean Sprouts, lightly sauteed with garlic and slivered scallions. I love the crunch and snap, and the juiciness.

Napa cabbage chopped and sauted with ginger. It is crisp and velvety at the same time.

Chinese take-out egg rolls, 2 inches thick, golden blistered skin and filled with chopped cabbage and those little red granules of pork(?). The crunch of the skin and then the stringiness of the cabbage, plus hot mustard...

[Angela Roberta]

Creamy and *cold*. Temperature is key.

[Firegoat]

mmmm okay, totally un chowish, but that creamy and cold mention makes me think good hot fudge sauce (and HOT) on vanilla soft serve ice cream.......

[Scargod]

A velvety, creamy mushroom soup with soft, slippery, shitake mushrooms.

[Passadumkeg]

Good one! The warm spicy creaminess of TexMex chile con queso w/ the nutty crisp snap of home made tortilla chips!
Hey, I've been picking chanterelles this past week. Great texture and flavor raw or sauteed.

[crawfish]

There’s a Japanese soup-y custard-y dish called chow an mushi (I have no idea how to spell it). Its wonderful comfort food.

[mamaciita]

Honeycrisp apples
Dewig's house-made bratwurst
Hashbrown edges
Freshly-dug potatoes
Ganache
Edamame
Steel-cut oatmeal
Water chestnuts

[diablo]

Love this post. For me:
Agreed mashed potatoes
Agreed brie
Agreed melted cheese
Agreed avocado
Add good, cheesy grits
Correctly cooked scrambled eggs
Correctly cooked poached eggs
Mashed rutabega
Melted butter
A nice, ripe, juicy tomato
Sourdough pretzels--love that crunch
Crab legs--something about the soft texture is almost melt in your mouth

[im_nomad]

I have a new one........concord grapes.......the texture's lovely..

[enbell]

YESSSS!

I'm surprised there isn't more fruit mentions here. I love a fresh juicy watermelon too.

[Firegoat]

A perfect lemon meringue pie
Hot home-made chocolate pudding
Scrambled eggs cooked perfectly fluffy and tender
The first bite of a perfect hamburger off the grill at home, or from a diner on a toasted bun
Filet minon
Melted cheese in anything.

[Passadumkeg]

A hot dog w/ snap
Crisp chicharones
Creamy stilton
A juicy grapefruit section bursting w/ flavor
Lutefisk (really)
Crisp bacon
Cold bubbly Champagne
The pop of a fresh picked blueberry
Maine shrimp fried crisp w/ the shell on
A crisp spring onion
The crunch of raw broccoli, turnip and cauliflower
A raw jalapeno
A baked apple w/ maple syrup, soft
Smooth egg nog
The soft texture of posole
Creamy, cold, fresh, crisp flavors of gazpacho and summer borscht.
Slicing a firm, ripe, sweet, fresh picked garden tomato
The snap of raw fresh picked garden asparagus
Baccalau
Pickled herring
fish & chips, smooth and crisp
And many of the previous listed food; avocado, yum!

[OCAnn]

Okra & natto.

Also love the "pop" of the salmon roe.

[BamiaWruz]

Oh yeah, Okra! Yum.

[Emmmily]

Good chewy/bouncy udon. The slitheriness of al lthe tiny bean threads inside the spring rolls at my favorite Vietnamese place. (I guess I have a thing for noodles, huh?) Melted cheese. A good mousse/souffle. The inside of a chocolate truffle.

[TripChick]

A sublime homemade mac & cheese. Crusty toasty cheese on top and underneath, gooey melty goodness.

[meatn3]

-the crisp "snap" of fresh shrimp cooked properly
-briney softness of a raw oyster
-juicy resistance of a well marbled steak
-ashy goo bliss of a marshmallow torched over a campfire
-the "pop" of a just picked bite of corn
-latke with sour cream: soft, crisp, bite from the onion, fatty soothing cream from the dairy

Thanks! Nice topic, pleasurable detour thinking about it!

[scuzzo]

Great additions, especially the campfired marshmallow!

[Catskillgirl]

Latke - such a wonderful dish of contrasts - as you say the hot crispiness of the latke combined with rich cool sour cream - lovely textures in both, and sublime when combined.

[iluvtennis]

Oooooh...good list. Now i'm craving campfire s'mores.

[scuzzo]

A fun post. I too love the rich creaminess of a great avocado. I also like the crispness of raw sugar snap peas and nice crisp, not too sweet apple, like a Honeycrisp or a Granny Smith. I love the slipperyness of mango. The seeds and flesh of kiwi. The chewiness of a hearty bread. Trader Joe's has these thin crisp multiseeded flatbread crackers that have a great texture. High fat ice cream. Cotton candy. Pop rocks. Bacon has a great texture too, with a rich coating. A sharp red wine that tingles on your tongue a little bit.

[Sinicle]

Foie gras . Tuna sashimi. Krispy Kreme original,hot from the "river of fat."

[BamiaWruz]

-Sashimi - love the slightly salty and cold fresh moisture in it, it's like the ocean
-Sesame seeds (toasted)
- Figs (dry and fresh, those seeds!)
- Melted cheese (gooey!)
- Buffalo Mozarella ( Wonderful texture )
- String Cheese (and the nigella seeds too)
- Pears (those little tiny balls in the flesh, not sure what its' called)
- Turkish delight (louqum)
- Lebnah and a good olive oil (it's amazing, the oil becomes so flavourful)
- Creme Caramel!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Catskillgirl]

Nigella seeds? My ears just perked right up. We know them as Charnushka seeds, or black cumin. Don't you love them? At my bakery (well, not mine but I spend 60+ hours a week there) they are baked into corn rye bread. Love, love, love them - such an unusual taste. I find it's mainly our Ukrainian and Polish customers who crave these seeds.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm trying to remember the Russian name, chornsomethingor other. My childhood breakfast was corn rye, with butter and sugar. I can remember wetting the end of my finger to pick up and eat the seeds that fell on the plate. We bring back huge loaves when we visit my mom.

[Catskillgirl]

I spelled it wrong, of course. Chernushka is the Russian name, along with many, many other names. Trying to buy some recently was a real challenge, since NOBODY had ever heard of black seeds other than poppy. Which aren't black, they're blue. *G*

Other names are: black cumin, fennel flower, nutmeg flower, Roman coriander, black caraway, and black sesame, but these are all misleading. Whatever they're called, I love them! And they're being hailed now as a great source of antioxidants, apparently they are wonderfully healthy. The Egyptians ate a lot of them, and they were found in some tombs.

Aren't I just a fount of useless information? LOL!

[Passadumkeg]

I buy them at our local health food store as black sesame. I used to a Stanel Waterford wood burning kitchen stove when the kids were liffle and used to bake sooo much. Miss it.

[iluvtennis]

I looooove the texture of avocado and brie. Soooo creamy and smoothe.

[Blueicus]

A properly made stiff custard (like a creme brulee, creme caramel or "dun dan") are magic on the tongue. Also, I just love the texture of e-fu noodles and cooked fresh pasta, (as strange as it sounds) I love having a mouthful of al dente thick noodles.

[adamshoe]

Gnocchi for me...velvety, potatoey, cheesy goodness. Maybe w/ a little gorgonzola, parm and heavy cream. Seconded by fried things (Chicken, hushpuppies, egg-rolls...) Oooh, getting hungry now...

[akq]

YUM. I love avocado, smoked salmon and sashimi textures. I'd also add:
- scallops (smoked or seared)
- gummy candies (I know...) and "finger" jello
- chewy noodles
- melted cheese (in quesadillas, especially)
- figs
- grilled (or toasted) bread soaked in butter (grilled cheese sandwiches, toast, etc.)