are you obsessed with any food product in particular?

[fayehess]

I love Danish butter on those rye crackers that they sell at Ikea and I love really good home style summer fruit jam and I love La Macchia olive oil and I love these crazy candied vegetables that they do at a place in Montevarchi (crazy, crazy good) and I love frozen mallow bars (but I can't spell it)

[eclecticsynergy]

Mine is curried organic cashews. Have learned to buy only small quantities, 'cause once I start in on them, I soon find myself holding an empty bag...

[mollyomormon]

where do you buy these? they sound delicious...

[tatamagouche]

Not hard to make either. There's a great book called Party Nuts! by Sally Sampson with a jillion excellent spiced nut recipes.

[eclecticsynergy]

I get mine at the Honest Weight CoOp here in Albany NY.

[Isoldamay]

Those Ines Rosales sweet olive oil tortas. And now, lo and behold, Whole Foods sells savory ones, too. I am in such trouble.
Also halloumi cheese. When I even think I might be running low, I have to run out and buy more. It's sheep crack.
Smoked spanish paprika. Food tastes like crap? Just dump a big 'ol spoonful of this stuff on it and see what happens!

[tatamagouche]

Same with the dangerously named merquen (or merken) from Chile.

http://cookdiegocook.com/2008/08/12/m...

[c oliver]

I love those tortas also. First got them in NYC and was surprised to find them at my little, local farmers market last summer.

[Popkin]

Cold brew or hot french-pressed coffee using light-roast beans, which I got from this site :D It makes me want to declare "I had the BEST cup of coffee this morning...." pretty much every morning, but I think people would get tired of hearing it after the 50th time lol. I just steep it in the fridge with reverse-osmosis water (we have a system installed for... the fish tanks. Yes the fish tanks were the primary reason lol), and sometimes cinnamon and vanilla. I use about 2-3X as much ground coffee for the volume as I would for an equivalent cup of hot- brew coffee. In the morning blend with milk and sugar, or heavy cream and sugar, or sweetened condensed milk, or milk and a flavored syrup, or..........

For about the past month, I've had raw steak seasoned with honey, soy sauce, garlic, and cayenne at least twice a week. Can't seem to get enough lately.

A few months ago I was on an omelett making kick (though I don't really enjoy eggs myself, I LOVE cooking them) to my husband's delight.

And finally, macaroni and cheese. I love playing with the cheese combinations and variations. So far the favored rendition is smoked cheddar, medium cheddar, and velveeta.

[Island]

Don't know if I would call it an obsession, but I've got a crush on these chocolate covered French caramels made by a local artisan chocolatier. Amazing and expensive. I never thought I'd be swooning over chocolate covered caramels. Now i want to learn how to make them.

[TheFoodEater]

maille dijon mustard. I can barely open my fridge without coating my tongue with a taste of this instant food orgasm in a glass jar.

parm

foie gras - I actually dream about eating foie the way some people dream about sex

[onceadaylily]

I dreamt about greek yogurt last night. I was told to get as much as I want, but there was a girl sitting on the edge of the display case, and when I reached around her to get my yogurt, she swiveled around and scooped up all but one. It was a terrible dream.

[igorm]

I love mushrooms in any form, be they sauteed, marinated or in a sauce, especially over mashed potatoes. Also, Jarlsberg cheese by itself or in a sandwich.

[brooklynkoshereater]

I am obsessed with dried porcinis, truffle oil, really well-aged balsamic vinegar, and coconut oil

[boyzoma]

For me it is pasta. Any size any shape. I like making different sauces, toppings, etc. But I could eat pasta every meal of the day if I dared. And if you have some great sauce or combo you want to share, I'm open to suggestions! ;-)

[onceadaylily]

When I make a rice dish, sometimes (okay, many times) I sub some orzo for half of the rice. I am quite a fan of this. Mouthfeels of stick and slip in the same dish. It's especially good if there are beans, meat and heat involved.

[Perilagu Khan]

"Beans, Meat and Heat"--sounds like that ought to be a ZZ Top album.

[onceadaylily]

I admit, I laughed after I typed it. Maybe Spearhead will want to revisit the theme to trump their 'red beans and rice' ditty.

[Island]

Or the name of a band.

[southernitalian]

Very thinly sliced ripe red tomato on doughy white bread smeared with mayo and a good shake of Kosher salt.

[linguafood]

Good steaks. Cilantro chutney mixed with yogurt. I'll dip anything that holds still in it. Stone-old gouda that falls apart just looking at it, with caramel-like cheese crystals. Puccini Bomboni (the best truffles in the world), as I am currently in Amsterdam.

A condiment I discovered at our local Asian store: fresh sliced chile peppers in oil. Super-spicy and awesome.

Sichuan food - ma po tofu, chicken w/hot peppers, stir-fried green beans.... you get the picture.

[gordeaux]

Cilantro chutney with yogurt, sour cream, hot chile powder, fresh serranos, lime juice, and fresh cilantro blended smooth - ALL DAY LONG.

My current obsession is Jerk Chicken.
My last obsession was searching for my ideal Murg Makhani. I think I have it down, now.
Before that, it was Vindaloo
Before that, it was Thai Red Curry
Before that, it was (real) BBQ spare ribs
Before that, it was mole
Before that, it was sushi

My next obsession will be making sausages

I have this obsession with making food at home better, or at least as good as most restaurants in town

[tatamagouche]

That sounds incredible! Drunk like a shake?

[James Cristinian]

Avacados from Mexico, sorry California and Chile need not apply.

[mollyomormon]

My one constant obsession is cottage cheese. I go through tubs and tubs of it. But then I have ones that come and go. right now, I'm obsessed with the tropical green tea from SpecialTeas, Bleu du Bocage cheese (this is the most incredible blue cheese), avocados, and the heirloom tomatoes that just hit my farmer's market and that I love to eat tossed with some good oil, vinegar and beluga lentils.

[Jadore]

A few of mine:

- Imported olive oils, particularly ones from Spain, Italy, and Greece.

- Vosages chocolate. OMGOSH.

- Coffee beans

- Any herbs I can manage to grow myself. Right now I have basil going and I'm using it like mad.

- French cheeses, especially Camembert and Pont-l'Évêque

- Moose Munch!

[cafesimile]

One of my obsessions is olive oil. All of it!! I truly feel that if given a blind tasting most people wouldn't be able to tell European olive oils from the really good ones from California. Right now California is doing with olive oil what it did with wine in the 70's and 80's. Let your obsession go domestic, Jadore!! You won't be sorry.

[c oliver]

I've been using Davero oo since Batali mentioned it as one of his favorites. I have the evoo and their balsamic. Love them.

http://www.davero.com/

[Firegoat]

In June and July I'm obsessed with straight from the field fresh sweet corn. I'm on a low carb diet now... but that is the one thing I will completely break my diet for. It's so fresh and so sweet I could just eat it raw.

[tatamagouche]

Last year I had some corn in Michigan that was edible raw off the cob. Incredible.

[Veggo]

tata, haven't you had the Olathe corn yet in Denver? Extraordinary.

[tatamagouche]

Actually, I'm hoping to go to the festival in August this year!

[Firegoat]

Bixby Oklahoma is the place to go for the wickedest, freshest sweet corn.

[tatamagouche]

I just noticed you were an Oklahoman. I'm a Norman girl, just got back from the Okie Noodling Tournament in PV.

Speaking of which, I'm definitely obsessed with the table sauce at Bob's Pig Shop.

http://www.denveater.com

[Firegoat]

OMG. I've watched the "Okie Noodlin'" documentary several times on TV!!!! I've never been to Bob's Pig Shop... but I'm defnitely interested.

[tatamagouche]

Fantastic ribs from a 76-year-old smoker, truly. Also great seasoned fries.

[Firegoat]

OK... next year I am SO going. Tell me more!

[tatamagouche]

I'll send you some links via your blog... Of course, the ONT is but once a year but the Pig Shop's open year round! Adorable place on a shady brick lined street in PV—not far from the incongruous wonder that is the Toy & Action Figure Museum.

www.denveater.com

[Dan G]

Not sure if I would call it an obsesson, but there are a few things I eat daily because I love them: almonds, grapefruit, a locally-made gouda, locally-grown hothouse flavorino tomatoes (a plum shaped cocktail tomato that is delicious!). I pretty much stick to local, in-season produce, so when in season, I eat cherries, blueberries and asparagus almost every meal.

Other than that, I go through phases of discovering something and eating it a lot. Currently it is miso.

[Glam Foodie]

I'm trying to think of items I'm always obsessed with, as opposed to certain phases I go through.

I'm pretty much garlic obsessed. I cook with it like crazy, and warm roasted garlic is my idea of perfection.

Every year for as long as I can remember, I eagerly await the baby cucumbers and heavenly tomatoes at my closest farm stand. The cucumbers are a verdant lime green inside, and have a sweet, delicate flavor with a hint of cool cucumber, and I find them so much more palatable than those that are fully grown. I slice them up, along with slices of the perfumed tomatoes, and arrange them on a plate. I drizzle fruity, imported Italian olive oil, a touch of balsamic, and a little black pepper and salt. That's it. Nothing else, except a piece of bread and some wine, and I'm in heaven.

Other items I proudly obsess over: roasted red bell peppers, Meyer Lemon curd, morels, chevre, Brie, any and all fresh herbs, perfectly seared lamb, roasted juicy chicken, Nutella, raspberries with chocolate, strawberries, haricots vert, vanilla beans, and homemade bread.

[Querencia]

Glam---I assume you make skordalia. When a Greek friend showed us how to make it we started putting it on everything---bacon & eggs, hot dogs, spinach, etc. Her method was to take a handful of the crumb of sourdough bread, wet it under the tap, squeeze it dry, process it in the Cuisinart with garlic cloves ad lib and 1-2 tablespoons vinegar and a sprinkle of salt, then slowly dribble in 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil as if making mayonnaise (with machine running) until everything gets creamy.

[linguafood]

Interesting version! I've mostly had skordalia made from potatoes, but I'd love to try the bread version. Probly won't have the glue problem with the processed potatoes, either '-)

[fayehess]

someday you have to try the nutella where it orginated at a cafe in Florence called the Rivoire. Oh my gosh, it is soooo good.

[rabaja]

Lately, I am obsessed with a few things...
Small sardines in chile oil. I love, love, love them. The perfect lunch. I found some exceptional ones at The Spanish Table. They are around $3.50/can, no too bad for lunch, right? They are so cute, and they come with a thin slice of carrot and pickle on top.

Baby Bel light cheese balls. The perfect snack. So pedestrian of me, but who cares? Not me!

Cottage cheese. Knudsen 2% specifically. My house just feels better when I have it around.

[SmallGoodThings]

Oooh, ajvar and harissa...especially harissa. I've been putting it on everything lately.

[lynnlato]

Try harissa and goat cheese mayo on moroccan seasoned lamb burgers - OMG!

[Passadumkeg]

New Mexico/Annaheim roasted green chiles!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7063...

[Island]

Thanks for posting that thread. I love them too. Spouse used to have to travel a lot for work and never minded going to NM. He loved the food and liberal use of green chiles. Still craves it.

[KSyrahSyrah]

Farro! Fell in love with it at North Pond in Chicago. Anything chocolate and Ina Garten's berry salad with limoncello.

[snix]

I love pistachios, in fact the first time I ate them I gave myself a stomach ache. I also adore honeycomb, Nutella, real maple syrup, Margaritaville tortilla chips, and almost any good bread with a smear of butter. Good thick cut bacon and unpitted olives are also dangerous to have around my house.

[Mestralle]

I'm with you on the pistachios. I can usually manage to "regulate" my intake of them if they're still in the shell, but if not, watch out. I'm not sure if they still have them, since I don't live near a Whole Foods anymore, but if you're near one, check for the chili-dusted pistachios. They're out of this world.

Oh, and my biggest downfall is After Eight dinner mints. I don't know what it is about them, but I'll sit down and eat an entire box (and feel miserable afterwards).

[snix]

That's funny, with pistachios I'm just the opposite, they have to be in the shell... I love breaking them out of the shell with my teeth. The chili-dusted ones sound intriguing though, I'll check them out next time I stop by Whole Foods.

[Perilagu Khan]

There's an operation called "Heart of the Desert Winery" near Alamogordo, New Mexico which produces phenomenal pistachios, plain, dusted with green chile, mild red chile, and hot red chile.

[snix]

Thanks for the information, I checked out their site...I will most likely order some of the the green chili and garlic pistachios, they sound really good.

[Perilagu Khan]

You're welcome. And I hope you enjoy the pistachios.

[Island]

They do sound great. I'm going to look for that link also.

[Mestralle]

Thanks for the link!

[Passadumkeg]

PK, I.5 years ago when Dogracs and I drove the Miata I bought from my bro In Vegas we went from I-40 to Cloudcroft for the night. I picked up a fecal load of these pistaches and they fired us up to Austin, Savannah, the Grand Banks and north. Made us mighty thirsty, though.

[tatamagouche]

This is Chowhound! Who isn't?!

Peanut butter. Gjetost. Malidjano (indeed eggplant in any way, shape, or form). Infused olive oils & vinegars from here, http://www.evoomarketplace.com/ , especially the Persian lime oil.

http://www.denveater.com

[Passadumkeg]

How do you eat your gjeitost?

[tatamagouche]

By itself! Although on a recent thread somewhere someone linked a chicken in gjetost sauce recipe for me that sounded really intrguing...

[Passadumkeg]

I always begin our Norsk frukost bord (Norwegian breakfast table) w/ a Wasa sesame flat bread, w/ slices of gjietost and topped w/ hot boiled eggs slices. Gjeitost is to Norwegian kids what peanut butter is to 'Merkan kids.

[buttertart]

It was me! You gotta try that chicken, heap delicious.

[fayehess]

I forgot I am totally into dark chocolate covered organic brazil nuts. They are full of selenium, something like 400 mg per nut and so after just one, you're happy all day.

[lilmomma]

fayehess, where do you get these?

[fayehess]

Can you believe it? At the coop in Camucia (Italy) I commute there for work (I teach cooking) and a friend of mine got me started on them. The nuts come from Brazil, but they are manufactured in italy.

[onceadaylily]

My many food obsessions usually come and go, but there is one that I can't seem to control: Greek yogurt. One of the markets here has an makes it on site, and it is *perfect*. It is so thick, it sticks to the spoon. A smallish container (maybe sixteen ounces) costs almost five dollars, and I can eat it in a day's time. I drizzle it with honey, crushed walnuts, and sometimes fruit or granola. I had to quit buying it when I realized I was spending twenty bucks a week on it, and had developed a problem with . . . sharing. Whenever my boyfriend asked if there was any yogurt, the look I gave him was quite obnoxious. I would stare at him, and wait for at least ten seconds before I saying, slowly and cautiously, " . . . yeeess?"

I really should start making my own.

[fayehess]

I wonder how you would make it?

[onceadaylily]

There are a few methods. You just need a starter (a few tablespoons of yogurt) and whichever type of dairy you prefer. There was a microwave method posted on chow, and I'm likely to give that a go first. The other method involve stovetop use and a resting period, but the temperature needs to be kept steady. I haven't the type of thermometer that would be most useful to keep watch, but it's high on my list of gadgets. After that it's just a matter of separating the whey from the deliciousness that would be all the yogurt I could eat and cook with.

[fayehess]

I forgot I am also stuck on yogurt with grated apple, flattened oats (bob's red mill are my fave) raw honey or jam, blueberries and chopped nuts. luv luv and more luv.

[buttertart]

Have a look at this - many have passed this way before...method and discussion.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5670...

[Uncle Bob]

Fried Catfish and Chocolate Ice Cream....Oh!.. and raw or fried Oysters....and others.

[chef chicklet]

Yes! Frozen mochi with ice cream (trader Joe's green tea and mango)
I also love hot sauces from any and every country and Asian condiments
Pickled vegetables all cuisines, regular pickling, sweet, hot and sweet or hot - used to be obseesed with buying jarred kimchee, now I make my own.

[ipsedixit]

Totally with you on the pickled vegetables -- be it kimchi, sour cabbage, etc ... heck I even consider pico do gallo to be "pickled vegatables".

[chef chicklet]

ditto!

[ipsedixit]

Sometimes I'm tempted to go to Subway and ask for a jalapeno and banana peppers only sandwich ...

[rabaja]

Stopped by TJ's yesterday to stock up on snacks for my friends visiting 14 year-old. Of course I had to push for some frozen ice cream mochi!
We got the mango flavor, and omgosh, how will I ever NOT get them now?
We had a 30 minute drive from one freezer to the next and they were so yummy and soft, yet still holding there shape, by the time we got home. Completely devine.

[Querencia]

Since you mention TJ and Asian condiments in the same post, I can't resist here---try TJ's [hot] "Sweet Chili Sauce" as it makes everything taste Thai. Even, believe it or not, Gorton's Beer-Battered Fish Fillets. And I am absolutely with you on the mango mochi.

[momoftwo]

grew my own arugala this year and I cannot get enough of it, literally picking it as it sprouts out of the ground!!!

[chef chicklet]

oooooh what a wonderful idea! Did you start with seed and then move the seedlings?

[Gio]

The first time I grew arugula I made myself sick from eating so much. It tasted out of this world different from anything either at a market or even a farm. Now I'm much more restrained... almost.

[mcel215]

Too funny Gio, but I bet it's fantastic. :)

[fayehess]

I am so going to plant arugula next year. What a great idea. Can't get enough of it. My fav:
pasta w/frsh ricotta, lemon zest, parm, sauted slivered garlic, fried basil and a ton of fresh arugula (no cooking) tossed in at the end w/ pgnoli or homemade garlicky croutons.

[lynnlato]

Oh ma gawd! That sounds out -of-this world delicious. I am SO making that... and soon!

[wattacetti]

Foie gras, black/gray mullet roe from Taiwan, pata negra jamon iberico, pineapple syrup, freeze-dried pineapple powder. They're always good.

[Cherylptw]

I adore chocolate, cheeses, chiles including powder form and tomatillos because of the versatility.

[fayehess]

what else do you with tomatillos? I use them for a spicy red sauce, and black beans, and sometimes a mayo to serve alongside corn on the cob, but otherwise I'm stumped.

[Veggo]

Enchiladas suizas can't be made without them, there are many other uses for tomatillos.

[Perilagu Khan]

Hot sauces. There are literally thousands on the market and I would love to try them all (well, most of them). I could easily shred my portfolio by collecting what's currently available.