Monthly Archives: July 2018

My Trip to Bertha’s El Sabor De Los Mochis in Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Betha’s El Sabor De Los Mochis is a Mexican Restaurant that serves up many Mexican favorites such as Mariscos ( ceviche, whole fish, marlin tacos), Tacos, Pozole (Hominy Meat Stew), Albondigas de Cameron (shrimp meatball soup), Breakfast, Burros, Menudo (tripe soup) and more!

This isn’t a fancy place but everything looks new and clean.

They started us off with fresh made chips and a very flavorful spicy hot salsa.

While we wait for our order a Mexican Game show is playing on the TV where people suddenly disappear and fall threw the floor depending on what their package reveals. Wow..how surprising…….odd but funny…….

Today I decided to try the Marlin Tacos because one of my favorite tacos I eat when I’ve visited  Mexico was a smoked marlin taco.  I haven’t found many Mexican Restaurants that offer the Smoked Marlin Taco. This is only the second restaurant in Metro Phoenix where I’ve found smoked Marlin Tacos.

The Marlin Taco here is good but very different than the smoked Marlin Tacos I had in Mexico.

This Smoked Marlin Taco starts off with a really great grilled house made (what taste like white corn) tortilla. I think the fresh made tortilla actually taste better than the tortillas I ate in Mexico. The Marlin here is all chopped with a texture similar to packaged tuna fish. The Marlin is very mild and sweet tasting it also has so little smoke to it  that neither me or my husband can taste the smoke. I do taste a fresh lively salsa in it and a mild melty cheese and it has a nice crunch from cabbage. This taco is almost like eating something that’s tastier and better than a quesadilla. This Taco is very unique.. The Cheese with fish seems sort of odd but this marlin is so sweet and neutral that it works…….I’ve never had one like this anywhere. It’s also larger than I was expecting….after all they were only $4.00 each…I thought they’d be smaller.

My husband started with a Cabeza Taco ($2.00).

The beef was tender and developed with flavors. A squirt of lime and a small amount of salsa makes this a tasty treat.

Then our meals arrive and I’m full but I try things anyway.

WOWWEE! This restaurant serves the BIGGEST Chiles Relleno in the whole world! Oh my gosh….The Mexican tomato sauce is nicely seasoned and is very good. The batter is the lightest I’ve ever had on a Chile Relleno inside is a big river of lots of melty mild cheese. My husband liked both the rice and beans. I thought the rice had nice seasonings but for me the rice was too mushy…..But that is the charm of home style cooking….Just like Mom used to make.  My husband said with the soft texture of the rice goes better with the beans that way………….to each his own…….

My husband tried the Chicken Enchiladas with Rojas and Verdes.

The Chicken inside the enchiladas was fresh, tender and developed with flavors. Sauces were both flavorful too. For me the Green Sauce had more bite to it….I liked it more than the red but both were good.

The service was friendly and welcoming. Sauces were very good. Beef and Chicken were fresh, prepared tender and both were developed with flavors. the House made Tortillas were excellent. The menu is intriguing and there’s a lot more to try!

What we tried today was Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

No website but you can find Bertha’s El Sabor De Los Mochis on Facebook.

EVERY THING EVER WRITTEN about any restaurant is SUBJECT to CHANGE and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

First Taste at Confluence Restaurant Carefree AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Confluence is a small casual restaurant that serves upscale, elevated modern cuisine. This photo might look familiar and that is because Confluence is the former location of Cafe Bink. There’s a fresh new paint job and new modern fixtures. They offer lunch and dinner indoors or outdoors with mountain views.

A sort of new but familiar opening. The Chef and Owners are Chef Brandon and his wife who have worked for Chef Binkley for many years. There’s a lot of locally sourced offerings and some that are exotic too on the menus such as finger limes and white flesh salmon this week.

Dinner is meant for dining and plates are smaller and are meant to be enjoyed in multiple courses. Confluence offers a quality wine menu and glasses are generous pours.

They started us off with hot from the oven herbed focaccia bread with quality oil embellished with some vinegar..

We started with the Farm Egg with Farro, Cured Red Pepper Yolk, Brown Butter Crumbs and Grilled Leeks.

This is a very unique plate and is an interesting beginning. For me this dish runs too high with salt ( because the red pepper yolk is cured in salt) but for my husband it is just right.

For dinner I had the Red Snapper with Cucumber, Grapes, Flowers, Lentils, Fennel and Calabrain Chili.

WOW! This plate was extraordinary!

There are multitudes of perfect flavors going on here!

The fish is stunning, perfect light and flaky.

The skin has several different seasons but nothing is overpowering and this is the FORKING CRISPIEST Fish Skin I EVER HAD ANYWHERE! It is hard and crunchy like really crisp kettle chips.

This all rests in a masterfully prepared delicious broth with the most careful application of Calabrian Chili.

Next to the fish is a ring of fennel……I don’t know how they prepared this fennel but they zapped it with some kind of magic that makes it taste much better than normal fennel.

This ring of this amazing fennel contains well seasoned chewy beluga lentils with some embellishments of flowers, grapes, fresh herbs and crunchy cucumber.

This plate was Forking Awesome and it exceeded my expectations.

My Husband got the Duck.

My husband said that this was really good Duck.

I won’t eat a duck so we have to take my husband’s comment that this was really good duck. I note he really meant what he said….”Really Good Duck!” This plate was made of a seared breast, pastrami, a braised leg, cherries and melon.

Next we both shared the Caramelized White Chocolate Mousse.

It was a journey and adventure of textures and flavors that wasn’t too sweet. Mousses had this very delicate moist light as air texture. The plate was embellished with a caramelized topped fresh banana, macadamia nuts and banana bread.

That was my first taste at Confluence.

I’d say Confluence is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

Everything is SUBJECT TO CHANGE and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines Cherries and Almonds Recipe

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Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and Almonds

It can be challenging to make acorn squash taste good without tons of butter, brown sugar and  cinnamon. This time I made a sriracha/apricot glaze for this acorn squash and I thought seasonal summer fruit of nectarines, cherries and almonds would go well here and they do! This dish came out overall savory but also is a little sweet with a building heat that isn’t too hot.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 medium – large sized acorn squash – cut in half, scoop out seeds cut each half in four wedges so you have eight

non stick spray

1 nectarine or a peach – remove pit and cut in eight wedges

16 cherries – pitted

1/3 cup apricot spread – all fruit no sugar added

3 Tablespoons sriracha – I used Shark Brand other brands have more heat and some have a metallic taste so you will want to use less if you use a different brand or to your taste.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground all spice

16 almonds – crushed well

2 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs

2 scallions cut thinly on a diagonal

Fresh ground sea salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet lightly with non stick spray.

Lay the squash wedges in two rows of four.

Put a nectarine wedge inside of each squash wedge.

If you didn’t pit your cherries pit them now with a straw.

Put a cherry on each end of each nectarine wedge.

In a small bowl mix together the apricot spread with the sriracha .

Pour over squash and fruit.

Sprinkle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with allspice.

Sprinkle with almonds and panko.

Use fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.

Put in 425 degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Sprinkle with scallions to serve.

Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and Almonds

I think what made the flavors pop was the cherries….They just added something really great to these flavors.

The Forking Truth

 

 

The Forking Truth is that a Sandwich can’t be good unless it’s made with Decent Bread

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The Forking Truth is that a Sandwich can’t be good unless it’s prepared with decent bread. I went to this new sandwich shop located somewhere in Metro Phoenix. This is a very tiny sandwich shop with a very limited menu. They sell a few cheesteak sandwiches and a few hoagies ……….It’s a very casual little tiny place. You order at the counter and they hand you your order in a take out bag. You either take out or you can dine at one of the small tables inside.

Since this restaurant newly just opened and may or may not be working the hiccups out I don’t feel the need to mention the name of this restaurant.

Both of us were excited to try this new place because they say on their website they offer authentic Philly Cheesteaks………. Well I know an authentic Philly Cheesteak can only be purchased around Philadelphia PA but I can hope for a Philadelphia Style Steak Sandwich. I also have to wonder why they call the cold sandwiches on long rolls subs?…..In Philadelphia we call those sandwiches hoagies….

Any who-

We asked about what kind of peppers we could get with the sandwiches…The owner says all they could get were pepadews and jalapeños…. my heart sort of sank when I heard that because an authentic Philadelphia Cheesesteak always has a cherry pepper option…hot, sweet or both.

Any Ways- about the peppers…..we… FOGETTABOUDIT.

We each try a Steak Sandwich. My husband tries the large Cheesesteak.

OMG This is an extremely large sandwich and it’s stuffed with a cow! Lots of tender, flavorful sliced ribeye. It’s not chopped up like a Pat’s Steak….it’s more like grilled rib eye slices more like a Geno’s Cheesesteak. It gets cooked on the grill and put face down in the sandwich and the cheese and meat melt into the roll…… I taste some of the beef and it is remarkably tender and flavorful…….But there was one problem with this almost amazing sandwich.

It’s hard to see on my husband’s sandwich but maybe a little easier to see on my sandwich.

Small Chicken Steak Sub

I just unwrapped my Chicken Steak Sub. The roll is already deteriorating. Actually the roll is dissolving.  My sandwich is also overstuffed and falling apart. The squishy Arizona type bread is not able to cradle a Chicken Steak Sandwich. It’s like a BIG FAT Elephant was squeezed into a tiny dress made of wet paper towels. This is a Forking Mess. Everything is falling apart all over.

IT’S A SHAME…….because……..

Believe it or not that this would be a really great sandwich if it was just made with decent bread. The chicken was really so tender and so juicy…It was actually better than the thin sliced chicken you’d get in most chicken steak sandwiches. This chicken was juicy and flavorful.

Both sandwiches could have been very good sandwiches if only they were made with decent bread.

I know it’s difficult in the Phoenix Area to get decent bread….but it’s not impossible.

I can’t help but wonder if the owners tried a few of these sandwiches before opening up a restaurant and selling them?

I wish this new place the best of luck as they have tons of potential for being a great steak sandwich shop if they just find better bread.

As a slight update…..The owner is aware about the bread problem and is looking around for another source for the bread.

The Forking Truth is that a Sandwich can’t be good unless it’s made with Decent Bread.

Everything is subject to change (and here I hope it does) so your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Avocado Harissa Recipe

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Avocado Harissa

Harrisa is a Tunisian Hot Pepper Paste made from roasted bell peppers, hot peppers, garlic, a few spices and herbs. I was thinking the flavors in Harissa would work great with avocado and they do. I mixed everything up with a fork and left some texture because that is my preference. You can think of this avocado condiment as a sort of a Tunisian Inspired Guacamole. This Avocado Harissa is good with chips, pita bread, toast, eggs, grilled meat and sandwiches. If you want to embellish it you can add a little mild creamy feta (hard to find) or goat cheese and sweet tiny tomatoes is also tasty with it.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 hot pepper – I used one fried serrano pepper – chopped fine (you might want more heat..more pepper)

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 lb avocado

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – well chopped

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl add cumin, caraway, garlic, hot pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and mix well.

Cut the avocados, remove pit and scape out the flesh into the bowl.Break the avocado down to your preference.

Add the scallions and cilantro.

Add fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.

SERVE!

Avocado Harissa

Something original and different that most people don’t know they’d like!

The Forking Truth

 

My Visit to Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale AZ

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Zinc Bistro is a French Style Restaurant located in the Kierland Commons Shopping Center in Scottsdale Arizona. They offer a quaint little restaurant that looks like it’s been here for decades. Everything looks very old fashioned and formal. There’s a tin ceiling, some antiques, old fashioned fixtures.

Zinc Bistro also offers outdoor dining as well. The patio sort of wraps around the building and there is a sort of inside partial patio that’s relaxing to dine in.

I’ve been here several times mostly for dinner and almost everything was OUTSTANDING!

These are just some of the previous foods we enjoyed at Zinc Bistro.

Vichyssoise

Confit Lamb Shank

Scottish Salmon

Cannelles de Bordeaux

Jidori Chicken

Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Torte

Kale Salad

Foie Gras Raviolis in Consomme

Souffle

These were all exquisite!

Today we decided to try Lunch at Zinc Bistro.

I went with the Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich.

My Sandwich is on pumpernickel bread.  This pumpernickel is a style that I am not familiar with but it reminds me of those molasses dark breads that certain steak houses serve. I do note they gave me a generous  portion of Curry Flavored Chicken Salad…It seemed very fresh and was full of tender chunks of chicken. This salad was embellished with a couple of sherried raisins and the sandwich ran on the sweet side. I can’t help to wonder why there’s a sticky brown spill down my plate? The brown spill doesn’t look appetizing to me. It looks like something horrific you might see in a gas station rest room.

I was looking at my old photos and I noticed I had this very same sandwich a few years ago at the Zinc Bistro airport location.

They might prepare the sandwich different now but the sandwich a had a few years back from the Zinc Bistro Airport location seemed more detailed. I do remember at the time that I really liked this sandwich from the airport location.  Or maybe it just tasted better without a brown drip down the plate.

On this visit my husband tried the Brisket Pastrami Sandwich.

It was a smaller sandwich made with high quality ingredients. My husband said the bread was good and the stock was very good full favored of beef. When he opened the sandwich I saw that it  had very little filling so I didn’t try any. My husband said the brisket had very little traditional pastrami flavor and when he dunked the sandwich he didn’t taste pastrami at all because it only tasted like beef. The sandwich also contained a small amount of high quality cheese and a thick slice of heirloom tomato. Although each and every ingredient in the sandwich was indeed quality…we both thought……..$16.00 was a lot for such a small sandwich that contained much less than a weight watcher’s allotment.

Most of the dinners we had here at Zinc Bistro were outstanding or even better than outstanding……but lunch…..I’m not feeling the same at this moment. Maybe it’s just me….? Perhaps the lunch menu offers better choices that I didn’t try?

I’d say Dinners at Zinc Bistro are worth a Fork!

www.ZincBistroAZ.com

EVERY FORKING THING is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

 

 

SUMMER 2018 $20 Bento Lunch At Nobuo at Teeter House Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork!****UPDATE***NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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*****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******The Summer 2018 $20.00 Lunch Bento at Nobuo at Teeter House is Worth a Fork! Actually it’s worth more than a Fork…this is a great opportunity to sample a variety of fine cuisine. Award Winning Nobuo at Teeter House is located in Historic Heritage Square in Down Town Phoenix Arizona across from the Legendary Pizzeria Bianco.

The Co-Owner and Executive Chef at Nobuo at Teeter House is James Beard Awarding Winning Chef Nobuo Fukuda so why The Fork wouldn’t you want to try his $20.00 Lunch Bento?

Here’s the menu and there are a lot of choices.

YOU GET THREE!!!!!!! PLUS SEASONED RICE and SALAD

We made our choices and I relaxed with the most delicious oolong tea and took in the atmosphere and company.

As you can see this is a quaint little turn of the century bungalow with less than 15 tables and a small bar. This is considered to be a Izakaya Restaurant. It is a refined informal Asian Fusion Japanese Pub or Tapas kind of restaurant. They offer ingenious masterfully crafted small plates, Japanese Micro Brews, Craft Cocktails, amazing meticulously prepared and carefully poured Shochu Flights. The Shochu a sort of Japanese spirit closest to vodka that are offer here are unique and have different aromas and changing flavors will certainly embellish any already exquisite plate here.

Our Bento Boxes Arrive.

Lunch is FIVE small plates!

Top Row starting from the left is –

Fried Chicken Nanban, Pickled Peppers, Egg Salad

Grilled Tofu, Udon Noodles, Sesame Sauce

Grilled Mackerel, Hajikami (ginger shoot)

Seasoned Rice and Mixed Geen Salad

Here’s what my husband’s Bento Box looked like –

Mixed Green Salad, Seasoned Rice

Soft Shell Crab Sandwich on Focaccia with Kanzuri Aioli

Short Rib Salad with Rice Noodles in a limey Nuoc Charm Sauce

Braised Pork Belly Bun with Pickled Peppers, Mustard and Hoisin

These Bento Boxes exceeded our expectations!

Some of what we Tried at Nobuo at Teeter House from Previous visits were –

Cured Wild Salmon

Sugar Snap Peas in Sesame Sauce with Bonito Flakes

Oxtail Special

Fried Black Cod with EDIBLE BONES! (they made the bones have the taste and texture of potato chips)

Shiromi Carpaccio – got cooked with boiling oil poured on at table

Watermelon Radish Sunomono and Sugar Snap Peas in Sesame Sauce with Bonito

Grapefruit and Hamachi

When you try the Grapefruit and Hamachi Dish in the above picture you will know in an instant why you are in an award winning restaurant and why Nobuo Fukuda is a James Beard Award Winning Chef.

Nobuo at Teeter House is Worth a Fork and You must try the $20.00 2018 LUNCH Summer Bento Box Menu before it’s over!*****UPDATE***NOW CLOSED FIR BUSINESS******

Worth a Fork! Yes you should drive across town for this one.

www.NobuoFukuda.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Vegetarian Italian Style Beans Recipe

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Vegetarian Italian Style Beans

This dish is a much lighter style of a rich bean dish that is one of the few side dishes I make with chicken fat. These Vegetarian Italian Style Beans don’t contain any added fat, meat or cheese. I don’t even bother to sauté the vegetables because I chop them small and they give all their flavor up to the beans that way. This dish is flavorful and easy to make. I cooked dried lima beans for this recipe but used two cans of reduced sodium beans so I’d have three different textures of beans in this dish. Freshly dried beans will always come out better than canned  beans but I’ve found that the beans sold at the stores near me aren’t always so fresh. An old bean will never get soft…so all the effort goes to waste sometimes. It’s ok to purchase reduced sodium canned beans every so often. They aren’t as sweet and creamy as a really good fresh cooked dried bean but if you rinse them really well they come out like quick soaked method beans. Usually I like to use the fresh dried beans I come across come from the local Farmer’s Markets but those darn tasty local beans usually have the most rocks mixed in them too. Today I also used slow cooked and reduced tomatoes I had in my freezer. This dish come out like a thick rich soup but is only thickened from tomato paste and the beans. Day one I thought I might have been heavy handed with the sage but after a day it was perfect. You can also season less and add more the next day if you prefer.

This recipe makes about 10 servings

1 lb dried lima beans – inspected and rinsed well. Soaked overnight in three times as much water as beans (WATER ONLY….)

15 oz can of reduced sodium garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed three times

15 oz can of reduced sodium white beans – drained and rinsed three times

2 celery ribs – chopped well

1 large carrot – peeled and chopped well

1/4 large sweet onion – chopped well

2 garlic cloves – fine hopped

4 hot/sweet jarred cherry peppers – fine chopped

2 teaspoons course sea salt

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

6oz slow roasted tomatoes – rough chopped

4 springs fresh thyme – I’m guesstimating here my thyme was shaped with lots of tiny sprigs

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh sage – well chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

big pinch dried crushed red peppers

i good sized pinch ground white pepper

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

optional – maybe up to a Tablespoon sugar. Taste and decide. Depends on your tomatoes.

optional – maybe 1 garlic clove more – taste and decide if you want to add one shredded garlic clove. Taste and adjust any seasonings necessary.

Directions.

Rinse the lima beans and put them in a big pot. Cover the beans with water (WATER ONLY) that is an inch higher than the beans. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Let the pot simmer for an hour loosely covered.

After an hour everything remaining except for the to taste sugar, salt, pepper and optional extra garlic goes into the pot.

Let the pot simmer another hour and stir occasionally.

After an hour decide on the sugar, fresh ground salt, pepper and maybe another garlic clove to taste. At this point the seasoning should be about correct.

It’s good now but I think it’s better the best day.

Serve as is or with grilled meat , meatballs a sautéed green and maybe grated cheese and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Vegetarian Italian Style Beans

Most people will enjoy this.

The Forking Truth

 

 

Sometimes it Feels like you Traveled the World when you go to an Ethnic Restaurant

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I’ve been a fan of the fresh baked bread that Euro Bakery sells at the Asiana Market. The bread they sell is all natural and is only made from flour, water, yeast, salt and oil. They also sell Bosnian style pita breads and long curved breads called Kifla that are made to go with soup but I cut them in half and use them for hot dog rolls and other sandwiches at home.

The Bosnian Bread here differs from the Bosnian Bread of a another more popular Bosnian Restaurant near by….The bread here is not as pretty but what I like about it is that it is lighter and not so oily.  I thought I’d try them out for lunch and maybe try a fresh baked dessert since I love sweets and have a sweet tooth.

The atmosphere is very energetic and noisy. It just just like visiting a foreign land. Everyone is talking LOUDLY in a foreign tongue to each other and foreign TV is also playing very loudly here. This place is not only a market, store, bakery and cafe but also a social place for the Bosnian Population. I thought the doors in the back of the dining room was storage space but someone opened a door and a banquet room and dance floor were revealed.

People were unusually friendly here. A Bosnian stranger came up to us and greeted us switching from Bosnian to English real fast ….he was praising the food here and his love for this establishment. I can see this place is very special to him and all the other people I see coming and going.

It was an unexpected long wait for our food. They didn’t seem that busy but we soon found out that they were slammed with takeout orders and people picking up bags of groceries.

Someone runs out my Grilled Chicken Sandwich to me. I thought chicken was a safe choice…after all this place has been around for over 20 years….all the kinks should be worked out by now. ….Or are they?

This looks like enough food to feed at least two people. The pita like bread is very large and fluffy. Inside are two seasoned and grilled pounded chicken breasts. On the side is what was described as salad. It’s really a mayonnaise-free sort of cole slaw. I go to take a bite out of the chicken sandwich. The bread is tasty. The chicken is seasoned………But it’s like trying to chew a steel belted tire. It’s impossible to eat……I think it’s that bad chicken I came across at a few grocery stores. When a certain grocery stores have boneless chicken breasts on sale super cheap you have to take a really good look at the chicken. I’ve found that if you see chicken breast that looks like it’s almost marbled no matter what you do it isn’t going to come out right. It’s almost like silver skin running threw chicken breast. I chalk this up to being a fluke….They purchased that sale chicken breast…..That’s what I think I got in this sandwich.

SEE the WHITE LINES in the middle chicken breast. AVOID CHICKEN TTHAT LOOKS LIKE THAT

It reads on the Euro Bakery Website that the Bosnian diet is mostly known for eating beef, veal and lamb…………Could chicken be a bad choice?

My husband ordered one of the several the Combo Platters. I think it was a special of the day…..

A large platter indeed was received. It could feed a household of hungry people.

But……………………

They took some liberties at making surprise substitutions and gave extra (maybe beef case-less) sausage for the lack of steak and hamburger that was in the description for this platter. In other words my husband didn’t get the steak or hamburger that he was expecting. This was suppose to be a platter of steak, chicken hamburger, sausages and a kabob.

Any who-

My husband really enjoyed the fresh baked fluffy bread, The spicy long sausage and the mayonnaise free cabbage slaw. He also liked the short sausages but not as much as the spicy one. However the veal kabob was tough like the chicken and of course the chicken was tough.

When we ordered at the counter we picked out a dessert from the dessert case.

We picked what they called a Subarice. It’s basically a Bosnian Cup Cake.

I love sweets but I have to tell The Forking Truth and let you know I really don’t like this dessert……I can’t stomach the tastes or textures here………maybe this dessert is for an acquired taste?  Perhaps any of the other deserts would have been a better choice for me?

I enjoyed the fresh baked bread.

I enjoyed the fresh made cabbage slaw.

My husband really enjoyed the spicy sausage, bread and slaw.

Although my trip wasn’t perfect I still enjoyed some things and the atmosphere of another culture. It was like a small piece of Bosnia was only a few miles away at Euro Bakery and Cafe in Phoenix.

Sometimes it Feels like You Traveled the World when You go to an Ethnic Restaurant.

www.EuroBakeryRestaurant.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

That was my visit to The Euro Bakery and Cafe in Phoenix.

The Forking Truth

No Mayo Avocado Mustard Deviled Eggs Recipe

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No Mayo Avocado Mustard Deviled Eggs

This recipe is MAYONNAISE FREE. You make fresh mustard with avocado and then simply mash in your egg yolks. You do need a spice grinder to prepare the avocado mustard. For best results prepare the Avocado Mustard the day before. This recipe makes 3-4 times more mustard than you need. Use the extra mustard to spread on sandwiches.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

4 Tablespoons dark mustard seeds

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

1 allspice berry

6 juniper berries

1/4 cup sherry

1/3 cup sherry vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh garlic cloves – ground to paste (2 Tablespoons of garlic paste…this is lots of garlic)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

sea salt to taste (about 10 turns from a Costco disposable)

tellicherry black pepper to taste (about 15 turns from a Costco disposable)

1 cup of whipped avocado

8 large eggs – boiled – peeled – cut either traditional (across long ways) or threw the middle with yolks removed in a small bowl (2 egg white you won’t use just snack on them or toss them in a salad for lunch….if you like over stuffed eggs you need 10 or more eggs for 6 servings)

1/4 cup avocado mustard

splash cayenne hot sauce – preferably Franks Red Hot

splash Worcestershire sauce

optional up to a 1 Tablespoon water or 1 Tablespoon (mayonnaise I won’t tell) if you think it looks dry***I do note that it gets slightly moister as it sits

fresh ground sea salt to lightly season egg whites

fresh ground black pepper to lightly season egg whites

2 pinches of Piment d’ Espelette to lightly season egg white or just use your favorite kind of paprika, any red fruity dried pepper or for extra spicy cayenne

about three inner celery leaves – well chopped

Directions

You need to grind up the mustard seeds, allspice and juniper berries. Add the spices to a medium mixing bowl. To the bowl add sherry, vinegar, garlic, turmeric, avocado and one Tablespoon water and mix well. Add fresh ground salt and pepper to taste. Wrap and refrigerate over night.

Spicy Avocado Mustard

To the small bowl of egg yolks add 1/4 cup of Spicy avocado mustard, splash hot sauce and a splash of Worcestershire. Mix well. If it looks too tight add up to a Tablespoon of water…..but I note mixture will turn more moist as it sits. Be careful about that because you don’t want runny eggs either.  If don’t need it to be mayonnaise free you can add a Tablespoon of mayonnaise.

Lightly season both sides of egg whites.

Either spoon in filling or use a pastry bag.

Insert pastry tip. Fold over ends of bag and fill.

Twist to hold in filling. Apply pressure and apply in a circular motion. Some celery leaves as a garnish is perfect for these eggs.

Avocado Mustard Deviled Eggs

Tasty and different.

The Forking Truth