I need suggestions on gourmet meals and desserts. The more you can tell me about the way it tastes or the way it makes you feel, the better, but I'll also take a straight list of a couple of favorites, whatever you can think of might help. One of my two MC's is cooking uber fancy every night, and I'm running out of examples.
An octopus salad made in the traditional Puerto Rican fashion, which is a kind of ceviche, lemonie and bright. Spoiler: Puerto Rican Octopus Salad
As my favorite food is pasta and some kind of sauce, I found the first thing I thought of as gourmet. I'm also vegetarian and I don't find those "gourmet" dishes in veg restaurants very substantial, so I don't count them.
Yes, it most certainly is. 9 billion ways to make rubber from the sea, and only one way to get tender morsels of cephalopod.
TMW I thought I knew something Wrey didn't: octopuses are mollusks, not cephalopods. Followed by TMW I thought, yeah, I better look that up before I embarrass myself. Sure enough, cephalopods are a type of mollusk, so, rats, foiled again!
If your MC is also rich he should have some white truffle. He can make from risotto to tagliolini with it.
Not a big foodie here, but may I suggest your MC ending some fancy meal with a cup (or two) of Kopi luwak.
Kopi luwak, check. Any more suggestions? I can't put octopus salad or ossobuco in there. I don't think people should eat either. Eating octopus is like eating orangutan or dolphin or something. They're way too intelligent to be food, and ossobuco is veal.
My last meal, if I have a say, will definitely be a Chinese banquet. I could eat Dim Sum till I explode, but especially steam pork dumplings dipped in hoisin sauce. The taste, texture... shit I'm salivating already!
I suggest you read American Psycho by Ellis. I think they mention fancy food every few pages. Good book, too.
You could do a LOT worse than pick up a copy of Under The Knife, written by our own forum Member Laurin Kelly. The M/M Romance aspect of the story might not necessarily be your cup of tea (or it might) but this is a damn good book about gourmet food and the experiences of being a chef. Laurin Kelly really knows her food and how to prepare it. I loved this book, even though Romance of any kind is not my thing. This award-winning story certainly went way beyond the requirements of the genre.
I do like eating endangered species. Bluefin tuna, mmm... taste that mercury goodness. And don't forget the whales.
When I think of my favorite meals, I mostly think of meals my mother cooked for me growing up. I'm sure I would enjoy the meals otherwise, but there's a connection there that goes beyond just good tasting food. I've noticed this with a lot of things I enjoyed as a kid. That pleasure sticks with you and perhaps transports you back to a simpler time. Music is another big one. I was a metalhead growing up but don't care for any new metal I hear nowadays, but put on some Pantera? Hell yeah! Spaghetti bolognese has always been one of my favorites and is a staple dish for my mother to cook whenever I visit.
The M/M might actually be my cup of tea. The romance is probably not. Might check it out for the gourmet aspect though. Thanks! I hear @Laurin Kelly is a good writer. Haven't seen her around the forum lately. Maybe I've just missed her though. Hope all is well.
This might sound odd, but I got a book on grilled cheese sandwiches a few years ago. Not the simple Wonder Bread, Kraft Singles, and margarine in the toaster oven type though. Don't think I'll be violating copyright to list the names of a few of the recipes: Red Onion Chutney & Cheddar Kimchi and Monterey Jack Halloumi, Falafel & Beetroot with Tahini Sauce Roasted Butternut Squash, Ricotta & Parmesan with Sage Butter Lobster Tail, Tarragon Mayonnaise & Beaufort The book is Grilled Cheese: Traditional and inspired recipes for the ultimate toasted sandwich by Laura Washburn.
