The 30 Second Rule

An excellent reference tool from the good folks over at the San Fransisco food blog SF Weekly.com. I'm not sure what my deal is lately, but I can't seem to get enough of these types of cheeky foodie blogs these days. What is it about food that breeds such fervent, well-written witty commentary? It seems like there's a huge amount of people writing, in one way or another, about food and food culture. Is devoting hours and hours to consuming, pondering and describing the culinary realm a prudent, thoughtful endeavor or obsessive gluttony? I'm not sure, but I do really enjoy thinking critically (and probably too deeply) about these sorts of things.

Food Porn!

Readers, I interrupt my regularly scheduled lineup of historic ogling from my recent Washington D.C. trip for a look at what I had for dinner. The above is an image of what's been on my mind since seeing a certain culinary-minded popular motion picture: Julie & Julia. An early scene in the movie shows an almost pornographic sequence of the main character (Julie Powell) making, and subsequently devouring a stunning bruschetta. I saw this movie more than 2 weeks ago and that's the image that has stayed with me--not Meryl Streep's (predictably) lauded performance as Julia Child, nor the contrived emotional string-pulling of the A plot (or B plot, depending on your perspective and desired reason for seeing this film).

Normally I avoid movies that give a distinct whif of "chick flick," which the presence of Meryl Streep tends to invoke, but there was also a few other elements in play that ultimatly lured me in: 1. Julia Child Anything biographical is a typical attractant for me, but especially Child--her semi-mysterious work with the government, paired with the peculiarities of her presence, speach, and up-beat, go-getter-ness brand of feminism were all factors. 2. Cooking Theme Cooking has become a hobby of mine, and the basic premise of Julie Powell's blog is an aspiring foodie's dream project. 3. The Siren Song of Fame and Fortune I won't lie: I wanted to see the ins and outs of how someone was able to parlay writing a blog into some sort of career venture. Not that that is a personal goal...just curious...

Anyway, the bruschetta was amazing. I pan fried the slices of French bread (olive oil and butter) just like in the movie, but added some marinated mozzarella (melted under the broiler for a few minutes). Here's my recipe:

1. 4 slices French bread, about 1/2 inch thick
2. 4 Tbs olive oil
3. 2 Tbs butter
4. 2 cloves of garlic, halved
5. 1 lb assorted varieties of tomatoes, diced and seeded
6. 1 Tbs pepper
7. 1 Tbs course sea salt
8. 1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
9. 2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
10. 3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
11. Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375

Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil, then spread thin layer of butter both sides. Heat a skillet and pan fry until dark brown. Rub with garlic.

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes with pepper, salt and vinegar--mix gently

Place bread on baking sheet, top each with generous amount of tomato mixture, along with a bit of the juices. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, basil and top with mozzarella. Bake on top rack just until cheese is melted--about 6 minutes.

Bon Appetit!