What's Your Favourite Seasonal Food?

[Serpentine]

As any andalite will tell you, humanity's greatest achievement is our food. We have an infinite variety of delicious consumables, and for some reason* we have decided that we may only enjoy some of them at particular times of the year.
So what's your favourite? What do you spend 51 weeks of the year dreaming of, and other scoffing as much as you can while you can?

Anyone who pays any attention to me on Facebook already knows my one: MOON CAKES! They're amazing pastries only available around the time of the Chinese Moon Festival. They consist of a lotus seed paste filling^, one or two cooked egg yolks, and a beautiful intricately decorated sweet pastry casing. They're friggin' incredible P:
This year I bought a couple of mini ones from a Bread Top and a box of large round ones (sometimes they're square) from an Asian grocery store. I just went back to see if I could buy some more but they're all gone, no more until next year :smallfrown:

*I'm aware that there's pretty good reasons for some, like Christmas pudding, but you know what I mean.
^ Seems you can get them in other flavours, but since one of them is dragonfruit aka the most disappointing fruit in the world, and the other is durian aka "that stinky fruit", I'll stick with delicious lotus seed.

[Nix Nihila]

Oh my god, moon cakes! I just had one a few days ago for the first time in a few years... So good.

For me, it would have to be freshly mulled apple cider, complete with stick cinnamon, orange rind, cloves, and ginger (and possibly doctored with whiskey), along with my favorite autumn soup made of pear, acorn squash, and adzuki beans. Though it's not really a traditional seasonal food, it's absolutely delicious, and one of the things I most look forward to making in the fall.

[smellie_hippie]

Favorite seasonal food in autumn?

Pumpkin beer.

Pumpkin is a food, right?

But in all seriousness, I love a really good chili. Fall is the best time of year for this heart meal, while the other seasons are too warm.

[Eldan]

Christmas cookies of any kind, really. I mean, I can make most kinds myself, but it's not quite the same.

[MrDirt]

All the 'spiced pumpkin' flavored thaings that come out this time of year. :smallbiggrin:

[Togath]

If seasonal fruit counts, I really like Starfruit, but I've only been able to find them October to January around here, sometimes into early February.

[Hbgplayer]

As far as actual food goes, Pumpkin Pie by far. There have been years that instead of cake on my birthday (Oct. 23), I've had Pumpkin Pie! :smallbiggrin:
Now, my favorite thing ever that it's criminal that they don't make the rest of the year is:
EGGNOG!!! I love the stuff. In one way, I suppose it's a good thing they don't produce it year round because I would be a half-ton over weight.

[razark]

EGGNOG!!! I love the stuff. In one way, I suppose it's a good thing they don't produce it year round because I would be a half-ton over weight.
Dear gods, yes. Eggnog. Eggnog mixed with milk. Eggnog in coffee. Eggnog with booze. Eggnog!


On a side note, with adequate skills and supplies, there's really no such thing as "seasonal food".

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Hbgplayer
EGGNOG!!! I love the stuff. In one way, I suppose it's a good thing they don't produce it year round because I would be a half-ton over weight.

So, so true. I love eggnog...and the seasonal eggnog ice cream that comes out in early December or so. Love it, love it, love it.



As for a true seasonal favorite, which is only available for a brief window of time: that would have to be pawpaws, my absolute favorite wild fruit. It took me years to find a good pawpaw patch--and when I did, ahh, the magnificence. I devour them in the woods like a wild beast.

I also like swamp blueberries, which tend to peak at the end of June and the first couple weeks of July. We have two varieties where I am, lowbush and highbush. The highbush blueberres are larger and juicier, but the flavor is a little diluted. Lowbush blueberries are smaller, and the flavor is crisp, sharp, tangy, wonderful. Alas, the birds are fierce competitors.

But that's okay. The birds can't get my pawpaws.

:smalltongue:

.

[Serpentine]

The best pumpkin pie I've ever had was on a tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef. Several Americans there also said it was the best they'd ever had :smallbiggrin: I gather the main difference for them was that it used fresh pumpkin, instead of tinned. Wish I'd gotten the recipe...

When I was little, I didn't like Christmas pudding at all, so my Gramma always made me date loaf instead. Cooked in a tin can, served with hot custard. So good P: I have the recipe - or rather, I have two contradictory recipes, one or both of which she used. Need to try it out. 'course, I've been saying that for years...

For more naturally seasonal foods, I loooooove mango season. They're so amazingly good P: For me, Christmas means mangoes and prawns.

[Dr. Bath]

Hot cross buns are the best. I don't think they're actually that seasonal, but they are intrinsically linked with Easter. At least in the UK they are.

Also pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) but that's less to do with one time of year and more that they are just delightfully over the top.

[warty goblin]

'Tis the season for squash, apples, leaks, potatoes, all the best in hearty peasant food. All fresh, crisp and delectable.

Beyond that, fresh pig heart, after slaughtering time. Heart sandwiches are the best.

[Togath]

For more naturally seasonal foods, I loooooove mango season. They're so amazingly good P: For me, Christmas means mangoes and prawns.

Prawns are available around where I live year round =3
Not sure if mangoes are though(I see them in stores a lot, but I've never liked them enough to tell if the year-round ones are any good here)

[Cuthalion]

Christmas cookies of any kind, really. I mean, I can make most kinds myself, but it's not quite the same.

Well, I only really make them around Christmas, so... yeah. Agreed, all the way. What types are your favorite?

Also, pumpkin pie. I could, if I chose, have it mostly year round, but it's a fall thing. It. Is. Soooo.... good. :smallsmile:

[Serpentine]

Prawns are available around where I live year round =3
Not sure if mangoes are though(I see them in stores a lot, but I've never liked them enough to tell if the year-round ones are any good here)You can get prawns year-round here as well, but they turn up in the biggest quantities, the freshest and most local, in the summer. And for whatever reason, they've just become a bit of a traditional Christmas meal.
I think you can sometimes get mangoes year-round, but they're not as good, and more expensive.
Mangoes are my favourite fruit (with the possible exception of mangosteens), but oddly enough I didn't really like the ones they have in Indonesia. I wonder if the ones you have there are different too...

[Togath]

I think a majority of mangoes in Washington come from Indonesia as well(or at least the majority I see in most grocery stores), I think I had one or two from Mexico that I liked a bit though.
For winter fruits here, we tend to have the best local apple harvests in the fall and early winter.
On a semi-apple related note(since they tend to go well with them), I really like fall/early winter harvest blackberries, especially Himalaya blackberries(in the summer I prefer the small wild ones here, but the Himalaya ones are pretty nice in the fall:smallsmile:)

[Morgarion]

Thanksgiving Dinner. All of it, the whole thing.

I think the reason that I love it so much has more to do with the timing of the holiday itself. It's right in the heart of autumn, but it's not too cold yet. The best part is that it's the only major holiday that takes up two days and always comes during the week.

[Serpentine]

I think a majority of mangoes in Washington come from Indonesia as well(or at least the majority I see in most grocery stores), I think I had one or two from Mexico that I liked a bit though.Might be the same sort. I think the main ones we get are Kensington Pride mangoes. Try one of them if you get a chance.

Best blackberries I've ever had were in Salisbury, UK. Juicy and amazing.

[Eldan]

Well, I only really make them around Christmas, so... yeah. Agreed, all the way. What types are your favorite?

Also, pumpkin pie. I could, if I chose, have it mostly year round, but it's a fall thing. It. Is. Soooo.... good. :smallsmile:

I don't have the slightest idea what any of these cookies are called in English. And I can't find any dictionaries that have them. Sorry.

[shawnhcorey]

Strawberry Shortcake, with fresh strawberries, of course. :smallsmile:

[noparlpf]

My seasonal foods are mostly all just plants that don't grow at certain times of the year.

[Cuthalion]

I don't have the slightest idea what any of these cookies are called in English. And I can't find any dictionaries that have them. Sorry.

I feel the same way about some of mine. Nusskipfl? Vanillakipfl?

[Eldan]

Probably not, since a Nussgipfel is a pretty large pastry, not a cookie.

Let's use pictures!

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3ES_fm8hXrxyZGvH_1AOuFGoZi5AU3 em4B1M8tIr9KnQ78uj__A

http://media.kunst-fuer-alle.de/img/37/g/37_299510~_stephanie-deissner-%28f1-online%29_zimtstern.jpg

http://www.herbula.ch/bilder/rezeptfotos/chraebeli.jpg

[Hbgplayer]

Let's use pictures!

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3ES_fm8hXrxyZGvH_1AOuFGoZi5AU3 em4B1M8tIr9KnQ78uj__A

http://media.kunst-fuer-alle.de/img/37/g/37_299510~_stephanie-deissner-%28f1-online%29_zimtstern.jpg

http://www.herbula.ch/bilder/rezeptfotos/chraebeli.jpg

Those look amazing! And I've seen some of those before but have no idea what they're called other than delish.

[Cuthalion]

You could fit four comfortably on your palm.
http://img.kochrezepte.de/recipeimages/1084904/44859/nusskipferl-von-kurt_20090516053642043.jpg
http://thehungariangirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/DSC01703.JPG
http://www.germanfoodguide.com/Images/sweets/lebkuchen_stack.jpg

[Killer Angel]

I'm gonna join the pumpkin chorus, but I'm more for the rice with pumpkin...

[shadow_archmagi]

Ooh, so many great choices! Chili is definitely one of life's great delicacies.

I think my favorite has to be summer potato salad though. In today's world of storebought plastic potato salad, it can be easy to get confused as to why potato salad is so common.

But homemade potato salad is a beautiful thing indeed. Mustard, vinegar, potatoes, eggs, pickles, onions...

[thorgrim29]

Butternut squash soup for me. Preferably with fresh bread and Gruyere cheese.

Also oysters are coming out soon, yum

[Morgarion]

Hey Eldan, the first thing you posted a picture of looks like what we call Russian tea cakes.

[Hbgplayer]

Well, per Google image search, with the results translated into English from Italian, it is ginger bread.

[valadil]

Pumpkin beer.
But in all seriousness, I love a really good chili. Fall is the best time of year for this heart meal, while the other seasons are too warm.

Agreed on the beer. Not necessarily pumpkin though. I'm down with all the fall, winter, and summer beers, and just when they're getting boring a new one rolls around. Not sure about spring beers though.

I used to associate chili with fall. Then the wife and I joined a farm share and got more hot peppers than I knew what to do with, right in the middle of August. Summer chili works too. I figure I'm already covered in sweat, what's a little more capsaicin going to do?

Other than that... avocados! They're cheapest and tastiest in spring/summer. Same with fruits and berries. Oh and corn. Had a thing for mangoes a few years ago, but they're practically candy.

[Serpentine]

Hey Eldan, the first thing you posted a picture of looks like what we call Russian tea cakes.I was thinking something like pfeffernuse (that is so not spelled right). They're gingerbready biscuits coated in hard icing, and they're delicious P: If they're seasonal, though, I'm doing it wrong.

[Cuthalion]

I was thinking something like pfeffernuse (that is so not spelled right). They're gingerbready biscuits coated in hard icing, and they're delicious P: If they're seasonal, though, I'm doing it wrong.

Pfeffernusse. Had some last weekend, as my Austrian grandmother made some. :smallsmile:

[Elemental]

Hmm... I can't seem to think of any foods I like that are all that seasonal... Save for hot cross buns, which are excellent still warm from the bakery with butter, and rum balls, but both of those can technically be made whenever.

[Serpentine]

Pfeffernusse. Had some last weekend, as my Austrian grandmother made some. :smallsmile:Oh hey. I was closer than I thought!
And I would loooooove to try fresh, home-made pfeffernusse.

[Cuthalion]

Oh hey. I was closer than I thought!
And I would loooooove to try fresh, home-made pfeffernusse.

So good. They had been baked the night before, but ah. Amazing.

Fresh huckleberry scones, anyone?

[KacyCrawford]

Spring: Strawberries!
Summer: Watermelon!
Fall: Turkey!
Winter: Hot Chocolate!

ALL YEAR ROUND: JELL-O

[Cuthalion]

Spring: Strawberries!
Summer: Watermelon!
Fall: Turkey!
Winter: Hot Chocolate!

Hot chocolate is a year-round thing, especially if you do camping.

[razark]

Fall: Turkey!
If you have a freezer, don't buy a turkey in the fall. Buy two or three. They're on sale, and a lot of stores give even bigger discounts. Get multiple turkeys while cheap, and then have a full turkey dinner any time you feel like it.

Aside from being good, you can get three four ten a lot of meals out of it.

[warty goblin]

If you have a freezer, don't buy a turkey in the fall. Buy two or three. They're on sale, and a lot of stores give even bigger discounts. Get multiple turkeys while cheap, and then have a full turkey dinner any time you feel like it.

Aside from being good, you can get three four ten a lot of meals out of it.

I confess my affection for turkey was severely reduced by having to raise the horrible creatures a child. Something to do with the vile things coming after me with unnatural desires first thing every morning, wattles flapping a disgusting red, and wheezing.

[Mauve Shirt]

Aw man, it's Friday, which means I'll allow myself to go get a pumpkin latte at work. Once winter comes around it's peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes at the Starbucks.
It's the sugar, not the caffeine!

Other seasonal foods I enjoy include pumpkin-everything, and anything carbtastic that goes on a Thanksgiving table. And Yorkshire pudding at Christmas.

[Krazzman]

My wife loves pumpkin.

We made some sauce out of a soup recipe for our RP group recently.

I don't really like it but it's usually tasty anyway...

For me I don't know. I don't like christmas cookies that much or such things in general...

A seasonal thing that was a one-time stuff is berries mixed in Korn for quite 3 months so it is "ripe" on christmas eve. My dad did this once with berries from my uncles garden. Was a tasty thing.

But ONE seasonal thing I really have to buy soon is "Karl-Heinz Tea". I have no clue what it is exactly but it is an awesome tea. Thinking about just ordering 20 pounds of that stuff...

[Cuthalion]

My wife loves pumpkin.

We made some sauce out of a soup recipe for our RP group recently.

I don't really like it but it's usually tasty anyway...

For me I don't know. I don't like christmas cookies that much or such things in general...

A seasonal thing that was a one-time stuff is berries mixed in Korn for quite 3 months so it is "ripe" on christmas eve. My dad did this once with berries from my uncles garden. Was a tasty thing.

But ONE seasonal thing I really have to buy soon is "Karl-Heinz Tea". I have no clue what it is exactly but it is an awesome tea. Thinking about just ordering 20 pounds of that stuff...

Ingredients: Black teas from Ceylon, China and India, aroma, cinnamon, orange, lemon peel, star anise, anise, fennel and cloves.

You could make that. :smalltongue:

[Aedilred]

I'm cooking a Michaelmas goose tomorrow for some friends, which should be great. Getting hold of it was rather harder and more expensive than I was expecting, but hopefully it'll be a good bird.

Something I and my co-host are debating is what to do as a starter. We have both agreed that the starter should feature mushrooms, but can't decide what to do with the mushrooms (see also: Asterix and the Olympic Games)

Options we have so far considered include:

Mushroom soup
Mushroom paté
Mushroom ravioli
Puff pastry mushroom tarts
Mushroom stroganoff on toast

I favour keeping the mushrooms intact if at all possible rather than puréeing them, but a key issue is that the kitchen we're cooking in is quite small, and the oven is likely to be full of food for much of the cooking time, thus making (e.g.) the tarts, or the bread for the paté, more problematic. Since we're preparing other food too, something like a risotto is also out, as it requires too much attention.

Obviously, too, the dish we end up cooking will determine the type of mushrooms we buy.

Anyone got any good and relatively straightforward mushroom recipes to share?

[Morgarion]

Mushroom ravioli sounds good. Portabellas would probably be good. I expect they'll end up getting diced for the filling. I feel like sherry and sage or rosemary should be involved as well, perhaps for a sauce?

[Eldan]

Simply fried mushrooms go pretty well with a salad, if you don't already have a salad course.

I forgot another favourite seasonal food: fresh tomatoes. We used to have a neighbour who was the member of a very extensive sicilian family. Every summer, one of her cousins drove from Sicily to Switzerland with a pick-up truck full of tomato crates.

They are so much better than store-bought tomatoes. They don't even register as the same fruit, really. For years, I was convinced that the tomato was a fruit with little to no natural flavour. I was so, so wrong.

[KacyCrawford]

If you have a freezer, don't buy a turkey in the fall. Buy two or three. They're on sale, and a lot of stores give even bigger discounts. Get multiple turkeys while cheap, and then have a full turkey dinner any time you feel like it.

Aside from being good, you can get three four ten a lot of meals out of it.
LOL! that will be full of turkey meals.

[Drakeburn]

EGGNOG!!! I love the stuff. In one way, I suppose it's a good thing they don't produce it year round because I would be a half-ton over weight.

Eggnog is my favorite seasonal drink as well. When I found out that the local stores start selling eggnog around October (or was it November?), I had to get them.

They taste so good, yet since I'm partially lactose intolerant, I would have to take constant trips to the bathroom if I had too much. But I regret nothing! :smalltongue:

[Serpentine]

Something I and my co-host are debating is what to do as a starter. We have both agreed that the starter should feature mushrooms, but can't decide what to do with the mushrooms (see also: Asterix and the Olympic Games)

Options we have so far considered include:

Mushroom soup
Mushroom paté
Mushroom ravioli
Puff pastry mushroom tarts
Mushroom stroganoff on toast

I favour keeping the mushrooms intact if at all possible rather than puréeing them, but a key issue is that the kitchen we're cooking in is quite small, and the oven is likely to be full of food for much of the cooking time, thus making (e.g.) the tarts, or the bread for the paté, more problematic. Since we're preparing other food too, something like a risotto is also out, as it requires too much attention.

Obviously, too, the dish we end up cooking will determine the type of mushrooms we buy.

Anyone got any good and relatively straightforward mushroom recipes to share?I semi-regularly do "mushroom pizzas", especially if I have the really big, flat ones. You cut the stalk off (chop it up and use it as more "topping"), brush tomato paste on it, add whatever toppings you want (usually salami or bacon, tomato, pine nuts and cheese when I do it), and put it in the oven or under the grill for a while.
You could probably do the same thing with smaller cup mushrooms, they'd just be more hor'deuve-like.

[Cuthalion]

As far as actual food goes, Pumpkin Pie by far. There have been years that instead of cake on my birthday (Oct. 23), I've had Pumpkin Pie! :smallbiggrin:
Now, my favorite thing ever that it's criminal that they don't make the rest of the year is:
EGGNOG!!! I love the stuff. In one way, I suppose it's a good thing they don't produce it year round because I would be a half-ton over weight.

Haven't actually had the stuff before. I've heard it's good, though.

Go Dodgers!

[Temotei]

Definitely watermelon in the summer. Gawd. I love watermelon.

[Togath]

Definitely watermelon in the summer. Gawd. I love watermelon.

Aye, same here

[Cuthalion]

Aye, same here

Thirded. I would act more melondramatic about the confession, but I seed that this is the only way.

[Melayl]

Lefse would be mine. Our family usually only makes it around the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays, and it is one of my favorite foods of all time!

[Maelstrom]

Fall wild mushrooms... Love to eat them, love to find them.

[Zaggab]

Knäck (http://kardemummagumma.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/knack.jpg), a Swedish Christmas treat. Don't know if there are similar treats in other countries. The basic recipe is cream, syrup and sugar that is boiled together and put into small moulds. There's usually chopped almonds in them too, and you can add things like vanilla as well.

It's basically the only candy I eat. Last Christmas I made 3 batches with about 75 knäck each, and they were all mostly gone before the actual Christmas Eve. It was awesome. Although, I gave most of them away, because friends and family just wouldn't stop eating them

[Temotei]

Thirded. I would act more melondramatic about the confession, but I seed that this is the only way.

You're my favorite.

[Cuthalion]

You're my favorite.

Mind if I sig this? :smallsmile:

Unless you're joking or being sarcastic... :smallconfused:

[shadow_archmagi]

Knäck (http://kardemummagumma.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/knack.jpg), a Swedish Christmas treat. Don't know if there are similar treats in other countries. The basic recipe is cream, syrup and sugar that is boiled together and put into small moulds. There's usually chopped almonds in them too, and you can add things like vanilla as well.

It's basically the only candy I eat. Last Christmas I made 3 batches with about 75 knäck each, and they were all mostly gone before the actual Christmas Eve. It was awesome. Although, I gave most of them away, because friends and family just wouldn't stop eating them

Hmm. That sounds really interesting. I think I have my next baking project!

How is it pronounced?

[Bhu]

Chili. There's damn few restaurants that serve chili here that's any good, but the ones who do only serve it seasonally.

Also tamales. Real tamales not the crap you see in faux mexican fast food places.

[Hbgplayer]

EGGNOG IS BACK!!! :biggrin:
I'm so happy!

[Lateral]

Cream puffs. I could eat an entire bucket of those things. We get them every year for New Years'. Also, my dad makes pfeffernüsse every year, ever since I was a kid. Which is weird, because we're Jewish, but what the hell.

And, speaking of Jewish! Hanukkah foods! Sufganiyot! That crappy gelt you get at the supermarket in those annoying fishnet bags! Latkes! Hot DAMN do I love latkes! Also, other holidays! Hamentaschen! Hell, even Passover- sure, I hate matzah with a burning passion like most Jews, but matzo brei! Matzo crunch! This awesome flourless chocolate-coffee cake that my dad makes every year!

Plus, non-holiday stuff. Apple cider, for one- sure, you can get it year-round, but the really good stuff is local, and therefore seasonal.

[Coidzor]

I keep wanting to try Latkes. I don't even really remember why at this point. XD If they're anything at all like boring old German Potato Pancakes, I'll love them though.

Mulled cider is great stuff. Especially when you go 50-50 with mulled cider and mulled wine. I don't know how the entirety of Europe could have forgotten such a wonderful winter drink, since it's not like Americans invented mulled cider. :smallconfused:

One of my favorite things is the Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich, which is a little bit like the Sinner's Sandwich, but we don't just have it for our evening meal from Thanksgiving Night until 4 days afterward. Sometimes we make turkey or chicken and dressing(AKA stuffing as it should be, with the drippings from the bird falling down onto it instead of being cooked inside of the bird) just for ****s and giggles throughout the fall and sometimes early winter too.

And that's good, but it doesn't compare with taking two big slabs of softish bread(preferably texas toast or some other suitably thick-sliced bread), buttering one side, putting a thin layer of mayo on the other side, forming a layer of dressing on top of the mayo side, putting a layer of poultry meat on top of that, splashing the poultry with cranberry sauce, layering that with fresh-sliced sweet onion, adding a layer of extra-cheddary broccoli casserole on top of that, and if you're feeling adventurous, spread some sweet potato casserole on the buttered slice of bread. Assemble your sandwich. Pat it down a couple of times. Proceed to consume. Anything that falls out you either suck directly from the plate using the suction of your mouth, lick up, or sop up with a spare slice of bread or two, depending upon how over-stuffed you got it sometimes you get a second sandwich out of the deal.

Now I'm hungry for it. :smallfrown:

[Tebryn]

I make homemade mulled cider but I dislike the stuff fiercely. Hate pumpkin anything as well so the Autumn winter foods are a complete miss for me, though I guess I enjoy cranberries but I can get them year round so I never really think of them as seasonal. I like peppermint stuff but can also get that year round. If you know how to cook or shop there's no such thing as a seasonal food.

[The_Admiral]

Durian! Durian season is when the most delicious durians can be found, plus my uncle owns an orchard so we buy it at a much lower price.

[Zaggab]

Hmm. That sounds really interesting. I think I have my next baking project!

How is it pronounced?

Pronounciation: Take the 'K' sound from... let's say... 'key' and put 'neck' after it.

I found a recipe in english here (http://wererabbits.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/swedish-christmas-candy-knack/). It's not the same recipe that I use, but close enough. For variation, you can put things like vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, chili or something in it. Though the basic version it good too. To make them softer, you can add baking powder.

[Cuthalion]

Durian! Durian season is when the most delicious durians can be found, plus my uncle owns an orchard so we buy it at a much lower price.

Pardon me.
:smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk: :smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk:

Ugh. That is a fruit I never want to try again. Acquired taste, if you ask me.


Cream puffs. I could eat an entire bucket of those things. We get them every year for New Years'. Also, my dad makes pfeffernüsse every year, ever since I was a kid. Which is weird, because we're Jewish, but what the hell.

And, speaking of Jewish! Hanukkah foods! Sufganiyot! That crappy gelt you get at the supermarket in those annoying fishnet bags! Latkes! Hot DAMN do I love latkes! Also, other holidays! Hamentaschen! Hell, even Passover- sure, I hate matzah with a burning passion like most Jews, but matzo brei! Matzo crunch! This awesome flourless chocolate-coffee cake that my dad makes every year!

Plus, non-holiday stuff. Apple cider, for one- sure, you can get it year-round, but the really good stuff is local, and therefore seasonal.

YES. :smallcool:

[Bhu]

Cream puffs. I could eat an entire bucket of those things. We get them every year for New Years'. Also, my dad makes pfeffernüsse every year, ever since I was a kid. Which is weird, because we're Jewish, but what the hell.


If you ever visit Ohio look for Schmidt's Sausage Haus. They specialize in cream puffs as big as your head.

[Mobats]

Lovefeast cake or Moravian Sugar cake is another name for it. We get it a few times a year but starting in the fall through the start of January my mother, grandmother, aunts, and nearly everyone I know makes it. It is this awesome potato coffee cake covered in this buttery brown sugar cinnamon mix. It is just... yum.

As for Latkes they are an anytime dish in my house, Mostly they are Sunday night dinner. I know a few of the recipes have them like good old fashion German Potato Pancakes and others have them more like hashbrowns. I have had them both ways. Mine tend to be a little more like the German Pancakes but I never use flour in them. I also add things like black beans, onions and corn to the mix before frying them. They are usually then topped with salsa, cheese and sour cream.

[Lateral]

If you ever visit Ohio look for Schmidt's Sausage Haus. They specialize in cream puffs as big as your head.
That sounds awesome. Though this kind of sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke. "So, this vegetarian walks into a sausage store..."

[Bhu]

That sounds awesome. Though this kind of sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke. "So, this vegetarian walks into a sausage store..."

It's Ohio's only sausage buffet. May be only sausage buffet period. They're also known for their desserts at the nearby Schmidt's Fudge Haus. Also nearby is the infamous Thurman Cafe and Katzinger's deli. And a 23 room book store known as the Loft. German Village kicks ass!

[Coidzor]

It's Ohio's only sausage buffet. May be only sausage buffet period. They're also known for their desserts at the nearby Schmidt's Fudge Haus. Also nearby is the infamous Thurman Cafe and Katzinger's deli. And a 23 room book store known as the Loft. German Village kicks ass!

Hm. I can't believe I missed that the last time I went up to Columbus. Now if only my mom's cousin owned an Irish pub in Columbus instead of Cleveland, I'd have almost enough reason to just knock off and head to Columbus for a lark. A sausage buffet? Garn.

[Bhu]

I never seem to get to Irish pubs here cept during St. Patty's day, and that's cause they serve soda bread and irish stew.

Ah do loves mah stew, when the person cooking knows what they're doing.

[Coidzor]

I never seem to get to Irish pubs here cept during St. Patty's day, and that's cause they serve soda bread and irish stew.

Ah do loves mah stew, when the person cooking knows what they're doing.

It is rather good, though I associate it more with holiday fare/Dad's feeling extra celtic than being seasonal. XD Probably because St. Patrick's Day always sneaks up on me for some strange reason. :smallconfused: I think I've only been to an Irish Pub... Once, actually. I shall have to rectify this.

[THAC0]

I have found the Christmas cookie to end all Christmas cookies.

Behold! (http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/one-hundred-percent-edible-googly-eyes/)

[The_Admiral]

Pardon me.
:smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk: :smallyuk::smallyuk::smallyuk:

Ugh. That is a fruit I never want to try again. Acquired taste, if you ask me.


You westerners and your strange tastes. :smallamused:

[AtlanteanTroll]

Cider. And I mean the American kind that's no alcoholic. Apple juice is an all year thing, but cider's only really good in October and November. Although I've seen it available in later months, but then it's not quite right...

[Coidzor]

It's good in December and January, but only if you heat it with spices.

[Serpentine]

I have found the Christmas cookie to end all Christmas cookies.

Behold! (http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/one-hundred-percent-edible-googly-eyes/)Well. I have something to start experimenting with, now.

[Bhu]

Cider. And I mean the American kind that's no alcoholic. Apple juice is an all year thing, but cider's only really good in October and November. Although I've seen it available in later months, but then it's not quite right...

omg yes. There's a bunch of orchards within 40 minutes of me and I love the cider this time of year. There's a farmer in Clark County who has a slushy machine he makes frozen cider with. om nom noms...

[Laurellien]

It's all about the chocolate Yule log and mulled wine.

I'm not sure if it's the taste or the association with Christmas that makes them so enjoyable...

[Hogwarts9876]

And, speaking of Jewish! Hanukkah foods! Sufganiyot! That crappy gelt you get at the supermarket in those annoying fishnet bags! Latkes! Hot DAMN do I love latkes! Also, other holidays! Hamentaschen! Hell, even Passover- sure, I hate matzah with a burning passion like most Jews, but matzo brei! Matzo crunch! This awesome flourless chocolate-coffee cake that my dad makes every year!

Seconded on all this, except I don't know how it's possible to enjoy matzah. :smallyuk: Although, last Pesach I discovered a type of delicious gluten free matzah that tastes vaguely like salty cold chips, but can't find it again :smallfrown: Also, at Pesach my dad makes the best almond pudding EVER! :smallbiggrin:

[Tebryn]

Actually thought of a seasonal thing I enjoy. Julmust. Hard to get in the states and only comes out at certain times of the year.

[Coidzor]

Actually thought of a seasonal thing I enjoy. Julmust. Hard to get in the states and only comes out at certain times of the year.

Certain specialty shops, IKEAs, and maybe the odd international section if it has a Norse section at all, yeah... Stuff is pretty interesting though.


omg yes. There's a bunch of orchards within 40 minutes of me and I love the cider this time of year. There's a farmer in Clark County who has a slushy machine he makes frozen cider with. om nom noms...

That sounds amazing. :smalleek::smallbiggrin:

[Tebryn]

Certain specialty shops, IKEAs, and maybe the odd international section if it has a Norse section at all, yeah... Stuff is pretty interesting though.

Bevmo, IKEA, Costco and Costco World Market are about the only places I've found them and even then only in plastic so I can't let them sit and ferment.

[Lateral]

Seconded on all this, except I don't know how it's possible to enjoy matzah. :smallyuk: Although, last Pesach I discovered a type of delicious gluten free matzah that tastes vaguely like salty cold chips, but can't find it again :smallfrown: Also, at Pesach my dad makes the best almond pudding EVER! :smallbiggrin:
There's a reason the stuff's called the 'bread of affliction.' See, the main reason that we Jews often hold a far lower opinion of matzah than goyim is because when a Jew talks about matzah, they're thinking of the traditional matzah used for Pesach. Nothing but flour and water in that. Matzah that people get during other times of the year, though, usually has salt and butter in the dough. It's really just a thin cracker.

Of course, I still can't stand it, either way.

[Temotei]

Mind if I sig this? :smallsmile:

Unless you're joking or being sarcastic... :smallconfused:

Perfectly fine. No sarcasm.

[Cuthalion]

Glad you don't rind. I hope your new endeavors will bear some fruit.

[Temotei]

Glad you don't rind. I hope your new endeavors will bear some fruit.

Still my favorite. :smallbiggrin:

[Cuthalion]

Still my favorite. :smallbiggrin:

I may need to flesh things out here. Honestly, I peel you give me too much credit. Some of my puns are pitiful.

[Temotei]

I may need to flesh things out here. Honestly, I peel you give me too much credit. Some of my puns are pitiful.

I have a soft skin-fore sublime chokecherrie(?)s.

[Cuthalion]

I have a soft skin-fore sublime chokecherrie(?)s.

Orange you glad that I fuzz here to inspire your fruit muse? And not to pearot you or anything, but I do like me some nice sublime pie.

[mowerplus]

I love a good roasted turkey for Thanksgiving, and deviled eggs and glazed ham for Christmas. But I randomly love eating foods that are unseasonal. It's just me. :smallsmile:

[Lateral]

Insufferable pun that you insufferable pun with my insufferable pun while insufferable pun? Insufferable pun!

I hate both of you forever.

(:smalltongue:)

[Cuthalion]

I hate both of you forever.

(:smalltongue:)

Meh, it was worth it. :smalltongue:

[Remmirath]

I quite like eggnog, especially spiked with a bit of rum. Unfortunately, it tends to make my throat feel a bit sore, so I don't end up drinking very much of it.

I like apple cider a good deal, particularly heated and with cinnamon. I must remember to have some of that before the time for it is done this year. It's also nice not heated, but not nearly so.

Pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving is another thing I'm fond of, and cranberry sauce. I don't usually like cranberry anything, but for some reason I like cranberry sauce.

Rum cake isn't a seasonal food per say, but for my family we usually have it around the Christmas holiday, so it has become so to me and I'm extremely fond of it. Bread puddings are also sometimes had in the cold of the winter and around the holidays for us, and I like those. Also not normally seasonal, but my oma always used to make Sachertorte around Christmas, and I think of that. And fudge! When she had more time my mom would often make fudge around Christmas. I've considered trying that myself, but I fear trying it.

[Fjolnir]

Not really a seasonal food but I just made a delicious beef wellington images below:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q34/misterspokes/wedding%20day/beef%20wellington/wellingtonbefore_zpsfc63d1b7.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q34/misterspokes/wedding%20day/beef%20wellington/121113-1918_zps2fc29268.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q34/misterspokes/wedding%20day/beef%20wellington/121113-1941_zps53828cdc.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q34/misterspokes/wedding%20day/beef%20wellington/121113-1945_zps47018d93.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q34/misterspokes/wedding%20day/beef%20wellington/121113-1950_zps2161c9db.jpg


I was watching a show where children 9-13 years old cook food and get judged by a few celebrity chefs and this particular variation came up as one of the challenges (filet of beef seared and mustard crusted, wrapped in proccuito, wrapped in a crepe with a mushroom paste and wrapped in puff pastry) it looked good so I wanted to try it (would probably use a different mushroom for the paste, otherwise was fairly nice...)

[Proud Tortoise]

I quite like eggnog, especially spiked with a bit of rum. Unfortunately, it tends to make my throat feel a bit sore, so I don't end up drinking very much of it.

I used to really like eggnog. And then once this huge lump of egg was at the bottom of a glass and I choked on it and then threw up. And now I'm eggnog-phobic.

My favorite seasonal food is candied yams. I'm pretty sure that counts as a seasonal food; I've only had it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But candied yams because of their utter deliciousness.

[tomandtish]

Blue Bell Peppermint Ice Cream. You can only get it from about Thanksgiving till mid-January. I love it!

[celtois]

Arctic Kiwi's!

They have a really short shelf life... plus a short actual harvesting season there is like four week in the entire year where you can get the,.
Which means they aren't the sort of fruit you can actually buy at the grocery store, but they are fantastic. They are the size of large grape, with a thin hairless skin, when you bite into them they are like better tasting kiwi's, without the whole scooping hassle. Omnomnom.

[No brains]

Bulgarian Miak.

[Serpentine]

Bulgarian Miak.
What's that?

[Elemental]

I too, have never heard of this drink until today.
And that's all that I learnt about it using Google, that it is a drink. Beyond that, nothing.

[mistformsquirrl]

Fresh apple cider. Oh sure you can get 'apple cider' year round, but it's *nothing* compared to autumn fresh apple cider with a twist of cinnamon. <._.>/

[No brains]

What's that?


I too, have never heard of this drink until today.
And that's all that I learnt about it using Google, that it is a drink. Beyond that, nothing.

Miak isn't real. It's from Ernest Scared Stupid. Ernest mentions that whatever it is, it's seasonal. The season in question can't be Autumn because Ernest also says that he shouldn't have been able to get it during Halloween. I think it must be something from Winter or Spring, because something from Summer could probably keep in the jar miak is shown in, but if it's from earlier in the year it might not be as fresh. I think maybe they used a jar of honey as the prop.

The reason it's my favorite seasonal food is because it isn't real, so it's fun to imagine what it could be.:smallsmile:

[Ravens_cry]

Really good, fresh, tomatoes. Yes, you can get tomatoes all year round, but at their peak, they are a truly sublime thing compared to the relatively lackluster creatures of most of the year. Fresh from a farmers market, they really don't need anything to be simply awesome.
Maybe a little salt, but that's it.

[Astrella]

My gran makes some really good pumpkin soup.

[McStabbington]

From my perspective, you can never have too much eggnog. Sure I might die when I'm 35, and the last ten minutes aren't going to be fun, but if I could only drink one thing from here on out for the rest of my life, that thing would be eggnog. Good gravy, I love that stuff.

[Kneenibble]

Arctic Kiwi's!

They have a really short shelf life... plus a short actual harvesting season there is like four week in the entire year where you can get the,.
Which means they aren't the sort of fruit you can actually buy at the grocery store, but they are fantastic. They are the size of large grape, with a thin hairless skin, when you bite into them they are like better tasting kiwi's, without the whole scooping hassle. Omnomnom.

I nearly planted a vine of this fruit in my garden last summer, entranced when I saw them at the greenhouse: but opted for grapes instead. Now I am beginning to wish I had made room for them.

[RaynFreth]

Peppermint and cinnamon things around christmas time. Absolutely fantastic.

[Cuthalion]

Really good, fresh, tomatoes. Yes, you can get tomatoes all year round, but at their peak, they are a truly sublime thing compared to the relatively lackluster creatures of most of the year. Fresh from a farmers market, they really don't need anything to be simply awesome.
Maybe a little salt, but that's it.
For sure. These guys are the bestest.

I nearly planted a vine of this fruit in my garden last summer, entranced when I saw them at the greenhouse: but opted for grapes instead. Now I am beginning to wish I had made room for them.
My mother planted a vine; thanklessly, it opted to die immediately. This irked me, but what can ye do.

[Delusion]

Christmast ham is my absolutely favourite food. From I can live for weeks after christmass without eating anything else. Especially with good mustard.

And then there is shrove buns. A regular bun that is cut open and whipped cream and strawberry jam is put in. So delicious, but only to be eaten at 2 days a year. (Though techinically available in shops for like weeks >.>).

[Bhu]

I second the xmas ham. My grandma's cat used to be addicted to xmas ham.

[Ravens_cry]

I . . . like Christmas cake. In particular, my aunt's Christmas cake.
It's rich, dark, dense and moist, and practically every year she bakes several and gives my family one.
It's very toothsome with a cup of tea or some eggnog and a slice of sharp cheddar.
Not a fan of marzipan, but, luckily, she doesn't use it on the cake.

[Coidzor]

I . . . like Christmas cake. In particular, my aunt's Christmas cake.
It's rich, dark, dense and moist, and practically every year she bakes several and gives my family one.
It's very toothsome with a cup of tea or some eggnog and a slice of sharp cheddar.
Not a fan of marzipan, but, luckily, she doesn't use it on the cake.

I must admit, I've never had christmas cake before. I'd always thought it was a purely and uniquely Japanese concoction...

[Ravens_cry]

I must admit, I've never had christmas cake before. I'd always thought it was a purely and uniquely Japanese concoction...
Oh no, Japanese 'Christmas cake', while certainly delicious looking, is a very different creature from what I describe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cake#British_.26_Commonwealth_variations ). It's a kind of fruit cake that tastes a lot like mincmeat. It is dark, dense and rich with lots of candied rutabaga, cherries, almonds and pecans and is liberally soaked with some kind of alcohol.
I don't know the exact recipe, but I know I like it.

[Serpentine]

I must admit, I've never had christmas cake before. I'd always thought it was a purely and uniquely Japanese concoction...
Christmas cake is one of the most European things in existence :smallconfused:
It's sort of grown on me in recent years, I guess, but it never really did it for me. Same with Christmas pudding. My grandmother used to make me date loaf, instead. Maybe I'll finally try that recipe this Christmas...

[Elemental]

Personally, I absolutely love both Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.
In fact, I feel like having some now...

[Aedilred]

That reminds me, I need to make this year's Christmas cake. I've probably left it a bit late if I want to eat it early, though.

[Cuthalion]

Never heard of, let alone had, Christmas cake. :smallconfused: Never had Christmas pudding for that matter, but that one's talked about a lot.

[Delusion]

Christmas cake is one of the most European things in existence :smallconfused:
It's sort of grown on me in recent years, I guess, but it never really did it for me. Same with Christmas pudding. My grandmother used to make me date loaf, instead. Maybe I'll finally try that recipe this Christmas...

Must be a central European thing then or something? I have never heard of it apart from the before mentioned Japanese thing.

[Ravens_cry]

Must be a central European thing then or something? I have never heard of it apart from the before mentioned Japanese thing.
Well, many countries have their own variations, but there are several forms in the UK.

[Aedilred]

It tends to be a fruitcake of some description. In the UK it's usually a rich one, but recently pannetone from Italy has become popular as a contrast to the rest of Christmas food. I don't know how widespread it is but it's well-established here at least.

My Christmas cake is a very rich Creole-inspired recipe with as much rum, brandy and cherry brandy as I can get inside the cake without having it completely collapse, then covered in some token royal icing. The booze has the advantage - as well as the usual - of keeping the cake fresh and moist for months, which is great because I've never seen a Christmas cake actually finished at Christmas time. I've never got round to doing a Christmas scene on top because I'm always icing it at the last minute, but maybe one day I will.

[Topus]

Christmas cake is one of the most European things in existence :smallconfused:
Maybe in central-northern Europe, in Italy i've never seen that Christmas Cake.
As for me, it's time for some of my favourites:

Risotto Zucca e Amarone (Risotto with Pumpkin and Amarone Wine).
Panettone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panettone) and Pandoro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandoro), the typical North Italy christmas cakes (and i am a big fan of them :D).
Maccheroncini con stracotto d'asino (a short pasta with braised donkey)
Tortelli di Zucca (egg pasta stuffed with pumpkin, amaretti, mostarda, grana cheese, noce moscata).

[Elemental]

Maccheroncini con stracotto d'asino (a short pasta with braised donkey)

I've never had donkey before, is it nice?

[Cuthalion]

I've always wondered how this tastes.

http://www.engrish.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/10/shrimp-and-kleptomaniac.jpg

[Topus]

I've never had donkey before, is it nice?

You have to braise it to make it tender, but it's wonderful, accompanied with short pasta, or polenta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta), and a rich red wine.