Hearthstone

Most people know Hearthstone as the online, collectable card game based on World of Warcraft. It also happens to be a plush toy in my friend’s living room, and the name of another friend’s pizza catering service.

                My weekend festivities started on Friday night with a “Mario Party Party,” celebrating the release of the 10^th installation of the game. As with most of these kinds of parties, food played second player for the night as we raced, smashed, and stole from one another in game after game. That being said, the offerings were far from standard gamer “junk food.” Brussel sprouts were split and tossed with chopped cauliflower, olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted to a slight char. These were eaten rapidly with toothpicks. Meatball sliders made an appearance, thick and juicy, each almost two inches in diameter, they still had a slight pinkish center, belaying a taste of a medium burger. The star of the night though was the jello shots. Three flavors were laid out, first was a yellow pina colada, fruity, sweet, and just a little tart. Next was a red, mixed berry, with a layer of foamy whipped cream on top. Sweeter than the former, which also masked the vodka it contained. Last, and most novel, was the orange mango habanero, with just enough sweetness to mute some of the heat. Oh yeah, did I mention all of them were ½ alcohol?

                On a side note, the host had previously made some kimchee that I sampled. The texture and sour was perfect, though because she didn’t use the proscribed chili paste, the heat and “funk” weren’t all there. However, it was still tasty and a better first try than I could do, well made!

                

Saturday was the St. Patrick ’s Day parade in Hartford. Delayed because of rain, mother nature decided still not to cooperate and snow Saturday morning. Despite this, my friend still set up his Italian brick oven, mounted on a trailer, and grabbed an early morning parking spot to sell pizza. Unfortunately, because of the snow, business was a little slow. Because of the drunkenness of the crowd, he didn’t put out his hand tossed crust with gourmet toppings. That said, it’s amazing what a 500⁰ brick oven can do for a pizza. Crispy and toasted on the outside, with a slightly chewy crust, melty cheese, and most importantly, fresh from the oven. While he may not have sold as many as he would have liked, I certainly would try Hearthstone again.

                Sunday night was a night in. A friend and I decided to adventure a little beyond our usual culinary limitations and try to make tom ka gai, Thai coconut chicken soup. Traditional tom ka gai is actually quite simple, sautee shallot and garlic in a pot, then just combine chicken stock, pulled chicken, mushrooms, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lemon grass, finish with a little lime and cilantro. Of course there are variations on this recipe, including ours. The soup was going to be our entire meal, so we loaded it with chopped water chestnuts, thinly sliced carrot, bamboo shoots, and bean thread noodles. We also blotted our bowls with sriracha. The results were amazing and only encouraged me to boldly go where I have (eaten, but) not cooked before.