Today is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day.  The day to celebrate the meeting of gooey chewy fudge on top of melty vanilla ice cream.  (It’s also the day that bread rationing ended in Britain in 1948, but hey, tomorrow is Bagelmania day so you can get your chewy gluten fix going then, and nowadays we’ve got freakin’ ice cream!!!) How perfect is that with the crazy triple-digit temperatures, eh?

Go have yourself a wonderful huge hot fudge sundae.  Or just a little one.  Or even a teeny weeny sundae, like this cute little button here in Albuquerque at Route 66 Diner on Central.

Broccoli Bangup

serves 4-6 broccoli lovers, or 12-20 party goers

1 huge bowl of broccoli florets (more than you think you’ll eat)
1/3c bacon bits (fresh or your favorite mass-produced brand)
2 small containers lemon yogurt, OR plain yogurt plus 2-4T of sweetener, fake or real
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/4c red wine vinegar
1/4c raisins
1c walnuts
2T brown sugar
salt, kosher or sea

Buy so much broccoli that the people in line at the grocery store think you have “a problem”. Chop into florets. Or just cheat and buy the 3lb bag from Costco, but cut those up into bite-sized pieces, too. Put in the hugest bowl you have and make sure there’s at least a little room to mix later.

Toast walnuts: put walnut halves/pieces in a frying pan and toast on medium – about 5-15 minutes. Add 2T of brown sugar when about half done and let that form little crystally things on the nuts. Stir constantly to not burn. Put in bowl in freezer to cool for a few minutes. Chop.

Combine raisins, vinegar, juice of lemon, zest, and lemon yogurt. Pour over broccoli and mix to coat thoroughly. If really dry, add more vinegar. Taste so that it’s not too puckery. If it is, add some sugar.

Once completely mixed/coated, let rest 1-24 hours. When ready to serve, stir in the chopped toasted walnuts and the bacon bits. Bonus: Totally outdo yourself and top with those crunchy onion bits like used for green bean casserole.

Oh, the shame . . . it’s almost as bad/tempting/delicious as the infamous recipe posted to eGullet years ago under the subject of “Guilty Pleasures”. The awesome-sounding literal mashup included tortilla chips, several taco salad ingredients, and a larger-than-necessary spoon to eat it all with the windowshades drawn. The author called it “Trailer Trash Crap“. Tee hee.

Some day I might attempt such a feat, but for now I’ll content myself with the knowledge that I have polished off the Silverton equivalent: the Mexican Funnel Cake.

However, I do have some nominations for best specimens of the fryolater arts.  Send me yours!

1.  Buttermilk donut at Enchantment Chocolates.  Holy crap.  Crunchy, deep brown, tangy.

2.  Onion “loaf” at Owl Cafe.  This was my most recent little fried bender and it was worth every crunchy batter bite.  Their fries are good, too, but these onion tangles are darn tasty.

3.  (R.I.P.) Fried pickles at Independence Grill.

Given how delicious and traditional the dish is around spring, you’d think someone found a work around for those of us who prefer (even if not always practice) to avoid deep-fried foods.

What is Torta de Huevo?  Simple yet involved, delicious and rich, perfect for days you’re not so much into meat and such.  Take separated eggs, beat the whites to peaks, beat the yolks to frothy, fold together and fry in little patties.  Drown it all in red chile sauce.  Done.

So, the key is how to reproduce the crispy texture that frying imparts, without deflating what is essentially a souffle.  My bet?  Broil the puppies, or REALLY gently pan-sear in a good non-stick.  Or both – pan sear then chuck the whole pan in the oven with no flipping required until it is done.

Haven’t tried this yet, but I know it will work, and if a local restaurant also wanted to try it, that would be super cool.  Let me know!