Have we done this already? Today, I rounded out my "weird tourist attractions day in Philly" with the Eastern State Penitentiary, along with the Mutter Museum. When I was looking at Death Row, I started playing the game in my head that chefs (and everyone else, I guess) like to play. Focus: You're on Death Row, and you've just been asked to create the menu for your last meal. What do you order for a first course, main course, and dessert? For my first course, I'd have a bowl of matza ball soup with a Dr. Brown's black cherry soda. Three matza balls - midway between floaters and sinkers - and the works with the soup. That means homemade chicken broth, chicken, carrots, celery, and onions. A bit heavy on the garlic, please. For my main course, I'd have a cheeseburger. It needs to be thick, juicy, medium-rare, and cooked on an actual barbecue. And I want two slices of American cheese. YEAH, I said American. A bit of ketchup and a nice bun. Dill pickle on the side. Of course I want fries, but they have to be thin and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Nothing resembling steak fries and god help the chef if he tries to get away with giving me potato wedges. To round it out, I want some baked macaroni and cheese, preferably brought in from the nearest soul food restaurant. To drink: a beer. Any specific request would depend on what time of year I'm getting executed. I'm actually not decided on dessert. A part of me just wants to ask for some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or a slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting that was made from a box, or a milkshake. But then I think this is my last meal, and I should probably ask for chocolate mousse with homemade whipped cream, or cheesecake, or some cannolis. But THEN I think, you know, I haven't exactly cared about moderation for the first two courses, so maybe I'll just have the dessert equivalent of a cheese plate, and nibble my way through a sample of all of the above.
First Course: Spoiler Ingredients 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup mozzarella, grated 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated 1 cup pizza sauce 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded/grated 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated 2 ounces pepperoni, sliced 2 tablespoons green pepper, sliced 2 tablespoons black olives, sliced Directions Mix the cream cheese, sour cream mayonnaise, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano and spread it across the bottom of a pie plate. Spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle on the cheese, pepperoni, green pepper and olives. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. Main Course: Spoiler Goulash 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 cups onions, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp sugar 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp caraway seeds, toasted and ground 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon spicy Hungarian paprika 2 Tbsp minced fresh marjoram leaves 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 1 bay leaf 3 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 cups chicken stock 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes (remove excess fat) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Dumplings 2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk 2 Tbsp melted butter Method 1 In a large covered sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook another minute. 2 Add the sweet and spicy paprika, marjoram, thyme and bay leaf. Sauté another minute, until fragrant. 3 Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 4 To prepare the dumplings, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with the milk and melted butter, mixing lightly. After the stew has cooked until tender in step 3, drop the dumpling batter by (heaping) teaspoonfuls into the simmering stew. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover while the dumplings are cooking! In order for them to be light and fluffy, they must steam. If you uncover the pan, the steam will escape and the dumplings will boil instead. After 15 minutes, test the dumplings with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the dumplings are done. Dessert: Spoiler For the crust: 1 1/2 - 2 cups gingersnap crumbs 6-8 tablespoons melted butter 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste) For the chocolate filling: 7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped 1 cup heavy cream 1 egg (at room temperature) 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste) Pinch of salt For the cinnamon whipped cream: 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of chili flakes To prepare crust grind gingersnaps in a food processor until fine (alternatively, you can put them in a bag and use a rolling pin, hammer, or other blunt object to pulverize them). Grease a 9-inch pie pan, pour in crumbs, mix in spices, then add melted butter in stages, mixing after each addition until the crumbs are the texture of wet sand. You may have some butter left over, depending on the kind of gingersnaps. Firmly press the crumb mixture into the sides of the pan, and along the bottom, forming an even layer. Chill for at least 30 minutes, to prevent the crust from crumbling when cut. While the crust chills, prepare the chocolate filling. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put chocolate in a large glass bowl. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it just comes to the boil. Pour over chocolate, and let stand for 1 minute. Gently whisk the cream and chocolate together until fully combined and glossy. Add egg, whisk to incorporate. Whisk in spices and salt, then pour into chilled pie crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until chocolate filling has puffed up but is still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove from oven and cool completely before topping. To prepare whipped cream, pour cream into a large bowl or a stand mixer, add sugar and cinnamon, and whip until soft peaks form. Pile on top of cooled chocolate filling, and finish with a sprinkling of chili flakes. Basically, I want to die before I can digest all this food. If it's my last meal, I'm not going to worry about calories.
First Course - Rilettes du canard with sour cherry and cinnamon jam, pickled red onions, and sweet gherkins. Second Course - A 14oz pork shank, rubbed with confit salt overnight before being braised in tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, white wine, garlic and fresh thyme. Served with parm risotto and roasted baby carrots, turnips, and parsnips. Third Course - Tarte Tatin.
First Course: Ortolan. Small birds that are force fed and when they are killed they are drowned in Armagnac. Supposedly beyond delicious. Second Course: Massive Hanger Steak, cooked rare. With Bearnaise. Dessert: French Silk pie.
As Jim Harrison said, "I've never been big on last meals. I want lots of last meals." I'd much rather have 6 months of gluttony. After this thread I'm probably going to start having more last meals even though I don't plan on dying for another 60 years. First: Charcuterie platter. Prosciutto di Parma, assorted dried sausages, throw in some stinky cheeses, and a wild game pate. The prosciutto is key though. Second: Zuppa di Pesce. Shrimp, lobster, scungilli (giant snail), clams, mussels in a spicy tomato and seafood stock broth mixed over linguine. Third: Tiramisu with extra rum soaked into the cake component.
A perfect gin martini to start. By martini I mean a giant glass full of ice cold gin, up, with a bottle of vermouth somewhere in the vicinity. A full rack of lamb, medium rare, salty and perfect. Caesar salad, with the anchovies, you heathens. Paotoatoes au gratin and a nice red to go along with it. Creme caramel custard to finish it off. Along with a stinger or 10.
We don't have paotoatoes in Canada. Appetizer - Perogies. And not just any perogies. I want the homemade perogies that come from the tiny Polish deli in my hometown, the ones with the bacon and cheese and onions (spring and caramelized red) stuffed inside. Smothered in more bacon and more onions. Entree - My mom's mapo tofu. Minced pork, silken tofu, preserved radish and green peas in szechuan pepper sauce. On white rice. It may not be the fanciest dish, or the most elaborate, but it's my absolute hands-down favourite. Plus, how can you not pick Mom's cooking as your last meal? Dessert - Spoiler An entire fucking box, and an entire fucking gallon. They are my kryptonite.
What do you all have then? Poutatoues? That's the coon ass way of spelling potatoes. Just ask Blue Dog.
First course: Lobster risotto accompanied by some white wine. Second course: Filet mignon, medium, with a double baked potato with sour cream and bacon bits on the side accompanied by a bottle of Stella. Dessert: Tiramisu with a glass of Sailor Jerry's and coke.
Appetizer: southwest egg rolls with that pink sauce Main Course: a filet mignon cooked medium and a steamed lobster tail with cocktail sauce and lemon, with scalloped potatoes Dessert: carrot cake with cream cheese icing and dark chocolate ice cream, cool whip, and hot fudge sauce on it and coca cola to wash it all down
I'm never been a big eater, save for the rare occasion I make a glutton out of myself. So I'm faced with the difficulty of choosing between having a decent serving of one of my favorite foods or nibbling on a vast selection of them. I'd probably just go with both options; divided into two courses. First Course Two slices of that pizza they sell beside the cash register at truck stops. Each slice is fucking huge, and if you get it fresh from the oven they are dripping with grease. You could run a truck off the grease from a whole pie. I'd also want two cold bottles of Lipton Diet Green Tea; and a pack of Marlborough Reds. Second Course Chicken breast and a couple of potato wedges from Chesters Chicken. New York style cheesecake from Wal-Mart, and some of the popcorn shrimp from their deli. Corn dog from Sonic, and a cherry slushie. Once again, I'd want two bottles of Lipton tea, and another pack of smokes.
I'd start off with two Rippers (deep fried hot dogs) from Rutt's Hut and side of their fries. And Coca-cola. Then a big slab of lasagna (with meat sauce), and side of gnocci. Accompanied by a bowl of meatballs, only if my Aunt makes them. And Coca-cola. For dessert, New York style cheesecake and a cappucino. Although, if I knew this was indeed my last meal, I'm not sure I'd actually get much of this down.
1) Chicken wings, chips and salsa, 5 pitchers of beer 2) Prime rib (like, a whole one), mushrooms and au jus, and 5 bottle of Opus One 3) Olive Garden's neverending pasta bowl/unlimited soup-salad-breadsticks. Refill until I die of old age.
Whatever makes the biggest mess when I shit my pants after I expire. That's what I want, and lots of it.
Gus's Famous Fried Chicken from Memphis for an appetizer. A #4 from DMK Buger Bar in Chicago, with Amish Blue Cheese and Bacon fires. For Dessert I want strawberry icecream served on Christina Hendrick's tits.
I think this thread is irrelevant, since Texas no longer offers death row inmates a choice for their last meal. Thanks for ruining it for everyone else, you racist douche bag. However, if I was to be on death row, I would fast for 24 hours prior to my execution, that way I wouldn't shit myself after I died. Gotta have my dignity.