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11 November 2011
Why can't I eat just three. Or nine. Best candy ever. Physically incapable of not eating a remotely reasonable number of them and therefore cannot buy them. Does anyone else love them as much?
Oh, yes. There's a bowl of them at the studio where I take dance, and it's all I can do some days to keep from stuffing my cheeks like a chipmunk before class.
I really love having them with a hot cup of tea, so the heat from the tea makes them just a little gooey.
yes! When I went to the ice cream parlor "Farrell's" as a kid, they had a big candy section where you could stuff various things into tiny white paper sacks and buy them by weight, and sesame candies were one of my favorites there. My dad always called the candy store Rip-Off Road, for the little fake paved path that ran through it.
I worked in various jobs at a Farrell's in Redford, Michigan. I really enjoyed working at the register in the candy area. When it was slow, it was snack time. And your dad was absolutely right.
This is weird: I remember that I used to eat these by the truckload but I can't remember anything about them: the taste, the texture, the sound of the wrapper, anything.
Halvah was a passion
Oh, HALVAH, my dearest halvah! Fresh, rich, smooth halvah is amazing. (That bar of spackle that I can buy at the grocery store is not the same, even though sometimes I give in and always regret it.) I remember so vividly the first time I bought a hunk of house-made halvah and brought it home to the friends I was visiting: it was so grainy but smooth, so weirdly delicious. We ate the whole massive chunk in minutes.
And I don't think I can buy it anywhere in my area, so I haven't had it in years. I should probably just learn to make the stuff.
until I started reacting strangely to sesame oil.
It never occurred to me that using sesame seeds in, um, virtually every dinner might be a bad idea. Oh. (Last night it was sweet potatoes cut into fries, dredged in sesame seeds then cornstarch, pan-fried. OH SO GOOD.)
I just made my second batch of baked sweet potatoes in ages the other day. I just eat them with a little salt and sometimes butter. I've even grabbed a cold one for breakfast on the way out the door a couple times. (Hot is better. Cold works in a pinch.)
Any extra tips on the fries? Just sesame seeds and cornstarch?
I peel the sweet potato(es) and cut into size (chunks are fine, rounds are fine, fat fries are fine), then toss with kosher salt and let it sit for ~10 minutes. (I do this in a slightly oversized bowl, which means it's easy to toss the sesame and cornstarch later.) The salt draws out some moisture, which helps the dredging ingredients stick to the potato.
Heat a half-inch or so of neutral oil in a frying pan. Thanks to our flaky stove, I usually have to adjust the heat a coupla times, but I'd say medium to medium-high heat. Wait until the oil is hot to dredge the sweet potatoes.
Then and only then, toss the sweet potato with a half-palmful of sesame seeds (maybe a scant tablespoon? less? I never measure this) and follow up by tossing with a scant palmful of cornstarch. More isn't better here: only a small amount of each will stick to the potatoes, so any extra will fall off in the bowl or in the oil.
Immediately slip the sweet potato into the hot oil and let em cook, turning once, until they're crispy and flecked with brown spots.
Scoop 'em out and let drain a moment on a paper towel or brown paper bag, then serve. For fries, I often serve a sweet-hot chili sauce, drained yogurt dipping sauce with herbs, or sriracha. Chunks or rounds are great as a side dish (or, if you're me, a main course) or strewn atop peanut noodles, in a burrito, or tossed with warm roasted beets and/or white beans and balsamic dressing.
I might have to make myself another batch of these for dinner tonight.