Bloggers Bites: Red and Blue Foods
Bloggers’ Bites is a series of posts chronicling the foodie adventures of Penn Appétit’s blog staff. In honor of Penn’s Homecoming this weekend, our bloggers share their favorite red and blue foods!
Chase Matecun: If Penn fans were judged by the number of bowls of Quaker Oats they eat for breakfast each week, I would be the biggest super-fan on campus. But when it comes to finding red and blue foods to show my Quaker spirit, there really aren’t that many options. So how about this? A hot, juicy medium rare steak topped with a smattering of sharp blue cheese. Yes, I know blue cheese isn’t actually blue… but for the sake of finally having perfectly cooked, succulent red meat again when I go home for Thanksgiving break, can’t we just pretend?
Arielle Pardes: Let’s raise a highball! Make a toast to dear old Penn in the spirit of homecoming by sipping on our signature Quaker cocktail, the Pennsylvanian. Combine 2 ounces Calvados Apple Brandy, 1 ounce Madeira Wine, 1 carefully separated egg white, and several ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake well; then strain and pour into a highball glass (it wouldn’t be a highball without the appropriate glass, after all). Garnish with a lemon twist. Bear in mind: the Pennsylvanian is not your standard cocktail (it was once described as a “a Colonial-era frat shooter”) but it’s distinctively ours, and for homecoming, anything goes.
Sophie Litwin: I made mini berry cheesecakes for 4th of July, but they can also serve to promote Penn pride. Here’s the recipe: Mix a cup of graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of sugar and three tablespoons of melted butter/margarine, and press graham cracker mixture into bottoms of paper-lined muffin pan cups. Beat 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (softened) with ¾ cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and pour cream cheese mixture over crusts. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, cool completely, then refrigerate for two hours. Top each cheesecake with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, blueberries and sliced strawberries (I like to put one blueberry in the middle and arrange the strawberry slices around the blueberry to make a flower). Enjoy!
Ashlee Burris: Belgian waffles with blueberries and strawberries: my favorite red and blue food stems from my love for IHOP and anything with batter and syrup. The addition of blueberries and strawberries contributes a fresh spin to the traditional breakfast item. With a hint of powdered sugar and maple syrup, the waffles make for a delectable school-spirited meal.
Rachel Stewart: For me, the best “red and blue” food is plain shortbread topped with vanilla custard and raspberries and blueberries. I love how versatile the custard is, and there are so many combinations of red and blue you can play with– red shortbread with blueberry custard and strawberries would be particularly appropriate for homecoming! On the other hand, who would want to eat black custard? How would slimy, slippery oranges hold up on shortbread? Puck frinceton!
Carolyn Koh: My go-to red and blue food would be a light strawberry, blueberry yogurt parfait with a layer of granola and drizzle of honey. They are extremely easy to make, easy to share, and easy to enjoy. They’re like parties in a jar, and knowing that it’s healthier than most desserts, I’d be able to go for spoonfuls more.